《Heavenly Soul [BL]》


 Chapter 1: Learning from Experience

    The afternoon sunlight dappled the ground, casting pleasant shapes on the moist earth. The leaves forming a canopy overhead turned golden green as the bright light filtered through. The whole clearing was covered in a cool shade, a refreshing breeze blowing through every now and then.


    At the center of the clearing, a group of white-robed young disciples chatted and poked around, trying to see if they could harvest a few extra spiritual herbs while they had the chance and before they had to return to their respective sects.


    The sounds of low chatter mixed with the rustling of the leaves and the distant roar of a waterfall, creating a soothing background noise.


    Sitting on one of the rocks scattered at the edge of the clearing, Feng Qinghe sighed contently while surveying the pleasant scenery.


    ¡°Stop dazing around, this is not a picnic!¡± an annoyed voice started lecturing from beside Qinghe. ¡°Our sects sent us to this hidden realm to gather valuable resources. Now that we¡¯re done, why aren¡¯t we leaving already?¡±


    Qinghe looked at his fellow martial brother Jing Shui with pity. Wearing his habitual smile that projected warmth and sincerity, Qinghe replied in a relaxed voice, ¡°Brother Jing, we are not here to just gather materials but also to gain experience. We still have a few days left before this realm closes, so wouldn¡¯t it be better to take advantage of this time and experience as much as possible?¡±


    Jing Shui looked at that earnest expression and wanted to slap the smile off his face. He turned away with a huff filled with disdain.


    Jing Shui was hot-blooded and easily annoyed, and having to spend a month with this man who seemed to constantly smile even while sleeping irritated the hell out of him.


    Feng Qinghe never reacted to any of the barbs or insults Jing Shui threw at him, always deflecting or ignoring them just like this. Jing Shui hated that pedantic smiling expression and hated even more how he couldn¡¯t get a read on him. How was he supposed to know whether Feng Qinghe was trustworthy or not if Jing Shui couldn¡¯t even get a glimpse of his true character? Having to spend a month with this uncertainty was enough to almost drive him mad.


    Feng Qinghe easily read each of these thoughts from the slight changes in Jing Shui¡¯s expression and smirked to himself. Qinghe felt like praising the other man for realizing that the pleasant and trustworthy persona he always projected was not his true self. That was why toying with Jing Shui these past few weeks had made for such a fun pastime.


    Though he was laughing to himself on the inside, outwardly Qinghe¡¯s expression showed only the utmost sincerity.


    The low hum of chatter that came from the younger disciples suddenly grew louder and was tinged with excitement.


    Feng Qinghe and Jing Shui looked towards the juniors they were in charge of to see what the matter was.


    A few of the disciples had started poking at a demonic plant that had been hidden amongst the spiritual herbs at the border of the clearing. Soon, more disciples from both sects started joining in on the fun.


    Jing Shui¡¯s expression grew furious. He stood up from the rock he was using as a seat and made to go towards the source of the commotion, presumably to yell at them to stay away from suspicious looking plants like that. But Qinghe stopped him with a raised hand. ¡°Now, now, Brother Jing. Don¡¯t look so angry, you¡¯ll line your beautiful face with wrinkles. Think how anguished your admirers will be then.¡±


    Jing Shui had a beautiful, almost feminine face and an androgynous figure. A pair of thick gold hoops adorned his earlobes, making his face look more delicate in comparison. Every move of his exuded grace and nobility. His usual tempestuousness only added to his overall charm. Needless to say, he had many admirers, both male and female.


    His frown etching deeper, Jing Shui slapped away the hand that was blocking him. ¡°Stop your blathering! Who knows if that thing is dangerous! Just look at it, it¡¯s obviously demonic in origin. I need to go and smack some sense into that idiotic lot.¡±


    Qinghe refused to let him go so easily and blocked his path again. ¡°Brother Jing, let them play. Even if anything happens, we are still here. We can save them in time.¡±


    Looking at the disciples who had grown bolder and were now pulling bravely at the thick crimson vines, Jing Shui only got angrier. ¡°What ¡®let them play¡¯? Stop indulging those brats. They need to learn to be wary of these kinds of suspicious things. You¡¯re being way too lenient. If you don¡¯t want to discipline them, then I will!¡±


    Qinghe laughed, the pleasant sound sending a chill down Jing Shui¡¯s spine. ¡°Brother Jing, you¡¯ve got this backward. I am not the one being too indulgent or lenient, you are. As I said before, we are here to learn from experience. So let our junior martial brothers and sisters learn from experience why they must not poke and pull at random things. Please rest assured that I won¡¯t let them come to harm.¡±


    Not giving him a chance to refuse, Qinghe pulled Jing Shui downwards so that he had no choice but to sit back down.


    Jing Shui remained quiet and thoughtful as he digested Qinghe¡¯s words. They were not entirely wrong. He just hadn¡¯t expected him to put that much thought into the matter. It seemed he had underestimated this man.


    So there they sat, the two senior disciples watching silently as their junior martial brothers and sisters went about harassing the demonic plant. Excited squeals and shouts interrupted the peace now and then.


    Looking over the boisterous group of teenagers with unhidden exasperation and affection, Qinghe sighed in contentment once more.


    A few minutes later, the shouts of excitement turned to screams of fear and pleas for help.


    The ground around the plant had erupted as bigger and sturdier vines forced their way out. They swiftly wrapped around the disciples nearby and tried to pull them down into a wide gaping maw that was lined with poisonous thorns. Shredded people were after all easier to digest.


    But even though this was the first time these newly minted disciples faced danger, they were still cultivators. They used their elemental attributes and threw a constant barrage of attacks in a variety of shapes and colors as they continued frantically yelling and screaming for help.


    Qinghe just watched on serenely with a soft and loving smile still curving the edges of his lips.


    Looking at his unmoving companion, Jing Shui was about to rise and go help when he was stopped once again.


    ¡°There is no need to be in such a rush to rescue them. Let us wait until this lesson is etched firmly into their minds.¡±


    Seeing his unconcerned smile, Jing Shui gulped and sat down. Though they were shrieking as if they were dying, he knew that the situation was not as dire yet. But still¡­


    He needed to remember to be careful around this particular martial brother in the future. If he carelessly got into trouble in front of him, he might also get taught a ¡®lesson¡¯ with a similar smile. Thankfully, Feng Qinghe was from the Heavenly Peak Sect and not from the Golden Sun Sect like Jing Shui, so they would not see each other often.


    Feng Qinghe¡¯s way of educating juniors was so scary.


    The chorus of screams reached their peak when one of the boys was almost pulled into the fetid smelling mouth, his toes almost having entered the wide opening.


    Seeing that it was about time for him to step in, Qinghe finally stood up and pushed off from the ground, leaping towards the chaotic scene. The disciples who had been looking in their direction for aid were ecstatic when they saw help finally arrive. With his long ink black hair trailing behind in an elegant arc and his unblemished white robe fluttering gracefully in the wind, Qinghe cut a heroic figure as he landed near the demonic flower.


    He raised his hand and several disc-shaped wind blades formed around him instantly. With a flick of his wrist, he sent them spinning towards the blood-red vines. The wind blades coated with spiritual power quickly cut through the vines like a heated knife slicing through butter.


    Several thumps sounded as the distressed disciples fell to the ground along with the vines wrapped around them. As they hurriedly disentangled themselves, the wounded plant issued an anguished wail. It burrowed back into the ground, taking along the vine stumps, and quickly disappeared from sight. All that remained was a patch of disturbed earth, a bunch of severed vines, and a group of terrified juniors.


    Qinghe steadily walked towards the boy who had almost become plant fertilizer and pulled him into his arms. Though Qinghe was averse to touch, he stiffened his spine and carried on. Patting the teen¡¯s back in a soothing motion, he looked at the other disciples and admonished softly, ¡°Though hidden realms are not dangerous by themselves, they still contain unknown and hidden threats. What did I tell you before we came in?¡±


    The disciples from Heavenly Peak Sect recalled the instruction their senior martial brother had given and dutifully repeated in unison, ¡°Prioritize your safety over curiosity and don¡¯t go around prodding at unfamiliar things.¡± Chagrin and embarrassment tinged their voices.


    Jing Shui¡¯s juniors from the Golden Sun Sect also looked at their senior martial brother apologetically, sure that they had disappointed him.


    Qinghe spoke sadly, ¡°Yes, and now look what happened when you didn¡¯t listen. Who knows what could have happened if we had not been here. What if you had damaged your cultivation? What if you had died? Or worse, what if you had your souls sucked? I would never have been able to forgive myself if I let any of you come to harm. That is why I asked you to be careful. I could have lost you all today¡­¡±


    His face was filled with distress, his voice heavy with remorse. He truly looked like someone who had almost lost his most beloved treasures and was blaming himself.


    The junior disciples were moved. Such a warm and kind senior martial brother, and they had caused him such pain. They unconsciously crowded around him much to his discomfort, but Qinghe still took the time to pat each of them on their back or offer words of comfort, easing all their worries and creating a poignant and touching scene.


    Jing Shui was shocked speechless at Qinghe¡¯s brilliant acting that had almost made even him forget how Qinghe had looked at the shrieking disciples with an unconcerned smile.


    How terrifying.


    Outside the clearing and hidden in the thick shadows cast by the trees, a pair of figures watched this scene with amusement. They had witnessed and heard everything, from Qinghe and Jing Shui¡¯s argument to Qinghe¡¯s heroic rescue, up to the current situation where the newly ¡®educated¡¯ disciples were seeking comfort unknowingly from the very man who had extended their torment.


    One of the shadows seemed especially interested as he squinted at Qinghe. No matter how much he tried, he couldn¡¯t clearly see his soul. It seemed obscured by some strong spell. What was he hiding?


    Unknown to them, in a place further away, birds and beasts fled hurriedly in waves, running away from the path of a colossal monster.


    crimson_carnation


    This story is also available on Webnovel here, where it''s currently up to 84 chapters as of now.


    I''ll be posting five chapters/day here until it catches up to there.


    Thank you for reading~


    Edit: To remove any confusion, let me state that though Qinghe is indeed the MC, Jing Shui is not the ML.

 Chapter 2: A Behemoth Approaches

    A shrill voice cut through the warm atmosphere in the clearing. ¡°Why are you all buddy-buddy now? We wouldn¡¯t have had to go through all this if Senior Martial Brother Feng hadn¡¯t dallied so much.¡±


    He didn¡¯t blame Jing Shui though since it was common knowledge that someone who wielded the water element couldn¡¯t use it unless they were standing close to a water source, and the nearby waterfall was clearly not within range.


    Hearing the unpleasant sounding voice, everyone looked at the person who had ruined the atmosphere with varying expressions, most of them unfriendly.


    Jing Shui also looked over at the junior, displeased. This disciple was from the same sect as Jing Shui, the Golden Sun Sect. Him speaking rudely like that would reflect badly on their sect.


    Even though Qinghe¡¯s mind worked in strange ways and he freely manipulated everyone with his acting, Jing Shui had come to believe that he wasn¡¯t a bad person.


    Earlier, Qinghe had finally shown him a glimpse of his true nature without attempting to hide it. Didn¡¯t it mean that he trusted in him now? It was far better than seeing that same bland smile on his face.


    Jing Shui admonished, ¡°Junior Martial Brother Wen, what is the meaning of you saying that? Do you think Brother Feng is here as your servant? Should he follow you around every waking moment making sure you aren¡¯t the slightest bit discontent? Stop blaming him for your mistakes. Even though he generously gave you a chance to fix your blunder by getting out of the dangerous situation without help, you still failed his expectations. When things turned sour, he even stepped in selflessly to help you out. And this is how you thank him? By asking why he wasn¡¯t there sooner?¡±


    Everyone gaped at Jing Shui in disbelief, even Qinghe. During this past month that they had spent together in this hidden realm, they had clearly seen him openly disdaining Feng Qinghe. From where did this fervent defense on Qinghe¡¯s behalf come from?


    Qinghe was the most surprised of them all. After all, he had openly shown his devious and manipulative side to Jing Shui to test him. But he hadn¡¯t expected such a result so quickly.


    Also, what this Junior Brother Wen said was not false¡ªQinghe really had dragged out the rescue. But Jing Shui had expertly turned it around into him giving the culprits a chance. Not only did he justify his actions, he also reinforced Qinghe¡¯s good reputation.


    Why was he going so far?


    Qinghe didn¡¯t know that in Jing Shui¡¯s eyes, the second he showed a measure of trust, he had already become a friend. Qinghe¡¯s strange personality aside, he had never let even a scratch befall their junior martial brothers and sisters. There was no reason to not trust him.


    Seeing Jing Shui¡¯s thoughts reflected in his gaze, Qinghe finally understood.


    It seemed that he had inadvertently gained a friend.


    Well, he supposed he could only accept it. As for Jing Shui¡¯s secret identity¡­ Since he had decided to accept his friendship, he would have to deal with that sooner or later.


    Sighing at that thought, Qinghe turned to the Junior Brother Wen who started all this. Junior Brother Wen was looking down with tearful eyes, distressed that his idol had scolded him so harshly in front of everyone. Noticing his gaze, the junior brother looked up at Qinghe and glared fiercely as if to say that it was all his fault.


    Despite knowing that he would be hated for it, Qinghe still wanted to comfort this junior brother. He was about to do just that when he felt the earth trembling slightly. He paused, trying to find the cause.


    At first, no one noticed. But as the shaking increased in intensity, everyone realized that something was wrong.


    The tremors came and went, like vibrations from footsteps. It was as if something very, very huge was steadily making its way towards them.


    Qinghe cast a flight spell on himself. His spiritual energy spun and swirled around him, forming into the shape of a cup that reached from his feet to his waist. The swirling mass of spiritual energy flew upwards according to his wishes, carrying Qinghe with it.


    Floating above the trees, Qinghe finally saw the problem.


    It was a freaking Behemoth.


    Towering above the entire forest was a huge spiritual beast that looked like a ginormous ape. Its skin was transparent, veins and organs visible through the clear membrane. Six black horns crowned its head, showing that its cultivation was in the sixth realm. That meant that it was stronger than everyone in the group except for Qinghe, who was currently hiding the true extent of his cultivation.


    The truth was, you couldn¡¯t find spiritual beasts anywhere else except in hidden realms like this. Due to over-hunting and killing on the cultivators¡¯ part, spiritual beasts had all gone deep into hiding. No one knew where. But hidden realms that had been open during the time the beasts still roamed the land still contained a few of them.


    This Behemoth had probably been sealed into this space long ago by cultivators who couldn¡¯t deal with it.


    Flying back down, Qinghe relayed the situation calmly. ¡°There is a Behemoth heading our way very quickly. It has attained sixth realm and its horns have turned black, meaning it has turned demonic. It can be presumed that it has already sensed our collective spiritual energy since we have been gathered here for quite a while. It¡¯s safe to say that it is after our spiritual energy and we are its chosen prey.¡±


    Jing Shui frowned in displeasure. This was going to be troublesome.


    The juniors, though, made faces of abject despair. Some of their faces paled, a few had bulging eyes. This situation was terrible! Their senior brothers were both only in the fourth realm, much less themselves who had barely passed the first. There was no way to beat it, they were all going to die!


    Jing Shui read the looks on their pale faces and looked to Qinghe. ¡°Do you have any ideas?¡±


    Qinghe asked surprised, ¡°Me? Why are you asking me?¡±


    ¡°Because martial brother Feng is, after all, the most learned amongst us,¡± Jing Shui replied glibly while his eyes shot a different message at him.


    ¡®Is this the time to pretend? It¡¯s obviously because you¡¯re the most cunning! The rest of us are pure lotuses compared to you!¡¯


    Qinghe wanted to feel indignant, but oh well. He wasn¡¯t wrong. They were all cute little white lotuses that he would have to protect. Jing Shui was a special tsundere lotus he¡¯d have to especially take care of.


    If Jing Shui could read his thoughts, he would surely cough up blood in anger while shouting: Who are you calling a special tsundere lotus you bastard!? Don¡¯t inflict your weird naming sense on me!


    Turning to his frightened junior martial brothers and sisters, Qinghe smiled reassuringly. ¡°Please do not be afraid. There is a way to defeat the Behemoth. All you need to do is calmly follow my instructions. Alright?¡±


    Though they were still a little scared, the juniors nodded. They had grown to trust this gentle and dependable senior brother of theirs during this past month they had spent together in this hidden realm. No matter what had come their way, he had never let them down.


    Unknowingly, Qinghe had been elevated to the ¡®leader¡¯ position by the disciples, directly passing over Jing Shui.


    ¡°And please do not ignore my instructions like you did the last time,¡± Qinghe quipped with a wry smile.


    Nervous titters sounded in the crowd, somewhat alleviating the tension.


    ¡°Okay, what do we do now?¡± Jing Shui asked Qinghe impatiently. The sooner they moved into positions, the greater their advantage would be.


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Qinghe raised an eyebrow as if the answer was obvious. ¡°We run.¡±


    And so they ran.


    The two figures in the shadows were still there, observing everything as they followed the group.


    <Do we help?> the older one asked the other telepathically.


    <We wait. We will step in only if they need us> answered the younger shadow.


    The ground beneath them quaked as the Behemoth approached closer.


    crimson_carnation


    For those who are new here, I decided to post a list of things a reader can do to effortlessly support an author, any author, on this site using its inbuilt features. If you have been around a while, then maybe this can be a little reminder~


    Of course, there is no compulsion to follow any of these if you do not want to, and that''s okay. But if you do choose to do any or all of these, then it can act as support and encouragement to the author while telling them that there are readers out there who care for their story.


    Thank you for reading this far~ :)

 Chapter 3: Bait, Trap and Kill

    Qinghe ran swiftly, his toes barely touching the ground. Close behind him, Jing Shui followed. A bit further away, the rest of the disciples pushed themselves to keep up.


    The two senior disciples ran in the front to clear any obstacles or get rid of any dangers, paving a smooth path forward for their juniors.


    Somewhere in this hidden realm, there were many more groups like theirs, each consisting of disciples from two or more sects. Mixing them together like this was to allow the future generation to form bonds with each other. While clearing their path, Feng Qinghe and Jing Shui also had to consider these other groups, making sure not to lead the Behemoth towards any of them.


    Since it had sighted and marked them as its prey, the Behemoth would be fixated on hunting only them until it caught up and drained them of their spiritual energy, leaving behind empty husks. They didn¡¯t want to spread their misfortune to anyone else, so they tried to steer away from the others.


    The ground heaved due to the massive thuds of the Behemoth¡¯s footsteps, trees and rocks shifting and falling over all around them. The group of senior and junior disciples nimbly navigated the path littered with debris and maintained their balance even as parts of the ground cracked and caved in, unable to bear the weight and might of the gigantic beast. The very air seemed to tremble due to the calamitous approach of the Behemoth.


    Qinghe led them towards the canyon where the waterfall was situated, with the beast blindly following them in pursuit.


    When they could see the edge of the canyon, Qinghe¡¯s words floated towards the disciples, his voice warm and firm. ¡°Please prepare to initiate the spell of flight at my command.¡±


    Reassured by his confident tone, the disciples put aside their nervousness and began preparing the spell. Within a few minutes, they had almost reached the canyon.


    ¡°Deploy spell of flight,¡± Qinghe¡¯s command rang out clearly.


    They did as told. Spiritual energy spinning around their lower halves to manipulate the effects of gravity, they started flying promptly after reaching the edge. With Qinghe in the lead, the swiftly traversed the great divide within two hours. This was not because their speed was slow, but because the chasm was just that wide.


    To their right roared a huge waterfall, pouring down into a river with fast currents that quickly swept away the waters further downstream.


    Once they landed on the other side, Qinghe called for them to stop and rest. Though confused at why they were stopping now, the juniors plopped down in exhaustion while panting.


    Jing Shui, like Qinghe, fared far better than the junior disciples. He turned to Qinghe and questioned, ¡°Do we even have time to stop for breaks? The Behemoth will catch up to us within minutes. How can we escape if we take our time like this?¡±


    Qinghe looked surprised. ¡°Brother Jing, are you misunderstanding something here? Who said we were trying to escape.¡±


    ¡°You¨D¡± Jung Shui didn¡¯t know how to continue with this shameless bastard. Taking in a deep breath to calm himself, he spoke again, ¡°Did you or did you not say that your plan was to ¡®run¡¯?¡±


    Nodding, Qinghe said, ¡°Yes, I did. But the plan was not to escape, but to bait, trap and kill.¡±


    Everyone blinked at Qinghe uncomprehendingly.


    Qinghe explained further, ¡°We ran to the other side of the canyon to bait the Behemoth into entering the chasm. That is where we will trap it. Once it¡¯s trapped, we kill it.¡±


    Jing Shui felt a headache coming on. Qinghe made it sound so simple, but he knew that what he said couldn¡¯t be all there was to it.


    Junior Brother Wen chose this moment to make his presence known again. ¡°Then couldn¡¯t we have implemented your shitty plan in the clearing itself? Why did we have to follow you around all the way here?¡± he whined.


    The other juniors looked at him tiredly. You¡¯re still not giving up?


    Jing Shui frowned at the boy and was about to start lecturing about manners and politeness when Qinghe beat him to it. ¡°Junior Brother Wen, I don¡¯t mind you asking questions and I know you must be weary, but please phrase your words in a better way, or else people might take your worry for disrespect.¡±


    What worry, that was clearly meant to be disrespect!


    Junior Brother Wen glared at him but didn¡¯t speak. The other juniors looked at Qinghe with worship. Ah, how considerate! He was still trying to cover for someone who kept being so hostile towards him.


    Qinghe continued, ¡°As to answering your question, we are here because of the water source. My strategy requires Brother Jing¡¯s participation, and he will need a water source nearby.¡±


    ¡°Me? What do you need me to do?¡± Jing Shui asked surprised.


    ¡°I need you to use Water Web,¡± came the calm reply.


    There were three major containment spells in the cultivation world that used water. Water Binding was used against smaller targets, for example, a single person. Water Web, on the other hand, was used to trap larger and more powerful targets, usually groups of people or beasts. Water Prison was the most powerful and complete of them all, creating an impenetrable dome of water to surround areas as large as a city.


    Qinghe needed a large-scale Water Web rather than a Water Prison, since Water Web had holes through which the Behemoth could be attacked. This could be a bit more complicated, but it was well within Jing Shui¡¯s abilities.


    Jing Shui said doubtfully, ¡°You do realize that I can only confine and not kill the Behemoth even if I use the strongest Water Web? Not to mention, there isn¡¯t enough water here to cover and restrain the Behemoth¡¯s entire body. The canyon runs a thousand meters deep, and it might still only barely reach its knees! We will need far more water than the river at the canyon¡¯s bottom holds.¡±


    The steady calmness and pleasant smile on Qinghe¡¯s face did not falter. ¡°Of course I have considered that. We will address this problem when the Behemoth is standing in the canyon. Brother Jing, you can trust that I will get us out safely.¡±


    Faced with those eyes burning with sincerity, Jing Shui could only nod.


    The thudding had steadily been getting louder all this time. The ground seemed to be jumping up and down with more vigor.


    The Behemoth had finally broken through the tree line on the opposite side and was approaching the canyon.


    The disciples stood up from resting and faced the threat as one. Whatever happened would happen. All they could do was trust in Qinghe¡¯s plan. If not, with their levels, they could only become the beast¡¯s food.


    The Behemoth thundered forward, reaching the canyon¡¯s edge with a single, massive step.


    They all held their breaths.


    This was the first time the disciples had gotten a clear look at it. Before, it had been mostly obstructed by trees and they didn¡¯t have time to take a look back while fleeing.


    But now, they truly understood the magnificence of the beast called the Behemoth.


    The transparent skin stretching over its entire body looked soft and flexible with a beautiful silvery sheen. Glowing lines of blood vessels pulsed, transporting pearly pink liquid. The skin covering its organs looked foggy, turning them to pale colored blurs. The bones looked as if they were made out of milky, translucent glass.


    Its eyes were petal-shaped pools of liquid blackness, with flecks of silver faintly glittering in those soulful depths. It brought to mind a vast, melancholy ocean illuminated only by the scattered light of floating stars. The six horns atop its head glistened in the light like a gleaming ebony crown. The soft evening sunshine filtered through the Behemoth, setting parts of it aglow.


    It was a sight to behold.


    The disciples stared enraptured at the beast that was so beautiful in its own unique way.


    But they were soon broken out of their reverie by the sound of a loud bang as the Behemoth jumped into the chasm. The canyon was several kilometers wide and would take quite some time for even the Behemoth to cross.


    Qinghe turned to his companions with a smile. ¡°Let us begin.¡±

 Chapter 4: Strategic Preparation

    ¡°Those who cultivate the earth element, please step forward.¡±


    Four disciples came up to the front, awaiting instructions with bated breaths. The thought that they would be able to take part in taking down a Behemoth filled them with excitement and pride.


    Qinghe instructed them, ¡°As we all know, there is not enough water in the river below to contain the Behemoth, so we will create a wall of earth downstream and block the water from flowing out of the canyon. Our goal is to fill up the chasm as much as possible. Can you do it?¡±


    Even if they couldn¡¯t, Qinghe had plenty more plans in his arsenal, not to mention that he himself could easily take out the beast if things got desperate.


    Thankfully, the disciples nodded, some with more conviction than the others.


    A girl hesitantly raised her hand and voiced a doubt. ¡°Senior Brother Feng, we¡¯ve never worked with each other like this before. Can I ask you to elaborate? I¡¯m not sure how we will all coordinate on such a large scale¡­¡± Her voice gradually faded out as she lowered head seemingly in embarrassment.


    A couple of the other earth-wielders nodded to show that they had the same doubts.


    Qinghe praised her, ¡°Junior Sister, that is a very reasonable question. The fact that you are asking for clarification itself means that you are taking this very seriously! I¡¯m glad that you asked me rather than keeping quiet. So please do not feel ashamed.¡±


    The girl lifted her head and stood a bit straighter, though her plump cheeks were still dyed red.


    ¡°Here¡¯s what you can do: One of you can start constructing the wall. The others can supplement that person¡¯s depleting spiritual energy and make sure the supply is steady. Or you can all take turns and build on top of each other in layers. Whichever way you choose, start building from the bottom and reinforce each step before proceeding, or else the currents might knock out the dam prematurely. But most of all, remain calm. If there is a problem, call for me and don¡¯t panic. Once you¡¯re done, come and inform me. I have faith in you all.¡±


    The four teenagers nodded resolutely. En, they wouldn¡¯t let down their senior martial brother!


    The disciples departed soon to carry out Qinghe¡¯s instructions, taking along the three fire-wielding disciples and the five wind-wielding disciples for protection. If they constructed the dam too close to the Behemoth, it might simply just smash it, or maybe a stray attack during battle would crack it. That was why they had to leave to carry out their task at an appropriate distance.


    ¡°Those of you left cultivate the water element, correct?¡±


    Six juniors nodded, also eager to take part.


    ¡°You will have a lot of work to do, so please remember to pace yourselves,¡± Qinghe began.


    The disciples bobbed their heads again.


    ¡°Now for your instructions. For now, please try to slow the water flow as much as possible. We should finish implementing the first stage quickly and for that, I need you to help so that the others finish the dam as soon as possible. Can you do it?¡±


    This was a relatively simple task that did not necessitate cooperation all that much, so the disciples nodded promptly.


    ¡°Then please proceed.¡±


    With this, all the juniors had been assigned tasks. And as Qinghe and Jing Shui were nearby, the disciples working directly on the water wouldn¡¯t need any more protection.


    Since they didn¡¯t need to keep distance like the previous team, the water-wielders just went to the nearest part of the canyon¡¯s edge and began working. No matter which part of the river they slowed, the result wouldn¡¯t change. Soon, the sound of the river¡¯s rushing noticeably quietened.


    The Behemoth edged forward, almost reaching the middle of the canyon.


    While the group had crossed the canyon, they had used flight spells so their speed had been very much faster than when they were on land, and also faster than the Behemoth¡¯s walking pace. Since it had still taken them two hours, it would be reasonable to assume that it would take the Behemoth longer.


    That was why Qinghe felt safe taking his time to instruct and advise his juniors regarding their tasks. It had taken a little more than an hour to finish the arrangements for the first stage, which was to elevate the water level so that Jing Shui would have enough to work with.


    Within another half an hour of hard work on both the water-based and earth-based disciples¡¯ sides, the water level showed a marked increase. After fifteen more minutes, the earth element team returned along with their protectors.


    They looked exhausted due to the drain in their spiritual energy, but happy at having accomplished their objective smoothly.


    ¡°Any troubles?¡± Jing Shui surprisingly took the initiative to ask.


    The disciples were surprised but then shook their heads no with a goofy grin. Ah, it was really good to work under these two senior brothers! They had learned so much from the time they spent with them. They could return to their sects with their chests puffed with pride and boast about their experiences and flaunt their connection with these dependable and considerate seniors!


    The second he had seen the returning juniors, Qinghe had started walking towards the edge where the water-wielding disciples were working to give them a new set of instructions.


    ¡°You can stop for now. Please take a break to replenish your energy and begin speeding the water flow next. We need you to draw in as much water from the water source as possible to more quickly fill up the canyon.¡±


    The disciples nodded and joined the others to rest. The moment they stopped intentionally slowing the flow, the river¡¯s suppressed currents rapidly sped up, the accumulated water gushing quicker than before.


    Jing Shui had already started distributing some spiritual power replenishing pills to everyone who needed them. The Golden Sun Sect was in charge of trading and acquiring goods among many other things, which made them the wealthiest sect. So it was only natural for them to allot more resources for each disciple than the other sects usually did, not to mention that Jing Shui was the sect master¡¯s head disciple who would one day gain the title of sect head. So he had quite a lot of pills and potions for various things in his spatial storage, all gifted by his sect for the purpose of completing his tasks in the hidden realm smoothly and with minimum damage.


    The juniors who had worked hard started rapidly recovering their spent spiritual energy.


    The Behemoth loomed over the landscape like a translucent mountain, seemingly unreal. Most spiritual beasts didn¡¯t develop intelligence until they rose to the eighth or ninth realm. Since this Behemoth had only reached sixth realm, its comprehension abilities were still quite lacking. It did not perceive any danger despite the rising water level and simply continued wading through to get to Qinghe¡¯s group.


    As they waited for the pills to replenish their energy, Junior Brother Wen, who had previously left with the earth-wielders on protection detail, finally found another point to harp about, albeit a bit politely this time.


    ¡°Senior Brother Feng, why did you have us wait so long before building the earth wall? We could have started the moment we arrived, but you made us wait until the Behemoth started crossing the canyon. What if we run out of time because of that?¡±


    Brother Wen was very proud of his argument this time, having thought this carefully through while he was away guarding the earth-wielders. There was no particular reason to wait this long, was there? He must have been showing off!


    The other juniors and even Jing Shui looked at Qinghe expectantly. They, unlike Junior Brother Wen, did not believe that Qinghe would have wasted time on purpose. There must definitely be a reason!


    Sighing, Qinghe decided to explain, ¡°I have calculated properly, so Junior Brother Wen need not worry. We will have enough time. As for the reason I waited, it was because we couldn¡¯t be certain from which area the Behemoth would cross. If we built the dam in the wrong place and it got damaged, I¡¯m afraid we would have been in a lot of trouble.¡±


    Everyone nodded in understanding. En, this was indeed reasonable! Brother Feng¡¯s foresight was praiseworthy.


    Junior Brother Wen could only shut up with a belly full of grievances. He had nothing more to say.


    Clapping his hands, Qinghe said, ¡°Now that we have cleared that up and had time to recover some energy, let¡¯s continue.¡±


    By this time, the canyon was already one-third full and the Behemoth had traversed three-fourths of the distance.


    The water-based cultivators hurried to the canyon edge and started pulling in more water from the waterfall, speeding up the rate of the water level¡¯s rise by several folds.


    After fifteen minutes of work, Jing Shui deemed that it was enough, so Qinghe let the disciples return and rest again.


    The junior disciples had done their part, now it was the senior disciples¡¯ turn.

 Chapter 5: Battling the Behemoth

    ¡°Brother Jing, please begin casting Water Web,¡± Qinghe¡¯s soft voice sounded out, level and unhurried.


    Jing Shui nodded and stepped towards the edge.


    He closed his eyes and materialized his personal artifact, a spiritual weapon in the form of a luxurious-looking golden hand fan. The intricately detailed fan hovered in front of him full opened. It had been created by condensing his own spiritual energy and responded only to him.


    Creating a personal artifact was a special process that could only be carried out by using something called the Spirit Guiding Stone. It had been gifted centuries ago to the Heavenly Peak Sect by another sect, the Drifting Clouds Sect. Disciples of other sects may also enter the cave that housed the Spirit Guiding Stone if they received special permission from the Heavenly Peak Sect¡¯s sect master. Jing Shui and a few other outstanding disciples from the Golden Sun Sect had had the fortune to receive this special permission.


    Jing Shui slowly fed the fan his spiritual energy, causing it to emit a bright glow. With its help, he focused slowly on guiding and shaping the water around the beast, his attention centered only on the task.


    A circular patch of water around the Behemoth suddenly stilled, clearly defining the area of effect of Jin Shui¡¯s magic.


    Ropes of water slowly extended up from the circle¡¯s edge. As the ropes increased in length, the water level started dropping.


    Fascinated by the phenomenon, the Behemoth extended a hand and tried to disperse the water, but the water ropes remained unbroken, held firmly together by Jing Shui¡¯s spiritual force.


    Spiritual energy was something that naturally permeated the world. Only people who could sense it, take it into their bodies and circulate it, could be said to have a chance at cultivation. When this spiritual energy was harnessed to cast spells, it converted into spiritual power. Spiritual power can only be imbued into another object, like a talisman or a musical instrument, to carry out the caster¡¯s intent.


    But those who followed the warrior¡¯s path and fought with weapons were different. They compressed their spiritual power further, ¡®solidifying¡¯ it into spiritual force. When spiritual force was imbued into a weapon, rather than only enhancing its function, it could also send out attacks. It was able to physically manifest and interact with the world.


    For example, when Jing Shui imbued his spiritual weapon, the golden fan, with his spiritual force, it gave him better control over water, allowing him to shape it as he wished. He could also send out water blades with it, which was a physical manifestation of his spiritual force.


    The water ropes coated with spiritual force crept up steadily while interlocking, beginning to form a net. Seeming to realize that something was amiss, the Behemoth thrashed around while grunting and growling, trying to break the ropes.


    But no matter how the Behemoth struggled, the ropes of water still continued weaving together, joining above the Behemoth¡¯s head and finally trapping it in a web made of water.


    The construction of the Water Web was complete.


    Jing Shui let out a breath in relief. A Water Web of this scale was really difficult to create and this had been his first time attempting it, so he was truly relieved that he could pull it off. At least maintaining the Water Web was not as difficult as making it, though if this went on for too long, Jing Shui was sure to be exhausted.


    With the Behemoth now trapped, there was only one more step left¨Dkilling it.


    But before Qinghe could move in to finish this, a few of the juniors used spells of flight to quickly go over to the Behemoth and attacked messily, seemingly emboldened now that it was restrained. Flashes of various colors flickered as attack after attack struck the Behemoth through the gaps in the Water Web.


    Qinghe could only sigh in exasperated amusement.


    ¡°Those idiots! Brother Feng, call them back,¡± Jing Shui shouted.


    ¡°Let them waste their energy to their heart¡¯s content. They will eventually realize that there is a reason why the Behemoth is considered one of the beasts most difficult to kill.¡±


    Grievances bubbled up in Jing Shui¡¯s heart: What ¡®let them waste their energy to their heart¡¯s content¡¯! It¡¯s not just their spiritual energy that¡¯s going to get depleted if this drags on. Do you even know how taxing it is to keep up this spell?!


    Qinghe looked away from Jing Shui as if he didn¡¯t see the complaints written on his face.


    Thankfully, not all the disciples had run off to be heroes, there were still some sensible juniors left. Turning to them, he instructed, ¡°If Brother Jing ever gets low on spiritual energy, then I¡¯ll depend on the ones with water element to feed him some of yours. Can I leave this to you?¡±


    The water-wielders nodded and moved behind Jing Shui, ready to supply spiritual energy whenever needed.


    ¡°I will trouble the rest to distribute the spirit replenishing pills when everyone gets back. Alright?¡±


    The other remaining disciples nodded.


    Qinghe had assigned the water-wielders to Jing Shui rather than offering him the pills because it took some time for the pills to take effect, while this way would allow him to maintain a steady supply without any gaps in between. Also, it was easier to receive spiritual energy from those with the same element than those with differing ones. At least this way there would be no chance of recoil or rejection.


    When the disciples harassing the Behemoth had finally returned after admitting defeat, they were greeted with the spirit replenishing pills offered by their fellow junior disciples who wore smirks and mocking smiles. If it were that easy, why would they have had to set up this elaborate strategy to fight against the Behemoth? Were you guys made stupid by your hotheadedness and thirst for fame?


    The returned disciples received the pills with meek and bitter expressions. If they had tails, they would be tucked between their legs.


    After that silly detour, it was now time to set the plan back on track.


    Qinghe looked up at the Behemoth with hidden anticipation. Though this was the first time he¡¯d be fighting in front of other cultivators, it did not lessen his excitement. Just like all the times he was sent out on missions, he looked forward to the fight.


    When Qinghe moved forward to begin, everyone turned to see how he would deal with it.


    ¡°Senior Brother Feng, can you really kill it?¡± Junior Brother Wen interrupted. ¡°No matter how much we attacked it, nothing made a dent. What makes you think you have a chance against it?¡± His voice sounded extremely bitter. Unsurprisingly, Junior Brother Wen had been one of the ¡®heroes¡¯.


    These blatantly provoking words were annoying, but they also made a bit of sense. Everyone was also worried about the same point.


    ¡°Do you know why you failed?¡± Qinghe asked calmly, his smile never once having fallen off his face.


    All the juniors who had gone off to attack the Behemoth shook their heads, even Junior Brother Wen.


    ¡°It¡¯s because the Behemoth is made half out of flesh and half out of spiritual energy. If you hit it with more spiritual energy, it will only get absorbed. Its skin is also one of the toughest materials found in this world. Not even a ninth realm cultivator can pierce it. Considering all this, is it any surprise that you failed?¡±


    The juniors hung their heads low. They had indeed rushed into it unprepared, their eyes selfishly focused only on the glory of killing a Behemoth.


    ¡°Then Senior Brother, how do you plan to defeat it?¡± asked a girl curiously. She was the same girl who had raised a doubt before, having gained courage from Qinghe¡¯s encouragement.


    Qinghe just kept smiling. ¡°You will see.¡±


    He continued moving forward and stopped at the edge, facing the Behemoth as it was still thrashing and trying to break free.


    Qinghe raised a hand and a large spear made of compressed wind held together by spiritual force formed in front of him. It was almost a meter in length, the spearhead looking like a tightly furled flower bud.


    With a wave of his hand, he sent it towards the Behemoth.


    Behind him, Junior Brother Wen snorted. How could it be that easy? They had tried similar things and none of them had worked. The second their spiritual energy had touched the beast¡¯s skin, it vanished after being absorbed.


    But Qinghe already knew all this, and yet he continued.


    The wind spear shot towards the beasts hulking figure and¡­


    ¡­went straight into its nostril.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    What was with this weird development?


    ¡°Ah!¡± Jing Shui exclaimed in realization. ¡°Even if its skin is tough, its insides aren¡¯t!¡±


    Qinghe nodded without turning back. The other disciples finally understood. It turned out to be something so simple but clever. They should¡¯ve thought of it sooner!


    But how could this be the full extent of Qinghe¡¯s plan?


    Once inside, the spear traveled down to the throat, the beast¡¯s clear skin allowing people to see the spear¡¯s progress from the outside. After reaching the throat, it stopped.


    When Qinghe spread his fingers, the bud that served as the spearhead bloomed, revealing a faintly glowing sphere at the center. The edges of the slowly unfurling petals glinted with a line of spiritual force.


    With a twitch of Qinghe¡¯s fingers, the wind spear started spinning as it forced its way down the beast¡¯s esophagus, cutting flesh as the blade-sharp petals spun. The devastation it caused in its wake was clearly visible as pearly pink blood sprayed outwards from the shredded walls of the Behemoth¡¯s throat. The beast wailed, its voice sounding thready and hoarse.


    Horror chilled the spines of the watching disciples, some clutching at their own throats with an uncomfortable expression.


    As the spear traveled down the beast¡¯s gullet, Qinghe raised his other hand, forming more of the bud-tipped wind spears. He sent them all into the Behemoth and had them spread out in different directions, some carving into the lungs, some into the liver. The Behemoth was being ground to death from the inside. It moaned and groaned in pain to no avail. They could visibly see the tissue being twisted and torn, see fluids burst and spread as the wind spears dug in mercilessly.


    Some of the disciples turned away from this sight, unable to see any more. This was too gruesome and horrifying.


    Qinghe¡¯s heart hurt having to make another living being suffer like this. Deciding to end the Behemoth¡¯s pain, he sent out a command to the fully-bloomed windflowers.


    The spheres cradled at the center of each flower flashed once, then detonated, a mixture of the compressed wind and spiritual force exploding out violently.


    Loud, wet booms thundered from within the Behemoth, and yet its skin didn¡¯t as much as tear, containing everything inside even when its organs had turned to a soupy mush.


    The Behemoth collapsed against the inside of the Water Web, lifeless. Thick pink blood dribbled out of its nose and mouth. Its huge mournful eyes were staring longingly one last time at its prey, traces of pain still distinguishable in its dulled gaze.


    Faced with this sight, many disciples had to look away.


    The Behemoth was finally dead, but no one could feel proud.

 Chapter 6: A Single Question

    Night had drawn its velvet curtains over the world, the stars glimmering like diamonds sewn onto it. Smokeless spiritual flames danced at the center of the clearing, casting long shadows over the ground, like eerie fingers stretching into the darkness.


    The atmosphere around the campfire was heavy.


    After defeating the Behemoth, Qinghe¡¯s group had traveled till night and had now chosen to make camp here until daybreak. Facing such brutality for the first time, the disciples, who had only ever seen practice duels till now, felt sick at heart.


    ¡°Alright now, time to sleep,¡± Qinghe suddenly broke the thick silence, his pleasant voice flowing over them, soothing them like cool water over a burn. ¡°You have all barely formed your cultivation cores, your bodies still need rest. We will make directly for the hidden realm¡¯s exit tomorrow.¡±


    They still felt somehow uneasy, some of them sure that they¡¯d replay the Behemoth¡¯s slaying in their dreams.


    Seeing the gloomy atmosphere, one of the disciples tried to redirect everyone¡¯s focus. Raising his hand obediently, he asked Qinghe, ¡°Senior Brother Feng! Can we ask you questions? We will sleep after that.¡±


    The eyes of the others brightened up at this chance to procrastinate. ¡°Yes, yes, please Senior Brother!¡± they started pleading.


    Qinghe smiled helplessly and acquiesced. ¡°Just one question then. Discuss amongst yourselves and choose what to ask. Keep in mind that I am not all-knowing.¡±


    Nodding, the juniors crowded around the fire, excitedly discussing. It seemed that they had chosen to firmly and consciously put behind their gloom.


    Qinghe and Jing Shui were sitting on a thick fallen log a bit further from the campfire. They looked contentedly at the animated group of juniors.


    ¡°You know, I also want to ask you a few questions,¡± Jing Shui spoke suddenly.


    Qinghe nodded resignedly. Unlike the juniors, they seniors did not need sleep all that much. So unfortunately, Qinghe couldn¡¯t use shooing him to bed as a way to limit or evade Jing Shui¡¯s questions. All he could do was answer him.


    ¡°Wait until the young ones fall asleep. You can ask me then.¡±


    Jing Shui raised an eyebrow. ¡°I will ask you later then, but will you answer?¡±


    Qinghe chuckled silently. ¡°We will see.¡±


    Jing Shui didn¡¯t push and let it go for now.


    Seeing that they hadn¡¯t chosen a question even after twenty minutes had passed and that they had now even started arguing between themselves, Qinghe decided to prompt, ¡°Have you decided what to ask?¡±


    The chatter faded and they turned to him with conflicting expressions tinted with curiosity.


    ¡°Senior Brother, we have decided but¡­we do not know if it would be appropriate to ask.¡± The one who answered was the very same boy who had spoken at the beginning.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Now this made him curious.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know if the answer might be some secret or hidden technique. If you decide not to answer, then can we ask another question?¡± the boy asked bravely.


    Qinghe felt amused. Did they want to forestall their bedtime that badly? Or did asking him a question really matter so much?


    Smiling placidly, he said, ¡°Alright, then. You can. Now ask your question.¡±


    Everyone elbowed each other, and the boy from before ended up having to speak again. ¡°Uhm¡­yes. It¡¯s about when, uh¡­ when we killed the Behemoth.¡±


    Qinghe patiently nodded, not urging him to speak faster. That horror was fresh yet in their young minds, it was only natural to stumble over words while speaking about it.


    ¡°When those few people tried to injure it using spiritual attacks, they said that their spiritual energy was sucked into the Behemoth¡¯s skin upon impact. We all heard Senior Brother explain that. But we also saw clearly that your weapon did not dissolve.¡± Facing Qinghe¡¯s intently listening look, the boy took a deep breath before proceeding to the important point. ¡°So our question is this: Why didn¡¯t Senior Brother Feng¡¯s weapon get absorbed by the Behemoth even though it was inside of it?¡±


    Qinghe smiled brightly. This was actually a very discerning question. He turned to Junior Brother Wen and asked him, ¡°Was this question proposed by this junior brother?¡±


    Warily, Junior Brother Wen answered, ¡°Yes. What of it?¡±


    Unexpectedly, Qinghe actually praised him, ¡°As expected of Junior Brother Wen! You are certainly very perceptive!¡±


    Junior Brother Wen was so dumbfounded that he couldn¡¯t even return a snarky reply.


    ¡°Then let me answer this question. It does not require a special skill or hidden technique, so no worries. It is actually quite simple.¡±


    Everyone leaned forward, eager to miss not even a word.


    ¡°All you need is precise control and willpower.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Where was this simple?! Senior Martial Brother Feng, are you mocking us?


    Seeing their disbelief written plain on their faces, Qinghe felt wronged. It had really felt simple to him, okay?


    Seeing his lost expression, Jing Shui suddenly spoke, ¡°Brother Feng, do you truly not know how difficult it is to maintain that much precise control over spiritual force, especially through pure willpower?¡±


    Qinghe frowned. Even though he was careful enough, it seemed he had still given something away. Oh well, there was no helping it.


    ¡°Brother Jing, I have always been good with precision and control when it comes to my spiritual energy. As for willpower¡­ it was a side effect of my childhood.¡±


    Silence reigned. Exactly what level of monstrous upbringing did it have to be to produce this level of willpower in someone? They hadn¡¯t known that their friendly and gentle Senior Brother Feng might have had such a tragic past. To have grown into such a man from that kind of a childhood, no wonder he had such extraordinary willpower.


    Finding himself sudden bathed in sympathetic gazes, Qinghe tilted his head in confusion. Why did it seem like he was suddenly the odd one out here?


    Seeing that this guy was still oblivious to what he had given away about his past, Jing Shui interrupted, ¡°Alright, your Senior Brother has answered your question. Stop pestering him and go to sleep.¡±


    The disciples were suddenly all too eager to escape this awkward situation and swiftly set up their beds and laid down to sleep.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to say one last thing,¡± Qinghe suddenly said.


    Everyone paused in their actions and looked at him, waiting.


    ¡°Since I have answered your question, I want you all to listen to my request in return.¡±


    They looked at each other in confusion. A request? What could Senior Martial Brother possibly need from them?


    In a solemn tone, Qinghe spoke, ¡°I want you to remember today. Remember the Behemoth. Remember how it died, the brutality of it. Remember its suffering, the hunger that haunted it even in its death. Remember all of it. That is why we cultivators of the current generation  have pledged not to kill as rashly as the ones who came before us. That is why we must not fight to kill unless there is far more at stake. Each life is so precious and maintained with so much hard work, ending it carelessly is a sin. I want you all to understand this and remember.¡±


    Contemplating faces surrounded the fire. They were all young and rash and itching to make some honorable kills that would elevate their positions in their sects and win them reputation. But after hearing Qinghe speak, for the first time they understood how thoughtless they had been. They solemnly engraved their Senior Brother¡¯s words into their hearts and swore to carry them throughout their lives.


    They suddenly understood what a mistake they had been about to make. They had been so caught up with superficial glory while they forgot what it meant to cultivate to reach the Heavens. How would they be able to ascend if they were weighed down by such petty matters like fame and reputation? If they killed indiscriminately for such things, would the Heavens even accept them? Living humbly and modestly while treasuring each and every life, they had to work hard with sincerity to reach the great heights of Heaven.


    It was with this poignant and mature feeling that they finally laid down to rest.


    The smokeless and soundless spiritual flames burned unceasingly and the junior disciples soon fell asleep under the weight of their own heavy thoughts and exhaustion.


    Confirming that they were truly sleeping, Jing Shui turned to Qinghe, ¡°Shall I ask my questions now?¡±

 Chapter 7: Revelations by the Firelight

    Qinghe smiled helplessly at him. ¡°Very well then, but please cast a sound barrier first.¡±


    In the forest, the two shadows who had been following them all this time were startled.


    <It seems he knows he is being watched> the younger one chuckled while conversing telepathically with his companion.


    <That¡¯s impossible. Third Brother, you give him too much credit> the older one snorted.


    But away from his companion¡¯s line of sight, the first shadow¡¯s lips curled up.


    Back in the clearing, Jing Shui did not understand the point in casting a sound barrier, their juniors were after all asleep. But he trusted Qinghe¡¯s judgment, so he took out a talisman to cast the spell.


    Technically, only the Drifting Clouds Sect was able to make talismans and they seldom gave them away, but the Golden Sun Sect was the exception to most rules. They were the ultimate traders, merchants and businessmen of the cultivation world. They not only exchanged goods and favors for items like talismans and artifacts, they also learned cultivation methods from the other sects while visiting them as guest disciples. This served to expand the range of skills they could sell and make a profit from.


    Jing Shui, for example, had a spiritual weapon and learned the skills of a warrior from the Heavenly Peak Sect. For sums of money, the sect would send him and a few capable others out to help cleanse towns and villages from ghost or ghoul infestations. They only asked for prices that their clients could afford, their services costly for the rich and cheap for the poor. They also notified the other sects and spread out the tasks evenly so that the disciples from other sects might also gain some experience. The present state of the cultivation world was this unified and orderly.


    Feeding the talisman a trace of spiritual power, Jing Shui set up a sound barrier around the log they were resting on.


    Feeling the barrier activate, Qinghe smiled. ¡°You may ask now.¡±


    ¡°When fighting the Behemoth, did you go all out?¡± Jin Shui began the questioning.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Qinghe answered offhandedly.


    ¡°Then¡­could you have finished it off quicker?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I could have killed it on my own much faster,¡± his tone was still casual.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you then? Why create such an elaborate, roundabout strategy, making us all run around so much and expend so much effort? Did you like seeing us all panicking and dashing about like headless chicken? Was it fun for you?!¡± Jin Shui started getting angry. He¡¯d had his heart in his throat the whole time while facing the huge beast, not knowing whether they¡¯d live or die, and here Qinghe was telling him that all that worry had been unnecessary?


    Qinghe sighed and replied seriously, ¡°Brother Jing, calm yourself. I hated putting you all through it, but it was necessary.¡±


    ¡°How was any of that necessary?!¡± Jing Shui¡¯s fury only mounted.


    ¡°Do you not remember what I was telling you before we encountered the Behemoth?¡±


    Jing Shui tried but couldn¡¯t recall anything specific. He shook his head to say he didn¡¯t remember.


    With a put-upon sigh, Qinghe enlightened him, ¡°I said we were here to gain experience, that we should ¡®take advantage of this time and experience as much as possible¡¯. Did you forget already?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Jing Shui¡¯s mouth twitched in disbelief.


    So what he meant was that he had them all scurry around in panic to make them gain experience? And that not only the juniors, but even Jing Shui was included in his special ¡®lesson¡¯ this time?


    ¡°You¡­ You are just so¡­¡± Jing Shui covered his face with his hands in utter defeat. He really had gained valuable experience, but still¡­


    Jing Shui let out a long, soul-weary sigh. He would never be able to win against this man. Maybe he should just gratefully accept his ¡®education¡¯ and be done with it. Arguing with this fellow would only shorten his own lifespan.


    Seeing his defeated expression, Qinghe asked cheerfully, ¡°Does Brother Jing have anything else to ask?¡±


    Jing Shui let out a breath and said, ¡°Yes. I want to ask you, do you trust me?¡±


    Qinghe looked at him with surprise. Why ask this now? Though doubtful, he still answered truthfully, ¡°Yes, I do. Aren¡¯t you my friend?¡±


    Jing Shui was visibly startled. ¡°You really mean it? You consider me your friend? You?¡±


    With a wry smile, Qinghe affirmed, ¡°Yes, me. Surprising, isn¡¯t it? Someone with such a bad personality actually admitting it out loud. I¡¯ve observed you for a month now, and I know you are trustworthy.¡± Then he promptly ruined it with his arrogance by continuing, ¡°Now, now, no need to be overwhelmed at your good fortune. There is no need to proclaim your undying devotion to me or anything. Professing your gratitude will be enough.¡± Qinghe chortled in amusement at his own words.


    What little gratitude remained flew right out the window. Jing Shui was about to strangle the arrogant bastard! But Qinghe¡¯s next words forestalled his actions.


    ¡°If you are not convinced that I truly consider you my friend, then shall I tell you about my childhood? I know you¡¯re curious.¡±


    Jing Shui really did want to know, but he also didn¡¯t want to rip open Qinghe¡¯s wounds just to sate his own curiosity.


    As if reading his mind, Qinghe chuckled lightly. ¡°It¡¯s not that big of a deal, really. I wouldn¡¯t have offered if it wasn¡¯t alright with me.¡±


    Jing Shui hesitated, then opened his mouth to say, ¡°Okay then, but in return, I will also tell you of my past to show that I trust you.¡± This was actually a big deal for the Jing Shui who had been running from his past for so long, haunted by the fear that he¡¯d be dragged back again.


    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s no need to force yourself on my account. I already know you trust me, otherwise, why would you have followed all my instructions without question?¡± Just when Jing Shui wanted to argue, Qinghe dropped a bomb on him by continuing, ¡°Besides, I already know the gist of it, so there¡¯s no need, really.¡±


    His throat felt dry and his heart seemed to stop beating as Jing Shui looked at the man sitting beside him with wide eyes. ¡°You-You know about my¡­identity?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Qinghe answered simply.


    ¡°How did you¡­ For how long?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve known it for years, maybe even more than a decade. It¡¯s been so long since I investigated you.¡±


    ¡°Investigated me? Why?¡± Jing Shui asked mechanically. He was still numb from the shock that his identity had been known to the other person all along.


    Raising an eyebrow, Qinghe stated matter-of-factly, ¡°The Yong Dynasty is the largest and most influential empire in the current world. Though cultivators set themselves above mortal affairs, it is still natural for us to keep an eye on important matters and news now and then. And a nation-wide search for someone in the empire carried out by the imperial family¡¯s direct orders is definitely important news, don¡¯t you think? And it just so happens that a certain disciple was admitted into the Golden Sun Sect a few days after the news spread out. Though I only met you for the first time when you came over to Heavenly Peak Sect as a guest disciple, would I even be me if I didn¡¯t investigate you?¡±


    Jing Shui gulped. Most cultivators really wouldn¡¯t have paid any attention, even his own master had assured him so. It was just that Qinghe wasn¡¯t most cultivators, there was no way he would overlook anything.


    ¡°I¡­see. So you knew that I was¡­ that I am¡­¡± Jing Shui stumbled over his words, flustered.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Qinghe answered without a change in his expression as if they were just chatting casually. ¡°I already know who you are, Your Highness¨Dthe crown prince Jing Shui of the Yong Dynasty.¡±


    The firelight flickered as if surprised by the revelation.

 Chapter 8: The Weight of their Pasts

    Time seemed to grind to a halt.


    Jing Shui chuckled, the sound somewhat melancholy and helpless. ¡°So you really did find out. Brother Feng, you are scarily efficient.¡±


    Qinghe shrugged. ¡°In the cultivation world, whatever titles the ones outside bestow upon you doesn¡¯t matter. What matters is what you make of yourself once inside. You rose to the position of a head disciple by yourself, you have already been selected as the future sect master. Everyone acknowledges you as a strong cultivator. These are the only things that matter now.¡±


    Laughing a bit more genuinely this time, Jing Shui said, ¡°Thank you, Brother Feng. I¡¯m grateful for your words.¡±


    Waving his gratitude away, Qinghe spoke, ¡°There is no need for thanks among friends. You don¡¯t need to tell me about your past either.¡±


    Jing Shui shook his head. ¡°No, I want to tell you this and share with you that part of my life.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Qinghe said helplessly. ¡°If it¡¯s important to you, then I will listen.¡±


    After taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Jing Shui began, ¡°I was not born the crown prince. I was the third-born and was promised a relatively carefree life. My second imperial brother always fought with my eldest imperial brother, as though if he won enough arguments, he could snatch the position of Crown Prince. Seeing this, my parents did not want me to add to the conflict and compete for the throne. So they instilled in me a lack of ambition and instead encouraged my dreams of one day becoming a cultivator. I was content with my life.


    ¡°When I turned fourteen, my aptitude for cultivation was discovered. I was overjoyed and snuck out to get tested. I was recognized to have high potential and was found to be able to wield the water element. The cultivator in charge of the testing returned with me to the palace and asked my parents to allow me to cultivate in a sect. My parents reluctantly agreed to wait until I was sixteen before they let me make that decision. The cultivator agreed and left.


    ¡°But within those two years, my second brother managed to plot against and kill my eldest brother the crown prince. Second Imperial Brother was punished lightly and released, and a scapegoat was found and hung in his stead. After all, he was the only one capable of assuming the mantle of crown prince now. Tensions rose high in our family and everyone looked at Second Brother with distrust and disgust. But what could they do? I wasn¡¯t given the appropriate education and so could never be suitable to inherit the throne.


    ¡°My eldest imperial brother¡¯s widow was furious at the light punishment and took upon herself to kill her husband¡¯s murderer. She succeeded and died in the process. I was the only one of my siblings left. None of them had left a legitimate heir and none of the sons of the emperor¡¯s concubines were qualified either, making everything all the more complicated. I wasn¡¯t allowed to continue as I had been anymore. Lessons after lessons were thrust upon me, but how much could I learn in such a short time?


    ¡°I looked forward to turning sixteen and going off to cultivate in the lofty mountains, leaving behind the mess of my family. I was too na?ve. When I finally turned sixteen and the cultivator came to fetch me as promised, my parents chased him out. When I said I wanted to follow him back, they locked me up. I was the crown prince now. I needed to be taught ambition and how to rule a country. They forced onto me everything they said I shouldn¡¯t covet.


    ¡°So using my yet undeveloped powers, I ran away. I was found by the cultivator who had been chased out of the palace and convinced him to take me back to his sect. That is how I became a disciple of the Golden Sun Sect.¡±


    After talking for so long, Jing Shui¡¯s throat felt raw. He drank from his waterskin and put it away before continuing, ¡°Even though I know that many decades have passed and that as I am now, my family has no way to take me back by force, I still worry. It is something I fear to the point of having nightmares about it.¡±


    Qinghe listened in thoughtful silence. He hadn¡¯t bothered to learn all the details before, only needing to know Jing Shui¡¯s identity in case it caused trouble directly or indirectly to the Heavenly Peak Sect when he came over as a visiting guest disciple. But knowing about it now gave him a better understanding of this friend of his.


    ¡°Thank you for telling me,¡± Qinghe said sincerely.


    Jing Shui just shook his head and didn¡¯t reply. The rims of his eyes were red and his lips pressed together tightly enough to lose color.


    Though Qinghe knew that Jing Shui must have downplayed a lot of events, he didn¡¯t fully understand why Jing Shui was so affected by the thought of his family dragging him back. But he still earnestly offered reassurance.


    ¡°Though I also think your worries are unfounded, I need you to know this: If you ever disappear or get kidnapped by your family, if anyone ever targets you or tries to hurt you, I will take care of it. I have the means and the ability, and I will not abandon you. I have chosen you to be my friend after much deliberation, so I will not let go. Whatever happens, I will protect you.¡±


    The solemn vow startled Jing Shui. There were no flowery words, just a blunt and straightforward declaration. And he knew that Qinghe meant every single word. He would really be there for him in times of need. Though tears brimmed in his eyes, he maintained his pride and didn¡¯t let them fall.


    Lightly sniffing, Jing Shui joked, ¡°I hope you did not just declare your love to me. I am not interested in you in that way.¡±


    ¡°You can only wish,¡± Qinghe sneered haughtily. He no longer maintained even a semblance of his amicable fa?ade.


    They sat in companionable silence for a while, just watching the flames dance merrily, casting its yellow light upon the peacefully sleeping faces of the disciples lying around it.


    ¡°I suppose it¡¯s my turn now,¡± Qinghe said softly, breaking the silence.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to if it¡¯s too painful for you,¡± Jing Shui still tried to be considerate.


    ¡°Nothing of that sort. It¡¯s just an ordinary story. Do you want to know or not?¡± Qinghe was impatient to just get it over with.


    Jing Shui hesitated, but eventually gave in to his curiosity and nodded.


    ¡°This is how my story begins: Once upon a time around thirty years ago, it was a beautiful summer day when I fell from the sky.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Jing Shui¡¯s lips twitched. What do you mean ¡®it¡¯s just an ordinary story¡¯? The beginning itself is beyond abnormal!


    But of course, Qinghe cared not for his fellow martial brother¡¯s indignity. He just calmly continued, ¡°Apparently my falling created a huge fluctuation in the spiritual energy of the area. Many cultivators tried to find the source of the fluctuation, but the ones closest to the place found me first. They put a collar made of spirit-suppressing material around my neck and carried my body broken from the fall back to where they lived. It was a ramshackle, inhumane place they had the gall to call an orphanage.¡±


    Jing Shui paled. The beginning felt so ominous in and of itself. He could only imagine how a young child without any power would have fared in such a situation. But Qinghe¡¯s face only held disdain and mild hatred, no fear.


    ¡°The owners of the place were low-level cultivators who hadn¡¯t even formed their cultivation cores. They beat us up for fun and dumped us into a narrow cramped room at night. The stronger children trampled and slept on top of the weak. Rats and insects would nibble on our fingers and toes if we weren¡¯t vigilant enough. We had a thin gruel that smelled of sewage for dinner. Those who wanted to eat more had to fight with the others to the death over a bowl of stale soup with bits of ground, soggy rat meat. That itself was considered a luxury.¡±


    Jing Shui wanted to throw up in disgust at the thought of swallowing something like that. His refined palate that had only ever tasted luxurious food, be it at the palace or the sect, rebelled at the very thought of letting something so foul ever getting close to him.


    Not noticing his companion¡¯s green pallor, Qinghe continued casually, ¡°A group of starving, abused children are worse than a pack of rabid monkeys. The fights were vicious, with kids desperately punching, kicking, biting and scratching, and the orphanage¡¯s owners enjoyed spectating. It was a cruel place to live where you never knew if you would survive another minute. Many of the kids went insane or had a complete breakdown just days after being brought to that place.


    ¡°For the sake of living, I adapted as quickly as possible. I could never bear to kill, but I held my own and kept myself fed. I suppose I had a companion at one time, but he withdrew into himself and eventually died. It might have been terrible at that time, but in hindsight, I¡¯m glad I had the chance to experience the cruelties of life, or else I might have never had enough willpower or ruthlessness to do everything I need to now.¡±


    Jing Shui didn¡¯t know what to say. If anyone else said they had been glad for experiencing all that, he would have thought it to be false bravado. But it was Feng Qinghe after all, he had no need to feign braveness.


    ¡°How did you get out from there?¡± Jing Shui finally managed to ask with much difficulty. He felt dreadful for Qinghe, but also knew that the other person needed no comfort. He seemed to be dealing with his tragic past just fine.


    Qinghe frowned as he recalled the memory of the day he was able to leave that place and a faint ripple of unease appeared in his eyes. ¡°I was twelve when they decided I needed to enter the ¡®playroom¡¯. They had a group of sleazy-looking clients already lined up for me. They just sat me in a chair and told me not to be disobedient while they¡­touched me.¡±


    The memory of their touch surged within Qinghe, cutting off his words. It seemed he wasn¡¯t as unaffected as he¡¯d expected. At that time, he¡¯d thought himself inured to the pain and humiliation, to the bitter frustration brought on by his own powerlessness. He didn¡¯t think it could get worse than that until he felt those rough hands disgustingly running over his body while he was forced to just sit and endure it. At least while fighting, he was allowed to strike back. But at that time, he could only force down his nausea, hate, and shame, he could only submit to their greedy gazes and filthy caresses, fearing the violation that was to come¡­


    His face lost all expression. This was how he had been back then, with an ice-cold mask perpetually frozen over his face. Even when they had been touching him, he had kept up his cold expression, unable to show fear or make a sound.


    Jing Shui knew that something was wrong. Qinghe looked as if made from stone, cold and unmoving. Even his breathing seemed to have paused. His cheeks were pale and bloodless, his eyes looking haunted. Qinghe had wrapped his arms around himself as if to protect himself from an imaginary enemy. Jing Shui had never seen his friend like this.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You don¡¯t need to elaborate anymore. I can guess what happened.¡±


    But Qinghe merely shook his head. After a while, he said hoarsely, ¡°They didn¡¯t¡­ Nothing more happened than that, because the sect master arrived in time. He was investigating the spiritual fluctuation caused due to my fall. Even with the spirit-suppressing collar on me, he still managed to track me down. He arrived in time and took me back to the sect. Last I heard, Sentinels had already cleaned up that place.¡±


    Qinghe closed his eyes and sighed. He didn¡¯t expect he would react so badly to recalling that memory. He pushed back those unwanted recollections into a dusty corner of his mind. And slowly, bit by bit, he managed to relax himself. When he felt his usual calm settle over him, he opened his eyes again.


    Sitting by his side silently, Jing Shui was looking at Qinghe with a grieving, heartbroken expression.


    ¡°Stop looking at me like that, I¡¯m alright now,¡± Qinghe said helplessly. He hadn¡¯t expected this intense a reaction from Jing Shui.


    ¡°Feng Qinghe, don¡¯t lie.¡±


    Qinghe looked at him with widened eyes. This was the most informal he had ever seen Jing Shui being.


    ¡°We both carry the weights of our pasts, you more than me it seems. But just like you want to shield me from my fears, I also want to help you deal with yours. Never forget that I will also be here for you.¡±


    Not knowing how to react to that, Qinghe just nodded.


    Everything was silent once more as ghostly shadows from the past seemed to hover over their heads.

 Chapter 9: Leaving the Hidden Realm

    The next morning, the group of disciples woke up and quickly made for the hidden realm¡¯s exit. While traveling, the juniors noticed something strange between their senior martial brothers. There was a sense of closeness and harmony that hadn¡¯t been present before. Though they were curious about the change, none of them were shameless enough to pry into it.


    In the afternoon a few hours before reaching the exit, they took a short break and something unexpected happened at this time.


    Junior Brother Wen nervously went up to Qinghe and stood before him. Just when Qinghe thought he would begin making trouble again, Junior Brother Wen formally bowed. The bow was deep and undeniably respectful.


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother Feng, I have been disrespectful during this journey, and though I do not deserve it, I humbly beg your forgiveness.¡±


    Silence claimed the surroundings as everyone looked on in shock as Junior Brother Wen apologized with utmost sincerity.


    After speaking, he made to kneel before him. Qinghe hurriedly stopped him and pulled him back up.


    ¡°Junior Brother Wen, there is no need for this. I am not angry at you, nor have I ever been. There is nothing to forgive, so please rise,¡± Qinghe spoke with a gentle smile adorning his face, eyes brimming with kindness.


    ¡°But Senior Brother, I¡­¡± Junior Brother Wen didn¡¯t know what to say. He didn¡¯t think he would be forgiven this easily, and Senior Brother Feng really seemed to mean it.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright now, so please rest. We will continue traveling again soon.¡± After advising him, Qinghe turned around and left.


    Seeing that Jing Shui was also about to leave, Junior Brother Wen immediately called out to him, ¡°Senior Brother Jing, please wait!¡±


    A trace of annoyance flashed past his eyes, but Jing Shui still halted. ¡°What?¡±


    Junior Brother Wen fidgeted a bit before asking anxiously, ¡°Senior Brother Jing, do you think Senior Brother Feng meant it when he said he wasn¡¯t mad at me?¡±


    At first, Jing Shui had been annoyed enough to slap this junior brother who kept targeting his friend. But he noticed that after the fight with the Behemoth, Junior Brother Wen¡¯s attitude did a one-eighty. He would keep shooting Feng Qinghe conflicted glances loaded with guilt, as though he had suddenly realized something that made him see how much of an asshole he had been. It was probably due to Qinghe inadvertently revealing a hint of his tragic past.


    Though Jing Shui was glad for the change, and though Qinghe really didn¡¯t seem to care about the previous hostility, Jing Shui still couldn¡¯t bear to completely forgive this junior brother. After all, he didn¡¯t have a screw loose in his head like Qinghe.


    But still, he didn¡¯t have a heart made of stone either.


    Seeing that he was sincerely worried, Jing Shui unconsciously softened his voice as he assured, ¡°Yes, he really isn¡¯t mad at you. That silly fellow can¡¯t even hold a grudge. So you stop worrying and go rest, or else you¡¯ll drag everyone else down.¡±


    With a beaming smile, Junior Brother Wen shouted a ¡°Yes, Senior Brother!¡± and went back to resting. This scene left everyone watching with a warm and pleasant feeling.


    A few minutes later, they set out again.


    As they drew closer to the exit, they noticed more and more trampled greenery and footprints that signaled that many other people had used this path recently. It was most likely that the other groups of disciples had also used this path to the exit.


    Soon, they saw a wide spatial rip suspended half a meter over the ground.


    This was the exit to the secret realm.


    The rip was wide in the middle and tapered as if pinched towards the ends, its edges luminescent. The space inside of it seemed to be rippling, the distortion looking like waves in an ocean of glass. Nothing was visible of what lay past the exit.


    Since the disciples had already seen it once from the other side while entering, they were not all that alarmed. With Qinghe and Jing Shui in the lead, they swiftly moved towards the exit.


    The moment Qinghe went through the spatial rip, he felt the familiar feeling of vertigo as the space around him twisted and blurred. Within the blink of an eye, the scenery had already changed into familiar surroundings.


    In front of him was a large and flat plain surrounded on all sides by towering forested mountains. Groups of disciples were scattered throughout the plain.


    They had reached the other side safely.


    The juniors all arrived one by one, crowding around the spatial rip for a moment. The disciples then greeted Qinghe and Jing Shui one last time before running off to meet with their friends or masters.


    Not wanting to block the exit, Qinghe and Jing Shui also moved a bit further away.


    Their task was finally completed. Qinghe heaved a sigh of relief. He no longer had to herd, guide and protect a group of excitable teens who went around finding trouble. He had done his responsibility. It was finally over.


    Just as he was basking in the lack of teenagers, two young bodies suddenly crashed into him full force, almost toppling him in their excitement as they screamed joyfully, ¡°Senior Brother, you¡¯re back!¡±


    Here were two more excitable teens.


    Qinghe sighed and patted the two heads resting on his shoulders as he reprimanded lightly, ¡°Jin-er, Yin-er, what did I tell you about decorum in public places.¡±


    Two heads popped up and grinned. ¡°That it was unnecessary?¡± Fei Jin said innocently while Fei Yin nodded his head in agreement.


    Qinghe rolled his eyes internally. Here they went again. He couldn¡¯t teach them anything good, they just disregarded everything.


    Fei Jin and Fei Yin were twins. They were half spiritual beasts and it showed. They had tiny fangs, short and curly hair that never grew, small, pointy and thick nails that could make holes in pretty much everything, and personalities as free as the wind.


    Fei Jin wielded the rare thunder element while Fei Yin wielded the just-as-rare ice element. They had been rescued by the head disciple of the sect and were the third and fourth disciples of the sect master of Heavenly Peak Sect.


    Feng Qinghe was the second disciple of the sect master.


    Just then, the two little devils noticed that there was an extra person who stood nearby as if he was familiar with their senior brother.


    They turned their heads to Qinghe as one as Fei Jin asked, ¡°Brother, who is this?¡±


    Qinghe introduced, ¡°This is the head disciple of the Golden Sun Sect, Jing Shui. Brother Jing, these are my junior brothers, Fei Jin and Fei Yin.¡±


    Both sides evaluated each other.


    ¡°He stinks like gold and money,¡± Fei Jin summarized for the both of them while Fei Yin nodded while wrinkling his nose.


    ¡°You brats!¡± Jing Shui wanted to go beat them up and teach these impertinent little imps some manners. Seeing his angry look, the twins giggled and ran away like the wind while exclaiming sarcastically, ¡°Scary! So scary!¡±


    Frowning, Jing Shui turned to Qinghe, ¡°How come you¡¯re alright with touching them?¡±


    Qinghe froze. ¡°What?¡±


    Jing Shui elaborated. ¡°In the hidden realm, I once touched you by accident and you flinched like I was a hideous monster out to eat you. I thought it might be because of your past, but it seems it¡¯s just me you don¡¯t like?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Qinghe faltered. Just how should he explain this? Maybe it was their partial spiritual beast heritage or maybe the fact that Qinghe had practically raised them, but he had never felt uncomfortable at those two junior brothers¡¯ touch.


    Suddenly realizing that he might have said something insensitive, Jing Shui panicked. ¡°Uh, it¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t want to talk about it! You don¡¯t have to say anything! Nothing at all! Let¡¯s just¡­uh, let¡¯s find your junior brothers! That¡¯s right! Let¡¯s go find them and spank some sense into them!¡±


    Qinghe felt amused and exasperated at the same time.


    ¡°Brother Jing, that¡¯s not it. I only prefer not to be touched by most people, I¡¯m not yet sure why I¡¯m okay with a few. I can¡¯t control this aspect and I¡¯m sorry if that caused you offense,¡± he explained as clearly as possible to avoid future misunderstandings.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Jing Shui didn¡¯t look offended but rather disappointed.


    Feeling like he had to say something to appease the other, Qinghe opened his mouth to speak before realizing that a lot of gazes had concentrated on them. Closing his lips, he subtly looked around.


    Groups of cultivators from various sects were scattered throughout the plain, either having returned from the secret realm or waiting for someone¡¯s return from there. Right now, most of them were staring openly or casting covert glances at Qinghe and Jing Shui while discussing something in hushed whispers. They didn¡¯t look hostile but rather shocked, as if they¡¯d just heard something unbelievable.


    Even Jing Shui noticed the looks they were getting.


    ¡°What¡¯s up with them? Why are they looking at us like that?¡±


    Qinghe sighed in exhaustion. He just wanted to get back to his room and rest without having to maintain appearances. ¡°It appears that word of us having taken down a Behemoth has spread.¡±


    ¡°So soon?¡± Jing Shui was startled at the speed.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sure our juniors couldn¡¯t wait to proudly proclaim their exploits.¡±


    ¡°That group of braggarts, what¡¯s there to be so proud about?¡± Jing Shui was displeased. Look at his friend! He had been the one to do all the hard work, but had he gone around swaggering like a prideful peacock? No. That is how a true cultivator should behave!


    ¡°Leave them be. I¡¯ve put them through a lot this past month, they deserve to at least get some bragging rights out of it,¡± Qinghe was unconcerned.


    ¡°Hmph! You¡¯re just too lax on them.¡±


    ¡°Not this again¡­¡±


    Their bickering was interrupted by a rich and smooth female voice, ¡°Oh, this is a surprise. You two seem to be getting along well.¡±


    Instantly recognizing the voice, Jing Shui turned around in astonishment. ¡°Master?¡±

 Chapter 10: Golden Sun, Silver Moon

    The sect master of the Golden Sun Sect, Liu Xue, was known far and wide to be beautiful, valiant and shrewd. Though she was relatively easy going most of the time, if provoked, she could be ferocious. A favor returned with a favor and a slap returned with a thousand slaps¡ªshe was this kind of a person.


    With her hands on her hips, she admonished Jing Shui, ¡°Yes, you brat. I¡¯m glad you remembered I exist. I have been waiting here for your return all this while and you stand here chatting as if you have all the time in the world. Now introduce us, who is your friend?¡±


    Before Jing Shui could recover, Qinghe took the initiative to say, ¡°My most sincere apologies for holding up your disciple, Sect Master Liu. I am Feng Qinghe from Heavenly Peak Sect, and sect master Zhen YiLan¡¯s second disciple.¡±


    Looking at the sect emblem stitched with indigo-colored thread on his robes, she spoke wryly, ¡°I gathered as much.¡±


    All sects of the righteous faction wore white robes, with the sect emblem stitched at the bottom center of the outer robe. The color of the sect emblem varied for different tiers: Outer sect disciples¡ªthe disciples who hadn¡¯t yet formed their cultivation core¡ªhad a light green emblem, inner sect disciples who had already formed their cores used light blue, the sect master¡¯s direct disciples had indigo colored emblems, while the sect elders used purple, and finally, red was reserved for the sect master.


    So it was quite obvious at a glance that Feng Qinghe was a direct disciple of the sect master of the Heavenly Peak Sect due to the sect emblem and the indigo-colored thread used to stitch it.


    Though Qinghe knew it was easy to deduce his identity, he still had to be polite towards an elder and introduce himself, didn¡¯t he?


    ¡°It seems you¡¯ve both gotten close in the hidden realm. I¡¯ve also heard that Xiao He lead you all to kill a Behemoth? I do hope you¡¯ve collected its corpse, it can provide much valuable raw material for many things.¡±


    Qinghe felt strange at being called ¡®Xiao He¡¯.


    Jing Shui nodded. ¡°Of course we did. We get to keep the beast¡¯s body while Brother Feng insisted on only getting the beast core.¡±


    Liu Xue raised an eyebrow. This disciple Feng Qinghe seemed to be quite cunning. Giving them the majority of a kill that he had made would mean they would be indebted to him. But the Golden Sun Sect also couldn¡¯t pass up this opportunity to get its hands on such valuable materials. Though the materials themselves held little value to a warrior sect like the Heavenly Peak Sect, separately, each part of the Behemoth could be made into a unique treasure or medicine, its uses ranging from making armor from its skin, elixirs from its blood and organs, weapons from its bones, enchanted bindings from its veins etc. But the process for making these required much refining and effort.


    On the other hand, though the beast core held almost the same value as the rest of the body, it could only be used by cultivators and was inflexible in the way it could be utilized¡ªthat is, increasing cultivation and pill making. A beast core had no other uses apart from these, but they were also easier and simpler to use without any further refining.


    So though it appeared as if Qinghe was doing them a favor by taking the shorter end of the stick, he was, in fact, using this to gain the maximum benefits from minimal losses. As a businesswoman herself, Sect Master Liu Xue could clearly appreciate the brilliance of this move.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a sly little fox, Xiao He?¡± she commented sardonically in her smooth voice.


    ¡°This disciple only wishes to help one¡¯s friend,¡± Qinghe replied humbly, but with an undercurrent of humor that could be detected by those who were perceptive.


    Jing Shui was not perceptive.


    ¡°Master! Brother Feng is only helping us, why must we question him? Can¡¯t you put a little trust in my friend?¡± Jing Shui tried to emphasize that Qinghe was a ¡®friend¡¯ and that she should not make things difficult for him.


    ¡°Oh? Only a friend? You both look so close that I thought you were definitely a couple,¡± she said casually while brushing aside the main topic.


    ¡°Eww!¡± Jing Shui could not hold back his disgust at the thought of getting together with his friend. Qinghe also wrinkled his brows as if very uncomfortable at the idea.


    The current world was very progressive. There was absolutely no bias against same-sex relationships or marriages, so Jing Shui and Qinghe did not react like that because they were both men, but because the very thought of getting intimate with their friend made their stomachs turn.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯d get together with someone like him!¡± Jing Shui made his opinion loud and clear.


    ¡°I would also rather face death by a thousand cuts rather than lie with Brother Jing,¡± Qinghe declared.


    Liu Xue was amused at both of their immediate and vehement rejection.


    ¡°That¡¯s right¨D¡± Jing Shui was about to agree before the words registered. ¡°Wait, what? What do you mean by that?!¡± He scowled.


    With a placating smile, Qinghe spoke, ¡°Brother Jing, I only meant that I¡¯d prefer to die horribly rather than inflict my unwanted advances onto you against your will since I cherish my friend so deeply and respect his choices.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I guess it¡¯s okay then¡­¡± Jing Shui was reluctantly convinced despite the obvious.


    Liu Xue could only shake her head. How did this disciple of hers turn out so gullible? Was it her fault? Did she shelter him too much? No. It was all that damn Wu Xiao¡¯s fault for pampering him so much!


    And thus all blame was placed onto the head of her unsuspecting junior martial brother.


    No sooner had she thought of him than he appeared.


    ¡°I heard that Ah-Shui brought a friend. Where is he?¡± came a voice suddenly, interrupting their conversation.


    They turned to look and found a man approaching them. His hair was long and silver, his face somewhat narrow but beautifully crafted. His frame was slender and he moved as if he were floating. His brows were lowered as if in displeasure, his dark eyes glinting with a cold light.


    This was the aforementioned Wu Xiao, the sect master of the Silver Moon Sect and Sect Master Liu Xue¡¯s junior martial brother.


    It was a well-known fact that the Golden Sun Sect and the Silver Moon Sect had always been two parts of a whole, though they were considered separate sects. The two sects shared resources, with the Golden Sun Sect providing essentials while the Silver Moon Sect provided formation crafters, who were considered exceedingly rare.


    There was another subdivision in the Silver Moon Sect that specialized in nurturing seers that foretold calamities¡ªbut this was a secret not known to many and one that Qinghe definitely should not have known.


    Another thing that tied the two sects together was the choosing of the sect master for the Silver Moon Sect. The new sect leader was almost always chosen from among the disciples in the same generation as the Golden Sun Sect¡¯s new sect leader since the sect masters of the Silver Moon Sect mostly did not accept direct disciples. So the sect leaders of the two sects often had a martial sibling relationship, as was the case for the current sect heads.


    ¡°Oh, Elder Sister. I didn¡¯t realize you were here too,¡± Wu Xiao said, just noticing.


    Liu Xue rapped him on the head mercilessly. ¡°What ¡®Elder Sister¡¯? Show some manners and call me ¡®Senior Martial Sister¡¯!¡±


    ¡°Ow! Elder Sister, why must you always be so violent towards your darling little brother?¡±


    ¡°Who is my darling little brother?!¡± Liu Xue was furious.


    ¡°Me!¡± Wu Xiao shamelessly raised his hand as if answering a question in class.


    On the side, Qinghe was speechless. Who were these five-year-old kids masquerading as the sect masters of two prominent sects?


    As if hearing Qinghe¡¯s thoughts, Jing Shui buried his head in his hands in embarrassment. Was it too late to pretend he didn¡¯t know them?


    Just when his senior sister was about to beat him up, Wu Xiao seemed to remember something and exclaimed, ¡°Ah, I almost forgot! Where is that brat who is trying to seduce¨C I mean befriend my Ah-Shui!¡±


    Qinghe was unimpressed but still chose to pay his respects. A buffoon or not, he was still a sect master. Moreover, he was someone he had already met once.


    Offering the appropriate salutations, Qinghe introduced himself again, ¡°Sect Master Wu, I wonder if you remember me. I am Feng Qinghe from Heavenly Peak Sect, sect master Zhen YiLan¡¯s second disciple. My master once introduced us a couple of decades ago.¡±


    Wu Xiao frowned, why did that sound familiar? He shook off the vague feeling and threatened, ¡°You brat, are you trying to appear more familiar towards me so that my Ah-Shui will let down his guard? As if I¡¯ll let you!¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s yours! Don¡¯t just go and claim me on your own!¡± Jing Shui finally retorted, his ears red as apples.


    Hmm, it seems Sect Master Wu¡¯s affections were at least somewhat reciprocated, Qinghe observed thoughtfully.


    Wu Xiao ignored his beloved¡¯s denial and continued to glare at Qinghe.


    ¡°I am not interested in Brother Jing,¡± Qinghe clarified firmly, his eyes projecting sincerity and trustworthiness.


    And it flew right over Wu Xiao¡¯s head.


    ¡°As if! Anyone who sees my Ah-Shui will be instantly charmed by his adorableness! You¡¯re just lying to get me to put my guard down, hmph! I can see right through you, you scheming bastard!¡±


    Qinghe was once again rendered speechless by this senior. Why was he more unreasonable and difficult to handle than the teenagers? Why did all these immature people seem to congregate around him? Did he have some strange magnetic force that attracted these kinds of people? He just wanted to go home and relax!


    Taking a deep breath, Qinghe tried to calm down.


    On the side, the three of them were bickering again. Jing Shui refusing to be claimed as ¡®his¡¯ or called ¡®adorable¡¯, Liu Xue insisting on being called ¡®senior martial sister¡¯, and Wu Xiao shamelessly evading the arguments of both sides while trying to toss barbs at Qinghe.


    It was a mess of a situation and headache-inducing. Sighing, Qinghe massaged his forehead. He really needed to rest and cultivate soon. He could feel that exerting himself yesterday had led to him gaining a few more levels. He couldn¡¯t keep suppressing his cultivation to the current realm anymore, he had to at least let it rise to the next realm or else his core might just crack.


    Qinghe felt his surroundings wobble and had to force himself to keep standing upright.


    Suddenly, two pairs of hands were supporting him. Two voices asked anxiously, ¡°Senior Brother, are you all right? Do we need to get Master?¡± There was a barely concealed hint of panic in their tone.


    The others finally noticed his state.


    ¡°Qinghe, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Jing Shui sounded worried.


    ¡°Is something wrong with Xiao He?¡± Liu Xue was concerned.


    Seeing Qinghe¡¯s expression stiff with pain, something suddenly clicked in Wu Xiao¡¯s mind. It¡¯s him, that boy!


    Pushing aside the clamoring voices, Qinghe quickly began circulating his spiritual energy, trying to get rid of the excess. It was several minutes before the roiling calmed and the spiritual energy in his meridians resumed flowing smoothly. This was only a stopgap measure that would hold at most for a few days.


    When he opened his eyes again, he found the two faces of his junior brothers looking at him in anxiety and felt their grip as they held him tightly on either side, supporting him. The rest had also crowded around him.


    ¡°Senior Brother?¡± Fei Jin and Fei Yin sounded on the verge of tears.


    Though he felt exhausted, Qinghe still smiled reassuringly as he patted their heads. ¡°I¡¯m fine, I just need to cultivate for a bit.¡±


    The twins buried their heads in his chest, not letting go.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Jing Shui asked, still worried.


    ¡°Brother Jing, there is no need to fret, I¡¯ll be alright. I just overexerted myself, that¡¯s all. I will be fine with some rest.¡±


    Though Jing Shui was doubtful, he could only let it go for now.


    ¡°You. What did you say your name was?¡± Wu Xiao asked suddenly, his tone uncharacteristically serious.


    ¡°Feng Qinghe,¡± he replied simply. He didn¡¯t have the energy for anything more at the moment.


    ¡°You are Zhen YiLan¡¯s kid disciple? The one he brought to me about two decades ago?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Wu Xiao turned pale as a sheet and looked at him as if seeing a ghost. ¡°Well, this is a surprise. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d survive such severe restrictions for so long.¡±


    This sentence, said in a grave tone and a voice choked with emotion, shocked everyone.

 Chapter 11: Soul Sealing Spell

    Wu Xiao remembered that one day, the sect master of Heavenly Peak Sect, his old friend Zhen YiLan, had come hurrying towards him while desperately clutching an unconscious little boy to his bosom.


    His long white beard had trembled as he said that the boy¡¯s name was Feng Qinghe and that he wanted to adopt him if he survived.


    He said that due to his cultivation being stifled by a spirit-suppressing collar for years, the boy¡¯s newly released spiritual energy was unstable and rioting throughout his body as his cultivation increased rapidly and dangerously. Zhen YiLan had never seen someone whose cultivation had the potential to rise to the tenth realm in one go. It had scared him greatly that the boy might not survive the turbulence of spiritual energy resulting from such a rapid rise.


    He wanted to completely seal off the boy¡¯s soul so that he couldn¡¯t use spiritual energy at all. It was the only way to save his life.


    Soul Sealing was a restricted art that only qualified formation weavers could cast. It was a spell cast most often on the souls of criminals.


    The Order of Sentinels acted like something of a police force in the cultivation world. There were roughly two types of outcomes for most criminals that were caught by the Sentinels. The first outcome was a lifetime of imprisonment in a cell made of spirit-suppressing material. Most criminal cultivators that were sent there eventually lost their minds.


    The second type was those whose crimes weren¡¯t big enough to deserve a lifetime of imprisonment. They were jailed for a while before being released, but only after their souls were sealed. The ritual was painful beyond measure and sealed their souls so that they could never sense or use spiritual energy again. In return, they could live a free life out in the open more.


    The ¡®jailor¡¯ that cast this spell held the only key to release the Soul Sealing spell. No matter how great a master a cultivator might be, it was impossible for them to release a Soul Sealing spell cast by someone else unless they personally received the key spell from the caster.


    It was a brutal spell that would keep a soul locked in a void without letting even a bit of spiritual energy enter. Some of the cultivators whose souls were sealed chose to kill themselves rather than leave their soul in that void.


    And Zhen YiLan wanted to cast this spell on a child?


    But after constant persuasion and reasoning from Zhen YiLan, Wu Xiao reluctantly agreed, though he thought that applying such severe restrictions might as well end up killing the kid. But since he would die either way, he could at least try the option that still gave him a chance at survival.


    Thankfully, Zhen YiLan also promised that when the boy came of age, he¡¯d hand over the spell key to him, giving the boy complete control over his own restrictions.


    Zhen YiLan said that the boy, Qinghe, was afraid of touch due to trauma inflicted by the same people who had collared him. The old-looking sect master had explained everything he knew about Feng Qinghe in hopes that some bit of information might be of use in saving his life.


    Wu Xiao had patiently listened to that horrifying story, learning of all the things such a young boy had to go through.


    To lessen the boy¡¯s mental burden, they had tied him to a chair. It was better than being held down by another person, since being touched would only increase his suffering.


    When the boy woke up, he stared uncomprehendingly at the old man who had saved him and a silver-haired man who kept shooting him glances filled with guilt. Realizing that he was tied up, he had tried to struggle free, the recent horror he had gone through still fresh in his mind. No! He did not want anyone touching him so disgustingly again!


    It had broken their hearts as they realized what must be going through the boy¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Qinghe,¡± Zhen YiLan tried to speak kindly despite the emotion choking him, ¡°We are not going to hurt you. Please calm down. This is something that must be done, or you¡¯ll die.¡±


    But he couldn¡¯t hear, all his attention focused on escape. After struggling for a while and finally coming to the conclusion that he couldn¡¯t escape no matter how much he tried, Qinghe slumped down lifelessly. What was the purpose of fighting his fate? He was utterly helpless once more. He closed his eyes and turned his face away from the two people he thought would be his tormentors, soul-deep exhaustion evident on his face. He had no choice but to let these men do whatever they wanted with him.


    Though Wu Xiao felt pained in his heart, his determination to somehow save this boy only grew. This way, there would at least be a chance. He might come to hate both him and Zhen YiLan for having to do this, but he might at least survive!


    Slowly, Wu Xiao¡¯s hand approached the boy¡¯s bony chest that was barely covered by a ratty shirt. Upon contact, the boy immediately stiffened but didn¡¯t struggle. He already knew it would be futile.


    And then Wu Xiao started forming the bindings that would seal his soul.


    A deep ache bloomed inside Qinghe¡¯s chest that slowly turned to sharp pain, then vicious agony. But it didn¡¯t stop there. The torment kept increasing in intensity until all Qinghe could do was restrain himself from crying and screaming hysterically. But even that did not last long.


    Wu Xiao poured his concentration into crafting the spell, determined to do this right. He carefully wove the delicate threads together, knitting them over Qinghe¡¯s soul. He only felt an echo of the pain the boy was experiencing and even that was enough to bring him to his knees. He couldn¡¯t even imagine the sheer torment and agony that Qinghe was going through.


    Qinghe¡¯s back arched as his body couldn¡¯t contain the pain anymore. His cold and expressionless mask, something he had hidden under all these years, cracked and shattered into smithereens as he wailed uncontrollably. The sharp and shrill screams resounded throughout the room, able to express only a mere fraction of the piercing pain that was causing it.


    Through his palm on the boy¡¯s chest, Wu Xiao could feel the screams reverberating through the small body. He could feel the frantic stretch and pull of the meager muscles as the boy thrashed around as if trying to escape. Wu Xiao pressed on despite the obvious pain it caused and the cries it elicited.


    The boy¡¯s throat eventually gave out, unable to keep producing sound.


    Even as his body writhed in the throes of the inescapable agony, Wu Xiao continued to cast the spell. He couldn¡¯t stop now or the result might be worse than simple death. At the side, Zhen YiLan¡¯s lined face was twisted in anguish.


    The torture finally ended after a few hours, leaving Qinghe slumped lifelessly in the chair. His eyes were wide open as if still caught in the echoes of incomprehensible pain, but his body was so still that it was uncertain whether he was still breathing. If it weren¡¯t for the endless streams of tears rolling down from his eyes, Wu Xiao would have thought him dead.


    The little boy looked like an exquisite but broken porcelain doll without the slightest will to live.


    Those glassy spiritless eyes reminded him of Jing Shui in his early days, causing him to feel a deep pain in his own chest.


    Though Soul Sealing was successfully cast, Wu Xiao only had to look at the boy¡¯s lifeless expression to know that he wouldn¡¯t survive for long. Wu Xiao¡¯s heart ached.


    Now, a different figure was superimposed over that silently crying boy who had been defeated by life¡¯s cruelties.


    It was a young man with long flowing black hair, dressed impeccably in clean white robes. Despite having to be supported, he still stood tall and graceful like a willow. His skin was flawless and had a healthy pallor. He was lightly muscled, clearly favoring agility-type martial arts. He held himself with a confidence and self-assurance reminiscent of someone who had experienced much of the world and was sure he could handle himself no matter the circumstance.


    And most importantly, his eyes sparkled with sharp intelligence, liveliness and an inner strength that said he would never stay down no matter how hard life kicked him. He was someone who had the strength to get back up again and again, to brush the dust off his clothes and keep going.


    He was no longer a broken doll.


    Wu Xiao¡¯s voice was choked with emotion as he said, ¡°Well, this is a surprise. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d survive such severe restrictions for so long.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to have disappointed you in this aspect, Sect Master Wu,¡± the boy said in a clear and pleasant tone. There was not even a hint of the hatred and fear Wu Xiao had expected.


    At the side, the others just watched with wide eyes as these two continued to talk about things they didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°It seems the restrictions are malfunctioning?¡± Wu Xiao queried after examining the Soul Sealing spell.


    ¡°If you call this a malfunction, then yes, it has been malfunctioning for quite a while,¡± Qinghe replied in a calm tone.


    Wu Xiao was shocked.


    ¡°What is the nature of the malfunction?¡± he asked with urgency. He had to fix this before it hurt his soul.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing major, just a bit of spiritual energy leakage,¡± Qinghe replied, still unruffled.


    Wu Xiao couldn¡¯t believe his own ears. As the crafter of the spell, he knew that there were no loopholes that might allow this¡ªwhich meant that the spiritual power must have overflowed so much that it had torn holes in the spell.


    It was unbelievable.


    The sheer amount of power it must have taken to tear his carefully crafted spell apart was mind-boggling, and the staggering amount of willpower needed to channel this power so that it not only wouldn¡¯t run amok, but also wouldn¡¯t destroy the rest of the restrictions on his soul, was inconceivable.


    Finally realizing that Qinghe was wearing cultivator robes and that he was, in fact, a cultivator, Wu Xiao¡¯s mouth dropped open.


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible¡­¡± he whispered.


    crimson_carnation


    First time meeting ¨C


    Chapter 18


    Confession ¨C


    Chapter 21


    First NSFW scene between the main couple ¨C


    Chapter 32


    First time having sex ¨C


    Chapter 49


    BTW, there will be other couples along the way as well. Have fun~

 Chapter 12: An Enlightening Conversation

    Qinghe chuckled. ¡°Master said the same thing when he found that I could cultivate.¡±


    Wu Xiao finally closed his mouth and asked, ¡°What realm are you at now?¡±


    Seeing him hesitating, Wu Xiao grew nervous. Did something happen to his soul after all?


    ¡°As far as everyone knows, I¡¯m at the fourth realm,¡± Qinghe finally said while shifting his eyes away. Though he wanted to hide his true level, Sect Master Wu was after all something like a healer for his soul. He needed the complete truth to make an accurate diagnosis. So he hinted that it wasn¡¯t his true level.


    Sure enough, Wu Xiao caught on. ¡°Then what realm are you truly at?¡±


    Qinghe decided on full disclosure. ¡°Currently at the sixth, but I will have to allow my cultivation to rise to the seventh realm. I might have used my spiritual force a bit more than advisable, so I am unfortunately about to achieve a breakthrough. I have already reached the limit to which I can suppress my spiritual power, so I will have to cultivate and expand the holes in the restrictions until I can reach seventh realm or else my core might get damaged.¡± Finally letting go of his reservations, he explained everything without holding back.


    Though the others didn¡¯t understand what type of restrictions they were both talking about, hearing the phrase ¡®I am unfortunately about to achieve a breakthrough¡¯, they felt their teeth itch.


    Most cultivators would jump for joy at the possibility of attaining a breakthrough, and here this man was bemoaning it as if it was thrust onto him by force!


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a good thing to get a chance to breakthrough?¡± Jing Shui said, miffed that his friend had hidden his true level even from him.


    ¡°What¡¯s so wrong with your cultivation that you have to restrict it?¡± Liu Xue asked, equally miffed at this junior who seemed to have higher potential than anyone in her sect. Why couldn¡¯t he have joined her sect?


    ¡°Senior Brother, are you going to leave us behind again?¡± the twins cried. They had barely been able to catch up to the fourth realm when they had to find out that he was already in the sixth. And on top of that, he was soon going to advance to the seventh! This was unfair!


    Qinghe didn¡¯t know whether he should laugh or cry at all of their blaming expressions.


    Wu Xiao¡¯s cold voice cut through their complaining, ¡°If he doesn¡¯t restrict the rate at which his level is rising to a speed at which his body can keep up with, his spiritual energy will tear him apart from the inside out in a slow and excruciating process, at the end of which lies death. Even his soul might not escape unscathed.¡±


    Sudden silence claimed them.


    ¡°W-What do you mean¡­he can die?¡± Jing Shui stammered out.


    The twins were wordlessly clutching onto Qinghe even tighter, their faces pale and eyes wide in terror at the thought of losing their beloved senior brother. Even Liu Xue looked stunned. None of them had expected it to be this serious.


    Qinghe waved their fears away. ¡°I¡¯m not going to die, so stop looking at me like that. It is only a minor possibility. I have been dealing with this for decades, I know what I¡¯m doing. All I have to do is refine and strengthen my body slowly as I increase my level step-by-step.¡±


    They were somewhat reassured at his confident tone and let go of the fear that he would immediately keel over. See, he was even able to stand by himself now! Surely the danger must have passed?


    Wu Xiao, however, knew how risky this was. Yet after seeing the others¡¯ relaxing expressions, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to say anything to refute these words.


    ¡°Well, I am at least reassured that you won¡¯t be going after my Ah-Shui,¡± he finally joked.


    ¡°I did try to tell you that,¡± Qinghe said drily.


    ¡°Oh? Why wouldn¡¯t he like Xiao Shui? I think they¡¯d make a great couple,¡± Liu Xue offered.


    ¡°Master!¡± Jing Shui was mortified.


    ¡°Elder Sister! How could you! Ah-Shui isn¡¯t even his type! If you keep hindering our love, we¡¯ll elope!¡± Wu Xiao had fully returned to his silly self again.


    ¡°Hey! Who are you saying will elope with you!¡±


    ¡°Who are you calling Elder Sister! Call me Senior Martial Sister, you brat!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Here they go again¡­¡± Qinghe groaned as the twins still attached to him giggled in glee at the chaos.


    Wanting to escape before this got any more rowdy, Qinghe tried to excuse himself, ¡°I¡¯ll be returning to my sect then¨D¡±


    ¡°No, wait! I have a few more things to talk about. Ouch! Elder Sister, be more gentle~¡±


    Qinghe wished he could just leave this lunacy behind already.


    Wu Xiao finally disentangled himself from the master and disciple duo and took Qinghe aside to talk in private. Qinghe had to ask Jing Shui to play with the twins who were displeased at being left behind.


    ¡°Tell me the truth, how are you?¡± Wu Xiao¡¯s tone had turned solemn again.


    Qinghe sighed. ¡°I really am alright. I can deal with this.¡±


    Nodding, Wu Xiao said, ¡°Then I¡¯d like to ask you for something. Can you let me examine the restrictions on your soul more thoroughly?¡±


    Seeing Qinghe stiffen, Wu Xiao knew that he understood he would have to touch him. But surprisingly, Qinghe nodded.


    Feeling a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu, Wu Xiao extended his hand towards Qinghe¡¯s chest and Qinghe stiffened even more. Feeling the warmth beneath his palm and the beat of his heart, Wu Xiao was reassured. Yes, this boy was still alive, still breathing.


    He gently, carefully probed at the Soul Sealing spell with his own spiritual power. After finishing his examination, he withdrew both his spiritual power and his hand. Qinghe relaxed again.


    ¡°The holes in the restrictions are miniscule, barely pinpricks. It will be all too easy for these tiny holes to widen up as you use spiritual energy. Won¡¯t it be too difficult to manage them?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was in the beginning. Now I¡¯m used to it and it comes effortlessly. I just have to use my own spiritual power to temporarily hold the edges of the gaps so that they don¡¯t widen,¡± Qinghe informed serenely.


    Wu Xiao knew that it had to be extraordinarily difficult to keep doing this every time he used spiritual energy, but did not say anything. It seemed that he and his friend had underestimated the sheer power of this kid. Despite such severe and absolute restrictions, he had not only been able to cultivate again, he had also risen to the sixth realm in a couple of decades! Despite this, Qinghe looked healthy and his cultivation was stable. Wu Xiao could only guess at the unlimited potential he possessed.


    ¡°Sect Master Wu, I¡¯d like to thank you for saving my life that time,¡± Qinghe suddenly said and bowed sincerely.


    Wu Xiao shook his head, a sad smile curving his lips. ¡°No, I don¡¯t deserve your gratitude. You did almost all of the work that brought you till here. I only tortured a little kid.¡±


    ¡°That you did, but if weren¡¯t for that, I wouldn¡¯t be able to bring myself up to here. I really do have you to thank for that. Though back then I wasn¡¯t in a state in which I could understand why you did it, I know now and I want you to know that I truly am grateful,¡± Qinghe said earnestly.


    With a wry smile, Wu Xiao finally accepted his words. ¡°You really have a smooth tongue, you know?¡±


    Qinghe smiled unperturbed.


    ¡°You should visit me sometime to see if we can redo parts of the restriction. It can lessen your burden a bit,¡± Wu Xiao offered.


    ¡°I will consider it,¡± Qinghe said, still smiling.


    ¡°Alright then, tell me if you decide on a time.¡±


    With an evil-sounding chuckle, Qinghe replied, ¡°Oh, but does Sect Master Wu really need to hear from me? I¡¯m sure the Mist can tell you when I¡¯ll come before I even make the decision.¡±


    Wu Xiao stared at him in shock.


    Silver Mist was the name of a subdivision in the Silver Moon Sect that foretold the future. This particular division was strictly hidden from the world and only a very few people within the Silver Moon Sect itself knew about Silver Mist¡¯s existence.


    How the hell did Qinghe find out?


    ¡°Sect Master Wu Xiao, I hope you remember that I have my ways to gain information and that I won¡¯t hesitate to use it if necessary,¡± Qinghe drawled leisurely. His half-lidded eyes sparkled with a predatory look and a corner of his lips curled in a sadistic smirk, giving off the impression of a wicked devil.


    ¡°W¨CWhat is this about? Are you threatening to expose my sect¡¯s secret? Why?¡± Wu Xiao suddenly felt like crying. One moment he was being thanked sincerely and the next moment he was being bullied. What was even going on? Was this revenge for that painful experience he had to undergo at his hand that one time?


    Tilting his head, Qinghe kept smiling unnervingly, ¡°Why, you ask? So that you wouldn¡¯t even dream of breaking my friend¡¯s heart, that¡¯s why.¡±


    Wu Xiao was dumbfounded, having trouble processing what he just heard.


    Not giving him time to digest it, Qinghe stepped in close without touching him, and with his hands clasped behind his back, he whispered lightly into Wu Xiao¡¯s ear, ¡°If you hurt him, I will destroy you. You will live your life in suffering while wishing for death. Your power, your cultivation, reputation, I will crush them all. I will not leave anyone for you to rely on. You will live alone, in misery, and I will make sure that no one shows you even a shred of mercy throughout the entirety of your long, long life.¡±


    Qinghe stepped back and smiled as if nothing had happened. Wu Xiao stared at him, his face pale with shock and fear.


    Hm, did he overdo it a bit? Qinghe wondered. He shrugged unconcernedly, it was always better to be overwhelming rather than underwhelming in these kinds of situations.


    ¡°Then I shall take my leave, Sect Master Wu. Please keep in mind my sincere advice. I shall entrust my friend to your capable hands,¡± Qinghe said while once again bowing earnestly.


    Wu Xiao had still not recovered from the shock when Qinghe turned around on his heel and left.


    The twins immediately detached themselves from a harried-looking Jing Shui and reattached themselves to Qinghe. ¡°Senior Brother, let¡¯s go back!¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Qinghe patted them in a good mood.


    Jing Shui walked up to them and asked Qinghe, ¡°What were you talking about so closely with that idiot?¡± His tone sounded somewhat discontent, though he himself didn¡¯t seem to notice it.


    ¡°Oh, I was requesting him to kindly be good to you,¡± Qinghe said, smiling placidly.


    Flushing, Jing Shui stammered, ¡°W-Who needs him to be good to me! W-W-Why would you even say something like that!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Qinghe expressed his doubt with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Why are you so flustered, Brother Jing? I only said that since he seemed to value you a lot as his friend despite his high station. If he takes good care of you in your times of need, then it¡¯ll greatly alleviate my worry.¡±


    ¡°Friend?¡± Jing Shui frowned. His thoughts were too muddled right now to fully understand everything Qinghe said. He only absently nodded as he chewed on the word ¡®friend¡¯. He felt disgruntled for some reason.


    Noticing his strange expression, Qinghe smiled in satisfaction.


    ¡°Jin-er, Yin-er, we¡¯re leaving. Get prepared.¡± After instructing the two, Qinghe went to Liu Xue and respectfully bid his farewell.


    A pair of wings sprouted on the backs of the twins, another part of their spiritual beast heritage. Fei Jin¡¯s wings were made of blue lightning while Fei Yin¡¯s were made of blue crystalline ice. They flapped their wings and crackling sounds ensued.


    Qinghe cast the spell of flight on himself and flew upwards.


    Below him, Jing Shui was still caught in a daze while Wu Xiao had finally snapped out of it enough to come running to Jing Shui.


    The last thing Qinghe heard as he left was Wu Xiao¡¯s tearful voice loudly complaining, ¡°Ah-Shui! Your friend is so scary! Comfort me, comfort meeeee~!¡±

 Chapter 13: The Five Great Sects

    As they flew over villages, towns, and cities, the scenery below seemed to quickly slide past underneath them. Wisps of clouds brushed misty fingers over their skin and clothes, but the speed of their flight quickly flung away the clinging droplets.


    The air this far above was crisp and cool, albeit a bit thin due to the altitude.


    Fei Jin and Fei Yin stayed close to their senior brother since they knew that though he put on a casual front, he was still too weak. The second they saw him falter, they would immediately swoop in to offer support and carry him between them.


    Qinghe smiled when he realized the reason they were flying so close to him. These kids were always like this. Even though they were just seventeen and acted childishly most of the time, they were in truth far more mature than they let on.


    Thinking about it, it had been a little more than a decade since Qinghe first met them.


    When they were children, Fei Jin and Fei Yin had been alone in this world. Their father was a high-level spiritual beast able to take human form and had only stayed till he sowed his wild oats before leaving for wherever the other spiritual beasts had retreated to. Their mother went through a risky pregnancy and died during childbirth. Though these half human twins had passed around from hand to hand and house to house, they had never found a stable home.


    The children had been wandering the streets and forests, trying to fend for themselves, when they were captured by people who wanted to ¡®harvest¡¯ from them their beast-like components.


    Their fangs and horns, wings and bones, their very blood and skin would have been extracted from them again and again while they would be kept alive in captivity so that they could continue regenerating¡ªthis had been the cruel fate awaiting them when the head disciple of the Heavenly Peak Sect, Chen Xiande, happened upon them on one of his very rare excursions to the outside world.


    After being chased for months, the twins had been captured. The children were weary and weak by this time. One of their capturers had decided that they needed a lesson and had been torturing Fei Yin with a knife. He had expertly cut Fei Yin¡¯s vocal cords so that he couldn¡¯t scream, his beast-like vitality keeping him alive while Fei Jin thrashed about and screamed in his stead.


    This was when Chen Xiande arrived. He chased away their tormentors and rescued the twins, bringing them back to the sect and depositing them there before promptly leaving to resume his journey.


    The aftermath completely had to be dealt with by Qinghe.


    He stayed by the twins¡¯ side until they healed and grew healthy. He personally treated the knife wounds and found medicine so that Fei Yin didn¡¯t completely lose his voice. He could still at least talk in a low whisper when he chose to. Qinghe distracted them with tasks and missions that the twins could complete to keep them socialized and to prevent them from withdrawing into themselves.


    Qinghe had been their mother, father and brother all rolled into one from the moment they entered the sect.


    When he had deemed that they were strong enough, Qinghe had taken them to find the bastards who had captured them and let the twins torment the group until they were satisfied, at which point the sorry mess was handed to the Sentinels since they were after all criminals with some cultivation.


    In this way, not only did he cure their trauma for the most part, he also made them into capable and powerful people with rich experience.


    The twins considered Qinghe to be their home and harbor, their only family. He had patiently and steadily taught them to cultivate. He gave them pills, scrolls, techniques and artifacts from all over the world to help them grow stronger. He had let them sleep in his room with him while patting their backs, comforting them silently after a nightmare. He had never withheld himself from them, freely giving them all he had to offer. No matter how ruthless or devious Qinghe could be, he only ever showed them kindness and tolerance, caring for them wholeheartedly.


    So was it any surprise that they both worshipped the ground their senior brother walked on?


    If Qinghe were to ever know the true extent of their devotion to him, he would be alarmed. But for all his perceptiveness, the current Qinghe was oblivious to it.


    ¡°All of you should stop worrying. I¡¯ll be fine for a few more days,¡± Qinghe told them.


    The twins pouted as Fei Jin said, ¡°Senior Brother, we only want to keep you safe. Can¡¯t we?¡± Fei Yin nodded to show he agreed with his brother.


    Sighing helplessly, Qinghe relented, ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll be counting on you till we reach the sect.¡± What could he say, he had a soft spot for them.


    The twins immediately brightened up.


    Maintaining this harmonious atmosphere, the three of them reached the sect.


    It was said that long ago, Heavenly Peak Sect had been the only righteous sect to survive the Great War between the righteous and demonic factions. All of the other four major sects had branched off from the Heavenly Peak Sect after that to reestablish numbers after the Great War.


    Before the war, the subdivision of Silver Mist had been a part of Silver Moon Peak. The seers of Silver Mist had predicted the demonic faction¡¯s attack and the Heavenly Peak Sect had dutifully informed the other sects, only for it to be dismissed as a ploy.


    It had been a time when people murdered each other on the streets, when powerful cultivators could wipe out whole households or sects to gain ownership of artifacts or to vent petty grudges. On top of that, beasts still wandered the world, adding to the chaos. There was even a renowned clan of beasts called the heavenly wyverns that went about murdering people and beasts alike, slaughtering and wiping out entire towns.


    Trust was a commodity no one could afford, it was especially so among cultivators.


    The result of this rift between the sects was that they were unprepared when the war came knocking on their doorsteps. Almost all of the sects were wiped out or scattered. Only the Heavenly Peak Sect that had been prepared was able to stand the assault.


    The Great War had ended in a draw and both sides retreated to lick their wounds, swearing vengeance on the opposite faction. But then the Order of Sentinels was established by a descended deity, and murder and thievery no longer went unpunished. So both sides now maintained a precarious balance and more or less existed in concord.


    After the Great War, the various peaks of the Heavenly Peak Sect diverged to form their own sects, existing in harmony and unity.


    All this happened a few hundred thousand years ago.


    Qinghe, Fei Jin and Fei Yin landed in front of the ten-thousand-step staircase that led to the top of the mountain and to the Heavenly Peak Sect.


    This ancient Mystic Stairway, along with the Starry Mountain and the Spirit Guiding Cavern were three of the most famous places owned by the Heavenly Peak Sect, just like the Lotus Bud Pond or the Four Seasons Pavilions of the Drifting Clouds Sect, the Array Experimentation Valley and the Inner Dream Corridor of the Silver Moon Sect, the Floating Island of Artifacts and the Crystal Jade Tower of the Golden Sun Sect, or the Spirit Bewildering Forest and the Scorched Refining Grounds of the Lightning Sky Sect.


    There was also the Battle Arena that was in the joint care of these top five sects.


    Apart from the top-tier sects, there were hundreds of mid-tier and thousands of low-tier sects. Most of the mid- and low-tier sects were formed out of the remnants of the sects that had not survived the Great War intact. Of course, there were also sects that had formed anew. But the top-tier sects¨Dor the Five Great Sects as they were often called¨Dstood above them all. And of them, Heavenly Peak Sect was certainly the most revered, while the Golden Sun Sect was the most renowned since it had constant dealings with mortal towns and cities.


    Therefore in the cultivation world, the status of Qinghe and Jing Shui was by no means low, and their friendship would certainly strengthen the bonds between these two top sects.


    But Qinghe didn¡¯t plan to use this earnestly offered friendship in such a way.


    The three crossed the stone arch at the base of the staircase by foot and promptly resumed flying again. This was because one of the features of the arch was negating spiritual power.


    Within a few minutes, they started seeing sturdily constructed buildings used for housing the disciples, among other things. After a little while more, they reached the peak of the mountain and the hall where the sect master and the Elders carried out their duties.


    Qinghe and the twins slowly climbed the aged stone steps and reached the doorway, a large pair of weathered ebony doors emanating age standing before them. With a swish of his sleeve, Qinghe summoned wind to push open the doors and strode in, with the twins following.


    Walking past the Elders seated on either side, they reached the raised dais where the sect master was seated. Qinghe promptly cupped his hands and bowed, his pleasant voice resounding in the hall, ¡°Master, your disciples have returned.¡±

 Chapter 14: Returning to the Sect

    ¡°Qing-er, I¡¯m glad you made it back safely. And it was good of your junior brothers to escort you on your return as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Qinghe replied respectfully.


    The sect master of Heavenly Peak Sect, Zhen YiLan, was a kindly-looking old man with melancholic but clear eyes. His hair, eyebrows, and beard were long, white and fluffy, like puffs of cotton that could float off his face at any moment. His wrinkled face gave the image of a man in his mid-fifties and he was an existence similar to a grandfather for Qinghe.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard you had some trouble with a Behemoth? How was it, did it cause any problems for your assignment?¡± the sect master asked.


    ¡°No, I have gathered everything on the list. The Behemoth was no trouble.¡±


    The sect master sighed. ¡°Silly child. Do you think I don¡¯t know how you are? Even if you had any trouble, you¡¯d probably just solve it without asking for help and be on your way.¡±


    ¡°If Master knows, there¡¯s nothing more for this disciple to explain,¡± Qinghe said, hidden amusement in his tone.


    Shaking his head while smiling, Zhen YiLan thought he¡¯d never understand this disciple of his.


    ¡°Master, Master, Senior Brother got hurt!¡± Fei Jin interrupted and tattled.


    ¡°Yes,¡± even Fei Yin contributed by whispering.


    Qinghe felt complicated about this betraying pair of brothers of his. But he just sighed and let it go. It wasn¡¯t like he was trying to hide it. And after all, they were just worried about him.


    ¡°Qing-er! What happened?¡± the sect master suddenly stood up after hearing this and came down the dais, reaching for his disciple to check if he was injured.


    Smoothly avoiding his Master¡¯s grabby hands, Qinghe reassured, ¡°I¡¯m fine, there was just a little problem with the restrictions. I¡¯ll just have to visit Starry Mountain Peak soon and cultivate, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Having been thwarted, the sect master looked at Qinghe with sad puppy-dog eyes. ¡°Fine, then. But be careful, you seem to be advancing more quickly these past few years. Try to slow down the pace so your body can catch up.¡±


    Qinghe bowed. ¡°Yes, Master. Then I shall take my leave.¡±


    Sighing, Zhen YiLan nodded and lifted his hands as if he wanted to embrace him but stopped, his hands hovering awkwardly in the air before he lowered them. ¡°Come to your master and Elders if you need anything.¡±


    Nodding, Qinghe turned and left.


    The Elders who had been studiously concentrating on their respective paperwork looked up and watched him go, sighing regretfully in their hearts that they didn¡¯t have such a reliable disciple to do their work for them.


    Outside, Fei Jin and Fei Yin were peeking up at their brother cautiously to gauge if he was mad at them for tattling.


    Seeing their wary actions, Qinghe felt amused. Reaching out his hands, he rubbed their wildly curly hair. He could feel the small bumps of their horns lightly scraping his palm.


    ¡°I¡¯m not angry, so stop worrying,¡± he said, smiling gently.


    He saw them visibly sigh in relief and smiled wider.


    Reaching into his clothes, Qinghe took out a necklace strung with several rough stone beads. ¡°Here, I have a task for you both.¡±


    The twins looked up at him in anticipation.


    ¡°These spatial storage beads have in them all the materials that we were sent to gather, plus a few extras I found along the way. I want you both to give them to the Elder in charge of the treasury and ask him to catalog and add them into the registry. Can you do this for me?¡±


    The twins frantically nodded, joyful to have been asked for help. ¡°Yes, yes, we can!¡± Fei Jin vocalized excitedly.


    He gave them the necklace and watched them hurry off in search of the Elder.


    His duty completed and the results handed over, Qinghe had nothing else to do, so he started heading home.


    As he navigated the worn lane that many of the disciples used since it led to the common living quarters, someone blocked his path while sneering, ¡°Well, well, well. It seems like Master¡¯s favorite disciple is back again. Tell me, how are you Junior Martial Brother?¡± The sarcasm in that last sentence was thick enough to cut with a knife, stuff into buns and have for dinner.


    Qinghe inwardly sighed. Can¡¯t I just catch a break? Just once? I¡¯m really exhausted you know.


    But outwardly, he was as polite as always. Smiling as if he couldn¡¯t hear the scorn in the other person¡¯s voice, Qinghe replied, ¡°This junior brother is naturally well, thank you for Senior Brother¡¯s concern.¡±


    The person in front of him was after all the sect master¡¯s head disciple, Chen Xiande.


    And he disliked Qinghe for receiving most of their master¡¯s affection. Chen Xiande had schemed at and bullied him soon after Qinghe had arrived in the sect after seeing him being doted on so much.


    Chen Xiande himself was disdained by the majority of the disciples and Elders, even his master wasn¡¯t too fond of him. After handing the seat over to the current sect master, the previous sect master had insisted that when he had a child, the sect master must take him in as his head disciple. Thus, Chen Xiande had been foisted off on the current sect master from the second he was found to have cultivation potential. Neither of them had had a choice, since Chen Xiande was just a kid and Zhen YiLan respected his predecessor too much to go against his wishes.


    But though Chen Xiande seemed to idolize him, Zhen YiLan had only reacted lukewarmly towards the child. Despite that, Chen Xiande still persisted, thinking that if he tried hard enough, his master¡¯s coldness would one day thaw.


    Then Qinghe arrived.


    From the second he entered the sect, he had incessantly been cared for by the sect master since both his mental and physical state were very poor. Not knowing this, Chen Xiande grew exceedingly jealous that someone else could so effortlessly have the affection of his Master that he himself was never bestowed.


    He tried to frighten Qinghe into leaving the sect, sometimes thoughtlessly using dangerous means, but Qinghe had become numb to pain and fear after his ordeal and smoothly got out of every situation. Though he never complained to anyone, the sect master and Elders still found out.


    Not only had Chen Xiande gotten the position of head disciple dishonestly through his father, he also bullied his junior martial brother so cruelly! The dislike for Chen Xiande in the sect only grew. Though Chen Xiande¡¯s father had long since passed away, he was still respected enough that no one tried to kick him out outright, but they didn¡¯t make it pleasant for him either.


    And unsurprisingly, Chen Xiande blamed it all on his junior brother. He believed that he must be acting like a pure white lotus while hiding a rotten heart, that¡¯s how he must¡¯ve been able to sway everybody¡¯s opinions in his favor!


    Feng Qinghe naturally knew how his senior brother felt towards him and he truly didn¡¯t blame him for it, he even felt a little bit of pity. After all, Qinghe still had the love and support of his master and the twins along with the respect of his fellow disciples and the sect Elders. But his senior brother had no one. Also, Chen Xiande was the one who had saved the twins, so Qinghe was eternally grateful for that.


    No person was made of only black and white.


    As paranoid as always, Chen Xiande thought he was being mocked by Qinghe¡¯s smile. Scowling, he yelled, ¡°Junior Martial Brother, are you making fun of me?! You might be able to deceive Master, but I will expose your true face and make you regret setting foot in the sect, you two-faced bastard!¡±


    Flinging his sleeves, Chen Xiande left in a huff.


    The junior brothers and sisters who were passing by shot angry glares at his retreating back. Senior Brother Feng had been so polite to him despite his past bullying, how could he act like this? They were indignant on Qinghe¡¯s behalf.


    Qinghe just shrugged and let it go. He knew that no matter what he said or did at this point, his senior brother would only disdain him for it. Why should he bother with him?


    He continued walking down the path and eventually made it to his quarters.


    He was allocated a room for himself in an empty courtyard. It even had a closed off backyard with a small stream flowing through that he used for bathing.


    After entering through the simple wooden door, Qinghe sighed in relief. He was alone now. He didn¡¯t need to maintain a smiling mask anymore. After a whole month, he finally had some time to himself.


    The smile dropped from his face and he resumed a cold expression that seemed frozen into his features. Forcing himself to keep smiling warmly while his natural expression was so icy really exhausted him. But he had to keep it up so that he could remain the sect¡¯s reliable and kind martial brother. He really did love this sect and its disciples and didn¡¯t want any of them to feel uncomfortable near him.


    Now that he didn¡¯t have to maintain pretenses, his shoulders sagged and his body radiated exhaustion. He could really use some sleep now, but the dust of travel still clung to him.


    While removing his clothes, he didn¡¯t forget to pull out the talisman that he always stuck to the inside of his inner robes, pressed up against his skin. The air around his face rippled, transforming his features from one of mild handsomeness to that of a stunning beauty. The talisman was to avoid being too eye-catching, or so an Elder had advised him.


    Disposing of the talisman with thin wind blades, Qinghe finished removing his clothes and went out for a wash. The air outside was cool as mist gathered thickly in the air. Qinghe hurried with his bath.


    Within half an hour, he had freshened up and changed into a thin and loose shift. He knew that his Master wouldn¡¯t call for him for a while and he could have some peaceful time to himself to unwind.


    Qinghe rummaged in his storage space and finally retrieved the thing he had saved for himself during the trip.


    In the hidden realm, while looking for a certain herb, their group had come across a lake filled to the brim with floating, glowing balls. Since it wouldn¡¯t be useful to the sects, no one had bothered to take them, but Qinghe had experimented and found that the glowing translucent balls were extremely bouncy but also sturdy. He had been unable to even scratch it, though he did almost knock Jing Shui¡¯s head off by mistake. Oh well, his friend had eventually woken up.


    Now Qinghe retrieved one of the balls he¡¯d secreted away. He had already thought of a purpose for this ball.

 Chapter 15: A Strange Stalker

    The translucent ball was the size of a human head. It glowed a soft yellow that dyed his palm in warm colors.


    Qinghe thought he could use this to practice by punching or kicking it, improving the accuracy of his hits. But it was honestly just an excuse. What he wanted to use it for the most was stress relief.


    Lightly throwing it up in the air, Qinghe waited until it fell almost to the ground before aiming a vicious kick at it. The ball flew and forcefully hit a rock with a thud and rebounded. When it got near, Qinghe landed another brutal kick and it impacted again with a thud.


    ¡°Fuck! How hard is it to give me a break?!¡±


    Thud.


    ¡°Is it that difficult to let me be?!¡±


    Thud.


    ¡°What is with you all lining up to give me trouble?¡±


    Thud.


    ¡°Why do I always have to get babysitting duty!¡±


    Thud. Crack!


    The rock he was bouncing the ball against shattered with a loud sound.


    ¡°Ahhhh! Screw this!¡±


    Qinghe was finally letting out his pent-up frustration. He didn¡¯t dare scream loudly to vent his anger but he cursed low and harsh without pausing for breath.


    After he was finally done, he heard a small chuckle off to the side. He whipped his head to the shadow of a nearby tree and narrowed his eyes dangerously. He was still pissed as hell!


    If the whole courtyard hadn¡¯t been so thoroughly saturated with his wind-based spiritual energy, he might have not noticed that low vibration of amusement. But he already knew who it was from. It was that dratted shadow who had been following him since before the Behemoth!


    Yes, Qinghe had noticed the existence of his stalkers from before, he just didn¡¯t care. He had also noticed that one of them had left while he and the twins were flying back to the sect.


    And the remaining one apparently thought his anger was funny. Qinghe was furious!


    He kicked the ball that had been rolling near his feet and it accurately landed on the shadowed tree trunk. The person hiding in the shadow almost flinched. If his body hadn¡¯t been completely immersed in the shadow realm, his head would¡¯ve been cracked open.


    With a disdainful ¡®hmph!¡¯ and a muttered ¡®rude bastard!¡¯, Qinghe spun on his heel and turned away, his hair and clothes twirling in a graceful arc as he returned to his room.


    The shadow stood stunned.


    Not only had the person he was observing manage to guess his presence, he was also able to accurately land a hit on his head. It was clear that he and his companion had sorely underestimated this existence called Feng Qinghe.


    From the shadow cast on the tree trunk, thick dark smoke was emitted, taking the shape of a black-clad young man. He bent down and lightly grasped the softly glowing ball, lifting it up to take a look.


    Since Qinghe had been barefoot all this time while kicking the ball, there were clear dusty imprints of his toes on its surface. With a smile that he himself didn¡¯t notice he was wearing, the young man brushed his fingertips gently across the marks, disturbing the dust.


    His eyes that sparkled sharply with amusement and the anticipatory curl of his lips gave him the air of a wild and wicked tempter.


    Unaware of the beast he had enticed, Qinghe had cleaned himself up and laid down to sleep. He didn¡¯t bother to worry about the person who had been following him, he had already guessed their identity.


    It must be a Sentinel.


    A few years after the Great War between the righteous and demonic factions, a deity descended from the heavenly realm while searching for something. Witnessing the lawlessness and depravity of the people in this realm, he had decided to set up the Order of Sentinels. Each Sentinel enlisted in the Order was morally upright and outstandingly powerful.


    While journeying, the deity found three children to take in as his direct disciples. These children had grown into fine successors and basically found recruits and managed the Order while the deity roamed the land in search of whatever he had lost, only returning occasionally to stay for short periods of time.


    Though the structure of the Order was much like that of a sect, it was more of a professional institution where law enforcers were trained and deployed to maintain peace and punish troublemakers. They even had a justice court where hearings took place, along with the underground prison made entirely with spirit-suppressing materials.


    The Sentinels were somewhat like bogeymen, a distant mysterious force that was known to be scarily powerful. But they were not just punishers but also protectors.


    When the disciples were sent into the hidden realm, the Sentinels must have been secretly dispatched by their leader, the descended deity, to keep them safe. Seeing that the Behemoth had headed their way, two of the Sentinels must have come to see if their group needed to be rescued. Since they had handled it on their own, the Sentinels hadn¡¯t shown themselves.


    A less known fact was that the Sentinels were also trained in espionage. Qualified personnel were taught how to merge with shadows, leaving their physical bodies in a place called the ¡®shadow realm¡¯ which was connected to the real world through the surface of shadows. It needed mastery of a highly complicated technique to access the shadow realm, so all those who knew it were certain to be at the top among all Sentinels.


    In other words, they could completely ¡®dissolve¡¯ into the shadows cast by people or things and use this technique to spy or assassinate. Not only would they be very difficult to harm, most wouldn¡¯t even know of their existence.


    Qinghe had long armed himself against this. His spirit sensing ability was very perceptive and powerful, able to sense everything about his surroundings to the slightest detail. It could also be exhausting, so Qinghe didn¡¯t use it at its full power most of the time.


    No matter for what reason this Sentinel had followed him here, Qinghe knew that he wouldn¡¯t hurt him unless he deemed him to be a threat or a criminal, either of which required proof before arrest. Qinghe didn¡¯t think his behavior or any of his secrets would be of interest to someone as lofty as a Sentinel who must have tangled with more twisted and difficult personalities than his.


    In short, Qinghe felt he had absolutely nothing to fear.


    Thus reassured that a Sentinel was keeping watch over the area, Qinghe quickly dozed off until the next day.


    ¡­¡­


    The soft morning light tickled his eyelashes, awakening him.


    Qinghe sat up and yawned. After a thorough stretch, he slowly got up and headed towards the stream for his morning ablutions.


    His unbound hair fell straight to his hips and swayed seductively as he walked barefoot. His eyes were still half-lidded and misty from sleep, his lips slightly parted. He had an adorably dazed look as he stepped into the water while still in his thin shift.


    Even yesterday, he had washed up in the robe, feeling like he shouldn¡¯t blind the poor Sentinel keeping watch on him by unnecessarily flashing him his naked butt. But thankfully, it had been a foggy evening, so it wasn¡¯t like the Sentinel would¡¯ve been able to see much.


    He found the depression under the water where he usually sat, the water reaching to just below his chest, and rested his feet in the soft green moss that covered most of the shallow stream bed. The water currents seemed to playfully pull at his clothes, loosening them until the robe seemed on the verge of slipping off his shoulders. The thin white material was soaked to translucency by the water, revealing teasing glimpses of the flesh underneath.


    Qinghe dived beneath the water level to drench himself completely before sitting back up. Slightly more awake now, he started scooping up handfuls of water and started meticulously cleaning each part of his body.


    Trickles of water slicked down his jade-white skin temptingly, his hair sticking to his skin like glistening streams of spilled ink. He lifted his hands and wrapped his slender fingers around his long hair, squeezing out the excess water, the stark contrast of black against white pleasing to the eye.


    The action exposed the back of his neck and drops of water slowly slid down from his hair, drawing a damp line as it dripped down his nape and along the length of his spine.


    The muscles in his exposed chest and collarbones visibly flexed as his raised hands worked on his hair. The delicate buds on his chest had pebbled due to the cold morning air brushing over his damp skin, slightly chilling him.


    Once he was done, he leaned back, resting his elbow on the bank while supporting his head on his palm. The smooth and slender fingers of his free hand played with his hair. He looked as if from a beautiful and decadent painting, leisurely and relaxed.


    Qinghe was completely oblivious to what a tempting figure he was cutting.


    The dark-clothed Sentinel in the shadow swallowed, suddenly feeling very thirsty. The person in front of him could be described with one word: alluring.


    It was a type of allure that transcended all boundaries of age, race, and gender, and not just in a sexual way. There was something bright and pure, light and graceful, in even the simplest of his actions, like the crystalline brilliance of a cut and polished diamond.


    It was breathtaking and captivating to behold.


    Continuing his unintentional seduction, Qinghe slowly rose from the stream after having enough fun. He liked this part of his day the most, just relaxing in the stream and letting his mind wander while submerged in the soothingly cool water.


    The drenched robe stuck to his skin, leaving almost nothing to the imagination. The image of the white robe against the slightly warmer-toned skin looked particularly delectable.


    Choosing a flat rock, Qinghe sat down in lotus position with his legs crossed. Wind suddenly blew around him, answering his call and quickly drying all moisture. Slightly shivering in the resulting coldness, Qinghe casually pulled the edges of his robe back together.


    The Sentinel in the shadow wanted to sigh in disappointment. If it were anyone else, he¡¯d be sure that they were purposely teasing him. But with Qinghe, he wasn¡¯t so sure, especially since the younger man was wearing such an absentminded expression all this time.


    On the rock, Qinghe began to meditate. He didn¡¯t feel stable enough to start cultivating to fix the problem of the restrictions just yet. He wanted to first meditate to stabilize the state of his mind before trying cultivating on the Starry Mountain Peak a few days later.


    As he was distractedly planning while trying to focus enough to meditate, the collars of the robe that he had just carelessly pulled together fell open again, this time the edges sliding right off his shoulders to completely expose his upper half.


    In the shadows, the Sentinel felt like he had reached his limit. He silently fled through the shadows, plotting his own plans.


    Noticing the Sentinel¡¯s sudden departure as he fled as if his tail was on fire, Qinghe tilted his head in confusion. Wasn¡¯t he supposed to stay and keep an eye on him? Why was he running away?


    Shaking his head, Qinghe thought to himself: What a strange stalker¡­

 Chapter 16: An Eventful Discussion

    Wei Xiang strode down the corridors of the Sentinel headquarters. Despite his heavy gear and sturdy boots, he made not even a whisper of sound as he moved. His face was uncharacteristically stiff and gloomy, his posture bristling with suppressed aggression. He was the very picture of a domineering officer, if only it weren¡¯t for the tips of his ears glowing red.


    Anyone who saw him saluted and made way without question. They clearly perceived that the Sentinel Grandmaster¡¯s third and favorite disciple was in a very bad mood.


    Stalking to the doors of his master¡¯s office, Wei Xiang pushed into the room unceremoniously.


    His master was sitting behind his desk and reviewing some paperwork, but seeing his youngest disciple¡¯s scowl, he calmly set them down. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    On the side, Wei Xiang¡¯s second martial brother snickered, ¡°Boy, don¡¯t you look furious. You seem like you could cough out blood purely from anger.¡±


    Wei Xiang unclenched his teeth enough to spit out politely, ¡°Second Brother, may I ask you to kindly step out. I have something to discuss with Master.¡±


    Laughing to himself, Kong Min provoked, ¡°And if I refuse? We are all brothers here, what need is there for you to hide anything.¡±


    At the end of his patience, Wei Xiang growled, ¡°Kong Min, you bloody well get out or so help me, I¡¯ll peel off your skin and use your bones to sharpen my claws.¡±


    Seeing he meant business, Kong Min lifted his hands in an ¡®I surrender¡¯ gesture and finally decided not to push him anymore, getting up and leaving with a swagger.


    As soon as the door closed, the leader of the Sentinels gestured to the seat in front of him. In a quiet tone, he said, ¡°Xiang-er, sit down and explain.¡±


    Wei Xiang sat down facing his master.


    The Sentinel Grandmaster was a beautiful man, his build slender and graceful. But his androgynous body held an explosive power that could easily tear down this entire world. He was, after all, one of the strongest deities even in Heaven.


    Most people thought him cold, but he just had a severe case of facial paralysis. To Wei Xiang, he was both a father and an older brother, the person he felt closest to.


    He felt thankful that his master who rarely returned home had finally made it back this week. He would definitely need his permission to undertake this and to take care of the arrangements for while he was gone.


    The Grandmaster just waited patiently for him to organize his thoughts.


    ¡°I need to be assigned to monitor someone and I need you to make space in my schedule for that.¡±


    The room was silent for a while.


    The Grandmaster asked simply, ¡°Why?¡±


    For some reason, Wei Xiang felt frustrated and restless. He got up and began to pace across the room. ¡°Did that idiot Kong Min tell you about the Behemoth from the hidden realm?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± came the unruffled reply.


    ¡°Then do you know about the disciple who defeated it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Heavenly Peak Sect¡¯s second disciple.¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve found some interesting things about him while shadowing him these past few days. I want to investigate more.¡±


    ¡°Is he a threat?¡±


    ¡°He might be. I don¡¯t know.¡± Wei Xiang truly couldn¡¯t fathom the depths of Feng Qinghe. He couldn¡¯t yet assess his threat level.


    ¡°Is it possible for him to be?¡± his master asked.


    ¡°He is definitely capable enough,¡± Wei Xiang replied wryly. Then sitting back down, he gave a detailed account of all the things he saw or overheard pertaining to Feng Qinghe, except for the time he peeped at him while he bathed, of course. Wei Xiang explained how he had the cunning and was manipulative enough to be a major threat if he was so inclined, especially since he now had a solid connection to the head disciple of the Golden Sun Sect, and who knew how many more significant people knew him under the surface.


    ¡°¡­so that¡¯s why I want to keep watch on him,¡± Wei Xiang finished.


    The Grandmaster looked at his flustered disciple explaining with what could almost be mistaken as excitement. This surprised him. He had never seen his youngest disciple ever being excitable before. He had also noticed that when he first entered, Wei Xiang¡¯s ears were red as if from embarrassment.


    From what he had observed throughout these past few thousand or so years, Wei Xiang was a calm, mature and sardonic person with a slightly sadistic streak. He was his successor and someone who handled the majority of the Order¡¯s matters. This was not because he was favored the most, but because he was the only one among those in the top who could carry out administrative duties with at least some measure of competence. The Grandmaster could do it too, but he was too busy wandering outside in search of something.


    Due to the burden of his responsibilities and certain things from his past, Wei Xiang walked through life with a noble and untouchable air around him. Other than the Grandmaster, he was never close or paid attention to anyone else.


    And now he wanted to put aside his work and personally shadow someone he thought was cunning and interesting, and by his earlier flushed ears, also tempting.


    As someone who was married, the Grandmaster was knowledgeable enough to surmise that his disciple was interested in this person who was crafty enough to be a threat. Should he encourage his affections?


    Hmm, why not?


    ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll arrange it,¡± the Grandmaster said, surprising the Wei Xiang who had already started preparing other excuses. ¡°Shadow him until you¡¯re clear about his intentions. But finish your paperwork first.¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded gratefully. It might take a day or two to be done with his work if he hurried, and then he could see what other surprises Feng Qinghe had in store for him.


    Seeing a corner of his lip curl up in anticipation, the Grandmaster couldn¡¯t help but feel like he was leading a wolf to slaughter the sheep.


    Coughing lightly at the thought, he added, ¡°Xiang-er, don¡¯t hide this time. Accompany him in the open.¡±


    Seeing that his disciple looked puzzled, the Grandmaster explained, ¡°Since he hasn¡¯t yet committed a crime, shadowing him at this point is just stalking. I don¡¯t think it will be appreciated.¡± He was clearly already thinking about the future of their relationship.


    Wei Xiang just dismissed his worries, ¡°He isn¡¯t the type to get mad over that. I¡¯m sure he was aware that he was being followed the entire time. He even kicked a ball at my head though I was still shadowing.¡± He sounded very proud and pleased when he said this.


    The Sentinel Grandmaster was suddenly plagued by a different worry. Why did he feel like his disciple was the sheep being targeted by the wolf?


    But the Grandmaster was clearly overthinking it. Qinghe not only wasn¡¯t interested in Wei Xiang, he had long since put him out of his mind after the Sentinel ran out this morning.


    Right now, he had other things to worry about.


    ¡°What did you just say?¡± Qinghe asked smiling as he cocked his head to the side.


    He was in the great hall where the Elders and the sect master met, having been summoned to discuss an important issue.


    Zhen YiLan gulped discretely. He knew that his disciple was furious, so he did the rational thing and shut his mouth. Alas, not all had self-preservation instincts like him.


    ¡°We said,¡± carefully enunciated a black-haired Elder, ¡°that you are more suitable to take over the position of the sect master in the future. Don¡¯t you agree, Disciple Chen?¡±


    Standing by Qinghe¡¯s side, having been summoned just like him, was the sect master¡¯s head disciple, Chen Xiande. He looked like he had just bitten deeply into a lemon, peel and all. But despite his obvious dissatisfaction, he didn¡¯t say anything to refute the Elder since he knew that he would only be harming himself by arguing. Their opinion on him had already hit rock bottom. He could only clench his fists and bow his head while bearing it.


    Qinghe wanted to sigh. It wasn¡¯t that his senior brother was stupid or unnecessarily cruel, he had just never been taught properly. From the second he stepped foot onto the path of cultivation, all he¡¯d received was scorn for the ¡®dishonest means¡¯ his father had used. But instead of taking the issue to his father, they placed the blame solely on the son. And now with his father dead, the scorn was openly shown.


    These petty Elders were each thousands or ten thousands of years old, why couldn¡¯t they be a bit more mature when dealing with a kid instead of deepening his issues?


    Though Chen Xiande had tried to torment him, it was undeniable that the one most harmed was himself and not Qinghe.


    ¡°I humbly deny this honor. Please let Senior Brother remain in this position,¡± Qinghe bowed, still smiling gently.


    The Elders frowned. Why was this disciple so resistant? We are offering you the glorious position of the Sect Master of Heavenly Peak Sect, not trying to sell you low-quality cabbage!


    Though he could deduce their thoughts, Qinghe remained firm. To the side, Chen Xiande revealed a surprised expression that he quickly covered. He had always thought that this had been his junior brother¡¯s goal all this time, to steal the seat of the sect master. But why was he refusing it now? It must only be for show!


    ¡°Disciple Feng, being humble is good, being stubborn is not!¡± warned another elder.


    Inwardly, Qinghe sneered: Then why don¡¯t you stop being stubborn, you bunch of old fools!


    ¡°This disciple merely feels that Senior Brother would be the more appropriate choice if only he were given a bit more training.¡±


    The black-haired Elder scoffed, ¡°We find him unsuitable and ask you to assume this responsibility in the future. Are you not up to the task?¡±


    It was a provocative sentence and if the one it was directed to was hotheaded, they would immediately claim to be more than up to the task. But was Qinghe really that easy to provoke?


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not suitable,¡± Qinghe admitted seemingly in humbleness.


    The black-haired Elder wanted to cough out blood in frustration.


    Qinghe truly didn¡¯t feel that he was good to be in an administrative position, he was more suitable to be sent out on political missions or gathering materials on his own. And of the four disciples, Chen Xiande could truly fill this gap if only he had a bit more training.


    ¡°Then how about this,¡± said a wizened Elder with lusterless gray hair. ¡°Disciple Feng, since you insist that your senior brother can take on the mantle of sect master with a bit of training, why don¡¯t you prove it? By teaching him personally.¡±


    Though his voice sounded old and wise, his eyes glinted with hints of malice. The other Elders and even the sect master looked at the gray-haired Elder like he was crazy for suggesting such a thing.


    Oh, bring it on you old geezer!


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid Senior Brother will not assent to learning from someone younger than him,¡± Qinghe said, still smiling.


    Seeing that he wouldn¡¯t make any headway with him, the Elder turned to Chen Xiande, ¡°Is that right, Disciple Chen? You only have two options, give up your right to the seat of the sect master, or sincerely learn from your junior brother. So what do you choose?¡±


    It was downright malicious to make him choose between those two options since either would feel humiliating for him.


    Qinghe looked to the side to gauge his senior brother¡¯s reaction, only to find himself being studied. There was a complex cloud of emotions in Chen Xiande¡¯s eyes as if he didn¡¯t know what to think. He¡¯d presumed his junior brother would hem and haw but end up ¡®reluctantly¡¯ accepting the position. But he not only didn¡¯t budge till the end, he also stood firm that Chen Xiande should get the position. Just what should he think about it?


    After his brain spun around in circles for a while, he finally made a decision, though he didn¡¯t know if it was the right one.


    ¡°I¡­ I shall accept my junior brother¡¯s teachings,¡± Chen Xiande finally forced out, his voice hoarse from strain. Then he made a slight bow that was more like a nod towards Qinghe.


    Everyone in the hall was dumbfounded.


    What was with this unexpected development?!


    Qinghe just smiled tranquilly.

 Chapter 17: Chased and Cornered

    That evening, Jing Shui came to visit, bringing with him a stack of appearance changing talismans.


    Since Chen Xiande had chosen to learn from him, Qinghe had decided to diligently teach him and help him make connections. So he had brought along his senior martial brother to the meeting.


    ¡°Brother Jing, this is my senior martial brother, the head disciple of Heavenly Peak Sect, Chen Xiande. Senior Brother, this is my friend, the head disciple of the Golden Sun Sect, Jing Shui,¡± Qinghe introduced them to each other.


    Chen Xiande nodded politely but otherwise looked glum. Jing Shui, on the other hand, looked curiously between Qinghe and his senior brother. He had heard that they did not get along well, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case?


    ¡°Brother Jing, may I have the talismans?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes!¡± Jing Shui immediately handed over the stack and asked curiously, ¡°Brother Feng, I heard that you usually request these appearance changing talismans for personal reasons. Are you planning on becoming a spy or something?¡± He wouldn¡¯t put it past Qinghe to have such a strange hobby.


    ¡°Nothing of that sort. It¡¯s just something I find useful now and then,¡± Qinghe deflected.


    ¡°If you¡¯re done chit-chatting, can we begin?¡± Chen Xiande asked in ill-humor.


    ¡°Begin what?¡± Jing Shui questioned immediately.


    Qinghe sighed. How could he explain this without touching his senior brother¡¯s sore spots?


    Before he could figure it out, Chen Xiande himself explained, ¡°I have been told to learn from my junior martial brother, so I am awaiting his instructions.¡± His voice was clearly dissatisfied.


    Jing Shui widened his eyes and looked at Qinghe almost fearfully, then shot a gaze loaded with pity at Chen Xiande.


    Being looked like that, Chen Xiande scowled harder, ¡°What?¡±


    Qinghe laughed airily and said, ¡°I will go put these away. Senior Brother, might I please ask you to entertain our guest in the meantime?¡±


    Chen Xiande gave a short nod.


    Reassured, Qinghe left with the stack of talismans.


    Jing Shui looked at Chen Xiande and said pityingly, ¡°My sympathies.¡±


    ¡°For what?¡± Chen Xiande didn¡¯t understand. Did he mean because he was being taught by someone younger?


    ¡°For gaining Brother Feng as your instructor.¡±


    He frowned more, ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±


    Jing Shui hesitated, before explaining, ¡°Brother Feng¡¯s brand of education can be rather¡­unconventional.¡± And that was putting it mildly.


    ¡°Oh? Have you seen him teach before?¡± How come he had never heard of him instructing the disciples from their sect in such a way?


    Coughing and turning his eyes away, Jing Shui spoke, ¡°You must have heard that Brother Feng and I went to the hidden realm recently along with a few junior disciples from each of our sects, yes? That is where I saw him¡­educating.¡±


    Confused, Chen Xiande tried to make sense of what he was trying to imply. ¡°You mean he taught all the junior disciples?¡±


    With a dry laugh, Jing Shui said, ¡°Oh, not just our junior brothers. Brother Feng was kind enough to teach me as well, though none of us knew we were being taught. Especially in such an eccentric way.¡±


    Chen Xiande raised his eyebrows. The expression on Jing Shui¡¯s face was a strange mixture of bitterness and admiration. Just what in the world was his junior brother¡¯s teaching method?


    What the hell had he gotten himself into?


    ¡°Oh, please don¡¯t worry. I do not intend to use the same method as then,¡± said a light voice that seemed to pleasantly float into their ears.


    ¡°Eep!¡± Jing Shui startled as if he had been found by a demon. Speak of the devil and the devil had indeed appeared!


    Qinghe was highly amused at Jing Shui¡¯s expression, even his senior brother looked somewhat cautious. Was he really that scary?


    ¡°Master has asked me to deliver something important, so I will have to bid you both goodbye. Senior Brother, we¡¯ll have to postpone the lesson for now. Please wait in my room for my return if it¡¯s not too inconvenient. And Brother Jing, please take care on your way back.¡±


    Though Chen Xiande bristled a bit at hearing that his master had entrusted yet another important task to his junior brother, he still stiffly nodded in compliance.


    Jing Shui asked surprised, ¡°Brother Feng, are you not coming with me to the transportation array?¡±


    All the sects with means had a transportation array, and all these arrays were connected to each other to form a gigantic network so that a cultivator could transfer between any two sects as long as their transportation arrays were part of the same network.


    If Qinghe was handed an important task, then it must most likely be business with another sect, and the easiest way to reach another sect was through the transportation array.


    ¡°The place I have to deliver the package to is not accessible by an array, so I will have to travel by foot,¡± Qinghe explained.


    ¡°Oh, then you take care too,¡± Jing Shui said, somewhat disappointed that he wouldn¡¯t be able to spend more time with his friend.


    And so the three said their farewells and went their separate ways.


    By the time a few hours had rolled by, Qinghe had successfully handed in the package and was making his way back to the sect.


    It was then that he was intercepted by a rough looking group that was exuding bloodthirst. Seeing Qinghe¡¯s almost delicate frame only made them more aggressive.


    ¡°Hey there! Let¡¯s have a chat,¡± said one of them while smirking maliciously.


    His companions had already surrounded him and Qinghe surmised that their combined level was far greater than his own even if he didn¡¯t have to hold himself back. But now with his cultivation core under threat of cracking, he didn¡¯t dare circulate too much spiritual power through it.


    Well, this was a tricky situation.


    Keeping calm, Qinghe asked, ¡°What do you want?¡±


    The hooligans paused. Hearing Qinghe¡¯s soothing voice and seeing the elegant way he held himself, added with his unruffled expression, it gave them the impression that this man had extraordinary temperament.


    Seeing his subordinates hesitating, their bald leader stepped forward. He was a big brute of a man, slovenly dressed and with a sickle in each hand, his preferred weapons of choice. Beside him was a short, shriveled-looking man with a long chain wrapped around his waist, a thorny-looking spearhead dangling from the end of the chain.


    In a deep and rumbling voice, the bald leader spoke, ¡°We know your sect has a Behemoth¡¯s beast core. There are two ways this can go down, lad. One, sign a soul-binding contract agreeing to steal the core and handing it to us. Two, we ransom your mutilated body to your sect and get the core anyway. You choose. You¡¯re not bad looking and I¡¯m sure my men will like playing with some fresh meat.¡±


    Some of his subordinated suggestively licked their lips, their leering eyes roving over him. Qinghe forced down a shudder and quickly suppressed his roiling emotions. They would be of no use in this situation.


    ¡°Why should I play by your rules?¡± Qinghe said, having recovered his calm.


    Seeing him unaffected only pissed the leader off. ¡°Lad, I¡¯m already being kind enough to give you the first option. Don¡¯t make this hard on yourself.¡±


    Qinghe smiled unconcernedly. ¡°Neither of your options suits my taste, so allow me to refuse your kindness.¡±


    The bald leader was furious. ¡°Do you think that you can take us on just because you are a cultivator? Let me open your eyes, you won¡¯t win against us even if you were in the sixth realm, much less in the fourth as you are now. Don¡¯t underestimate us, boy.¡±


    But the leader hadn¡¯t said anything Qinghe didn¡¯t already know. There was no way he¡¯d betray his sect or let himself get captured, that meant he could only try to escape or die in a way that his body would be unable to be ransomed.


    Escaping would be the more difficult route since he couldn¡¯t use his spiritual power freely, and Qinghe was surprisingly not that distressed at the thought of dying, which meant that this group of brutes had no power over him. There was no reason for him to get worked up.


    Qinghe¡¯s expression remained placid, without even a ripple of emotion. He had seen what paths laid before him and was at peace.


    Seeing his unbending attitude, the bald leader waved to his lackeys, ¡°Get him.¡±


    With raucous cries, cheers and hoots, the rowdy group charged at Qinghe from all sides. But with a wave of his hand, the ones closest to him started coughing and sputtering, eventually dropping down unconscious before they could even reach him. Qinghe had cut off their air supply, not permitting wind to enter their passageways. This was a technique that not only needed precise control but also couldn¡¯t be used on someone on a level above his.


    A constant stream of spiritual energy flowed out of him as he again and again choked them, only letting up after they fell. When most of the lackeys were down, he spotted an opportunity and ran in the direction of a nearby cliff.


    If he couldn¡¯t escape, he could just jump down. Since that cliff overlooked the Valley of the Terrified Dead, a place from where none escaped alive, he doubted this gang could recover his body. But that would only be his last resort.


    As he ran, Qinghe didn¡¯t forget to send out an occasional wind blade, carefully aimed to cut at the hamstrings of the remaining ones following him to slow down the speed of the group.


    A nimble shadow suddenly leapt forward and sent the chain coiled around him shooting towards Qinghe¡¯s back. Qinghe barely dodged, the barbs on the arrowhead at the end managing to scratch his forearm.


    A quick and burning pain spread from the cuts. Qinghe immediately recognized that he was poisoned. He felt his speed decreasing, every step increasingly difficult as his sight became blurry. His chest ached and breathing became hard. He felt his spiritual power start to stagnate.


    Not good!


    There was nothing Qinghe could do but stop and turn around. If he kept running in this condition, he¡¯d only fall flat on his face. A few meters behind him was the cliff drop. Ah, so close.


    His spiritual energy circulation had completely frozen up, rendering him incapable of using it. He could feel his cultivation core straining, but he had no time to do anything about it. The hooligans had almost caught up to him anyway, so continuing to run wouldn¡¯t have helped.


    They quickly started attacking him, most with normal weapons, but some had enough basic cultivation to coat their steel with a thin layer of spiritual energy.


    Though his speed and sight were affected, Qinghe still wove through them easily by reading the wind currents. He dodged an ax making for his head and turned his body to avoid a barrage of silver needles coated with spiritual energy. Jumping lightly out of the way of a dagger, he clamped down onto his attacker¡¯s hand and pulled him forward before kneeing him in the stomach. The man fell with a gasp, clutching his midsection.


    Qinghe danced lithely around the brutes, landing a blow whenever he was able to, but focusing mostly on evading attacks. By this point, his body had gathered several injuries both shallow and deep. Some made moving even more difficult for him, but he still managed to take out many of his assailants.


    ¡°Tch, what is this? You can¡¯t even take down a young pup?¡± said the bald leader as he leisurely walked up.


    It seemed he had let his subordinates chase Qinghe down while he chose to unhurriedly catch up. By his side was the short man who had wielded the chain before. The barbs and the edge of the arrowhead were stained crimson with Qinghe¡¯s blood. The remaining hooligans stopped attacking and immediately slunk back to the leader. With his back to the cliff, a crumbling rock face to one side and a barren wasteland to the other, there was nowhere their prey could escape to anyway.


    ¡°Kid, you better stop. The poison running through your bloodstream can not only break down your body, it will also eat away at your meridians until you can¡¯t cultivate anymore. I¡¯m surprised you can put up a fight for this long. I can only imagine what a cultivation and martial arts genius you must be, but you can¡¯t keep this up. You¡¯re out of options, so just surrender yourself.¡±


    But when Qinghe turned to face them to respond, he was interrupted as the whole group gasped.


    During the fight, one of the attacks he had failed to deflect had grazed his chest, not just carving a deep bloody wound but also ripping up the appearance changing talisman fixed to the inside of his clothing.


    His true facial features were revealed, stunning all those present. No one had noticed during the hectic brawl, but now faced with such beauty, they could only stare senselessly.


    Qinghe had long since dropped all signs of cordiality. His face was expressionless and cold. Beautifully curved eyebrows arched over long-lashed peach blossom eyes that were sharp and clear like a cold spring. His hair had come undone and draped over his shoulders and back, the long tresses framing his stunning face and waving gently in the wind. His facial features were as if from a gorgeously drawn painting, perfectly proportioned.


    He stood tall and proud despite his many wounds, not showing even a hint of the pain he must be feeling. His once white robe was stained with his blood and ripped open in several places, enticing the rogues with glimpses of smooth skin that contrasted temptingly with the dark red of blood.


    Partially blind by now and utterly oblivious, Qinghe wondered about the sudden silence. What were they planning this time?

 Chapter 18: Sentinel to the Rescue

    Looking at Qinghe¡¯s tempting appearance, many of the hooligans immediately started fantasizing about pinning him down and having their way with him. None of them had ever seen such an elegant, top-class beauty. When would they ever have another chance?


    At the top of the nearby rock face stood a figure swathed in black. Seeing their lascivious expressions, his eyes narrowed and his lips curved up in a chilling smile.


    This was the Sentinel who had been following Qinghe before, Wei Xiang. After finishing his paperwork within the day, he had rushed over to spy again on Qinghe. He had witnessed the incident from the beginning, but chose to wait and watch until Qinghe would be unable hold on.


    By the cliff, Qinghe was standing in place, clueless to all the people eyeing him.


    ¡°Well, well,¡± the bald leader said, his voice turned hoarse with desire. ¡°What do we have here? I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be such a beauty. I can see why you had to hide your appearance. Why don¡¯t you return with us and we big brothers will take reeeally good care of you.¡±


    Qinghe was confused. What was this idiot going on about? He had already refused clearly, hadn¡¯t he? And what did he mean about his appearance? Was it really that abnormal? And hadn¡¯t the leader been short-tempered and decisive all this time? Why was he acting so weirdly now?


    His head buzzed with questions but his face remained impassive. ¡°I have already refused. Did you not understand it the first time?¡± He was honestly worried about their comprehension abilities, but the other side thought he was mocking them.


    Furious, the leader ordered, ¡°Xiao Si, bind him.¡±


    The short man swung his chain a bit and coated it with his spiritual energy before sending it flying towards Qinghe. Qinghe tried to dodge, but his body was as stiff and heavy as stone, it took him all he had to just maintain his balance, so dodging was out of the question.


    The chain wrapped around Qinghe, pinning his arms tightly to his body before the end shot down and dug into the ground. With the thorns of the spearhead locked into the hard earth, Qinghe knew it wouldn¡¯t budge no matter how much he pulled or struggled, not to mention that his body was on the verge of complete collapse. Where would he even find the energy in his condition?


    Seeing him not even flinch despite being trussed, the leader¡¯s lust and anger only grew. With his sickles out, he slowly started walking towards Qinghe.


    With the short man firmly holding the chain from one end and the other end fixed into the ground, Qinghe couldn¡¯t even budge.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got guts boy, but I¡¯ll see how you can defy me now. I¡¯ll teach you to obey me. If I pin you to the ground right here with my blades through your shoulders and use your body till the pain makes you want to scream, how long do you think it¡¯ll take for your cold face to crack? Will you scream? Beg and plead for mercy? I¡¯ll teach you to be obedient,¡± the leader growled.


    Hearing his words, though Qinghe looked the same on the outside, his insides were churning with repulsive memories.


    ¡®I wonder how he¡¯ll look after we¡¯re done with him. Will his cold face crack?¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯ll teach you respect boy, I¡¯ll make you scream and beg for mercy!¡¯


    Though he pushed back those whispers from the past, Qinghe was nearing his limit. He had wanted to preserve his cultivation core just in case he managed to survive his fall to the valley lest he might need to battle whatever monsters resided in there.


    But suddenly he didn¡¯t care anymore.


    He just wanted to summon his spiritual weapon, to hell with maintaining his core, and slice up these filthy heaps of garbage till they knew who they were dealing with! How dare they bring up these unwanted memories that he¡¯d gone through so much trouble to bury!


    As the bald leader steadily made his way towards him, Qinghe had already decided to make him pay. But before he could take action, a black shadow suddenly descended between Qinghe and the others.


    Wei Xiang hadn¡¯t wanted to interfere at first. He wanted to sit and enjoy the show. Then he noticed the lethargy in Qinghe¡¯s movements and surmised that he was under the effects of a strong and fast acting poison. Wei Xiang still wanted to wait and see how far Qinghe could get.


    As time went on, his respect for Qinghe only grew. His indifferent expression was somehow so pure, free from worldly emotions like despair, anger, or hate. Like a star in the sky, distant and cold, looking down from his lofty height with apathetic eyes.


    Then the man had spouted those dirty words and though Qinghe looked unaffected, Wei Xiang could see that something in him had stirred. A deep-seated pain that had dulled with time had been brought to the surface again. Wei Xiang couldn¡¯t stand someone marring that beautiful picture, daring to soil the brilliance of that aloof person by bringing out his indignity and grief.


    So Wei Xiang had acted. He jumped down to block the bald man¡¯s path and took pleasure in seeing his face twist with fury, then pale when he recognized his uniform.


    ¡°¡­S-Sentinel¡­¡±


    The group who had just been enthusiastically leering at Qinghe also paled and showed uneasy expressions. Which among them didn¡¯t know the might of the Sentinels? And which among them didn¡¯t know about the one Sentinel they absolutely couldn¡¯t afford to offend?


    Since the person who had suddenly appeared was close enough to him, Qinghe could mostly make out his details despite his failing eyesight. His features looked sharp and carved, extremely beautiful but undeniably masculine. His long hair, held at the top by a golden crown, was thick and straight as it fell down his back. One corner of his lips was curved up sardonically while his eyes emitted killing intent.


    His clothes were noticeably of high quality and covered his long and tightly muscled body. Made of black-colored cloth, the robe had intricate designs stitched into it with threads of beaten gold. He wore heavy gold shoulder guards and vambraces on his arms. His posture was regal and leisurely. Qinghe could imagine this person relaxing on a throne and decadently swirling a wineglass while surveying his scurrying subjects.


    He looked utterly at ease despite facing a horde of armed hooligans, some of them with a decent amount of cultivation. Forget being afraid, the Sentinel looked like he didn¡¯t even put them in his eye.


    And of course, Qinghe recognized him as his strange stalker.


    It seemed there was no need for him to take desperate measures after all.


    ¡°You¡¯re late,¡± Qinghe couldn¡¯t help grumbling.


    Wei Xiang was a little surprised. Feng Qinghe was able to recognize him? Just how much had he observed during the time he was being shadowed?


    ¡°I humbly ask for your pardon then,¡± Wei Xiang turned back his head and said amusedly, his voice smooth and pleasing.


    Noticing that he was being made fun of, Qinghe muttered, ¡°Hmph, still rude.¡±


    Wei Xiang threw back his head and laughed. It was a wild and unrestrained sound brimming with joy and delight. So he really did recognize him! And he even remembered that time in his backyard. For some reason, this thought greatly pleased him.


    Qinghe tilted his head. What did he do to make this person so happy? It was completely baffling.


    When the sound of laughter receded, the bald leader of the thugs stammered out, ¡°Y-Your Excellency, w-we h-have a good reason for this. P-Please let us explain.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Wei Xiang looked interested. He wanted to see just how shamelessly these monkeys would dance. ¡°Continue then, I¡¯m waiting.¡±


    Encouraged that he was given a chance to wiggle out of this, the leader nervously began, ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled by this man¡¯s looks, my lord, he¡¯s actually a vicious thief! He stole a beast core from us that we all hunted together. And now when we were politely asking him to return it, he tried to seduce us and run away with it. We really had no choice!¡±


    Qinghe shook his head. Just how deep of a hole did this leader want to dig for himself before he was made to jump into it?


    ¡°Oh? Is that so? He is a thief who tried to seduce you?¡± Wei Xiang sounded gleeful.


    ¡°Yes! Yes, Your Excellency! Isn¡¯t that right?¡± the bald leader nodded vigorously without a shred of dignity and turned to his companions. Taking their leader¡¯s cue, the goons also nodded nervously.


    Wei Xiang turned to Qinghe and spoke casually, ¡°So they say. How do you explain yourself?¡±


    What was there to explain? Wasn¡¯t this guy just having fun at all of their expense?


    Seeing his sullen expression, Wei Xiang teased, ¡°If you can¡¯t explain yourself, then will you submit to your punishment?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re done enjoying yourself, I¡¯d like to be released before I die from the poisoning, thank you very much,¡± Qinghe¡¯s voice was as cold as a blizzard.


    Sighing, Wei Xiang turned to the motley group and extended his hand. A thin string immediately shot out from his wrist guard and wrapped around the short man¡¯s hand that was holding the chain. Stupefied, the short man looked at the shining lines of metal wrapped around his wrist. Wei Xiang yanked the string lightly and the hand was sliced off cleanly.


    The short man¡¯s scream rang out and rolled over the area as his severed hand hit the ground with a thump, the chain in its grasp clanking as it fell. Thick red rivulets were still spurting out of the stump of his wrist as he clutched it frantically, trying to staunch the bleeding.


    With one end of the chain released, the bindings around Qinghe naturally loosened and dropped down. Shaking them off, Qinghe rushed to search for certain pills in his storage space. After finding them, he quickly took two of them out and swallowed them.


    His expression finally relaxed.


    ¡°What did you just take?¡± Wei Xiang asked curiously.


    ¡°A poison halting pill and a healing pill,¡± he explained.


    On the other side, the hooligans were all trying to escape after seeing that their fabricated story didn¡¯t work and that the Sentinel was even casually chatting with their former prey. They finally understood that him giving them time to explain had only been an act, he had already known the truth all along.


    Damn! So this was why it was said that Sentinel Wei Xiang was the one they must avoid the most. It was because his personality was the most despicable!


    With a seemingly careless wave of his hand, the hair-thin metal strings shot out again from Wei Xiang¡¯s wrist and towards the fleeing figures, completely wrapping them up so that they could only lie on the ground like giant dumplings and bemoan their bad luck.


    ¡°One pull from my hand and you¡¯ll be in oh-so-many pieces,¡± Wei Xiang said conversationally, a hint of malice dripping into his voice. ¡°Want to try it? It¡¯ll be fun.¡±


    The dumplings all shook their heads in terror. Mommy, they wanted to go home! This person was too scary!


    At the side, Qinghe was vaguely aware of everything that was happening as the sudden relief of being rescued crashed into him. Having been running on adrenaline all this time, now that he was safe and had someone dependable nearby, he lost the strength to stand and almost collapsed.


    Wei Xiang was at his side in an instant, supporting him. Due to his sudden movement, the strings cut into the bound dumplings and they yelped in pain with tears in their eyes. You promised you wouldn¡¯t hurt us if we didn¡¯t move! But you were the one who moved and you still hurt us!


    The Sentinel neither knew nor cared about these worthless scum¡¯s grievances.


    Settling the weakly slumped figure in his arms against a rock, Wei Xiang instructed, ¡°I¡¯ll come back soon, so stay here, alright?¡±


    Qinghe nodded obediently, unable to think through the haze brought on by the poison.


    Seeing the once mature and clever person childishly nod his head, Wei Xiang¡¯s heart felt like it was tickled by a soft, soft feather. But he still forced himself to walk away.


    While repositioning the dumplings so that they couldn¡¯t run away or be found by someone passing by, Wei Xiang telepathically notified the Order that there was a need for pickup of a group of criminals. After describing the location, Wei Xiang walked back to the resting figure who seemed to be dozing.


    ¡°I¡¯ve returned. Let¡¯s take you back to your sect and get you treated then, shall we?¡±


    Qinghe dazedly nodded, not really sure what was being said. He just felt a sense of familiarity with this person, since he had been accompanied by him for a while, albeit sneakily.


    It seemed he had completely forgotten his resistance to being touched.


    Chuckling, Wei Xiang lifted Qinghe into his arms and plunged them into the shadows.

 Chapter 19: Making the Antidote

    The sky had darkened to night and the scattered stars glinted brightly outside the window.


    Chen Xiande had been waiting for his junior martial brother for four hours in his room and had yet to see him. Was he paying him back for all the bullying he did back in the day? Had he returned after completing his task and was chatting happily with the sect master?


    Chen Xiande was disgruntled. Just as he was contemplating going out to find the truth, thick dark smoke suddenly billowed up from a nearby shadow. Chen Xiande leapt up in shock. What was happening? An attack?


    The smoke coalesced to form a tall, dark-robed man holding a disheveled white-robed figure in his arms. The white-robed man was injured and semi-conscious, with a beautiful but unfamiliar face. As for the other one, Chen Xiande only needed a moment to recognize that the tall figure was a Sentinel, but it still felt strange to him.


    ¡°What are you doing in Feng Qinghe¡¯s room?¡± the Sentinel asked suspiciously. Had he been waiting for a nighttime tryst?


    Chen Xiande frowned, all thoughts of politeness flying out the window at the trace of accusation in the other person¡¯s eyes. ¡°I am his senior martial brother, I should be the one asking. Sentinel, what are you doing in my junior brother¡¯s room at night?¡±


    ¡°I have been assigned to observe him. Where else would I be?¡±


    They both glared at each other.


    Crickets chirped.


    The wind blew.


    The world went round.


    Finally, the stare-down was broken by Qinghe as he stirred in Wei Xiang¡¯s arms. He opened his bleary eyes and recognized that he was in his room. Not thinking much about it, he patted Wei Xiang¡¯s chest to get his attention. ¡°Set me by the medicine cabinet, over there near the headboard.¡±


    Wei Xiang hesitantly complied.


    Chen Xiande finally got a glimpse of the indigo emblem stitched on the stained white robe and was shocked. That voice, and the obvious familiarity with the room, it couldn¡¯t be¡­


    Chen Xiande finally found his voice, ¡°Junior Brother?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Qinghe absentmindedly hummed as he laboriously opened the cabinet doors. He could only stand despite his wobbly feet due to Wei Xiang¡¯s arms around his waist providing support. He didn¡¯t even spare a thought to why another¡¯s touch had stopped alarming him.


    The clanking and clattering of bottles sounded relatively loud in the silent room as Qinghe rummaged for specific bottles before gathering them one by one in his arms as he found them. Thankfully, the bottles were labeled with large characters, so Qinghe could make them out despite his blurry eyesight.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you come and take these bottles from him before they tumble down?¡± Wei Xiang suggested to the grumpy man who had been glaring at him all this time.


    Chen Xiande huffed but came over and carefully collected the bottles from Qinghe¡¯s arms before putting them onto the table. Unaware, Qinghe just went on choosing and adding more bottles to his arms while Chen Xiande kept transferring them to the table.


    After a few more minutes of this, Qinghe finally grabbed some more supplies like a mortar, pestle, and a tiny measuring ladle before stopping. He tried to move towards the table and almost fell. Seeing that supporting him by the waist wouldn¡¯t work anymore, Wei Xiang simply grabbed hold of his collar, holding him up as he staggered forward unsteadily.


    Seating him down, Wei Xiang also plopped down beside him, curious to see what he was up to. Chen Xiande had already settled down on the opposite side of the table. He didn¡¯t even know what to think of this strange scene anymore. And was it just him or did his junior brother look somewhat disoriented and drunk?


    ¡°Junior Brother Feng? It is you, isn¡¯t it?¡± he asked hesitantly.


    ¡°Mn,¡± Qinghe nodded distractedly as he concentrated on the medicine bottles. He chose one and opened it, slowly pouring some of the powder inside into the tiny ladle as if measuring it before dumping it into the mortar. Then he chose another bottle, this one filled with a green liquid, and poured it in again after weighing it.


    He continued like this for a while, choosing a bottle and measuring its contents before throwing them into the mortar. His actions were steady and without flaws, strangely hypnotic. He would sometimes pause to grind the contents of the mortar with the pestle in smooth circular motions before going back to adding more ingredients.


    Wei Xiang and Chen Xiande could only watch fascinated. Though he looked somewhat muddled, Qinghe¡¯s actions were as efficient and competent as can be. Each time he threw in a new set of ingredients, they would fly in a graceful arc before landing right in the middle of the mortar. The motions of his hand as he ground them were smooth and practiced.


    ¡°Junior Brother, are you practicing alchemy on the side?¡± Chen Xiande asked, flustered. It wasn¡¯t possible, right? Learning martial arts in itself was so difficult, if he had also been learning alchemy on the side¡­


    But his worries were groundless. Qinghe shook his head, ¡°No, it¡¯s only herbal medicine. Alchemy has no cure for spirit paralyzing poison.¡±


    Both Chen Xiande and Wei Xiang startled. Spirit paralyzing poison? But wasn¡¯t that incurable, the victims only able to die miserably due to stagnating spiritual power, their senses deteriorating, and finally, their core breaking down? It wasn¡¯t something common, but a few vials could still be found now and then in the black market.


    Wei Xiang frowned. It seemed another crackdown on the black market was necessary. He¡¯d send someone to take care of it later.


    ¡°Then do you really know the cure?¡± Chen Xiande was doubtful.


    Qinghe unhesitatingly nodded. ¡°Four parts sleepworm, one-fifth part silver, two-seventh parts scarlet vine, three parts quartz, one-eighth part amaranthine root¡­¡± he mumbled on and on as he unerringly continued to make the antidote.


    Wei Xiang narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. It seemed that he did indeed know medicine, even to the point of unearthing the cure for an infamous poison. Would this person ever stop surprising him?


    ¡°Where did you learn it from?¡± Wei Xiang asked curiously.


    ¡°I found an ancient recipe during one of my tasks,¡± Qinghe answered truthfully.


    Chen Xiande looked thoughtfully at this junior brother of his who kept forcing him to change his impression of him. Though he wouldn¡¯t say he felt friendly towards him, his meaningless hate had at least lessened.


    Seeing that his junior brother wasn¡¯t in a fully aware state of mind, Chen Xiande turned to the Sentinel who¡¯d brought him. ¡°So what happened to him?¡±


    Wei Xiang considered whether he could be trusted before deciding to tell him the truth. Chen Xiande¡¯s eyes got wider and wider the more he heard. His junior brother had been in such a dangerous situation? What would have happened had the Sentinel not been there?


    By the time they were done with the retelling, Qinghe had also finished his medicine and was glaring at the black goop with loathing. The appetizing odor of moldy mud and rotting fungus wafted from it.


    Looking at his expression, Wei Xiang wanted to laugh. ¡°Did the antidote turn out alright?¡± he asked, amused.


    Qinghe nodded hesitantly.


    ¡°Then you should take it.¡±


    Pouting, Qinghe shook his head.


    Holding back a chuckle, Wei Xiang took the little measuring ladle and scooped out some of the noxious goop still in the mortar, holding it in front of Qinghe¡¯s sullen face. ¡°Here, open your mouth.¡±


    After hesitating, Qinghe opened his mouth and let Wei Xiang feed him the mulch, wearing a reluctant expression the whole time. Seeing this, Wei Xiang tried to cajole him, ¡°If you eat this obediently, I¡¯ll let you ask me for one thing.¡± As disoriented as Qinghe was right now, Wei Xiang reasoned that he wouldn¡¯t ask for anything too difficult.


    Brightening up a bit, Qinghe nodded and managed to swallow the rest of the antidote. At the side, Chen Xiande was feeling like a third wheel interrupting a date. Surely it must just be his imagination.


    After finishing the medicine, Qinghe started to sway sleepily. He¡¯d done everything that needed to be done and fighting the effects of the poison had tired his body out.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you lie down and sleep?¡± Wei Xiang gently suggested. Feng Qinghe looked so uncharacteristically adorable, he was glad he had the opportunity to see him like this.


    ¡°You promised to let me ask you for one thing,¡± Qinghe complained.


    Wei Xiang could only give in to that aggrieved expression, ¡°Alright then, tell me what you want.¡±


    Qinghe clamped his hand onto Wei Xiang¡¯s sleeve and got up, somehow able to maintain his balance while Wei Xiang let him drag him up, wanting to see where this was going. Still a bit dazed, Qinghe held out his other hand matter-of-factly towards Chen Xiande, who was surprised but also secretly pleased.


    Just before he put his hand in Qinghe¡¯s, Chen Xiande remembered his fear of touch and made sure to keep his hand in his sleeve as he took Qinghe¡¯s palm. Though he didn¡¯t know why Qinghe didn¡¯t react to the Sentinel¡¯s touch, Chen Xiande wasn¡¯t insensitive enough to risk it.


    The two were curious as they were pulled along by Qinghe, often having to stabilize him whenever he carelessly stumbled. Qinghe led them out the back door and to the backyard. He kept dragging them till they reached the stream before he let go.


    Sitting on the stream¡¯s bank, Qinghe fumbled to remove his shoes and damaged outer robe before swinging his bare feet into the stream, splashing them around in the cool water. His entire being seemed to relax and a smile graced his face. It wasn¡¯t his usual wide or warm smile, merely a small curl of his lips, but it was all the more radiant in its genuineness.


    Seeing that his companions were just staring at him with weird expressions on their faces, Qinghe impatiently held out his hands. What were they doing? It was so much fun splashing his feet in the water, why weren¡¯t they joining him?


    Seeing his eager expression, the two awkwardly followed suit. As soon as they sat down, Qinghe immediately grabbed their sleeves. His smile grew content. Ah, this felt so good!


    Wei Xiang and Chen Xiande had already figured out that his childishness must be an effect of the poison blurring his consciousness, so they went along without saying anything. Also, it really was fun in a soothing way.


    The sky stretched endlessly above them, a vast expanse of peaceful black, as the wind whispered past now and then. Except for the sound of nightlife, the surroundings were calm and quiet. There was a strange sense of companionship in spending time like this together silently.


    Qinghe grew sleepy and his head started drooping. Wei Xiang freed his sleeve from his grasp and put his arm around Qinghe, letting him rest on his shoulder after removing the armor.


    Soft snores issued soon after.


    Chen Xiande felt the tranquility loosening the tight knot of hate and frustration inside of him.


    When he had first met Qinghe, he had been a weak-looking little runt. But strangely enough, Chen Xiande had been happy. He had gotten a little brother who would rely on him. He would keep him company, unlike the others who ostracized him for reasons he didn¡¯t understand at that time. Here was finally someone who would look up to him, a little brother who would need him!


    But then Qinghe spent all his time with their master, lessening the already meager attention spared to Chen Xiande. He hadn¡¯t even come to greet his older brother.


    It turned out he didn¡¯t need him after all¡­


    The disappointment and sadness had hardened into a knot of hate that only grew tighter and more complex. Chen Xiande had never thought he would one day be able to look past it.


    But here he was, feeling a strange sense of brotherly affection for this junior brother, contemplating whether he had been wrong all this time. The cool water brushing past his feet seemed to brush away his frustrations as well, his worries taken along with the gentle currents. The warmth of the palm tightly holding on to his arm seeped through the fabric of his sleeve, softening his heart.


    For the first time in a very long time, Chen Xiande¡¯s loneliness abated just for a bit.


    ¡°I¡¯ll put him to bed,¡± Wei Xiang informed before standing up and lifting Qinghe along. Qinghe¡¯s hand was still clamped onto Chen Xiande¡¯s sleeve despite his sleep. With a conflicted expression, Chen Xiande gently disentangled his junior brother¡¯s fingers from the cloth before Wei Xiang took him away.


    Chen Xiande wasn¡¯t worried about the Sentinel¡¯s presence. Each and every one of the Sentinels was meticulously screened based on their moral integrity, power, and self-control. There was no way a Sentinel could take advantage of someone in that state. So leaving his junior brother to the Sentinel shouldn¡¯t be an issue. He seemed to behave caringly enough towards him.


    With a strange mix of emotions, Chen Xiande got up and left.

 Chapter 20: Starry Mountain Peak

    The next morning when Qinghe opened his eyes, the first thing that greeted him was the smirking face of a certain Sentinel who was lying next to him on the bed. Looking radiant and bathed in sunlight, he seemed too bright to be real.


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re awake,¡± Wei Xiang¡¯s voice noted huskily. ¡°I was afraid you¡¯d be too tired after last night.¡± What he was implying was obvious.


    Qinghe blinked, then uncaringly turned around to resume his sleep. It was too early for him to deal with this crap, he¡¯d rather visit dreamland again.


    Low laughter filled the space. ¡°Come now, get up. Don¡¯t make me tickle you awake.¡±


    Sensing the very real threat in that sentence, Qinghe propped himself up while grumbling moodily and glared at the Sentinel.


    Getting up into a sitting position, he introduced himself, ¡°I¡¯m Wei Xiang, the Sentinel Grandmaster¡¯s third disciple. I¡¯ve been assigned to observe you for certain reasons. I¡¯ll be staying with you until my assignment is complete. Any questions?¡±


    Sighing, Qinghe shook his head. He already remembered for the most part what happened yesterday. There were only a few blurry parts, which he could fill in easily enough. This Sentinel called Wei Xiang had helped him out of a tough spot and was even generous enough to bring him home and take care of him, so of course he didn¡¯t object to him staying or acting so familiar.


    As for personal space¡­ Qinghe had long since gotten used to not having any. In the orphanage during night, the unwashed half-bare bodies of the children had to be stacked one on top of the other to fit in the common sleeping room. So having someone sharing his room and bed was hardly as shocking to him in comparison.


    Qinghe casually got up and started his morning routine. This time, Wei Xiang didn¡¯t dare follow him to peek on him bathing. It was only polite to limit his shameless behavior towards his host.


    After Qinghe was done freshening up, he invited Wei Xiang to also do the same. Retrieving a spare set of his uniform from his spatial storage, Wei Xiang also bathed and changed. Once they were both presentable, they prepared to head outside.


    Just before leaving the room, Wei Xiang noticed that a lock of Qinghe¡¯s hair was stuck under his clothes. He helpfully hooked a finger under it and pulled it out.


    Feeling the light touch of a finger on his sensitive neck, Qinghe tensed for a moment before relaxing. He looked back at Wei Xiang, puzzled. Why hadn¡¯t his touch repelled him? The only exception till now had been the twins, and even that was because¡­ Wait, could it be that?


    ¡°You. Are you not human?¡± Qinghe directly asked him.


    Lifting an eyebrow, Wei Xiang responded breezily, ¡°Why would you think that?¡±


    Qinghe wanted to pry but decided to leave it for now. It didn¡¯t matter much to him either way.


    They headed towards the sect hall to meet the sect master. Qinghe and Wei Xiang both directly ignored the stupefied gazes of the disciples they passed, Qinghe while smiling as gently as always and Wei Xiang looking completely unconcerned.


    After they reached the doors of the hall, Qinghe as usual pushed in and bowed while saying, ¡°Master, your disciple is here with a request.¡±


    Zhen YiLan was at first happy at seeing his disciple, it seemed he was not angry at him for what happened last time! Then he noticed and looked confusedly at the Sentinel accompanying him.


    ¡°Qing-er, why is the Sentinel with you?¡± he asked worriedly.


    Before Qinghe could ask him to just treat Wei Xiang like air, the Sentinel spoke up. ¡°I¡¯m here under the Grandmaster¡¯s instructions to observe your disciple. Please pay me no mind.¡±


    ¡°Observe?¡± Zhen YiLan was clearly alarmed. ¡°Why, what happened?¡±


    With a solemn expression, Wei Xiang said, ¡°He¡¯s been suspected of smuggling black market drugs.¡±


    The tip of Qinghe¡¯s eyebrows twitched.


    ¡°Oh, Qing-er!¡± the sect master exclaimed, heartbroken. ¡°How could you?¡±


    Master, so you¡¯re just going to believe him? What is this, a play with dog blood drama? He wanted to curse that darn Wei Xiang for being up to his mischief again!


    Qinghe turned around and kicked at the chuckling man and snapped, ¡°Behave!¡±


    Raising his hands in surrender, Wei Xiang nimbly dodged as he laughed. ¡°Yes, yes. So cease your domestic violence.¡±


    Though Qinghe didn¡¯t pay the words any mind, there was a sudden lack of the sound of papers turning. All the Elders and even the sect master were looking between them strangely.


    Did he just say ¡®domestic violence¡¯? And the casual way they were behaving, could it be¡­


    Zhen YiLan gave voice to all their thoughts, ¡°¡­Are you both lovers?¡±


    The Elders all gasped as if they hadn¡¯t been thinking the exact same thing.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Was this dog blood drama still continuing? Can someone please give me the script to this shitty play?


    Through clenched teeth, Qinghe gritted out, ¡°No, we are not.¡±


    Wei Xiang decided he¡¯d had enough fun and kept his mouth shut while his eyes still twinkled with amusement.


    Taking a deep breath, Qinghe forcibly pulled the topic back on track. ¡°Master, may I be permitted to reserve Starry Mountain Peak for seven days?¡±


    Realizing that he had been teased, Zhen YiLan easily put the previous topic aside and asked, ¡°Seven whole days? Is it because of what happened yesterday?¡±


    Surmising that his senior brother must have told him, Qinghe didn¡¯t attempt to hide it. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Hm, alright. Take care of yourself then.¡±


    ¡°This disciple thanks Master,¡± Qinghe bowed politely before leaving, Wei Xiang in tow.


    The sky outside was bright blue, wispy cotton-like clouds being dragged along by the wind. The pleasant breeze brushed their faces, leaving behind a light touch.


    ¡°So what is this Starry Mountain Peak?¡± Wei Xiang asked curiously.


    ¡°It¡¯s a place that helps a lot during cultivation,¡± Qinghe said simply.


    ¡°Yes, but in what way?¡± Wei Xiang remained persistent.


    ¡°It helps with concentration during meditation and has an exhaustive supply of spiritual energy. It¡¯s also good for training,¡± he explained.


    Qinghe led them through a path with bamboos towering on either side, turning the sunlight into a diluted green. The walk along the path was leisurely and pleasant.


    At the end of the path was a barren hilly area, huge crystal boulders scattered among normal rocks. Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes flashed golden for a second before reverting to black. The sheer amount of spiritual energy in the air surprised him.


    As Qinghe led them deeper, the amount and size of the crystal boulders increased, until they eventually reached a massive mountain that seemed to be made entirely of glass. Through it, one could make out the fragmented image of clouds drifting along the sky above¡ªit was that clear.


    ¡°During nighttime, you can see the stars in the sky through the mountain, that¡¯s why it¡¯s called Starry Mountain. Its summit is called Starry Mountain Peak and is the best place to cultivate.¡±


    ¡°So we are climbing up then?¡± Wei Xiang asked matter-of-factly.


    Qinghe hesitated before saying, ¡°You don¡¯t have to follow me till there. The wind currents at the peak are very sharp and coated with spiritual energy, that¡¯s why it¡¯s good for training. It¡¯ll be uncomfortable for you.¡±


    Raising an eyebrow, Wei Xiang asked, ¡°Do you even need that kind of training right now? Aren¡¯t you going to focus on your restrictions and core?¡±


    He had clearly been listening to their conversation outside the hidden realm, but Qinghe didn¡¯t mind.


    ¡°Yes, but I can¡¯t use my spiritual energy right now to shield myself, so I can only bear with it.¡±


    ¡°I will go with you,¡± Wei Xiang said decisively.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to¡­¡±


    Not giving him time to finish speaking, Wei Xiang leapt up to scale the mountain. Giving up on persuading him, Qinghe followed after removing the appearance changing talisman. The spiritual power in it could disrupt him while he tweaked the spiritual power already in his restrictions.


    Within an hour, they had reached the summit.


    The mountain under their feet was cool and smooth and the scenery at the top was beautiful. The land stretched out on all sides, extending into the horizon until it touched the sky. The buildings in the distance looked like tiny paper houses. Lush greenery scattered the land in patches and added fresh color. The world from up here looked wide and majestic.


    Not wasting time, Qinghe sat down to meditate.


    The wind here was as harsh as expected, violently whipping around their hair and clothes. The air currents blew forcefully, making a loud, almost deafening whistling noise. The air pressure here was significantly different from that on the ground, making one feel like their head was about to burst.


    Within a few minutes, the wind had abraded Qinghe¡¯s skin until it turned red and his lips had started to chap. But focusing entirely on meditating, Qinghe didn¡¯t pay his physical discomfort any attention.


    On the other hand, Wei Xiang was worried about Qinghe and moved to sit in front of him to block the wind while imitating his posture. But the wind kept changing direction and Qinghe¡¯s face only turned redder.


    Deciding that there was no helping it, Wei Xiang unfurled two giant wings from his back. They opened by tearing through his clothes and spread over them both like a membranous tent, completely blocking off the wind and its ghastly howling. Within the shelter of the wings, the air gradually began to warm.


    Qinghe¡¯s expression relaxed in comfort.


    They stayed like that for days, Qinghe meditating and adjusting the holes in the restrictions and Wei Xiang covering them both with his wings without minding the buffeting air currents.


    All this time, Wei Xiang was also keeping an eye on Qinghe¡¯s soul, trying to see past the mess of wiggles that was the Soul Sealing spell. On the sixth day, he finally caught a glimpse.


    Qinghe had succeeded in widening a particular hole and was beginning to reinforce its boundaries. When Wei Xiang was finally able to see through to his soul, he gasped in quiet wonder.


    Most souls he¡¯d seen were a misty gray swirling with wisps of various other, darker shades including black. On rare occasions of meeting specially gifted people favored by Heaven, he found their souls to be mostly light grey with bright curls of white and only tiny amounts of black. The idea was that the lighter a person¡¯s soul, the more potential and heavenly favor they had.


    But Qinghe¡¯s soul was almost completely transparent with only floating wisps of pure white. Wei Xiang had never seen a soul like this, it was unbelievably stunning. And he hadn¡¯t even seen the entire soul, just a part of it through a small gap.


    Even the soul of the Sentinel Grandmaster, who was an actual deity from Heaven, couldn¡¯t compare. His soul had been an even, pure white with only the faintest trails of silvery grey. Wei Xiang had thought at that time that he could never possibly see a purer soul.


    He was proven wrong.


    Soon enough the gap was stabilized and narrowed, the beauty of the soul inside hidden away again.


    With his soul closed for view, Wei Xiang resumed staring at Qinghe¡¯s face as he had been doing these past days. He had grown to find his true face quite pleasing. The curve of his lashes as they fanned out and lightly touched his cheek, the plush and pink mouth glistening faintly, and his smooth creamy skin that lacked any blemishes¨Deverything about him had become familiar to him. Though Qinghe could be said to have a cold and perfect kind of beauty, after familiarizing himself with it, Wei Xiang found Qinghe¡¯s looks more appealing and likable than before.


    He remembered how Qinghe¡¯s sect master and Elders had mistaken them for lovers and contemplated on it.


    Maybe he should make it a reality, Wei Xiang finally thought, his lips bending in a small smile.


    Exactly seven days had passed since they settled on Starry Mountain Peak when Qinghe opened his eyes.


    He was greeted with the sight of something translucent stretched around him, seemingly gilded with bright gold at the edges. It took him a while to make sense of what he was seeing.


    Wei Xiang was sitting opposite him and these were actually golden wings extending from his back and wrapping around them, the membrane exuding a pearly sheen. He could see faint, darker lines of blood vessels within the membrane. The air enclosed inside was warm and comfortable, the noise of the wind currents muted to a faint whooshing.


    Had Wei Xiang been tirelessly protecting him all this time?


    Seeing that he was awake, Wei Xiang put away his wings as his bones creaked painfully from the long period of disuse. Once folded, they seemed to disappear into his back. Two large rips could be seen on his back where the wings had pushed out, displaying the smooth and warm skin beneath.


    ¡°Were you successful?¡± Wei Xiang asked.


    ¡°Yes. Thank you for shielding me,¡± Qinghe said, truly grateful.


    Now that he was without the protection of Wei Xiang¡¯s wings, the wind coldly cut into his skin again and the high-pitched whistling grated on his nerves. He was truly thankful for having been spared this torment while in a crucial period of cultivation.


    Done with what they had come here for, the two quickly descended the mountain, and Qinghe considerately chose not to ask Wei Xiang if he was a half- or full-blooded winged serpent beast.

 Chapter 21: A Honest Confession

    During the seven days on Starry Mountain Peak, Qinghe had not only reconfigured the restrictions to make sure future breakthroughs wouldn¡¯t be as problematic, he¡¯d also gotten rid of the poison¡¯s aftereffects, stabilized his spiritual flow, and leveled up to the peak of seventh realm. Though from the outside he had looked still and calm, on the inside he had been working nonstop to facilitate all this.


    Finally released from his previous constraints and able to freely flex his spiritual strength again, Qinghe felt liberated.


    Now as he and Wei Xiang walked silently towards his room side by side, Qinghe thought of how the other man was always teasing him but also helped wordlessly whenever he needed. And for some reason, Qinghe¡¯s thoughts wandered to when his master had incorrectly taken them for lovers. Did they really look that¡­intimate? What would Wei Xiang even be like as a lover?


    Qinghe sneakily took a peek at his companion.


    The Sentinel really did look very nice, his smooth and warm skin inviting touch. Wei Xiang was half a head taller and more muscled than Qinghe himself, his every movement carelessly regal and his expressions open and vivid with just a hint of wickedness. His eyes sparkled with sharp intelligence and mischief. And spending time with him was surprisingly relaxing.


    He would be a good choice for a lover.


    Qinghe turned his head away, his face suddenly feeling too hot. What was he even thinking? He was a Sentinel sent to monitor him! But then¡­why would he treat him so unnecessarily well?


    He was used to always taking care of others but had never let others take care of him, so Qinghe was a bit conflicted.


    All this time, Wei Xiang had been studying Qinghe carefully. Though he couldn¡¯t read much from that frozen face of his, he could still tell Qinghe was embarrassed when he turned away with his ears dyed pink.


    Wei Xiang had already decided to slowly woo Feng Qinghe to become his lover. So when the impulse to tease him came, he happily gave in.


    Leaning close, Wei Xiang whispered into Qinghe¡¯s flushed ear, ¡°Your face looks somewhat red, did I not block the wind sufficiently?¡±


    Feeling the warm breath fanning over his ear, Qinghe felt goosebumps. Irritable at being caught off-guard, he answered haughtily, ¡°Hmph. Your service was adequate.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s voice dropped an octave and grew suggestive, ¡°Then is there any other way you¡¯d like me to service you?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s face burned blood red at the thoughts the smooth and low voice evoked. Dammit! Why did his mind nosedive into the gutter?! Give me back my pure thoughts!


    Seeing the look on his face, Wei Xiang finally let up and released a satisfied laugh.


    Qinghe elbowed the smug bastard, hard. ¡°Are you done playing with me?¡± he asked, his expression an interesting combination of embarrassment and fury.


    ¡°Oh, I haven¡¯t even begun,¡± came Wei Xiang¡¯s cheeky reply.


    Having had enough of being teased, Qinghe huffed and sped up, almost running to his room with his cheeks still flaming.


    What was wrong with him today? There were countless people who had tried to get a rise out of him over the three decades or so he had lived, but never had he reacted so obviously. He felt off-center, his mind being assaulted by strange thoughts that he didn¡¯t know how to deal with.


    But Qinghe felt inexplicably safe with showing his true emotions to Wei Xiang unreservedly. Why and from when had he started trusting him so much? They¡¯d only met days before!


    Wei Xiang quickly followed behind. Thinking that he might have pushed him a bit too far, he apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, so don¡¯t be mad anymore, okay?¡±


    Pursing his lips, Qinghe admonished, ¡°You should stop saying things like that, they can be easily misunderstood. So don¡¯t say what you don¡¯t mean.¡±


    After pausing for a moment, Wei Xiang asked, ¡°Then what if I mean it?¡±


    Qinghe blinked. ¡°Mean what?¡±


    He patiently explained, ¡°What if I am really attracted to you? What if I said I like you and want you to be my lover?¡±


    Tilting his head, Qinghe asked confused, ¡°You¡­want us to be lovers?¡± His heart was hammering the inside of his chest, as if trying to get out and fall into the other man¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Yes, if you¡¯re okay with that.¡± Wei Xiang hadn¡¯t wanted to ask him so soon, but he wasn¡¯t the type to keep his feelings to himself and dally for too long either.


    ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know,¡± Qinghe was shaken. He didn¡¯t know what to feel. He had just been thinking that Wei Xiang would be a good lover. Though they hadn¡¯t known each other for long, he had still left such an impression on him.


    Should he agree or ask for time to consider it? But what if he hesitated too much and lost the chance? Why would anyone even want someone with such a warped personality as his? Wouldn¡¯t a nice and lovely, caring person be more suitable? He¡­didn¡¯t feel worthy.


    A warm hand patted his head. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to, don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    Something in Qinghe¡¯s chest clenched at hearing the care in his voice.


    ¡°Why did you choose me of all people?¡± This was what he really wanted to know.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s answer was simple, ¡°Because thinking about having you always by my side makes me happy.¡±


    And wasn¡¯t it the same for him? Wasn¡¯t that reason enough?


    Qinghe looked up into the other man¡¯s eyes and said softly, ¡°Okay.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s heart thumped. ¡°You agree?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but¡­I have conditions.¡±


    ¡°Tell me,¡± Wei Xiang leaned forward, looking at him intently.


    Qinghe felt his face starting to heat up again. ¡°I¡¯m not comfortable with¡­very intimate contact.¡±


    His lips curling up at the nervousness in Qinghe¡¯s voice, Wei Xiang clarified, ¡°You mean sexual intercourse?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes.¡± His voice sounded strained and Qinghe felt guilty. Was it really alright for him to withhold himself like this? Weren¡¯t lovers supposed to share everything?


    But Qinghe was overthinking things. Wei Xiang agreed easily, ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really alright with it?¡± Qinghe felt doubtful.


    While chuckling at his newfound lover¡¯s adorably befuddled expression, Wei Xiang finally understood the cause for Qinghe¡¯s unease.


    ¡°It seems you have the wrong idea about what being lovers means.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Then tell me.¡± Qinghe felt like he should be taking notes.


    ¡°When two people like each other and make the decision to become lovers, they make their own rules. We can proceed as fast or as slow as we want. The point is to enjoy our time together, support each other, and only do things we are comfortable with. We can start with only holding hands for now. If that¡¯s still too much, then we don¡¯t have to do even that. I don¡¯t mind what we¡¯re doing as long as you¡¯re with me. All that matters is that you don¡¯t force yourself to do something you don¡¯t want to. We have all the time in the world to explore this at our own pace, alright?¡±


    Qinghe nodded contemplatively. It turned out his new lover was so kind and sensible when he wasn¡¯t gleefully pushing his buttons.


    ¡°So what should we do now?¡± Qinghe didn¡¯t know if being lovers meant there would be changes in how they should behave.


    ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Wei Xiang asked back. Seeing Qinghe still confused, he clarified, ¡°Is there a specific way you¡¯d like to use your privilege as my lover?¡±


    Qinghe seriously thought about it. Was there anything particular he wanted to do with Wei Xiang?


    Thinking about it, he had many ideas. They could go play and bathe together in the stream. Whenever Qinghe went to gather materials, hunt for treasures or fight beasts, he could take Wei Xiang with him. They could go exploring ancient caves or deserted underground cities. Or he could instead help Wei Xiang with his work, like finding and capturing criminals or locating clues. They could do anything and it would be fun.


    He could share his entire life with him like this.


    The thought overwhelmed Qinghe. All of this was happening too suddenly, he had no time to prepare for it. Just when he was about to panic, a gentle kiss landed on his forehead and startled him out of his thoughts. Qinghe felt like basking in the soft, brief touch. He had never felt anyone¡¯s lips on him like this before and felt it was quite an intimate and novel experience.


    ¡°Stop thinking so much, you¡¯re only frightening yourself.¡±


    Qinghe forced himself to calm down. He¡¯d really been off-balance since the time he got poisoned. He needed to take some time and compose himself and sort all his thoughts.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Wei Xiang asked gently.


    Well, he was his lover now, so he should probably tell him. ¡°I¡¯m overwhelmed. It¡¯s all too much too soon.¡±


    Wei Xiang had expected as much. ¡°Come, let¡¯s relax for a bit.¡± Saying so, he led his nervous lover by the hand until they reached the stream in the backyard. Wei Xiang helped Qinghe remove his shoes and outer robe, much like they had done the night he rescued him.


    Qinghe was made to sit on the bank with his feet in the water. His mood immediately brightened. Wei Xiang sat behind Qinghe, his legs to either side of him and his front pressed to Qinghe¡¯s back. Feeling that it was not enough, he wrapped his arms around the slender body in an embrace. The pleasant scent of mint wafted off Qinghe, as calm and soothing as his presence was to Wei Xiang.


    ¡°Is this okay?¡± he didn¡¯t forget to ask.


    Qinghe considered for a second before nodding. Physical intimacy like this with someone other than the twins was not something he¡¯d ever thought he would be able to enjoy. It was a rare treat and a very welcome one at that.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s body was warm and very comfortable, and being enfolded completely like this gave Qinghe the feeling of being cherished and protected. Though he was sure he could handle himself now, it still felt nice to feel this security. Qinghe was content in the knowledge that not only would Wei Xiang not let others hurt him, he would also not let Qinghe hurt himself either.


    He leaned his head back against the warm chest behind him and sighed in contentment. The scent of his lover encased him, a unique mixture of warm metal and woodsmoke. Relaxing, he slowly started getting used to the idea of now having someone he could depend on. The feeling was oh-so-strange and wonderful.


    They stayed like that for the better part of the hour, slowly enjoying each other¡¯s company.


    ¡°If you ever need my help, don¡¯t hesitate to ask me,¡± Wei Xiang said gravely.


    Raising an eyebrow, Qinghe looked up at his lover¡¯s face and spoke calmly, ¡°I can protect myself now. I think I can be of more use to you when it comes to connections and finding people and¡­some other things. So don¡¯t underestimate me and ask for help with anything you can¡¯t handle.¡±


    Seeing his little lover¡¯s confident and somewhat smug expression, Wei Xiang could only lean back and laugh in delight.


    The sound warmed Qinghe, making him want to join in just for the sheer fun of it. Hearing his unrestrained laughter made the world seem like a brighter, livelier place.


    Completely comfortable now, Qinghe extended his hands upwards and locked them behind Wei Xiang¡¯s head, his body arching backwards as he looked up at his joyful face. Hmm, Wei Xiang looked so nice when he was happy. He should always be happy like this.


    And if someone ever tried to hurt his precious lover¡­


    Qinghe¡¯s lips quirked up in a soft smile, but his eyes were as sharp and cold as blades of ice.

 Chapter 22: Educational Excursion

    Chen Xiande waited in front of the arch at the entrance of the Heavenly Peak Sect, his foot tapping the ground impatiently. His junior brother sure seemed to like keeping him waiting. Though last time hadn¡¯t exactly been his fault, it still irked him.


    Two figures slowly appeared in the distance. It was his junior brother and that Sentinel. They were holding hands, their fingers lightly intertwined, but their expressions were just as usual. Qinghe was elegantly smiling and Wei Xiang looked unconcerned.


    It seems they got into a relationship after all, Chen Xiande mused.


    The taller figure was wearing black and gold while the slimmer figure wore a pure bright white. One looked like the charming and disreputable son of a noble while the other looked upright and elegant¨Dthey couldn¡¯t have looked more different had they tried, but together they formed a harmonious whole, like yin and yang balancing each other.


    ¡°I apologize for making Senior Brother wait for so long,¡± Qinghe said in his pleasant voice.


    ¡°I thought you said we were going into town while hiding our identities, so why is your Sentinel still in his uniform?¡± Chen Xiande decided to address this issue first.


    Chen Xiande himself was wearing a grey and green robe while Qinghe had chosen a plain white one without the sect emblem. Wei Xiang was clearly the odd one out.


    ¡°I only have uniforms in my storage,¡± Wei Xiang said, unbothered.


    ¡°¡­¡± How much of a workaholic was this person?


    ¡°Please rest assured, Senior Brother. I will make sure that it does not interfere with our task,¡± Qinghe placated.


    ¡°Then why are you wearing mourning white? Wouldn¡¯t that make people get the wrong idea?¡± This was another thing Chen Xiande didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Mourning white?¡± Qinghe¡¯s voice sounded surprised as he looked down at his attire. ¡°I didn¡¯t think of it that way. I only thought it¡¯d be more convenient if we got into a scuffle since I¡¯d be able to see all the places I was wounded.¡± Turning to Wei Xiang, he asked, ¡°What do you think? Should I change?¡±


    ¡°You look good in white, so leave it this way,¡± Wei Xiang said affectionately as he brushed the back of his fingers against Qinghe¡¯s cheek. Truthfully, Wei Xiang felt the same no matter what clothes or face Qinghe wore. What attracted him were his actions and his fascinating expressions, not his outward appearance.


    Qinghe¡¯s heart grew warm at his loving tone.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s leave it at that,¡± Qinghe said cheerfully.


    Chen Xiande once again felt the feeling of being an unneeded third wheel and was bitter in his heart.


    They took a forest road down to the nearest town. Just before reaching the town, Qinghe ordered Wei Xiang, ¡°From here on, you can just shadow us.¡±


    Nodding, Wei Xiang immediately disappeared into Qinghe¡¯s shadow.


    Seeing the Sentinel melting into his junior brother¡¯s shadow just like that, Chen Xiande was shocked at first. But thinking back to when he met the Sentinel for the first time in his junior brother¡¯s room, he remembered that he had arrived through the shadows then too.


    He didn¡¯t know if this was something all Sentinels could do or a technique only this particular Sentinel Wei could use, but Chen Xiande knew for sure that it must be a secret not many knew. And for this couple to let him see it so casually could only signify a trust that not many ever showed towards him.


    Chen Xiande could feel something inside him squeeze at this thought as he followed his junior brother down the path.


    The three thus entered the town, Qinghe leading the way as if familiar with the paths.


    ¡°So where are we going?¡± Chen Xiande asked. He had only been told that they would be heading out for an ¡®educational excursion¡¯ to get him some experience.


    ¡°To meet with one of my contacts,¡± Qinghe said lightly.


    ¡°Are we going to fight something after that?¡± Chen Xiande couldn¡¯t help asking nervously. He really lacked practice and experience when it came to actual combat, and he was especially afraid of the pain any injury would cause him.


    Qinghe looked at him strangely, ¡°What makes Senior Brother think we¡¯ll be fighting? The purpose of this excursion today is solely to introduce you to my connection. He might come useful in the future when you become the sect master, after all.¡±


    ¡°It seems I was under the wrong impression,¡± Chen Xiande said, relieved and regaining his calm now that he knew there would be no bloody battles.


    As they kept walking, the rough and pitted path smoothened out and became firmer, eventually lined luxuriously with flagstones. They had entered a street that was clearly reserved for housing the wealthiest.


    After a few more minutes of walking, they finally reached their destination. In front of them was a pair of large and shiny metal gates that displayed a tasteful use of the owner¡¯s obviously abundant riches. Two armed guards stood impassive on either side.


    In a clear voice, Qinghe announced himself, ¡°I am Feng Qinghe, here to meet Master Kai.¡±


    The guards looked them both up and down before sneering. Their master was clearly a great person, even the imperial household had to be respectful to him. How could he have an appointment with these two casually dressed common chaff? Though the one dressed in white had good temperament, it hardly made him qualified to meet someone as esteemed as their master.


    ¡°Who do you think you are, asking to meet our master so shamelessly! Leave before we throw you out,¡± arrogantly said one of the guards.


    Qinghe tilted his head. Oh, they seemed to be new. Were they trying to chase them away to show how reliable they were? Or else they wouldn¡¯t be so enthusiastic.


    Wordlessly he showed them a medallion with their master¡¯s emblem carved into it. It was of exquisite craftsmanship and denoted goodwill that all the gold in the world couldn¡¯t buy. The person who gave it to Qinghe clearly thought him of high importance to have bestowed this upon him.


    ¡°Here, this was given to me by your master,¡± Qinghe said. He just wanted to be done with this song and dance already.


    ¡°Hmph, you must have forged it or stolen it. There is no way our master would grant something so priceless to a commoner,¡± the other guard sneered.


    Qinghe was fed up, so of course a deceptively brilliant smile lit his face as he spoke, ¡°It seems you haven¡¯t been taught well. It doesn¡¯t matter what your opinion is on the people who¡¯ve come to meet your master. If you turn them away prematurely and your master ends up losing face, whose fault do you think it will be? So let me do you a favor and educate you.¡±


    Before the guards had a chance to react, Qinghe had already moved. Twisting the sword out of one guard¡¯s hand, he hit him on the chest with a carefully placed palm. The man coughed out blood and staggered before tumbling. The other guard finally realized the threat and charged with his spear pointed towards him. Qinghe deftly stepped out of the way and swung the sword he¡¯d taken from the first guard, hitting the second guard¡¯s temple with the heavy hilt, and instantly knocked him down.


    Two guards, still in their expensive and majestic uniforms, were squirming and groaning on the ground while clutching at their injuries. Though they weren¡¯t severe, Qinghe had made sure that they would hurt like hell.


    ¡°Do better to not underestimate your guests next time,¡± Qinghe said breezily as he stepped over them and pushed the lavish gates open by himself. They swung soundlessly on well-oiled hinges, revealing a smooth and wide path that led to a large, sprawling mansion.


    It seemed that the commotion had alerted the residents, for a well-dressed figure came hurrying from the building and down the path, stopping in front of Qinghe and Chen Xiande.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening here? Who dares make a racket in front of¨D Oh, Lord Feng. We weren¡¯t expecting you.¡± The well-dressed man¡¯s expression went from fury to surprise.


    ¡°Clearly,¡± Qinghe drawled.


    ¡°May I ask how these guards have offended you?¡± the man asked Qinghe politely. This young lord was not someone whom he had ever seen angry. He was always pleasant and never unreasonable. For him to go this far, these guards must definitely be the ones at fault!


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. They refused to let us in despite Master Kai¡¯s token, so I just chose to educate them a bit, that¡¯s all,¡± Qinghe said while smiling brightly.


    Wretched groans issued from the felled guards as they cried out miserably in pain, but Qinghe unsympathetically ignored them.


    The well-dressed man gulped. It seemed this young lord had quite the temper. It would be better not to offend him.


    ¡°Please, Lord Feng, come in,¡± he graciously invited.


    ¡°Thank you, Old Mo. I¡¯ll let myself in and find Master Kai. I know the way, so there¡¯s no need to accompany us,¡± Qinghe boldly walked in while saying.


    With a nod, Old Mo withdrew.


    Chen Xiande was staring at his junior brother. He felt like he finally understood why that Jing Shui had been so sympathetic when he heard that he would be taught by Feng Qinghe. His methods were a bit¡­harsh.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just knock them out using spiritual power?¡± Chen Xiande asked as they walked down one gorgeously appointed hallway after another.


    ¡°We are hiding our identities, using spiritual power will naturally give it away that we are cultivators. We do not need people saying that cultivators are going around knocking out common people. Using some common martial arts should be enough,¡± Qinghe explained patiently as he led them down yet another opulent hallway.


    Just when Chen Xiande was sure that these hallways would never end, they finally entered a wide room. It was large and well appointed, with one wall left completely open to the garden outside. In the garden was a small pool with cheery yellow water lilies floating on its surface. Little fish darted within the crystal clear waters.


    Near the open wall, sitting by a small table, was a handsome middle-aged man silently sipping tea. His face was pleasantly proportioned with sharp, masculine features, his mildly thick eyebrows arched in such a way that it gave him the impression of fierceness. His gaze was intense and cutting as it looked steadily outside.


    ¡°Master Kai, I hope you are well,¡± Qinghe greeted. ¡°How is the Queen? Still terrorizing the seas, I hope?¡±


    The man turned, the fine lines between his brows crinkling into a frown. ¡°Leave my troublesome wife out of this. Feng Qinghe, what have you come to extort from me now?¡±


    ¡°Now, now. I have a business proposition that will prove beneficial to you too, as it always does,¡± Qinghe proceeded to seat himself in front of the man.


    Chen Xiande hesitated before following suit.


    Sighing, the man called Master Kai seemed to give up. ¡°Fine then, on whose behalf are you here this time?¡±


    ¡°Drifting Clouds Sect,¡± came the succinct answer.


    ¡°Not our own sect?¡± Chen Xiande blurted out. He had been under the impression that they were carrying out a task for the benefit of their own sect.


    Qinghe, as if reading his mind, enlightened him, ¡°In a way, you can put it like that. Our Master owes the Drifting Clouds Sect a favor due to a particular matter, so I negotiated with them about repayment for the favor by providing an alternate supplier for the spelled paper they use to make talismans.¡±


    ¡°How is that related to us coming here?¡± Chen Xiande felt stupid for not understanding.


    ¡°Master Kai is the most prosperous merchant and trader in the empire. He can provide me information on suppliers, trade routes, taxes etc. He is the best there is in this business.¡±


    Chen Xiande was suitably impressed. From the luxurious furnishings, the huge manor, and Qinghe¡¯s explanation, it was clear that this Master Kai must be a big figure in the mortal, and maybe even the cultivation, world.


    Master Kai looked neither pleased nor displeased at the praise. He only grunted and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s your companion?¡±


    ¡°He is Brother Chen, a friend. He¡¯s here to observe, please don¡¯t pay it any mind,¡± Qinghe replied offhandedly.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Master Kai looked intrigued. ¡°You¡¯ve never brought anyone else with you before. Why is this young master special? Is he from the same sect as you?¡±


    Qinghe smiled genially as he warned, ¡°Master Kai, I advise you not to pry. I¡¯m sure you understand what I mean.¡±


    Master Kai shuddered lightly. ¡°Yes, yes, I know how scary you get when it comes to your precious sect. Fine then, keep your secrets. Now spit it out, what exactly do you want?¡±


    ¡°Just as I said before, the administration of Drifting Clouds Sect has run into problems with their previous provider for the paper they use to make talismans. They require a new provider, ideally from a new trade route.¡±


    Master Kai looked thoughtful. ¡°Since you¡¯re saying they need a new route¡­does this mean they used to get it from the eastern traders? Yes, the east has been having a lot of trouble I hear. Which route do you personally think is more suitable?¡±


    ¡°The northern one. I hear they have abundant trees that can be used to make talisman papers,¡± said Qinghe.


    ¡°Why specifically the north? The costs for lumber transportation there are preposterous,¡± Master Kai asked.


    Qinghe began to clarify, ¡°The issue of the costs can be skirted if we use our own transportation. Plus, the paper for talismans needs to be able to absorb a good amount of spiritual power. The forests in the north are far more abundant than the one in the east when it comes to the growth of this specific type of tree. It¡¯s a mutant variation of the spirit absorbing herb. It¡¯s crucial that we only get this specific variant¡­¡±


    As the discussion grew more and more detailed with technical terms getting mixed in, Chen Xiande began to lose the thread of conversation. When did his junior brother become adept at speaking about matters of trade? And this Master Kai who was said to be so powerful and influential seemed to greatly respect Feng Qinghe. Just what was going on?


    Chen Xiande was so confused that his eyes seemed to spin in spirals.

 Chapter 23: Incomprehensible Situation

    After discussing for hours and ironing out the details, they finally left Master Kai¡¯s mansion. They were walking up the forested road back to the sect and Wei Xiang had long since materialized from Qinghe¡¯s shadow. The two lovers were now walking hand-in-hand, murmuring to each other every now and then.


    After a long stretch of silence, Chen Xiande finally spoke, ¡°Junior Brother, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve disappointed you. I do not feel like I gained much from this excursion. I wasn¡¯t even able to understand half of what you and that merchant talked about.¡±


    Qinghe chuckled and reassured, ¡°Senior Brother, I did not expect you to gain anything but experience and familiarity with Master Kai. Knowledge can wait, it will eventually come with time. You need not worry about not understanding it for now.¡±


    Chen Xiande smiled wryly. It seemed his junior brother really had a good estimate of his ¡®student¡¯s¡¯ ability.


    When they eventually reached the ancient arch at the front of their sect, they saw the twins waiting for them. Fei Jin and Fei Yin were staring intently at Qinghe and Wei Xiang¡¯s intertwined fingers, their gazes burning with a strange intensity.


    ¡°Jin-er, Yin-er, were you waiting for us?¡± Qinghe asked them.


    The two nodded and greeted them cutely, ¡°Welcome back Eldest Martial Brother, Senior Brother!¡±


    Chen Xiande graced them with a small smile. Since he had been the one to find and bring them to the sect, the twins had always been respectful towards him no matter what others said. Of course, if he hadn¡¯t been bullying Qinghe, then maybe they would¡¯ve been even nicer to him.


    ¡°Then excuse me, I will return first,¡± Chen Xiande informed them and left.


    Fei Jin and Fei Yin looked accusingly at Qinghe as Fei Jin vocalized, ¡°Brother, who is this person with you? Why are you holding hands?¡±


    Looking at their reproachful gazes, why did Qinghe feel like he was caught cheating?


    Shaking these absurd thoughts away, he introduced them, ¡°Jin-er, Yin-er, this is Sentinel Wei Xiang. He and I are lovers. Wei Xiang, you might already know my junior brothers, Fei Jin and Fei Yin.¡±


    Wei Xiang looked at the two pairs of burning eyes assessing him and smirked. ¡°Your brats look displeased by your choice of lover,¡± he said amusedly to Qinghe.


    With a loud hmph, the twins rushed forward and pushed Wei Xiang away from their beloved senior brother and warned, ¡°We won¡¯t let you have Brother! He¡¯s ours!¡± They immediately each clutched onto an arm as if to keep Wei Xiang away.


    Qinghe felt exasperated. What was with this unexpected situation? Why were two seventeen-year-olds acting like they were five and their mother had brought home a stepdad?


    ¡°Jin-er, Yin-er, don¡¯t be like that. Your senior brother likes him very much. I hope you can like him too,¡± Qinghe tried to act as a peacemaker.


    But his junior brothers weren¡¯t having it. ¡°No, no! We won¡¯t let him steal you away and keep you to himself!¡± they protested stubbornly.


    Wei Xiang raised an eyebrow and said to Qinghe, ¡°It seems you¡¯re having problems with your family. How about I go back to headquarters to deal with paperwork and you can slowly explain to them.¡±


    Looking harried at his junior brothers¡¯ willfulness, Qinghe nodded. It would be better if he took the time to convince them when they weren¡¯t agitated by his lover¡¯s presence.


    But Qinghe and Wei Xiang would later understand that they had both truly underestimated the twins.


    They returned to Qinghe¡¯s room and the twins poured him tea as they pouted at what they felt was their senior brother¡¯s betrayal.


    Sipping from the cup, Qinghe tried in vain to convince them to give Wei Xiang a chance. In a way, Qinghe really did consider the twins as his family more than anyone else. That was why it was important to him that both his family and lover got along well with each other.


    As Qinghe exhausted himself by trying to explain to this stubborn pair of brothers of his, he felt the room slightly spin. Holding the edge of the table for support, Qinghe blinked dazedly. What happened? Did he overexert himself?


    The dizziness increased until Qinghe couldn¡¯t tell which way was up and which was down. He could feel his body going lax as his vision dimmed. Two pairs of hands wrapped around him as a voice whispered by his ear, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Brother. We¡¯re only making sure you don¡¯t leave us.¡±


    And then Qinghe lost consciousness.


    ¡­¡­


    The first thing he noticed when he woke up was the slight chill brought on by the wind cooling his sweat-dampened skin. His upper body was bare and his hands were tied above his head to the bars of the bed¡¯s plain wooden headboard. His face had reverted to his true look since the appearance changing talisman had been removed.


    Qinghe felt disoriented, his grip over the wind element feeling sloppy and chaotic. It would be inadvisable to use it in this state. He at least recognized this as his own room.


    He felt like he was burning from the inside out, his skin stretched too tight. There was a strange and warm tension running through his body. The area between his legs felt stiff and uncomfortable. His throat was parched. Lightly licking his dry lips, Qinghe wished he could have some cool tea.


    Ah, the tea¡­ it was drugged?


    The gears in his brain seemed slow and rusty as they turned, trying to make sense of the situation. The only thing he¡¯d consumed besides recovery pills was the tea prepared by the twins.


    Were they pulling a joke on him? But still, drugging him was going a bit too far. Especially with an aphrodisiac¡­ Where did those brats even get this? His mind feeling hazy, his sense of danger seemed blunted. No matter what, he would never believe that those clingy children could harm him. They must just be pranking him.


    As Qinghe¡¯s mind went in circles while trying to find a reasonable explanation, the door to his room slowly creaked open. The twins entered and closed the door behind them, firmly locking it. They wore strange little smiles as they strode purposefully towards the bed.


    ¡°Senior Brother, you¡¯re awake. Are you uncomfortable anywhere?¡± Fei Jin asked.


    Qinghe just blinked blearily. These brats¡­ they already knew just what kind of drug they gave him and still had the nerve to pretend!


    Not waiting for his answer, the twins climbed onto the bed on either side of him.


    Fei Jin¡¯s cool palm skimmed over the heated skin of Qinghe¡¯s stomach, his short claws lightly scraping him. ¡°Senior Brother, if you wanted a lover, why didn¡¯t you tell us?¡± he said as he looked at him with an earnest and pained gaze.


    Leaning down, Fei Yin ran his hand over Qinghe¡¯s chest, his soft voice whispering in his ear, ¡°Senior Brother, we will be whatever you want, give you anything you need. So you¡¯re not allowed to abandon us. I won¡¯t allow you to leave.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± If these two weren¡¯t the children he¡¯d brought up himself, Qinghe would¡¯ve been so creeped out by now.


    Opening his lips, Qinghe spoke hoarsely, ¡°Fei Jin, Fei Yin, you two get off me right now and untie me. I have some words to say to you.¡±


    The twins¡¯ expression darkened.


    ¡°Brother,¡± Fei Yin cooed, ¡°It seems you don¡¯t understand the situation yet. We¡¯re not letting you go.¡± His roaming hand brushed lightly over one of the small buds on Qinghe¡¯s chest that had perked up due to the drug. Qinghe forced down his own abnormal reaction, trying to work past the drug¡¯s effects.


    Fei Jin framed his senior brother¡¯s face with his palms, sighing into his face, ¡°Brother, why are you like this? Why can¡¯t you only belong to us? Are we not enough?¡±


    Qinghe frowned, frustrated. He already couldn¡¯t think clearly due to the drug, and with the twins stimulating his fevered skin even more, his mind was an unclear mess incapable of thought.


    Seeing his unfocused eyes, as if by tacit agreement, the pair of brothers started moving their hands. Maybe if they convinced their senior brother that they could be better lovers than that Wei-whatever, he¡¯d stay with them forever. It would be a small price to pay to keep him in their lives.


    Fei Jin lowered his head and lightly swept the tip of his tongue against one of the buds on Qinghe¡¯s chest. The muscles under Qinghe¡¯s skin tightened in tension, his Adam¡¯s apple bobbing as he swallowed down his moans. This aphrodisiac seemed really powerful. When this darned situation was finally over and done with, he¡¯d lecture these brats¡¯ ears off for giving it to him!


    Fei Yin was not as kind as his twin. His fingertips ruthlessly pinched and twisted the other delicate point, causing Qinghe to almost leap out of his skin. Sadistic pleasure glowed in Fei Yin¡¯s eyes at having his senior brother at his mercy. On the other side, Fei Jin¡¯s tongue had gotten bolder, scraping and laving generously at the stiff bud in his mouth, his little fangs grazed the point lightly.


    Smooth hands roved over his overheated skin, skimming warm trails. Hot lips trailed over his chest and collarbones, sucking and licking along the way. The insistent burn of arousal throbbed under his skin as his breathing deepened.


    Qinghe wanted to die and preferably take these two with him.


    Soon, soft gasps issued out of his mouth against his will and his body writhed on its own. He could feel the rough rope chafing against his wrist, but the slight pain was ignored under the onslaught of heated pleasure.


    But despite being physically out of control, Qinghe¡¯s mind was still trying to reason out this incomprehensible situation.


    His junior brothers had no romantic affections for him, of that he was sure. He had observed them from when they were small vulnerable bundles suspicious of everything around them, to when they grew up into mischievous and confident cultivators. They showed strong attachment to him, that was true, but never in a romantic sense.


    So what was the real reason behind all this? It was obviously because they though Qinghe having a lover would mean he would withdraw from them. He was a large part of their world, they couldn¡¯t afford to lose him.


    Qinghe sighed at his junior brothers¡¯ misunderstanding. Even if they did misconstrue his intentions, just how in the world did they come to the conclusion that all would be fixed if they drugged him and tied him down like this? The minds of these kids were unfathomable.


    Fei Yin¡¯s hand suddenly went down yonder and gripped the uncomfortably throbbing part between Qinghe¡¯s legs. Squeezing hard with his claws digging in, he whispered sinisterly, ¡°Brother, just where is your mind wandering off to?¡±


    Qinghe hissed at the sudden sharp pain shooting up from the sensitive area. The discomfort cleared his head a little, giving him the presence of mind to gasp out, ¡°Fei Yin, you¡¯re hurting me.¡±


    Two pairs of eyes immediately looked at him with worry. Their hands and lips paused whatever they were doing, concerned about causing him pain.


    Qinghe breathed a sigh of relief. There was only so much of this embarrassing situation he could block out. ¡°You both, free me now. We can discuss this between us and clear any misunderstanding, alright?¡±


    Fei Jin looked hesitant, but Fei Yin¡¯s eyes had hardened into cold ice. His hands crept over to Qinghe¡¯s neck, tenderly encircling it. ¡°Brother,¡± he said softly, ¡°If you keep going on like this unrepentantly, we¡¯ll have no choice but to put a collar on you and chain you to us.¡±


    Qinghe stiffened.


    A collar¡­


    His mind flashed back to his time at the orphanage, when he had been collared so that he couldn¡¯t use his cultivation against his captors. But of course, at that time he hadn¡¯t even remembered what cultivation was. Without that spirit-suppressing collar, would he have remembered and been spared all that torment?


    He could almost feel the cold heaviness of the low-grade spirit-suppressing collar closing around his neck, taking the place of Fei Yin¡¯s fingers. He could even feel the abrasion of the rough metal surface against his skin.


    Turning his head away, Qinghe closed his eyes. Even the effects of the strong drug couldn¡¯t surmount the trauma of his childhood. Maybe nothing ever could.


    For a moment, Qinghe felt the heavy weight of his past pressing down on his mind. If he let it take over, the weight would crush him.


    Taking a deep breath, Qinghe pushed those thoughts back down.


    ¡°Fei Jin, Fei Yin, that¡¯s enough.¡± Though his voice was husky from the drug¡¯s effects, the command in his tone was unmistakable.


    The twins immediately realized that they were dangerously close to crossing their senior brother¡¯s bottom line. They wordlessly got up and untied him before sitting a little distance away.


    They had screwed up, their senior brother would surely scold them. He might never want to see them again.


    They huddled together as if to comfort each other, their heads bowed and shoulders curved as if waiting for a blow.


    Qinghe pushed himself up on wobbly arms and sat up on his bed. His eyes were unsmiling as he rubbed his wrists to induce blood circulation again.


    The silence in the room was suffocating.


    ¡°Do you know what you did wrong?¡± Qinghe¡¯s voice was without the slightest ripple.


    crimson_carnation


    This is what happened after the twins knocked Qinghe out¡ª


    Fei Jin: Now that we have Senior Brother tied down, what do we do? What do we dooooo?! *frantically flipping through pages and pages of porn*


    Fei Yin: Aphrodisiac.


    Fei Jin: Oh, yes. But we don¡¯t really see Senior Brother that way¡­ Do you think this¡¯ll still work out?


    Fei Yin: *nods* Or he will be taken away.


    Fei Jin: You¡¯re right! I¡¯ve never even seen Senior Brother hanging out with that stupid Sentinel before, so Senior Brother couldn¡¯t possibly have time to develop romantic feelings for that guy. Which only means that what Senior Brother wants is¡­physical satisfaction?


    Fei Yin: Seems about right.


    Fei Jin: Then as long as we give Senior Brother that, he won¡¯t leave us.


    Fei Yin: *nods again*


    Fei Jin: Then let¡¯s do this!


    And so, until Qinghe woke up, the twins studiously researched from various ¡®educational¡¯ books as if preparing for an exam where Qinghe would be the question :P

 Chapter 24: Addressing Issues

    Trembling, Fei Jin and Fei Yin cried, ¡°Senior Brother, please don¡¯t hate us!¡±


    Qinghe sighed, exhausted. He brought his knees up and rested his cheek on them, his arms wrapping around his legs. Qinghe wished he could be their steadfast and dependable senior brother like always, but he just didn¡¯t have any more strength.


    Curled up on the bed like that, he looked pitiful and lonely.


    The twins¡¯ hearts ached. It seemed they had distressed their senior brother this much. They couldn¡¯t bear to see him like this.


    ¡°When I was a child,¡± Qinghe spoke suddenly, ¡°I was captured and taken to an orphanage. They put a spirit-suppressing collar on me. The owners of the place constantly abused the kids¡­¡±


    Fei Jin and Fei Yin listened with wide grieving eyes as their senior brother continued to recite his brutal past in a flat voice. Silent tears trickled down their cheeks, but they didn¡¯t interrupt him.


    Fei Yin looked down at his hands that had wrapped around his senior brother¡¯s neck and wanted to cut them off for causing such pain to him. He wanted to sew his own lips shut for talking about collaring him. He would deserve it if senior brother truly left them. He would deserve every ounce of agony it would bring.


    Fei Jin squeezed his twin brother in comfort, sensing his self-reproaching thoughts.


    After Qinghe had finished telling them about his past, he was silent for a while before saying, ¡°I don¡¯t blame you, not completely. I should have seen through your insecurity sooner and dealt with it. I should have told you about my past earlier and explained clearly the things I can¡¯t handle. I should have elaborated more about my relationship with Wei Xiang in a way that disallowed misunderstandings. It was my mistake.¡±


    Silence claimed the room again.


    Qinghe slowly started to regain his calm, habitually controlling his breathing to finally recover his usual self. He slowly uncurled from his position and sat up properly. His eyes were clear and dry, and except for the lack of smile, his expression was as usual. He was very good at pretending as if nothing was wrong.


    Trying to lighten the mood, Qinghe abruptly changed the subject and complained, ¡°Anyway, I need to ask, is this the way I raised you? If you have to drug your senior brother, at least use a good quality aphrodisiac. This one has a third too much of the night fog herb and its effects also last a bit too long. Try Old Man Gou¡¯s shop in the black market next time, his wares are at least good quality.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Of all the things that we did wrong, that is what you choose to scold us about? And what is with that recommendation? The twins retorted in their hearts, their tears and gloom temporarily forgotten.


    Qinghe looked at them and finally smiled.


    ¡°Brother, you really don¡¯t hate us? You won¡¯t¡­leave us?¡± Fei Yin finally scrounged up enough courage and asked. His head was still down, as if ashamed to meet Qinghe¡¯s gaze.


    Tilting his head, Qinghe looked at Fei Yin sardonically. This little sadist¡­ after tormenting him like that, he at least had the gall to be ashamed!


    But Qinghe also understood that of the two twins, Fei Yin was the one more attached to him, since Qinghe had been the one who¡¯d personally nursed him back to health both mentally and physically after his ordeal. And it seemed Fei Yin was also the more twisted one.


    Qinghe let out a breath and shook his head. ¡°I could never hate you both. Even if you really put a collar on me, caged me and broke me to pieces, I could still never hate you or bring myself to abandon you. But that¡¯s why I need Wei Xiang, because he¡¯ll never let anyone harm me, even myself. Do you understand?¡±


    Fei Jin and Fei Yin both nodded and started crying again at his words. To think Senior Brother loved us so much! And hearing him speak of that Wei-whatever like that, if he really was that caring towards their senior brother, then how could they possibly reject him anymore?


    Qinghe got down from the bed and walked up to where they were sitting on the floor. He wrapped his arms around them both, letting them rest their heads on his shoulders. He gently patted their backs, trying to console them.


    No matter what happened, they were still the children he had raised personally. They had eaten, slept, and bathed together. The three of them had gone through hardships and seen each other in more disgraceful situations than this, so Qinghe didn¡¯t hesitate to put the embarrassment of this matter firmly behind him.


    Holding them in his arms, Qinghe reassured in his soothing voice, ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m here. I will always be here. Even if I now have a lover, I¡¯ll still be here. At most, you¡¯ll gain an extra brother. You¡¯ll have to bear with his obnoxiousness along with me now, and he¡¯ll take care of you as his new little brothers¡­¡± Qinghe continued to comfort them.


    That¡¯s when Wei Xiang finally returned.


    Solidifying from the shadows, he was just about to greet his lover and tease him about making his junior brothers cry when he noticed his lack of clothing and the bruise marks standing out starkly against Qinghe¡¯s fair wrists.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes narrowed threateningly.


    Noticing his arrival, Qinghe released the twins and instructed, ¡°Alright, enough now. Return to your rooms and reflect on what I said.¡±


    The twins first looked up at him puzzled before realizing that Wei Xiang had arrived. They froze for a moment in consternation before hurrying over to him.


    As one, they bowed and said, ¡°Brother Wei, we apologize for our earlier misconduct. Please take care of Senior Brother from now on!¡±


    And then they swept out the door like the wind, leaving not a trace behind.


    Qinghe sat there frozen in surprise. Huh, so those little rascals knew how to apologize. Then where the hell was his apology? Wasn¡¯t he the victim in all this?!


    Wei Xiang looked at the wronged expression on his lover¡¯s beautiful little face and his anger abated somewhat.


    ¡°I take it you resolved the situation?¡± Wei Xiang asked casually.


    Qinghe hesitantly nodded.


    He knew how this must look. Despite having a cultivator¡¯s quickly regenerating physique, there were still faint pink marks on his upper body and collarbones that hadn¡¯t yet healed. No matter how one looked, they were definitely hickeys. The twin berries on his chest were also slightly reddened and swollen from the twins¡¯ abuse. His eyes were still somewhat misty and his voice husky due to the remnants of the aphrodisiac. Adding to that the previous presence of the twins, anyone would assume that they¡¯d just had a m¨¦nage ¨¤ trois.


    Qinghe sweated nervously. He wanted to explain but didn¡¯t know what he could say that wouldn¡¯t seem like he was making up excuses for covering up his cheating.


    Wei Xiang looked at his lover¡¯s torn expression and wanted to laugh. Anyone else might really have come to such a conclusion, but Wei Xiang knew his Qinghe well.


    Wei Xiang walked to Qinghe and lifted him up in a princess carry. He didn¡¯t dare protest as Wei Xiang sat down on the bed and extended his long legs comfortably, seating Qinghe sideways on his lap. Wei Xiang¡¯s broad palm stroked up and down along Qinghe¡¯s naked back, soothing away his tension bit by bit.


    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked softly. There wasn¡¯t even a trace of blame in his tone, only warm concern.


    Qinghe suddenly felt like crying. He buried his head in Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulder and sniffled, blinking away the wetness in his eyes. The comfortingly familiar scent of warm metal and woodsmoke wrapped around him. His body slumped in relief that there would be no accusations of infidelity or misunderstandings.


    Haltingly, Qinghe managed to convey the whole situation.


    Back when they had been in the hidden realm, when he and Jing Shui were swapping stories of their pasts, they¡¯d put up a sound barrier around them upon Qinghe¡¯s suggestion since he¡¯d sensed the presence of Wei Xiang and his companion. So realizing that Wei Xiang hadn¡¯t been able to eavesdrop about his past at that time, Qinghe related the tale in excruciating detail. In contrast, he¡¯d only given basic details to the twins and Jing Shui.


    Wei Xiang listened patiently, the weight of his slightly rough palm calming as it rubbed up and down Qinghe¡¯s back steadily.


    When he was done, Qinghe felt dull and numb. He hoped he¡¯d never have to repeat this cursed story another time or he¡¯d dissolve into a flood of miserable bloody tears.


    Qinghe heard Wei Xiang sigh as he rested his cheek on Qinghe¡¯s head. ¡°I see. I think I now understand the issue.¡±


    Looking up puzzled, Qinghe asked, ¡°Issue? What issue?¡±


    Smiling sadly Wei Xiang answered, ¡°About why you so readily accept others despite them wronging you, and why you go to such lengths to keep the people around you happy.¡±


    Not understanding, Qinghe asked, ¡°What do you mean? Isn¡¯t it just normal to want people around you to be happy?¡±


    The hand rubbing along Qinghe¡¯s back paused. ¡°Yes, it is natural to want the people you love to be happy. But you desperately try to make sure that each and every person around you is always content, whether you know them or not. Or more specifically, you try your best to make sure that no one around you remains angry at you.¡±


    ¡°What does that have to do with anything? I think that¡¯s perfectly normal,¡± Qinghe said indignantly. What was the problem with not wanting people to be angry with him?


    Wei Xiang knew he wasn¡¯t explaining things correctly. He tried to change his approach. ¡°Tell me, why did you let those twins off so easily? What they did was clearly sexual assault. Shouldn¡¯t you have punished them more severely to make sure they don¡¯t repeat the same mistake again?¡±


    Qinghe looked at him dumbfounded. Though what Wei Xiang said wasn¡¯t wrong¡­


    ¡°I guess, but¡­¡± Qinghe was floundering, unable to find the words to explain. ¡°They¡¯re just kids. They weren¡¯t seriously trying to hurt me.¡±


    ¡°Oh? So even if I go out and beat someone up, then it wouldn¡¯t be a crime as long as I didn¡¯t mean it seriously?¡± Wei Xiang retorted.


    ¡°That-That¡¯s obviously not the same!¡± Qinghe felt flustered and off-balance. Why were they still discussing this? This issue was already over and done with!


    Shifting their positions, Wei Xiang settled Qinghe on his lap so that they were face-to-face. ¡°I won¡¯t interfere with how you discipline your juniors, but I won¡¯t sit still and watch as you let them hurt you and then sweep it all under the rug. They might not have meant to, but they did hurt you deeply. Why did you forgive them? Give me a reasonable explanation here.¡±


    Qinghe struggled to put thoughts into words, ¡°They were hurt too and¡­well, it¡¯s also sort of my fault. I should¡¯ve seen their issues sooner and¡­I guess, I just wanted things to go back to normal quickly.¡± Qinghe was looking down, unable to meet Wei Xiang¡¯s knowing gaze.


    ¡°Why did you want things to go back to normal quickly?¡± Wei Xiang¡¯s voice was patient and kind.


    His head lowered even more, Qinghe mumbled truthfully, ¡°Well, if it went on, then maybe they¡¯d say to hell with this, get mad, think I¡¯m not worth this drama and just leave.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t much different from the attitude of the twins. Helping them grow had in turn helped Qinghe take a big step forward from his own past. Unlike before in the orphanage when he had been powerless to help those suffering, only able to watch on, survive and keep fending for himself, when he met the wounded twins, he was actually able to be useful. No longer had he been powerless. He was finally able to help someone out of trauma similar to his own. Sure, they all still had scars left, but that couldn¡¯t be avoided.


    ¡°Qinghe,¡± Wei Xiang called softly. ¡°So you were afraid that if you didn¡¯t relent, they¡¯d get angry and do something that would hurt you more?¡±


    He seriously considered what Wei Xiang said and found that yes, it was indeed the case. It seemed like Wei Xiang had gotten to the heart of the matter with that one sentence.


    Qinghe nodded. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s exactly it. I know it¡¯s just me being weak and unable to face being left behind, but I still think my worries are valid.¡±


    ¡°No, they are not.¡± Wei Xiang refuted simply. ¡°Those juniors would do for you what you¡¯re prepared to do for them. They reciprocate your affection, you just don¡¯t believe it because you think you¡¯re not worth it.¡±


    Qinghe flinched as if stabbed.


    Lifting his chin with a finger, Wei Xiang continued gently, ¡°In case you¡¯re misunderstanding, I think you¡¯re worth it. You¡¯re worth all the good things in this world, even if you don¡¯t believe it.¡±


    Hesitating, Qinghe finally nodded. No, he didn¡¯t believe it, but it was nice to hear him say it anyway.


    ¡°Shall we dig deeper into this issue?¡± Wei Xiang continued.


    Qinghe groaned and slumped into the warm chest in front of him. ¡°Isn¡¯t this much enough? I don¡¯t want to dig any deeper.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious where your issues come from? Finding it is one step closer to resolving it.¡±


    ¡°When did you become an expert in psychology anyway?¡± Qinghe tried to deflect.


    ¡°I help out with criminal interrogation now and then when I¡¯m in a bad mood. I¡¯ve peered into the deep, dark depths of human minds. I¡¯ll use every bit of knowledge at my disposal to help you however I can.¡±


    Faced with these sincere words, Qinghe could only surrender.


    Seeing him acquiesce, Wei Xiang began analyzing again. ¡°As a child in an abusive environment, you must have gotten really good at reading people. Since the adult¡¯s fury would always be taken out on you and the other children, you must have gotten especially sensitive to anger. Your mind is convinced that if someone in your vicinity is angry, they¡¯ll hurt you. Defusing the situation is your form of self-defense.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s head hurt. Logically, he knew that what Wei Xiang was telling made sense. But when did logic matter when it came to trauma?


    ¡°But I don¡¯t know what to do about it,¡± Qinghe said tiredly.


    Seeing that his lover was tuckered out, Wei Xiang placed him on the bed and watched him snuggle into the sheets with a drowsy expression. The drug had completely worn out and left him exhausted.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to think about it now. Just keep in mind that you don¡¯t need to let others walk all over you. It doesn¡¯t matter who gets angry, it¡¯s not your job to fix it. And if it brings problems, then we¡¯ll deal with it together. This is not your burden alone now.¡±


    Qinghe smiled at the obvious concern and affection in his voice and peacefully drifted away into dreamland.

 Chapter 25: A Sky of Lightning

    The next morning, Qinghe and Wei Xiang woke up snuggled up to each other. After freshening up, Qinghe was summoned once again to the sect hall, and of course Wei Xiang tagged along.


    In the sect hall, Qinghe made his greetings as usual and waited for the Elders and Sect Master to speak.


    ¡°Qing-er, we have something to inform you about. We want you to go in place of your senior brother to Lightning Sky Sect and represent our Heavenly Peak Sect. There, you¡¯ll meet up with the head disciples of the other major sects and set off on an assignment to kill a mad beast,¡± the sect master Zhen YiLan got right to the point.


    Qinghe blinked. That was a lot of information given at once, but it hardly fazed him. He was used to often going on demonic beast slaying expeditions. Demonic beasts were spiritual beasts that, for various reasons, had fallen to the dark path, their only goal to slaughter and absorb life energy in order to gain more power. The Behemoth from the hidden realm had been one such beast.


    ¡°Master, may I ask why I must go in Senior Brother¡¯s stead? He still needs all the experience he can get,¡± Qinghe asked, finding it strange.


    ¡°This might be too risky for him. Unlike you and the other head disciples, Xian-er is still in the third realm. We will lose face if the other sects discover that our sect¡¯s head disciple cannot keep up with them, so we chose you instead. Do not worry, I¡¯ve given him another task that is easier to complete. He won¡¯t be wasting any time,¡± Zhen YiLan reassured.


    Qinghe still felt uneasy at the open disparagement, but he couldn¡¯t refute that his senior brother was indeed lacking in cultivation, so he let it go for now. He¡¯d just have to make sure that he quickly raised up Chen Xiande to be above reproach. But he still expressed his displeasure.


    ¡°Master, since Senior Brother is in my care now, I¡¯d prefer you to let me handle his education from now on. Though I know whatever tasks you and the Elders came up with for him will be appropriate, I¡¯d still prefer to take care of him myself.¡±


    Though Zhen YiLan was surprised, he still agreed readily, ¡°If that¡¯s what Qing-er wishes, then your master will comply.¡± Ah, he¡¯d raised such a good child! For him to be so concerned over someone who had once bullied him so showed the true depth of his magnanimity!


    Putting the matter aside for now, Qinghe began inquiring about the assignment. ¡°Master, you said it was a mad beast, does that mean the beast is not demonic? And does it happen to be located in the Spirit Bewildering Forest by any chance?¡±


    There was no other reason they would meet there if not for the beast being in the Lightning Sky Sect¡¯s territory, and the Spirit Bewildering Forest that was in their sect¡¯s premises was the most likely place since it was said to have many mysterious areas and unexplored places that were sealed off. Monsters, beasts, and treasures thus appeared randomly in the forest every now and then.


    ¡°Yes, it is as you say. Many cultivators have entered to deal with it and all failed, unable to even find the beast. But the beast itself has been heading out of the forest and killing the common folk. It does not seem to have turned demonic yet, but it very well may if left unchecked.¡±


    ¡°What is its level, Master?¡± Qinghe asked.


    Frowning, Zhen YiLan answered, ¡°It was at early stage tenth realm at first, but seemed to have dropped to the middle of ninth realm due to prior injuries. It¡¯s still powerful though, which is why the sects have decided to send all the top disciples this time. The Sentinel Grandmaster also agreed to let Sentinel Wei help out in case of emergencies. This will be a good learning experience, and if there¡¯s any trouble, the Sentinel can take care of you. Does Sentinel Wei assent?¡±


    It went unsaid what a disaster the sects would face if all their head disciples died at once. They must have great faith in Wei Xiang to entrust the responsibility for all their lives to him. Well, the faith was not unfounded. Not only was he at the peak of tenth realm and on the verge of becoming a demigod, he could also use the secret shadow technique of the higher order Sentinels and instantly transport them to safety in case of danger.


    Everyone looked at Wei Xiang.


    ¡°I have no objections,¡± he said easily.


    And so it was decided.


    Qinghe felt some excitement at undertaking an assignment together with Wei Xiang. It would¡¯ve been even better had the others not been included, but oh well. It would be fun in its own way.


    ¡°Alright then, you can both depart as soon as possible to the Lightning Sky Sect and meet up with the others. Prioritize your safety before all else,¡± the sect master instructed.


    Qinghe nodded.


    Within the hour, the two of them had prepared and headed to the transportation array. Wei Xiang just directly used his shadows to transport himself over, refusing Qinghe¡¯s offer to travel together by saying he did not want to ¡®spoil his lover too much¡¯. Handing over his sect token for appraisal, a sullen Qinghe got permission to use the array and was quickly transported to the Lightning Sky Sect and met up with Wei Xiang.


    The air on the other side of the array was dark and heavy with ominous portent. The sky was completely covered in thick grey clouds. Flashes of wide purple lightning lit up the sky and crackling thunder constantly rent the air.


    Lightning Sky Sect specialized in alchemy and medicine. All these clouds and lightning were the result of tribulations that came about due to the constant creation of high-level pills, so the powerful lightning almost always struck within the sect grounds.


    Thus, the reason for the sect¡¯s name.


    Since none of this tribulation lightning was aimed at them, the newly arrived couple didn¡¯t have to worry about being randomly struck. They calmly made their way to the sect hall where the rest of the head disciples must be gathered.


    The inside of the main building of the Lightning Sky Sect was like a whole another world compared to Heavenly Peak Sect.


    The walls were a dark grey, the floor laid with glossy black wood. Large palm-sized night pearls, different from the ones the common folks used, were set into the walls, charged with spiritual energy and giving off a bright white light to alleviate the gloom. Smaller pearls that emitted saturated light in plum and purple colors were affixed to the walls and ceiling as decorations.


    Legendary cauldrons in black, violet, and scarlet were displayed proudly at the entrance and in prominent positions throughout the inside on shielded podiums. The windows were constructed to be tall and narrow since there wasn¡¯t much light that could enter through them anyway. It looked like a tastefully furnished haunted mansion or the lair of a wealthy demonic cultivator who was too focused on style.


    The two walked through the wide hallways and paths to finally reach the sect hall.


    The hall was huge and its ceiling high. White, light yellow, and purple night pearls were placed in a large and neat decorative pattern on the ceiling, both providing ample light and being pleasing to the eyes. Rumors stated that the pattern was in actuality an incredibly complex and powerful array that was constructed specifically to defend the sect, made shortly after the sect¡¯s creation.


    On the end opposite the entrance was a raised platform with an imposing desk piled high with pill recipes and scattered with herbs. Behind the desk sat the sect leader of the Lightning Sky Sect. He had a long and sleek silver beard, prominent eyebrows, and neatly combed hair. His face was set in strict lines, a severe light making his eyes glint like cold steel.


    Qinghe bowed and offered his greetings and the sect master, being a man of few words, simply nodded to him and Wei Xiang.


    Standing in front of the desk were three other people. One of them was Jing Shui, who looked pleased at seeing Qinghe, but didn¡¯t dare make a sound due to the sect master¡¯s imposing presence. They nodded to each other silently in greeting.


    The other two people were disciples from Lightning Sky Sect ¨C a tall woman and a shorter, younger teenager. The woman was the head disciple of Lightning Sky Sect and the sect master¡¯s future successor, Lei Zihua, who was just as silent and reticent as her master. As for the young man, Qinghe could only tell from his robes that he was a direct disciple of the sect head.


    The respective disciples from Golden Sun Sect, Heavenly Peak Sect, and Lightning Sky Sect had arrived. The only one left was the Drifting Clouds Sect.


    As for the Silver Moon Sect, their sect leaders had never had the practice of having direct disciples. The head disciple for the sect would be chosen at a later time and from among the Golden Sun Sect¡¯s direct disciples. The process itself was quite mysterious.


    None of them spoke and waited in silence for the last member from the Drifting Clouds Sect to arrive. They could all more or less guess what was keeping him.


    Just like how Heavenly Peak Sect¡¯s specialty was martial arts, Golden Sun Sect¡¯s was commerce, Silver Moon Sect¡¯s was formations, and Lightning Sky Sect¡¯s was alchemy, similarly, Drifting Clouds Sect¡¯s specialty was art. They imbued spiritual energy into their various art forms, specializing in using songs, music, dance, talismans, sculpted clay dolls etc. in their cultivation.


    For example, the Drifting Clouds Sect¡¯s sect master¡¯s second disciple was in particular famous for the haunting melodies he could play on his flute¡ªwith special emphasis on the word ¡®haunting¡¯. If he so intended, his music could attract the dead and undead nearby, making them easier to vanquish.


    Regarding this sect¡¯s wide range of peculiar abilities, Qinghe had heard the twins say something advertisement-like akin to this:


    ¡°A haunted painting? Call the Drifting Clouds Sect, they will handle it.


    ¡°Cursed by strange riddles scrawled in even stranger places? Call the Drifting Clouds Sect, they will handle it.


    ¡°Strange music sounding hauntingly from cemeteries? Call the Drifting Clouds Sect¡¯s eldest disciple. It¡¯s probably the second disciple again, so his senior martial brother will drag him off like usual and handle it.¡±


    To this, Qinghe had no idea what to think.


    This second disciple liked to pick the gloomiest spots in cemeteries and sat there playing his haunting music, scaring the nearby common folk into thinking there were ghostly apparitions haunting the cemetery. Then the Drifting Clouds Sect that specialized in music was called, and nine times out of ten, it turned out to be their own disciple.


    By now this story had become quite famous. So whenever the Drifting Clouds Sect¡¯s head disciple was late or missing from an important assignment, it was normal to assume he was busy ¡®retrieving¡¯ his junior martial brother from yet another cemetery.


    The poor guy sure had it hard, Qinghe sympathized.


    Just as he was thinking this, someone entered the hall. It was a handsome young man with a warm smile on his face much like Qinghe, except his was genuine. His eyes radiated kindness and benevolence as well. His every move was prim and measured. The emblem above the hem of his white robes was indigo, just like all the other disciples in the main hall.


    This was An YaLing, the head disciple of Drifting Clouds Sect.


    In a gentle and cultured voice, he apologized, ¡°Pardon me for my tardiness, it was unavoidable. One of my junior brothers needed my assistance.¡±


    ¡®No need to say anymore¡¯ was written on the faces of all those present. They all knew exactly which junior brother had needed what kind of assistance. Such a patient and helpful person, he was truly pitiable¡ªthey all thought as they tsked in their hearts.


    The sect leader spoke, ¡°Now that you¡¯re all here, Zihua will lead you to the farthest we¡¯ve been able to get near the beast. From the limited information we currently have, it seems to be some sort of a serpent. It used to be in the tenth realm, but has now dropped to ninth realm. It is also reported to have been severely wounded even before its existence came to our attention, so its strength must have thankfully decreased due to that. But don¡¯t get complacent. Treat it with the utmost caution.¡±


    All the disciples nodded.


    ¡°Then you can go. Sentinel, I¡¯ll trouble you to keep watch over them,¡± the sect leader said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Wei Xiang replied simply.


    With that, they left the main hall. The second they stepped outside, the boom and crash of thunder sounded again, having been muted inside the building before by sound dampening spells. Arcs of lightning crackled and raced across the clouds, covering the whole sky for mere instants at a time with its outbursts.


    The group of six used a transportation array to directly reach the edge of the forest.


    Before them laid the forest border. The meager light being filtered through thick foliage made the place look even darker than the cloud covered land outside. Flashes of light darted between the shadows and strange calls of unknown animals echoed out.


    And thus, leaving behind the roar of thunder and a sky of lightning, they entered the Spirit Bewildering Forest.

 Chapter 25.5: Bonus Scene – Retrieval

    The night was dark and dreary, the atmosphere in the cemetery feeling especially ominous and sinister. Wispy grey clouds drifted hazily over the moon, shading the earth underneath and deepening the eerie gloom.


    In the cemetery below, tombstones thrust out of the ground like rotten teeth, blackened and crumbling. Somewhere within these cemetery grounds, sitting relaxedly on one of the headstones, was a figure clothed in a dark blue robe. Held in his fingers that were tipped with thick, sharp claws was an ivory flute, shining lightly with an unearthly sheen. This flute was made of an elusive material called bone pearl and was a one-of-a-kind treasure that was long since thought to be lost to the world.


    The figure of the blue-robed man slowly lifted the instrument to his smiling lips. Holding the flute vertically, his hands were poised with grace over the finger holes as he blew a gentle breath into the mouthpiece.


    A shrill tune suddenly pierced the air, then faded into an undulating rhythm. The notes flowed continuously, winding higher and higher before the sharp tune gradually sloped down into a rich melody. As the music went on, the flute song grew chaotic and sharp, and yet it held a strange melancholy sadness within, as if it were a dirge being played to mourn the loss of dearly departed loved ones.


    As the fluid yet jagged notes flowed over the cemetery, the people keeping watch outside shuddered in dismay.


    Oh gods, it had begun again!


    As the music continued pouring forth, vague, misty shadows seemed to gather in the cemetery. The shadows all shambled towards the direction of the tune with slow and unsteady steps.


    Seeing their cemetery infested with these things once again, the townspeople felt chilled in their hearts. Though these strange apparitions hadn¡¯t caused harm yet, who knew how long that would last. Thankfully, their town chief had already called the Drifting Clouds Sect to deal with the issue. And as one of the Five Great Sects, there was no one more trustworthy or dependable than them, especially when it came to haunting music such as this that called forth ghostly specters. Now all that was left was to keep watch until the sect¡¯s disciples arrived.


    Fortunately, they weren¡¯t kept waiting for long.


    Cultivators in pure white robes soon appeared, their deportment serene and peaceful despite the eerie scene that lay before them.


    But although that¡¯s how they seemed on the outside, many of the newer disciples were already shaking with fear in their hearts. Because though the mortals only saw vague, misty shadows, what the cultivators saw was far more defined and detailed, and those details were really quite nightmare-inducing.


    The shadows were in fact ghosts, all their faces stretched in a wide, happy smile.


    Some staggered forward, others floated, while those without legs crawled slowly towards the music. The ones with missing limbs had their heads and other severed body parts clutched in their hands as they continued onward.


    One of the ghosts¡¯ head was hanging from his neck, barely connected to the stump by a finger¡¯s width of tissue and flopping grotesquely every time he took a step. Another ghost held her chopped off arm in her other hand, yet another had his eyeballs dangling from his caved-in head¡­


    In short, the disciples were completely justified in their terror.


    The stream of mutilated and misshapen ghosts gradually made their way towards the blue-robed young man who was still playing his flute.


    Seeing the ghosts gathering around him, the young man smiled charmingly and finally stopped playing. In a kind voice, he asked, ¡°Did you all enjoy today¡¯s performance?¡±


    The ghosts all nodded, smiles still on their faces.


    Not caring about their gruesome appearances, the young man clapped once happily. ¡°That¡¯s good then. I¡¯ll come back a few months later and play some more for you.¡±


    The ghosts all looked visibly more joyful, which only made them appear creepier to the watching disciples.


    To show their gratitude, the cheerful group of ghosts slowly approached closer to the young man, each wanting to give him a gift.


    The first was the woman with the chopped off arm. She gave him her severed appendage, and the young man solemnly accepted it while saying, ¡°Thank you, it is much appreciated.¡±


    The arm slowly dissolved into grey fog that was then absorbed into the young man¡¯s body.


    One by one, the other ghosts also followed suit, gifting him an eyeball here, a finger there, and all these random body parts turned to smog and disappeared into the blue-robed young man¡¯s body.


    Once all the ghosts had paid their tributes, they dispersed with pleased expressions on their faces.


    It was only after this that the disciples of the Drifting Clouds Sect dared enter the cemetery, led at the front by the head disciple of the sect master, An YaLing.


    An YaLing directly made for his junior brother. ¡°Yingzi, how are you?¡±


    Seeing his senior brother approaching with quick strides and a worried frown on his face, the dark-blue-robed young man, Li Yingzi, gracefully got down from the headstone he was using as his seat and straightened himself up.


    In a low and melodious voice, he replied, ¡°Senior Brother, I¡¯m well. I had a good harvest of yin energy tonight, enough to last me a couple of months at least.¡±


    Sighing, An YaLing reprimanded him softly in a pleasant and clear voice, ¡°If you lacked yin energy, why didn¡¯t you come to me? I would have taken you somewhere with abundant yin energy and let you absorb it to your heart¡¯s content.¡±


    Li Yingzi smiled brightly. ¡°How could I trouble Senior Brother for something like this? Also, I quite enjoy playing for the unearthly ones.¡±


    An YaLing shook his head with amusement. ¡°Though I know you have a soft spot for ghostly spirits, I am sure that it isn¡¯t the only reason you do this so regularly. Admit it, you also take great pleasure in frightening the poor townsfolk, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Not denying it, Li Yingzi laughed brashly, a wide grin settling on his handsome features. ¡°Senior Brother knows me well.¡±


    Moving closer, Li Yingzi brazenly wound an arm around his senior brother¡¯s waist and settled his head on his shoulder as they began walking back to the sect, the other disciples following behind in silence. They were already used to this scene by now.


    Looking at the head of disheveled hair resting on his shoulder, An YaLing scolded lightly, ¡°Did you forget to brush your hair again? And what about your nails? Since they grow too fast, it¡¯s better to keep them trimmed or you might hurt yourself with them.¡±


    Li Yingzi¡¯s eyes grew warm. ¡°Then I will have to trouble Senior Brother as always.¡±


    Chuckling, An YaLing shook his head helplessly. ¡°Oh, what am I going to do with you. Alright, let¡¯s see to it after we get back.¡±


    Li Yingzi nodded happily, his heart full of contentment.


    One day, he would completely have this person, but not yet. For now, he was satisfied with this much.


    Not knowing the direction of his junior brother¡¯s thoughts, An YaLing observed, ¡°Oh, I just noticed, but you seem to have grown taller again. Yingzi, at this rate your height will soon surpass mine and I¡¯ll have to be the one borrowing your shoulder to lean on then.¡±


    Laughing, Li Yingzi spoke, ¡°If Senior Brother wishes, I will gladly lend you anything of mine.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you sweet-talker.¡± An YaLing flicked Li Yingzi¡¯s forehead playfully. His junior brother seemed to be getting more and more mischievous as the days passed, but An YaLing found that he quite liked it.


    Cheerfully chatting in this way, the two martial brothers slowly made their way back, the rest of the disciples quietly trailing behind them.


    And thus, the mission to retrieve the troublesome Second Martial Brother Li Yingzi from yet another cemetery was completed successfully.


    crimson_carnation

 Chapter 26: Guardian to the Entrance

    The inside of the forest was filled with bizarre and wondrous sights.


    A river of smoke that flowed over luminescent bony protrusions; half-finished sigils and formations that glowed, hovering scattered in the air; huge shining spherical bugs with a dozen skittering legs that tried to lure them away from the path; swarms of transparent worms that swam almost invisible in the air¨Dthese were only a few of the strange things they beheld.


    The young male disciple from the Lightning Sky Sect had run into those invisible worms and almost had his spiritual energy sucked out. It had taken the combined efforts of both Lei Zihua and An YaLing to resolve that situation.


    As Lei Zihua led them deeper and deeper, Qinghe noticed Wei Xiang¡¯s expression getting increasingly stranger. Slowing down, Qinghe kept pace with Wei Xiang, studying his lover¡¯s face.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he finally asked.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s brows were wrinkled as he uncertainly shook his head. ¡°Nothing, I just feel that this path feels familiar.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°I think so,¡± Wei Xiang sounded uncharacteristically uncomfortable.


    The other disciples saw the Heavenly Peak Sect¡¯s famously efficient second disciple and the most feared Sentinel Wei discussing something with their heads together and decided to stay away. It could either be state secrets or affectionate words of love¡ªthey didn¡¯t dare to know which. After all, the couple had not exactly been trying to hide their closeness, so the other disciples had already surmised that their relationship was not simple.


    Without looking behind them, the disciples kept their attention on the duo following at the back.


    Walking with the others, Jing Shui narrowed his eyes at those two. The others might not know much, but he definitely knew his friend, and Qinghe was not the type to get close to someone casually. He was burning with curiosity to know what the relationship between them was, but curbed it lest he tasted his friend¡¯s fury.


    Qinghe had been alert to the covert glances being thrown their way for some time now. It was obvious what they all wanted to know. His lips curled up mischievously.


    Oblivious, Wei Xiang was still worrying over the familiarity of their path when he felt Qinghe¡¯s hand reach over and curl around his nape. His attention snapped to his smirking lover as his head was pulled down. He felt Qinghe¡¯s body pressing into his own as Qinghe¡¯s warm lips brushed over his cheek, faintly and gently like the soft touch of a flower petal.


    The disciples sneakily observing them almost tripped in shock. This declaration was too obvious!


    Even after he was released, Wei Xiang could still feel the faint echo of lips on his cheek. His heart galloped in his chest.


    When he looked at Qinghe, he saw his beloved smugly glancing at the group of disciples walking in front. There was a look of pride and possessiveness on his face. The tips of his ears were faintly pink.


    His worries thrown away, Wei Xiang smiled and swooped down to land a peck on Qinghe¡¯s forehead. This cunning fox of his was really getting too cute for him to handle.


    The others all felt aggrieved in their hearts. This shameless couple, can¡¯t you go make out somewhere you can¡¯t hurt our delicate single hearts?!


    From then on, Qinghe and Wei Xiang walked side-by-side while casually holding hands.


    After a while, Wei Xiang was frowning again. This path felt undeniably familiar to him and something sparked in his memory.


    ¡°Miss Lei, are you sure this is the correct path?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure,¡± Lei Zihua answered in her usual stiff voice.


    ¡°Then may I ask one more thing? What color are the scales of this serpent we are trying to find?¡±


    Lei Zihua paused. She didn¡¯t know why this Sentinel was asking this question, but he must have a good reason. So she answered truthfully, ¡°We have some samples back in the sect¡¯s laboratory if the Sentinel wishes to take a look. I¡¯ve heard it is copper colored.¡±


    For some reason, after hearing that, Wei Xiang chuckled. It was not a nice sound.


    ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± Qinghe prodded worriedly. Why was he so strange today?


    His eyes glinting coldly, Wei Xiang had a sharp grin as he shook his head and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to worry. It¡¯s just that I finally realized why our route seems so familiar. I think I know where we¡¯re going.¡± He didn¡¯t say anything more.


    Understanding that it was something he wasn¡¯t comfortable with saying in front of others, Qinghe also let it go.


    ¡°If the Sentinel is familiar with the way, then do you by chance know of a method to bypass the tree guardian?¡± Lei Zihua asked, a hint of excitement coloring her voice. No one had yet been able to go past that vicious tree-shaped guardian spirit that had been blocking their way to the beast.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see when we get there.¡± Wei Xiang, however, was noncommittal.


    It wasn¡¯t long before they reached the clearing where the aforementioned tree resided.


    When the cultivators who had come before while tracking the beast had tried to circle around the tree guardian, they had been completely unable to find the beast. It was thus concluded that the beast must be in a small dimensional pocket that could only be accessed by receiving the permission of the tree guardian, which it never gave.


    The edge of the clearing was lined with luminescent coral-shaped plants. A large formation drawn with metallic lines and half covered with dust and debris was set in front of a huge tree with twisting branches. The tree didn¡¯t look sentient, at least not on the surface. Its leaves were a silvery emerald, its bark deep brown. Fist-sized globes hung like fruits from the branches, glowing in shades of blue, gold, purple, and green.


    The second the group of six stepped over the border and entered the clearing, the branches and trunk of the ancient tree shuddered. The tree seemed to shrink and mold itself into an androgynous humanoid form. Two branches turned into arms with twig-like fingers, leaves still attached. The trunk split from the bottom to form two shapely legs, the roots still digging into the ground. The rest of the branches seemed to go limp as they softened to drape like hair over its back, the glowing fruits dangling like luminescent hair ornaments.


    The transformation took barely half a minute.


    Two bright amber eyes opened and studied them. A slash of a mouth opened and hissed, ¡°Who dares trespass once again on this sacred land? You must be brave to not fear death!¡±


    The other disciples stood and stared in shock while Qinghe only looked at it curiously. But Wei Xiang stepped forward and mocked, ¡°Oh? Do you, an insignificant servant, dare go against me? You must be brave to not fear death.¡± He threw back its own words at it.


    The malicious expression on the tree¡¯s face faltered. Its amber eyes widened as it stuttered incoherently, ¡°Y-You¡­No, Y-Your Majesty¡­the Sovereign?¡±


    It recognized him? Qinghe and the others turned to Wei Xiang as one, a question in their gazes.


    ¡°Did you forget how your master looks, servant? Do you dare bar my way?¡± Wei Xiang¡¯s tone was imposing and cold. The expression on his face screamed brutal murder. It seemed he was really pissed.


    Seeming to collect itself, the tree replied humbly, ¡°S-Sovereign¡­ I would dare not block your path, but the humans¡­ Well, you know there are rules. Even if they have your permission, I can¡¯t let the humans through until they complete at least one trial. Please, I beg your understanding.¡±


    Wei Xiang narrowed his eyes, displeased. But he also knew that these rules had been set in place long before his or this tree¡¯s time. The disciples could only aim to complete at least one of several tests to receive the right of passage. As the sovereign of the space being guarded by the tree, Wei Xiang alone would be able to pass directly without the need of any testing.


    The only way to forcefully let them through without a trial would be if Wei Xiang forcibly erased the imprint of the dimension¡¯s creator and claimed it for himself and gained true and complete ownership. But the creator had been a very powerful divine beast, so Wei Xiang would have to have at least cultivation equal to or greater than a deity to gain ownership, which was not possible at present.


    So he could only accompany them for protection and let them take the test.


    ¡°Very well. Choose the simplest one then,¡± he commanded.


    The tree nodded obediently.


    ¡°What type of test?¡± Jing Shui asked. He had enough brains to figure out that if they wanted at the beast, they had no choice but to go through this.


    ¡°A test of mettle, or so I¡¯ve been told before,¡± Wei Xiang replied uncaringly.


    An YaLing looked worried, ¡°I hope no one gets hurt.¡±


    Frowning deeply, Lei Zihua commented, ¡°This is the first time the tree has offered an option. So we can go through to where the beast is if we pass this test?¡±


    ¡°It should be so,¡± Qinghe said while still smiling.


    ¡°I hope it¡¯s not hard,¡± Lei Zihua¡¯s junior disciple muttered, nervous.


    Wei Xiang looked at Qinghe, seeing if he was mad at him for hiding this. Sensing his gaze, Qinghe looked at him and smiled. ¡°It seems Sentinel Wei has a lot of secrets.¡±


    Of course he was mad! After all, just yesterday, Qinghe had spilled the whole sordid story of his past while on the verge of tears. Though he wanted to give Wei Xiang his space, it still stung that he hadn¡¯t come clean too.


    Sighing, Wei Xiang confessed, ¡°Alright, I¡¯m sorry. I should have told you. It¡¯s just¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just?¡± Qinghe prodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that I forgot.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± How can you forget that you own a secret dimension in the Spirit Bewildering Forest?!


    As if reading his doubts, Wei Xiang replied, ¡°It happened so long ago. It¡¯s been around ten thousand years since then, so of course I forgot.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± T-Ten thousand? Wasn¡¯t that a bit too old? Qinghe himself was only thirty-six. Though, of course, he only looked to be around twenty due to his cultivation.


    ¡°So¡­how old are you actually?¡± Qinghe asked hesitatingly.


    Wei Xiang smiled and replied, ¡°About fourteen thousand, maybe. I didn¡¯t keep a strict count.¡±


    Qinghe really didn¡¯t know what to feel at having such an old man for a sweetheart.


    ¡°You¡¯re practically robbing the cradle then,¡± Qinghe said, shaking his head in mock disapproval.


    ¡°Oh? I don¡¯t think you mind though,¡± Wei Xiang countered. Then just because he could, he bent down and laid a kiss on Qinghe¡¯s soft cheek, making him flush.


    ¡°You are incorrigible,¡± he said. But Qinghe was smiling happily, not minding these public displays of affection at all.


    ¡°Do you lovebirds think we can start or do you need another half a day more?¡± Jing Shui asked wryly from the side. He was still somewhat in disbelief that Qinghe of all people had gotten a lover.


    ¡°Then give us half a day more,¡± both Qinghe and Wei Xiang said as one, then looked at each other and chuckled.


    Jing Shui gave up. It seemed these two really were suitable for each other. At least there were now two less dangerous people on the prowl.


    In contrast to the warm atmosphere around Qinghe¡¯s group, the tree guardian only felt bitterness.


    It hadn¡¯t expected to see that frightening person after he¡¯d left. Sovereign? Yeah, right! The only reason he was called that was because there was no one else left to assume that title!


    Though to be truthful, he¡¯d still eventually have been crowned if he hadn¡¯t¡­ The tree shuddered lightly in repressed horror. It still remembered the scent of thick, metallic blood and charred wood coating Wei Xiang as he had left that last time. No, no one else was as powerful or as decisive as him. He definitely deserved his title.


    But the bitterness in the tree guardian¡¯s heart did not subside. Look at him flirting and grinning so imprudently. There was none of that cutting bloodthirst around him anymore. He seemed to have long been defanged, losing his explosive brutality and the wild sense of violence he had around him like a beloved pet. He must have gotten soft.


    Thinking like this, the tree guardian had a bold idea. Though it wouldn¡¯t affect the sovereign since he was already recognized as someone with the right to enter, it couldn¡¯t be said to be the same for his weak human companions.


    En, it was worth considering¡­


    At the thought of seeing that bloodthirsty and ruthless fiend¡¯s expression of shock, the tree guardian was giddy with anticipation.


    Unaware of the tree guardian¡¯s change of heart, the others kept on bickering and discussing.


    After a while, their chatter finally abated and they turned to the tree guardian, ready for the test.


    ¡°Do it,¡± Wei Xiang commanded.


    The tree guardian humbly nodded, but was gleeful on the inside.


    The glowing fruits hanging from its hair started brightening and dimming rhythmically. Wind blew as the silver formation beneath their feet glowed. As one, the group disappeared.


    The tree guardian resumed the shape of an ancient tree, the rustling of its emerald leaves sounding like hoarse laughter.

 Chapter 27: Each of Their Fears

    After being transported out from the clearing with the tree guardian, the six people found themselves in a black world. The ground was like smooth glass. Their surroundings were nothing but darkness.


    ¡°Where is this?¡± Jing Shui was the first to break the silence.


    ¡°This should be an illusory world where the test is administered,¡± replied Wei Xiang. He kept having a strange feeling, as if something was wrong, but chose to push it aside for the time being.


    ¡°What happens now?¡± An YaLing asked curiously.


    Wei Xiang pondered for a bit before answering, ¡°You will be chosen one by one to take the test. The rest can watch but not interfere. All those who pass can enter the dimension.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, simple and straightforward,¡± Qinghe commented.


    ¡°How do we begin?¡± Lei Zihua was ready to get started.


    Her junior brother mumbled, ¡°I hope I can pass¡­¡±


    Suddenly, lines of red flashed under their feet. Like vermillion veins, the lines pulsed with life.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s about to begin,¡± Wei Xiang informed them.


    They all watched with vigilance at the ground. The red lines kept pulsing for a while before suddenly leaping up and wrapping over one of them.


    ¡°Xiao Ran!¡± Lei Zihua called out to her junior brother in panic.


    The veins of red wrapping over the teenager pulsed sinisterly before he vanished.


    The blackness around them suddenly lightened, vague scenery beginning to take shape. Faded green grass swayed balefully under their feet, replacing the glassy floor. The sky looked grey and the surroundings just as colorless.


    ¡°His test is beginning,¡± Wei Xiang said and everyone snapped back from their shock.


    ¡°Is this some sort of an inner realm perhaps?¡± An YaLing asked.


    Wei Xiang shrugged. He had never had to be tested, so him knowing this much could already be considered good.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Xiao Ran?¡± Lei Zihua asked anxiously, her stiff face creased with worry.


    As if in reply, low growls and barks sounded from the distance. They all turned to look and finally spotted Xiao Ran. He seemed to have shrunk back to being a kid of around five, running full tilt from a pack of pitch black, dog-shaped shadows.


    Lei Zihua wanted to go to him, but Jing Shui held her back. ¡°This is his test. Sister Lei should not interfere.¡± Hearing this, she finally came to her senses. Yes, this was only a test. Her junior brother was not in any real danger.


    The group watched with mixed expressions as the younger version of Xiao Ran was chased until he was sobbing by the snapping pack of dogs. The eyes of the hounds were white fire, trailing light as they focused on their prey. Xiao Ran was clearly terrified. His face showed panic as he frantically pumped his little legs as fast as he could.


    The distance between the dogs and the little boy grew shorter and shorter, until the pack finally leapt onto him.


    Everyone thought this would be the end of it. Xiao Ran had clearly failed.


    But the test was not yet over.


    The pack of wild dogs bit and ripped into the screaming little boy. Horrified, Qinghe and the other disciples ran to the scene, trying to help. But their hands and bodies easily passed through, as if they were but insubstantial ghosts. Even their spiritual energies were incapable of influencing anything, being sucked away the moment their powers were mobilized.


    They could not interfere.


    Finally, the screams subsided and the dogs slowly dissipated into black vapor. The dim world around them was replaced with the darkness they had first seen. The ground turned back to the glassy floor.


    Xiao Ran had returned to his normal appearance, but was curled up unmoving on the floor with dull eyes. The test had clearly taken a psychological toll on him.


    Lei Zihua went to him and gathered him on her lap, slowly stroking his back in comfort. Shuddering, Xiao Ran finally blinked. ¡°S-Senior Sister? W-What¡­ Where are the¡­ Ah! The test! I failed. Senior Sister, I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± Xiao Ran¡¯s face crumpled like he was going to cry.


    The others quickly averted their eyes. This personal scene was not something strangers like them should witness.


    ¡°Silly boy, I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re okay,¡± Lei Zihua sounded as stern as usual, but her voice was slightly husky with relief.


    ¡°I was so scared,¡± Xiao Ran whispered. ¡°I couldn¡¯t even remember that I had cultivation. I was so scared¡­¡±


    Everyone ruminated on this. This test would clearly not be that simple.


    Hesitating, An YaLing inquired, ¡°May I ask if that scene before was just an illusion, or from your memories?¡±


    Since it had invoked such a mindless terror in Xiao Ran, it must certainly be personally connected to his fears.


    ¡°I¡­ When I was a child, I was apparently chased and bitten by a pack of street dogs when I accidentally got separated from my family. My parents insist that it is the reason I¡¯m so scared of dogs, but I have no recollection of that incident.¡±


    ¡°You must have been so afraid that you buried the memory,¡± Qinghe said, a kind and understanding smile curving his lips. Seeing his smile, Xiao Ran felt his heart calming. That along with his senior martial sister¡¯s soothing finally managed to break him out of the experience.


    ¡°This test seems more difficult than we expected,¡± Jing Shui observed thoughtfully.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± An YaLing said, his complexion not looking good. He already had a hint of what his test would be like and he was not looking forward to it.


    ¡°It seems I need to teach a certain tree a lesson after I get back,¡± Wei Xiang spoke to himself. All those within hearing range felt a chill run up their spines at his sharp tone. His eyes glittered with barely hidden malice.


    Indeed, it looked like the tree guardian had gone back on its word. This trial would not be easy.


    Scarlet lines pulsed beneath their feet once again and the group stiffened.


    The veins emerged out of the ground again, wrapping around An YaLing this time. He barely had the time to frantically whisper ¡°Oh dear heavens¡­¡± before he vanished.


    They looked at each other. They at least had gotten some buffer time between two trials. They could use this time to figure out what they were up against so that at least one of them could pass. Wei Xiang didn¡¯t count, he wasn¡¯t a disciple and getting to the serpent beast wasn¡¯t his assignment.


    The scene changed yet again.


    The sky had once more turned to a sullen grey. They were in a wide valley surrounded on all sides by steep cliffs. Tall, crumbling stone pillars thrust out of the earth. The ground was blanketed by a roiling layer of¡­rats?


    Yes, Qinghe confirmed, they were indeed rats. The rodents were colored in varying shades of black and grey as they surged and ebbed like the waves and tides of the ocean.


    And at the center, with a horrified expression on his face, stood An YaLing.


    He looked like a lanky underfed teenager, the graceful lines of his face gaunt and sickly. Dirt smudged his skin and his tattered clothes hung loosely on his frame like moth-eaten drapes.


    He looked down with shock frozen on his face as he saw the rodents covering his feet and chewing at the hem of his pants. With an undignified shriek, he ran, flinging off the rats clinging to him.


    ¡°Fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK¡­!¡± he kept chanting in an uncharacteristically high-pitched voice as he fled. He could feel his feet squishing rat bodies as he dashed forward. The chittering and squeaking of the rodents followed him unceasingly no matter how much he ran.


    The waves of rats seemed unending. He was unable to find even one place clear of them.


    Red beady eyes glinted greedily, small whiskers twitching with eagerness as the rats did their best to climb up and cover him.


    An YaLing was beyond panicked. He constantly cursed and screeched, his usual dignified and gentle self nowhere to be found.


    The others watching this scene had no idea whether to laugh or cry. This must clearly be related to some sort of deep emotional scar for him if it appeared in the trial like this, but this scene was just too outrageous.


    But their urge to laugh soon vanished when the rats managed to completely cover An YaLing. He looked like a teetering heap of rodents as he flailed about trying to shed them.


    Sharp and shrill screams sounded out as the rats began biting into him with their teeth, devouring him mercilessly.


    The scene soon faded, taking away the churning waves of rodents with it. An YaLing was slumped on the floor, his lips trembling and his face whiter than paper.


    No one said a word.


    ¡°Well,¡± An YaLing finally opened his mouth and said in a shaking voice, ¡°That was terrible.¡±


    No one disagreed.


    But he was after all the head disciple of the Drifting Clouds Sect. He was made of sterner stuff. Taking in a deep breath, he stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I failed the trial.¡±


    ¡°None of us blame you, Brother An. So please don¡¯t be hard on yourself,¡± Qinghe pacified.


    The others nodded in agreement and An YaLing¡¯s expression finally eased.


    ¡°Did you notice anything strange or unusual during the trial?¡± Wei Xiang asked. He wanted to know what type of test this was. It clearly wasn¡¯t a simulation of heart demons or the like. Rather than the carefully constructed scenarios brought on by heart demons that tempted cultivators with what they desired the most, these scenarios were too focused on the fears and were somewhat indistinct.


    An YaLing seriously gave the question some thought. He waded through the painful experience and tried to see past his fear and panic.


    ¡°Maybe there is something¡­¡± he said uncertainly. ¡°When I was running, I saw flashes of vermillion at the corner of my vision. It was unlike the rats¡¯ eye color and it was from above. But whenever my gaze turned in that direction, there was nothing. It might just be my imagination though.¡±


    A flash of vermillion? Wasn¡¯t it the same color as those lines that pulsed in the ground?


    Everyone looked down thoughtfully.


    As if sensing their thoughts, the veins appeared again. This time they wrapped around a surprised Jing Shui and took him away.


    Qinghe was somewhat curious. He could guess that his fears would have something to do with the imperial family. But Qinghe also felt dread on behalf of his friend. This would not be pleasant, not that any of their fears were.


    The scene changed, the black expanse fading into a dimly lit room. The room was spacious and one wall consisted completely of painted paper doors. The backlit silhouettes of people walking silently on the other side of the paper could be seen.


    The faint flickering light of the lamps cast the inside of the room in a gloomy glow. The air was thick and heavy with the smoke from expensive incense. The wavering lamplight reflected off the grand gold decorations covering the walls, the play of contrasting light and shadow making them look especially imposing.


    Despite the size of the room, it felt stifling and suffocating.


    At the center of the room was a well-crafted wooden table. On it were scrolls, loose sheaves of paper, a brush and an inkstone. They all looked to be of excellent quality. Sitting at the table and draped in layer upon layer of heavy robes was a hunched over figure. He looked like a child on the verge of becoming a teenager. The child looked lonely and afraid as he diligently copied characters from the scrolls onto the paper. His face was dripping with tears, but he dared not let even a single sound escape.


    As he moved the brush, faint clanking sounds issued from his wrists. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed that his wrists and ankles were burdened with exquisitely engraved golden shackles, the thick chains trailing from them almost hidden in the folds of his yellow robes.


    This pitiful child was Jing Shui.


    Seeing this scene made Qinghe¡¯s heart hurt for his friend.


    As Jing Shui continued writing, one of the heavy chains snagged at the edge of the inkstone and sent it crashing to the ground. Startled, Jing Shui gasped softly, then closed his hands over his mouth as if wishing he could suck back the sound and looked fearfully at the wall of paper doors.


    Sure enough, the shadows of the wandering figures had all paused. They hadn¡¯t reacted to the crash of the inkstone, but rather to the small gasp.


    The shadowy figures suddenly rushed forward and ripped open the paper doors, flooding into the room. Their images were dark and indistinct, only their white eyes and whiter teeth visible as they surrounded Jing Shui.


    Shadowy hands with long fingers reached towards him as cultured and pompous voices constantly admonished, ¡°Useless child, why can¡¯t you sit still and learn your lessons properly. Do your duty. Learn to be silent and obedient. Sit and study. Don¡¯t you dare run off!¡±


    The trembling child clamped his mouth shut, his eyes open wide in terror. The reaching hands closed around his throat and cut off his air. Jing Shui had no choice but to open his mouth and gasp for breath, but the hands squeezing his neck did not let off.


    ¡°Be quiet, stay silent, don¡¯t speak, don¡¯t laugh, or we¡¯ll sew your lips together!¡±


    ¡°Be obedient! Sit still! Don¡¯t you dare move or we¡¯ll hack your limbs off¡±


    Despite the feeling of choking, Jing Shui tried his best to stifle his cries and gasps, an endless stream of tears trickling over his face. He forced his thrashing limbs to remain still. His eyes eventually rolled up and his face turned blue. The figures strangling him finally dissipated.


    The scene vanished, the black space returning to its original form.


    On the floor, Jing Shui laid silent and still, his face still awash with tears. Qinghe walked up to him and sat down. After laboring to curb his instinctive aversion to touch, Qinghe slowly reached out a hand and patted his friend¡¯s back. ¡°It¡¯s okay. All of that was in the past. They can¡¯t hurt you anymore. Even if they try, I won¡¯t let them. I promised, remember?¡±


    Jing Shui slowly stirred. Though his gaze was dull, he still nodded. Yes, he would never have to return to that horrible place ever again.


    Combined with Qinghe¡¯s soothing voice washing over him and his comforting touch, Jing Shui¡¯s heart slowly calmed.


    Thankfully, there had been nothing obvious enough to indicate that that place had been the imperial palace, so at least the secret of Jing Shui¡¯s identity was safe.


    No one commented on what they saw, politely keeping their questions about each other to themselves.


    ¡°Rather than a heart demon, it seems more like a nightmare,¡± Wei Xiang finally stated his observation.


    Nodding, Jing Shui said in a thick voice, ¡°Yes, it was just as nonsensical and disorienting as a nightmare. I didn¡¯t even remember that I had cultivation or try to reason out the situation. It felt more like a vague manifestation of fears rather than a specific situation that I was afraid of. It really was like a nightmare.¡±


    Qinghe frowned and voiced a suspicion. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s a¡­Nightmare Parasite?¡±


    Astonished gazes greeted him.


    ¡°But weren¡¯t they supposed to be exterminated long ago?¡± Xiao Ran said uncertainly.


    An YaLing refuted in a thoughtful tone, ¡°Yes, but it is not impossible for one or two to have slipped through and survived.¡±


    ¡°This is getting dangerous,¡± Lei Zihua remarked.


    The red veins beneath their feet pulsed again.

 Chapter 28: Nightmare Parasite

    This time the one dragged off was Lei Zihua.


    Qinghe didn¡¯t understand why the veins seemed to be avoiding him. But if it was the Nightmare Parasite, then maybe it was just biding its time.


    The Nightmare Parasite was a strange creature. It did not have a physical body, but manifested in nightmares as a vermilion formation. If one could regain their senses during the nightmare induced by the parasite, then the vermilion formation would become visible to them and they could break it to be liberated. But if they failed to get free, the Nightmare Parasite would slowly suck their spiritual energy while they were stuck in an endless loop of nightmares.


    This Nightmare Parasite must be relatively weak, so it was targeting those with weaker cultivations first, building up its reserves of spiritual energy before latching on to stronger prey.


    The first one targeted was Xiao Ran. He was doubtlessly the weakest among them all. The next would be An YaLing since he was at the lower stage of fourth realm. Then was Jing Shui at the peak of fourth stage. Lei Zihua was in the lower level of fifth realm. Qinghe must have been reserved for the last since he had the highest cultivation at peak seventh realm.


    Qinghe finally understood.


    On the other side, Lei Zihua¡¯s nightmare had already started.


    She was in a burning mansion, wearing a plain servant¡¯s robe with holes scorched into them. She waded through the sea of flames while frantically searching for her little brother.


    ¡°Xiao Sheng? Xiao Sheng! Answer me!¡± she shouted into the fire as her fingers unceasingly kept digging through the burning wreckage. Her hands blistered and her skin bubbled in the heat, but she did not stop.


    Her brother must be alive! He must be somewhere here! She¡¯d find him if she just kept on searching¡­


    The blazing hot flames danced garishly in orange and yellow. Soot and smoke filled the air. Lei Zihua felt her eyes sting in the dry heat, her lungs and throat feeling like it was being scraped raw from the inside with sandpaper due to the inhaled smoke. Her limbs grew heavy and sluggish and the fire burned hotter and hotter, the long licks of their flames reaching up towards heaven.


    Lei Zihua stumbled and fell down, and try as she might, she couldn¡¯t get out of the fire that began greedily consuming her. Her skin melted and sloughed off, the exposed bones and muscles blackening and curling right in front of her gaze. Her eyes were too dry to form tears. She couldn¡¯t hold on anymore. She couldn¡¯t save her brother. Her younger brother had died just like this¡­


    The scene faded and blackness replaced the wall of fire that had been surrounding her.


    Xiao Ran ran to his Senior Martial Sister and comforted her much as she did him. After the loss of her younger brother, Lei Zihua had joined the Lightning Sky Sect and had treated this junior like her younger brother. For all intents and purposes, they were truly like siblings.


    A glum silence claimed the group.


    Wei Xiang turned to Qinghe. ¡°You¡¯re the only one left. Can you handle it?¡±


    Jing Shui also looked at him worriedly. Only the both of them knew of Qinghe¡¯s childhood.


    Qinghe blithely shrugged. ¡°I will deal with it just like everyone else. I hope I can pass, but that¡¯s not looking very likely at the moment.¡±


    Everyone was silent. This was indeed too difficult.


    How could they break free when they were immersed in their worst fear without being able to remember to use their cultivation or the actual situation? In the nightmare, everything seemed real. No matter what they thought now, they had been unable to break free at that time, the sheer panic blocking out everything else, even their ability to think. Manipulated to this extent, passing the trial would be impossible.


    And now that Qinghe was the only one left, if he didn¡¯t pass and also had his spiritual energy sucked, then the Nightmare Parasite might gain enough power to trap them in repeating nightmares, systematically harvesting their energies until they all died. The only time it would be visible and vulnerable to attacks was when its prey broke out of the nightmare on their own.


    Qinghe turned to Wei Xiang. ¡°If I fail, can you still get us out?¡±


    Raising an eyebrow, Wei Xiang answered, ¡°I can try, but it is best if you don¡¯t fail.¡±


    Qinghe nodded.


    ¡°Brother Feng,¡± An YaLing spoke. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t pass, none of us will blame you.¡±


    Touched by his reassurance, Qinghe smiled gratefully.


    The red lines pulsed, veins extending upward. Qinghe was calm as they wrapped around him.


    Suddenly, Wei Xiang reached over and lifted up his chin with a finger. Before Qinghe could register it, Wei Xiang bent down and kissed him on the lips. Not waiting for his reaction, Wei Xiang had already let go and stepped away. Wearing a startled expression and with warmth still lingering on his lips, Qinghe was taken away into his nightmare.


    From the side, Wei Xiang watched as the darkness faded into the inside of a crumbling windowless room. The rough, filthy yellow walls were smudged with large patches of black. Little children with bruised dirty skin and barely any clothing were piled up in the cramped and narrow room. The pungent smell of unwashed bodies filled the space, combining with the scent of rotting wounds and excrement.


    Standing in the center of this and looking strangely removed from the situation was an angelic looking boy. His creamy skin was smooth and only slightly dusty. His uncombed hair looked charmingly disheveled. His clothes must have been of high quality, since they hadn¡¯t been worn down to thin rags yet like the others¡¯. Around his neck was a thick and rough collar made of low-grade spirit-suppressing material.


    On the sash around his waist, there was a long string of carefully embroidered words that Wei Xiang could barely make out.


    They read: My name is Feng Qinghe. If you find me loitering at any place I shouldn¡¯t be, please return me to the Feng residence.


    Wei Xiang, ¡°¡­¡±


    Just how naughty had Qinghe been as a child that his parents had to stitch that onto his belt? Wei Xiang was amused. Well, at least it explained why Qinghe remembered his name despite forgetting his past before the orphanage.


    Qinghe¡¯s face was calm and cold. There was not a ripple of emotion in his calculating gaze as he assessed the situation.


    It was nighttime and he knew he should lie down. If the wardens found him awake and standing, they would thrash the heck out of him and then he¡¯d be ganged upon by the other kids who liked to beat on anyone who was weak.


    Talking about weak, there was one person who the others liked to bully, but Qinghe had taken him under his wing and tried to keep him safe.


    Turning, Qinghe walked to his corner of the room. He was a good fighter, so the others mostly let him be and didn¡¯t try to take over his corner. A thin figure lay curled on the rough floor there. This was the only friend Qinghe had till now.


    Sensing his approach, the thin boy turned to look and opened his arms in welcome. Qinghe lied down and snuggled into the warm embrace. The other person was older and taller than him and could completely envelop his smaller body.


    Qinghe couldn¡¯t make out his face for some reason, but he didn¡¯t let it bother him. He knew that this person was kind and trustworthy and that he was good to him. That was enough.


    The night dragged on and the piles of bodies around Qinghe lay unmoving and lifeless, but Qinghe didn¡¯t seem to notice.


    With a loud boom, the narrow wooden door was flung open, its hinges creaking. Qinghe startled awake, a bad feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. The sleeping kids seemed to have disappeared, but Qinghe didn¡¯t seem to perceive the absence.


    Large and menacing black shadows in the shape of grinning men barged into the room. One of them made their way to Qinghe¡¯s side, gaze fixed on the person sleeping next to him.


    Qinghe tried to shield him but the other shadow men surrounded him and held him down. He could only watch as long arms reached out and clamped onto the foot of Qinghe¡¯s friend, dragging him away.


    ¡°Little boy, come, let¡¯s play~¡± said the shadow taking the boy away in a creepy singsong voice.


    The figure of the thin boy opened its mouth as if screaming, but no sound issued. The boy extended a hand towards Qinghe as he was taken farther and farther, but Qinghe couldn¡¯t move no matter how much he struggled.


    ¡°Yan Lin!¡± Qinghe shouted out a name he didn¡¯t remember, of a person he had long buried in his mind. He knew without a doubt that this person had died.


    The three burly shadow men that were holding him down revealed eerie white grins. ¡°Kid, do you also want to play~?¡± they singsonged.


    Qinghe froze. His face was still a cold mask, but his eyes couldn¡¯t hide their terror. He knew something terrible was going to happen to him.


    Large shadowy hands crept into his shirt and roved over his face. Qinghe could feel the roughness of the intrusive palms. A grinning head lowered and whispered to him, ¡°I wonder how he¡¯ll look after we¡¯re done with him. Will his cold face crack?¡±


    Qinghe felt a hand painfully squeezing his waist. He forced himself to not cry out.


    ¡°I¡¯ll teach you respect boy, I¡¯ll make you scream and beg for mercy!¡± another creepy voice declared, its hand holding a thigh and kneading the soft flesh.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to tie him down and plow him,¡± another giggled as it brusquely pulled his head up by the hair.


    Surrounded by these shadows and being touched everywhere by their repulsive hands, Qinghe¡¯s eyes were filled with a bottomless well of horror and panic.


    Unconsciously, he licked his lips in anxiety and froze. He could faintly make out the flavor of warm metal and woodsmoke lingering on his lips. He remembered the sensation of being kissed, though the exact memory eluded him. What was this?


    A name vaguely surfaced in his mind.


    ¡­Wei Xiang¡­


    Who was that?


    What was he to me?


    Sights and sounds and images flooded his mind in a hectic tide of information.


    He remembered a beautiful and lively face, one corner of the mouth quirked up in a grin. A pair of eyes glinting with mischievousness and thick, straight hair swinging mesmerizingly with each step. Smooth, creamy skin colored with a touch of honey. A gold and black robe. A warm hand running up and down his back. Little kisses on his forehead. A short peck on his lips.


    The memories came quickly in disjointed pieces and were difficult to hold on to, but Qinghe forcefully wrenched his memories back from the grasp of the Nightmare Parasite. His eyes slowly cleared and his lips curled up in a wry smile.


    Ah, yes, the trial. He should probably try to pass it.


    A burst of wind exploded out from Qinghe, flinging out his assaulters.


    The young boy stood there impassively. His eyes were cold and deep, his lips were curved in a small, cruel smile.


    ¡°Wei Xiang, thank you,¡± he whispered, barely audible.


    At the side, Wei Xiang heard him and smiled. It had been terrible to watch his love being plagued with his nightmare. But thankfully, he seemed to have broken out of it now.


    Jing Shui asked him excitedly, ¡°He just used wind! Did he remember? Will he pass?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Wei Xiang answered simply. Now that Qinghe remembered, he would definitely find his way out.


    An YaLing said admiringly, ¡°Brother Feng¡¯s willpower and talent are truly as rumored! To think he could break away from such a terrible past so quickly.¡±


    Nodding, Lei Zihua noted, ¡°Now at least one of us has the chance of clearing the trial.¡±


    Xiao Ran could only gaze at this impressive Senior Martial Brother Feng with wide eyes. Up till a moment ago, he had been pitying this person along with the others. What a horrible past he must have had! But now Senior Martial Brother Feng had so quickly and easily broken out. He must be a rare genius just as gifted as the rumors said! No wonder that Sentinel Wei had chosen him. They were truly qualified to be together ah!


    Wei Xiang just silently waited for Qinghe to be done.


    Qinghe cocked his head to the side and mocked the shadows in a sweet, childish voice, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d play with me~¡±


    Everyone watching, ¡°¡­¡±


    Why did he suddenly seem creepier that the shadow men?


    Growling, the three shadows rushed at Qinghe from different directions. With nimble footwork, he dodged two of them and lunged at the third. He coated his hand with the wind element molded with spiritual force, shaping it into sharp phantom-like claws over his fingers. The wind claws punched through the shadow¡¯s chest and went right through.


    The shadow dissipated into a cloud of smoke.


    Not waiting, Qinghe immediately ran towards another shadow and aimed a kick at its stomach. The shadow dodged, but Qinghe quickly swiveled to land an elbow to its chest. As the shadow doubled over, Qinghe hooked his leg behind its knee and pulled, toppling it. Then he ruthlessly smashed his foot through its head. Another one dissipated.


    Seeing both its companions downed so easily, the remaining shadow turned to flee.


    ¡°Where are you going~ Aren¡¯t we gonna play~¡± Qinghe cutely dragged his words with an evil grin stretching his face. This was such a fun and therapeutic way of dealing with his issues!


    Thinking this, he eagerly gave chase to the escaping shadow.


    Its tragic fate need not be explained.


    Everyone watching was awed at his quick and decisive attacks. This Brother Feng was not so simple. Though he looked perpetually elegant and warm, they felt like they were finally able to witness his true self. He was truly as said, deserving the respect of disciples and Elders alike!


    With all three shadows gone, the Nightmare Parasite finally revealed itself.


    In the center of the dilapidated ceiling, a vermilion formation slowly came into being. At the center was a sigil that looked like a closed eye. The eye suddenly bulged out and the eyelids peeled open to reveal a swiveling grey eyeball with a coal black retina. The eye quit moving and fixed intensely on Qinghe. The eye split cleanly in the middle, like lips parting, and opened to reveal a mouth inside that was lined with sharp teeth.


    A long ululating screech issued out of the eye-mouth. The cry was filled with madness and fury.


    Qinghe chuckled, ¡°A filthy thing like you that feasts on the dirt stuck to the bottom of one¡¯s heart, you dare think to make a meal of me?¡±


    The parasite answered with another screech, its fury mounting. It sent out a shockwave of spiritual power gathered from its previous victims.


    Nonchalantly holding a palm up, Qinghe compressed the wind and created a hemispherical barrier. The shockwaves crashed against the shield and waves rippled across its smooth surface. Refusing to give up, the parasite screamed again and again, sending out the shockwaves one after another, stopping only after it exhausted its reserves.


    Qinghe¡¯s barrier absorbed the impact each time until the parasite was done.


    Removing the barrier, Qinghe decided to go on the offensive.


    Upon his summons, the wind gathered. It stirred and lifted up the locks of his tumbling hair and the hem of his clothes. It wound around him like a loving pet and wrapped over his arm. It finally flowed to the center of his palm and started solidifying.


    A double bladed sword formed in Qinghe¡¯s hand. His hand gripped the smooth and cool silver hilt in the middle. Two long and triangular blades extended from each side of the double-sided hilt. The body of the blades was crystalline and transparent, with faint wisps of silvery smoke flowing inside. Thin intricate designs crawled up from the hilt, decorating the base of the blades. The crystal blades shone as if lit from within by a pure light. It was beautiful and unearthly, a weapon without compare.


    This was Feng Qinghe¡¯s personal weapon, his spiritual artifact.


    Using his will, Qinghe reshaped it. The edges of the blade curled to one side, the hilt bent another way. A line of silver light stretched between the curled ends. The double-bladed weapon had turned into a longbow.


    Everyone watching this gaped. They had never heard of anyone being able to modify their spiritual artifact before!


    Qinghe was uncaring of what the others thought. He gently plucked the silver string and it twanged melodiously, sending out soft ripples of sound.


    Turning the bow towards the Nightmare Parasite on the ceiling, Qinghe pulled the string outwards with his fingers. A clear arrow appeared, notching itself. Aiming it at the center of the screeching mouth, Qinghe released the string.


    The arrow sliced through the air, sending out waves of violently churning winds, and plunged into the sharp-teethed mouth. The parasite screamed in agony. Distortions spread out from the writhing mouth. The vermilion formation shivered, pieces of it beginning to crumble until the whole formation collapsed into dust.


    Qinghe put away his weapon and smiled.


    The Nightmare Parasite was dead.

 Chapter 29: Last One Remaining

    The filthy room receded and the dark space returned.


    Qinghe¡¯s angelic and childish figure turned back to his current self. Before he could do anything, Wei Xiang had already come up to him and hugged him.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Qinghe asked concernedly.


    Wei Xiang asked a question in return. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Confused, Qinghe replied, ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡±


    The others had wanted to walk over and offer their congratulations, but seeing the Sentinel stuck to him like dog plaster, they decided to let it be.


    ¡°So, did I pass?¡± Qinghe asked.


    Wei Xiang let him go finally and nodded. ¡°Of course, it should be so.¡±


    ¡°Then we can go through?¡± Qinghe confirmed.


    ¡°Yes, the both of us can go to the dimension now.¡±


    Seeing that they¡¯d ended their display of affection, the others also walked up and offered their congratulations on passing the trial.


    An YaLing finally asked, ¡°Brother Feng, was that Yan Lin your friend?¡± He remembered long ago that a boy named Yan Lin had been taken away from a village or something like that, which was why he asked.


    But to the surprise of all those present, Qinghe shook his head and said, ¡°Who is that? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard of them.¡±


    Everyone had clearly heard Qinghe call out to the thin boy being dragged away in the nightmare trial. The name he¡¯d called was undoubtedly ¡®Yan Lin¡¯. Why was he pretending to not know? But looking at his expression, he really didn¡¯t seem to be lying?


    Wei Xiang suddenly said to Qinghe, ¡°Don¡¯t mind it, he must have been mistaken.¡± Qinghe nodded placidly. Then Wei Xiang shot a look at An YaLing that told him not to bring up this matter again.


    Though he was puzzled at first, An YaLing soon understood. He shook his head in pity. The others also showed expressions of realization. Xiao Ran remembered how Qinghe had suggested he might have buried and forgotten his painful memory of being chased and bitten by dogs and also understood.


    The memory of this Yan Lin must be tragic enough for Qinghe to have buried it. If that was the case, then this Yan Lin¡¯s end might not have been good. If he had already died, then there was no use in bringing him up now.


    Qinghe found the others looking at him with strange, meaningful gazes and was confused. Was it because he passed the test?


    Lei Zihua was the first to break this awkward silence. ¡°Brother Feng, I wish to discuss something with you. If you manage to kill this beast, I¡¯d like you to bottle some of its venom if you could¡­¡±


    Seeing that Qinghe was busy discussing with her, Wei Xiang beckoned to Jing Shui and An YaLing. They stepped a bit further away to avoid being overheard.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Jing Shui asked immediately.


    ¡°Is this about that Yan Lin?¡± An YaLing was a bit more perceptive.


    Wei Xiang nodded. ¡°It seems you know something about this person?¡± he asked.


    Nodding, An YaLing explained, ¡°I do, but it¡¯s not much. I only know that a young boy named Yan Lin disappeared from one of the villages. Many other children had also been disappearing from the area, so our sect took a look. It turned out to be an evil spirit. We were able to save the other kids, but we couldn¡¯t find this Yan Lin. It was assumed that he had been taken away by someone else during the confusion so that we¡¯d blame his disappearance on the evil spirit. That¡¯s why the name stayed with me.¡±


    Wei Xiang looked thoughtful. He instructed Jing Shui, ¡°Use your network to find out about this Yan Lin. I want to confirm if he¡¯s truly dead, and if he is, where his body lies.¡±


    Jing Shui bristled. ¡°Why should I listen to your orders?!¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you Qinghe¡¯s friend? Finding out what happened to that kid might help untangle his memory. So shouldn¡¯t you want to help him?¡± Wei Xiang threw back while grinning, making Jing Shui angry enough to throw up blood.


    ¡°Fine! But I¡¯m doing it for him and not you!¡± he snarled.


    With a straight face, Wei Xiang said, ¡°Helping my lover means helping me. So you are helping me.¡±


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    An YaLing just looked on and smiled amusedly at their childish arguing.


    ¡°What happened with these two?¡± Qinghe asked, done with his discussion with Lei Zihua.


    Shaking his head, An YaLing just kept smiling while thinking it was good that Qinghe seemed to have such devoted people looking out for him.


    The dark surroundings suddenly wavered.


    Everyone became vigilant.


    As the darkness began to fade, so did the four people who couldn¡¯t pass the trial. Qinghe presumed that they would be returning to the clearing with the tree guardian.


    When the dark space completely disappeared along with the others, Qinghe and Wei Xiang found themselves in a forest. Unlike the forest outside the dimension, the forest here was filled with bright sunshine that playfully dappled the dry ground. The trees and plants all looked normal and there were no strange animals lurking about.


    Only, there was no sound of wildlife at all.


    Wei Xiang looked around and found a patch of flattened vegetation. He gestured to it and speculated, ¡°This must be made by that beast when it entered the dimension.¡± A trail of broken branches and trampled ground led from the flattened area. ¡°That is the path it must have taken.¡±


    Qinghe smiled at Wei Xiang. ¡°Are we still not talking about it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Talk about what?¡±


    ¡°About how this beast was able to get in. I don¡¯t think it needed to pass any trials. Maybe, just like you, the beast had the right to freely enter,¡± Qinghe deduced.


    ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡± Wei Xiang pretended to not understand.


    Sighing, Qinghe said, ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean you and this beast are both of the same species, maybe even related?¡±


    Wei Xiang looked at him and expressed vehemently, ¡°Maybe we are, but I am definitely not like those things!¡±


    Qinghe raised an eyebrow. It seemed he felt strongly about this subject.


    Sighing, Wei Xiang spoke, ¡°I will tell you about it later if you want to know. We shouldn¡¯t be standing and chatting around with danger so close.¡±


    Deciding to let him have his reprieve, Qinghe set the matter aside for now.


    They followed the trail left behind by the beast and walked in silence. Dry leaves crunched underfoot. The rustling of the leaves sounded melancholic. The wind brought with it the smell of crushed leaves and desiccated earth. If there were any birds or beasts, they chose to keep their silence.


    Wei Xiang was frowning murderously. He was obviously very displeased at the thought of meeting someone of the same species. Though Qinghe didn¡¯t understand his reasons, he would still be by his side.


    Sidling up to him, Qinghe reached out and intertwined their fingers. His frown forgotten, Wei Xiang looked down at their joined hands.


    ¡°No need to be all bent out of shape over this. If you don¡¯t like that beast so much then I¡¯ll just kill it for you,¡± Qinghe reassured.


    Though his doubts remained, Wei Xiang couldn¡¯t help smiling a bit. ¡°Alright then,¡± he said, his mood a lot lighter. It was not just because of the reassurance, since he was confident he could take out a puny lizard or two with ease on his own. What gladdened him was that Qinghe had taken the initiative to offer comfort.


    Leaning over, Wei Xiang rubbed his cheek against Qinghe¡¯s affectionately. Disentangling his hand, he looped it over his lover¡¯s slim waist and held him close. Qinghe let him do whatever he wanted. It was good as long as he wasn¡¯t gloomy anymore.


    With this harmonious ambiance between them, they finally reached the end of the trail. It led to a rock face housing the huge mouth of a cave. A strong scent of blood, cooked flesh, and festering wounds emanated from within.


    ¡°Do you think the beast is inside?¡± Qinghe asked.


    Wei Xiang opened his mouth slightly and sucked in the air, using both his sense of taste and smell to parse through the various scents.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s inside,¡± he finally concluded.


    Without having to say anything else, they both stepped inside the cave. Though the floor here was rocky and uneven, neither of them faced any problems as they steadily and cautiously made their way forward.


    As they moved further inside, the air grew stagnant and dank. The amount of light dimmed and seeing soon became difficult for Qinghe, but since Wei Xiang¡¯s vision was far better, he led them forward.


    The walls of the cave progressively widened. They soon reached a large cavern whose high ceiling opened up to the sky. Beams of light gently floated down from the opening and fell on the curled up form of the serpent beast resting in the center, setting its faded copper-colored scales aglow.


    Large patches of its scales were burned off, revealing raw red and pink meat underneath, with the blackened edges of the wounds oozing pus. It seemed that its injuries were causing its cultivation to constantly drop, for it had already descended to the lower level of eighth realm.


    As Qinghe was already at the peak of seventh realm, he reckoned that since the gap wasn¡¯t that big, he could take it on and win.


    Sensing intruders, the serpent lifted its great head from within its coils, its nostrils flaring. Slitted pupils contracted within vigilant metallic brown eyes. Its maw opened, revealing bloody and yellowed teeth as it sucked in the air much like Wei Xiang had done, trying to taste the air.


    Something like surprise and rage flitted across its brutally scarred face, mixing with a healthy dose of fear.


    The lines of its sleek head flared at the back of the skull to form a wide crest that looked like a fully opened fan. It slowly uncoiled, its body at least twenty meters in length, long and smooth like a gigantic snake. The end of its spiked tail waved hypnotically in the air.


    Standing up like a cobra ready to strike, the serpent beast growled, ¡°Xiang, you bastard! You betrayer! Murderer! So you¡¯ve returned!¡±


    Its hoarse voice was undoubtedly that of a female¡¯s.


    Wei Xiang was unmoved, his expression casual and mocking. ¡°Cousin, I¡¯m glad to see that you¡¯ve not been well.¡±


    A thundering roar ripped out of the serpent¡¯s damaged throat. The roar was magnified in the limited space of the cavern and echoed long after the serpent ceased.


    ¡°Are you trying to intimidate me? How funny,¡± Wei Xiang sneered. ¡°You cheap things are all the same.¡±


    The serpent was visibly more furious as she spat, ¡°What has become of you then? Didn¡¯t you run off to become a wretched human¡¯s pet? Tell me, how does that feel like?¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled mirthlessly. ¡°You keep your filthy mouth shut about my master. You don¡¯t have the right to even think of him.¡±


    The serpent threw back her head and laughed in her gravelly voice. ¡°Master?! You call a human your master? How hilarious that is! The greatest among the descendants of serpents and true dragons, the most powerful prodigy in a hundred thousand years, the sovereign of our clan, and you call a mere human your master!¡±


    But Wei Xiang¡¯s calm did not even crack. ¡°Of course I do. You can only blame your own eyes for being so covered with your own shit that you cannot see the eminence of my master. I pity your ignorance.¡±


    The laughter abruptly stopped. ¡°YOU¨D!¡± The serpent seemed so angry that she choked on her own words. Unable to vent her anger on him, the serpent¡¯s attention suddenly shifted to Qinghe, who Wei Xiang still held closely by the waist.


    The intimacy between them was obvious.


    Eyes narrowing in malicious glee, the serpent opened wide its jaws and unleashed a torrent of yellow-green liquid in Qinghe¡¯s direction. Qinghe swiftly put up a barrier, but the liquid dissolved it and continued towards him. Wei Xiang quickly blocked it in time with his sleeve and the fluid splattered on the ground. With a hissing sound, it dissolved the rocky floor, only leaving behind smoking pits.


    What venom, this was clearly very strong acid! Qinghe exclaimed to himself before hurriedly checking Wei Xiang¡¯s arm for damage.


    The acid had corroded away most of Wei Xiang¡¯s sleeve and his vambrace, revealing the golden wire coiled neatly around his completely undamaged arm. Qinghe sighed in relief.


    Wei Xiang, on the other hand, was beyond furious that she¡¯d aimed for his beloved.


    The golden wires wrapped around both his arms smoothly and swiftly unwound before shooting downwards, their sharp tips easily piercing into the ground. Wei Xiang sent the wires quickly through the stone floor and out the cave walls. The wires erupted out of either side of the serpent, and despite her struggles, wrapped completely around her.


    She was bound from neck to tail wholly and securely by the golden strings that extended from the rocky walls, barely able to move a muscle.


    For the female serpent, it brought back memories of the time she had gotten these grievous injuries ten thousand years ago. She remembered with fear the devilish appearance of this cousin of hers that she and her friends had once mercilessly bullied.


    Wei Xiang had always been raised high up to the heavens with praises and coddled with care, for he was the first child to be born in their clan after close to seven thousand years, and he was a peerless prodigy to boot. They had all been so jealous of him.


    And then he¡¯d showed them all just how cruel he could be¡­


    Injured severely, she had barely managed to get out with her life, but her wounds had never healed. She remembered how she¡¯d anxiously waited, hiding outside the dimension while terrified that her cousin would maybe cease conversing with his human companion, the man he now called master, and turn around to spot her hiding so pathetically. She remembered the humiliation of losing to a brat and the resulting fear and pain.


    No, she couldn¡¯t face that again. She couldn¡¯t let him kill her!


    Seeing that she was in dire straits, the female serpent¡¯s tune abruptly changed.


    She purred throatily, ¡°Cousin Xiang, don¡¯t be like this. We are the only two of our kind left. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be more useful to you alive and whole.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Wei Xiang quirked an eyebrow mirthlessly. ¡°Can something like you even be useful?¡±


    Gritting her teeth, the female serpent continued ingratiatingly, ¡°Of course. I would be very useful in repopulating our kind by birthing your children! I¡¯m the only one who can do this. I¡¯m the only female left of the heavenly wyverns, the last one remaining!¡±

 Chapter 30: The Heavenly Wyverns

    Hearing the words ¡®heavenly wyvern¡¯, Qinghe was shocked.


    Putting aside for now her blatant shamelessness towards his lover, did she just mention that they were heavenly wyverns?! Weren¡¯t they that legendary beast clan that was said to have declined and faded away long ago? It was said that they were the descendants of true heavenly dragons and powerful serpents that roamed the world during the time of ancients. But since they had devolved too much from their original ancestral lineage, they had lost their former grandeur and had become common serpent beasts.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s cold voice cut through the female wyvern¡¯s hopes. ¡°I have no intention of rejuvenating that vile bloodline, and I definitely have no intention of lying together with something as disgusting as you.¡±


    The female wyvern recoiled. ¡°H-How could you¨D! You can¡¯t be serious. That¡¯s a mighty, ancient bloodline that you¡¯re scorning. Rejuvenating it is vital! You are the most powerful heavenly wyvern born since the first generation. How can you not want to bring back the glory of our clan? I don¡¯t believe you!¡±


    ¡°And I don¡¯t care,¡± Wei Xiang was indifferent.


    At the side, Qinghe had finally recovered and remembered. This sly snake had just propositioned his man right in front of him! His eyes narrowed for a second in schadenfreude before he changed his facial expression.


    Blinking his eyes in curiosity, Qinghe smiled his most innocent smile as he asked, ¡°Wei Xiang, why is your cousin so stupid?¡±


    The attention of the two beasts snapped to Qinghe. His expression was as pure as untrodden snow despite his harsh words.


    ¡°You-You measly human! How dare you¨D!¡±


    Smoothly interjecting, Qinghe said, ¡°Let¡¯s say you really do manage to steal my lover, however unlikely that may sound, and birth his children. What then? How will you ¡®repopulate¡¯, as you put it? By letting your children mate with other beasts or humans?¡±


    ¡°Impossible! No filth is allowed to contaminate our bloodline¨D!¡±


    Expecting this answer, Qinghe once again interrupted her sanctimonious tirade. ¡°Then what, you¡¯ll force your children to mate with each other?¡± He revealed a shocked expression, the words ¡®how could you?¡¯ clearly written on his face.


    ¡°¡­¡± The female wyvern didn¡¯t know how to refute this.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be this sort of a person, for the sake of your bloodline, even forcing your children to¡­¡± Qinghe trailed off as if he couldn¡¯t bear to say anymore.


    ¡°¡­I-I wouldn¡¯t¡­¡± the wyvern stuttered, finally finding the snag in her plans.


    Turning to the stupefied Wei Xiang, Qinghe patted his shoulder and said with a righteous expression, ¡°See? She really is stupid. You should be glad I¡¯m allowing you to be with me, or else you¡¯d be complicit in something so distasteful.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± The Wei Xiang who had just seen his lover wield his sharp tongue for the first time felt conflicted.


    And so, with a few sentences, Feng Qinghe rendered two heavenly wyverns completely speechless.


    Finally forced to admit that there was no way she could get out of this, the female wyvern¡¯s expression hardened. She had suffered under that man¡¯s hands once, she couldn¡¯t do it again!


    Not caring about the pain, she lunged forward using every bit of her strength. The sharp wires holding her in place cut through her scales and tissue as she ruthlessly strained forward. As she finally managed to squeeze out, a bloody layer of hide and flesh was left behind within the empty strings.


    All this had taken not even a second.


    The skinned wyvern single-mindedly charged towards Wei Xiang, attempting to take him by surprise.


    Reacting to the danger to his beloved before he could think, Qinghe formed a massive spear of wind and slammed it down with force. The spear easily pierced through the side of the wyvern¡¯s neck and into the ground, pinning her in place.


    Thwarted, the female wyvern screamed in rage and opened her mouth to shoot acid at Qinghe once again.


    Wei Xiang quickly sent out his golden wire to firmly wrap around her muzzle, effectively blocking her attempt.


    The two of them, Feng Qinghe and Wei Xiang, stood there with an arm extended as they reacted to save the other. They looked at each other, and a new understanding was born between them.


    When their safety was threatened, their lover would step up to protect them. This had now been proven.


    The thrashing of the wyvern who was once again bound broke the atmosphere.


    Straining, she managed to open her mouth the tiniest bit to laboriously grunt out, ¡°Xiang¡­how could you¡­kill them¡­all! Not¡­sparing¡­even one! You¡­betrayed¡­the entire¡­¡­clan¡­¡± Unable to continue forcing her trussed jaws apart, the wyvern trailed off.


    Wait, Wei Xiang, he¡­killed the entire heavenly wyvern clan? Was that what she was trying to say? Qinghe was stunned.


    ¡°They deserved it. You all did.¡± Wei Xiang¡¯s voice was steady, his face grim. But Qinghe could detect the smallest trace of pain.


    He might have wiped out his clan, but he clearly had a reason to bear that excruciating burden. He must have loved his family too. It must have hurt him terribly to have to do it.


    Qinghe turned to the female wyvern. He was fundamentally a kind person, but only until someone caused his dear ones pain.


    This female was Wei Xiang¡¯s cousin, but also an enemy that had not only tried to harm him, but also unrepentantly killed many people, both cultivators and defenseless mortals alike. And now her words were causing Qinghe¡¯s loved one pain that he was trying hard to hide.


    For that, she would die. It was that simple.


    Raising his hand, Qinghe commanded, and the compressed wind and spiritual force comprising the spear responded. The female wyvern felt a sudden sense of danger from the spear that was pinning her down by the neck. Horrified, she managed to cast one last look at Qinghe before the spear exploded.


    Flesh burst and splattered the cavern. Crimson splashed extravagantly as the last female wyvern¡¯s life ended.


    Surprised, Wei Xiang looked at Qinghe.


    He had thought that once it was known that he had cold-bloodedly wiped out his own clan, Qinghe would hate him. Qinghe was kind and considerate in his own way, there was no way he would condone something like that. He would probably even take his cousin¡¯s side on this.


    Wei Xiang had endlessly worried about it on the way over, finally deciding to just let fate take its course. Hiding it would only delay the inevitable.


    And when the time finally came, he had prepared himself to face his accusations and revulsion.


    But Qinghe had instead killed his cousin without hesitation.


    Why?


    Qinghe turned to his befuddled lover and admonished, ¡°Why would you just stand there and let her berate you?¡±


    Hesitating, Wei Xiang finally managed to say, ¡°But what she said was true. I did murder everyone in my clan¡­¡±


    Rolling his eyes, Qinghe spoke, ¡°I know, you must have had your reasons. But that doesn¡¯t mean she can stab you with those words.¡± His face turned cold and vicious. ¡°I won¡¯t let anyone hurt you, mentally or physically.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± That was why you killed her? Because what she said hurt me?


    But Wei Xiang¡¯s heart was touched. He had been worried for nothing.


    Suddenly remembering something, Qinghe fetched a few bottles from his storage space and went to squat beside the blown off head of the wyvern. He tipped her head so that the acid from her mouth would drip into the bottles. He didn¡¯t forget Lei Zihua¡¯s request to fill a few bottles with the beast¡¯s ¡®venom¡¯ that turned out to be acid. Thankfully, the bottles were of good quality and could handle the corrosiveness.


    Seeing Qinghe nonchalantly exploiting his cousin even in death, Wei Xiang didn¡¯t know how he should feel.


    Once he was done, Qinghe put away the completely filled bottles, stood up, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go outside and get some fresh air. You can also tell me all about your past.¡±


    Wei Xiang gave a tight nod.


    The two made their way out of the cave system using the same path they had used while entering.


    Qinghe looked around as if searching for something before asking Wei Xiang, ¡°Your cousin seemed pretty wounded. Shouldn¡¯t there be a trail of bloodstains or something along the path?¡±


    ¡°She isn¡¯t a complete idiot. She must have removed any traces of her presence just in case, since she would be at a disadvantage if someone stumbled upon her when she was weakened. She might win, but it would only aggravate her injuries.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, too bad she met us then,¡± Qinghe said arrogantly.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The rest of the way out was spent in contemplative silence and quiet companionship.


    Once they exited the cave, Qinghe tried to find a place nearby where they could sit and talk for a bit. He spied a small pond surrounded by a short wall and happily strode towards it.


    Wei Xiang smiled and shook his head affectionately as he followed. It seemed his lover was fond of dipping in water no matter the situation.


    Sure enough, Qinghe hurried to remove his shoes and plopped down on the short wall, his feet and ankles submerged in the refreshingly cool water. Warm sunlight caressed his skin as he sighed and closed his eyes in pleasure. His pink lips rose up in a slight smile, his dark eyelashes brushing his cheek.


    After removing his shoes and cumbersome equipment, Wei Xiang sat down beside Qinghe and stared enraptured at his lover¡¯s graceful form. He wanted to hold and kiss him, but also didn¡¯t want to disturb the quiet tranquility Qinghe seemed to be enjoying.


    Sensing his lover¡¯s gaze, Qinghe opened his eyes and looked at Wei Xiang¡¯s dazed expression. He was used to being looked at like that when he removed his appearance changing talisman, but not when he still had it on like now. Which part of his current self evoked such a reaction, he wondered.


    Qinghe felt his heart grow inexplicably itchy.


    He wanted to hold Wei Xiang¡¯s hand, but felt that it was not enough. So he moved closer and hugged his waist and rested his head on Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulder. He looked up at his lover¡¯s beautiful face through his lashes.


    Qinghe¡¯s pleasant voice was relaxed as he spoke, ¡°Are you ready to tell me now?¡±


    Wei Xiang was nervous but also glad that he had a chance to explain himself. His lover was so sensible and understanding rather than impatient, he had really lucked out!


    ¡°How much do you want to know?¡± he asked.


    ¡°As much as you can tell me,¡± came the prompt reply.


    Taking in a deep breath, Wei Xiang began, ¡°Let me tell you a story then of how the heavenly wyverns came to be.¡±


    Qinghe snuggled into his lover¡¯s side and got comfortable as he prepared to listen intently, not wanting to miss a word.


    ¡°The heavens are said to be ruled by the four divine beast clans and the deities overseen by the Heavenly Emperor. Of the four divine beasts, the True Dragon Clan is said to be the most prominent.


    ¡°One day, the absolute ruler of the dragon clan descended to this realm. Over the course of her travels, the dragon queen met and fell in love with the king of a small but extremely powerful serpent clan. These serpents excelled at manipulating the metal element, and along with the dragons who had mastery over the fire element, they both made a good match, their offspring expected to be more powerful than either on their own.


    ¡°But the dragon queen¡¯s court of royals did not approve of mixing foreign blood into the divine dragon¡¯s lineage. They strongly opposed, going as far as trying to assassinate the dragon queen and serpent king¡¯s little children. Frightened for their safety, the dragon queen and the serpent king chose to make the world believe that they had separated, the serpent king going into hiding with his children in a hidden dimension made by the dragon queen.¡±


    Wei Xiang spread his hands as he announced, ¡°This is that dimension and the heavenly wyverns were the descendants of those children.¡±


    Qinghe was thoughtful. Obviously all hadn¡¯t gone as planned, since the heavenly wyverns had all but gone extinct. He asked, ¡°Then what happened? How did it end up like this?¡±


    Shrugging, Wei Xiang said, ¡°Everything that rises, falls. They got too conceited. They named themselves heavenly wyverns and thought they were high and mighty.


    ¡°They were restrained at first, but then found that the dragon clan no longer bothered with them, so they started spreading out. At first, they truly were a great and benevolent clan. But as their bloodline diluted and their powers decreased over succeeding generations, they grew wretched. The loss of prestige hit them hard and they resorted to despicable means to increase their own strength and regain their former glory.


    ¡°Their methods were similar to that of demons. They harvested spiritual energy by killing and torturing both people and beasts. They cruelly extracted and ate cultivation cores and beast cores like they were common pills. They might have declined compared to before, but they were still powerful. It was a chaotic time for cultivators, humans, and beasts alike, and they were unable to gather enough strength to face the heavenly wyverns.


    ¡°And then Master descended. He created the Order of Sentinels to maintain the law and punish criminals. And since the heavenly wyverns were powerful criminals, he wanted to deal with them himself.¡±


    Wei Xiang paused, gathering his thoughts.


    Curious about something, Qinghe asked, ¡°But then where do you come in?¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled bitterly, ¡°Then let me start again from there.


    ¡°Due to the heavenly wyverns¡¯ debauched ways, the Heavens had cursed them to have no offspring. It had been nearly seven thousand years since the last child was born and they were frantic. Of the many eggs the dragon queen had laid at the beginning, there were a few that had never hatched. This is a relatively normal occurrence for high-level reptilian beasts. The wyvern clan worshipped these eggs in a temple. Spurred on by desperation, the clan leader extracted the life essences of several powerful beasts and imbued the strongest unhatched egg with them in an effort to stimulate its hatching.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°And so I was born,¡± Wei Xiang confirmed his suspicions while smiling humorlessly.

 Chapter 31: Past and Present

    The silence after that sentence was filled with complicated emotions.


    Finally, Qinghe urged, ¡°Continue.¡±


    So Wei Xiang did. ¡°The clan leader of course knew that he couldn¡¯t tell the others about my origin, so he claimed I was an orphan whose parents had been killed while outside. Since the clan members were being hunted left and right by cultivators led by Master, it wasn¡¯t difficult to believe. But the other elders found the missing egg and carried out their own investigations. Though they did find out the truth later, they were convinced by the clan leader that it was for the best of the clan. By this time, the wyverns had been cornered to the point where they gathered to take shelter in this dimension. No one, not even Master, was able to breach it.


    ¡°I had strong aptitude towards fire and metal. I had the potential to be the strongest. So they coddled me and constantly pushed me to train. Though my cultivation kept skyrocketing, I lacked the experience of actual combat. So, after being strongly cautioned to keep my identity a secret, I was sent outside into the world. The protectors they sent with me were seen through, however, and they were soon killed.


    ¡°The Sentinel Grandmaster captured me. But finding that I was relatively young for a wyvern and knew nothing, he proceeded to explain all the evil deeds perpetrated by my clan. I obviously didn¡¯t believe it. The wyverns had fed and sheltered me. Though I had no one in my age group to make friends with, the adults all showered me with adoration mixed with reverence and took proper care of me. They were the only family I knew. There was no way I would believe a stranger over them.


    ¡°Realizing this, Master took me to witness the wyverns sneaking around, murdering and pillaging. He made me witness them at their worst and forced me to face the cruel truth. And rather than blaming me for being blind all this time, he offered me a place in the ranks of his Sentinels. He didn¡¯t want me to have to go back and face them.¡±


    Taking a deep breath he continued, ¡°I declined. I wanted to speak with the clan leader and ascertain the truth for myself. Master let me go and told me he¡¯d be right outside, near where he¡¯d discovered the entrance of the dimension a while ago. But he never once asked me to betray my clan or coerce me to let him in. I think that¡¯s when I began trusting him. Anyway, reassured by his presence, I entered the dimension.


    ¡°I went straight to the clan leader and asked him about it. He didn¡¯t even attempt to hide it. He said he saw nothing wrong with what they were doing. He assumed I would find it so too. When I showed my disgust, he tried to convince me that it was my destiny to lead the clan to Heaven or something. Then he told me about my birth. He rambled on and on about how he¡¯d breed me to rejuvenate the bloodline¡­ I was naturally horrified.


    ¡°When he saw that nothing he said was getting through to me, he tried to capture me. He and the elders¡­ they wanted to cut off my wings and imprison me so that I could fulfill their insane dreams. It was one thing too much and I snapped.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes had grown distant with remembrance. He laid his head down on Qinghe¡¯s lap. Qinghe silently combed his fingers through his hair soothingly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even remember what happened. I was furious and panicked and¡­ I just slaughtered them all. I knew that each and every one of them was complicit in this betrayal. They hurt and killed and pretended it was for a good cause. I saw the kind auntie who used to bake sweets for me ripping apart a family of humans. I saw her gnaw at their bloodstained bones while grinning, flesh and gristle stuck between her teeth. Not one of them was free of sins and they¡­disgusted me. I feel guilty for feeling this way. They did, after all, raise me up. But I couldn¡¯t stop myself from doing what I did.


    ¡°When I exited the dimension soaked in blood, Master was waiting for me. He was shocked when he saw me and even more shocked when I told him what happened. But he didn¡¯t blame me and kept attempting to offer comfort even though he was really awkward at it. He took me away and I joined the Sentinels. All of this happened around ten thousand years ago.¡±


    Qinghe slowly digested what he¡¯d heard while stroking Wei Xiang¡¯s hair.


    Finding out the truth about his clan and their expectations must have been more horrible than Wei Xiang had let on. It would be like living in a large, happy family, thinking you were cherished and cared for, only to realize one day that everyone except you was a serial killer and that they expected you to take the same path of senseless brutality and lead them while on it. The feeling of betrayal must have been overwhelmingly crushing and absolutely devastating.


    Finally done with telling his past, Wei Xiang was relieved and settled himself more comfortably in his beloved¡¯s lap.


    ¡°I wonder how many issues you have¡­¡± Qinghe pondered out loud.


    Wei Xiang barked out a short laugh. ¡°Are you taking revenge on me for before when we talked about your issues, beloved?¡± he asked, smiling.


    The hands brushing his hair paused as he said ¡®beloved¡¯, but soon resumed.


    ¡°You keep calling him ¡®clan leader¡¯, but the tree guardian called you ¡®Sovereign¡¯. If you are both leaders of the heavenly wyverns, why the difference in address?¡±


    Wei Xiang explained, ¡°A species of beast usually branches off into many different clans over the course of time. The leader of each clan is called a clan leader or clan head, while the leader of the whole species is called a Sovereign. The title of Sovereign is decided based on power and is bestowed absolute authority over the entire species, while the clan leader has to share his authority with the elders of the clan and is only one part of the governing body. He may not make decisions alone. Since I was the most powerful heavenly wyvern, the clan leader couldn¡¯t assume the title of Sovereign unless he defeated me.¡±


    Qinghe ruminated on this revelation for a while, trying to piece together the kind of environment Wei Xiang must have grown up in.


    ¡°By the way, where is the place your clan used to stay? I don¡¯t remember seeing it on our way,¡± Qinghe asked.


    ¡°This is a huge dimension. The clan built a small town to live in. It¡¯s somewhere on the opposite side over there, past the tree line and over a chain of hills. There is nothing much to see though. I burned down most of it that last time, plus ten thousand years have already passed. It must have been reclaimed by the land by now.¡± Wei Xiang¡¯s voice was normal and without any special emotions, as if he¡¯d gotten over it all long ago.


    Well, he did have ten thousand years to deal with it.


    Qinghe¡¯s heart nevertheless hurt, but he was also glad that talking about his past didn¡¯t seem to affect Wei Xiang much.


    He looked down and his breath almost stuttered.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s long straight hair was draped over Qinghe¡¯s lap, contrasting starkly with the white robe. With a relaxed and content expression, Wei Xiang was sprawled leisurely, his long and muscled body laying languorous in repose. As Qinghe¡¯s gaze meandered over his lover¡¯s well-proportioned figure, he felt his own body heat up. He suddenly became very aware that his lover¡¯s head was in his lap, too close to a certain area.


    Qinghe felt warmth crawl up his face.


    ¡°I think you should get up,¡± he said in a somewhat stiff voice.


    ¡°Hm? Okay,¡± Wei Xiang sat back up and looked to see Qinghe blushing. He raised an eyebrow, but made no comment.


    ¡°Thank you for telling me,¡± Qinghe said as he got up. It was about time they headed back.


    Shrugging, Wei Xiang spoke, ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. It¡¯s been so long that I truly did forget about it. I have a satisfying job and I have you, so I¡¯m happy with my current life.¡±


    Qinghe smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s return. The others must be waiting.¡±


    And so they made their way back to where they¡¯d first entered the dimension.


    Just as Qinghe was worrying about how they¡¯d get out, Wei Xiang directed his attention to a formation that lay underneath millennia of dust and debris. If Wei Xiang hadn¡¯t been familiar with its placement, Qinghe would never have been able to find it buried under all that.


    Feeding it some spiritual energy, they were finally able to get out.


    On the other side, Jing Shui and the others had already made themselves at home, much to the dissatisfaction of the tree guardian.


    Light abruptly flashed, and suddenly there were two more people in the clearing.


    ¡°Brother Feng, you¡¯re back!¡± Jing Shui exclaimed happily as he looked over his friend for damage. He was finally relieved when he saw that he was unharmed.


    Seeing his worried expression ease, Qinghe smiled. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m back.¡±


    An YaLing asked, ¡°Were you able to find the beast?¡±


    Qinghe nodded. ¡°We did. We even killed it.¡± He wasn¡¯t about to tell them about Wei Xiang¡¯s connection to that female wyvern though.


    ¡°Then did you collect its venom?¡± Lei Zihua immediately questioned.


    ¡°It was more of an acid, but yes. I filled up all the bottles you gave me, Sister Lei,¡± Qinghe replied while handing over the bottles.


    Wei Xiang, on the other hand, was silently plotting, thinking of all the ways he could torment that blasted tree that had tried to cause them no little amount of trouble.


    ¡°Qinghe,¡± Wei Xiang called out. ¡°Why don¡¯t you lead the others out of the forest? I have something left to do here.¡±


    Looking over at the ancient tree, Qinghe shook his head in pity. Once it was gone, they wouldn¡¯t be able to access the dimension again. But oh well, there was nothing in there that they needed that badly anyway.


    Not to mention that it had not only caused the Nightmare Parasite to rip open their emotional scars in front of each other, it could have also gotten them sucked clean of spiritual energy, causing their deaths. Plus, that sly tree had it coming. Who asked it to go against his lover. It deserved whatever it got.


    Led by Qinghe, the group started making their way out. Occasionally, they would hear the sounds of creaking wood and breaking branches from behind them, along with muffled screams in the voice of the tree guardian, but they all decisively ignored it together and marched forward.


    They reached the end of the forest uneventfully and once again used the transportation array there to directly go to the Lightning Sky Sect. Qinghe and the others were grilled thoroughly by the sect master, Qinghe being interrogated the most, since apart from Wei Xiang, he was the only one to see and fight the wyvern.


    Qinghe told them an abridged version of what happened. It was mostly the truth, he just omitted all the things the wyvern had said to Wei Xiang.


    Of course, the sect master didn¡¯t doubt his account since Qinghe had brought over a few copper scales and had already handed over the acid. The acid was crosschecked and found to match the liquid that the serpent beast had expelled before while fighting other cultivators outside the forest. If Wei Xiang also corroborated his story, then there¡¯d be no problems. Qinghe didn¡¯t worry too much about it.


    After returning to Heavenly Peak Sect, Qinghe was once again called to the sect hall and made to recite the entire thing yet again. By the time Qinghe retired to his room, night had already fallen.


    Freshening up at the stream, Qinghe wore his loose robe and was preparing to sleep when a knock sounded on his door.


    He could more or less guess who would be on the other side. And sure enough, when he opened the door, he was greeted with the cutely repentant faces of the twins.


    ¡°Senior Brother, may we come in?¡± Fei Jin asked politely.


    When had these little imps learnt to be polite?


    Qinghe gestured them inside anyway. This would be a good time to have a nice talk about what they did before.


    After entering, the twins fidgeted nervously. Was their senior brother still angry? With that perpetually cold face of his when in private, they couldn¡¯t tell anything.


    Just in case, they decided to apologize. ¡°Senior Brother, we¡¯re very sorry for what we did last time!¡± Fei Jin said loudly as they both bowed deeply.


    Qinghe let them sweat a bit before he spoke, ¡°Good, you better be sorry. Do you realize how embarrassing and awkward that was for me to end up in such a situation? How would you have compensated me if my lover thought I¡¯d cheated?¡±


    Fei Yin and Fei Jin went and solemnly held each of Qinghe¡¯s hands as Fei Jin proclaimed seriously, ¡°Then we¡¯d take responsibility and marry Senior Brother.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± A tiger never changed its stripes, did it?


    Shaking his head, Qinghe finally cracked a smile. The twins who had been peeking at his expression to make sure they hadn¡¯t taken things too far were finally relieved when they saw his smile.


    Nervously, Fei Yin spoke, whispering shyly, ¡°Senior Brother¡­can we lie down with you?¡±


    Qinghe raised an eyebrow. Hadn¡¯t they grown out of this habit yet?


    When they had newly arrived in the sect, the twins used to come and burrow in his sheets whenever they had a nightmare or were feeling insecure or anxious. They¡¯d come in the middle of the night and ask to lie beside him, and Qinghe would slowly comfort them and ease their worries.


    ¡°Very well. But if you both don¡¯t behave, I¡¯ll call the Sentinel and make him spank you for harassment, understood?¡±


    The twins looked offended at the threat of being spanked as if they were still kids. They might sell meng constantly, but that did not mean they were children! They were seventeen already, you know! Seventeen!


    As if unable to see their expressions, Qinghe said, ¡°Ah, I almost forgot. Since you behaved so badly last time, I¡¯m punishing you. You¡¯ll both spend one month on Starry Mountain Peak and cultivate seriously. You are permitted to shield yourself from the wind.¡±


    With a face full of unshed tears, the twins looked imploringly at their senior brother. He had never punished them before. This must definitely be that Wei-whatever¡¯s fault! They should have known he¡¯d bring them trouble!


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I¡¯ll make your favorite sweets when you get back, okay? You can depart tomorrow for your punishment,¡± Qinghe was unrelenting even as he compromised.


    Sighing, they both nodded their heads.


    Truth be told, they did feel like they deserved it. Actually, they could even be said to have gotten off lightly. Qinghe was truly terrible at gauging the severity of their crime or administering the relevant amount of punishment.


    After such a long and mentally tiring day, Qinghe was exhausted. He guessed that after all that had happened today, Wei Xiang would need to spend some time talking things out with his Master, the Sentinel Grandmaster.


    Qinghe lied down and patted the bed by his side. ¡°Come on now, your senior brother is too tired to stay awake any longer.¡±


    The twins immediately climbed up to lie down on either side of him, relieved that their senior brother wouldn¡¯t distance himself from them.


    Within seconds, Qinghe was deeply asleep.


    Fei Jin and Fei Yin raised up their heads and met each other¡¯s gazes.


    ¡°Senior Brother is still too lenient. He can¡¯t even punish us right,¡± Fei Jin commented with unhidden affection.


    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why he needs that annoying Sentinel by his side,¡± Fei Yin said thoughtfully.


    They themselves were too selfish and greedy for their senior brother¡¯s compassion and affection, they could never tell him to harden his heart even if he was being hurt. But as Qinghe had told them before, Wei Xiang had no trouble calling him over it and making him fix his issues.


    This was exactly what Qinghe needed.


    They both looked at their sleeping senior brother. Fei Yin waved his hand and retrieved a blanket from his storage space. The twins carefully tucked Qinghe in it, warm smiles on their faces.


    Maybe this situation at present was also not bad.


    crimson_carnation


    From here on, I''ll try to schedule the release of a chapter every three hours so that we can quickly catch up to the recent chapter number on Webnovel, which is currently at 86 chapters. After that, it''ll be a chapter every two days.


    Hope you enjoy it~

 Chapter 32: Under the Moonlight

    A month had almost passed since then. The twins were due to return from their punishment in about two days.


    Due to the battle with the wyvern, Qinghe¡¯s cultivation had increased again, causing him to breakthrough into eighth realm.


    Wei Xiang had been busy these past few days, only able to return at night for Qinghe to snuggle up to. It frustrated the couple to no end, but they both placed importance on work, so they bore with it.


    It was a beautiful full moon night when Wei Xiang returned to Qinghe¡¯s room this time. Sensing that his lover was on the back porch, Wei Xiang materialized from the shadows in the backyard, facing where Qinghe was lying.


    One look at him stunned Wei Xiang and made his desire rise.


    Qinghe was wearing his loose robe again and was languidly half-lying down, a cheek propped up on his palm. His eyes glittered brightly in the moonlight, his cheeks flushed with intoxication.


    He had a jar of honey wine in his hand and was frowning at another jar that seemed to have fallen down to the ground and gotten smashed. He clearly mourned the loss.


    The thin white robe barely stayed on his shoulders, opening up to reveal much of his chest and stomach. His slender and lightly muscled frame was clearly visible through the gap. The moonlight caressed his smooth skin as if in temptation. His long, bare legs were stretched out and his posture was indolent and relaxed. His silky hair was draped messily over his shoulders and back, giving him a wild and unrestrained look. Wine had reddened his lips, making them glisten sweetly.


    His appearance was extremely seductive.


    Wei Xiang loped over to his lover in large steps. Qinghe, just now noticing his arrival, looked up at him with wide eyes blinking innocently as he said, ¡°It broke on its own, I didn¡¯t push it!¡±


    Not knowing whether he should laugh, Wei Xiang swooped down to steal a kiss from those red lips. Hmm, they tasted just as sweet as he¡¯d imagined.


    His hand sneakily slipped the left over wine jar away from Qinghe¡¯s hands. When Qinghe realized that his last remaining jar was stolen, he looked at Wei Xiang with baleful eyes. ¡°It¡¯s mine. Give it back!¡±


    Even his angry face looked cute and seductive.


    Chuckling, Wei Xiang challenged, ¡°Come and get it.¡± Then he upended the whole bottle over his open mouth, his tongue extending out as if to taste it.


    Qinghe jealously looked at the wine being emptied. Wei Xiang licked his lips, staining it with generous amounts of wine. Those glistening lips hooked up as he repeated, ¡°Come and get it.¡±


    Qinghe pouted, then his eyes brightened. He moved over to his lover and pulled his head down by the nape. Wei Xiang smiled, unresisting.


    Slanting his head, Qinghe brushed his lips over his lover¡¯s and licked them. He could taste the sweet honey from the wine on Wei Xiang¡¯s lips. Greedily, Qinghe sucked and licked until he¡¯d consumed every drop. Finding that it was not nearly enough, Qinghe tried to pry open Wei Xiang¡¯s mouth with his own tongue. Wei Xiang obliged and opened up. Plunging his hungry tongue inside the warm mouth, Qinghe was drunk on the mixed flavor of honey and his lover¡¯s unique taste as he explored and caressed every part.


    Wei Xiang was hardly idle. Affected by his lover¡¯s enthusiasm, he tangled his tongue with Qinghe¡¯s, sucking and licking passionately. He tasted honey and mint and his ardor grew deeper. His hands slipped down and stroked the smooth skin of his lover¡¯s collarbones, chest, and stomach. Qinghe felt like his touch was leaving behind trails of fire and he relished the feeling.


    But suddenly finding that the taste of wine had disappeared, Qinghe stopped and leaned back. He regretfully looked to the smashed jar on the ground.


    Sensing the shift in his drunken lover¡¯s attention, Wei Xiang could only sigh, his hands pausing as they rested on Qinghe¡¯s waist.


    Qinghe looked consideringly between the spilled wine and his lover¡¯s mouth, carefully weighing in his mind which one of them was tastier. Wei Xiang patiently waited beside his beloved, his eyes shining with mirth.


    Deciding that Wei Xiang was tastier after all, Qinghe once again leaned into his beloved¡¯s sturdy frame, bringing their bodies close as he kissed him. Still feeling unsatisfied, Qinghe¡¯s hand wandered down to Wei Xiang¡¯s chest, trying to open his clothes.


    He really wanted to run his hands over warm skin too, but he couldn¡¯t undo the damn robe!


    Looking down, Qinghe glared at Wei Xiang¡¯s uniform while cursing, ¡°What is this shit?!¡±


    Wei Xiang threw back his head and laughed at the indignant tone. He dutifully went through the complicated procedures to undo the many layers of his robes and removed the equipment.


    Qinghe looked on with burning eyes, his mouth pressed into an impatient line.


    When only the last layer of his inner robe was left, Qinghe couldn¡¯t wait anymore. He boldly pulled open Wei Xiang¡¯s collar and stroked his hands over his skin. ¡°Hmm¡­warm¡­¡± he murmured comfortably as his hands slipped further into the robe, wrapping around to encircle Wei Xiang¡¯s waist. Qinghe happily rubbed his cheek over the heated skin of his beloved¡¯s chest.


    Looking down at his blissfully nestled lover, Wei Xiang smiled helplessly.


    Dazedly, Qinghe muttered a question, ¡°Aren¡¯t lizards cold-blooded? Why are you so warm?¡±


    Wei Xiang froze. Calling an evolved beast like a dragon or wyvern a lizard was the same as calling a human a monkey. It was insulting. If Qinghe had been clearheaded, there was no way he¡¯d have made such a mistake. But Wei Xiang couldn¡¯t feel angered over it at all when his lover¡¯s soft cheek was lying so trustingly on his chest.


    Sighing in defeat, Wei Xiang replied, ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m no mere lizard, my love. I am a wyvern with a fire attribute, so of course I¡¯d be warmer.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Qinghe liked how the chest under his cheek vibrated when his lover spoke. He liked how soothing it was.


    Though he was doing nothing but hugging Wei Xiang, Qinghe still felt his body heat up. His gaze grew deeper as he sighed, ¡°Xiang¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang had already detected his lover¡¯s rising desire. ¡°What is it?¡± he asked huskily.


    Qinghe stretched like a cat, the entirety of his body rubbing up against Wei Xiang¡¯s. ¡°I feel hot.¡±


    Swallowing thickly, Wei Xiang asked, ¡°And what do you want me to do about it?¡± He needed Qinghe to expressly tell him how far to go. He didn¡¯t want there to ever be any regrets between them.


    His mind had gone hazy with desire, but Qinghe still felt uncertain about taking this too far. He wasn¡¯t ready to go all the way yet, but he didn¡¯t know what else to do to quench his fire.


    Seeing his lover¡¯s confused and frustrated expression, Wei Xiang understood his reservations and urged, ¡°Do you want me to use my hand or my mouth?¡±


    ¡°Use them? How?¡± Qinghe didn¡¯t comprehend his meaning.


    This gave Wei Xiang pause. Was his lover really so¡­inexperienced? Then that just meant he¡¯d have to take it slow and let his lover have his pleasure tonight.


    ¡°Then let me teach you,¡± he murmured into Qinghe¡¯s ear.


    Qinghe felt goosebumps rising all over his body as Wei Xiang¡¯s breath fanned over his ear and cheek. He felt ravenous for his lover¡¯s touch, but he didn¡¯t know how to ask for what he wanted. He¡¯d just hope his lover knew what he was doing and would know enough to give him what he sought.


    And so as Wei Xiang lifted him up and strode towards the stream, Qinghe laid trustingly in his arms. Seeing his rare obedient expression, Wei Xiang lowered his head and nipped at his lips. Qinghe eagerly opened his mouth and started kissing back.


    When they reached the stream, Wei Xiang seated Qinghe on the bank. Feeling the cold water over his legs, Qinghe lightly shivered. Normally, he¡¯d find the water to be at a pleasantly cool temperature, but since his body felt like it was burning up, the contrast against the low temperature of the water was even more evident.


    Wei Xiang settled himself behind him. Qinghe could feel his lover¡¯s firm thighs settle on either side of him, he could feel the warm skin of his chest at his back. Enfolded within his embrace, Qinghe felt completely comfortable and secure.


    And all of this only increased the level of his arousal.


    Wei Xiang undid Qinghe¡¯s belt and slipped off his thin shift. As the cool night air brushed over his heated skin, Qinghe shivered again. If he wasn¡¯t absolutely sure that his backyard was completely closed off, Qinghe would¡¯ve been panicking by now. Yet he lay compliantly in his lover¡¯s arms, letting Wei Xiang undress him.


    Bowing his head, Wei Xiang nibbled on Qinghe¡¯s earlobe while whispering, ¡°Tell me, love. Where do you want me to touch you?¡±


    Qinghe blushed and turned his face away as he shyly said, ¡°Everywhere.¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled. How adorable was this?


    His hands smoothed over Qinghe¡¯s shoulders and slid down his arms as he lightly licked the junction of his neck and shoulder. ¡°Tell me if you want me to stop anytime, okay?¡± Wei Xiang murmured into his skin.


    Qinghe jerkily nodded. The heat in the pit of his belly increased in intensity. Desire flowed through him like warm honey, sweet and thick. He could barely hold himself upright as Wei Xiang¡¯s palms moved up to his chest. Both hands fondled the stiffened buds that were perked up as if asking for attention. The rough pads of his thumbs brushed over them before Wei Xiang¡¯s fingers kneaded the velvety nubs in experienced motions.


    Unable to contain the pleasure, Qinghe groaned softly. Unlike with the twins, when his body had responded only for his mind to firmly rebel against their touch, Qinghe felt both his body and mind opening under Wei Xiang¡¯s hands. He had all but melted into Wei Xiang¡¯s body under the onslaught of his skilled fingers.


    One of Wei Xiang¡¯s palms eventually trailed over Qinghe¡¯s stomach and traveled below, gently encircling his erect member.


    Qinghe sucked in a breath.


    Hesitantly, he called out, ¡°¡­Xiang¡­?¡±


    Nuzzling his neck, Wei Xiang said soothingly, ¡°It¡¯s okay, relax.¡±


    Reassured, Qinghe settled down again.


    Lightly massaging the base, Wei Xiang began moving his hand up and down the slender shaft. Qinghe moaned throatily. The friction of the palm against his sensitive member felt too good, inciting fresh waves of desire to flood him.


    Qinghe uninhibitedly writhed, his hands clenching where they lay on Wei Xiang¡¯s thighs, his toes curling in the water and making small splashes. Wei Xiang carefully paced the rhythm of his hand to maximize his lover¡¯s pleasure.


    Tension thrumming beneath his skin, Qinghe arched his back to thrust into Wei Xiang¡¯s fist. The friction was too delicious and only increased his appetite.


    Sensing his lover quickly nearing the peak, Wei Xiang moved faster. Sweat beaded on Qinghe¡¯s skin as ambiguous sounds slipped one after another out of his lips. He moaned and gasped, his chest moving up and down as his body twisted around unable to process this much stimulation. He felt like he was on the edge of something. He yearned to go over that edge.


    Wei Xiang, while using one hand to stroke Qinghe¡¯s member, was using the other hand to slide over his skin, occasionally pinching or rolling one of the perky buds on Qinghe¡¯s chest. His hot mouth laved and sucked on his lover¡¯s tender neck, leaving behind pink and red marks.


    Qinghe¡¯s body was taut with pleasure. His eyes squeezing out clear droplets, his lips opened as he panted frantically. He could feel that he was close, so close.


    His hand moving up and down swiftly and firmly over his lover¡¯s sensitive flesh, Wei Xiang made sure to brush his thumb over the slit at the tip, rubbing at the translucent drop of liquid that had already beaded.


    That one bit of extra stimulation proved to be too much. Qinghe felt his mind go blank as his body shuddered. Wave after wave of pleasure washed over him as he released, the pearly liquid spurting out to cover Wei Xiang¡¯s hand.


    As the climax receded, Qinghe turned limp, panting softly as the aftershocks still coursed through him. The sheer amount of pleasure he¡¯d just felt was incomprehensible to him. What the heck had just happened?


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± he heard his lover ask concernedly. Qinghe was still in a daze as he nodded. His body felt loose and heavy and completely sated.


    Their reflections in the water were distorted and mixed with the moonlight. Wei Xiang scooped up some water and lightly cleaned them both up.


    Suddenly realizing something, Qinghe asked, ¡°What about you?¡± He still felt his lover¡¯s arousal pressing up against behind him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. You don¡¯t have to worry,¡± Wei Xiang said.


    But Qinghe wasn¡¯t having it. He turned his body so that they were facing each other and firmly gripped Wei Xiang¡¯s hardness through his pants, making him hiss.


    Leaning in, Qinghe whispered with a sly smile, ¡°You¡¯ve taught me well tonight. Now it¡¯s my turn to show you what I learned.¡±


    Resting his forehead against Qinghe¡¯s, Wei Xiang chuffed out a laugh and said huskily, ¡°Then show me.¡±


    Licking his lips in anticipation, Qinghe reached into his lover¡¯s bulging pants¡­


    Under the moonlight, the couple had a very long and satisfying night of mutual exploration.


    ¡­¡­


    By the time they retired to bed, dawn was beginning to peek over the horizon.


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang lay comfortable and naked in each other¡¯s arms, both sleepy, but neither yet asleep. Red marks were scattered all over their bodies, a sign of their passionate night.


    ¡°I might not be able to make it tomorrow. I¡¯m sorry for having to leave you alone again,¡± Wei Xiang spoke softly into Qinghe¡¯s hair.


    Qinghe stiffened before relaxing once more. ¡°It¡¯s okay, your work is important too. It just means that if I ever get busy with sect matters and end up not being here to greet you, you can¡¯t blame me as well.¡±


    ¡°I will try not to,¡± Wei Xiang replied, his lips curving in a smile.


    Qinghe closed his eyes, hiding the melancholy within them. But Wei Xiang noticed nonetheless.


    ¡°I will use the next couple of days to finish with my work. Then we can spend the next few weeks together without interruptions,¡± Wei Xiang explained.


    Smiling happily after hearing this, Qinghe looked up and said, ¡°Thank you. That¡¯ll be great.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it will.¡±


    And then they finally fell asleep with soft smiles on their faces.

 Chapter 33: Disadvantageous Terms

    The next day, the disciples of Heavenly Peak sect noticed that their Senior Brother Feng wore an especially brilliant and beatific smile, his eyes sparkling with happiness. Everyone who saw him felt refreshed and joyful as well.


    As Qinghe went about his tasks, all he could think about was last night and the promise Wei Xiang made early this morning. He was so eager to see his lover again that the lack of sleep didn¡¯t even bother him. He felt restless and jittery, his nerves jumping from excitement.


    He suddenly remembered that the twins would be returning from Starry Mountain Peak tomorrow and he had promised them some of his handmade sweets. He had never cared enough to learn to make anything else except these and he was especially good at it. Maybe he should make some for Wei Xiang as well?


    The smile on his face stretched wider as he tried to imagine how Wei Xiang would react. He¡¯d probably be surprised that he could make anything at all.


    Qinghe thought of all the ingredients he¡¯d need. Hmm, he should get some cream and fresh mint, also flour and¡­what else? As he was busy planning it out, a commotion attracted his attention.


    A junior disciple ran over to him, seemingly relieved to have found him quickly. ¡°Senior Martial Brother Feng, there¡¯s trouble! The kidnappers are asking for you in exchange! They say no cultivators can find their hideout so they¡¯re being so unreasonable¨D!¡±


    Qinghe interrupted the insensible tirade and spoke, ¡°Wait, start from the beginning. What happened? What kidnappers? And why do they want me?¡±


    Realizing he hadn¡¯t explained the situation properly, the disciple took a deep breath and started over again. ¡°Senior Brother Chen was kidnapped when he was out completing a task. The kidnappers mistook him for Senior Brother Feng, it seems. They appear to have some sort of grudge and say they¡¯ll guarantee Senior Brother Chen¡¯s safety only if the Elders hand you over. The sect master and the others refused, but the kidnappers won¡¯t leave. The sect master is also reluctant to throw them out since Senior Brother Chen¡¯s life is in their hands. They can also not kill or capture the kidnappers since no one else knows where their base is. By the time they are made to confess, it might be too late. So they¡¯re now trying to negotiate Senior Brother Chen¡¯s release. But the kidnappers are insisting that no cultivator can breach their defenses, so they¡¯re being arrogant enough to argue with our Elders and the sect master. The sect master finally asked me to bring you over and let you decide what to do.¡±


    Qinghe frowned. This was a pickle. He remembered that before he and the others had left to take care of the wyvern, his master had clearly told him that he¡¯d sent Chen Xiande out on an easier task. So he must have been kidnapped then.


    As for the identity of these kidnappers who had a grudge against him¡­ it was difficult to guess since he had made too many enemies during his life.


    ¡°I understand, thank you for telling me,¡± Qinghe said before he made for the sect hall, the messenger disciple hurrying after him.


    As they neared the sect hall, they found more and more disciples blocking their way, attracted over by the spectacle. But once they saw Qinghe, they immediately parted to make way for him.


    Without a change in his usual pleasant expression, Qinghe walked into the sect hall. Ignoring the ragtag bunch of kidnappers standing defiantly at the center of the hall, Qinghe respectfully bowed and greeted his master and the others as usual.


    ¡°This disciple greets Master and the Elders.¡±


    The Elders were all looking angrily at the intruders, some of them even standing up, their fists shaking with fury. Only the sect master looked calm, at least from the outside. Qinghe knew him enough to detect the barely suppressed rage in his eyes.


    The sect master called to him, ¡°Qing-er, these troublemakers wish to exchange you for your senior brother¡¯s safety. What do you say?¡±


    ¡°If Master is willing to send me, then this disciple will naturally go,¡± Qinghe replied calmly.


    ¡°And if I¡¯m not willing to send you?¡± Zhen YiLan countered.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll still go,¡± Qinghe said, his tone unchanging.


    Zhen YiLan sighed at how headstrong this disciple of his was. ¡°Qing-er, though Xian-er is also an important part of the sect, you are more valuable. I know you realize this. Even without Xian-er, we will still have a competent successor in you, but without you¡­ who else has the capability to raise Xian-er up to be a proper sect master? Qing-er, it is your Elders¡¯ and my wish to protect you.¡±


    ¡°I humbly decline your protection,¡± Qinghe didn¡¯t give him any face at all.


    Unable to see this promising youngster wanting to willingly throw away his safety and risk his life for the sake of that unpromising head disciple, the black-haired Elder stood up and furiously shouted, ¡°Feng Qinghe! This is for the good of the sect, why can¡¯t you understand this? No matter what you do or say, Chen Xiande can never be a suitable replacement for you, can¡¯t you see that? He can never be a proper sect master!¡±


    ¡°Then I will make him into a worthy sect master!¡± Qinghe raised his own voice. He was sick and tired of this!


    As his declaration rang out loudly, the hall fell into a stunned silence.


    Feng Qinghe was widely respected both among the disciples and the Elders of most sects. He was competent yet polite, with an elegant smile always perched on his lips. He was helpful and considerate of his junior brothers. He helped his master deal with a significant portion of his work, making all the Elders and other sect masters envious of Zhen YiLan. He had a good cultivation base and steadily rose up to be one of the more famous cultivators. He was a model disciple and a promising cultivator.


    And he had never once raised his voice.


    For the first time, the people of the sect felt the strong presence of this always smiling senior disciple. He might look amicable, but the sheer number of his achievements spoke of his unbending will and strength.


    Qinghe¡¯s smile had turned sharp as he said in a much more normal tone, ¡°Senior Brother has been given to my care, so I will handle this. The Elders and Sect Master need not worry. I will complete this task as I usually do. I will return with Senior Brother.¡±


    This time, the Elders and the sect master could not object. None of them doubted his capability or cunning, and faced with his stubborn insistence, they could only relent.


    ¡°Boy, you¡¯re casually talking about busting out your senior brother and escaping like we¡¯re not even here. Do you think it¡¯ll be easy, huh?¡± said the sleazy boss of the kidnappers who had been enjoying the sect drama from the sidelines till now.


    Qinghe cast a disinterested glance at him but suddenly froze. He remembered that man beside the boss. Wasn¡¯t he that bald leader of the thugs who had chased him to the cliff edge when he had been having trouble with the restrictions? It was because of him and his group¡¯s actions that Qinghe had his first face-to-face meeting with Wei Xiang that day. Didn¡¯t Wei Xiang tie up the entire bunch into dumplings after that? What was the bald leader doing here out of prison?


    Well, at least he understood why they had a grudge against him. It seemed like this kidnapper boss was the bald man¡¯s superior. They must be an influential gang to be able to get this far into the Heavenly Peak Sect¡¯s territory. He¡¯d have to be wary of their backing then.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not waste time on chatter,¡± Qinghe smiled as usual as if he wasn¡¯t giving himself up to a bunch of evildoers. ¡°Since I¡¯ve already assented to come with you in exchange for my senior brother¡¯s safety, let¡¯s make an oath and be on our way.¡±


    The kidnapper boss snorted. ¡°Think you¡¯re all that, don¡¯t you? Ordering us around¡­ But our chief told us to treat you nice if you don¡¯t make it hard, so I suppose we¡¯ll treat you nice.¡± Turning to a subordinate, he instructed, ¡°Bring out the binding scroll.¡±


    A seemingly ancient scroll was carefully handed to him.


    ¡°Sign this and we can be on our way,¡± he said to Qinghe.


    Qinghe gingerly took the dirty looking piece of paper and let a drop of his blood drip onto it, but only after thoroughly verifying the terms and the scroll¡¯s authenticity. The boss did the same, signing on behalf of his organization.


    Zhen YiLan had on a distressed look the whole time, but he didn¡¯t dare stop his disciple. He finally chose to place his trust in him, or at least lay low in the face of his wrath.


    ¡°Ah, a couple more things, just to be safe,¡± said the boss as he gestured again to his lackeys. They brought out a tiny vial of liquid and a couple sets of manacles.


    ¡°Take the medicine like a good boy and let us put these pretty bracelets and anklets on you, and we¡¯ll be ready to go.¡± The kidnapper boss grinned, happy that after all the arguing with those old geezers, he was finally able to complete his task.


    Zhen YiLan stood up and wanted to stop Qinghe, but finally restrained himself. His disciple knew what he was doing, he always did.


    Not reacting to the barbs, Qinghe received the tiny bottle first. Opening its stopper in one smooth motion, he sniffed its contents before downing it in a single gulp.


    It was a rare poison that would wear out after a day. Its effects were to render one¡¯s cultivation useless during that period. It seemed they had some way to handle him even after his cultivation returned after one day. Their confidence didn¡¯t bother Qinghe much since he pretty much knew what they were depending on, and the most it would mean was a delay in his and his senior brother¡¯s escape.


    Seeing Qinghe silently keeping his word despite the provocation, the boss¡¯s impression of this delicate-looking cultivator went up. It was a good thing that Sentinel from last time who was said to have thwarted his little brother before was not present. Look at how smoothly it was all going!


    The boss eagerly gestured to the lackey holding the restraints to go and put them on Qinghe. He didn¡¯t trust this cultivator to not use any sneaky tricks while putting them on by himself. He might just close them loosely and wait for a chance to escape. Who knew? It was best to make someone he trusted do it instead.


    Qinghe raised his hands without comment, letting the reed-thin and shifty looking fellow put the shackles around his wrists. The shackles were connected together by a long, thick and heavy chain that clinked and clanked with every tiny movement.


    Bending down, the thin man had to remove Qinghe¡¯s boots to fit the other set of linked restraints onto Qinghe¡¯s ankles. As he was putting them on, the thin man¡¯s hand lightly brushed over the smooth white skin. His thoughts immediately turned dirty as he fastened the cuffs around the delicate looking ankles.


    With these on, anything faster than a walk would be impossible.


    Qinghe was trying his best to not show any reaction at being touched. He had gotten used to freely exchanging skinship with Wei Xiang and the twins so much that it made him feel a little spoiled.


    Rubbing his hands, the boss said excitedly, ¡°Alright, now we¡¯re ready. Say goodbye to the old men. You won¡¯t be seeing them ever again.¡±


    Qinghe ignored him and gave one last bow to the Elders and his master before turning and leaving.


    When they reached outside the sect hall, the disciples who had crowded around the entrance were all startled and distressed at seeing Qinghe bound and barefoot as he followed behind the jolly kidnappers. They all showed expressions that were on the verge of crying. How could something like this happen to their strong, kind and dependable senior brother?


    Shaking his head at their obvious thoughts, Qinghe instructed the disciples without turning to look at them. ¡°Alright now, stop it. Your senior brother is not going to get his head chopped off. I will be back soon and when I return, I better see some improvements in your cultivation, alright?¡±


    Thinking to reassure them, he smiled his usual gentle smile at them.


    Moved, the disciples proclaimed as one, ¡°Yes, Senior Martial Brother Feng!¡±


    Satisfied, Qinghe nodded and walked gracefully as if the restraints were non-existent. Seeing his casual attitude, the disciples finally calmed down and were reassured. Their Senior Brother Feng would surely escape successfully with Senior Brother Chen. Those kidnappers wouldn¡¯t know what hit them!


    Once the procession was outside the sect¡¯s view, Qinghe dropped his pleasant expression. His face was frozen into his natural coldness.


    ¡°Do you want to know why we mistook your senior brother for you?¡± the boss unexpectedly started conversing with him.


    Qinghe remained silent.


    Not discouraged, the boss continued, ¡°We only knew that the one we were looking for was the successor of Heavenly Peak Sect¡¯s sect master. I naturally assumed it was the first disciple. Who knew the second disciple would be more talented and instead become the successor, eh?¡±


    Not feeling the need to educate them on the intricacies of this matter or correct his erroneous information, Qinghe still made no comment.


    ¡°You know, my brother here was telling me you were some kind of a seductive fox demon or something. Too bad a lot of things he¡¯s been blubbering about make no sense,¡± the boss said undeterred, hooking an arm around the bald man.


    The last time when this man had cornered Qinghe near the cliffs, the scuffle had ripped Qinghe¡¯s appearance changing talisman, revealing his true face to them. But even then, to call him a fox demon¡­ Qinghe felt he didn¡¯t understand which part of him made him look like a fox to this man.


    Thinking of him, why hadn¡¯t the bald man spoken even a word since they met? As he covertly studied him, Qinghe didn¡¯t notice any scarring around his throat, so maybe he had an internal injury? Not finding an answer, he quickly put it out of his mind.


    What Qinghe didn¡¯t know was that under Wei Xiang¡¯s ¡®special care¡¯ before he was broken out of prison, the bald man had suffered so horribly that his throat was permanently damaged due to his screams. Every word spoken by him now would be rough and bring the bald man extreme pain, so he obviously refrained from speech.


    Not knowing this, Qinghe dismissed it from his thoughts. Ah well, whatever. He couldn¡¯t be bothered anymore.


    Uncaring of his attitude, the boss kept chattering on and on.


    And so the group of kidnappers and their prisoner walked on hidden pathways and secret routes to finally reach the hideaway within a few hours.

 Chapter 34: In the Enemy’s Lair

    It was evening by the time the kidnappers finally reached their base.


    The building was surrounded by dense trees on all sides. Situated in a clearing, the base was completely invisible. Even if one had spirit sensing, they wouldn¡¯t be able to sense it. The base had once been the mansion of a mysterious demonic cultivator and had many other such perks.


    When Qinghe was taken into the base, he noticed the wall of talismans that supported the invisibility spell from the inside. Though they were unbreachable from the outside, they were fragile to attacks from within.


    Since he knew for a fact that these talismans weren¡¯t made by the Drifting Clouds Sect, he presumed that they must be black market goods, and for the kidnappers to have so many of them could only mean that they were backed by a very influential black marketing gang. The only name that came to Qinghe¡¯s mind was the notorious Black Fang organization, the only criminal organization currently able to go toe-to-toe with the Order of Sentinels.


    Well, that explained their arrogance.


    Qinghe was taken underground, where there were rows of holding cells on each side made of spirit-suppressing material. Once someone was locked in there, even if the effects of the poison wore off after a day, the return of cultivation still wouldn¡¯t be of any use.


    But Qinghe had already foreseen this.


    Spirit-suppressing material rose in its rarity according to its grade. Though Black Fang had inexhaustible access to black market goods, even they couldn¡¯t get ahold of large amounts of high-grade spirit-suppressing material¡ªit was that rare. The best they could do was go for mid-grade. And thankfully, mid-grade material could only suppress up to sixth realm.


    Qinghe was already in eighth realm, though he disguised his cultivation to look like it was only in the fourth. The kidnappers would obviously think that mid-grade spirit-suppressing material would be enough to contain him.


    Seeing his speculations come true, Qinghe was relieved.


    The holding cells were fitted with vertical bars, so Qinghe was able to peek into them in passing, finding that most of the cells were empty. The only occupants seemed to be Chen Xiande in one cell and a silver-haired woman in the cell opposite his. The woman seemed to be sleeping comfortably. Chen Xiande, on the other hand, looked terrible.


    His face was gaunt, dark bags weighing under his eyes. He looked sickly pale and listless. With just one look, Qinghe could tell that he hadn¡¯t been fed for days. Though it normally wouldn¡¯t have made much of a difference to a cultivator who had formed their core, locked up as he was in a cell made of spirit-suppressing material, Chen Xiande¡¯s body didn¡¯t have access to spiritual energy to keep him going in the absence of nourishment, thus needing sustenance in the form of food and water like regular people. And since he had been denied anything to eat or drink like this for several days, though his strengthened body wouldn¡¯t die, he was naturally in a dreadful state.


    When the cell¡¯s door was opened with a creak, Chen Xiande finally lifted his head with effort, only to be greeted with the sight of his junior brother being unceremoniously shoved inside, the door being locked behind him again.


    ¡°¡­Junior Brother?¡± Chen Xiande sounded disbelieving. Was this a hallucination brought on due to starvation?


    Qinghe smiled. ¡°Senior Brother, it¡¯s been a while. You don¡¯t look very good.¡±


    Chen Xiande¡¯s mouth opened, his lips cracking. ¡°Is it really you, Junior Brother?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me. It seems I¡¯ve caused you some trouble this time. I apologize.¡± After all, this situation was only the result of their kidnappers¡¯ enmity towards Qinghe.


    Trying hard to focus, Chen Xiande asked, ¡°What happened? Why are you here?¡±


    Seeing his senior brother struggling, Qinghe rummaged in his sleeves to retrieve a pouch of dried fruits and nuts before handing them over without a fuss. ¡°Please don¡¯t eat it all at once, it¡¯s not good for your body.¡±


    He had much more food in his storage space, but since he had imbibed poison that rendered his cultivation useless and also caused his spiritual power to be frozen, he couldn¡¯t use his spiritual sense to access the storage space. Thus, he could only use the food he had on him physically. Thankfully, he always kept some food on him since he¡¯d learned to be prepared to be starved during assignments.


    Chen Xiande eagerly received the pouch. Knowing that he was somewhat muddled, Chen Xiande controlled his ravenous hunger and forced himself to listen to his junior brother as he slowly consumed the offered food.


    As his senior brother ate, Qinghe recited all that had happened. Apart from frowning, Chen Xiande had no other reaction until he was done eating.


    ¡°So you exchanged yourself for my safety? Are you stupid?! It only means they won¡¯t hurt me from now on! It doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯ll let me go or not hurt you!¡± Chen Xiande burst out after finishing the food. He already felt clearheaded enough to think of these points.


    But if he could think of this, how could Qinghe have not?


    ¡°I know,¡± he said smiling. ¡°They¡¯re probably thinking of permanently crippling my cultivation and selling me off on the black market to take revenge for what happened before.¡±


    Seeing him calmly saying this only stoked Chen Xiande¡¯s anger higher. ¡°Then why the hell did you give yourself up?! Even if the sect doesn¡¯t have me, it won¡¯t make much of a difference!¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes flashed with anger at those self-depreciating words.


    ¡°Why are you all like this?¡± he spoke heatedly. ¡°What does it matter if you¡¯re useful to the sect? Aren¡¯t you a person? What difference does it make whether you¡¯re useful or not?! As long as you¡¯re my senior brother, you are owed this much!¡±


    Chen Xiande stared at him, astonished. He had never seen his junior brother being so¡­agitated. And to think it was because he was defending him¡­ Chen Xiande felt a faint warmth blooming towards Qinghe. Maybe having a junior brother like this was also not bad.


    ¡°So if I said I quit being your senior brother and withdrew from the sect, then you won¡¯t care anymore?¡± Chen Xiande lightly teased. He felt that this situation was becoming surreal.


    Seeing his senior brother in a good mood, his anger disappeared as if it had never existed. Smirking, Qinghe declared arrogantly, ¡°As long as I say you¡¯re my senior brother, you¡¯ll remain my senior brother! There¡¯s no way I¡¯m taking on such a cumbersome task as being a sect master. Administrative positions don¡¯t suit me at all.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, true. You do like to run around,¡± Chen Xiande observed. He felt that bantering like this with someone was a rare delicacy. He smiled happily. If this was the result of the hardships he¡¯d faced from the time he was kidnapped, then he felt it was well worth it.


    Seeing that his senior brother was finally opening up to him, Qinghe showed a satisfied smile.


    ¡°Junior Brother, do you really have a way to escape?¡± Chen Xiande was pensive. While he trusted Feng Qinghe, he also knew how dire the situation was.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a simple plan. I¡¯ll just use brute force,¡± Qinghe said tranquilly.


    Chen Xiande didn¡¯t understand, but let it go. If this plan needed his cooperation, then his junior brother would have told him. Since he didn¡¯t, it just meant that he didn¡¯t need to know.


    ¡°Alright then, I won¡¯t ask any more,¡± Chen Xiande relented.


    Qinghe looked at him strangely. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust you, Senior Brother. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m afraid if they use torture, you won¡¯t be able to hold on.¡±


    Stiffening, Chen Xiande rebutted, ¡°You signed an oath that states that they can¡¯t harm me if you surrender yourself. Since you did, for them to torture me is impossible!¡±


    Smiling helplessly, Qinghe clarified, ¡°I meant if they tortured me. If they told you they¡¯d stop tormenting me only if you gave up our plans, I¡¯m not sure you¡¯d hold on.¡±


    Chen Xiande paled. Why was he mentioning his torture so casually? He didn¡¯t look the least bit terrified! Sure enough, this junior brother of his seemed to have a lot of experience.


    Collecting himself, Chen Xiande asked, ¡°How long is it going to take for us to get out?¡±


    Qinghe looked up at the small barred window sitting high on the wall. He could see the sky through it and determined the time before saying, ¡°Around the same time tomorrow. Early evening, perhaps.¡±


    Nodding, Chen Xiande was about to ask something else when a melodious laugh interrupted him. It sounded like ringing bells and came from the silver-haired woman who had been sleeping peacefully in the opposite cell.


    ¡°See?¡± she said to Chen Xiande, ¡°I told you that you¡¯d soon have a friend to join you, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    Frowning uncomfortably, Chen Xiande grumped, ¡°He¡¯s not my friend.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re fellow brothers,¡± Qinghe helpfully supplied from the side.


    The silvery peals of laughter could be heard again, sounding cheerful.


    Qinghe carefully studied the woman. For someone to radiate joy like she did in such a situation, she must be unique in some way.


    The woman looked young, but upon closer inspection, light and barely visible wrinkles lined her face. She had a timelessness to her, as if she could be an old looking twenty-year-old or a young looking sixty-year-old. Or maybe she was thousands of years old, who knew?


    Her eyes seemed distant and yet shone with life. Her silver hair flowed down long and curly, trailing to the floor. She was not at all like someone who was being held captive in a dingy cell.


    ¡°I thank you for keeping my senior brother company,¡± Qinghe said politely.


    Waving his thanks away, she spoke breezily, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Actually, I¡¯m quite sad that you will have to go through so much. But you seemed to handle it well, so I guess I don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    Though what she said didn¡¯t seem to make sense, Qinghe didn¡¯t comment on it. At the sight of her hair, a speculation had already formed in his heart.


    ¡°What are you spouting again?¡± Chen Xiande asked grouchily. This woman kept spewing nonsense and it gave him a headache.


    But the woman didn¡¯t seem to hear him. Her gaze still focused on Qinghe, she said in a more solemn tone, ¡°Yes, you are strong. You are stronger than most and with good reason. But keep in mind that if you keep being strong like this, you will break your loved ones. Boy, be careful.¡±


    Qinghe tilted his head curiously. Though he didn¡¯t understand, he¡¯d make sure to remember her words just in case. ¡°I thank you for your guidance,¡± he said in courtesy.


    The seriousness vanished from the woman¡¯s face and she laughed her tinkling laugh again. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re such a good boy!¡±


    The Chen Xiande who felt left out could only pout on the inside as his expression grew gloomier. He had been having such a nice time with his junior brother, why did she have to interrupt them?


    Not knowing these thoughts, Qinghe continued to converse with her. ¡°May I ask how you came to be here?¡±


    ¡°Ah, that. I saw a few gentlemen guiding young men and women into a cart and I thought I¡¯d ask them which station the bus was heading to next and if they could save me a window seat.¡± Saying this, she burst out laughing as if she¡¯d just made the greatest joke ever.


    Station? Bus? Window seat? What were these unfamiliar words? Qinghe was deep in thought. But putting these strange terms aside, he felt he understood the gist of what had truly happened.


    The woman must have seen Black Fang members herding people from one of the slums, gathering them in a cart to be sold off later. He didn¡¯t know why, but she must have asked to be included. Well, she seemed eccentric enough to do something like that. And after that¡­


    ¡°Did they put you in this cell when they found out you were a cultivator?¡± Qinghe asked.


    Startled, Chen Xiande looked at the strange woman. ¡°She¡¯s a cultivator?!¡±


    The silver-haired woman merely laughed as she nodded. ¡°Yes, yes! Aren¡¯t you a clever little young man for figuring it out!¡±


    Qinghe smiled and explained, ¡°If you weren¡¯t, then there would be no need to place you in a cell with spirit-suppressing material.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± the woman nodded again. She was taking a liking to this little guy!


    ¡°Then which sect are you from?¡± Chen Xiande asked, scowling ill-manneredly.


    She winked and returned in a playful tone, ¡°Why don¡¯t you try guessing?¡±


    Shaking his head as they bickered, Qinghe relaxed against a wall with a gentle smile. He always liked it most when the people around him were lively.


    He looked up and his good mood somewhat decreased when he spotted the metal hook strongly attached to the ceiling above. His eyes darkened in thought, but he shook it away. He¡¯d have to face it soon enough.


    Just as night was falling, they came for him.


    The silver-haired woman had already started to snooze and Chen Xiande was also beginning to get drowsy. Qinghe was about to suggest that they go to sleep when he heard the sound of turning wheels and footsteps.


    A black-robed young man leisurely walked up to Qinghe¡¯s cell and gestured for his lackeys to open it. Behind him were the kidnapper boss who¡¯d brought him here, the bald leader from way before, and a couple others who were dragging behind them a wooden wheeled table. Sharp metal glinted on the table¡¯s surface.


    As the cell door opened with an ominous groan, the black-robed man smiled and said, ¡°Hello, It seems you took really good care of my boy last time. So as repayment, let¡¯s have some fun together, shall we?¡±

 Chapter 35: A Faux Heavenly Sword

    Hearing the black-robed man¡¯s words, the sleepy expression on Chen Xiande¡¯s face turned tense. Qinghe got up from his sitting position, his relaxed air vanishing as he resumed his cold look.


    The black-robed man had a devilish smile full of anticipation as he walked into the cell. He barely cast a glance at Chen Xiande, his attention focused entirely on Qinghe.


    After he entered, the wheeled table was brought in. It was filled with whips, knives, soldering irons and other common instruments of torture along with a lit brazier. There was also a long cloth covered object in the middle.


    Qinghe knew where this was going. He had long ago expected this possibility and had already mentally prepared himself for it.


    Seeing his unsurprised expression, the black-robed man chuckled. He strode over and peered curiously at him, his face only a finger¡¯s width away from Qinghe¡¯s.


    ¡°I thought you were supposed to be some peerless beauty?¡± he said and turned towards the bald man. Shivering at his bloodthirsty smile, the bald man meekly tried to hide behind the kidnapper boss, his throat making hoarse whimpering sounds.


    Not minding the fearful reaction, the black-robed man turned back and studied Qinghe thoughtfully as if considering something. ¡°Unless¡­¡± he said vaguely and looked down at Qinghe¡¯s chest, or more precisely, at the appearance changing talisman under the robe.


    Though the poison and spirit-suppressing material could block cultivation and spirit flow, it couldn¡¯t interfere with spells that were already cast or formations that were already in place. Otherwise, Qinghe would have had bigger problems than just an inactive talisman. The restriction on his soul would¡¯ve also come undone.


    Qinghe remained motionless as the man extended a hand and easily ripped the white robe open. Pulled off contact with his skin, the appearance changing talisman lost its effect and Qinghe¡¯s true face was revealed.


    Sharp intakes of breaths could be heard as they beheld his appearance.


    ¡°Hm, this is more like it. Truly a peerless beauty.¡± The black-robed man sounded pleased. Then frowning at his cold face, he added, ¡°If only you looked more obedient, you¡¯d go for the highest price in the black market¡¯s slave auctions.¡±


    Imitating a stone statue, Qinghe remained silent. Even if he tried to backtalk or escape, the black-robed man would just send people to subdue him. He was currently under the effects of the poison and not any different from a normal human except for his advanced martial arts. But without spiritual power, he couldn¡¯t utilize them to the fullest and could only settle for a pale imitation. Such watered-down martial arts might not be sufficient to get him out of this situation.


    But despite all this, Qinghe still had quite a few methods up his sleeve. He just chose not to use them. This situation still had its purpose and Qinghe would make sure that everything went the way he wanted it to, even if he had to suffer for it. After all, physical pain wasn¡¯t something he was new to.


    As long as he wasn¡¯t dead, everything else could be fixed.


    Seeing Qinghe still maintaining his indifferent expression as if he didn¡¯t put him in his eye, the black-robed man grew furious and said maliciously, ¡°Yes, it seems you need some training.¡± Then turning to his lackeys, he spat, ¡°String him up.¡±


    The two people who had wheeled in the table quickly went to Qinghe and grabbed the long chain that swung between his hands. Using a pole, they inserted the middle chain link into the hook attached to the ceiling. Qinghe silently let them.


    His hands stretched above and with his robe that was torn at the front now gaping open while revealing a large portion of his chest, he looked pitiful and vulnerable. That is, if one discounted his utterly expressionless face.


    The black-robed man was still not satisfied. He wanted this prisoner to show at least some measure of fear or despair. He didn¡¯t like his calm look, as if everything was still within his control.


    Angry, the black-robed man grabbed a whip and, without warning, started lashing at the suspended figure.


    Qinghe¡¯s expression still remained the same as glistening red lines were sliced open across his fair skin wherever the whip struck, droplets of blood being flung into the air due to the whip¡¯s violent motions.


    But all this was still well within his pain threshold.


    On the side, Chen Xiande had already gotten up and tried to block the strikes while yelling ¡°Junior Brother!¡± But a couple of lackeys quickly dragged him away and held him down. Their group had after all signed an unbreakable oath that stated that they wouldn¡¯t harm this fellow. A breach of oath meant their souls dissolving. So they each held one of Chen Xiande¡¯s arms to stop him from doing something stupid.


    The whistling of the whip and the sound of it impacting flesh sounded again and again, but there were no cries.


    Disappointed at the lack of reaction, the black-robed man stopped abruptly. His chest was slightly heaving and his face was flushed from anger and exertion.


    Suddenly, he laughed.


    Throwing away the bloodstained whip, he walked in front of Qinghe and grabbed his hair that had come unfastened. Tightly fisting it, he tilted Qinghe¡¯s head so that it faced his own. ¡°Well, now. I didn¡¯t expect you to have such a tough skin. It¡¯ll make it that much sweeter when I finally break you.¡±


    Although he inwardly flinched at the unwelcome touch, outwardly Qinghe¡¯s face remained mostly unmoved, just a corner of his lips quirking up in mockery. ¡°You can try,¡± he said, unimpressed.


    The black-robed man¡¯s good humor vanished and a scowl claimed his face. ¡°It seems you still need a lesson in obedience!¡±


    Fueled by rage, the black-robed man used various instruments on Qinghe in succession, but didn¡¯t even succeed in eliciting a frown from that frozen blank face.


    By the end of the session, Qinghe was covered in all manner of creative cuts, bruises, and burn marks that spanned his entire body. His clothing was ripped into tatters and hung loosely on his brutalized frame. But despite it all, Qinghe stood stable and straight like a pine tree unbothered by errant gales of wind.


    Having to watch his junior brother go through all this, Chen Xiande was almost out of his mind. Chen Xiande was most afraid of pain, so watching this was truly horrifying for him. But despite it, he still wanted to at least be able to share his junior brother¡¯s suffering in some way.


    He finally understood what Qinghe had meant when he said that he wasn¡¯t confident in his ability to keep the escape plan a secret. If the black-robed man had offered to stop the torment in exchange for the information, Chen Xiande wasn¡¯t sure whether he could stay silent.


    For the first time, he loathed himself for not cultivating enough. He¡¯d always disregarded his own cultivation since the Elders or his own master didn¡¯t seem to be concerned about it. So what if he advanced? It wasn¡¯t like anyone would care.


    But if he had only cultivated properly and had practiced more martial arts, he wouldn¡¯t have gotten captured in the first place and his junior brother wouldn¡¯t have to suffer like this.


    And so, a flame was lit in Chen Xiande¡¯s heart. He would cultivate more and learn well. He would become someone who could protect his own junior brother rather than being the one protected.


    He would strive to improve himself.


    The black-robed man was sweating and scowling. How could this man remain impassive throughout this? It was abnormal!


    ¡°You¡­ Can¡¯t you feel pain?!¡± the man growled, feeling cheated.


    Qinghe couldn¡¯t care less about what he felt as he chose to reply, ¡°Of course I can.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you like this? Scream, damn you! Don¡¯t you know how to scream?!¡± the black-robed man shouted.


    ¡°With you giving me a demonstration by screaming in my face, how can I not know?¡± Qinghe said dryly.


    ¡°Why you little¨D!¡± the man was rendered speechless.


    Snorting, Qinghe spoke again, ¡°Did you truly think I was a delicate flower sheltered in a greenhouse? As a direct disciple from a prominent sect, you should¡¯ve expected this much from me.¡±


    ¡°What prominent sect? You disciples of major sects all just sit there on top of a mountain gathering dust rather than experience. You know nothing about the world!¡±


    The black-robed man¡¯s sentiment was shared by the others in his organization as well.


    The people of Black Fang were the most dissatisfied with the state of things as they stood. They loathed the Order of Sentinels for turning the previously chaotic world¡ªa world where the strong and powerful ruled over the weak and where personal interest reigned supreme over worthless morals¡ªinto its current placid and peaceful state.


    The Black Fang organization, at its core, was an institution that aimed to correct this. They used their black market goods and connections to seed the world with all sorts of things that would slowly corrupt society into its previous state, turning it back into a world they could easily dominate, one unbound by constricting laws or pedantic rules.


    As such, they naturally looked down on the current generation of cultivators who had become too complacent in the absence of plotting and strife. The harmony with which the righteous and demonic factions lived grated on this chaos-loving group.


    But all of that did not concern Qinghe at present.


    ¡°Think what you will. I have no need to prove myself to someone as insignificant as you,¡± Qinghe said haughtily. He had no duty to educate these idiots. They¡¯d learn for themselves just how ¡®inexperienced¡¯ he was when he smashed their precious base to pieces.


    The black-robed man¡¯s rage reached towering heights at these words.


    But then his twisted expression suddenly smoothened out. Ah, he still had that option left to try!


    ¡°Bring me the heavenly sword!¡± he commanded.


    The cloth-wrapped object was reverently handed to him.


    Pushing aside the fabric, the black-robed man revealed the sword hidden underneath, his eyes shining with excitement.


    Extending from an intricately wrought silver hilt, the blade was made of a translucent dark grey crystal with flickers of black flashing inside every now and then. A vicious aura radiated from it, as if it wanted to tear everything in its vicinity to pieces and devour it all.


    Qinghe snorted inwardly. What ¡®heavenly sword¡¯? This was clearly demonic in origin! From which moldering corner did this guy pick up this faux heavenly sword, he wondered.


    Clearly able to make out the disdain in Qinghe¡¯s eyes, the black-robed man felt offended. ¡°Hmph, I suppose you wouldn¡¯t know about this sword since you stay shut inside your sect all day, but let me enlighten you. This sword is named Soul Devourer. I have fed it the souls of many, and now it will be your turn to be its food,¡± he said with a mixture of pride and malevolence.


    Rolling his eyes, Qinghe thought: With that name, you dare to call it a heavenly sword. Are you not afraid of being struck down by Heaven?


    As if sensing his contempt, the sword pulsed sinisterly.


    The black-robed man walked closer to Qinghe. ¡°Here you go then, feed it well,¡± he said while chuckling, then promptly shoved the sword up to the hilt into Qinghe¡¯s stomach.


    His body jerked at the feeling of the blunt blade suddenly skewering through him, scraping past bones and sliding through organs. Qinghe¡¯s eyebrow twitched, but that was all the reaction he offered. He felt hot and coppery blood traveling up his throat, and turning to the side, he spat it out to clear his airway.


    Damn, but that hurt!


    What was even more terrible was that he could actually feel the damned sword sucking up his soul¡¯s energy. He felt himself grow weaker, his mind hazier. The restrictions around his soul loosened slightly as the sword greedily consumed more and more from his soul.


    Unsatisfied by his minimal response, the black-robed man cruelly twisted the sword. As sharp stabbing pain tore up from the wound, Qinghe could feel warm liquid trickling down the corner of his mouth. He spat out some more blood. He¡¯d simply die of blood loss at this rate.


    Excruciating waves of pain washed up from his abdomen. He could feel his soul getting dimmer by the second. Any more and his very self would start unraveling¡­


    And then it all abruptly stopped as the black-robed man pulled the sword out. Strangely, not one drop of blood seemed to stain the blade, as if everything in contact with it had been devoured clean.


    ¡°This much should be enough for now. I still have a use for you after all, can¡¯t have you dying yet,¡± he said as he looked down to see how much the sword was able to absorb.


    His eyes widened in shock.


    The formerly grey sword had turned a brilliant white, the light pulsing and throbbing as if to the rhythm of a heartbeat. The harsh light seemed to cut through the gloom of the cell, pure and untainted. The sheer power it emitted was overwhelming.


    Just as the black-robed man¡¯s face was about to break into a delighted smile, he heard the faint sound of a crack. Frowning, he looked at the sword uncomprehendingly as the blade formed fissures right in front of his eyes. The cracks spread, the fracture lines glowing white as if unable to contain the light within.


    ¡°W-What¡¯s happeni¨D¡± the man began to stutter, astonished.


    CRACK!


    With a loud sound, the blade shattered, the fragments raining down, leaving only the silver hilt in the man¡¯s hand.


    Pure, undiluted power congealed from the fragments of the sword, forming a dense mass of blazing white that moved quickly towards Qinghe. Bewildered, Qinghe could only watch as the mass shot towards him. He felt it impact his stomach and dissolve into him. Blinding pain twisted his insides for a moment, followed by heat spreading throughout.


    What was even happening now? Qinghe could only think this in confusion.


    As he was contemplating whether he was about to die, Qinghe felt something astonishing happening. His dulled soul was injected back with the energy it had lost and was instantly revitalized. But the accumulated energy from the sword contained not only Qinghe¡¯s soul energy, but also the energies of those who¡¯d been sucked to death by the sword before.


    The cumulative power of all those souls thundered through Qinghe, making him reel in dizziness. He quickly guided the energy through his spiritual channels. Though he couldn¡¯t use his own spiritual energy, he could at least do this much to stop himself from exploding due to the sudden influx of power.


    ¡°You bastard, what did you do?!¡± the black-robed man shouted accusingly.


    Qinghe was still dazed and could only shake his head, trying to clear the ringing in his ears.


    Thinking that he had been attacked by the sword in its final moments and was disoriented due to the extensive injuries, the black-robed man finally hmphed in satisfaction. He might not have been able to make him scream, but he would make do with him sustaining a serious injury at least.


    But his beloved sword would still remain broken¡­


    Thinking this, he lost his desire to make Qinghe suffer any more. Turning on his heel, he ordered, ¡°We¡¯re leaving, clean it up.¡±


    A chorus of ¡®Yes, Chief!¡¯s sounded as the lackeys hurried to obey.


    Qinghe¡¯s thoughts felt covered in mist, his mind floating on clouds. Through the haze, he felt someone¡¯s arms wrap around him, considerately not making skin contact as they pulled the chain from the hook and gently took him down. He could hear Chen Xiande frantically calling out ¡®Junior Brother!¡¯ again and again. He heard the silver-haired woman¡¯s voice as she advised him to let Qinghe sleep it off.


    And as the noise in his surroundings finally subsided, Qinghe fell into slumber at last.

 Chapter 36: Three Chatting Prisoners

    Qinghe knew he was in a dream.


    He felt cold chains wrapping around him, holding him immobile as scalding pain tore through him.


    The blistering heat traveled through his veins, melting them. He could feel it reaching for his lungs, his stomach, spleen, kidneys, liver¡­ He could feel it in his mind, burning away rational thought, leaving him a writhing wreck that only sought an end to the torment. He could feel it slowly, oh so slowly, making its way to his heart, the delicate sack of muscle frantically fluttering like a frightened bird in a cage.


    The pain wrapped around his neck, a pitiless collar constricting around his throat, leaving him gasping and thrashing.


    Maybe he was still stuck with the Nightmare Parasite, he thought in befuddlement.


    Eventually becoming one with the pain, Qinghe no longer felt the need to resist. He could just give up and stay here like this.


    ¡°¡­ior¡­ther¡­!¡±


    Qinghe heard someone calling from far away and ignored it. It must be a figment of his imagination. But the calls got clearer and more insistent as time passed.


    ¡°¡­nior¡­rother¡­Junior Brother!¡±


    Hmm, he seemed to recognize this voice? Who was¡­Ah, wasn¡¯t it his senior brother Chen Xiande?


    ¡°Feng Qinghe, you better wake up right this second!¡± a loud voice assaulted his ears, instantly awakening his blurred consciousness.


    Qinghe shot up and quickly surveyed his surroundings, searching for the threat. The cell was clear of everyone except his senior brother and him. Not finding any danger, he turned to look puzzled at Chen Xiande.


    ¡°Senior Brother, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Chen Xiande was just about on the verge of tears. He was so relieved that Qinghe woke up that all strength left his body and he slumped down tiredly.


    ¡°Senior Brother!¡± Qinghe called out in alarm.


    Weakly, Chen Xiande explained, ¡°In your sleep, you suddenly stopped moving. I couldn¡¯t even use my spiritual power to tell if you were breathing. You were so still that I thought you¡­that you¡­¡± The words ¡®passed in your sleep¡¯ remained unsaid, but Qinghe surmised it anyway.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have caused you to worry, but I¡¯m fine. I was just having a nightmare,¡± Qinghe said, chagrined.


    Nodding, Chen Xiande asked, ¡°What kind of a nightmare did you have?¡± His nerves were still somewhat unsettled, so he tried to make small talk to calm himself down.


    ¡°Nothing, just about something relating to the past,¡± Qinghe replied vaguely, his hand reaching up to check that there was nothing around his neck.


    Qinghe was sure that his dream had been a mix of his experiences from his childhood, the Nightmare Parasite, the torture, and the recent incident with the sword. But all of them were now firmly in the past. He had gotten through it and survived, that was all that mattered.


    Fidgeting for a while, Chen Xiande pensively spoke, ¡°Junior Brother, I¡­ I¡¯m sorry I let you down. It¡¯s my fault that I was captured and ended up dragging you into this. I promise to train hard from now on!¡±


    Raising an eyebrow, Qinghe said, ¡°It was their enmity with me that caused them to kidnap you in the first place. If anyone has to be blamed, it should be me. Please don¡¯t feel responsible, Senior Brother.¡±


    Chen Xiande looked unconvinced and Qinghe let him be. If his senior brother was able to gain some motivation due to this, then that was a good thing.


    ¡°But¡­ You still suffered. Are you really alright, Junior Brother?¡± Chen Xiande persisted. The fair skin of the person in front of him was still marked with injuries, some of them looking very severe. He couldn¡¯t help but worry. Just how much pain was he in?


    Qinghe reassured, ¡°I¡¯ll be alright if I take some healing pills. I¡¯ve had much worse and came out just fine, so please don¡¯t worry.¡±


    As Chen Xiande digested his words, Qinghe rummaged in his sleeves and retrieved a bottle of pills. His stomach had been leaking blood all this time despite Chen Xiande¡¯s efforts to staunch the bleeding.


    In quick succession, Qinghe popped a blood replenishing pill, healing pill, vitality restoring pill and other relevant pills into his mouth. It would have been much better had he had his spiritual energy to properly absorb and circulate the pills¡¯ effects. He¡¯d just have to make do with the reduced efficiency for now.


    Hesitantly, Chen Xiande asked, ¡°Junior Brother¡­ You said you¡¯ve been through worse. Just why and when did this happen?¡±


    Feeling his wounds beginning to heal and his health returning, Qinghe was cheerful as he answered, ¡°Oh, that. It was some time ago. Master needed a rare blue abyss herb and dispatched me to find it. Who knew that a group of passersby would have already found it before me and have taken it? I naturally tried to negotiate for it, but they tried to cheat me out and then threw me into a deep pit with spirit sucking miasma after cutting off my four limbs.


    ¡°It took a really long time to grow back, you know! I had to wait there for six months until my limbs slowly regenerated. Thank goodness I¡¯m a cultivator or there¡¯d have been no chance of regrowing them. Then it took me another two months to slowly climb up. After all, newly grown hands and legs need to redevelop their muscles, so it couldn¡¯t be helped. But I eventually got out and tracked down those cheating bastards and got my revenge. Oh, and I also got the herb and some other treasures from them as an apology.¡±


    Chen Xiande¡¯s eyes grew wider and wider as he listened to his junior brother merrily recite hardships that would have broken a normal person.


    But Chen Xiande still didn¡¯t know the true extent of the mental and physical suffering Qinghe had to go through because of the ordeal, and Qinghe didn¡¯t see the need to enlighten him.


    Back then in that pit, though the cut-off limbs had lain right in front of him, he could not move towards them or find a way to reattach them. After all, he¡¯d had no hands or legs. He could only watch them being devoured by maggots as his bones grew anew in a slow and painful process, the muscles and tendons sluggishly crawling over them, their growth even slower. The persistent itchiness along with the sharp and unending stabs of pain he¡¯d felt as his nerves re-formed and connected once more had been almost unendurable.


    In contrast to that excruciating agony and psychological suffering, what was a little torture? It was almost adorable in comparison.


    ¡°Does Master often send you out on these kinds of missions? And do you often get¡­tortured like this?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Qinghe had been happily reminiscing about the ¡®revenge¡¯ bit when he heard the question. ¡°Oh, yes. But he doesn¡¯t know what goes on between the time he gives me the assignment and the time I return to report its completion. And Senior Brother, the world can often be a cruel place. I¡¯m used to it.¡±


    Wanting to cry, Chen Xiande shouted in his heart: You shouldn¡¯t have to get used to this!


    His junior brother had lived such a tragic life! And to think he had been jealous of his treatment all this time. It was a wonder his junior brother didn¡¯t hate his blind past self. How he could retain even a bit of compassion was beyond his understanding.


    Though Chen Xiande hated pain, he vowed to himself that he¡¯d try to share his junior brother¡¯s burden from now on! He was his senior brother and someone who hoped to be the future sect master, it was the least he could do.


    Unknown to the impassioned Chen Xiande, Qinghe was smiling slyly in satisfaction. This much should be enough of a push, right?


    Breaking out of his thoughts, Chen Xiande seriously lectured Qinghe, ¡°Junior Brother, but you still shouldn¡¯t have provoked that man so much.¡±


    Confused, Qinghe let out an ¡°Ah?¡±


    Chen Xiande continued, ¡°That black-robed man who tortured you, I mean. Why didn¡¯t you just pretend and act like he wanted you to and spare yourself the pain?¡±


    Qinghe smiled widely and spoke, ¡°I¡¯d rather have myself skinned.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Why do you say that with so much cheer? Chen Xiande finally spoke with difficulty, ¡°Junior Brother, I finally realize what a stubborn person you are.¡±


    Widening his eyes as if in surprise, Qinghe replied, ¡°Senior Brother, whatever gave you the idea that I wasn¡¯t stubborn in the first place?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Yes, he really should have seen it before. He had no one but himself to blame for being blind and misunderstanding his junior brother all these years.


    Sighing in defeat, Chen Xiande said mildly, ¡°Junior Brother, you take too much upon yourself. In the future, please let me help you too. I don¡¯t want you to get hurt more than necessary.¡±


    Qinghe was shocked. Since when had his senior brother started showing such overt signs of concern or care? But it also made him happy.


    ¡°Yes, thank you!¡± Qinghe said, his smile radiating simple joy.


    Having stayed silent throughout the brotherly bonding session, the silver-haired woman finally spoke, ¡°Boy, you¡¯ve really suffered.¡±


    Startled, Qinghe looked at her. He¡¯d almost forgotten her presence.


    ¡°Not especially so. It¡¯s nothing I can¡¯t handle anyway,¡± he said.


    Shaking her head, the woman sent her silver locks tumbling. Her voice was distant as she spoke, ¡°It is no matter, you will be alright now, the people beside you will make sure of that. You¡¯ll eventually meet your family and finally get the future you deserve.¡±


    ¡°I already have a family. I am satisfied,¡± Qinghe said.


    In a hazy voice, she replied, ¡°Not that one, your birth family. Your father and mother.¡±


    Qinghe pondered in silence.


    ¡°Huh? What are you babbling about now?¡± Chen Xiande erupted, annoyed. Why did this woman always have to interrupt with her strange words?


    But Qinghe was studying the woman carefully.


    His gaze landed on her shining silver hair. The round moon that peeked through the window was reflected in her wide, moist eyes, setting them alight. Her expression was serene, a soft smile curving her lips.


    Now more than ever, Qinghe was convinced of her identity.


    Bowing with his fist cupped, Qinghe said humbly, ¡°This disciple thanks Elder for the reading.¡±


    The woman laughed, the sound like the tinkling of silvery bells. ¡°Clever, clever boy!¡±


    Chen Xiande asked confusedly, ¡°What reading? What are you talking about?¡±


    Qinghe merely smiled as he thought how fortunate he was to get a reading of his future from an Elder of the Silver Moon Sect¡¯s elusive Silver Mist.


    Silver Mist was a secret division of the Silver Moon Sect that consisted of seers who foresaw the future. Since it was a carefully maintained secret, Qinghe didn¡¯t want to give it up that easily to his senior brother.


    Still smiling, he said, ¡°Maybe Senior Brother will understand when you become the sect master.¡±


    This did not appease Chen Xiande, but he chose to pout in silence instead of asking more about it.


    All was quiet once again. It was still dark outside, so Qinghe lied down to catch some more sleep.


    Chen Xiande and the silver-haired Elder also laid down. It had been an exhausting day after all.


    ¡°¡­Junior Brother,¡± Chen Xiande called out softly. ¡°Can we really escape tomorrow even after everything that happened today?¡±


    With a smile evident in his voice, Qinghe replied, ¡°Senior Brother need not worry. Everything that happened today was well within my expectations. We will definitely get out by tomorrow, please have faith.¡±


    Finally comforted, Chen Xiande fell asleep.


    Qinghe, on the other hand, had to hide his grimace of pain as he tried to maintain his inner stability. The extra power he¡¯d absorbed was rioting, trying to get out. But it had no body to return to, all the others that the sword had devoured from had already died. It was all he could do to barely maintain the balance of the extra energy with his inherent soul energy without damaging the restrictions around his soul.


    Thankfully, he had adjusted the restrictions previously while on Starry Mountain Peak so that they wouldn¡¯t be as constricting to avoid what happened last time. For now, there was no permanent damage, and Qinghe wanted to keep it that way.


    Suppressing the roiling power, Qinghe thought about tomorrow.


    Soon¡­ soon he¡¯d be able to get rid of this excess energy.


    Reassuring himself, he also fell asleep.


    ¡­¡­


    When dawn brought with it a new day, Qinghe woke up blearily with a body full of aches and pains.


    Qinghe only had to bow his head to see the progress of the wounds through the holes in his clothes. Most of the green and purple bruises had healed enough to turn yellow. They¡¯d probably disappear within the day. The cuts and open wounds had closed, leaving behind faint pink lines. The burn marks seemed to be taking a bit longer, but they¡¯d be healed by the end of the day as well.


    What was problematic was the wound on his stomach. Having been run through by that sword, then having that sword twisted and aggravating the injury, the damage had been quite severe. Though Qinghe could feel that the torn tissue and organs had been healed, a new layer of skin having grown over it, the entire area felt all too tender and delicate for his comfort. Qinghe felt that if he moved too suddenly, the wound might tear open again, all that healing coming undone.


    Then again, there was also the grinding, bone-deep pain in his chest. It felt like a few ribs were bruised and at least a couple were broken, pressing into his lungs. Any movement could easily make the bone shards pierce his lungs. Not to mention all the other broken, fractured, or shattered bones. The torture hadn¡¯t been gentle after all. Even after all that time he¡¯d spent healing, all these wounds had only barely been repaired.


    Sighing, Qinghe sat back against the wall. It would be best to not move too much then.


    Chen Xiande, also having woken up, glanced at the thick and dark circles under his junior brother¡¯s tired eyes, his beautiful face somewhat wan. This gave a whole new meaning to the term ¡®haunting beauty¡¯.


    ¡°Junior Brother¡­ are you alright?¡± he asked worriedly. Was he pushing himself too much?


    Qinghe indeed was, but he wasn¡¯t about to tell him that. ¡°I will be fine once we get out,¡± he said instead. Though his tone was casual, his voice was hoarse and strained.


    Ignoring his senior brother¡¯s anxious gaze, Qinghe sat down and meditated, preparing for the evening.

 Chapter 36.5: Bonus Scene – Dream

    crimson_carnation


    Morning had arrived, spilling golden light through the window, and yet Qinghe slept peacefully with no intention of waking.


    Wei Xiang observed his lover from the side, his mouth unconsciously curving into a gentle smile as he listened to Qinghe¡¯s soft snores and watched his adorable face relaxed in sleep.


    As much as he would like to keep looking at his lover¡¯s tranquil expression, they both had duties to attend to, so Wei Xiang regretfully decided to wake him up.


    ¡°Qinghe,¡± he called in a soft voice.


    Murmuring incoherently, Qinghe turned towards him but didn¡¯t wake.


    ¡°Qinghe?¡± Wei Xiang coaxed again, a bit louder this time.


    After having slept together with the twins for so long, Qinghe was used to being awakened while being sought for comfort at odd hours. So, absentminded and still half-unconscious, Qinghe raised his hand and sloppily patted Wei Xiang¡¯s head as he asked in a voice blurred with sleep, ¡°What is it, Xiang-er?¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s lips twitched. Why was he addressing him as if he were one of his annoying junior brothers?


    But a sleepy Qinghe was also very cute. He looked so soft and warm and comfortable, perfect for snuggling.


    I wonder what he¡¯s dreaming about.


    The more he thought, the more he wanted to know.


    Wei Xiang relented to his curiosity and inquired softly, ¡°Are you having a dream?¡±


    Qinghe frowned lightly and replied in a voice thick with drowsiness, ¡°Hmm¡­water¡­lots of water¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh? And what are you doing in the water?¡± Wei Xiang continued to pester him. He wondered if he was having a spring dream. Wei Xiang hoped his lover had included him as well if that were the case.


    To his disappointment and amusement, Qinghe answered, ¡°¡­I¡¯m a¡­fish¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    For a second, Wei Xiang didn¡¯t know what expression to make. Then he recovered his composure and asked, ¡°Then what is my little fish Qinghe doing?¡±


    ¡°¡­swimming away¡­faster¡­¡± Qinghe was slowly beginning to drift deeper into sleep.


    Wei Xiang interrupted again, ¡°From what?¡±


    Qinghe grumbled groggily but answered, ¡°¡­bigger fish¡­Xiang¡­¡±


    Blinking in surprise, Wei Xiang asked, ¡°The bigger fish is named Xiang and you¡¯re running¨D no, swimming quickly away from it? Why?¡±


    The drowsy Qinghe frowned harder, displeased at having to process such a long sentence while he was more than half asleep. ¡°¡­wants to¡­eat me¡­¡±


    ¡°This bigger fish Xiang wants to eat you?¡± Wei Xiang had to stifle his laughter. ¡°Then what is my little fish Qinghe going to do?¡±


    Qinghe mumbled discontentedly, ¡°¡­fish tail¡­¡±


    Baffled, Wei Xiang asked, ¡°What about your fish tail?¡±


    With a somewhat angry expression, Qinghe muttered again, ¡°¡­slap big fish¡­in the face¡­with it¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang truly didn¡¯t know if he should be offended or amused, but mirth eventually won out.


    The Qinghe who had once more fallen asleep without his lover¡¯s questions interrupting him was suddenly startled awake as unrestrained laughter rang out right by his ear.


    Blinking blearily, he looked at the cheerfully chortling Wei Xiang and asked, ¡°What happened? Why are you laughing?¡±


    Looking at his awakened lover¡¯s befuddled expression, Wei Xiang knew that he didn¡¯t remember anything of his dream or the questions he¡¯d asked about it while he was half-asleep.


    With his amusement still unhidden, Wei Xiang replied while grinning happily, ¡°It¡¯s nothing at all. Just a strange dream.¡±


    Qinghe shrugged and let it go. The morning had already gotten late, so he got up and rushed to get ready.


    ¡­¡­


    Later that day, Qinghe abruptly spoke, ¡°I suddenly have a craving for fish.¡±


    At the side, Wei Xiang smiled, his eyes shining with amusement and remembrance, but he didn¡¯t say anything.


    Not minding him, Qinghe found some simply seasoned fish and started eating it with relish. It had been a long time since he¡¯d eaten anything, since as a cultivator, ingesting food was no longer necessary.


    Wei Xiang looked on with a strange smile as if he was aware of some big secret.


    Unaware of the meaning behind his lover¡¯s expression and thinking that he must also want a taste, Qinghe offered him a fish. ¡°Do you also want to eat one?¡±


    While trying hard to contain his chuckles, Wei Xiang said, ¡°I¡¯d rather not eat fish or I might get slapped with a fish tail.¡±


    The confused Qinghe: ¡°¡­?¡±


    Was his lover still dreaming? Qinghe wondered absentmindedly as he continued chomping on a particularly large fish with evident enthusiasm.

 Chapter 37: Simple Plan of Escape

    The sky was dyed in shades of orange and purple as evening silently arrived.


    It was finally time for them to make their escape.


    Having been meditating continuously since this morning, Qinghe finally opened his eyes, some tiredness still lingering in them.


    The last traces of the poison that bound his cultivation finally dispersed. His spiritual energy started moving again, sluggishly at first due to the spirit-suppressing material, but slowly started speeding up since his level of cultivation was above the capacity of the mid-grade material.


    Qinghe immediately felt refreshed after having regained his spiritual circulation. He could feel his wounds beginning to rapidly heal and his tiredness vanishing. The pangs of hunger that had been gnawing at his stomach also dissipated.


    He could use his cultivation again.


    Smiling, Qinghe spoke, ¡°Senior Brother, please prepare. We¡¯re going to escape.¡±


    Chen Xiande¡¯s former dull and bored look immediately vanished. Anxiety and excitement were visible on his face. ¡°But how are we going to get out.¡±


    Smirking, Qinghe enlightened him, ¡°My cultivation has returned, so the easiest way would be to simply blast our way out. Using a simple plan of escape is for the best.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Shouldn¡¯t these cells be made out of spirit-suppressing material? How can your cultivation return?¡± Chen Xiande asked, baffled.


    Qinghe immediately entered lecture mode. ¡°There are three grades of spirit-suppressing material: low-, mid-, and high-grade. Low-grade material can suppress up to third realm, mid-grade up to sixth realm, and high-grade up to ninth realm. You should know this, yes?¡±


    Embarrassedly, Chen Xiande shook his head. He hadn¡¯t been taught this much. He only knew that spirit-suppressing material existed and that it could render cultivation useless.


    But Qinghe didn¡¯t scold or mock him. He simply nodded his head and continued, ¡°That¡¯s alright, you know now. As the grade of the material increases, it becomes progressively more difficult to obtain. Low-grade is already costly as it is, with the price exponentially increasing for each successive grade. Now, as rich and influential as out captors seem to be, even they cannot find enough high-grade material to cover these many cells. That much high-grade material might not even exist in this world. But they are still prominent enough to furnish these cells with mid-grade material, which can only suppress up to sixth realm.¡±


    Gears turned in Student Chen¡¯s mind as he surmised, ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that your cultivation is above sixth realm and so the moment the poison wore off, the spirit-suppressing material was unable to affect you?¡±


    Beaming, Qinghe nodded.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Chen Xiande realized something, ¡°What level is your cultivation at then?¡±


    ¡°Eighth realm,¡± Qinghe replied.


    Chen Xiande had never felt more inadequate. He was Qinghe¡¯s senior brother, yet he was only in the third realm! That was a difference of five whole realms! No wonder the Elders thought Qinghe was qualified to teach his senior brother. After understanding this, Chen Xiande felt crushed, but also let go of the last bit of resentment and reservations against his junior brother. He was completely inferior to him after all.


    Realizing that his senior brother seemed to have gotten depressed because of his answer, Qinghe didn¡¯t know what to do. But then Chen Xiande¡¯s spirits bounced back up on their own.


    ¡°Junior Brother, then I¡¯ll be in your care! I will work hard to catch up to you!¡±


    Qinghe happily nodded. Yes, that was the spirit!


    ¡°Alright, let me focus on blasting everything apart then. I¡¯ll need complete focus, so please make sure I¡¯m not disturbed,¡± Qinghe instructed him.


    Chen Xiande nodded solemnly as he accepted the task.


    Closing his eyes again, Qinghe quickly circulated his power while sharpening his mind. He¡¯d need to push his precision control to its limits for this to work.


    The first thing he did was to cast a barrier around theirs and the Elder¡¯s cells. The next step was to gather sufficient power.


    Since he was almost bursting with the extra energy already, it didn¡¯t take long for him to accumulate enough power. The second before he released it, he spread his spiritual consciousness throughout the compound in a flood-like wave. Every person, every object, and every single detail was clearly visible in his mind.


    Then he released the accumulated energy, sending it out in a powerful burst.


    The air shook and split, the compressed shockwave of spiritual energy distorting the very space it was blasting through due to its sheer unimaginable strength.


    BOOM!


    The whole base shook violently and instantly began to crumble.


    Now!


    In the fraction of a second it took everything to fall apart, Qinghe swiftly used threads of his spiritual force to adjust the positions of everyone and manipulate everything into place, from the people to the falling debris, so that not a single life would be lost, but also making sure that all these criminals would be held in place by the heavy chunks of falling wreckage.


    Before any of the Black Fang members knew what happened, the building walls had already been crushed and the people within buried under the rubble. Not a single one could escape.


    Without the energy from that fake heavenly sword, Qinghe would not have been able to reduce casualties to this extent. Most of the people in the base would have ended up dying or seriously injured.


    Thankfully, Qinghe had already covered the Elder¡¯s and their cells in a dense wind barrier to prevent injury. The area within the hemispherical shield was the only whole part of the building standing.


    With wide eyes, Chen Xiande looked around him in disbelieving shock.


    He could see the sky and smell the fresh air. Warm and fading sunlight brushed over his skin. In the distance, birds chirped.


    They had been inside a dingy underground cell only a moment ago!


    But with the top of the building blasted off and collapsing, all that was left now of the underground cells was a large pit with cracked floors and crumbling walls.


    Having expended most of his power at once, Qinghe felt weak. Sharp pinpricks danced over his skin and his eyelids drooped in exhaustion. The wound in his stomach had been torn open again. But they were finally out and had also captured several important personnel of the Black Fang criminal organization. So it was mission accomplished.


    Chen Xiande suddenly made a surprised, choking sound.


    Still slumped over in a sitting position, Qinghe was wondering if whatever had startled his senior brother was worth opening his eyes for when he heard a familiar voice speaking coldly.


    ¡°Feng Qinghe, what the bloody hell are you doing?¡±


    Eyes snapping open, Qinghe immediately looked up.


    Wei Xiang stood calmly at the edge of the pit and atop a cracked wall, his eyes sparking with exasperated fury.


    Qinghe gulped. Was he angry at him? Why?


    In a weak voice, Qinghe presented a peace offering, ¡°I caught some criminals for you. Why don¡¯t you take a look at them?¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes darkened, thunderclouds descending over his face.


    Qinghe¡¯s robes were still shredded and the ragged edges bloodstained, adding to that the obvious bruises and other wounds, along with his clear exhaustion indicating that he¡¯d pushed past his limits, how could Wei Xiang not get angry? His beloved was up to his same old self-sacrificing tricks again! Why did he always end up hurting himself more than his enemies?!


    From the side, Chen Xiande shook his head. His mighty junior brother was such a fool. Now that he¡¯d regained his cultivation, it would be better to get out from between this couple.


    Chen Xiande thus made a sensible tactical retreat.


    Following his lead, the silver-haired woman also took out a very rare teleportation talisman and injected it with her newly regained spiritual energy before vanishing.


    Qinghe felt abandoned.


    Two heads poked past the edge of the wall, looking down into the underground cell. ¡°Senior Brother, you¡¯re hurt?¡± Fei Jin asked worriedly.


    Qinghe only then realized how he looked. He winced guiltily at the unnecessary worry he must be causing them.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s voice was ice-cold as he suddenly questioned, ¡°Qinghe¡­which one of them tortured you?¡±


    The twins¡¯ eyes suddenly glinted with a ferocious light as Fei Jin asked in an eerily quiet voice, ¡°Torture? Senior Brother, you were tortured?¡±


    Pinned under those three pairs of piercing eyes, Qinghe felt like a helpless chunk of meat on the chopping block. Their gazes were sharp enough to cut him to pieces, and burning with enough intensity to cook him alive!


    But still, Qinghe dared not lie. In his nervousness, he babbled, ¡°Well, yes. But it wasn¡¯t more than I could handle, and see, all my injuries are almost healed already. I already took several healing pills and had a good night¡¯s rest. Plus, my cultivation¡¯s already returned, so all my wounds have almost closed¡­¡± Seeing Wei Xiang¡¯s expression grow darker and darker, Qinghe trailed off.


    ¡°So,¡± Wei Xiang repeated, ¡°you took several pills, had a good night¡¯s rest, and had your cultivation return. And for you to still have bruises and a visible hole in your stomach after all that, just how severe must your wounds have been in the beginning I wonder?¡±


    Qinghe froze. Oh, crap!


    As someone who often undertook investigations, of course Wei Xiang could grasp this point.


    ¡°Qinghe,¡± Wei Xiang spoke in a frighteningly soft voice. ¡°Come here.¡±


    Wincing, Qinghe leapt up to where Wei Xiang and the twins were. For the first time in a long while, Qinghe was dreading a scolding. It brought back nostalgic memories from his early days when he¡¯d newly joined the sect and had often been summoned to be ¡®advised¡¯ in this way by the stricter Elders. He never thought he¡¯d get to relive those moments once more. And you know what? Qinghe would¡¯ve been absolutely fine if he never had to go through those nerve-wracking experiences ever again!


    The second Qinghe landed, the impact tore open his stomach injury further and caused his broken ribs to puncture his lungs. Paling, Qinghe almost collapsed at the sudden wash of pain as he heaved blood.


    Wei Xiang hurriedly supported him, his anger turning to worry.


    With a hand placed weakly on his chest, Qinghe kept shaking as violent coughs shuddered through him, each bringing with it a mouthful of blood.


    Wei Xiang hurriedly retrieved pill after pill and pushed it through Qinghe¡¯s gasping mouth. The pills Wei Xiang had were of very high quality, and on top of that, Qinghe¡¯s cultivation had thankfully returned, so the pills¡¯ effects were also greatly increased, causing his coughing fit to finally subside. Drained, Qinghe slumped into Wei Xiang without the slightest strength remaining in his limbs.


    The front of his tattered white clothes was now drenched in a waterfall of blood. Qinghe¡¯s complexion was paler than paper, with glaring purple bruises under his eyes due to blood loss. He looked weaker than ever and on the verge of death.


    Seeing their precious, beloved senior brother like this, the twins¡¯ eyes were clouded with bottomless murderous rage.


    They tore through the wreckage, digging up the immobilized members of the Black Fang and started tormenting them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill them,¡± Wei Xiang coldly instructed as he began carefully removing the shackles on his lover, and the twins surprisingly listened. They didn¡¯t want Qinghe¡¯s efforts in capturing these goons to be wasted, and more importantly, they didn¡¯t want these people who¡¯d hurt Qinghe to die so easily either.


    Screams and cries of fear and pain rang out constantly, the chaotic cacophony an accompaniment to the twins¡¯ seemingly unquenchable fury.


    ¡°¡­Xiang, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Qinghe whispered faintly. Wei Xiang looked down at his beloved¡¯s miserable state. But Qinghe kept repeating in his cracking voice, ¡°¡­I¡¯m so sorry¡­very sorry, okay? So please¡­don¡¯t be mad anymore¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­I¡¯m really sorry¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s heart felt like it was bursting with pain. He sighed and comfortingly patted his distressed lover. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I won¡¯t be mad anymore. But we will discuss your reckless behavior in detail later, understood?¡±


    Qinghe sighed in relief and nodded. A discussion was something he could handle.


    Knowing that it would be best if Qinghe was brought back to the sect as quickly as possible to rest, Wei Xiang called the twins back. With dissatisfied frowns and anger still written large on their faces, the twins reluctantly returned.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re not satisfied yet, but your senior brother needs to lie down and heal now more than anything. Rest assured that once their case is processed, I will punish them to the greatest extent of law possible for what they did to him.¡±


    Vicious murderous intent flashed in the twins¡¯ eyes as they asked, ¡°Can we watch?¡±


    Knowing what they meant, Wei Xiang agreed easily, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll bring you later to watch.¡±


    Qinghe, who was now free of his restraints and completely supported by Wei Xiang, cluelessly asked, ¡°Watch what?¡±


    Two half-blooded beasts and a full-blooded beast answered in unison, ¡°Their punishment.¡±


    Qinghe gulped at the bloodthirst saturating their voices. Though they said punishment, it was easy enough to guess it would simply be Wei Xiang taking out his displeasure on them.


    Wei Xiang called for his frivolous second brother to come pick up the criminals and used the shadows to transport himself, Qinghe, and the twins to Qinghe¡¯s room in the sect.


    Carefully, Wei Xiang laid Qinghe down on the bed.


    ¡°The sheets are going to get dirty, I should at least change,¡± Qinghe suggested.


    Without exchanging a word between them, Wei Xiang started stripping Qinghe while the twins went to fetch a basin of warm water and fresh clothes. After placing the basin and clothes beside the bed, the twins turned to Wei Xiang and said solemnly, ¡°Brother Xiang, we will leave disciplining Senior Brother to you.¡±


    Leaving behind a gaping Qinghe, they promptly departed.


    It seemed Wei Xiang and the twins had become so much closer during his short period of absence, Qinghe reflected.


    Wordlessly, Wei Xiang finished undressing Qinghe and began to wipe him down with a soaked washcloth. Qinghe knew he was too weak to do it himself, so he obediently let him. After Wei Xiang dressed Qinghe up in a fresh robe, afraid he¡¯d begin scolding him again, Qinghe preemptively struck by asking, ¡°Why did you come find me anyway?¡±


    Wei Xiang answered, ¡°It seems that after you left, those twin brats returned and looked for you. When they asked around, they found what happened and were panicking. I finished work early and came here to surprise you, only to find those two on the verge of tears. I took them with me and went searching for more information. The more I heard, the more worried I got. I used your scent and other clues to trace the route you took and made it there, only to find all clues vanish. Neither of us three could see past the invisibility of that place or find a way to break it. I was planning on calling for help when you blasted the entire building and its protections apart. Since we were concerned about your safety, we hurriedly looked around and finally managed to find you.¡±


    Qinghe drowned in guilt once more. Well, he had at least managed to divert his lover¡¯s attention¡­


    ¡°Qinghe, you caused quite a bit of trouble this time. Tell me, how should I punish you?¡±


    ¡­or maybe not.

 Chapter 38: Instilling Understanding

    Completely drained of energy already, Qinghe lay limply on the bed, his head resting on the pillow as his hair fanned around him.


    Hearing Wei Xiang¡¯s words, Qinghe widened his eyes as he repeated, ¡°P-punish me?¡±


    Wei Xiang raised an eyebrow. ¡°Oh? You don¡¯t think you deserve punishment for all the worry you¡¯ve caused us? Do you know how anxious we all were not knowing where you were or what was happening to you? Do you know how many horrible scenarios kept circling through my mind when I realized how much danger you were in?! Damn it Qinghe, I could have lost you this time!¡± Wei Xiang¡¯s voice rose.


    Qinghe tried to bury himself deeper in the bed. He didn¡¯t know how to deal with the grief twisting Wei Xiang¡¯s face or the franticness that flashed through his expression when he mentioned losing him.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Qinghe murmured meekly. ¡°You can punish me however you want. You can hit me till you feel better, so don¡¯t be angry anymore, okay?¡±


    All his fury draining away, Wei Xiang sighed.


    He didn¡¯t want to cause his injured lover any more distress, but he needed to learn to take better care of himself. Qinghe needed to stop using himself as a disposable chess piece so casually. He needed to understand that there were people willing to help him and share his troubles.


    But yelling at him would only hurt him and convey none of these points.


    Wei Xiang sighed tiredly again. ¡°Qinghe, love, I¡¯m not mad at you. I¡¯m just very disappointed at how careless you are with your own life.¡±


    Qinghe looked away and tried to justify himself, ¡°I wasn¡¯t careless. I was already prepared to deal with everything that could happen. Even though I got hurt, it was still under control. I wouldn¡¯t have died. And as long as I¡¯m not dead, everything else can be fixed.¡±


    Hearing those words that showed just how much Qinghe disregarded his own suffering, Wei Xiang¡¯s chest ached deeply.


    Not knowing how to make his stubborn lover understand, Wei Xiang leaned down, his forehead beside Qinghe¡¯s chest as he wrapped his arms around his beloved. He felt the weight of every one of the fourteen thousand years he¡¯d lived dragging down on his bones, he was so tired.


    Anxiously raising a hand, Qinghe patted Wei Xiang¡¯s hair hesitantly. ¡°¡­Xiang?¡± he called out in nervousness. It seemed something he¡¯d done had hurt Wei Xiang deeply, but he didn¡¯t know what or why. He felt panic rising. Would Wei Xiang get fed up and leave him?


    ¡°Xiang, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Qinghe apologized for the umpteenth time. ¡°I¡¯ll be good, just tell me what to do. Don¡¯t be sad, please?¡±


    Wei Xiang rose up again and looked at his frantic lover. This was doing neither of them any good. And in his exhaustion, he only seemed to be making things worse.


    He took a deep breath to clear his mind.


    It was obvious that he had to put it in a different way for Qinghe to understand. It seemed a demonstration was in order.


    ¡°I have decided on your punishment. Will you accept it, whatever it may be?¡± he asked.


    Qinghe sat up unsteadily on the bed and hurriedly nodded. He was so scared Wei Xiang would find him too much of a bother and leave him that he would agree to anything he said right now.


    Wei Xiang smiled without humor and took out from his sleeve a sharp dagger with a long and thin blade. He handed it to Qinghe, who turned it over curiously in his hand. What was he supposed to do with this?


    Then Wei Xiang explained, ¡°Qinghe, your punishment is this: for every wound you have, you will stab me once.¡±


    Jerking upright, Qinghe looked at him shocked. ¡°S-Stab you? No! Xiang, I can¡¯t hurt you. Why would you¨D¡±


    Not heeding his objections, Wei Xiang captured Qinghe¡¯s hand that held the dagger and brought it towards himself. Qinghe tried to pull back but had no strength in his arms right now. Wei Xiang pressed the tip of the blade against his own vulnerable neck and pushed down, forming a divot.


    ¡°Why not? Didn¡¯t you promise me just now that you¡¯d accept whatever punishment I gave you?¡± he reminded cruelly.


    ¡°B-But I don¡¯t want to¨D¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that as long as you¡¯re prepared to be hurt, the injuries you¡¯ve suffered don¡¯t matter? All that matters is that you don¡¯t die, am I right?¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s fingers tightened around Qinghe¡¯s hand.


    ¡°That¡¯s not¡­¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Wei Xiang smiled thinly, his eyes cold, ¡°I won¡¯t die if you stab me a few times. I am already prepared for the pain, so according to your logic, everything should be fine, yes?¡±


    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t mean¡­ No, I can¡¯t¡­¡± Qinghe desperately tried to argue but could only speak incoherently. His hand holding the dagger lightly trembled, yet he tried to hold himself still so that the blade wouldn¡¯t hurt Wei Xiang. He was frenetic and frustrated, his eyes tearing up in helplessness.


    ¡°Tell me, was anything I said wrong?¡± Wei Xiang mercilessly continued.


    Qinghe shook his head and begged falteringly, ¡°Xiang, please¡­please don¡¯t¡­¡­please¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang finally took pity. He let go of Qinghe¡¯s hand, letting the dagger leave his throat. Qinghe immediately flung the blade away as if it was a poisonous viper.


    Circling his arms around his still trembling lover, Wei Xiang lifted him up and held him close, seating him sideways on his lap. With Qinghe¡¯s head buried in his shoulder, Wei Xiang soothingly patted his back as he asked in a calmer voice, ¡°Tell me, why didn¡¯t you want to do it?¡±


    Qinghe whispered dully, ¡°I¡­don¡¯t want to hurt you.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± he asked again.


    ¡°Because I¡­ because it would pain me more to see you hurt than being hurt myself would.¡±


    Nodding, Wei Xiang said, ¡°Then what makes you think I¡¯d feel any different towards you? Just like seeing me hurt pains you, seeing you hurt pains me too.¡±


    Qinghe didn¡¯t know what to say to that.


    ¡°Do you think I care any less about you than you care for me?¡±


    Slowly, Qinghe shook his head.


    ¡°Tell me then, if I was in your place, if everything that was done to you by them was instead done to me, how would you feel?¡± Wei Xiang asked, and immediately felt the slender body in his embrace stiffen.


    What would Qinghe feel? Rage, desperation, fear, worry¡­and the desire to rip apart every single one who contributed to his beloved¡¯s suffering¨Dthat¡¯s what he¡¯d feel!


    Wei Xiang¡¯s voice sounded sad as he spoke, ¡°All of that is what I felt when I saw you like that. You were so hurt and in pain, you looked on the verge of death. You must have been so helpless and suffered so much, yet I was unable to do anything, I didn¡¯t even know it was happening.¡±


    Qinghe felt as if his heart was pierced with a hundred daggers when he heard the pain in his lover¡¯s voice.


    Wei Xiang hugged the person in his arms tighter as he whispered into his ear hoarsely, ¡°Qinghe, I love you.¡±


    Jerking in surprise, Qinghe wanted to say something, but Wei Xiang continued, ¡°I love you, but if I keep having to constantly see you hurting yourself like this to the point of near-death, even I will eventually break.¡±


    These heartrending words triggered a memory and Qinghe suddenly remembered what the silver-haired Elder had advised him yesterday¨D


    ¡®Yes, you are strong. You are stronger than most and with good reason. But keep in mind that if you keep being strong like this, you will break your loved ones. Boy, be careful.¡¯


    He suddenly felt like he understood.


    He¡¯d thought he was being strong by handling everything on his own, never caring about pain or injury. But if he kept being strong in that sense, his loved ones would be the ones suffering whenever he came back wounded. Even if he didn¡¯t mind, they minded very much.


    So rather than taking everything on by himself, should he¡­ask for help? Would that make them worry less?


    Qinghe lifted his head up and rubbed his cheek against Wei Xiang¡¯s. Softly, he said, ¡°Xiang, I¡¯m sorry I made you worry. I understand now, I won¡¯t be like this anymore. If I need to do something dangerous, I¡¯ll just ask for help, okay? I¡¯ll make sure I don¡¯t get hurt as much. Is this alright?¡±


    Wei Xiang saw the uncertainty on his lover¡¯s face as if he still wasn¡¯t sure if this was what he should do. Though Qinghe was able to accurately read people¡¯s thoughts on their faces, sometimes understanding what those thoughts meant still seemed beyond him. His personality was warped by his childhood and his thoughts went often in a completely different direction that most wouldn¡¯t be able to follow. But it was the same for Qinghe, he felt that others were just as incomprehensible too.


    So if he was to be made to comprehend something, it should be explained to him in terms he could understand. That was what Wei Xiang had finally succeeded in doing.


    Wei Xiang smiled warmly and patted Qinghe¡¯s head as he praised, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s good that you understood.¡±


    Qinghe returned the smile happily. It seemed he had finally gotten it right.


    ¡°Now, you should apologize to your junior brothers too. You caused them a lot of difficulty as well,¡± Wei Xiang told him.


    Nodding Qinghe said, ¡°Okay then, I¡¯ll apologize the next time I see them.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now let me heal your remaining injuries,¡± Wei Xiang said seriously, but his eyes were sparkling with mischief.


    Seeing him back to his old self, Qinghe helplessly agreed. ¡°Okay, but how are you going to do that?¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s smirk got wider. ¡°I am the son of a dragon queen, and like most beasts with a dragon bloodline, my saliva can greatly speed up healing.¡±


    Blinking, Qinghe was still trying to make sense of the words when Wei Xiang had begun to take off the clothes he¡¯d just put on him.


    ¡°Oi! What are you doing?¡± Qinghe asked flusteredly.


    ¡°I¡¯m taking your clothes off so I can apply my saliva over your wounds,¡± Wei Xiang spoke like it was the most obvious thing in the world.


    Did that mean he was going to lick him all over?! Qinghe thought while blushing.


    And sure enough, that seemed to be exactly what Wei Xiang was planning.


    Pushing the now naked Qinghe back down on the bed, Wei Xiang surveyed his wounds. After Qinghe had imbibed the pills he¡¯d fed, most of the wounds had healed, leaving only faint marks.


    Leaning down, he slowly scraped his moist tongue over a bruise on Qinghe¡¯s chest. Qinghe froze as heat began to spread under his skin. He could feel the pain in that area dissipating. The wound had completely disappeared.


    Qinghe tried to lay still and let Wei Xiang heal him, but the constant feeling of being licked by his lover¡¯s hot tongue made his desire slowly rise. Biting his lip, Qinghe tried to contain his reaction, but lying like this without a stitch of clothing on, how could his arousal be missed?


    ¡°Oh, dear,¡± Wei Xiang exclaimed playfully. His fingers lightly skimmed over Qinghe¡¯s erect shaft as he continued, ¡°Is this place injured as well?¡±


    ¡°Mn¡­¡± Qinghe muttered incoherently. The sensation of those fingertips gliding up and down softly was almost unbearable. He started twisting due to the intense need that started pulsing through him.


    ¡°Maybe I should take care of it just in case,¡± Wei Xiang teased.


    ¡°¡­Xiang¡­¡± Qinghe called out in a voice husky with want.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes darkened with lust of his own. Deciding to give his beloved some relief, Wei Xiang bent his head towards his lover¡¯s stiff organ.


    Qinghe felt warm breath fanning over his hard length a moment before Wei Xiang¡¯s moist mouth enclosed it. Qinghe jerked and moaned as his lover wrapped his tongue around the tip, lapping at it lightly. Slowly, Wei Xiang swallowed the shaft until it reached his throat.


    Sweat beaded on Qinghe¡¯s skin as he writhed. This felt too good, the heat around his member scalding him and fanning his flames higher. The molten desire ran through his veins, turning his skin oversensitive everywhere his lover touched him.


    Slick noises sounded sinfully in the room as Wei Xiang expertly moved his lips and tongue over and around the stiffness in his mouth, not neglecting to flick his tongue over the sensitive slit on the head. Qinghe constantly moaned in a soft voice that melted Wei Xiang¡¯s heart as he worked over his lover eagerly.


    As Wei Xiang moved his mouth up and down, the friction against his sensitive shaft pushed Qinghe higher and higher until he finally erupted. Feeling the throat wrapped around his pulsing member tighten as Wei Xiang swallowed, Qinghe¡¯s climax intensified, going on and on until he had nothing more left.


    Qinghe slumped back on the bed and Wei Xiang joined beside him while licking his lips. ¡°How do you feel?¡± he asked concernedly.


    But Qinghe¡¯s eyes were fixed on his lover¡¯s lips moistened by his own release. Even though he had just had his desire sated, Qinghe still felt unsatisfied. He wanted to try doing it for his lover too. He was curious to see how Wei Xiang would taste.


    Seeming to read his mind, Wei Xiang smiled and told him, ¡°You can reciprocate after you heal completely. Now stop looking at me like that or I¡¯ll be tempted to take this much further.¡±


    ¡°I have no objections to that,¡± Qinghe replied eagerly.


    Laughing, Wei Xiang covered Qinghe with a blanket and pecked him on the forehead before saying, ¡°Go to sleep, love.¡±


    And so, after pouting for a bit, Qinghe quickly fell asleep.

 Chapter 39: A Tranquil Morning

    Azure skies stretched outside, the fluffy clouds playfully drifting as they chased each other. The weather was pleasant and warm. The energetic sounds of the wind rustling leaves and the calls of birds wove through the lazy morning, creating a peaceful scene.


    Sunlight filtered through the window, setting aglow the motes of dust dancing in the air. Rays of light lit up the room in warm tones and added shine to the long stretch of hair that extended downwards until it was touching the floor.


    Wei Xiang sat at the edge of the bed, his back facing outward. His hair was unbound and fell straight down his back and over the bed¡¯s frame, brushing the ground lightly. Errant rays of light caressed the thick tresses, glinting off the silky strands.


    Standing behind him, Qinghe ran a comb down the entire length of hair, a content smile on his face. He made sure to press down firmly as he pulled the comb sideways and down, massaging the scalp and dragging a low hum of pleasure from his lover. The comb traveled from the root of the hair and down to the very tip, the rhythmic drag and pull soothing them both.


    Qinghe had always liked Wei Xiang¡¯s hair. It was long and straight, its thickness thrice his own. So this morning, after waking up refreshed with his injuries all healed, he had offered to thank Wei Xiang for his considerate ¡®service¡¯ last night by brushing his hair. Though it didn¡¯t have the slightest of tangles, they both tacitly didn¡¯t mention the lack of need for combing. The couple just enjoyed the serene and relaxed atmosphere, wishing it could go on like this forever.


    Knocks sounded against the door, interrupting the peace.


    Qinghe called, ¡°Come in.¡±


    The door opened and the twins entered.


    ¡°Senior Brother, we¡¯ve come to check on you,¡± Fei Jin announced.


    Rousing from his comfortable stupor, Wei Xiang lazily reminded him, ¡°Qinghe, remember what you promised last night.¡±


    Ah, yes. He¡¯d said he would apologize.


    Putting down the comb, Qinghe looked at the twins with wide, dewy eyes. Using his acting skills after a long time, Qinghe said tearfully, ¡°Jin-er, Yin-er, I¡¯m sorry for worrying you all this time. Your senior brother only wanted to spare you trouble, but I ended up hurting you both carelessly. I was so thoughtless. I hope you won¡¯t think me a burden and help me out from now on.¡±


    Since this was the first time his acting had been directed at them, the twins had zero immunity. They immediately ran over to Qinghe and hugged him tight, burying their faces in his shoulders.


    ¡°Senior Brother, of course we forgive you! We¡¯ll help you, we¡¯ll help you!¡± they cried joyfully.


    ¡°I¡¯m truly fortunate to have such understanding and adorable junior brothers!¡± Qinghe said with tears of gratitude brimming in his eyes.


    Having to bear witness to this ridiculous scene, Wei Xiang tsked from the side.


    These brats had their guards up high against everyone except Qinghe. If their senior brother asked them to jump into a bubbling pool of magma or pull out their own beating hearts, they would do it without question. As such, it was all too easy for Qinghe to just blink his eyes at them and gain their forgiveness.


    Seeing his lover¡¯s expression from the corner of his teary eyes, Qinghe looked up and sent him a wink before resuming his cheesy acting. Wei Xiang chuckled silently and shook his head as the drama continued. What more could he do?


    After they finished hugging and exchanged a few more sugar-coated words sweet enough to make the audience member Wei Xiang¡¯s teeth ache, this dramatic reunion-type scene was finally over and all was considered forgiven.


    ¡°Now that you three are done, Qinghe, continue with my hair,¡± Wei Xiang called.


    Pouting, the twins immediately protested, ¡°Brother Wei, are you trying to keep Senior Brother all to yourself? How stingy!¡±


    Raising an eyebrow at their petulant tone, Wei Xiang was unimpressed as he spoke, ¡°Just wait your turn until he¡¯s done like good little children and maybe I¡¯ll buy you some sweets later.¡±


    The twins looked indignant as Fei Jin called out to Qinghe in a complaining tone, ¡°Senior Brother!¡±


    Chuckling, Qinghe interceded, ¡°Alright now, be good and don¡¯t fight. Why don¡¯t you three spend some time together? The twins can brush Xiang¡¯s hair for a change.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Three resolute refusals sounded decisively in the room.


    Qinghe laughed out loud at the expressions on their faces, his exuberant laughter pleasantly rippling through the air.


    It was the first time in a long while that he had laughed so heartily. The three other people looked at his unhidden amusement with soft, affectionate smiles on their faces. They¡¯d heard him chuckle but never full out laugh like this before.


    When Qinghe was done, he wiped away the tears of mirth from the corners of his eyes and noticed the others looking at him with strange faces.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked befuddled.


    The three shook their heads.


    Qinghe felt amused again. These three were like a father and his sons rather than older and younger brothers. Then did that make him the mother? Qinghe wondered. But he supposed it was fitting. He had raised these two brats up after all.


    ¡°Ah! Sweets!¡± Fei Yin suddenly whispered as if he¡¯d abruptly remembered something.


    His eyes lighting up, Fei Jin also exclaimed, ¡°Yes, the sweets! Senior Brother, you promised to make us some of your sweets after we were done cultivating on Starry Mountain Peak.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I forgot. I was searching for the ingredients when the previous matter interrupted me. Why don¡¯t you two also help me with it like you used to when you were kids?¡± Qinghe promptly turned it into a family activity. Having more hands meant lesser work for him.


    The twins nodded excitedly. They hadn¡¯t done anything so much fun together in years.


    Qinghe handed them the list of ingredients and the twins scurried out eagerly.


    ¡°You can cook?¡± Wei Xiang asked doubtfully.


    With a proud sniff, Qinghe declared, ¡°Yes, I can. But I can make only one thing.¡±


    Unable to bear the temptation of that mouth curving haughtily, Wei Xiang got up from the bed and strode over to Qinghe, his loose hair swaying side to side seductively.


    Leaning down, Wei Xiang pressed his lips to his lover¡¯s soft ones. The air immediately seemed to heat up as their need for each other sparked. They opened their mouths and tasted each other greedily, their tongues entangling and their breaths mingling.


    Hands wandered under clothes, soft moans and groans echoing in the room.


    In the thick of this ambiguous atmosphere, the door suddenly slammed open as Fei Jin¡¯s voice exuberantly announced, ¡°Senior Brother, we found it al¨D¡±


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang parted, lightly panting, cheeks still flushed with desire.


    Fei Jin and Fei Yin were standing at the doorway, hands full of cooking supplies. Their eyes were round and their mouths agape. The shock was as if they had barged in on their parents doing the deed.


    They had only been gone a few minutes! How did these two start getting into each other¡¯s business so soon?!


    On the other hand, Wei Xiang had similar grievances. The brats had only been gone a few minutes! Why couldn¡¯t they have taken more time to return?!


    Sighing in regret, Qinghe didn¡¯t feel embarrassed at all as he straightened up his clothing. He casually waved the twins in and started sorting through the supplies they¡¯d brought.


    Wei Xiang went to sit back down on the bed, his expression frustrated due to thwarted desire. He wanted to kick these menaces out and continue eating up his beloved!


    But seeing Qinghe happily preparing to make sweets, Wei Xiang sighed and let it go. At least he¡¯d get to taste his lover¡¯s cooking. That would have to make up for it now.


    In the meantime, Qinghe was busy setting everything up in preparation.


    First, Qinghe prepared to boil the milk. Placing a container of milk on a wooden stand, Qinghe lit up a campfire talisman. It was called that because it was used mostly to light campfires while outside in the wild. Even Qinghe and Jing Shui had used them throughout the one month they had spent in the hidden realm where they had faced the Behemoth.


    The campfire talisman lit up, yellow-gold spiritual flames dancing merrily. Limiting his spiritual output to thin out the size and heat of the flames, Qinghe placed it under the wooden stand, right below the vessel full of milk. The milk slowly heated up and started simmering in a low boil.


    Campfire talismans were especially good to use this way since they produced light and heat¨Dthe two elements most required from a campfire while camping¨Dbut it didn¡¯t char or burn anything. When the flame went out, it would leave behind nothing, not even ash.


    That was why Qinghe liked to use them to fashion impromptu portable stoves like this.


    After carefully mixing in a generous amount of sugar and leaving the milk to condense, Qinghe began preparing the flour and the thick cream. He sorted all the materials he used as flavoring and extracted what he needed from them. He squeezed out juices from fruits and edible flowers to make food coloring that he would use to tint the sweets in mild and pleasant shades. The stone molds were also cleaned and prepared, set out to dry so that it didn¡¯t have any dampness that could clump the flour. He chopped nuts, chose the most fragrant saffron strands, and picked the freshest and best mint leaves one by one.


    Wei Xiang and the twins watched from the side, fascinated.


    Qinghe neatly alternated between all these tasks, simultaneously rotating his attention in an efficient manner so that not a split second of time was wasted. His slender and nimble fingers were always gracefully at work as his eyes constantly flickered here and there, assessing and calculating. He seemed to always be in dexterous motion, yet calm and stationary at the same time.


    It was mesmerizing to witness this entire process.


    Qinghe might only know how to make one dish, but he had clearly perfected making it into an art form.


    Seeing that those three were just staring at him as he did all the work, Qinghe spoke out, ¡°Rather than just looking, why don¡¯t you help me a bit here?¡±


    Snapping to attention, the twins immediately asked, ¡°Senior Brother, what do you need?¡±


    Smiling, Qinghe pointed to his side and instructed, ¡°Sit here and help me with rolling the dough into balls and putting them in the mould. Xiang, you can help by mixing in the flavor and coloring.¡±


    Wei Xiang sighed, but also went to help.


    Qinghe finally stopped the campfire talisman and removed the bowl of condensed milk. Fei Jin and Fei Yin¡¯s eyes brightened as they practically started drooling. Knowing what they wanted, Qinghe spoke, ¡°You can taste a little, but only a little, mind you!¡±


    Eagerly nodding, they scooped up a little of the condensed milk and let the rich and sweet milky flavor wash over their tongues.


    Qinghe offered to Wei Xiang, ¡°Do you also want some?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Did he look as childish as that pair of brats?


    After having a little taste himself, Qinghe dripped some over his finger and wiggled it in Wei Xiang¡¯s direction temptingly. ¡°Come on, try it. It tastes really good.¡±


    Well, Wei Xiang felt that this was an invitation he couldn¡¯t refuse. Leaning over, he closed his mouth over his lover¡¯s enticing finger and enfolded it with his tongue.


    Qinghe felt the warm and moist mouth enveloping his finger and flashed back to last night. His eyes darkened as Wei Xiang lightly sucked, his hot tongue moving over the smooth skin.


    After sucking it clean, Wei Xiang let go and sat back, saying with satisfaction, ¡°You¡¯re right, it is delicious.¡±


    The twins studiously ignored them both while nursing grievances in their hearts. These seniors were so shameless, flirting like this in broad daylight in front of their poor innocent eyes! Can¡¯t you both save it for after we leave?


    They all returned to their respective tasks, working together in harmonious silence.


    ¡°By the way,¡± Wei Xiang abruptly spoke, ¡°why did you make it so hard on yourself this time? If it¡¯s you, I know that you must have thought of many other more efficient ways to retrieve your senior brother from that place.¡±


    The twins looked up in confusion.


    Qinghe smiled wryly. His lover truly knew him well, he couldn¡¯t get anything past him.


    Fei Jin asked, ¡°Brother Wei, what do you mean? How could there be a different way? The kidnappers had taken so many precautions!¡±


    Wei Xiang just looked at Qinghe with a raised eyebrow as if asking him to enlighten them.


    While carefully mixing the ingredients, Qinghe explained, ¡°There were many holes in their precautions. For example, talismans and formations. Neither of them would have been hindered by the spirit-suppressing material. I could have easily taken some time to have someone draw a formation on me or hide stacks of pre-activated talismans under my clothes before leaving with them. I could have secretly hidden small weapons like needles, garrotes, spikes and stilettos, or tools like small explosives, vials with poisonous fumes, and lockpicks. I could have concealed them in my sleeves or secret pockets, in-between the layers of my clothes or within the lining of my robes. There were many loopholes and countless ways to get out of the situation.¡±


    Sighing, Wei Xiang admonished, ¡°And yet you used none of them.¡±


    Qinghe helplessly smiled. ¡°I had my reasons.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Wei Xiang looked unconvinced.


    ¡°I wanted to spend a bit more time inside with Senior Brother and straighten some things out. All this while, though he remained ignorant and incompetent due to the Elders¡¯ negligence, he also didn¡¯t have the will to learn. He wallowed in his uselessness and plotted against me, all the while as the hate directed on him by others sank his self-esteem. He needed a push to gain the will to improve. Now he will be more receptive towards my teachings. Seeing him working hard and actively interacting will also gradually make the disciples¡¯ impression of him go up, making it easier for him to take the sect master¡¯s seat later on. After all, a sect master need not be powerful, he needs to be able to keep the sect together.¡±


    Used to his scheming ways by now, Wei Xiang and the twins could only sigh and let it go.


    ¡°Ah, I forgot to ask,¡± Qinghe said looking up, ¡°How¡¯s Senior Brother doing now?¡±


    The twins suddenly froze. They didn¡¯t remember seeing Chen Xiande today at all. It couldn¡¯t be that he still hadn¡¯t returned?


    Wei Xiang chuckled after surmising what happened. ¡°If he hasn¡¯t made it back yet, then I suggest you go look for him. One side of the forest lies within the territory of demonic cultivators. It would be bad if he went wandering in the wrong direction.¡±


    ¡°W-We¡¯ll go take a look!¡± Fei Jin announced loudly as Fei Yin frantically nodded. They both rushed out, leaving the couple behind to finish making the sweets while having a different sort of sweet time on their own.


    crimson_carnation

 Chapter 40: Encounter in the Forest

    The previous night, in the forest north of the Black Fang base.


    Chen Xiande looked up at the sky and sighed in frustration. Dawn was beginning to lighten the edges of the horizon and he was still stuck in this blasted forest!


    Because he had been starved for days and his cultivation had only just returned, he was currently too weak to sustain a spell of flight, so he had no choice but to walk. Since there were forests on all sides, he had carelessly thought that if he headed in a random direction and kept going, he¡¯d eventually make it out. Then he could find the nearest sect and see if they had a transportation array that was connected to the Heavenly Peak Sect.


    He hadn¡¯t expected to not be able to find his way out at all.


    Not only that, but he also seemed to have been circling around the same place all this time! He had seen that same tree eleven times already! But no matter in which direction he headed, he always returned here.


    What was going on?


    Just as Chen Xiande was wondering if he would spend his whole life going in circles like this before eventually dying here, he heard the sound of someone approaching. He looked to the side vigilantly as an unfamiliar man clad entirely in black drew near.


    His clothes were unlike the black and gold uniform of the Sentinels or the opulent black of his junior brother¡¯s torturer. Instead, this man¡¯s robe was unadorned and pitch-dark. His face was stunning and beautifully proportioned. His seductive lips were raised up in a charming smile, black eyebrows arching upwards over his phoenix eyes that were half-lidded with suppressed laughter. He moved with the grace of a predatory cat, his movements smooth and indolent. His long unbound hair swayed freely in the wind.


    Though he looked young and lively, Chen Xiande knew that this person must be several hundreds of millennia old just by the sheer amount of power wrapped around him.


    ¡°Oh dear, there seems to be a lost little white sheep wandering in my territory. Maybe I should take it home and eat it up,¡± the man said in a melodious voice tinted with playful mirth as he walked leisurely towards him.


    Chen Xiande paled as he tried to shrink back. This must be a demonic cultivator, and a high-ranking one at that!


    Though the demonic cultivators no longer murdered people or refined souls like before due to the authority of the Sentinels¨Dor more specifically, the Sentinel Grandmaster¨Dthey were still somewhat looked down upon by the righteous faction. There was no boiling enmity like before, but some dislike had still remained after the Great War. But since both factions were balanced in power now, neither side acted too haughtily. Disregarding the mild discontent, one could say that both sides were cordial towards each other.


    But that didn¡¯t mean that every single person was like this.


    If the demonic cultivator who was making for Chen Xiande felt strongly against the righteous faction and killed him, there was nothing Chen Xiande could do. Even if his murderer was punished later, all the justice in the world couldn¡¯t bring him back from the dead, after all.


    Damn! He really should have cultivated more! He shouldn¡¯t have left so impulsively to find his own way out.


    As regrets filled his mind, Chen Xiande unconsciously retreated step by step to put more distance between them, until he suddenly found his back pressed against a tree.


    Stiffening, Chen Xiande looked around to see if there was anywhere he could escape to.


    As if sensing his intention to flee, the demonic cultivator easily leapt and landed directly in front of him, caging Chen Xiande against the tree, his arms on either side.


    ¡°Little Sheep, are you planning on escaping before you compensate me for trespassing?¡±


    ¡°C-compensate?¡± Did he want money? His sect would probably pay for it if he asked them to¡­


    ¡°Hmm,¡± the demonic cultivator murmured mischievously. ¡°Yes, you can pay me slowly with your body,¡± he said as he ran his foot up and down Chen Xiande¡¯s leg enticingly. The demonic cultivator knew his own appeal and tried to use it to its full advantage.


    Too bad his charm didn¡¯t work on Chen Xiande, who didn¡¯t even realize that someone was attempting to seduce him.


    The sight of his junior brother being tortured was still fresh in his mind. And as someone who loathed pain, watching such a thing had been like witnessing his own nightmare come to life, its remembrance still haunting him. So when the demonic cultivator mentioned paying with his body, he immediately assumed that the man wanted Chen Xiande to let him torture him to enact payback.


    With widened eyes, he tried to push the cultivator away from him. But the black-robed man simply captured Chen Xiande¡¯s wrists in his hands and pressed them up against the tree.


    ¡°Are you still trying to run?¡± he asked amusedly. Was the little sheep playing hard to get?


    Panicking at the thought of being tortured, Chen Xiande tried to think of a way to escape and found an opening. Though his hands were restrained, his legs were free. So he immediately brought up a knee, aiming for the other man¡¯s groin.


    Surprised, the man immediately let his prey go and jumped back to avoid the sudden attack, and without wasting a moment, Chen Xiande turned around and ran.


    It was too bad that his kidnappers had taken away all his defensive items. He was still too weak to summon his spiritual weapon or mount a useful attack. What should he do now? He couldn¡¯t run forever. Plus, navigating the hurdles in this uneven terrain was sapping his energy faster.


    Chen Xiande suddenly felt warm breath brushing over his ear as a voice whispered playfully, ¡°You can¡¯t escape me this easily, my little sheep~¡±


    Startled, Chen Xiande promptly tripped and fell. Thankfully, the ground was flat here and without any exposed roots or rocks, or else he would have been more seriously injured.


    As he was lying there on the ground dazedly trying to regain his bearings, he felt a warm weight settle over his back as fingers encircled his wrists again, pressing them into the ground.


    Warm breath tickled his ear once more as the demonic cultivator spoke, ¡°Are you done?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Chen Xiande felt aggrieved in his heart. Just who was this man and why was he so hung up on him?!


    But if Chen Xiande knew the identity of this man pursuing him, he would surely be shocked even more.


    This black-clad demonic cultivator¡¯s name was Hei NingYu. He had single-handedly united all the demonic sects long ago and was now the undisputed leader of the demonic faction. When he heard a loud boom sounding so near to the border of his territory, he came over to take a look hoping to temporarily cure his boredom.


    But before he could reach the source of the racket, he found Chen Xiande wandering in the defensive array that protected the boundary.


    At that time, Chen Xiande was wearing his perpetual frown, looking like an old man in a young body. Hei NingYu thought that if he didn¡¯t scrunch his face up so much as if constantly displeased with the entire world, this righteous cultivator might look at least moderately handsome.


    With nothing better to do, Hei NingYu had planned to watch this wandering sheep roam about cluelessly for a bit more before he¡¯d lead him out. So he settled in and observed with interest as Chen Xiande first went straight down the path, then finding himself returning to the same place, he frowned deeper and turned right. The next time he turned left, then diagonally in each direction.


    Hei NingYu watched him as the night turned long and Chen Xiande became increasingly more frustrated at ending up in the same place again and again.


    Irritated, Chen Xiande kicked a rock lying by his feet. The rock went flying and hit a tree, chipping off some of the bark and revealing the light beige trunk underneath.


    Looking somewhat guilty, Chen Xiande walked up to the tree and crouched down, his fingers hovering over the injury he¡¯d caused to it.


    Having been ignored and scorned by people for most of his life, Chen Xiande had long since gotten used to talking to inanimate objects to dull his loneliness. So he began scolding the tree to hide his feelings of remorse for hurting it.


    ¡°Well, you were the one who didn¡¯t move out of the way!¡± he admonished.


    The immobile tree: ¡­


    The expression on Chen Xiande¡¯s face turned guiltier. ¡°I guess it¡¯s not your fault since you can¡¯t move, but still¡­ that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s my fault either!¡±


    Tree: ¡­


    Finally sighing as if in defeat, he said, ¡°Okay, fine, I¡¯m sorry. Are you happy now?¡±


    He begrudgingly patted the tree, as if trying to soothe it.


    Not expecting this grumpy-looking fellow to act so sensitive towards a tree of all things, Hei NingYu laughed silently at Chen Xiande¡¯s silly antics, his hand clutching his stomach as he doubled over.


    As Chen Xiande wandered around in circles and returned to the same area, he avoided looking at the chipped tree trunk each time as if trying to ignore his own ignoble misdeed. Hei NingYu burst out in silent laughter every time he saw this guilt-ridden behavior.


    After a couple more rounds of this, Hei NingYu had finally decided to show himself to this little sheep and seduce him into bed. He found Chen Xiande amusing and interesting enough, and if he got bored, he could end things easily.


    And if he didn¡¯t get tired and this grouchy looking righteous cultivator actually managed to keep his interest, then he would just have to hold on to him.


    Thinking back on this while he was currently pinning Chen Xiande down, Hei NingYu smirked as he continued whispering into Chen Xiande¡¯s ear, ¡°For almost injuring my precious family jewels, I¡¯ll exact some extra payment from your body.¡±


    Chen Xiande stiffened in fear. Was he saying he¡¯d torture him more? Why did he have to be so incompetent in running away? Maybe if he¡¯d stayed, he wouldn¡¯t have to suffer extra now.


    Seeing that there would have been no way to escape even if he had had full mastery over his spiritual energy, much less as he was now, Chen Xiande could only resign himself to his terrible fate. He started shivering in dread as he imagined what lay in his future.


    Hei NingYu felt the body under him stilling at first as if giving in and thought Chen Xiande had accepted his advances. Seeing his excessively pale face as he began to shiver in apparent nervousness, Hei NingYu wondered out loud, ¡°Little Sheep, could it be that¡­this will be your first time?¡±


    Chen Xiande hesitantly nodded. Well, this definitely would be his first time being tortured.


    Surprised, Hei NingYu quickly flipped over the person lying under him. Before he knew what was happening, Chen Xiande¡¯s face that had been pressed to the ground was facing up at the brightening sky as the demonic cultivator was now settled over his hips, his hands still grasping Chen Xiande¡¯s wrists.


    ¡°You have no experience at all? None?¡± Hei NingYu asked to confirm, stupefied.


    Nodding cautiously again, Chen Xiande swallowed his reservations and pleaded tentatively, ¡°I¡­don¡¯t like pain, so¡­please don¡¯t hurt me too much.¡±


    Seeing those wide beseeching eyes blinking up at him, Hei NingYu felt like his heart was being squeezed. His gaze softened as he bent down to tenderly whisper, ¡°It¡¯s alright, Little Sheep, I¡¯ll take you gently and make sure to take good care of you all night long~¡±


    Hei NingYu¡¯s hair shushed softly as it slipped down, the silky strands tickling Chen Xiande¡¯s cheek. Well, at least his tormenter had promised to be gentle¡­ Wait, what?! Did he just say all night?!


    The reluctant expression on Chen Xiande¡¯s face turned even more fearful as he asked horrified, ¡°Why would you want to torture me for a whole night? Isn¡¯t an hour or two enough? I might have trespassed, but it isn¡¯t that serious of an offense, is it?¡±


    ¡°¡­Torture?¡± Hei NingYu suddenly felt like he was a chicken trying to talk to a duck. ¡°Why would I torture you?¡± Was it some kind of code word kids these days used?


    Chen Xiande didn¡¯t know why he was asking. He spoke slowly, ¡°Y-You said you wanted me to pay with my body¡­ Wasn¡¯t it just another way of saying you wanted to torture me?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± How on earth did this little fellow connect this to that? So all this time he was trying to entice him...was wasted?


    Hei NingYu didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. How absurd was this!


    Wanting them both to be on the same page, he explained in a soft, intimate tone, ¡°Little Sheep, the payment I am asking from you is the kind that takes place on the bed.¡±


    Confused, Chen Xiande asked, ¡°Why would you do something so wasteful?¡±


    What? Hei NingYu was having trouble keeping up with this little white sheep¡¯s strange thought process. Maybe he was getting too old to understand the younger generation¡­


    Chen Xiande continued, ¡°If you torture me on the bed, then wouldn¡¯t you get blood all over your sheets and have to throw them away? I¡¯ve heard that bloodstains are hard to get off fabric, you know.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    For a second, Hei NingYu could only stare at him speechlessly, his mind blank.


    Then finally unable to bear it anymore, Hei NingYu collapsed on top of Chen Xiande, his body shuddering in laughter until he was gasping for breath.


    Being squished like this suddenly while his sincere advice was met with laughter, Chen Xiande¡¯s face darkened.


    He was only trying to be considerate, so there was no need to mock his good intentions by laughing so rudely!

 Chapter 41: Paying Compensation

    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Chen Xiande asked, dissatisfied.


    ¡°Y-You¡­how can you¡­misunderstand it to¡­this extent...?¡± Hei NingYu tried to get out between bouts of laughter. He tried to speak more coherently, ¡°Even if you think I¡¯m going to torture you¡­why would you offer me advice? Why would you try to help your torturer?¡±


    Chen Xiande¡¯s anger faltered. Well, he did have a point. He supposed he was being somewhat silly.


    ¡°For you to misunderstand this much and to be inexperienced on top of that, just how old are you?¡± Hei NingYu asked curiously.


    Not knowing what he was supposed to have misunderstood, Chen Xiande answered honestly, ¡°Three hundred and¡­fifty four, I think.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± And you were still an untried virgin?


    Seeing that the demonic cultivator was looking at him as if he had said something strange, Chen Xiande finally felt he¡¯d had enough of being mocked. Not caring if he could escape, he started struggling in Hei NingYu¡¯s hold.


    But since Hei NingYu was straddling Chen Xiande to firmly hold him down, a certain sensitive area of his was being continuously rubbed as the body beneath him wriggled around so much.


    Trying to contain his reaction to the stimulus, Hei NingYu hissed, ¡°Little Sheep¡­if you keep going like this, I will have to increase the amount of compensation again.¡±


    The squirming stopped.


    Hei NingYu sighed. Taking time to compose himself and suppress his desire, he finally decided to explain properly so that nothing more could be misunderstood.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you thought I wanted to torture you, but that¡¯s not what I meant at all.¡±


    Chen Xiande looked at him uncomprehendingly. He didn¡¯t want to torture him? Then what did he mean by compensation?


    With a wry smile, Hei NingYu continued, ¡°What I meant was, I want to take you to bed and sleep with you. I want us to have sexual relations with each other, spending a passionate spring night together full of sex. I want to make sweet, hot love to you. To put it more crudely, I want to fuck you. Do you understand now?¡±


    His face had turned so hot that Chen Xiande was sure it must be glowing by now. ¡°Y-You want to¡­with me¡­¡±


    Hei NingYu nodded. It seemed he finally got it.


    ¡°So when you said you wanted compensation¡­you meant¡­¡± Chen Xiande found that he was too embarrassed to even say it out loud.


    Why would anyone want him like that? He knew he was dour and ordinary. He had never imagined he would one day get propositioned, especially not by such a beautiful person. What was he supposed to do now?


    ¡°Well, since you are so inexperienced, you can simply give me a kiss for now. I¡¯ll take the rest of the payment later,¡± Hei NingYu graciously compromised.


    ¡°A k-kiss?¡± Chen Xiande couldn¡¯t even imagine it.


    Not wanting his little sheep to feel forced into this situation, Hei NingYu reversed their positions.


    Suddenly finding himself sitting on top of the other man, Chen Xiande almost lost his balance. He hurriedly placed his knees on either side of Hei NingYu¡¯s waist, stabilizing himself. His wrists were still held captive though.


    ¡°Yes, my little sheep. A kiss,¡± Hei NingYu reiterated.


    Now lying down, Hei NingYu¡¯s silky hair was spread underneath him, framing his fair face. His smooth skin was lovingly caressed by the light of the brightening day, tracing every perfect detail. His bright eyes sparkled with vitality and his moist lips quirked up in a smile.


    Chen Xiande¡¯s gaze snagged on the other man¡¯s pair of inviting lips. He was sure that to this man, he would be nothing but a plaything. But maybe that was okay for now. When else would he get a chance to kiss someone like this again?


    Being stared at like that, Hei NingYu licked his lips, suddenly feeling thirsty. The action only made Chen Xiande¡¯s gaze deepen. He felt a slow, insistent burn spreading through his body, clouding his mind in a haze.


    His usual reticence forgotten in the face of the pulse of awakening desire, Chen Xiande finally replied huskily, ¡°Okay.¡±


    Having gotten his agreement, Hei NingYu finally let go of the slender wrists in his grasp.


    Chen Xiande didn¡¯t even seem to notice. He slowly bent down as nervous butterflies filled his stomach. Being studied so intensely by Hei NingYu¡¯s expectant gaze, Chen Xiande embarrassedly whispered, ¡°Close your eyes.¡±


    Hei NingYu smirked at the shyness and need coloring his voice, but did as he was told.


    Lowering his head, Chen Xiande pressed his lips against Hei NingYu¡¯s. He could feel the heat of the other person¡¯s skin through both of their clothes since he was practically lying on top of him now. The place where their lips touched seemed to burn, fanning both of their desires higher.


    Seeking some kind of friction, Chen Xiande rubbed his lips against the other man¡¯s.


    Having enough of this slow temptation, Hei NingYu opened his mouth and licked Chen Xiande¡¯s lips. Unconsciously, Chen Xiande opened his own lips and let the other¡¯s tongue in.


    Closing his open mouth over Chen Xiande¡¯s, Hei NingYu licked and sucked, his tongue sweeping everywhere as he tasted him. Following his lead, Chen Xiande also began hungrily caressing the inside of Hei NingYu¡¯s slick mouth. Their tongues slid and danced as their breathing deepened and their lust heightened.


    After about twenty minutes of greedily devouring each other, they finally separated, their chests heaving. Saliva dripped from one corner of Chen Xiande¡¯s mouth, connecting to Hei NingYu¡¯s lips. Chen Xiande embarrassedly wiped it away.


    His cheeks were flushed, his eyes misty. The frown on his face had long since disappeared, replaced by arousal. He looked a dozen times more appealing than before.


    Hei NingYu stared in fascination.


    He didn¡¯t expect his little sheep to be so enthusiastic despite it obviously being his first time kissing somebody. He wanted to take it further, but knew it wasn¡¯t possible, so he gave it up for now. He could exact this payment later when he had the chance.


    Chen Xiande¡¯s mind felt blurry and strange. He licked his lips and looked at Hei NingYu, then turned away blushing. Hei NingYu¡¯s waist that he was straddling seemed to burn him where it touched the inside of his thighs, his skin there seeming to have suddenly gotten too sensitive.


    Realizing that he had finished making his payment for now, Chen Xiande hurriedly got up on wobbly legs.


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll be going then,¡± Chen Xiande said without looking at him and turned to walk away.


    ¡°Do you even know the way out of this forest?¡± Hei NingYu asked, his voice sounding deeper than usual. He sat up unhurriedly and rested his elbow on his raised knee and his chin on his palm as he spoke.


    Chen Xiande halted. He had spent so much time wandering around last night and had still been unable to get out. Hesitantly, he asked, ¡°Do you know how to get out of here?¡±


    Smiling slightly, Hei NingYu answered, ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­can you please show me the way out?¡± Chen Xiande requested, still facing away.


    ¡°Yes, but you¡¯ll have to compensate me for it,¡± Hei NingYu said, his voice heated.


    Chen Xiande felt his barely suppressed desire rising once more. Would he ask for a kiss again? He felt anticipation building inside him.


    ¡°Just in case you¡¯re wondering,¡± Hei NingYu informed, ¡°I won¡¯t be satisfied with a simple kiss this time.¡±


    Swallowing thickly, Chen Xiande asked, ¡°Then what do you want?¡±


    ¡°First, come here. Then I¡¯ll show you,¡± Hei NingYu enticed.


    Slowly turning around, Chen Xiande saw Hei NingYu holding out a hand towards him. Chen Xiande walked up to where the other man was still sitting and knelt down before taking the offered palm.


    Hei NingYu brushed his thumb over the soft skin at the back of Chen Xiande¡¯s hand and spoke, ¡°Good. Now undress.¡±


    Chen Xiande shivered at the undisguised lust in Hei NingYu¡¯s voice. Retrieving his hand from the other man¡¯s grasp, he hesitated only for a moment before his fingers moved. His belt was undone, and one by one, the layers of his robes brushed over his shoulders as they fell open and slid to his elbow.


    His shoulders, chest, and stomach were now completely exposed, but Chen Xiande did not know whether he should remove his clothes completely or if this was enough. Seeing that Hei NingYu didn¡¯t seem to mind this much, he let out a breath in relief.


    Feeling the brush of the cold morning air on his unclothed body, Chen Xiande lightly shivered, but not for long. Hei NingYu lifted a hand and swept it over the pale expanse of skin stretched before him, across that smooth chest and soft stomach, those prominent collarbones and round shoulders. His palm seemed to leave heated trails wherever they went. The contrast between Hei NingYu¡¯s warm touch and the breaking dawn¡¯s cold wind sent shivers of pleasure through Chen Xiande.


    Hei NingYu¡¯s fingertips brushed past the rosy nubs on Chen Xiande¡¯s chest, making him tremble. Biting his lips, Chen Xiande tried to swallow the sounds trying to climb up his throat.


    Not heeding his efforts, soft sighs and gasps still slipped out. His body shifted restlessly, wanting more. But Chen Xiande was hesitant to ask for what he yearned.


    As if reading his mind, Hei NingYu bent his head and took one of the buds into his mouth. He softly sucked and nibbled as his other hand wandered over to pinch and roll the other nub. Chen Xiande inhaled sharply, his skin flushing. Every time Hei NingYu plucked or licked at those sensitive little bundles of nerves, Chen Xiande felt hot sparks shooting through him.


    Hei NingYu¡¯s other hand wasn¡¯t idle. It mapped over his taut body, unearthing every one of his pleasure points as it roamed across the sensitive skin of his sides, sliding over his back. It was as if he was eagerly, studiously learning every line and curve, every dip and hollow on Chen Xiande¡¯s body, sending ripples of molten heat in the wake of his touch. The stimulation was reaching the point of being unbearable.


    Chen Xiande reached out his hands and steadied himself on Hei NingYu¡¯s shoulders. His mind had already gone fuzzy. All he could feel were Hei NingYu¡¯s hands and his hot, hot mouth as they trailed over his skin and drove him mad. His pants and moans rang out unreservedly, spreading out throughout the clearing.


    Though Hei NingYu wanted to eat up his little sheep in one gulp, he still decided to restrain himself in the end. He would first have to educate his little sheep on the basics of the pleasures of the flesh before making him want more.


    Hei NingYu¡¯s hand slowly slid down over Chen Xiande¡¯s chest, reaching his stomach, and went further down to rest over the obvious bulge in his pants.


    Chen Xiande, who was drunk on pleasure, suddenly gasped as Hei NingYu¡¯s fingers closed over a certain hardened area.


    ¡°How about we take care of this too?¡± Hei NingYu spoke.


    Though Chen Xiande wanted nothing more than to enthusiastically nod, he still hesitated. Was he giving in too easily? Were they going too fast?


    Not giving him time to chicken out, Hei NingYu was already slipping his hand inside Chen Xiande¡¯s pants, pulling out his stiff member.


    Chen Xiande¡¯s hands on Hei NingYu¡¯s shoulders clenched. Chen Xiande felt his body tremble with a mixture of desire and apprehension. Was it really okay to let a stranger touch him this much? But the pleasure he derived from this was undeniable and lured him to let Hei NingYu keep going.


    Perceiving that the little sheep had no objections, Hei NingYu moved his palm over Chen Xiande¡¯s heated length, causing the younger man to tremble more fiercely. Chen Xiande¡¯s breaths grew deeper and heavier as Hei NingYu slid his hand up and down, faster and faster, his grip sufficiently tight.


    Chen Xiande had lost all hesitation and semblance of resistance. He had never known such pleasure and might never know it after this, so he decided to indulge himself in these sensations completely.


    Fueled by lust, Chen Xiande moved his hand behind Hei NingYu¡¯s head, cupping his nape as he pulled him down for a kiss. Despite his surprise, Hei NingYu reacted quickly and let Chen Xiande boldly take advantage of him, all the while keeping his hand moving.


    Chen Xiande greedily sucked the other man¡¯s mouth, his tongue eagerly sweeping in. Desire made him braver and his hands slowly started moving over Hei NingYu¡¯s clothed body, brazenly fondling and mapping out the hard planes and smooth curves of this enchanting man holding him.


    His skin, covered in a thin sheen of sweat, glistened slightly in the light as he squirmed under Hei NingYu¡¯s expert touch. His hunger wound tighter and tighter and his hands and mouth grew more frantic as Hei NingYu continued his ministrations.


    Chen Xiande felt heat spread up along his spine and stiffened as unfathomable pleasure washed over him. Hei NingYu felt the shaft in his palm jerk as white liquid spurted out, covering his hand. He kept his palm sliding over Chen Xiande¡¯s length, milking him until the younger man slumped into his embrace, completely spent.


    Hei NingYu looked down to see Chen Xiande¡¯s relaxed face that looked tranquil in the afterglow of his orgasm, his peaceful countenance bathed in the warm sunlight. The younger man¡¯s limp body felt soft and comfortable in his arms. His palm was still covered in the little sheep¡¯s release. Seeing Chen Xiande curling into his embrace, his arms around Hei NingYu¡¯s waist, it caused a faint stirring of something similar to affection in Hei NingYu. Though his own lust was still burning, he decided to ignore it this time. He¡¯d pushed the little sheep hard enough for now.


    Chen Xiande felt wrung out yet content. His mind remained muddled as he floated blissfully in the aftereffects of his climax. He could feel the warmth of another person¡¯s body wrapped around him and felt an unfamiliar happiness at being held with care, as if he were something to be cherished.


    But slowly his mind cleared and he realized what just happened. He jolted upright and tried to get up, but his legs went soft and he flopped back down.


    In a good mood, Hei NingYu took out a handkerchief to wipe them both clean and looked at Chen Xiande¡¯s continued attempts at getting up with barely hidden amusement. ¡°Little Sheep, after taking advantage of me like this, how come you just want to run away? You should take responsibility.¡±


    Hearing those words, Chen Xiande stiffened in startlement. His face changing from red to green and back again, Chen Xiande sputtered, unable to form words. ¡°Y-You were the one who¡­! I didn¡¯t¡­!¡±


    ¡°Are you blaming me?¡± Hei NingYu made an exaggerated expression of being wronged before saying, ¡°Fine then, you win. I¡¯ll admit that I was the one at fault and take responsibility.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Chen Xiande was speechless as he flushed red. Was this man making fun of him?


    Hei NingYu laughed and said, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I wasn¡¯t joking. I¡¯m finding that I like you, so why not spend more time together? Wouldn¡¯t you also like to be my partner and lover?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ I¡¯m not¡­¡± Chen Xiande¡¯s mind went blank. What was he saying? He wanted them to be in a relationship?


    ¡°Take your time and think it over. There¡¯s no rush,¡± Hei NingYu soothed. He knew he had been somewhat abrupt in his proposition, so he decided to give the little sheep some time. Hei NingYu was confident, though, that the little sheep would give himself over to his loving embrace.


    ¡°By the way, it might be a bit too late to ask this, but what¡¯s your name?¡± Hei NingYu finally remembered to inquire.


    Oh gods! Chen Xiande belatedly realized that they hadn¡¯t even introduced themselves to each other before they began to do such embarrassing things! He felt so ashamed that he wanted to die.


    ¡°Chen Xiande,¡± he replied in a somewhat gloomy tone, ¡°Head disciple of Heavenly Peak Sect.¡±


    Hei NingYu blinked, surprised. He knew that the other man¡¯s cultivation was only at the third realm, and yet he was the head disciple of such a distinguished sect? Well, it didn¡¯t matter much to him either way.


    ¡°I¡¯m Hei NingYu, a demonic cultivator. Now we at least know the most basic information about each other.¡± So saying, Hei NingYu grinned. ¡°Xiande, you can expect me to come and visit you in a few days.¡±


    Chen Xiande didn¡¯t know what to feel at that overly familiar address, but chose to let it go. How many people in his life called him so intimately? It was a treat in its own way.


    ¡°Our sect has strong barriers. You can¡¯t expect to be able to break in so easily,¡± he said, looking away.


    Hei NingYu¡¯s brows rose. Oh? So he wasn¡¯t actually averse to a visit and was even worried he wouldn¡¯t be able to make it past the barriers? Feeling delighted, Hei NingYu chuckled. ¡°Who said anything about breaking in? I can just use the front entrance and be invited in as a guest.¡±


    Chen Xiande frowned doubtfully. He didn¡¯t believe his sect would just arbitrarily let anyone in, but what did he know? Maybe this Hei NingYu had connections in his sect.


    Hei NingYu could guess what Chen Xiande was thinking, but chose not to reveal his identity yet. He wanted to drag it out as long as possible and savor Chen Xiande¡¯s expression when he finally realized who Hei NingYu was. It would be so much fun! Hei NingYu felt anticipatory.


    ¡°Alright then, now that you¡¯ve paid up like a good little boy, I¡¯ll take you out of here,¡± Hei NingYu said and lifted Chen Xiande¡¯s half-naked body up.


    Chen Xiande clutched at Hei NingYu as he was hoisted up. After today, he didn¡¯t even feel like he had any more dignity to lose, so he just let Hei NingYu do as he pleased.


    And so, Chen Xiande was finally able to get out of the forest while being carried by the most fearsome demonic cultivator in the world.

 Chapter 42: Making a Solemn Vow

    ¡°Oh? Were these ruins here before?¡± Hei NingYu asked with mild surprise.


    Chen Xiande and Hei NingYu were now back at the destroyed Black Fang base from where Chen Xiande had fled yesterday. The building that had been hidden for decades was now completely exposed after being turned to rubble by Qinghe.


    After dressing himself properly again, Chen Xiande decided to find a flat and relatively comfortable piece of fallen debris to seat himself, with Hei NingYu sitting down beside him.


    ¡°My junior brother and I were held captive here. My junior brother blew this place up and we escaped¡­ Well, I escaped into the forest while he had a lover¡¯s spat with his beloved. They must¡¯ve returned to the sect by now while I wandered around in the forest¨D¡±


    ¡°¨Dand thankfully ended up in my clutches, so you should be grateful for that at least,¡± Hei NingYu declared.


    Chen Xiande turned his face away and nodded shyly. He really was grateful to have found a person who was not only interested in his boring and mediocre self, but was also willing to enter into a relationship with him.


    Seeing his bashful countenance as he seriously agreed with his statement, Hei NingYu felt his heart grow softer. How come his little sheep was so sweet yet straightforward? Wanting to be closer, Hei NingYu unceremoniously lifted Chen Xiande and placed him on his lap sideways.


    Chen Xiande made a noise of surprise but didn¡¯t protest. He was like a thirsty sponge eagerly drinking in any and all signs of affection, so he was actually quite pleased.


    Hei NingYu snuggled closer, holding Chen Xiande tightly as he sighed in contentment, ¡°Little Sheep, you¡¯re so strange, but you¡¯re also really comfortable to be with, so won¡¯t you stay with me?¡±


    Feeling the slender body in his arms stiffening, Hei NingYu looked down to see a complex mix of emotions displayed on Chen Xiande¡¯s face.


    ¡°You say that, but I am just a plaything to you, aren¡¯t I?¡± Chen Xiande observed with an uncharacteristically steady tone, a strange intensity burning in his clear eyes.


    Raising an eyebrow, Hei NingYu replied, ¡°Is that why you keep hesitating?¡±


    Chen Xiande simply met Hei NingYu¡¯s gaze head-on. This was one thing he couldn¡¯t compromise on.


    Hei NingYu sighed and rested his cheek on Chen Xiande¡¯s head. ¡°You are more like a ram than a sheep, so stubborn. But I like that. And no, you are not a plaything to me. I¡¯m quite serious. What should I do to make you believe that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Chen Xiande said, feeling conflicted and gloomy. He really, really wanted to trust this man but¡­ he couldn¡¯t believe that someone so attractive and strong, so enchanting and fascinating like Hei NingYu would choose him of all people. It was so unbelievable, there definitely must be a catch somewhere!


    Hei NingYu spoke, ¡°I suppose only time can prove it to you. I can¡¯t guarantee that we will stay together forever. We¡¯ve just met and barely know anything about each other, so we can¡¯t really know how compatible we will be. But I can promise you that I will treat you as well as I can and care for you as my lover for as long as we are together. Time will tell how long we last.¡±


    Chen Xiande felt somewhat relieved hearing this. It was unreasonable declarations of instant love and promises of forever that he couldn¡¯t trust. But what Hei NingYu said was quite reasonable. So¡­maybe he should give this a chance?


    Could he trust how this man actually thought that he deserved his affections? How he actually thought him worthy enough to want him? Could Chen Xiande really believe that someone like him would be enough?


    But Hei NingYu was right. Only time would tell. And if Chen Xiande never took this chance, he would never know.


    And so, looking up, Chen Xiande slowly wound an arm around Hei NingYu¡¯s neck as the palm of his other hand cupped the older man¡¯s cheek. Hei NingYu felt surprise as he looked into Chen Xiande¡¯s deep gaze that held unfathomable hunger and hope.


    ¡°You promise? You¡¯ll be mine for as long as I¡¯m yours?¡± Chen Xiande spoke with gravity.


    Hei NingYu oddly felt like he was about to sign a contract to hand over his soul to the devil or something, but dismissed these thoughts. Despite such occasional bouts of strangeness, Chen Xiande was a surprisingly lovable person who was as innocent as he was forthright. Hei NingYu found him quite refreshing and pleasant to be with.


    So he nodded and pledged with equal solemnity, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be yours for as long as you¡¯re mine.¡±


    Chen Xiande¡¯s eyes immediately sparkled with unhidden joy and a wide and happy smile bloomed across his face. He had been lonely for so long, being shunned by his peers and elders alike. Now he finally had a person of his own that he could talk to and spend time with, someone he actually liked doing intimate things with. Now he wouldn¡¯t have to be so alone anymore!


    Seeing that bright smile, Hei NingYu couldn¡¯t help but feel warm. It was obvious how glad Chen Xiande was to receive Hei NingYu¡¯s assurance and he could see just how much importance Chen Xiande was placing on the matter.


    Chen Xiande tightly hugged Hei NingYu and said, ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll be together then!¡±


    Hei NingYu smiled and kissed the forehead of his excited little lover. ¡°Yes. Would you like to consummate our bond right here and right now?¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Chen Xiande looked up to see an evil grin curving Hei NingYu¡¯s mouth. For a moment, he felt dazed as he stared at those enticing lips, itching for another taste.


    As if reading his thoughts, Hei NingYu lowered his head and captured Chen Xiande¡¯s mouth in a kiss. As they lapped and sucked at each others¡¯ lips and tongue, Hei NingYu¡¯s hand sneakily began wandering beneath Chen Xiande¡¯s clothes.


    At first, Chen Xiande wanted to just let him do whatever he wanted without resisting, but Hei NingYu¡¯s palm brushed over his skin and headed down his back and over his buttocks, squeezing and kneading them gently.


    Chen Xiande gasped and leaned back from the kiss, looking slightly startled. ¡°W-What are you trying to do?¡± he asked breathlessly.


    Hei NingYu bent forward and lightly brushed his moistened lips over Chen Xiande¡¯s flushed cheeks. ¡°Shh, it¡¯s okay. Just relax and tell me if it gets too uncomfortable.¡±


    Chen Xiande panted as he buried his face in Hei NingYu¡¯s shoulder in embarrassment and nodded.


    Hei NingYu¡¯s fingers inched towards Chen Xiande¡¯s opening slowly as Chen Xiande tried to contain his nervousness. He felt the rough tip of a finger slipping into the valley between his cheeks and rubbing against the sensitive entrance situated there.


    He shuddered lightly at the unfamiliar sensations. It felt too strange, but he had no intention of stopping Hei NingYu from proceeding.


    Seeing his little sheep lying obediently in his arms without objecting to his touch, Hei NingYu felt excited. He slowly began pushing his finger against the tight opening and felt it clench even tighter. He tried to be as gentle as possible but it really was too difficult without preparation. He slowly managed to get it in up to the first joint, feeling Chen Xiande¡¯s ring of muscles contracting and gripping the tip of his finger tightly.


    Chen Xiande felt very uncomfortable and strange. At first, he neither liked nor disliked the weird feeling of something intruding into his body, but soon a vague ache had begun to spread as Hei NingYu continued to steadily push his finger in. By now the ache had turned into a dull, throbbing pain, causing Chen Xiande to let slip a pained whimper.


    Hei NingYu immediately halted. ¡°Xiande, do you want to stop?¡± The little sheep was after all completely inexperienced and might need more time, he thought.


    Chen Xiande trembled and whispered softly, ¡°It hurts.¡±


    The intruding finger lodged in his entrance was immediately removed and Hei NingYu withdrew his hands from within Chen Xiande¡¯s clothes. Hei NingYu readjusted the disheveled robes and patted Chen Xiande¡¯s bottom in comfort as he apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry that it hurt. We¡¯ll just have to prepare better next time. Though I can¡¯t promise that you won¡¯t feel any pain at all, I¡¯ll make sure that your first time will be as painless as possible.¡±


    Hesitatingly, Chen Xiande whispered again, ¡°Then¡­it¡¯ll also hurt?¡±


    Hei NingYu saw tears gathered in the little sheep¡¯s dazed eyes as he blinked pitifully, drenching his quivering eyelashes with a light sheen of wetness. At the sight, Hei NingYu felt like something heavy was stuck in his chest.


    Remembering how Chen Xiande had pleaded before to not hurt him too much, added with his reaction just now, Hei NingYu finally came to understand just how abysmally low his lover¡¯s pain tolerance was.


    Well, it was only to be expected, since Chen Xiande had been a sheltered young master all his life. Before joining the sect, he was protected under his father¡¯s influence and never faced any hardship. After joining the sect, though he was ostracized and insulted, none had dared harm him. In fact, he had been the one to keep going after his junior brother due to jealousy.


    But no matter how Chen Xiande misbehaved, no one had cared enough to punish him corporally, only flinging harsh words and looking down on him even more. Adding to that the fact that he rarely went out of the sect, one could surmise that Chen Xiande had barely ever faced pain and was thus particularly weak against it.


    ¡°Yes, it will still hurt a bit no matter how much we prepare, especially since it is going to be your first time having sex. I¡¯m sorry. If you don¡¯t want to, then we never have to do it. There are plenty of other ways to attain mutual pleasure,¡± Hei NingYu consoled.


    Chen Xiande bit his lip and seriously considered these words before shaking his head. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. Even if it hurts¡­I can take it as long as it¡¯s you.¡±


    Hearing this, Hei NingYu felt complex emotions arise within him. He felt as if the grasp his little sheep had on him was growing stronger with every word he spoke and every gesture he made. ¡°Alright, but don¡¯t force yourself to do anything on my behalf. If it gets too painful in the future, tell me and I¡¯ll stop.¡±


    Nodding, Chen Xiande felt cheerful at the unhidden care in Hei NingYu¡¯s words. He really was such a warmhearted person!


    If Hei NingYu¡¯s subordinates¨Despecially the ones he¡¯d personally trained¨Dheard of someone using such a description on their sect leader, they¡¯d surely cough up blood and die out of sheer disbelief.


    Hei NingYu was stunned as he saw how Chen Xiande looked at him, with his reddened cheeks, dewy eyes, and an adoring expression showing clearly on his face. He looked so very cute and lovable right now.


    If Chen Xiande¡¯s Elders and fellow disciples heard of someone using this description on this usually sour-faced senior disciple, they¡¯d surely cough up enough blood to faint on the spot.


    Chen Xiande took the initiative this time and rose up to place his lips over Hei NingYu¡¯s. Still feeling guilty at having hurt his little sheep, Hei NingYu let Chen Xiande take the lead. Chen Xiande swept his tongue over the inside of Hei NingYu¡¯s mouth, licking and exploring the soft, moist cavern as he tangled their tongues together.


    As the wet sounds of two mouths passionately sucking at each other resounded in the calm morning, two quiet gasps could suddenly be heard, shattering the atmosphere despite their low volume.


    The two lovers stopped and looked to see who had interrupted them, only for Chen Xiande¡¯s face to start flaming in embarrassment.


    It was the twins!


    ¡°Oh, please don¡¯t mind us and continue sucking each other¡¯s faces, it¡¯s not like we¡¯ll be traumatized or anything,¡± Fei Jin said sarcastically. He was still bitter that he was forced to see his Senior Brother and Brother Wei making out so openly just a few hours ago!


    With a displeased expression, Fei Yin snorted as if in agreement.


    Looking guilty, Chen Xiande disentangled from Hei NingYu and coughed lightly to hide his discomposure. ¡°What are you both doing here?¡± he asked, his usual frown returning.


    ¡°Eldest Martial Brother, you didn¡¯t return to the sect till now so we got worried and came to fetch you,¡± Fei Jin supplied.


    Hei NingYu watched in fascination as Chen Xiande¡¯s soft and befuddled look that he had been wearing most often in front of him disappeared into the strict look of an old man as his brows scrunched together again. ¡°I could¡¯ve returned on my own, but since you¡¯re here already, give me a paper mount. I¡¯m out of spiritual power,¡± Chen Xiande spoke with his usual tone of authority that he used on his junior disciples.


    ¡°Yes, Eldest Martial Brother,¡± the twins replied respectfully as Fei Yin took out a folded paper crane. He imbued it with spiritual power and it grew to the size of an adult human.


    Remembering Hei NingYu¡¯s promise that he¡¯d come see him, Chen Xiande reluctantly managed to walk away from his new lover and climbed onto the large crane. As if unable to help himself, he looked back, his gaze drawn to his relaxedly sitting lover.


    Reading his beloved¡¯s barely hidden apprehension on his face, Hei NingYu smiled and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you in a few days, Little Sheep.¡±


    Chen Xiande¡¯s frown temporarily smoothed as he smiled back warmly before the paper crane flew upwards, taking him away.


    Fei Jin and Fei Yin took one last look at this demonic cultivator who could make their unfriendly senior brother show such an affectionate smile, before they unfurled their wings of crackling lightning and ice and also took off.


    Hei NingYu, left behind, dropped his smile.


    His gaze turned deep as he stared at the sky into which his beloved had flown. Now that he had a person who could entertain him, someone whom he wanted to spend time with and cherish, he wouldn¡¯t need all those bothersome vermin in his sect that he had cultivated into troublemakers just so their petty schemes against him could keep him interested in life.


    He should just clean them up quickly and suppress those annoyances with overwhelming might so that they¡¯d stay obedient at least for a few months, and then he could take his time to woo his cute little white sheep.


    As his sharp eyes sparkled cheerfully at that thought, Hei NingYu¡¯s lips slowly curved up in eager anticipation.


    Ah, my dear little sheep, it seems that you can make this life of mine worth living after all.

 Chapter 43: Unforeseen Guest

    The days passed swiftly and smoothly, dragged along by the tranquil flow of time like leaves carried away by gentle water currents.


    One evening, an unexpected visitor came knocking on the door of Heavenly Peak Sect, asking to discuss something with the sect master.


    The identity of this guest must be of some import, since the sect master went to greet the visitor himself. As Zhen YiLan led the guest in, his direct disciples waited in the receiving hall to welcome the visitor as per their master¡¯s instructions.


    At the first sight of their supposedly important guest, Chen Xiande¡¯s mouth dropped open.


    So that guy hadn¡¯t been lying when he said he would be escorted in through the front door! And he was even led in personally by his master!


    As Zhen YiLan sat down for discussion along with the guest, he asked curiously, ¡°May I ask what matters bring your esteemed self here?¡±


    While being careful not to stare too obviously at Chen Xiande, Hei NingYu lightly chuckled, ¡°Sect Master Zhen, there is no need for such courtesies. I am but a common cultivator of the dark arts, it wouldn¡¯t do for someone of your station to show me such respect.¡±


    Zhen YiLan frowned. After the Sentinel Grandmaster, the oldest and the most powerful cultivator was Hei NingYu. He was someone who had existed since before even the Great War. But from his words just now, it seemed that Hei NingYu was hiding his identity during this visit for some reason. Since he didn¡¯t know the motive behind it, Zhen YiLan decided to play along for now just to be safe.


    ¡°Of course, but as a high-level cultivator, I think Master Hei naturally deserves this respect.¡±


    ¡°You flatter me,¡± Hei NingYu said with eyes sparkling. He was finally able to see his darling after being apart for the last few days. He was eagerly awaiting the time when he could get his little sheep away from the others and play with him to make up for time lost.


    ¡°I heard that there has been a massive restructuring in the ranks of your faction. Might this visit have something to do with that?¡± Zhen YiLan probed.


    Deciding to get his excuse over with quickly, Hei NingYu explained, ¡°My visit does not relate to that, but something else. There has been trouble in certain areas nearby our sect. Entire towns and villages have been wiped clean of all adults, the whereabouts of these people unknown. The children who remain all claim that the missing people just stood up and walked away under the influence of a mysterious black fog. The common people naturally have begun blaming our faction. I would like your help to clear this misunderstanding before the Sentinels decide to get involved.¡±


    Zhen YiLan nodded thoughtfully as he listened.


    The truth was, though this incident really had happened, Hei NingYu felt that his people were more than capable enough to take care of the issue on their own. Despite that, Hei NingYu still came here citing it as the reason just so he¡¯d have a legitimate excuse to see his little sheep.


    ¡°And so, for both sides to better cooperate, I request Sect Master Zhen¡¯s permission to stay at your sect until this matter is resolved satisfactorily,¡± Hei NingYu continued.


    Hearing this, Zhen YiLan was startled. As a lone demonic cultivator, shouldn¡¯t he be uneasy at the thought of staying in a sect full of righteous cultivators? But thinking that he must definitely have a reason, one that might even be related to why he felt the need to hide his identity, Zhen YiLan reluctantly nodded. ¡°Very well, I shall have a room prepared for Sec- I mean, Master Hei.¡±


    Hei NingYu smiled charmingly, ¡°There is no need to go through the trouble. Since Sect Master Zhen is hosting me, it is only natural for your head disciple to let me stay with him and accompany me for the duration of my visit.¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡±


    Which part of anything you just said was ¡®natural¡¯?!


    At the side, Chen Xiande¡¯s cheeks flushed lightly. He had been greatly anticipating his new lover¡¯s visit while also stewing in anxiety that he would change his mind and not come.


    But now that Hei NingYu was finally here, Chen Xiande couldn¡¯t help his excitement and eagerness from showing. He really hoped that his master would allow them to stay together!


    Frowning, Zhen YiLan was about to firmly reject Hei NingYu¡¯s request when he caught Chen Xiande¡¯s reaction. Wait, it couldn¡¯t be¡­could it?


    Clearing his throat, the sect master called to his head disciple, ¡°Xian-er, what is your opinion on this?¡±


    Having his much-admired master¡¯s attention focused on him, Chen Xiande was momentarily stunned before he came to his senses and processed the question.


    His blush spreading further over his face, Chen Xiande replied, ¡°If Master does not mind too much, then¡­then this disciple would like to¡­um, share a room¡­with our guest¡­¡± The sentence trailed off as he spoke, ending in a volume lower than a mosquito¡¯s buzz.


    If Zhen YiLan couldn¡¯t understand what was going on between Chen Xiande and Hei NingYu even at this point, then all these years he had lived would have been wasted.


    Seeing that his disciple didn¡¯t have any objections, and that he even looked anticipatory, Zhen YiLan coughed and reluctantly gave his assent. ¡°Then Xian-er, I will leave this matter to you. Make sure to show Master Hei every courtesy.¡±


    Chen Xiande nodded solemnly as he replied with a ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Any instructions his master gave him would of course be met with the utmost seriousness.


    Having his wish granted at last, Hei NingYu felt endlessly cheerful even as his mind kept imagining doing all sorts of things to his cute little sheep to make him blush even more until he grew red as a beet.


    At the side, Qinghe, Fei Jin, and Fei Yin were looking on with thoughtful gazes. This Hei NingYu seemed to have gone through a lot of trouble just to get some time alone with their martial brother. Was his interest serious? Or was he just playing around?


    Fei Jin and Fei Yin narrowed their eyes threateningly at the thought.


    But then Qinghe spoke, reassuring them in a soft voice, ¡°I will assess the situation. Do not worry and leave everything to me.¡±


    The sharpness in the twins¡¯ gaze immediately subsided as they replied obediently, ¡°Yes, Senior Brother.¡±


    Qinghe pursed his lips lightly. He had, of course, been informed by the twins of the affectionate attachment with which his senior brother gazed at the demonic cultivator. The demonic cultivator also showed signs of being smitten with Chen Xiande. But just how deep did his affection run?


    Being a particularly protective sort, Qinghe couldn¡¯t bear the thought of his senior brother getting hurt. He would carefully assess this person over the days and see if he was trustworthy. And since Hei NingYu would be staying nearby and in the sect for now, it would be especially convenient for evaluating him.


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes stared fixedly at Hei NingYu as he made and discarded various plans.


    Hidden among the shadows, Wei Xiang felt amused.


    If it was any other man, by now, they would surely have been burning with jealousy that their lover was staring with such intensity at another person. But Wei Xiang knew his beloved all too well.


    Rather than passion, what colored Qinghe¡¯s gaze was cold calculation.


    Qinghe was studying every tiny flicker of expression on this guest¡¯s face, organizing every scrap of information he knew about demonic cultivators, trying to see what he could glean about their visitor in particular.


    He finally concluded that rather than planning something elaborate, using the direct approach on their mysterious guest would be more efficient. He would wait and see for now, and then give his verdict.


    Qinghe nodded to himself, satisfied with this conclusion.


    After everything was decided, Zhen YiLan broke the meeting up and allowed everyone to disperse. Hei NingYu naturally followed behind Chen Xiande, the twins ran off to take care of some sect matters that Qinghe had allotted them, and Qinghe returned to his room.


    ¡°What is your opinion on that fellow?¡± Qinghe asked Wei Xiang the second he materialized from the shadows.


    Wei Xiang smiled wryly but still answered, ¡°He seems very powerful. Since his cultivation appears to be above mine, he can only be a demigod, since that is the only level other than deity that is above tenth realm. Also, because most cultivators who have reached the demigod stage are still in secluded cultivation in an attempt to ascend, there are very few demigods still roaming around. Adding to it, this visitor also happens to be from the demonic faction. In that case, his identity becomes easy enough to deduce.¡±


    Qinghe frowned, ¡°You mean the leader of the demonic faction, Hei NingYu? The second most powerful cultivator in the current world?¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded.


    The first ranked cultivator was, of course, the Sentinel Grandmaster. The title of ¡®grandmaster¡¯ itself was only given to those who stood at the very top of the cultivation world. As a deity, the leader of the Order of Sentinels certainly qualified.


    But before the deity had descended, the one who had held the title of grandmaster was Hei NingYu.


    ¡°What do you think are his motives? Do you think he¡¯s plotting something?¡± Qinghe only got more worried.


    Chuckling, Wei Xiang shook his head. ¡°You examined him for so long, I doubt you missed his deep infatuation with your senior brother.¡±


    Qinghe was still hesitant. ¡°What if he¡¯s a great actor? What if that was a show he put on just for us so that we¡¯d let our guard down?¡±


    Knowing that Qinghe would be unconvinced no matter what he said at this point, Wei Xiang instead chose to distract him rather than letting him stew in his suspicions. Reaching over, Wei Xiang began undressing an absentminded Qinghe.


    Since his head was still buzzing with speculations and conjectures, Qinghe didn¡¯t realize what was happening at first. When he finally felt his lover¡¯s palms on his bare skin, Qinghe startled out of his thoughts and asked confusedly, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    He only then realized that both of them were already naked and that Wei Xiang was ready to get into action.


    Looking around in befuddlement, Qinghe didn¡¯t have any time to react before Wei Xiang lifted him up and headed for the bed.


    ¡°Um¡­Xiang? Why are we¨D?¡± Qinghe¡¯s words were interrupted as a hot mouth closed over his.


    Already tired of hearing his lover keep talking about other people, Wei Xiang made sure to slowly, thoroughly play with Qinghe until there were thoughts of no one but him in his lover¡¯s mind.


    As the couple kept up their recreational activities, the day turned to night. Exhausted but satisfied, they both fell asleep in each other¡¯s arms.


    Soon, dawn arrived, gilding the world in glimmering gold.


    Qinghe woke up sore and looked down blankly at his body littered with hickeys. Turning to Wei Xiang, he stated, ¡°You overdid it.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying you didn¡¯t enjoy yourself?¡± Wei Xiang asked to hide his guilty conscience. They had both gotten a bit too enthusiastic yesterday, but Wei Xiang had clearly been the instigator and the bigger culprit, not giving Qinghe any time to retaliate as he sucked him clean again and again.


    Remembering last night, Qinghe flushed and glared at his lover, but some heat had already crept into his eyes.


    Determined to do to his lover what had been done to him, Qinghe unceremoniously pushed Wei Xiang down. ¡°Lie down and let me also mark you as repayment.¡±


    Wei Xiang felt like laughing as he obediently laid back down and let Qinghe strip his robe.


    Qinghe straddled his lover¡¯s compact waist and looked down at the stretch of warm, honey-toned skin. As he ran his hands over the firm lines and curves of his lover¡¯s body, Qinghe could feel the muscles flexing under his touch, enticing him to bend down and give the supple skin a lick.


    Feeling Wei Xiang growing tense under him, Qinghe smirked and continued to nip and suck, occasionally flicking his tongue over the red marks as he explored his lover¡¯s delectable body.


    Wei Xiang extended his hands and loosened the belt of Qinghe¡¯s shift, just as eager to taste him. Qinghe¡¯s robe came open at the front, the white cloth hanging from his shoulders, framing the fair skin of his chest and stomach scattered with love bites as if to tempt Wei Xiang to soothe away those vivid red marks.


    But Qinghe wasn¡¯t having it. He firmly pushed down on Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulders as he continued to glide his mouth over his lover¡¯s skin, the heady, intoxicating taste stoking his excitement.


    Just as things began to heat up further, loud knocking sounded from the door.


    The pair of lovers stopped, panting with flushed cheeks as they tried to regain their breaths.


    Not minding the lack of response, the person who was knocking opened the door and directly barged into the room while talking in an urgent voice, ¡°Sentinel Wei, are you here? I found that person you asked me to sear¨D¡±


    Jing Shui, having entered without looking, froze on the spot.


    Wei Xiang was lying on the bed wearing nothing but a pair of pants. Qinghe was straddling him, his hands on Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulders, most of his robe gaping open. His lips were still wet and his eyes still misted, his loose hair framing his flushed face.


    Raising a hand, Qinghe nonchalantly wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and got up, refastening his belt and tidying up his appearance.


    ¡°Brother Jing, you interrupted us. That was very impolite of you,¡± he said as he casually shielded Wei Xiang¡¯s figure as his lover also dressed.


    Seeing them act as if there was nothing wrong with this situation, Jing Shui was speechless. His own face was flaming with enough embarrassment for all three of them!


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll wait outside!¡± Jing Shui announced and rushed out just as swiftly as he had rushed in.


    Qinghe cast an amused glance at the retreating figure and decided to get ready for the day. Since they had already been interrupted, Qinghe and Wei Xiang left it at that and went through their morning rituals, bathing and getting dressed in their respective robes.


    A few minutes later, Qinghe invited Jing Shui back in.


    Jing Shui looked around vigilantly as if afraid there would be other half-naked men waiting to jump out from the shadows and traumatize him at any moment.


    Seeing his friend¡¯s overt cautiousness, Qinghe labored to stifle his laughter as he asked, ¡°So, Brother Jing, what brought you here today?¡±


    Jing Shui looked nervously between Qinghe and Wei Xiang. ¡°That¡­ I was asked by Sentinel Wei to look into a certain matter. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s appropriate to share it.¡±


    Wei Xiang had already guessed what the matter was. ¡°It¡¯s alright, just tell him. After all, it concerns Qinghe as well.¡±


    After hesitating for a bit, Jing Shui nodded and started speaking, ¡°Back when we went to hunt that serpent beast in the Spirit Bewildering Forest, do you remember how we were trapped and forced to relive our fears due to a Nightmare Parasite?¡±


    Not knowing why this was being brought up now, Qinghe nodded.


    ¡°Well, while watching you undergoing your trial, we all heard you call out to a boy named Yan Lin. But when we asked you about it later, you didn¡¯t seem to remember at all.¡±


    Qinghe frowned. He really didn¡¯t remember. Was there something like that?


    Feeling a light throbbing in his head, Qinghe brought his hand up to his temple.


    Wei Xiang saw Qinghe unconsciously massaging his forehead as if to relieve a headache and felt concerned. Was it still too soon for his lover to face this?


    Looping an arm around him, Wei Xiang spoke, ¡°I thought something bad might have happened to this friend of yours and that¡¯s why you¡¯d buried his memory. So I wanted someone to look into it to see what exactly happened to this boy named Yan Lin.¡±


    In a daze, Qinghe tried to recall if he knew anyone with this name, but nothing surfaced in his mind.


    ¡°I¡­really don¡¯t remember.¡±


    Sighing, Wei Xiang smoothed his hand over Qinghe¡¯s back soothingly. ¡°That¡¯s fine. We¡¯re in no rush. If it¡¯s too painful, then you don¡¯t have to force yourself.¡±


    Qinghe nodded and his frown relaxed as he stopped pushing himself so hard to try and recall that name.


    Seeing him doing better, Wei Xiang turned to Jing Shui. ¡°What did you find out?¡±


    Though Jing Shui still did not like being ordered around by this Sentinel, this was after all to help his friend, so he seriously replied, ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a long story, but I think it would be better if you heard it from the person himself.¡±


    Unable to understand what he trying to say, Qinghe asked puzzled, ¡°What do you mean? Which person?¡±


    With a solemn expression, Jing Shui spoke, ¡°I mean that you should ask your friend directly about what happened. Since Yan Lin is, after all, still alive.¡±


    Wei Xiang raised his eyebrows in surprise.


    Jing Shui continued, ¡°And I not only found his whereabouts, I also brought him with me today. Yan Lin is currently waiting in the receiving hall to meet Brother Feng.¡±


    Hearing this, Qinghe felt something deep inside him rippling.

 Chapter 44: A Forgotten Friend

    Qinghe and Wei Xiang, led by Jing Shui, quickly went to the receiving hall where guests were usually seated.


    As the three pushed the door open and entered, they saw a man looking to be in his late thirties sitting inside with apparent nervousness.


    His body was skinny, his brown hair fastened with a simple, almost crude, hair ornament, and his clothes were equally as unimpressive. But his light-colored eyes held deep wells of kindness and maturity that showed through despite his anxiety as he looked up to study the people who had suddenly entered.


    The middle-aged man¡¯s gaze fixed on a certain person, his expression showing surprise, warmth, and relief as he called in a hesitant tone, ¡°Qinghe?¡±


    For a moment, Qinghe felt stunned.


    Then, as if in reaction to the man¡¯s voice, something within him seemed to shatter.


    Qinghe felt like a spike was being driven through his brain as memories tried to break free. The sudden, sharp pain blooming in his skull caused him to grip his head as he tried to keep from staggering due to the agony.


    ¡°Qinghe!¡± a voice shouted out, alarmed.


    Qinghe felt Wei Xiang¡¯s arms close around him and Jing Shui calling out in worry. He felt his control over his spiritual energy slipping as wind began blasting around him in violent gusts.


    He felt as if some psychological barrier was being torn apart in his mind.


    Amid the waves of excruciating pain, Qinghe¡¯s consciousness thankfully faded into darkness.


    Then he began dreaming of long lost memories.


    Like tightly wound threads unraveling, the images and impressions filtered into his befuddled mind, taking over and leaving Qinghe no choice but to witness that which he had thought was better forgotten.


    The darkness gave way to the familiar feeling of lying curled on a cold, rough floor, with a heavy metal collar weighing around his throat. The sounds of being hit echoed through the dingy surroundings.


    The blows rocked through Qinghe, but none impacted him. A thinner but taller body covered Qinghe completely, receiving the kicks instead. He could feel bones rattling as the blows thudded through the person protecting him.


    Qinghe tried to struggle free. No! This wasn¡¯t right! He wasn¡¯t the one who should be protected right now! But his efforts were futile and the boy wrapped around him didn¡¯t loosen his hold at all.


    ¡°Yan Lin, let me go! Let me fight them!¡± Qinghe said to the frowning boy who was using himself as a shield.


    Gasping as the hits kept coming, Yan Lin shook his head.


    ¡°But I can beat them!¡±


    Yan Lin shook his head again and held Qinghe tightly, unwilling to let him go.


    Qinghe knew that Yan Lin didn¡¯t like to hurt others or see them being hurt. He would rather take the pain of being hit rather than hit back. Being considered weak for his kindness, the other kids and even the wardens bullied him. It frustrated Qinghe to no end that Yan Lin wouldn¡¯t let Qinghe fight on his behalf.


    By the time Qinghe had been brought to the orphanage, Yan Lin was already in a very bad condition. He had barely said two words to Qinghe before he stopped speaking completely, his heart too wounded in this wretched place where hurting each other meant survival.


    After Qinghe arrived, he tried to protect Yan Lin. But thinking of himself as a burden, Yan Lin never let his little friend help.


    ¡°Hmph, this is boring,¡± one of their attackers said in a childish voice, landing a few more perfunctory kicks before he strutted away. The rest of his pals followed, muttering things like ¡®useless¡¯, ¡®too soft¡¯, and ¡®weak¡¯.


    Occurrences like this, where the many ganged up on the few, were hardly a novelty in this place.


    Uncaring of the consequences and infuriated for his friend, Qinghe wanted to rise up and kick their attackers¡¯ butts till it was swollen purple. But his sudden movement caused Yan Lin to exhale in pain. Worried, Qinghe bent down and easily lifted the older kid up, moving towards the corner in the orphanage that they used most often. It was more important to let Yan Lin rest now, taking revenge could wait.


    ¡°You should really let me beat them up once or twice. Then they wouldn¡¯t dare come to cause you trouble ever again,¡± Qinghe said, his child-like voice tinted with impetuous arrogance and anger. There was still a trace of nobility in his speech, remnants of his time before he fell from the sky and was dragged into this place.


    Yan Lin smiled despite the pain and patted Qinghe on the head to show that he appreciated the offer.


    Huffing, the little boy complained, ¡°You never let me have any fun.¡±


    Soft chuffs of soundless laughter escaped Yan Lin. He reached his hands over and pinched Qinghe¡¯s chubby little cheeks and the little boy obediently let him. Yan Lin was the only point of warmth in this desolate place overflowing with greed and desperation.


    He was the one person worth protecting in this farce of an orphanage packed with human filth.


    Time flowed and Qinghe relived his childhood days. The events he normally remembered seemed hazy and distant, while these newly recovered memories of Yan Lin felt clear and defined, more real than anything else.


    And so the days passed, turning into weeks, then months, and finally years, and Yan Lin¡¯s condition grew worse and worse.


    One day, a man came in, led by one of the wardens. He wrinkled his nose at the pungent scent of unwashed bodies as his eyes looked over the children crammed into the grimy little room.


    ¡°Choose any one of these brats. We¡¯ll clean ¡®em up and prepare ¡®em for you,¡± the warden said and left.


    The children all stared vigilantly at this adult who looked at them like he was choosing prey.


    ¡°Come now kids, which one of you wants to enter the playroom with me? We can have tons of fun~¡± the man said, malicious intent belying his words.


    None of the kids responded.


    But hearing the man¡¯s words, Qinghe frowned in thought. What was this ¡®playroom¡¯? Did it have toys?


    Though he didn¡¯t remember his past, his memories having been lost when he fell to the ground, his body shattered, Qinghe still remembered that toys were fun things that he liked.


    Just as he was considering, a pale-faced Yan Lin suddenly pushed Qinghe behind himself.


    The man had been taking in the place and was carefully studying the dirty faces of the starved children, trying to see which one of them was the best-looking.


    Because Qinghe was hidden by Yan Lin, the man couldn¡¯t see him, but his gaze nevertheless fixed in their direction eventually.


    Throwing contemptuous looks at the piled up kids in his way, the man mercilessly stomped on them as he walked towards Yan Lin and the concealed Qinghe. Crunches of fragile bones being broken and pitiful cries of pain sounded out continuously. The children scrambled to get out of the man¡¯s way to avoid getting stepped on, and with his path cleared, the man quickly arrived in front of Yan Lin.


    The man peered into the thin child¡¯s face as if assessing something. He pinched Yan Lin¡¯s jaw between his fingers and twisted his head this way and that as if observing his face from all angles. Letting go, the man then slid his hands up and down the child¡¯s body, pinching and rubbing intrusively.


    Hidden behind Yan Lin and pressed between his friend and the wall, Qinghe could feel the shudders of revulsion vibrating through his friend¡¯s body, though he didn¡¯t understand the emotion behind the trembling at this point.


    Despite being touched and groped by the man¡¯s ungentle hands, Yan Lin didn¡¯t dare move lest Qinghe be found out.


    The man stepped back and finally said, ¡°You have a good face and body, a bit too skinny, but so delicate and pretty. You¡¯ll do.¡±


    Saying so, he gripped Yan Lin¡¯s upper arm and dragged him towards the door, not even looking back to see the now-exposed Qinghe.


    As Qinghe watched with wide eyes, trying to follow Yan Lin as he was being led out, Yan Lin looked back and smiled at him, shaking his head. Hesitantly, Qinghe stopped. Since Yan Lin was telling him not to worry, it must be okay.


    But Qinghe still worried.


    From that day on, Yan Lin would be led out by various men, all taking him to the playroom. Each time, Yan Lin would make Qinghe hide, as if afraid the men would find him.


    Qinghe didn¡¯t understand what went on in the playroom and Yan Lin never told him. But every time Yan Lin returned from there, he would look miserable and in pain, the light in his eyes almost drained. His face and body would always be littered with vicious bruises and he slowly started avoiding the touch of everyone except Qinghe.


    Qinghe asked him if the wardens were beating him up again, but Yan Lin would merely look at Qinghe and try to smile reassuringly.


    This only made Qinghe curious to know more, since he didn¡¯t understand or recognize the complex emotions of hate, terror, and disgust that saturated Yan Lin¡¯s gaze every time he brought it up.


    ¡°Does that room have toys to play with?¡± Qinghe tried to guess, though he knew it wasn¡¯t likely by now. But he couldn¡¯t for the life of him deduce what was in this ¡®playroom¡¯.


    For a second, Yan Lin¡¯s face turned pale as if remembering something horrible, then he composed himself. He tried to smile and nodded at the other child to appease him, since the little one¡¯s eyes were burning with such anticipation at the thought of toys, along with the intense need to know.


    ¡°It really has toys?! Then is it fun? I think playing with toys is supposed to be fun. Maybe I should sneak in and take a look,¡± Qinghe said excitedly.


    ¡°No!¡± Yan Lin whispered suddenly, horror and desperation coloring his voice that had gotten hoarse from disuse, his thin body trembling fiercely.


    Before Qinghe could react to hearing his friend¡¯s voice after such a long time, Yan Lin had already leapt forward to hug Qinghe hard, his arms wrapping around him so tightly that Qinghe felt the creak of his bones. Yan Lin¡¯s thin body, having only gotten thinner over these months of abuse, shuddered violently as silent sobs wracked him.


    Qinghe felt panic and worry as he stroked his hand over his friend¡¯s back. He didn¡¯t understand this sudden outburst of emotion at all. ¡°Y-Yan Lin? What happened? Did someone hurt you? Tell me and I¡¯ll beat them up, okay?¡±


    Yan Lin shook his head, still clinging onto Qinghe desperately.


    ¡°T-Then¡­is it about the playroom? Do you not want to share the toys? It¡¯s okay, I won¡¯t play with them. I won¡¯t even look at them or try to find them! You can keep them to yourself, I promise! Now it¡¯s okay, right?¡±


    But Yan Lin didn¡¯t respond, only crying soundlessly without tears.


    Qinghe was mired in abject helplessness, not knowing what to do. However, this sense of helplessness and loss of control would only get worse.


    As the days went by, Yan Lin¡¯s eyes turned more and more dull. He stopped eating and never moved unless he had to, only lying there in a corner seemingly without life, withdrawing into himself more and more.


    And still the men came to drag him away every day.


    Every time Qinghe tried to fight them off without care of exposing himself, Yan Lin would interfere and wordlessly make Qinghe let him go.


    Qinghe was beside himself with worry. By this time, even he had begun connecting the wounds on Yan Lin and his fading will to live to the playroom. But unless Yan Lin himself cooperated, Qinghe wouldn¡¯t know what the exact problem was, and if he didn¡¯t know, how could he fix it?


    One day, when Qinghe woke up, Yan Lin simply wasn¡¯t there anymore.


    Soon after, the men that usually came for his friend dragged Qinghe out instead.


    As he was being taken to the playroom, Qinghe managed to pry the truth out of the men with a bit of manipulating and wheedling.


    The men said that Yan Lin went crazy and tried to fight a few wardens because he¡¯d heard them talking about including Qinghe in their playtime. Since he had injured quite a lot of people when he went berserk, Yan Lin had been beaten badly and thrown off a cliff to die.


    And now, Qinghe was supposed to take his friend¡¯s place.


    A surge of bitterness, fear, panic, and despair welled up in Qinghe¡¯s heart, threatening to overflow and wash away his sanity.


    So his friend was dead? He had died just like that?


    The only light in this hellhole had been extinguished so easily, so meaninglessly¡­


    ¡­all because Yan Lin had tried to protect him?


    And now, despite Yan Lin¡¯s efforts, Qinghe was being taken to that blasted playroom which had caused his friend such misfortune.


    Carefully, Qinghe pushed down his gushing emotions that threatened to tear him apart at the seams. Determination and resolution firmed his gaze.


    Though he knew it was going to be terrible, though he knew it would be painful, Qinghe still thought he could take whatever was going to happen.


    He had come to a conjecture that the playroom was where the wardens brought people to hit and vent their violence on the kids. Though it sounded somewhat improbable, Qinghe thought it at least explained how Yan Lin got his bruises.


    Since Qinghe had good pain tolerance, he thought it wouldn¡¯t be as terrible for him as it had been for Yan Lin. And since what got Yan Lin killed was his care for him, Qinghe decided that he should at least experience what Yan Lin had had to go through these past few months.


    But the reality had been more terrible and incomprehensible than his inexperienced twelve-year-old self could have imagined.


    The short time he had spent in the playroom had scarred him beyond compare. He couldn¡¯t even imagine how Yan Lin had survived months of this torment.


    And to Qinghe¡¯s fortune, the sect master had arrived shortly after he entered the playroom for the first time. He had been rescued before the worst could happen.


    But there had been no one who had come for Yan Lin.


    Remembering the cluelessly insensitive questions he had asked Yan Lin about the playroom, Qinghe¡¯s chest felt like it would explode with pain and regret.


    He remembered the frail body suddenly embracing him as his friend had trembled, unable to speak of what was being done to him, trying to protect the innocence of Qinghe¡¯s mind even then.


    He remembered the life in those eyes dulling, the warmth in that thin body cooling as the days passed, as if Yan Lin¡¯s vitality was unable to keep up with his despair.


    Even if nothing had happened, he would still have died eventually. Qinghe was certain of that.


    All these images played and played and finally ground to a halt.


    Now, Qinghe finally understood why he had so desperately blocked these memories. The crushing weight of the guilt and remorse was too unbearable for him to carry¡­


    Qinghe felt his consciousness slowly returning. He almost wished it didn¡¯t.


    The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was Wei Xiang¡¯s worried face. Without assessing the situation at all, Qinghe leapt up and hugged his lover, silently asking for comfort.


    Wei Xiang startled at the suddenness of the embrace, but dutifully rubbed his hand up and down along Qinghe¡¯s spine, attempting to soothe him. Though he hadn¡¯t had the chance to see his awakened lover¡¯s expression, he instinctively knew that he was beyond upset.


    He was surprised, however, to find that Qinghe¡¯s body had started shuddering with quiet sobs. He could feel a telltale wetness spreading on his shoulder where Qinghe had buried his face.


    Alarmed, Wei Xiang spoke, ¡°Qinghe? Love? What¡¯s wrong? Did you regain your memories?¡±


    Qinghe silently nodded.


    Thinking that he shouldn¡¯t avoid it anymore, Qinghe sat up, tears still wetting his cheeks, the rims of his eyes and the tip of his nose red.


    ¡°It¡¯s all my fault, he almost died because of me. I should apologize to him.¡±


    Wei Xiang raised his eyebrows. He had never seen his lover so distraught before and he didn¡¯t like it one bit. Though he didn¡¯t know what Qinghe had seen in his memories, Wei Xiang still gave him a reasonable suggestion. ¡°Rather than blaming yourself, you should go and talk to this Yan Lin. I¡¯m sure he doesn¡¯t hold you accountable.¡±


    Unconvinced, Qinghe tried to protest, ¡°B-But, I¨D¡±


    Wei Xiang interrupted with a firm order. ¡°Talk to him before you think any further.¡±


    While still looking conflicted, Qinghe nodded.

 Chapter 45: The Rest of the Story

    As they exited Qinghe¡¯s room and walked towards the guest hall to once again go and meet Yan Lin, Qinghe recited the events he¡¯d seen in his newly uncovered memories to Wei Xiang in a monotone and spiritless voice.


    On the inside, Qinghe¡¯s thoughts churned as he put various pieces together, finally being able to reason many of his actions in the past.


    After being rescued from the orphanage and entering the sect, Qinghe had thrown himself into training and practice the second he could. He had disregarded his own life and safety, not caring how battered or broken both his mind and body were becoming.


    He always pushed himself beyond limits without caring for himself or the restrictions on his soul. This was why he had broken past the restrictions in the first place and advanced so quickly, and his recklessness had caused him no small amount of problems that he had had to deal with.


    Though such tendencies had not yet completely disappeared even by now, they were not as bad as they had been back then either.


    After rescuing the twins, Qinghe had also begun to look after himself. Taking care of those two children had started him on the path to recovery as well. And now that he had Wei Xiang¡¯s steady hand guiding him and further speeding up his healing, Qinghe¡¯s self-destructive tendencies had lessened by a lot.


    And only now did he realize that his behavior from the beginning, when he hurt himself with wild abandon, had been a form of his atonement towards the first true friend he¡¯d had, someone he thought he had caused the death of.


    Since that time, his mind and personality had built upon that hurt of knowing he had indirectly killed the only person he was close to, that he deserved the worse that life could give him. So he had indiscriminately and continuously punished himself.


    This aspect of himself was already firmly entrenched into his being, and now, even after finding that Yan Lin was alive, Qinghe knew that he would not be able to let this damage go.


    Maybe, in a way, he had already paid his recompense.


    As Qinghe slowly regained his composure after he finished narrating his memories, at the side, Wei Xiang was also pondering on something.


    Thinking back to all the times he had seen Qinghe getting hurt, both emotionally and physically, Wei Xiang realized he had never seen Qinghe cry or look discomposed to that extent. Be it after the twins had hurt him or after he had been tortured in the Black Fang base, Qinghe had very quickly bounced back to his usual self and easily put the matter aside.


    But after knowing that he had nearly caused the death of this friend of his, Qinghe had almost reached the point of breaking down. Hurting someone else clearly made him more distraught than when he himself was brutally harmed.


    Wei Xiang shook his head in exasperation while thanking his master in his heart. If the Grandmaster hadn¡¯t established the Order of Sentinels long ago and made this world a kinder, much more peaceful place, someone as empathic as Qinghe would have been in constant distress at the state of the world.


    The couple, each weighed with their own realizations, finally reached the guest hall to meet Yan Lin once more.


    However, when they opened the door, they saw that an extra person had joined in.


    Seated adjacent to Yan Lin and beside Jing Shui was the sect leader of the Silver Moon Sect, Wu Xiao. He peered at Qinghe with a strange expression that hid hints of guilt. Wu Xiao had already known about Yan Lin from Qinghe¡¯s master, Zhen YiLan, but had kept it a secret since he was asked to.


    Though Qinghe could guess this, he couldn¡¯t be bothered with him at the moment since he had something far more nerve-wracking to deal with.


    Steeling his spine, Qinghe went and sat at the table, his position directly opposite to a concerned looking Yan Lin. Wei Xiang naturally seated himself beside his lover to offer support if necessary.


    Looking at Qinghe¡¯s stiff expression, Yan Lin hesitantly asked, ¡°Qinghe, I was told back then that you¡¯d forgotten me. But looking at you now¡­did you remember?¡±


    Qinghe gave a short nod in answer.


    The Yan Lin right now was no longer the emaciated young boy of his memories but a slender man in his late thirties. Witnessing him being able to speak again, Qinghe felt something in him loosening. Despite all his trials, Yan Lin seemed to be doing rather well right now.


    With a conflicted expression, Yan Lin continued, ¡°You look so different from when you were a child. It seems a lot has changed.¡±


    Wordlessly, Qinghe reached into his robes and pulled out the appearance changing talisman, revealing his true face that was simply a grown-up version of his angelic childhood features.


    Jing Shui gasped and looked at his friend¡¯s beautiful face with equal parts wonder and bewilderment.


    Wu Xiao, on the other hand, merely raised a brow as he observed, ¡°I can see why you would hide your true appearance.¡±


    Truthfully, Qinghe still didn¡¯t know why he had to do this. Though he was able to recognize faces and read details like expressions and emotions from them, he was utterly unable to judge beauty based on looks alone. To him, faces were just an arrangement of lines and curves, shapes and angles, whose tiniest of movements caused expressions to be shown.


    And so for Qinghe, his own face was nothing unusual, it was just that its expressions tended to be a bit cold. He simply did not understand the need to hide it, but since everyone saw it as necessary, he kept doing so.


    But now was not the time to ponder upon that and give way to procrastination.


    Realizing that he was letting his thoughts get distracted, Qinghe solemnly looked at Yan Lin, firming his resolve.


    ¡°Yan Lin, what happened to you twenty-four years ago was my fault. Even though I do not deserve to ask this, I still wish for you to forgive me. I¡¯m sorry. If there is something I can do to atone for it, then please tell me, I¡¯ll gladly do so.¡±


    Heavy silence claimed the room.


    Wei Xiang frowned. He didn¡¯t like to see Qinghe humbling himself like this, but also felt that this wasn¡¯t his place to interfere.


    ¡°Qinghe, what do you mean?¡± Yan Lin asked, puzzled. Truthfully, he also didn¡¯t like to see such an uncharacteristically subdued Qinghe.


    Taking a deep breath, Qinghe spoke again, ¡°Despite all that time I spent with you, I still didn¡¯t know what was happening. I¡¯m sure I even hurt you with my careless words, though it was unintentional. And in the end, those people tried to kill you only because you were trying to protect me. It¡¯s all my fault.¡±


    The rims of Qinghe¡¯s eyes reddened again, but he still looked at Yan Lin resolutely.


    At the side, Jing Shui felt distressed at seeing his friend like this, but he had never been good at offering comfort, so he silently turned his gaze to his friend¡¯s lover instead, urging him wordlessly to do something.


    Wei Xiang hardly needed someone to push him to do so, for he had already looped his arm around Qinghe and pulled his beloved to rest his head on his shoulder. Words of consolation at this time would be meaningless. There was only one person whose words Qinghe would believe now.


    Yan Lin looked deep in thought as if carefully weighing the words he was about to speak next.


    In a soft and kind voice, Yan Lin finally said, ¡°All the things that you blame yourself for happened by my choice. I chose to keep you in the dark and I chose to protect you. I don¡¯t see why you should blame yourself for all that. The only people who deserve to be blamed are the people from the orphanage. Qinghe, it is illogical for you to bear responsibility for the actions of someone else.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s stiff spine finally slumped in relief when he detected that there was truly no blame in Yan Lin¡¯s voice and expression. Qinghe buried his head further into Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulder as he tried to compose himself. Wei Xiang silently ran his hand over his lover¡¯s back, offering the support he needed.


    Yan Lin continued patiently, ¡°To put it simply, you haven¡¯t done anything that you should ask my forgiveness for. In fact, I should be the one asking you to forgive me. Even though you always tried to protect me from those who would bully me, I still couldn¡¯t do anything for you in return. Despite all my precautions, what I feared still happened.¡±


    His gloom and heartbreak temporarily pushed aside, Qinghe¡¯s head popped up as he scowled lightly, saying, ¡°What are you talking about? Why would you need to apologize for that? I tried to protect you because I wanted to, not because I sought something from you in return. Why should you beat yourself up over that?¡±


    Yan Lin simply laughed, it was a pleasant and mellow sound.


    Qinghe only scowled harder. What was so freaking funny?!


    Wei Xiang also chuckled before he said in explanation, ¡°Love, aren¡¯t you the same? If you just think for a bit, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find that every word you said applies to yourself as well.¡±


    Scrunching up his brows, Qinghe gave it some thought and found that it was indeed the case. Feeling uncomfortable, he grumped, ¡°Enough of you both ganging up on me.¡±


    Wei Xiang simply chuckled once more.


    Though Jing Shui had been of no contribution, he still felt relieved. He more or less knew what had happened on both their sides and was glad they had finally cleared this up.


    ¡°Mister Yan, you should tell Brother Feng the rest of the story,¡± Jing Shui spoke to Yan Lin.


    Qinghe tilted his head in puzzlement, ¡°What else is there left to say?¡±


    Yan Lin smiled and answered, ¡°I was thrown down a cliff with severe injuries and left for dead. Aren¡¯t you curious about how I survived?¡±


    Since his mind had been roiling with an overabundance of emotions since he woke up, Qinghe had overlooked this little detail.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. So how did you survive?¡± Qinghe gave in to curiosity and asked.


    In his calming voice, Yan Lin narrated, ¡°After I was thrown off the cliff, I ended up falling into the path of a great cultivator. He looked to be in his fifties and had white hair. He fed me some sort of pills that healed all my injuries. Thinking that maybe he could help, I told him about the orphanage and that I still had a friend left in there. The cultivator rushed to find you and, it seems, saved you in time. I wanted to meet you afterwards, but the cultivator told me that you claimed to not know me at all. After hearing my version of what happened, the cultivator concluded that you must have buried all memories concerning me since thinking of them pained you so much. So I¡­decided to let you be. The cultivator was kind enough to find me a home. I have lived a very blessed life since then.¡±


    Qinghe felt pangs of guilt gnawing at him from the inside once more. So Yan Lin had helped him yet again and had been instrumental in sending help during such a crucial moment.


    If he had instead chosen to remember Yan Lin despite everything, then maybe they would still have been connected to each other all these years.


    As if reading his self-recriminating thoughts, Yan Lin spoke, ¡°Do not think too much into it. Meeting like this is also fortunate. I did not think I¡¯d have a cultivator suddenly come to my door to ask me about you after all these years. Thinking back on it, be it our meeting in the orphanage, that time when I stumbled upon the old cultivator by chance, or when I was sought out recently again, my luck seems to be great whenever it involves you.¡±


    Not knowing what to say to that, Qinghe merely shook his head in bewilderment. ¡°They were all just coincidences. You give me too much unwarranted credit.¡±


    But at the side, Wei Xiang narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. He remembered the small glimpse he¡¯d caught of Qinghe¡¯s soul at Starry Mountain Peak. It had been so pure and beautiful. It must surely be a sign that heavenly favor would rain down upon him. And yet, Qinghe had also suffered many unspeakable things.


    Just what did Heaven intend with his beloved?


    Whatever it may be, Wei Xiang wouldn¡¯t let it put his lover through any more torments or hardships. Qinghe had gone through more than enough.


    ¡°As things stand,¡± Yan Lin said, his eyes soft, ¡°I have already married and started a family. I am content with my life. So you have no need to blame yourself for whatever happened in the past. Let us just be happy in the present, alright?¡±


    Bowing his head, Qinghe smiled hesitantly as he answered, ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°And so,¡± Yan Lin continued cheerfully, ¡°Qinghe, I want to introduce you to my wife. If you are free, would you like to visit my house for dinner? Of course, you can bring along your friends and lover too if they¡¯re alright with it.¡±


    Jing Shui hurriedly replied, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll come!¡± He was very curious about Yan Lin, who could be said to be Qinghe¡¯s first ever friend. Also, he didn¡¯t want to pass up on a fun trip with his friend.


    Wu Xiao smiled wryly at Jing Shui¡¯s enthusiastic response, but also spoke, ¡°Since Ah-Shui is going, I will of course tag along.¡±


    Wei Xiang simply nodded. There was no question that he¡¯d be going wherever Qinghe went.


    Yan Lin also nodded, satisfied. It would be a lively dinner today. He could only hope his wife wouldn¡¯t scold him for bringing over so many people to feed without warning.


    The merry atmosphere in the room was suddenly broken by whispers that floated through the door.


    ¡°H-Hey! What are you¨D?!¡±


    ¡°Come on~ Won¡¯t you let me eat you, my cute little sheep?¡±


    A bang sounded as if something had impacted the door, or rather, as if somebody had been forcefully pushed against it.


    A frantic whisper sounded out, ¡°There are people inside this room!¡±


    ¡°Leave it, they¡¯re probably just some bunch of old farts discussing uppity things. No need to be concerned about them.¡±


    The supposed bunch of old farts: ¡°¡­¡±


    Just who was this shameless couple?


    The creaking and groaning of the straining wood could be heard as the couple seemingly started making out. Soft moans and gasps issued from the other side of the door along with the wet sounds of lips sucking against each other and the rustle of hands wandering over clothes in urgency.


    In the room, utter, shocked silence reigned.


    Just which pair of lovers was bold enough to be doing it in broad daylight, in the midst of a hallway, and within the walls of the prestigious Heavenly Peak Sect no less?!


    On the other side, as if unable to bear the passion of the two lovebirds, the creaking of the poor door intensified until, with a resounding crack, the door finally broke.


    As the wood sprayed splinters and the door collapsed inwards, a pair of figures came tumbling into the room, one falling on top of the other.


    Looking at them, Qinghe felt like hiding his face in shame.


    It was his senior brother Chen Xiande and their guest from the demonic faction, Hei NingYu.


    One was the head disciple of the Heavenly Peak Sect, the other was the undisputed leader of the demonic faction and the former grandmaster of the cultivation world. Seeing them both tangled like this in front of the guest hall really left one speechless.


    Splayed on the floor, Chen Xiande looked up to see several familiar figures looking at him with both shock and amusement. As intense embarrassment came over him, Chen Xiande groaned and covered his face with his hands. Whatever dignity he must have left in his junior brother¡¯s eyes must be long gone by now. He wanted more than anything to just disappear off the face of the earth right this instant!


    Still lying on top of Chen Xiande on the floor, Hei NingYu nonchalantly looked up with a charming grin as if he wasn¡¯t in an awkward situation at all. His eyes sparkling with interest, he spoke, ¡°Did someone mention going on a house visit? Sounds fascinating, let me come along.¡±


    At the side, Yan Lin closed his mouth that had been open due to shock and nodded, ¡°Of course, all friends of Qinghe are welcome.¡± The more the merrier, after all!


    Qinghe could only sigh. Why did all the people he knew seem to be such oddballs?

 Chapter 45.5: Bonus Scene – Before (Part 1)

    The sky was a vast expanse of pale purple, stretching endlessly in all directions. The verdant grass below waved gently in the wind, the bright colored wildflowers that were tucked between the green blades looking especially bright and cheery this evening.


    Cutting through the landscape was a shallow stream that slithered like a silver ribbon over the lush land. Standing in its placid waters was a duo of father and son.


    The water level reached up to Feng Qinghe¡¯s knees as he waded through the stream, splashing in the clear water happily. At the side, Feng Huixin watched with a warm gaze as his four-year-old son played around.


    Sunlight glided its gilded fingers over this harmonious scene, turning it into a poignant portrait.


    ¡°Father, I caught a fishy!¡± Qinghe exclaimed proudly as he turned to Feng Huixin with a brilliant smile no less blinding than the sun.


    The large fish caught between Qinghe¡¯s hands thrashed violently, its silvery scales still glimmering with wetness. Its round eyes swiveled around hysterically as its mouth opened and closed, gasping for life in desperation.


    Feng Huixin felt the corners of his eyes tighten in distress, but he hid it well. Bending down, he carefully studied the fish to see if it could in any way harm his little son. Finding it to be exceedingly ordinary, he then met the expectant gaze of his son and calmly advised, ¡°You should put it back into the water.¡±


    Qinghe pouted like a spoiled child.


    But he¡¯d caught it with so much effort!


    Patiently, Feng Huixin explained, ¡°Qinghe, each life is so precious and maintained with so much hard work, ending it carelessly is a sin.¡±


    Qinghe tilted his head cutely in response to his father¡¯s solemn tone. ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± he finally declared, puffing up his cheeks. He didn¡¯t like it when he didn¡¯t understand!


    Feng Huixin felt exasperated affection filling his heart. He had to stop himself from reaching out his hands and pinching those two chubby little round cheeks that looked like ripe peaches. His son seemed to be getting more and more adorable with each passing day.


    Sighing, he tried to explain it in a way a child could comprehend. ¡°For a fish to live, it has to struggle to find food every day, it has to escape from all the other bigger fishes that try to eat it. It has to put in so much effort just so it doesn¡¯t die. If you kill it so casually, all that effort would have been for nothing. It¡¯s very pitiful, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Looking down at the flopping fish whose struggles were beginning to weaken, Qinghe vaguely felt like he understood what his father meant. But more than anything, he understood that his father didn¡¯t want the fish to die. Qinghe didn¡¯t want his father to be sad.


    And so, with a heart full of regret, Qinghe lowered the struggling fish back into the stream. The fish thrashed around for a bit more in the shallow water before it gained enough strength to swiftly swim away.


    Raising his hand in a wave, Qinghe sadly called out, ¡°Bye-bye, little fishy! I¡¯m sorry I almost killed you!¡±


    A glint of silver flashed beneath the water surface before disappearing.


    Qinghe mournfully decided to put the matter to the back of his mind.


    On the other hand, Feng Huixin was very pleased with his son¡¯s compassionate behavior. Leaning down, he carefully picked up the little boy and held him in his arms as he walked back towards the Feng residence.


    Used to being carried and coddled, Qinghe snuggled comfortably in his father¡¯s arms, his tender cheek brushing against the hollow of Feng Huixin¡¯s throat as he asked, ¡°Father, what does ¡®sin¡¯ mean?¡±


    Feng Huixin remembered that he¡¯d just used the word while lecturing his son. So it turned out that that was what his son hadn¡¯t understood.


    In his usual dignified and serious tone, he explained while walking, ¡°A sin is something bad that must not be done.¡±


    Qinghe looked up at his father in confusion. ¡°Really? It¡¯s bad?¡±


    Feng Huixin nodded gravely.


    ¡°But,¡± Qinghe protested, ¡°Mother said that I was so cute that it was a sin. Does that mean I¡¯m bad?¡±


    Fen Huixin almost stumbled. As always, his wife¡¯s careless words only brought him more problems to straighten out!


    Coughing to cover up his temporary discomposure, Feng Huixin solemnly explained once more, ¡°The word can have different meanings in different contexts. The way your mother used it simply means that you¡¯re¡­too cute. It does not mean you¡¯re bad.¡±


    Qinghe nodded knowingly. Yes, he knew that he was very cute. His parents and all their friends and colleagues kept repeating that, so of course it was a truth he had grown accustomed to hearing.


    Sighing like he had experienced the great vicissitudes of life, the little boy complained in his childish voice, ¡°Words are so hard.¡±


    Feng Huixin patted his son¡¯s small back soothingly. Ah, the worries of a four-year-old. They were so profound.


    Still wallowing in the difficulties of learning language, Qinghe continued, ¡°Father, now I know why you don¡¯t speak so much.¡± Leaning close, Qinghe whispered into Feng Huixin¡¯s ear, ¡°You don¡¯t know many words, do you? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll learn all the words and teach you.¡±


    Leaning back again, Qinghe gave his dumbfounded father a reassuring look.


    Feng Huixin almost tripped again.


    It seemed that the saying was true: Like mother, like son!

 Chapter 46: Lively Dinner Chatter

    Thinking that he could better assess this Hei NingYu in a different environment, Qinghe decided to let him come along with them. And thus, the group of six cultivators changed into plainer clothes and set off to visit Yan Lin¡¯s house.


    As they reached Yan Lin¡¯s little village and strolled along the streets while heading towards the cottage, Qinghe noticed that a lot of people looked at Yan Lin with strange gazes. Wherever they went, people tried to distance themselves from him even as they looked on with pitying eyes.


    Seeing that Yan Lin had no reaction to this, Qinghe also let it be for now. Whatever troubles Yan Lin might have, Qinghe resolved to take care of them just like he had wanted to while in the orphanage.


    Soon, they reached a little house located at the edge of the village.


    The cottage had a thatched roof with neatly arranged layers of hay, sturdy and weathered wooden walls, and a small vegetable garden situated in the front. Thick trees were scattered around the house, some burdened with ripe fruits or decorated with fresh, blooming flowers. The evening sky framed the entire scene with nostalgic colors, projecting the feeling of a warm and comfortable, lived-in home.


    The door to the cottage creaked as it opened and a short, slightly plump woman walked out, calling, ¡°Ah-Lin, you¡¯ve returned? And from where did you collect all these handsome young men?¡±


    Yan Lin coughed in embarrassment, but was unable to hide the affection in his voice as he lightly chided, ¡°Ah-Ying, stop teasing. They will be staying for dinner, so let¡¯s go inside and start preparing.¡±


    The woman¡¯s mouth twitched. They would be feeding so many people and her husband told her only now? How many hands did he think she had to cook in such short notice for six more people?!


    Yan Lin quickly introduced, ¡°This is my wife, Zhang LiYing. Ah-Ying, these are the friends of that person I told you about.¡±


    Showing a surprised expression, Zhang LiYing looked over the group of beautiful men and asked, ¡°Oh? Then which one of them is your beloved friend Feng Qinghe that you like talking so much about?¡±


    Yan Lin was startled into coughing again, but Qinghe calmly stepped forward and bowed. ¡°I am Feng Qinghe. Yan Lin has taken much care of me in the past, so if you have need of anything, please don¡¯t hesitate to ask me.¡±


    ¡°Ah, there really is no need to¨D¡± Yan Lin began to refuse, but his wife interrupted him in the middle as she graciously nodded and said, ¡°There are in fact a few things we could use your help with.¡±


    ¡°Ah-Ying!¡± Yan Lin frowned at his willful wife.


    But Zhang LiYing simply snorted. ¡°Since they sincerely want to help, let them help. Isn¡¯t receiving help from a friend only natural? Why are you getting so bent out of shape over it?¡±


    Yan Lin could only sputter incoherently.


    Qinghe immediately took a liking to this reasonable and straightforward Zhang LiYing. She was exactly the type of person Yan Lin needed. If not for her, Qinghe assumed that many people would have already stepped all over Yan Lin¡¯s household by now.


    Giving up, Yan Lin spoke ruefully, ¡°The evening wind is damp and chilly, it¡¯ll be easy to catch a cold if we keep standing out here like this. Let¡¯s go inside and talk.¡±


    The six people politely didn¡¯t remind him that as cultivators, not only would they not catch any illnesses so easily, they also did not need to eat any food. But they couldn¡¯t very well just sit idly and watch as their hosts ate either, now could they?


    As the large group entered the simply furnished cottage and crowded around the table while trying to find a place to sit, they realized that the room was really too small of a fit. Though Yan Lin looked apologetic at having to cause his guests such discomfort, none of the six people minded the situation all that much.


    Feeling bad that he¡¯d be causing his friend and friend¡¯s wife trouble, Qinghe spoke with guilt, ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I am unable to be of help. I cannot cook and can only impose on Madam Yan.¡±


    The only thing Qinghe could make was his special sweets, the ingredients for which were comparatively expensive. There was no way Yan Lin¡¯s house would have those at hand. So right now, Qinghe felt that he could only sit aside uselessly.


    Also feeling responsible, Jing Shui spoke with remorse, ¡°I can¡¯t cook either.¡±


    Wu Xiao¡¯s eyes suddenly brightened as he opened his mouth, but Jing Shui slapped his palm over his maw in time while adding, ¡°And believe me when I say that his cooking abilities are undoubtedly the worst among our group. Even though I don¡¯t know what level the other¡¯s skills are at, they definitely can¡¯t be worse than his.¡±


    Under Jing Shui¡¯s hand, Wu Xiao pursed his lips as if pressing a kiss to the inside of the soft palm. Flustered, Jing Shui immediately removed his hand and looked away with a blush. Greatly entertained by his reaction, Wu Xiao chuckled but didn¡¯t try to speak again. He also didn¡¯t want to unleash the weapon of mass destruction that was his cooking onto his current friendly company.


    Unheeding of those two¡¯s actions, Chen Xiande spoke seriously and stated, ¡°I also cannot cook.¡± He then looked up at Hei NingYu expectantly.


    Following his gaze, everyone turned to Hei NingYu. He had obviously lived so long, surely he must have picked up the profound art of cooking.


    But to their disappointment, Hei NingYu shook his head with his lips quirked upward. ¡°Do you even know how many thousands of years it has been since I last had to hold a kitchen utensil? At least for cooking purposes, I mean.¡±


    Everyone wordlessly turned away.


    At this time, Wei Xiang unexpectedly spoke up, a hint of wry humor in his tone, ¡°I can cook. Would you like my help?¡±


    They all stared at him wide-eyed.


    Not wasting any time, Qinghe unceremoniously pushed Wei Xiang towards the kitchen while saying gleefully, ¡°Go, go, make me something, I want to eat my beloved¡¯s hand-cooked meal!¡±


    Tickled by his beloved¡¯s enthusiastic response, Wei Xiang chuckled, ¡°Very well.¡± Bending down to place a kiss on his lover¡¯s eager little face, he headed towards the kitchen along with a relieved looking Zhang LiYing.


    As they waited for the meal to be prepared, Qinghe and Yan Lin conversed with each other about their lives, while the pairs of Jing Shui and Wu Xiao, Chen Xiande and Hei NingYu, spoke and bickered amongst themselves.


    Soon, plates filled with varieties of fragrant, steaming food was placed on the table, the dishes plentiful enough to make the aged wood groan at the weight.


    After Wei Xiang and Zhang LiYing joined those sitting by the table, the eight people happily began devouring the delicious feast with relish, occasionally asking and answering questions or stating opinions. The group maintained a lively atmosphere as they chattered between mouthfuls of food, all semblance of decorum and manners put aside for now.


    ¡°Eh? An official is targeting Yan Lin?¡± Qinghe exclaimed in surprise.


    Pausing the movements of her chopsticks, Zhang LiYing gravely nodded. ¡°This is one of the matters I need your help with. This Official Gao has a prominent status in this village and has been trying to coerce my husband into his bed by abusing his authority. He came by just today again to threaten us. I hoped you would know anyone with a high enough standing who would be able to resolve this situation for us.¡±


    Yan Lin muttered guiltily, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s my fault that this happened.¡±


    Before Qinghe could refute this, Zhang LiYing snapped out angrily, ¡°How the bloody hell is it your fault? It¡¯s that dreadful old man who has been harassing us. Or are you saying that you went behind my back and seduced that disgrace of an official? Did you go to him and ask him to take you to bed? Because that is the only viable reason for you to apologize to me.¡±


    His mouth hanging open in protest, Yan Lin tried to speak before wisely closing his mouth. Then he obediently shook his head and said, ¡°Of course not. My Ah-Ying is absolutely right, the blame belongs entirely to Official Gao.¡±


    As if she had gotten the answer she had expected to hear, Zhang LiYing nodded once in satisfaction, her chopsticks continuing to fly as she ate at the speed of light. She had spent years to train this self-blaming nature out of her husband and it looked like it was bearing fruit.


    At the side, Qinghe looked on at the husband and wife¡¯s interactions with amused interest. So this was where Yan Lin had picked up the skills necessary to convince Qinghe out of his own self-recrimination before.


    On the other hand, Wei Xiang was frowning deeply in thought.


    Pondering over Yan Lin¡¯s situation, Jing Shui voiced his doubts, ¡°If it is like this, then why haven¡¯t you notified the Sentinels? I can understand why you wouldn¡¯t risk reporting to the local officials who might be in this Official Gao¡¯s pocket, but the Sentinels are a fair and neutral agency. They would surely help.¡±


    But Zhang LiYing shook her head. ¡°This village is far from any of the Sentinel Offices. Relaying our circumstances to them would require much time and effort, not to mention the cost of sending a message that far. This is why most minor crimes of this sort are usually swept under the rug in such remote areas.¡±


    Hearing this, Qinghe lightly nudged his lover. ¡°You should set up a reliable chain of relay points to avoid these kinds of situations from happening again.¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded, seriously considering the suggestion. ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll see that it¡¯s done.¡±


    Zhang LiYing looked at them with confusion as she asked, ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Qinghe serenely smiled and explained, ¡°I seem to have forgotten to introduce my lover.  He is Wei Xiang, the Sentinel Grandmaster¡¯s third and most favored disciple. If he requests it of his master, then he will surely help resolve the situation.¡±


    Yan Lin looked at Wei Xiang with widened eyes as Zhang LiYing asked disbelievingly, ¡°Is this true?¡±


    After all, the Sentinel Grandmaster and his direct disciples were a mighty, revered, and far-off existence. They were somewhat of a legend even among cultivators, much less the common mortal folk. Even catching a glimpse of a normal Sentinel would be enough for the people in their village to talk and rave about for months, not to mention the well-known Sentinel Wei who was rumored to be the successor to the position of the leader of Sentinels.


    And this great person had been sitting in front of them while casually chatting and eating all this time?!


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s true, isn¡¯t it?¡± Qinghe said, turning to Wei Xiang.


    Wei Xiang nodded, hints of pride seeping into his voice as he spoke, ¡°Rather than a disciple, Master treats me like his son. Of course he¡¯d listen to me.¡±


    Looking at his beloved¡¯s confident smirk, Qinghe suddenly felt his heart grow itchy. So it seemed that even his always dependable and mature lover had such a side. It suddenly made him curious to see with his own eyes just what sort of a person this Sentinel Grandmaster was to have gained his usually indifferent lover¡¯s high regard.


    Seeking to know more about his beloved, Qinghe asked with avid interest, ¡°You say he treats you like a son. Does that mean you also look to him as a father?¡±


    Wei Xiang met Qinghe¡¯s inquisitive gaze and nodded. ¡°Yes. In fact, I think you are somewhat similar to Master in many aspects as well.¡±


    Qinghe chuckled and teased, ¡°Is that why you chose me? After all, they do say that one looks for a husband who is similar to their father and a wife similar to their mother.¡±


    Amused by his lover¡¯s playful query, Wei Xiang bent down and nuzzled Qinghe. ¡°Does the reason matter? The fact is that I chose you and had the good fortune of you choosing me back.¡±


    Laughing lightly, Qinghe spoke, ¡°As long as you don¡¯t look at anyone else, I will hold my peace.¡±


    Being forced to witness this couple¡¯s blatant flirting, Jing Shui grumbled discontentedly from the side, ¡°Since I¡¯m very much not a dog, can you both stop choking me with your dog food?¡±


    His eyes sparkling with mischief, Qinghe immediately exclaimed exaggeratedly, ¡°Xiang, my beloved, make sweet love to me!¡± and threw himself onto his lover in a hug.


    Not wasting the opportunity so thoughtfully presented to him, Wei Xiang swiftly pulled Qinghe onto his lap, his lips descending upon his lover¡¯s arched neck as he trailed little kisses on the soft skin. The cool scent of mint flooded his nose as his mouth moved eagerly over the slender neck.


    Struggling in laughter, Qinghe patted Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulder as he spoke, ¡°Xiang, I was only joking!¡±


    Wei Xiang paused for just a moment as he replied, ¡°I know.¡± And then he continued his brazen display of affection, uncaring of the presence of others.


    Having had enough, Jing Shui made sounds of disgust as if he wanted to vomit as he was forced to witness such overt shamelessness.


    At the side, Hei NingYu whispered into Chen Xiande¡¯s ear, ¡°Little Sheep, how about we also take your junior brother¡¯s lead?¡±


    Chen Xiande flushed, but boldly lifted his mouth and placed it over Hei NingYu¡¯s smiling lips as he twined his hands behind the older man¡¯s neck. As they lost themselves into each other while also forgetting their surroundings, sweet and ambiguous sounds soon started spilling from the both of them, painting an amorous picture.


    Jing Shui was even more disgruntled. Why was he surrounded by so many shameless couples? Can¡¯t a person eat in peace around here?!


    Chuckling at his expression, Wu Xiao casually spoke, ¡°Ah-Shui, how about we go with the flow and do what everyone else is doing?¡±


    ¡°Y-You! Shut up! So shameless, the whole lot of you!¡± Jing Shui sputtered as he looked away, his face and ears dyed red as blood.


    Delighted, Wu Xiao gave a merry laugh as he began teasing and bickering with Jing Shui.


    At the side, Yan Lin and Zhang LiYing looked at the boisterous group with content smiles. It really was nice to have friends over for dinner.


    And looking at Qinghe laughing and fooling around with his beloved, Yan Lin felt particularly happy in his heart. This was the kind of joyful life that his little friend deserved to live.


    After having found a particularly ticklish spot on Qinghe¡¯s neck, Wei Xiang was mercilessly attacking it, making Qinghe writhe with uncontrollable laughter. Finally getting a chance, Qinghe pushed his mischievous lover¡¯s face away from his poor, beleaguered neck and spoke between gasps, ¡°Cease your canoodling, Sentinel! You should go and report about the matters here to your headquarters.¡±


    Wei Xiang looked at him with an aggrieved expression. ¡°Right now?¡±


    Qinghe nodded unbendingly. ¡°The sooner the framework for the relay points is set, the better. Isn¡¯t preventing crime your duty as a law enforcement officer?¡±


    Sighing as if a great injustice had been done unto him, Wei Xiang finally relented and let go. Qinghe escaped his lover¡¯s evil clutches and seated himself properly again while neatening his appearance.


    Remembering something, Qinghe suddenly looked towards the Wei Xiang who had stood up to depart. ¡°Ah! One more thing, give me your authority token before you go. It¡¯ll come handy if there¡¯s an emergency and I need to make an arrest using the Sentinels¡¯ name.¡±


    Qinghe wanted to be prepared just in case this harassing Official Gao showed up.


    Understanding this, Wei Xiang wordlessly took out a crisply cut circular disk and handed it over.


    The authority token was well-wrought and the size of a palm, seeming to be made of very high-quality black jade and inlaid with the majestic gold emblem representing the Order of Sentinels. The stylized character for ¡®judgment¡¯ situated at the center of the token glinted brightly even in the fading light of dusk.


    The round disk felt heavy in Qinghe¡¯s hand as if with the weight of countless years spent fulfilling duty and carrying the burden of responsibility.


    Seeing the token, Qinghe felt something pressing against the back of his mind. He seemed to remember seeing this somewhere before, specifically the character for ¡®judgment¡¯ written in this particular way. But the memory eluded him, slipping like smoke through his fingers. Pushing aside the vague feeling, Qinghe casually put the token away.


    Witnessing the authority token passing hands so easily, all the people watching had their mouths agape.


    One must know that a Sentinel¡¯s authority token was absolutely not something that could be given away so easily!


    A Sentinel¡¯s authority token, just like the name suggested, was the representation of a Sentinel¡¯s authority and proof of their station. Giving it to someone essentially meant that the Sentinel was giving away their authority to act. If the person possessing the Sentinel¡¯s authority token misused it, then the punishment conferred to the Sentinel would be exceedingly severe and unimaginably devastating. Expulsion from the Order or having their soul sealed would be the least of their worries.


    For Wei Xiang to give it away so easily could only represent his absolute trust towards his lover. And for Qinghe to ask for it so casually could only mean that he didn¡¯t doubt his place in his beloved¡¯s heart in the slightest. They were truly a pair with deep faith and understanding between them.


    Seeing this gladdened Yan Lin even more. Yes, Qinghe truly deserved such a loyal lover. He truly deserved the best in the world.


    At the side, Zhang LiYing also smiled. She knew that her husband had been endlessly worried about his ¡®little friend¡¯ Feng Qinghe for a very long time. Now, reconnecting with his friend and finding him happy, Yan Lin could naturally lay to rest his fears. As his loving wife, how could Zhang LiYing not find joy in this?


    Wei Xiang left for his headquarters, reassured at leaving Qinghe amid such a warm atmosphere.


    Thinking to make the mood even merrier, Wu Xiao asked Zhang LiYing, ¡°Madam Yan, would it be possible to have some wine now that dinner is over?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes immediately brightened at the mention of wine.


    After some deliberation, Zhang LiYing finally nodded and went to unearth a few jars. A few minutes later, several dozens of jars of delicate-smelling wine were crammed onto the surface of the table, replacing the empty dishes.


    Wu Xiao cheered happily, ¡°Now this is a fitting dessert!¡±

 Chapter 47: Drunken Shenanigans

    By the time Wei Xiang returned to Yan Lin¡¯s house again, night had already fallen.


    The moment he neared the cottage, the strong scent of alcohol mixed with an undercurrent of a more delicate fragrance assaulted Wei Xiang¡¯s nose. Recognizing it as the scent of good quality homebrewed wine, he strode in to where they had all gathered to eat dinner.


    The group was still crowded around the little table, but each one was now in a different state of intoxication. A pile of empty jars laid scattered atop the table and around the room, a testament to their drunken revelry.


    The potent wine seemed to have affected each person differently.


    Yan Lin was staring off into space with a confounded expression while his wife was clinging onto his shoulders and giggling as she whispered into his ear.


    In a corner, Jing Shui had fallen asleep and had been moved to Wu Xiao¡¯s lap, while Wu Xiao looked at the chaotic and messy room with a sharp gaze and an amused smile. His eyes seemed distant, as if he were simply a passerby looking at an interesting show.


    Qinghe was smiling happily as he poked at a cup of wine, as if gauging just how much strength it would take for the push to make it fall over.


    In another corner, Chen Xiande looked as calm and composed as ever, the only person who was utterly unaffected by the copious quantities of wine he¡¯d consumed. Hei NingYu, on the other hand, seemed to have forgotten the existence of the rest of the world, all his attention focused on his beloved as he called out seductively, ¡°Little Sheep~¡±


    Even as Chen Xiande tried to flusteredly ignore his beloved¡¯s bewitching voice, Hei NingYu brazenly lifted a surprised Chen Xiande up and placed him on his lap. Chen Xiande stiffened as he felt something hard poking his butt. So Hei NingYu was the type who got aroused while drunk?


    Uncaring about the time or place, Hei NingYu dazedly started running his palms over the slender clothed body in his embrace. With a dark expression, Chen Xiande tried to push away the grabby hands as he admonished gruffly, ¡°You¡­ Being so old, how come you can¡¯t handle even this much liquor?¡±


    Chen Xiande did not want to get up to anything while his lover was drunk. He did not want to feel like he was taking advantage of Hei NingYu while he was in this state.


    Hei NingYu was completely unbothered by the chiding tone as he said in a clear voice that belied his drunkenness, ¡°Not everyone can be as amazing as my dear little sheep.¡±


    Caught off-guard at the open praise, Chen Xiande blushed as he muttered, ¡°Stop trying to flatter me.¡±


    With a tone saturated with earnestness and sincerity, Hei NingYu spoke as he hugged his beloved closer, ¡°It¡¯s not flattery. My lover really is amazing. Can¡¯t you feel how you make my heart throb?¡±


    So saying, Hei NingYu took ahold of Chen Xiande¡¯s hand and led it¡­down towards his hardened member.


    Trying to retrieve his hand, Chen Xiande lost his composure as he berated, ¡°Oi! Did you forget where your heart is?!¡±


    In a petulant and playful tone, Hei NingYu spoke cheekily, ¡°But you make that part throb too.¡±


    Chen Xiande could only sputter while blushing even more furiously.


    Shaking his head at the ridiculousness of this scene, Wei Xiang retrieved his gaze and strode over to his own lover.


    Qinghe was still playfully poking the cup. The cup tilted and teetered on the edge, on the verge of falling and spilling the wine within.


    Wei Xiang caught it in time and set it back properly. Amused, he asked Qinghe, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Qinghe lightly giggled, the sound bubbling with drunken joy. ¡°I think it¡¯s funny. If it falls down, its insides become its outsides!¡±


    Chuckling at the strange logic behind that, Wei Xiang observed, ¡°You sure do seem to like wine, my love.¡±


    Sagely nodding, Qinghe explained, ¡°Yes, because I can choose to not be in control as long as I¡¯m under its influence.¡±


    His words still retained a trace of clarity despite his obvious inebriation.


    Wei Xiang raised an eyebrow as he seated himself beside his beloved. ¡°Are you okay with that? With giving up control?¡±


    His eyes unfocused and his mind wandering due to the alcohol coursing through his system, Qinghe replied distractedly, ¡°Mhm, as long as you¡¯re here, I don¡¯t need to maintain control.¡±


    Wei Xiang felt his heart squeeze at the implicit trust. Looking intently at Qinghe, he continued asking, ¡°What about them?¡± He gestured to the others in the room.


    Qinghe tilted his head and considered for a while before giving a small, lethargic nod, ¡°They¡¯re also alright¡±


    At the side, Chen Xiande had finally broken out of Hei NingYu¡¯s grasp. Having been paying attention to the conversation, he asked Qinghe, hints of surprise and disbelief coloring his voice, ¡°So you¡¯re saying you only let the wine take away your control if you are among people you trust? You really trust me¡­trust us that much?¡±


    Not caring about the intent gaze of his senior brother boring into him, Qinghe sleepily nodded. Ah, Wei Xiang looked so warm and comfortable to sleep on, maybe he should just lean over and¨D


    Wei Xiang¡¯s voice cut into his drowsy thoughts as he said, ¡°Be that as it may, I still think you should cut down on the consumption a bit¨D¡±


    Qinghe covered Wei Xiang¡¯s mouth as he glared at his overly talkative lover. ¡°Shh! Sleepy!¡±


    Then, uncaring of his beloved¡¯s thoughts, Qinghe dropped his head onto Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulder and settled himself contentedly in his arms, getting ready to sleep. It was a good thing Wei Xiang was still wearing plain clothes since his uniform would not have been nearly as cozy to lie on.


    Smiling indulgently, Wei Xiang readjusted himself to let Qinghe sleep in the most comfortable position possible.


    But Qinghe¡¯s wish for some peaceful sleep was suddenly interrupted as he sensed something in the distance.


    Perking his head up, Qinghe drowsily stated, ¡°There are people heading in this direction.¡±


    Hei NingYu, who was lying docilely after giving in to Chen Xiande¡¯s refusals, suddenly opened his eyes and asked lazily, ¡°Oh? How did you know? They¡¯re still quite a bit away.¡± He had also sensed the approaching group.


    Chen Xiande commented unconcernedly, ¡°Junior Brother always seems to know things no one should be able to find out. It seems almost normal at this point.¡±


    On the other side, Wu Xiao stirred from his reverie and muttered bitterly to himself, ¡°Yes, I wonder how you find all our secrets.¡± He was still sour about the existence of Silver Mist being found out by Qinghe, who¡¯d then used it to threaten him!


    Having so many people wondering about it, the drunken Qinghe saw no reason to keep his methods a secret. Absentmindedly, he spoke, ¡°Hm? Isn¡¯t that because of the wind?¡±


    Also having gotten curious, Wei Xiang asked, ¡°The wind? What about it?¡±


    Qinghe carefully gathered his scattered thoughts into a coherent whole as he tried to explain, his voice distant and hazy, ¡°The wind tells me whatever I want to know. As it flows and wanders through the world, it picks up the secrets people speak into it. And whenever I need it to, it sends me those whispers. It can also scout locations, find people, read lips¡­and lots of other stuff.¡±


    If Qinghe closed his eyes, he could almost hear the wind softly sighing and murmuring to him, a comfortable lullaby. He could feel it pulling at his mind as it tried to get him to follow its lead as it rushed and flowed over mountains and plains, playfully sifting invisible fingers through sand and water, brushing lightly over the grasses and leaves.


    Observing him inquisitively, Hei NingYu commented in a quiet voice, ¡°It seems that your ability over wind is very¡­immersive.¡±


    As his mind slowly drifted back into sleep, Qinghe groggily nodded before giving in to his drowsiness.


    But before everyone had the time to digest this revelation, they were interrupted as the loud sounds of people rushing up the path to the cottage were heard. Rude knocking sounded on the door for barely a few moments before the visitors impatiently broke it open and barged in.


    The people inside in various states of inebriation were all startled into soberness at the sudden, loud commotion, except for the Jing Shui who was still blissfully asleep.


    ¡°Yan Lin, you better have thought things through properly by now. I will not take no for an answer this time. I¡¯ve already indulged you enough!¡± yelled the portly old man in the front who seemed to be leading the others.


    The aforementioned Official Gao who was after Yan Lin had arrived with his entourage.


    Behind the old man were a rough-looking handful of thugs, some with pickaxes and others with clubs. One man held a length of rough hemp rope, stretching it between his hands as he looked suggestively at Yan Lin. For whom the rope was intended was obvious by his informative glance.


    Yan Lin¡¯s face paled, his lips pressing against each other as they trembled. Remembering his past where he had been forced to lie beneath older men just like Official Gao, his fears surged up, choking his throat. He was unable to let out even a sound of distress, just like back at the orphanage.


    Already aware of Yan Lin¡¯s past, Zhang LiYing couldn¡¯t bear to watch her husband regressing into his previous self under the onslaught of his nightmares, and so she stood up in a rage, blocking her husband¡¯s figure from the filthy gazes of that disgusting official and his equally as unsavory group of thugs.


    Furious that this detestable person was causing her beloved such anguish, Zhang LiYing shouted back with cutting fury, ¡°You stupid old fool, I¡¯ll not let you have my man! Going around kidnapping others¡¯ spouses just because no one wants you, aren¡¯t you ashamed to show your face outside?!¡±


    The old man reddened in anger. ¡°You ugly woman, you just wait until I take away your husband, your house, and your land! I¡¯ll take it all away and make you come crawling to me and beg me to forgive you for what you just said!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll just see about that! Don¡¯t think you can walk all over us folks again! Your retribution is on its way, you senile bastard!¡±


    Just as the old man opened his mouth to fling more insults in return, he halted in shock.


    He had just spotted Qinghe¡¯s face and was immediately enraptured by his beauty.


    Though the other cultivators in the room were all striking in their own right, they also looked rather imposing and forbidding, be it the Sentinel Wei Xiang or the sect masters Wu Xiao and Hei NingYu. Jing Shui¡¯s face was still buried in Wu Xiao¡¯s lap and not visible while Hei NingYu had long since hidden Chen Xiande behind him, not wishing his cute little sheep to be targeted by scum.


    Qinghe, on the other hand, clearly looked to be the easiest one to approach, the softest persimmon to pinch. His expression was soft and dazed from both the wine and sleepiness. He was lying limply in Wei Xiang¡¯s embrace, looking obedient and dependant, not at all like the calculative and powerful cultivator that he was.


    Immediately forgetting his desire for Yan Lin, Official Gao¡¯s wrinkled and pudgy old face stretched into a leer as he tried to see past Wei Xiang¡¯s arms and assess Qinghe¡¯s figure.


    From where had such an exquisite beauty suddenly popped out from?! He definitely wanted a taste!


    Wei Xiang realized he had been remiss in his duty. But the thought that Qinghe would need protection had never occurred to him. To him, Qinghe was no less capable than himself when it came to dealing with threats, his ability equal to Wei Xiang¡¯s.


    Sure enough, rather than being alarmed that such a disgusting look was being cast over him, Qinghe simply squinted his eyes in curiosity. It looked like Yan Lin had a guest? But this guest really seemed to be a bit too impolite.


    His eyes narrowing, Qinghe snorted in displeasure. It was this person¡¯s fault that his sleep had been disturbed!


    Realizing that the beauty was looking in his direction, Official Gao¡¯s face split into a grin as he spoke in a coaxing tone, ¡°Pretty little boy, why don¡¯t you come home with this old official. I¡¯ll take good care of you. I¡¯ll give you the best clothes to wear and feed you all the delicious food and wine you could ever want.¡±


    Hearing the mention of wine, Qinghe¡¯s ears pricked up in interest.


    Wei Xiang shook his head in exasperated amusement. Knowing that his lover was still out of it, he explained in a patient tone as if to a child, ¡°Qinghe, love, he is a bad man. He wants to take away your friend Yan Lin and hurt him. Why don¡¯t you teach him a lesson?¡±


    Wei Xiang thus happily unleashed his beloved on the unsuspecting Official Gao.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t injure or kill him,¡± Wei Xiang added as an afterthought. He was after all still a Sentinel. He couldn¡¯t overtly condone any crimes, even if it was his beloved perpetrating them or whether he personally thought they were well-deserved.


    Hearing that someone wanted to hurt Yan Lin, Qinghe¡¯s concern was immediately roused. And sure enough, when he looked towards his friend, he could clearly see Yan Lin¡¯s fear and distress written plain on his face.


    Qinghe¡¯s brows lowered in a thunderous frown. No one was allowed to make his friend sad again!


    He got up, his body waving unsteadily yet gracefully, like the mesmerizing swaying of a cobra. His gaze focused on Official Gao as his mind processed Wei Xiang¡¯s words. He was not allowed to hurt this person, then¡­


    He began rapidly calculating all feasible options at breakneck speed as his usual strict control over his mind relaxed under the influence of the alcohol.


    With a finger unconsciously playing with a lock of his hair, Qinghe mumbled to himself, ¡°¡­the room¡¯s size¡­dimensions and ratio¡­fixed points of humans and furniture¡­error margins¡­¡­hmm, and the air humidity too¡­too thin¡­wind inertia will be too little¡­must reduce speed¡­¡­¡±


    The Wu Xiao who had been interestedly observing the commotion asked from the side in a puzzled voice, ¡°What incomprehensible things are you even talking about?¡±


    Qinghe absentmindedly replied, ¡°Parameters.¡±


    Wu Xiao still remained dumbfounded.


    Realizing what his lover meant, Wei Xiang explained more understandably, ¡°He is calculating the dimensions and relative positions concerning this room and every object and person in it. I can only assume that it is to maximize the precision of wielding his wind.¡±


    Unable to understand just how these people could casually chat in his eminent presence, Official Gao burst out, ¡°Enough! Little Beauty, you better not be thinking about resisting me! I have the means to take you away by force if I have to!¡±


    Qinghe frowned. ¡°Noisy.¡±


    On the other side, Wu Xiao shook his head while thinking that this friend of Ah-Shui¡¯s was really too scary. How was a human mind even able to calculate all this? The power of his psyche must be frightening!


    ¡°I wonder just how precise he can be¡­¡± Wu Xiao muttered to himself.


    Hearing him anyway, Qinghe began to reply, ¡°Proportionately speaking¨D¡±


    ¡°In human language, if you please,¡± Wu Xiao interrupted wryly. He did not want to feel stupid.


    After considering for a while, Qinghe pointed to Official Gao and his people, saying simply, ¡°I can be precise enough to slice off those clothes without scratching skin.¡±


    Wu Xiao stared at him in incredulity, ¡°Those clothes are so cheap and thin, it definitely can¡¯t be possible.¡±


    Official Gao fumed. ¡°I will have you know that the quality of my clothes¨D¡±


    Ignoring him, Qinghe huffed, displeased that someone had actually questioned his control over wind. In an uncharacteristically petulant tone, he declared, ¡°I really can do it! You just watch, I¡¯ll show you!¡±


    Raising his hand, he sent a torrent of precisely aimed wind blades at the group that was still standing near the doorway.


    For a moment, nothing seemed to have happened.


    Then, like a rain of confetti, Official Gao and his thugs¡¯ clothes turned into thinly sliced ribbons as they easily slid down from their bodies, leaving them without a stitch on. The neatly shredded fabric was strewn around their feet lying limply like a pile of noodles.


    The intruding group¡¯s faces looked down at their own naked bodies with shock and disbelief, as if still unable to process the current situation.


    With a shrill scream, one of the thugs holding a club hurriedly covered his important bits. Not wanting his naked butt to be seen by those outside, he hurriedly tried to step further into the house in hiding. Following his lead, the other thugs panickingly ran into the already cramped space to protect their dignity from any passersby.


    Seeing them all rush forward, the drunken Qinghe thought they were coming to snatch his precious wine.


    Indignant, Qinghe proclaimed loudly, ¡°I don¡¯t share my wine with mean people!¡± Then raising his hand once more, he summoned a powerful gust of wind to fling away these shameless thieves.


    Hmph! As if he¡¯d let them get near his drink!


    The pitiful group of Official Gao and his thugs were blown away quite some distance, landing near one of the village¡¯s busy streets.


    Startled screams rang out at first when a bunch of stark naked men suddenly fell by the roadside. Then as the official¡¯s face was recognized, the people¡¯s startlement turned to amusement as they covertly mocked and pointed at them. Soon, the muffled sounds of chuckling and hushed giggles filled the area surrounding the group that was so humiliatingly splayed out on the ground.


    Not even daring to look at the laughing villagers, the disgraced official and his men got up swiftly, fleeing in shame.


    And just as Qinghe had boasted, despite the manhandling, they did not have even a single scratch on them.

 Chapter 48: Rising Anticipation

    Having successfully blown away the intruders, Qinghe plopped back down onto Wei Xiang¡¯s lap with a satisfied huff.


    Turning to his friend who had gone wide-eyed at witnessing this scene of Official Gao getting cleaned up so swiftly, Qinghe spoke, ¡°Yan Lin, I chased away the mean people, so you don¡¯t have to be scared anymore. Wasn¡¯t I helpful?¡±


    Hearing this, Yan Lin finally cracked a smile, his anxiety slowly melting away. His little friend might have changed in many aspects¡ªhe might have gotten stronger, gained a high standing as a cultivator, and might now have a lover by his side¡ªbut on the inside, he was still the same Qinghe who wanted to beat up everyone who threatened his dear ones.


    ¡°En, you were very helpful. Thank you,¡± Yan Lin praised softly, his lips lightly curving upwards.


    Qinghe showed a small, proud smile now that his accomplishment had been acknowledged. Since he¡¯d done something so good, didn¡¯t he deserve to get a reward now?


    Qinghe¡¯s gaze eagerly wandered over to the still unopened jars of wine on the table, the greedy glint in his eyes unmistakable.


    Seeing his beloved¡¯s burning gaze directed towards the containers of liquor, Wei Xiang amusedly wondered whether his placement in the heart of his drunken lover was actually below that of a few jars of alcohol.


    But more than that, Wei Xiang truly feared the chaos it would result in if Qinghe was allowed to imbibe any more wine. It would be better if they left right now.


    Thinking that, he immediately rose up with Qinghe still in his arms. Not minding the change in altitude, Qinghe made a pleased hum and happily snuggled deeper into the firm arms of his beloved, his attention being diverted to the warm chest he was being held against that vibrated pleasantly as Wei Xiang spoke.


    ¡°Thank you for dinner and the pleasant company. We will take our leave now,¡± Wei Xiang said, politely bidding goodbye to a cheerful Yan Lin and Zhang LiYing before walking towards the door.


    Qinghe giggled and poked his lover playfully. ¡°What are you planning to do to me after taking me away from watching eyes, Sentinel?¡±


    ¡°Maybe spank some good manners into you for being such a naughty little imp,¡± Wei Xiang joked, smacking his mischievous lover¡¯s butt lightly and making Qinghe wriggle around in restlessness.


    His eyes growing half-lidded, Qinghe felt heat slowly suffusing his body as he basked in the warmth radiating from his lover¡¯s muscled arms that were so firmly wrapped around him. Drowning in the familiarly comforting scent of woodsmoke and metal, his thoughts slowly wandered in a certain direction¡­


    Wei Xiang was yet unaware of his beloved¡¯s changing mood. After walking a little distance away from the cottage, he found a secluded spot and used the shadows to transport them both to Qinghe¡¯s room. The Sentinels¡¯ ability to use the shadow realm was after all a closely guarded secret and was not something he wanted others to become aware of.


    And now, Wei Xiang had also finally found out how Qinghe had come to know about this ability in the first place.


    As Wei Xiang placed a dazed Qinghe on the bed, his mind still churned with thoughts as he ruminated over the things he¡¯d learned today.


    His beloved¡¯s all-encompassing control over wind was a truly terrifying thing. Even though they now knew about all the ways the wind could be used to gather information, none of them could do anything regarding this. After all, how exactly would one go about guarding against wind of all things?


    ¡°¡­Xiang¡­¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s low whisper sounded from the bed, breaking Wei Xiang out of his thoughts. He looked down to find that his little lover had almost stripped all his clothing off, only a thin white robe remaining. Even that was half undone, one collar already having slipped off his shoulder to reveal smooth white skin.


    Swallowing thickly, Wei Xiang asked, ¡°What is it, love?¡±


    Shifting in apparent discomfort, Qinghe spoke in a husky voice, ¡°I want you.¡±


    Wei Xiang felt his heart stop for a second before it started beating again harder than before, almost leaping within his chest. Qinghe¡¯s meaning couldn¡¯t be any more clear.


    It seemed his lover was finally prepared to go all the way, but¡­


    Looking at Qinghe¡¯s flushed cheeks and his dazed gaze, Wei Xiang steeled his resolve and firmly refused. ¡°No, you¡¯re drunk. You are not of clear mind right now.¡±


    ¡°Xiang¡­please? I¡¯m ready,¡± Qinghe continued to entice.


    Wei Xiang endeavored to maintain his determination in the face of his beloved¡¯s temptation.


    Sensing Wei Xiang¡¯s internal struggle, Qinghe beseechingly gazed up at him with half-lidded eyes, his thick lashes sparkling with moisture. His pupils had expanded due to intoxication, his gaze showing unhidden desire as he blinked slowly, languorously. His lustrous lips were slightly parted, the softness beckoning and beguiling to come and have a taste.


    Such a potent enchantment could hardly be resisted as it was. But Qinghe added another thick layer of attraction atop the magnetic allure by beckoning in a sultry voice, ¡°Xiang, I want you¡­ Don¡¯t you want me too? Come, have me.¡±


    Wei Xiang felt his reason straining against the sudden, intense flash of arousal that burned through him, flooding his senses. He gritted his teeth and attempted to maintain control, exercising the iron discipline of a trained Sentinel.


    In a tense voice, he spoke, ¡°Qinghe¡­now is not the right time.¡±


    Frowning in displeasure, Qinghe reached forward and boldly grabbed Wei Xiang¡¯s bulging hardness. Lightly squeezing and massaging it, he observed smugly, ¡°See? You also want me.¡±


    Feeling the veins in his forehead bulging due to the strain of holding himself back, Wei Xiang slowly and gently removed his lover¡¯s soft hand from between his legs.


    In a patient tone, Wei Xiang explained, ¡°I never denied wanting you. But Qinghe, you¡¯re drunk. I will not take advantage of you when you¡¯re in this state. I don¡¯t want to do something you might come to regret. I do not want to rush into this and end up hurting you.¡±


    Hearing this, Qinghe¡¯s stubbornness wilted. After knowing that his lover¡¯s rejection was only due to care for him, how could he keep protesting?


    Qinghe slumped dispiritedly onto the bed, pouting and mumbling complainingly about his beloved¡¯s unnecessarily firm morals.


    Wei Xiang looked at his lover behaving so cutely and couldn¡¯t resist wrapping his arms around Qinghe in an embrace. ¡°If you still want to go further tomorrow, then I will naturally oblige.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s mood considerably brightened.


    Continuing, Wei Xiang said, ¡°I still have some work to finish tomorrow relating to your friend Yan Lin¡¯s village and the matter with that official¡¯s arrest. So after I¡¯m done, I¡¯ll come visit you at night. You have until then to decide what you want to do.¡±


    Nodding cheerfully, Qinghe agreed. ¡°Okay! We¡¯ll do it tomorrow, don¡¯t forget your promise!¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s lips curved up wryly at his little lover¡¯s keen enthusiasm. Smiling affectionately, he disentangled himself from his unwilling lover to also undress before he laid down again. Qinghe happily jumped back into his arms.


    Nestled together, they slept peacefully, both their minds filled with expectations and excitement towards what was to come tomorrow night.


    ¡­¡­


    After waking up the next morning alone in bed, Qinghe recalled the promise last night and felt his stomach clench in a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.


    Though he felt a bit embarrassed about his boldness while drunk, he did not regret it. He really did feel ready to take their relationship to the next stage. Even if he had not been inebriated, he would have still made it known that he wanted to go further, albeit in a different and more restrained way.


    But at the same time, he couldn¡¯t help feeling apprehensive.


    Till now, though he and Wei Xiang had touched each other with their hands and mouth, it had never escalated into anything further.


    Truth be told, he knew that it was because Wei Xiang saw through his fears. After his experience at the orphanage, he had become somewhat¡­afraid of sex, of the loss of control it represented. But he also knew that doing it with Wei Xiang would be incomparably different from when those people had touched him.


    His Wei Xiang would be very good to him and treat him well with kindness and affection.


    He couldn¡¯t help but wonder, what would it feel like?


    Qinghe tried imagining Wei Xiang naked and lying on top of him, their skin pressed against each other, his lover¡¯s long fingers reaching towards that place and¡­


    He couldn¡¯t think any further. He really seemed to be too inexperienced to try and predict how it would play out. All he knew regarding sex among two men was that one of them would poke the other in the butt with their ¡®little dragon¡¯. Other than that, his knowledge regarding this matter was woefully inadequate.


    Burying his red face in his hands, Qinghe tried to calm himself. Dammit, he had faced vicious demonic beasts with less nervousness than he was feeling towards his first night with his lover. It was really too incomprehensible!


    But thinking that he would be accepting Wei Xiang into his body tonight¡­


    Qinghe¡¯s face flushed further. He could feel a stinging heat in his nose in response to his less-than-pure thoughts and his hand immediately flew up to his nose as he tilted his head back to contain a nosebleed.


    Ah, how my delicate virgin heart is all aflutter! Qinghe thought to himself sarcastically, then sighed.


    Tamping down the rampant eagerness and uncertainty, he decided enough was enough.


    In a bid to cool down his rampaging mind, Qinghe decided to take a bath and begin preparing for the day.


    But his sinful thoughts still seemed to follow him into his work.


    That entire day, the disciples of Heavenly Peak Sect saw their Senior Brother Feng walking around in a daze and felt puzzled. They had never seen their extremely capable and self-possessed senior brother like this before. Just what on earth could be weighing on his mind today? Whatever it was, it must be extremely important!


    As Qinghe dealt with his master¡¯s work as per usual in the main hall, even the Elders at the sides noticed his peculiar behavior this day.


    Normally, Qinghe was decisive and firm as he processed the various documents and made the necessary arrangements to implement plans for improving the sect further or dealt with other minor issues that popped up. His gaze as he read through the papers was usually sharp like a sword slicing cleanly through prey, swift and thorough. There was never a moment wasted as he efficiently went through the work piled up on the sect master¡¯s desk, making the watching Elders feel inadequate in front of this competent youngster.


    But the Qinghe today worked at a glacially slow speed. He would carefully have to read a document several times before the contents seemed to register in his brain. He would often stare off into the distance for a long while before suddenly turning red and flustered. His hands also seemed to have gotten quite a bit clumsier as he knocked over the papers, brush, and inkstone again and again¡­


    To put it simply, the Elders thought that this scarily efficient senior disciple who suddenly seemed to have become a fumbling mess was¡­really very cute!


    The Qinghe today seemed to perpetually be either in a dazed state or in a flustered muddle. Without his usual piercing intelligence sharpening his gaze, he looked like a befuddled and fuzzy little animal.


    A crash sounded once more in the main hall as Qinghe knocked over another inkstone. Qinghe looked down confounded at the broken pieces and the splatter of ink on the floor. How had another inkstone ended up in this state? It was a mystery!


    Unable to bear to see Qinghe reduced to this, an Elder lightly coughed before kindly advising, ¡°Disciple Feng, you can leave helping with your master¡¯s work at that for today. Since there seems to be a lot weighing on your mind, you may take the day off to set your thoughts in order.¡±


    Qinghe looked up in a daze and nodded. ¡°This disciple offers his thanks to the Elder,¡± he said perfunctorily before standing up and leaving the hall.


    Looking up, Qinghe saw that evening had already arrived.


    And soon, night would fall.


    Qinghe¡¯s heart thumped erratically.


    As Qinghe made his way back to his room, he felt overly conscious of others¡¯ gazes. Would they know what he was thinking of? Of what he was going to do tonight?


    Since this was the night Qinghe was going to lose his virginity, he felt like something about him would undeniably change once morning arrived. Would others be able to tell?


    By the time he returned to his room, Qinghe was just as nervous and anticipatory as he had been when he¡¯d departed this morning.


    Sitting down, Qinghe wondered, would he need to prepare something? Would he need to prepare himself in some way?


    He didn¡¯t know.


    Qinghe buried his face in his hands and felt he had at least one thing to be thankful for. As a cultivator, he didn¡¯t have to eat or digest food, and as such, his back passage remained unused for the most part, saving him the trouble and awkwardness of having to manually clear it before they did it. Even though he wasn¡¯t very familiar about such matters, he only had to think a bit about the mechanics of sex to figure out that such a thing must be necessary. He shuddered to think of how inconvenient it must be for mortal humans.


    And as the sky slowly darkened to night, Qinghe¡¯s mind anxiously flitted between different things, always ending on the thought that he would finally be sharing his body with his beloved tonight.


    The cool wind blew inside, bringing with it the scent of the night mingled faintly with the smell of woodsmoke. Darkness pooled in the corners of the room, and in the placid black, something stirred.


    Qinghe lifted his head and looked up as a figure slowly detached from the shadows.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes held unfathomable depths as a corner of his lips lightly curled up. In a playful tone, he spoke, ¡°So Qinghe, how do you want to spend this night?¡±


    While trying to calm the wild beating in his chest, Qinghe replied softly, ¡°My choice remains the same.¡±


    Looking at his little lover¡¯s fists clenched on either side, Wei Xiang¡¯s smile grew wider. Was his Qinghe nervous? Though it was understandable, Wei Xiang still felt that it was a treat to see his always calm and composed beloved in such a state.


    Unable to meet Wei Xiang¡¯s intense gaze, Qinghe looked away, a blush spreading across his face.


    Soundlessly walking closer, Wei Xiang lifted a hand and lightly brushed away a strand of hair from Qinghe¡¯s face without touching his skin. Feeling the air being disturbed so close to his cheek, Qinghe squeezed his eyes shut.


    Leaning down, Wei Xiang spoke softly, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to, we don¡¯t have to.¡±


    Qinghe wordlessly shook his head. Then opening his eyes and lifting up his face, he steadfastly met Wei Xiang¡¯s gaze as he affirmed, ¡°I want to do this. I won¡¯t regret it. It¡¯s just that¡­¡± Qinghe looked away again as his fingers started fidgeting. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I would feel so¡­ I just don¡¯t know what to expect. I¡­feel too out of depth in this situation.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s gaze warmed. He could just imagine what a state his lover must have spent the entire day in.


    Sitting down beside his beloved, Wei Xiang enfolded him in a hug. In a comforting tone, he spoke, ¡°Qinghe, do you remember what I said in the beginning, when I first asked you to be my lover?¡±


    Looking up at his beloved¡¯s familiar face, Qinghe tilted his head, silently asking him to go on.


    ¡°I told you that when two people make the decision to become lovers, they make their own rules. That statement still stands. There¡¯s no particular way this has to go. We can go at our own pace and do things we are both comfortable with. Even if you don¡¯t know everything about what¡¯s going to come, trust that I¡¯ll guide you and carefully look after you. This is something we will both do together, and just like always, I¡¯ll be here for you.¡±


    Qinghe felt the uncertainty and tightness in his heart beginning to loosen. That¡¯s right, this was his Wei Xiang after all. He would teach him and guide him, and most of all, he would take care of him.


    Though his reservations had lessened, they still hadn¡¯t completely disappeared.


    Wei Xiang patiently continued in a kind and measured tone, ¡°If you aren¡¯t sure about what to do, then I can take the lead for now. If you want me to stop or if you want me to do something, just tell me or show me directly, okay?¡±


    Qinghe felt touched at how careful Wei Xiang was being. It was clear that his lover was treating his comfort with the utmost importance.


    Hesitantly, Qinghe asked, ¡°Would that really be alright?¡±


    Because as tempting as it was to let his lover take the lead during their first time together, Qinghe felt like he would be making Wei Xiang do all the work at this rate. Shouldn¡¯t he also contribute?


    But Wei Xiang reassured calmly, ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t mind at all. Remember, there are no fixed rules. There is no particular way this has to be done. The important thing is that the both of us agree to it and enjoy doing this.¡±


    Qinghe seriously thought on his words. Feeling the last of his doubts vanishing with rising anticipation taking its place, Qinghe slowly, deliberately nodded.


    With implicit trust in his eyes, Qinghe looked up at Wei Xiang and spoke, ¡°Then, Xiang, I¡­will give myself to you, so please take care of me.¡±


    crimson_carnation


    Qinghe: I¡¯m ready, let¡¯s do it.


    Wei Xiang: Okay *drops pants*


    From between his muscled thighs rises a miniature dragon, its long and thick length glimmering with tiny golden scales. At the end is a little dragon head, it¡¯s eyes snapping open to peer at a stunned Qinghe. Its little jaws open wide and¨D


    Little Dragon: ©»|£àO¡ä|©¿Roooar~


    Qinghe: ¡­¡­


    Qinghe: ¡­What the fuck?!

 Chapter 49: First Time Together

    ¡°Then, Xiang, I¡­will give myself to you, so please take care of me.¡±


    Hearing these unintentionally provocative words, Wei Xiang¡¯s blood boiled with desire.


    But rather than immediately pouncing on his inexperienced little lover, he controlled the flames burning in his belly and suppressed the violent, raging lust. After living for fourteen thousand years and experiencing desire so many times, it would be shameful if he couldn¡¯t even control himself at this point.


    He would be careful and gentle, because this trust was something he cherished too much to take lightly.


    When Qinghe had been in the orphanage as a child, embroiled in the rampant chaos and insecurity of that place, everything had felt uncertain and out of control, and he had hated that. Thus, when he finally got out, Qinghe did his best to always have some measure of control over himself and the situation, always calculating and manipulating it into going the way he directed.


    But now, for the first time, he was willingly giving up that hard-won control. He was letting another person have power over the situation and his own body.


    It was frightening to be sure, but also relieving. Qinghe believed in Wei Xiang more than anything and so entrusted himself to his lover freely.


    And with how perceptive he was, how could Wei Xiang not understand this? Seeing his lover display such unreserved trust, Wei Xiang¡¯s devotion could only entrench deeper into his being.


    This was his most treasured person, his dearest beloved, and he would treat him with the utmost affection and care.


    With gentle hands, Wei Xiang slowly removed Qinghe¡¯s clothing, his careful movements as if he was unwrapping the world¡¯s most precious treasure.


    Though this was an action that had been done many times, Qinghe felt that his lover¡¯s hands were especially tender tonight. And so, with trembling fingers, Qinghe also reached out and began undoing Wei Xiang¡¯s uniform. Neither of them hurried, savoring each other¡¯s careful and loving touch.


    Once their robes had finished being piled up on the floor, both their bodies completely unclothed, Qinghe voluntarily went and laid down on the bed as if presenting himself as a sacrifice, his posture straight and hands folded neatly over his belly.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s mouth twitched, laughter dancing in his eyes.


    Qinghe looked over at him impatiently. What was his lover doing just standing there? Shouldn¡¯t they get started already?


    Guessing his little lover¡¯s reprobating thoughts, Wei Xiang tucked away his amusement and slowly walked towards his beloved.


    Qinghe lay on the bed, feeling too self-aware and vulnerable as he watched his lover¡¯s approach. He didn¡¯t know exactly what would come next, and that made him nervous.


    As Wei Xiang finally climbed onto the bed, Qinghe couldn¡¯t help but want to flee from this unfamiliar situation. But in the end, he didn¡¯t. He was curious and he wanted more than anything to feel the physical way lovers bonded, he wanted that intimate connection with Wei Xiang.


    Determined to brave through the uncertainty, Qinghe looked up with trembling lashes as Wei Xiang positioned himself over Qinghe. Reaching down, he pulled Qinghe¡¯s legs apart while folding them inwards before situating himself comfortably in between.


    Qinghe saw his lover reaching out and closed his eyes in apprehension. But unexpectedly, Wei Xiang didn¡¯t begin stimulating him right away.


    Feeling Qinghe¡¯s nervousness, of course Wei Xiang wouldn¡¯t jump right into things. He instead decided to ease his beloved into this, to let him know how cherished and loved he was.


    Wei Xiang lifted his Qinghe¡¯s hand and gently kissed the fingertips that he had seen wielding weapons so skillfully.


    He leaned over and brushed his mouth over those soft, petal-like lips that said such clever and witty things.


    Moving up, he slowly kissed near each of Qinghe¡¯s eyes, for they displayed those vivid emotions of his lover that Wei Xiang held so very dear.


    He worshipfully kissed the silky cheeks that flushed in such lovely colors every time his beloved was teased.


    Feeling Wei Xiang¡¯s reverent touch, Qinghe¡¯s unease melted away, dissolving into desire. The slow insistent burn of arousal spread beneath his skin in soft, silky waves, clouding his mind as the liquid heat pulsed through him.


    Gradually, bit by bit, Qinghe relaxed and let the familiar need flow throughout his body, surrendering to the sensations as he gave himself up completely to his lover¡¯s capable hands.


    Sensing Qinghe¡¯s acceptance, Wei Xiang¡¯s touches grew bolder.


    He leaned down and once again captured Qinghe¡¯s lips with his own as his hands moved over the smooth, supple skin.


    Qinghe willingly opened up, and Wei Xiang¡¯s tongue swiftly entered past his lover¡¯s lips, tracing the line of his teeth, sliding over his gums and rubbing over the sensitive roof of his mouth as he eagerly, devotedly learned and explored.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s hands rubbed over Qinghe¡¯s sensitive points, roaming over his collarbones and chest. Taking ahold of the perky little buds, Wei Xiang gently pinched and rolled them. Qinghe gasped into his lover¡¯s mouth as another wave of heat washed through him. Unrelenting, Wei Xiang¡¯s warm palms mapped across his beloved¡¯s skin, running over the familiar lines and curves as they exploited all known weaknesses.


    Disengaging from the kiss, Qinghe moved his head to the side as he gulped down large breaths of air, trying to recover some semblance of control over himself. But his lover didn¡¯t allow him that luxury.


    Slowly, Wei Xiang¡¯s touches moved downward, eventually settling around Qinghe¡¯s hardened member. This was something they had already done quite a few times, but since his little lover was still unfamiliar with sex, Wei Xiang decided to first pique his desire using familiar methods to make his Qinghe feel less uncertain and more comfortable with the situation before going any further. After all, Qinghe¡¯s past experiences in the orphanage had left him rather reluctant to explore his own sexuality all these years. It was only natural to take this very slowly, carefully unknotting his reservations little by little.


    Not knowing about the amount of thought and consideration Wei Xiang was putting into his every move, Qinghe let out a helpless moan as his lover¡¯s slightly rough palm began moving over his rigid length. All strength left his body as he shifted restlessly in Wei Xiang¡¯s grasp. His body trembled as another rush of desire flooded him in thick, hot waves, drowning his reason under its merciless onslaught.


    The other hand still played with the stiff buds standing at attention on Qinghe¡¯s heaving chest. As the pitiless fingers kneaded and pulled at the delicate little points, Qinghe felt sparks shooting beneath his skin. Clear liquid dripped from his painfully aroused member. The constant stimulation pushed him higher and higher, until the peak of release was almost within reach.


    And then Wei Xiang stopped.


    With his cheeks flushed red and his eyes dazed from lust, Qinghe looked up at Wei Xiang and protested hazily, ¡°Xiang¡­don¡¯t stop¡­¡±


    Smiling affectionately, Wei Xiang bent down to lay another kiss on his little lover¡¯s moist mouth, sucking on those luscious lips reddened due to his previous ministrations. Qinghe gave himself over as he enthusiastically began returning the kiss with equal passion, his body still burning hot with need.


    But even as their mouths remained melded together, Qinghe felt Wei Xiang¡¯s heated fingers gliding over his skin that was thirsting eagerly for his lover¡¯s touch, passing over his abdomen and stomach, and slipping further below.


    Just when he though Wei Xiang would resume caressing his shaft, Qinghe felt the hot fingertips moving down, down, sliding further below into the crevice between the two mounds of flesh that quivered tautly with anticipation, reaching the little wrinkled bud that tightened as the warm touch neared it.


    Qinghe leaned back and gasped for breath. ¡°¡­Xiang?¡± he called out in nervousness.


    Wei Xiang didn¡¯t do anything more, simply rubbing a fingertip over the quivering entrance, waiting for Qinghe to get accustomed to being touched there.


    Slowly, Qinghe relaxed. Sensing his lover¡¯s gradual acceptance, Wei Xiang removed his fingers for the time being.


    Qinghe blinked in surprise. What was his lover doing, dilly-dallying so much?


    But soon, he felt Wei Xiang¡¯s fingers pressing over that place again. This time, Qinghe clearly felt a faint wetness where they touched him.


    Keenly feeling his lack of control over the situation, Qinghe shifted restlessly as he asked, ¡°Xiang, what is that?¡±


    In a patient voice, Wei Xiang explained, ¡°It¡¯s oil. It is necessary to use it as a lubricant to minimize pain. Especially since this is your first time.¡±


    Qinghe blinked. What sort of a magical oil was that? He didn¡¯t understand.


    Looking at Qinghe frowning as if he were pondering on the great mysteries of the universe, Wei Xiang chuckled, his voice languid and low.


    Wei Xiang lightly pushed against his lover¡¯s opening, the tip of his finger sliding in. Qinghe stiffened again as he felt something intruding into him from below. He tried to relax, but his body instinctively remained clenched and taut.


    In a soft, wicked whisper, Wei Xiang continued explaining, ¡°See how tight you are down here? Using oil allows me to slide inside easier, like this.¡± So saying, he pushed the finger a bit further in to demonstrate.


    Qinghe lightly trembled. Looking up, he could see Wei Xiang¡¯s intense gaze focused on him as if savoring his every reaction, his lips raised up in a self-satisfied arc. At that sight, Qinghe felt his desire rising further despite the strangeness of feeling something pushing inside him.


    Slowly, bit by bit, Wei Xiang succeeded in inserting the entirety of one digit into his lover¡¯s lovely little bottom. It was all he could do to maintain control over himself as he felt the hot and tight passage gripping his finger strongly as it attempted to suck it in.


    Wei Xiang moved his finger out, then gently thrust it back in. Qinghe thought of how his lover¡¯s strong finger was currently inside him, moving within him, and felt his whole body flush in a mixture of excitement and embarrassment.


    As he felt his beloved¡¯s inner walls loosen enough to accept one digit, Wei Xiang began pushing in another. Qinghe felt faint discomfort as his insides were stretched further, but slowly grew accustomed to the invasion. He even started deriving some pleasure from the friction.


    Looking down at the enchanting figure of his lover, Wei Xiang felt his breath stuttering in his chest.


    Sweat droplets glittered over the smooth stretch of skin like clear dew over silky petals. In contrast, the black strands of glistening hair lay scattered over the light-colored sheets, spread like spilled ink. His body flushed with passion, Qinghe¡¯s muscles flexed agitatedly, causing his skin to stretch and roll as if in temptation. His slender limbs moved restlessly over the sheets, his hands fisted tightly as if he were trying hard to contain himself. His knees were bent and slightly parted, showing his unconscious trust as he allowed access to his most secret parts. His dusky pink opening was stretched taut and wide, clamping firmly over two slick fingers that moved in and out in a slow rhythm.


    His eyes darkening at the vivid scene, Wei Xiang¡¯s gaze was filled with satisfaction at the view of his own fingers sliding out and plunging back into his lover¡¯s bottom.


    Feeling the tight passage relax further, Wei Xiang added in a third finger. Qinghe shuddered slightly as he bore the added stimulation, feeling himself being relentlessly forced open wider.


    Qinghe was almost out of his mind now. He had been played with by Wei Xiang for so long that all he could think of was that he wanted more, more, more.


    Just as Qinghe felt his desperation rising, Wei Xiang removed his digits from his entrance, having decided that it was prepared enough.


    Feeling his lover withdraw from his body, Qinghe immediately felt a stark emptiness in the place that Wei Xiang¡¯s fingers had just occupied.


    In a husky voice, Qinghe complained, ¡°¡­Xiang¡­not enough¡­¡±


    Supporting himself on an arm, Wei Xiang laid atop Qinghe. Feeling the warmth of his lover¡¯s skin enveloping him, Qinghe focused his dazed eyes upwards.


    ¡°Qinghe,¡± Wei Xiang called softly, a hand cupping his little lover¡¯s soft cheek. ¡°I¡¯m going to enter you now.¡±


    Feeling his heart thumping wildly, Qinghe gasped out with breathlessness, ¡°Okay.¡±


    As he peered intently at his beloved¡¯s face that hovered so close above him, Qinghe could see a loving smile warming Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes.


    Having gained Qinghe¡¯s approval, Wei Xiang held his member in his hand and slowly guided it towards his lover¡¯s prepared entrance. Feeling the blunt head pushing against his opening, Qinghe did his best to keep his muscles relaxed. The head of Wei Xiang¡¯s shaft kept steadily pressing in until it breached the readied opening, entering into his lover¡¯s soft and moist passage.


    Qinghe panted, taking in quick short breaths. He felt a vague ache and a faint throb of pain. Seeing him frown in apparent discomfort, Wei Xiang immediately halted. Only when he saw Qinghe¡¯s expression relax did Wei Xiang start pushing inside again.


    Though the slight pain had begun to slowly melt into pleasure for Qinghe, Wei Xiang still remained careful, sliding into him slowly.


    His mind gone hazy due to the pleasurable heat suffusing him, Qinghe looked up at Wei Xiang¡¯s face, only to see that his lover¡¯s brows were scrunched together, his jaws clenched in concentration. Sweat glistened lightly on his forehead. The honey-toned body of his lover was tense with the strain of holding himself back. The muscles cording his arms and thighs bulged as he held himself in strict control. The scarce light brushed over his skin, starkly defining every dip and swell on his compact, muscled frame.


    In a daze, Qinghe thought, this was the person that he loved, someone who loved him back. Someone who laughed with him, who teased and infuriated him, but also held him gently, rubbing his back in comfort as he cried into his shoulder. This was someone who cared for him more than even he cared for himself.


    And this person, this beautiful, wonderful person, was now on top of him, his body steadily pushing inside his own.


    Thinking up to here, Qinghe¡¯s passion reached new heights, his need for his Xiang soaring. He didn¡¯t want to go slowly anymore.


    Trying to spur on his overly cautious lover, Qinghe wrapped his legs around Wei Xiang¡¯s waist, digging his heels into his lover¡¯s tensed buttocks to drive him forward. Pausing in surprise, Wei Xiang looked down to see his beloved¡¯s flushed face and the heated gaze focused intently on him.


    ¡°Too slow,¡± Qinghe griped.


    With a strained laugh, Wei Xiang gave in to his little lover¡¯s demands and sped up his actions, forcefully thrusting in.


    Qinghe¡¯s body arched upward at the swiftness of the motion, his hands moving urgently over the cool sheets as if searching for something to hold on to.


    His throat let out a low groan at the feeling of the large organ pushing apart his inner walls as it entered him, sheathing itself completely. He could feel every distinct detail of his lover¡¯s member, every little line and curve as his insides clamped tightly around it. Qinghe could feel the throb and pulse of the veins moving against his tight insides as the hard organ pressed in deeply, imprinting its shape into his depths as it claimed this place that had yet been unconquered.


    Feeling his lover¡¯s moist and hot passage squeezing him tightly, Wei Xiang gave a soft growl. But no matter how much he wanted to slam hard and fast into his lover, he still took the time to ask, ¡°Qinghe, are you alright?¡±


    Gasping lightly, Qinghe nodded.


    Leaning down to plant a little peck between Qinghe¡¯s tense brows, Wei Xiang pulled himself out before thrusting back in.


    Qinghe gave a short moan as he felt his lover¡¯s hard shaft rubbing inside and over his sensitive walls. He writhed and twisted as the thick length withdrew and forced itself back in, stretching his tender insides to the limit. He felt a particular spot within him being pressed and let out a full body shudder.


    The intensity of his reaction shocked even himself. He blindly reached out a hand in panic, seeking out his lover¡¯s steady and comforting presence. He felt a warm palm enfolding his grasping hand, long fingers wrapping over it as Wei Xiang¡¯s calm voice soothed, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m here.¡±


    Qinghe slumped back into the bed, reassured, as Wei Xiang continued moving inside him in smooth and powerful strokes, leaning down to drop little kisses on his face dampened with tears.


    As their fervor mounted, the sweetness slowly gave way to bright hot passion and the movement of skin against skin became more insistent and demanding, their bodies pressing against each other as if trying to meld together their skin and flesh, seeking to fuse their hearts and souls into one.


    Their movements grew more intense and desperate, their hunger for each other deepening, turning into something wild and frantic as their bodies slammed together and separated, their hips colliding again and again in a violent, savage rhythm, their actions filled with a heated frenzy.


    Qinghe gasped and sobbed uncontrollably even as he pushed himself to move faster and faster, his hips tilting to receive each of his lover¡¯s thrusts, his heels on Wei Xiang¡¯s tensed buttocks urging him to go harder and push in deeper.


    Each thrust drove Qinghe higher and higher, towards the peak of pleasure, until sparks burst and his vision turned white under the assault of unfathomable ecstasy. His lips opened in a breathless scream, gasping soundlessly. He didn¡¯t even have a chance to brace himself as the climax rolled through him. Like a boat caught unprepared in a storm at sea, so too was Qinghe helpless as he drowned under the continuous waves of this unbearable pleasure.


    Feeling the tight and slick passage pulsing violently around his member as if coaxing him, Wei Xiang let out a low, strained growl and bent down, touching his forehead to Qinghe¡¯s as he released into the soft depths of his beloved.


    Feeling the hot liquid rushing into his channel and drenching his insides, Qinghe¡¯s climax extended, crashing over him as another brutal wave of ecstasy tore through his powerless body.


    As the tides of pleasure eventually receded, Qinghe slumped down, completely spent and wrung out. His body still trembled with the aftershocks of his explosive orgasm. His eyes looked glassy and dazed, as if he was still unable to process what had just happened.


    For a few moments, the only thing heard in the room was the sound of labored panting as the pair of lovers recovered their breaths.


    Then Wei Xiang¡¯s voice whispered near Qinghe¡¯s ear, close and intimate. ¡°Are you alright? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?¡±


    His actions accompanying the care in his voice, Wei Xiang gently rubbed his hand over Qinghe¡¯s belly, as if trying to soothe away any traces of distress.


    Qinghe¡¯s gaze finally focused on the man in front of him.


    They were both slicked with sweat, casting a slight sheen over their skin. Wei Xiang¡¯s arms were wound around his waist, radiating strength and making him feel safe as they laid on their sides, face-to-face on the bed. Wei Xiang¡¯s dark eyes were attentively peering at him, care and concern unmistakable in his gaze.


    They were still joined below and Qinghe could feel his lover¡¯s softened member rubbing inside his overly sensitive inner walls. He felt the slipperiness in his insides due to being thoroughly filled with Wei Xiang¡¯s release. He remembered how he¡¯d cried out loud with wild abandon and felt a blush crawling up his cheeks.


    Feeling unreasonably embarrassed, he buried his head in Wei Xiang¡¯s chest, refusing to let his lover see his expression.


    Wei Xiang was amused. He asked quietly, ¡°Qinghe, love, won¡¯t you look up?¡±


    Qinghe immediately shook his head.


    Chuckling, Wei Xiang asked, ¡°Are you feeling shy?¡±


    After pondering for a moment, Qinghe nodded honestly, face still buried.


    Wei Xiang felt that his lover had gotten too adorable to handle. He wrapped his arms tighter and let Qinghe hide, reveling in the heat of his beloved¡¯s soft cheek pressed against his chest.


    From the windows, the peaceful light of the moon flowed into the room, softly enfolding the happily snuggled couple in its tranquil silver light.

 Chapter 50: A Leisurely Stroll

    The night stretched long as the couple laid together in a loving embrace.


    The quiet hush in the room was soft and comfortable as the lovers nestled together, silently and with the ease of familiarity.


    A short while later, Wei Xiang spoke, ¡°As much as I¡¯d like to stay like this, we should probably clean you up.¡±


    Qinghe languidly shifted, his bones feeling heavy, his limbs weighed due to their strenuous and intense coupling. ¡°Clean me up? I don¡¯t understand,¡± he spoke in a voice turned husky due to the unrestrained cries he¡¯d let out earlier.


    Wei Xiang moved slightly and his member slid out. Qinghe immediately felt sticky liquid trying to slip out of his back passage and tried to clamp his muscles shut. His body stiffened at this unexpected situation. He looked up at Wei Xiang with grievances written on his face.


    Chuckling, Wei Xiang answered his questions, both spoken and unspoken, ¡°That is what I meant when I said we needed to clean you up. If you leave it inside for too long, it will dry up and cause discomfort. It can range from minor cramps to causing a fever. So it¡¯s better to quickly remove it.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s face burned red. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to do that.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Wei Xiang said, amusement evident in his voice. ¡°Since I was the one who put it inside you, I will naturally help you with the aftercare as well.¡±


    Hearing the casual way his lover spoke of such things, Qinghe wished he could keep his head buried until the entire embarrassing situation was over and done with.


    Not minding Qinghe¡¯s bashful behavior, Wei Xiang easily lifted him up and carried him towards the stream flowing through the backyard.


    Feeling the night wind brushing over his uncovered and sweat dampened skin, Qinghe lightly shivered, snuggling closer into Wei Xiang¡¯s warmth.


    Reaching the stream, Wei Xiang placed Qinghe gently on the bank and instructed, ¡°Put your knees on the stream bed and bend over the edge.¡±


    After hesitating a bit, Qinghe did as he was told. Entering the cool water, he rested his knees on the soft moss that blanketed the stream¡¯s floor. As he bent over the edge and lied down, he could feel the rough sand lightly pressing into his soft abdomen and chest. Folding his arms, he pillowed his head on it and waited for his lover to attend to him.


    Looking at how Qinghe had gotten himself comfortable, Wei Xiang¡¯s mind ran through the various ways he could take his beloved in this position. In the end, Wei Xiang had to regretfully suppress his rising desire in the face of his lover¡¯s discomfort. Since it had been his first time, Qinghe¡¯s backside must be hurting him quite a bit, though he wasn¡¯t showing any obvious hints on the outside.


    Just looking at the sight of the slightly swollen flesh between Qinghe¡¯s buttocks, Wei Xiang felt distress rising within him. Though he¡¯d taken all the precautions and completed all the preparations, it had still ended up like this.


    Not hearing any movement from his lover for such a long time, Qinghe turned his head back with a questioning look. ¡°Xiang, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    With a melancholy gaze, Wei Xiang lightly ran his finger around the swollen opening as he asked, ¡°Does it hurt?¡±


    Feeling his lover¡¯s finger touching him there, Qinghe had to take some time to reorient himself. As the words sunk in, Qinghe blinked his eyes in surprise as he replied with ease, ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. It¡¯ll heal soon enough. So stop worrying and quickly clean me up.¡±


    Chuckling at his little lover¡¯s demanding tone, Wei Xiang decided to get to work. His fingers that had been gently caressing the inflamed entrance slowly pushed inside.


    After their recent lovemaking, Qinghe felt sore and tender, his insides overly sensitive. As two of Wei Xiang¡¯s fingers slowly eased into him, Qinghe hissed at the intense sensation of the rough fingertips rubbing against the sensitive inner flesh.


    Wei Xiang paused, ¡°Qinghe? Love, does it hurt too much?¡±


    Qinghe shook his head, then elaborated, ¡°It feels too¡­tender. But it also feels good.¡±


    Raising an eyebrow, Wei Xiang continued. Inserting his fingers inside as far as they could go, he curled his digits and slowly drew out the thick fluid from within. Qinghe felt the liquid beginning to drip from his hole and instinctively clenched his buttocks together, causing his inner muscles to squeeze Wei Xiang¡¯s fingers tightly.


    ¡°Qinghe, relax,¡± Wei Xiang soothed, and Qinghe tried with difficulty to do just that.


    As he gradually began adjusting to the sensation, slowly, bit by bit, all of the translucent white liquid was drawn out. Wei Xiang used the water from the stream and cleaned up the wetness that had been sliding down from Qinghe¡¯s entrance and over the inside of his thighs.


    Though Qinghe felt too exposed and embarrassed, he didn¡¯t protest against or reject his lover¡¯s intimate care. He felt that it was only natural that the both of them got comfortable with every aspect of each other, no matter how humiliating or shameful it felt at first. After all, they would hopefully spend a lifetime together. They couldn¡¯t get hung up on such trivialities.


    Wei Xiang brushed his thumb over the reddened opening once again as he thought of a way to heal the inflammation. Though they could also use medicinal pills, why should they employ such a dull method when there was a more fun way?


    His lips slowly curved up as he spoke, ¡°Qinghe, stay still. I¡¯m going to heal you here.¡±


    Qinghe stiffened. The last time Wei Xiang had said this¡­


    Flushing, he called frantically, ¡°Xiang! What are you planning to¨D!¡±


    But unheeding of his flustered lover¡¯s cries, Wei Xiang had already bent down, extending his wet tongue to trace around his lover¡¯s swollen entrance.


    His hand forming fists, Qinghe gasped out. His resistance against his lover actually putting his mouth over such a place slowly melted away as his body softened in surrender. If his lover didn¡¯t mind it, then Qinghe naturally didn¡¯t want to complain.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s moist tongue laved over the swollen flesh before slipping inside. Qinghe could feel the slick tongue pushing into him, moving and coating his inner walls with wetness.


    Just like last time when Wei Xiang had licked his wounds into healing, Qinghe felt a strong heat spreading just under his skin, and the soreness in and around his passage slowly dissipated. With his hands clenching tighter, he endeavored to keep his awakening need in check as the waves of soothing warmth swelled, washing over his quivering insides.


    Knowing that his internal bruising as well as the external swelling had all healed, Qinghe struggled for self-control as he gasped out, ¡°Xiang, enough!¡±


    Obediently, Wei Xiang withdrew his tongue from his lover¡¯s soft flesh and straightened. ¡°How do you feel?¡± he asked gently.


    For a while, Qinghe just laid there panting, his eyes closed. Then opening his eyes, he answered, ¡°It¡¯s healed. I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Nodding in relief, Wei Xiang spoke, ¡°Then that¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°Only¡­¡± Qinghe began, trailing off.


    Feeling that his lover¡¯s tone was strange, Wei Xiang asked, ¡°Hm? Is there anything else that¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Qinghe licked his lips as he looked back at Wei Xiang with half-lidded eyes. ¡°Xiang¡­I want you again. Let¡¯s do it?¡±


    Wei Xiang coughed at the frank declaration, startled. ¡°Qinghe, I just healed you, if we go at it again¡­¡±


    Turning his body so that he was facing his lover, his back resting on the stream bank, Qinghe wrapped his long legs around Wei Xiang¡¯s waist, thrusting his bottom against his lover¡¯s already hardened member.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I will heal quickly either way. Don¡¯t you remember? I¡¯m a cultivator. Swelling and bruising of this caliber hardly need a few hours to heal.¡±


    Letting himself get convinced by his beloved¡¯s persuasive tongue, Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes grew heated. His hands reached down to grip his lover¡¯s hips as he leaned forward and whispered, ¡°Well then, if you insist¡­¡±


    And so, as the two bodies entangled together once again, the sound of water splashing echoed throughout the backyard, mixing with the passionate sounds of zealous lovemaking that lasted until the skies lightened with the tender blush of dawn.


    ¡­¡­


    After spending a night filled with strenuous activity, Qinghe felt endless soreness and aches throughout his body. But thankfully, he was a cultivator who had access to several curative pills, not to mention Wei Xiang¡¯s unique method of healing. So after a short sleep, he was quickly back to bouncing around once more.


    And since he felt better, he decided to visit his friend again, bringing along the group from before.


    Following the dinner at Yan Lin¡¯s house that day, the group of six often returned to the village. They either went around exploring and visiting the various local shops or simply strolled around on the streets.


    They had attracted a lot of attention from the villagers at first. But the six cultivators soon became a well-known sight, eventually gaining the acceptance of the locals. Knowing that they were close to Yan Lin and had even cleaned up that troublesome Official Gao on his behalf, the villagers began behaving warmly towards Yan Lin and Zhang LiYing from then on.


    After a particularly cheerful visit to the cottage where they all helped Yan Lin pick fruits from the trees, the group was walking back leisurely. They were heading towards a nearby small sect whose transportation array they had often utilized these past few days to come here. The network of this sect¡¯s array was connected to all the major sects and was thus particularly convenient for their use.


    The path they were ambling along on was a wide road often used by travelers. Though the group of lively, good-looking men stood out and attracted a lot of gazes, none were willing to come seeking trouble with them, the travelers giving them a wide berth as they walked around the group of five people.


    Wu Xiao unfortunately could not join them today, claiming that he had sect matters he couldn¡¯t run away from this time.


    As the group walked unhurriedly, Hei NingYu stayed at the back of the group with Chen Xiande, the couple holding hands. Chen Xiande was lightly blushing even as he smiled with simple happiness, his frown forgotten as usual in the company of his beloved.


    Wei Xiang walked regally with his hands clasped behind him, occasionally sending affectionate glances towards his little lover walking in front. Qinghe and Jing Shui were at the head of the group, chatting energetically about various things.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that pre-activation type talismans are better than the constant-input ones?¡± Jing Shui asked Qinghe with a serious expression. At the back, Chen Xiande was also curiously listening to their conversation.


    Tilting his head, Qinghe explained, ¡°I didn¡¯t specifically mean it like that. But in times of emergency, especially if we are stranded somewhere without the use of our spiritual energy, it¡¯s better to have a few pre-activated talismans for both attack and defense purposes, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    After all, constant-input talismans like the ones Jing Shui mentioned were talismans that required the caster to constantly feed them spiritual energy to keep them activated. An example would be the campfire talisman Qinghe used to boil milk while making sweets before.


    On the other hand, the appearance changing talismans that Qinghe used more often were pre-activation type talismans and did not need one to constantly infuse them with power. The first time spiritual energy was sent into them, these types of talismans would use a little bit of the power for activation and store the rest, using it up gradually to sustain the spell.


    And since they did not need a constant supply of spiritual energy to function, their working would not be affected even if their caster was unable to use their cultivation.


    At the back, Chen Xiande nodded thoughtfully. If he¡¯d had something like that, it could have been useful in a situation like when he and his junior brother had been imprisoned in that cell made of spirit-suppressing material. But then again, since his kidnappers had thoroughly searched him for such things, maybe it wouldn¡¯t have made all that much of a difference in the end.


    ¡°But pre-activated talismans have strict time limits, unlike the constant-input talismans that remain active as long as we keep feeding them spiritual energy. What if the pre-activated talisman reaches its limit when we are at a critical time? Plus, situations where we are stuck without being able to use cultivation are very rare,¡± Jing Shui refuted.


    Qinghe nodded serenely. ¡°True, but I wouldn¡¯t count on such situations being rare for long. Certain organizations seem to have gotten new methods of obtaining large quantities of spirit-suppressing material. Especially mid-grade. I¡¯ve seen entire rooms covered with it.¡±


    Though Qinghe didn¡¯t spell out the name of the organization or say anything outright, Jing Shui¡¯s eyes still narrowed in realization and understanding, his mind quickly sorting through the new information. He was, after all, the head disciple of the Golden Sun Sect whose main focus was commerce. Jing Shui was thus easily able to calculate the ramifications that would be brought about due to something like this and how it would affect the business world.


    ¡°I thank Brother Feng for the warning. Is there anything you would like my help with?¡± Jing Shui asked, a keen glint in his eyes. For Feng Qinghe to bring up this information now could only mean that he had a reason, and that reason was probably that he needed something.


    Qinghe chuckled breezily. ¡°How sharp, Brother Jing. I would like it if you could lend a bit of your sect¡¯s underground network to the Sentinels, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Jing Shui¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, not having expected his friend to so blithely mention such a thing. ¡°Brother Feng, you¡­ Just what exactly do you want our underground network for?¡±


    ¡°To catch some rats. And please don¡¯t misunderstand, I am not the one who will be using your resources,¡± Qinghe spoke casually.


    Looking back, Jing Shui sent a questioning gaze towards his friend¡¯s Sentinel lover.


    Sighing, Wei Xiang spoke five words in explanation, ¡°We are hunting Black Fang.¡±


    Showing an expression of realization, Jing Shui nodded. So it was like that.


    The reach of Black Fang was widespread, yet the organization itself was very slippery. They had evaded the Sentinels¡¯ grasp for a long time now and had established themselves as the Order¡¯s nemesis. Recently, they seemed to have gotten more and more bold, letting their rise in power get to their head.


    Since Black Fang was a black market organization, they dealt with trade and commerce as well, but their operations were more on the disreputable side. As the leading business institution, the Golden Sun Sect would certainly be the best option to track down Black Fang¡¯s movements through the trade routes.


    Knowing that his friend had figured it out, Qinghe calmly asked, ¡°Can I count on you to help the Sentinels with this?¡±


    Jing Shui nodded. Recently, Black Fang had become a thorn in the side of his sect as well, what with them trying to plant spies or lying in ambush near their transport routes to steal or damage goods. Since he was sure that his master would sooner or later send him out to take care of this matter anyway, Jing Shui didn¡¯t hesitate to agree to his friend¡¯s request, ¡°Yes, I will handle it.¡±


    Qinghe nodded in satisfaction.


    Behind him, Wei Xiang smiled wryly. His little lover was so competent in getting assistance for the Order in this matter. A cooperative arrangement with the Golden Sun Sect would really be of great help to the Order of Sentinels. And Wei Xiang knew that the only reason Qinghe went to the trouble of arranging this was because his beloved wanted to be of help to him.


    It really was great having such a wonderful lover, Wei Xiang thought as he extended his arms to wrap them around Qinghe from behind, his head bending to nuzzle the soft cheek of his beloved. Neither of them had stopped walking even as they engaged in such overt displays of affection.


    At the side, Jing Shui felt aggrieved. Unconsciously, he began to miss the clingy Wu Xiao who would always distract him with his ridiculousness. At least bickering with him would save Jing Shui from having to witness this couple¡¯s open flirting!


    Suddenly, the sound of a line of carriages thundering towards them sounded out from the distance. The other people walking or chatting on the road all stopped what they were doing to respectfully move to the side, making way for the procession.


    Not wanting to stand out or start any unnecessary conflict, Qinghe¡¯s group also moved to the side, though their atmosphere wasn¡¯t nearly as solemn or respectful as that of the other travelers.


    The line of carriages slowly grew close enough that they could make out some details.


    The emblem displayed on the side of the carriage, along with the evident opulence, the extravagant display of wealth, and the large contingent of guards surrounding the procession, all indicated that the person riding inside was of great nobility.


    Seeing the ornate emblem, Jing Shui paled and muttered, ¡°A prince of the first rank?¡±


    Qinghe blinked curiously. Why did it seem like his friend knew something about these pompous people? Could it be that this apparent nobility was from the imperial family that Jing Shui was a part of?


    As the procession of carriages reached them, it slowly ground to a halt.


    Seeing this, Jing Shui turned his head away as if to hide his face from the carriages¡¯ occupants, his actions like that of an ostrich burying its head in the sand.


    A servant alighted from the most opulent carriage in the line, dressed in clothes that were both understated yet obviously expensive. He slowly walked in their direction, his steps stately and unhurried.


    Stopping in front of Jing Shui, the servant gave a small bow as he spoke in a steady voice, ¡°My master wishes to speak to this gentleman. Might I ask you to honor his request and join him for a little chat?¡±


    Jing Shui stood stiff and silent as if he was unable to hear the man¡¯s words, his bloodless lips pressed together into a thin line.


    Noticing the anxiety in his friend¡¯s reaction, Qinghe spoke to the neatly-dressed servant in his stead, ¡°Why would your master be interested in my friend?¡±


    The servant didn¡¯t seem bothered at all as he answered, ¡°My master noticed that this young gentleman seems to look quite similar to one of his dear brothers that he had thought was long gone. He is naturally overjoyed to have met someone with such striking similarity and would like to take some time to converse with this gentleman. Please rest assured that my master bears no ill-will.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes narrowed.


    Jing Shui had quite clearly told him before in the hidden realm that he only had two elder brothers and that both of them had already died. Then that could only mean that this person who wanted to chat with his friend now was one of Jing Shui¡¯s half-brothers, someone who must have now become a contender to the throne after Jing Shui¡¯s departure.


    Just as the air grew stagnant, weighed with a silence that was heavy with meaning, the sound of a carriage door creaking open was heard.


    A middle-aged man dressed lavishly in a dark green and gold robe stepped out of the opulent carriage with the help of another servant, his gaze immediately fixing on Jing Shui.


    This middle-aged man was obviously the master that the first servant had spoken of.


    His thin lips splitting open in a wide grin, the green-robed man opened his mouth and spoke, ¡°Oh my, Elder Imperial Brother Shui, you look so very young even though it has been more than thirty years since we last met. Imperial Father and the Empress have both missed you very much. So tell me, how have you been lately?¡±

 Chapter 51: Accepting an Invitation

    It took Jing Shui a few moments to recognize the green-robed man. After all, the last time he saw him, his step-brother had barely been eight years old. But once he realized the identity of the middle-aged man, Jing Shui stared at him as if he were his nightmare made flesh.


    His back habitually snapping straight, Jing Shui spoke in a strained voice, ¡°Younger Brother Hao, I¡­I am well. Please convey my regrets to Imperial Father and Mother that I caused them distress.¡±


    Qinghe frowned. His friend sounded stiff and formal, his dull tone very unlike his usual spirited self. It seemed that Jing Shui only needed a single glimpse of a person from the imperial palace before he reverted to being the suppressed Crown Prince of the Xing Long Empire from before.


    ¡°I am afraid I cannot convey your words, Elder Brother Shui. I am sure that the Emperor and Empress would much rather hear your apologies from your own lips and in person. Why don¡¯t you come along and meet your parents? I¡¯m sure they¡¯d be overjoyed,¡± Jing Hao spoke with barely hidden malice.


    This Prince Hao was in fact the older of Jing Shui¡¯s two half-brothers and the most likely to become the next emperor, but only if Jing Shui stayed out of the picture.


    By calling him to enter the palace again, Jing Hao¡¯s intention was clear as day. Firstly, he wanted to please the Emperor by bringing back his only legitimate son. Secondly, he wanted to draw Jing Shui out into the open and into his territory so that he could either scheme to discredit him completely or kill him off in secret.


    But Jing Shui was unable to think about all that right now. Just the thought of the imperial palace was enough to make Jing Shui¡¯s face pale. He did not want to go back to that place. He did not want to return to being so constricted and constrained, the constant feeling of suffocation pushing down upon him.


    Jing Hao took great pleasure in seeing this youthful-looking older half-brother of his panicking, the terror obvious on his face.


    Deciding to step in, Qinghe walked to stand in front of his friend, blocking him from that malicious gaze. ¡°In that case, please discuss this with Brother Jing¡¯s parents before you send a formal invitation to the Golden Sun Sect. Brother Jing Shui is currently a disciple there,¡± Qinghe spoke with a pleasant smile and a calm voice.


    Startling out of his daze, Jing Shui called, ¡°B-Brother Feng? Wh-Why are you¡­?¡± His friend already knew how he feared his past, so why would he tell his half-brother his location?!


    His attention shifting to the person who had suddenly put himself in from of him, Jing Hao blinked in surprise. This person standing before him was truly an elegant and stunning beauty, exactly his younger half-brother¡¯s type!


    Unlike with Jing Shui, Jing Hao¡¯s relationship with his younger half-brother was not bad despite them being borne of different concubine mothers. Jing Hao¡¯s lack of vigilance against him was because this younger half-brother was very incompetent and thus posed no threat to his position. Knowing his own lack of ability, this younger brother also strived to maintain a good relationship with his older half-brother, the both of them existing in relative harmony.


    The younger half-brother was called Jing Rui and was extremely fond of playing with beautiful people. And since Qinghe never used his appearance changing talismans when visiting Yan Lin, he was currently wearing his true face.


    One look at him and Jing Hao knew that his younger brother Jing Rui would be eager to have this person.


    And Jing Hao hoped that if he got Jing Rui another plaything to occupy his time with, then not only would he feel more favorable towards his older half-brother, he would also stay locked inside his palace and not bother with court politics until he was done playing with his new toy, thus staying out of Jing Hao¡¯s way for a few more weeks.


    No matter which way he looked, Jing Hao thought that it would be an excellent proposition for him.


    But this beautiful man also looked very straight-laced and prim, his posture belying self-assuredness. Jing Hao guessed that if he directly asked someone like this to become his younger brother¡¯s lover, then this person might not necessarily agree. So the best way would be to coax him into the palace along with Jing Shui to put down his guard, and then direct Jing Rui towards him.


    Jing Hao was very satisfied with this plan.


    And so, with an accommodating smile, Jing Hao spoke amiably to Qinghe, ¡°I see, thank you for telling me! So Elder Brother Shui has been at the Golden Sun Sect all along. No wonder even the imperial guards were unable to find him that time. It also explains why Elder Brother looks so young.¡±


    Then turning to Jing Shui, he continued, ¡°But it¡¯s time to stop playing with those monks or cultivators or whatever. All they know are petty tricks to make you seem young, that¡¯s all. Immortality and such things are simply scams that they use to lure you in and swindle you out of your money by squeezing you for donations. Elder Imperial Brother, it¡¯s time to come home again. Of course, you can bring along your friend as well.¡± Jing Hao¡¯s eager gaze was fixed on Qinghe as he spoke this last sentence, unaware that Qinghe was one of these ¡®swindling¡¯ cultivators he¡¯d spoken ill about just now.


    Jing Shui was still set rigidly in place, unable to move. Things were happening too fast, everything sliding quickly in the wrong direction. It was all Jing Shui could do to hold himself together rather than turning around and fleeing to escape from this situation.


    Qinghe spoke, replying to Jing Hao¡¯s hidden invitation, ¡°Then I would like to come along for a visit as well. But I do have one condition.¡±


    Pleased that the invitation had been accepted so easily, Jing Hao eagerly asked, ¡°What is it? If it is within this prince¡¯s abilities, then I shall definitely fulfill it!¡±


    Smile stretching wider, Qinghe spoke, ¡°I would like it if my lover could also come along with me. We are practically inseparable and I would hate for us to be apart. Can Your Highness arrange for him to accompany us?¡± Saying so, Qinghe pointed to the Wei Xiang who had been watching the goings-on with a sharply amused expression.


    Jing Hao froze for a second before easily agreeing, ¡°Of course! I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±


    Lover or whatever, all he¡¯d need to do was kill him off after he entered the palace. After all, the imperial residence was his playground!


    Or at least, that¡¯s what Jing Hao thought to himself conceitedly.


    Since none of them were wearing their respective cultivator robes or uniform, Jing Hao did not realize that Wei Xiang was a Sentinel. If not, he¡¯d never have been bold enough to invite him so easily. After all, the imperial palace and the imperial family itself were rife with rot and corruption. How could he be bold enough to willingly bring in a law enforcement officer?


    Qinghe thanked his lucky stars that this Prince Hao seemed to greatly underestimate them. It was a good thing that none of them wore their official robes today, especially Wei Xiang.


    At the back, Chen Xiande and Hei NingYu quietly watched the proceedings since they didn¡¯t know exactly what was going on. They only knew that Qinghe was scheming something yet again.


    They almost felt sorry for this imperial family that was courting disaster, or rather, voluntarily inviting it to come in for a visit.


    Not knowing this, Jing Hao felt quite pleased with himself as he got back into his carriage and spurred on the extravagant procession to keep moving forward.


    As the line of carriages disappeared down the road, Jing Shui finally shook himself out of his horrified stupor.


    Immediately turning to his betraying friend, Jing Shui began furiously, ¡°Brother Feng, how could you¨D!¡±


    Qinghe calmly interrupted him, ¡°Tell me, how has it been working out for you till now?¡±


    His tirade derailed so abruptly, Jing Shui sputtered, ¡°You¨D! What¡­? What are you saying?¡±


    Unperturbed, Qinghe repeated, ¡°I asked you how it has been working out for you till now. After running from your past for so long, did you succeed in leaving it behind?¡±


    Jing Shui blinked, unable to understand what his friend was trying to get at. ¡°I¡­¡± he began before trailing off, not knowing what to say or how to continue.


    As if having expected this reaction, Qinghe nodded. ¡°It still haunts you, doesn¡¯t it? You still fear returning so much that you even dream and have nightmares about it.¡±


    Hearing his fears laid out like this, Jing Shui could only say ruefully, ¡°Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have let you know about that.¡±


    Qinghe shook his head. ¡°This won¡¯t do. No matter how long you wait, your fear doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s going to disappear on its own. And since staying away from it isn¡¯t working, you have to face it head-on.¡±


    Jing Shui flinched. He did not want to do it.


    Sighing, Qinghe chided gently, ¡°What are you afraid of? You won¡¯t be alone this time. Am I not coming with you? Once we get there, if you feel that that place is unbearable enough that you have to leave, then I¡¯ll immediately bring you out. You are not bound to that place anymore.¡±


    Jing Shui lowered his head, not knowing what to say.


    The fact that his friend was taking time to accompany him despite his busy schedule said a lot about how much importance he placed on Jing Shui, and having Qinghe along would truly make him feel better.


    But the fear was still there. Jing Shui desperately didn¡¯t want to go back.


    Qinghe observed his friend¡¯s expression with a thoughtful gaze. Then he softly cajoled, ¡°If you cannot feel at ease with just me and Sentinel Wei, then why don¡¯t you invite Sect Master Wu as well?¡±


    Jing Shui¡¯s head snapped up as he stuttered flusteredly, ¡°W-W-Why would you bring him up?! What makes you think I would feel better with him tagging along?!¡±


    Blinking innocently, Qinghe asked in return, ¡°Oh? Brother Jing, what¡¯s the matter? You look very red.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not¡­¡± Jing Shui felt like he was choking on the torrent of words that wanted to jump out of his throat to refute this observation.


    Unheeding of his friend¡¯s difficulties in articulation, Qinghe continued, ¡°I simply thought that since Sect Master Wu and you seem to be close, you would feel more at ease with him.¡±


    Jing Shui wanted to yell that they were not close, but stopped himself. What was there to rebut? He really was close with Wu Xiao, almost more so than with his own master. And he realized that the thought of having Wu Xiao with him felt reassuring in a way that nothing else could compare to.


    Reluctantly, Jing Shui conceded, ¡°Well, I do think I¡¯ll feel better with him around, but¡­didn¡¯t you only ask invitations for three people? Or are you saying that you will leave your Sentinel Wei behind?¡±


    Qinghe looked at him with a raised eyebrow. ¡°So what if they only send three invites? If Sect Master Wu arrived with us, do you think they¡¯d dare turn him away at the risk of angering you? They¡¯ve finally gotten a chance to drag you back, so they will accommodate us as much as possible. Plus, showing up with an unexpected addition can catch them off-guard and will only be of benefit to us.¡±


    It need not be said that the second the imperial family heard of Jing Shui returning to visit with two of his friends, each of them would immediately begin plotting, their plans tailored around these three people. Having an unforeseen fourth person would naturally throw them off and render most of their carefully constructed schemes useless.


    Shaking his head, Jing Shui recognized these points and realized that his friend was right. He was indeed being too anxious.


    ¡°But Brother Feng, what if they do succeed in keeping me behind? What if¡­ What if they succeed in capturing me?¡±


    Qinghe gave Jing Shui a strange look. ¡°Brother Jing, we are cultivators, did you forget? Just what do you think can they do to restrain us? In addition, it seems that your family greatly looks down upon cultivators, so they shouldn¡¯t have many precautions, if any at all, against us.¡±


    ¡°But still¡­¡± Jing Shui was yet unable to let go of his deeply entrenched fears.


    Chuckling impishly, Qinghe continued to persuade, ¡°Don¡¯t you see, Brother Jing? The way they are plainly looking down on us is only going to make toying with them so much more easier! We are cultivators who can bring down the skies and overturn the seas, and yet they think us some petty charlatans who use tricks to hustle people of money. Inviting us in and trying to target us despite having such a limited and flawed understanding of their enemies, I truly think them pitiful beyond compare. What is there to be afraid of?¡±


    Blinking, Jing Shui realized that it was indeed true. It seemed that his mind was fogged too much by today¡¯s unexpected events for him to have such unreasonable doubts one after another.


    The group slowly resumed walking in silence as Jing Shui pondered upon his predicament and his friend¡¯s words.


    After a while, Chen Xiande unexpectedly broke the quiet as he asked, ¡°I still don¡¯t understand, why do these people look down on cultivators to this extent? Have they not considered how detrimental underestimating us can be?¡±


    Hei NingYu chuckled as he responded, ¡°Little Sheep, think about it this way: The cultivators have rarely shown themselves out in the open these past few millennia. Even if we venture out into the mortal world, we don¡¯t exactly go around parading the fact that we are cultivators. In fact, we actually go to great lengths to hide our identities, just like we¡¯re doing right now. As time passed, the people naturally forgot our past acts of glory, passing it off as exaggerated stories. After all, the lifespan of normal humans is short, their memory even shorter. It is inevitable that they would eventually forget our power and come to underestimate us like this.¡±


    Chen Xiande contemplated upon these words in thoughtful silence.


    In this way, they eventually reached the small sect that was their destination, preparing to activate the transportation array to return to their respective sects.


    Just as they were about to part, Qinghe said wryly to Jing Shui, ¡°It seems that in these last few days, we have both been unexpectedly visited by people from our pasts.¡±


    Thinking back to when he¡¯d brought Yan Lin to meet with Qinghe in the Heavenly Peak Sect, Jing Shui smiled at the irony. Then, activating the formation, he was transported back to the Golden Sun Sect.


    Since Wei Xiang and Hei NingYu were currently staying with their respective lovers, they joined Qinghe and Chen Xiande in returning to the Heavenly Peak Sect.


    Qinghe turned to Chen Xiande and asked amusedly, ¡°Senior Brother, tell me, do you also have someone who will one day come visit you suddenly like this?¡±


    Frowning in confusion, Chen Xiande asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Chuckling, Qinghe observed, ¡°Of us three friends, aren¡¯t you the only one left without someone showing up from your past out of the blue?¡±


    Chen Xiande looked startled and pleased as he asked, ¡°Friends? You consider me your friend?¡±


    Looking at him with befuddlement, Qinghe replied, ¡°But of course. I¡¯m sure that Brother Jing feels the same. Whatever made you doubt that? Or is it that you don¡¯t want to be considered the friend of two young brats like us?¡±


    Feeling happy as he listened to Qinghe¡¯s teasing tone, Chen Xiande answered, ¡°O-Of course that¡¯s not it. I wasn¡¯t sure, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Then you can be sure now,¡± Qinghe said simply.


    Hei NingYu looked at his little sheep and saw that he seemed really happy at the simple acknowledgment. Smiling softly, he looped his hand around his lover¡¯s waist as he merrily dragged him back to his room.


    Though Hei NingYu was staying together with Chen Xiande, they had barely fooled around. Chen Xiande instead insisted on spending most of his time cultivating and learning martial arts.


    He didn¡¯t want to be caught unprepared ever again!


    Last time when he had been captured by those people from Black Fang, he had caused his junior brother great trouble. He never wanted to encounter such a situation again where he was nothing but a burden. He wanted to be able to handle such matters on his own, and for that, he needed to cultivate more and gain more strength and expertise.


    So Chen Xiande had diligently gone to the library every day and brought back books and scrolls to look through. Or sometimes he would go search out various Elders to consult on his martial arts.


    Qinghe had also taken a lot of time to give him pointers about various things, often providing him with a variety of treasures and artifacts to help in his advancement. More often than not, Chen Xiande would be made to accompany him during these treasure-hunting excursions to improve his combat ability and to also let him gain some experience.


    And no matter how strenuous or intense Qinghe¡¯s training became, Chen Xiande simply grit his teeth and pushed on, knowing that once he got through this, he would get stronger.


    Watching all this from the sidelines, the disciples, Elders, and even the sect master of Heavenly Peak Sect all felt their impression of Chen Xiande growing better. Seeing him going through Qinghe¡¯s hellish ¡®education¡¯, they even felt some respect for his fortitude.


    After all, this was the Junior Brother Feng he had once so openly scorned. For him to so sincerely accept that very same junior brother¡¯s rigorous training, he must have surely had a change of heart. It could even be considered as him repenting for his past doings.


    And as they beheld his earnest and hardworking side that he had seldom shown before, the attitude of the people of the sect towards Chen Xiande greatly improved.


    Of course, all of this was exactly as Qinghe had planned. Things were proceeding precisely as he had predicted earlier while with Wei Xiang and the twins.


    Seeing yet another of Qinghe¡¯s well-intentioned schemes coming to fruition, the twins and Wei Xiang could only sigh in admiration.


    As they all spent their days in peace, time swiftly flew by.


    On one particular day, Qinghe received a message from Jing Shui. It stated that their invitations had arrived, formally requesting Qinghe and Wei Xiang, along with Jing Shui, to come and visit the imperial palace of the Yong Dynasty, the current rulers of the Xing Long Empire.


    Reading the message, Qinghe smiled.


    He was just about done with helping one friend, and it would soon be time to lend a hand to the other.

 Chapter 52: Making Arrangements

    The stars in the cloudless sky glinted with a frosty light, looking down upon the world with haughty indifference. During this dark night, the wind blew sharp and cold, ushering in mist that shrouded the Heavenly Peak Sect in its chilly embrace.


    Feng Qinghe strode soundlessly down the corridors, his feet making nary a sound as he walked. A few turns later, he stopped in front of a plain wooden door.


    Raising his hand, he lightly knocked as he called out, ¡°Senior Brother, may I ask you to please open the door?¡±


    The wooden door opened with a soft shush.


    Inside the plain room, Chen Xiande was sitting on the bed in lotus position, seemingly deep in meditation. By the bed, Hei NingYu was stretched lazily, one hand raised as if in a wave, indicating that he must have been the one to open the door.


    ¡°Is there something you want with my little sheep?¡± Hei NingYu inquired after lowering his hand.


    Qinghe intently studied the reposed man who made no motion to get up from his comfortable position on the floor.


    Then, with his usual smile, Qinghe spoke, ¡°No. In fact, I came here to ask Senior Brother if I could borrow you for a chat, Sect Leader Hei.¡±


    Hei NingYu raised a brow, not really surprised that Qinghe knew his identity. Getting up in a smooth motion, Hei NingYu walked towards the doorway as he said agreeably, ¡°Then by all means, let¡¯s have a chat.¡±


    As the two men left, they carefully closed the door behind them, mindful of the harmful night air entering and affecting the person serenely meditating inside.


    Qinghe led Hei NingYu outdoor and into an elegant garden. The duo entered a small gazebo covered in a dense canopy of slender, swaying vines. The gazebo was surrounded by small artificial streams on all sides but one, little flowers bobbing on the water¡¯s lightly undulating surface.


    Hei NingYu walked inside and promptly leaned against a pillar as if he was too lazy to even stand properly. In contrast, Qinghe stood opposite him with a straight posture, his eyes deep and shadowed as he looked at the other man.


    ¡°So?¡± Hei NingYu broke the strange silence. ¡°After evaluating me for these past few days, what is your verdict?¡±


    Upon hearing this, Qinghe was unsurprised. He had long since known that Hei NingYu was aware of his scrutiny. In truth, he would have been quite disappointed had he not figured it out by now.


    After all, people like Wu Xiao and Hei NingYu, who had lived for several tens or even hundreds of thousands of years, had complex personalities and a rich array of experiences under their belt. Qinghe knew that someone like him with only thirty-some years of life could not truly understand the depths of these people, nor did he want to try.


    In a calm voice, Qinghe stated his observation, ¡°You really do seem to have deep affections for Senior Brother.¡±


    Hei NingYu tilted his head curiously, not having expected this strange little disciple to be so straightforward and reasonable in his evaluation. He had expected more drama and threats to stay away from his senior brother, not such a simple statement that spoke more than it let on.


    In a frivolous tone, Hei NingYu declared, ¡°Of course I have deep affections for him! My little sheep is so adorable, after all.¡±


    For a second, Qinghe felt Hei NingYu¡¯s figure overlapping with Wu Xiao¡¯s as he proudly stated this, but he shook it off. Maybe being occasionally ridiculous like this was a common eccentricity among old men.


    With an amused glint in his eyes, Qinghe spoke, ¡°You keep calling him your ¡®little sheep¡¯, but you do realize that Senior Brother can also be quite the wolf? If not, there is no way he would have hated me so violently and kept up his grudge for so many years. His character is naturally not as simple as it seems.¡±


    Hei NingYu just shrugged. ¡°Of course I know. I saw it the moment we met. Do I really look like the sort who would want someone who can do nothing but be obedient? My little sheep is obviously more than that.¡±


    Chuckling, Qinghe replied, ¡°Oh? So you know that and still wish to stay with him? Then I hope you are prepared for when the wolf you call a sheep takes a bite out of you.¡±


    Hei NingYu laughed cheerfully.


    ¡°Oh, no, I would not mind it even a little bit,¡± he said, then blinked sultrily as he continued, ¡°In fact, I¡¯m very flexible when it comes to matters of bed. I don¡¯t mind switching positions at all.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°I do not need to know your private matters. Just treat him well, or else¡­¡±


    ¡°I know, I know,¡± Hei NingYu interrupted him while chuckling. ¡°You don¡¯t have to threaten me into it.¡±


    Qinghe simply continued looking at him with a sharp smile, a warning still evident in his half-lidded eyes. Such shallow words would hardly be enough to convince him.


    Seeing this, Hei NingYu sighed before explaining in a more serious and heartfelt voice, ¡°Since you seem to genuinely care about his happiness, I¡¯ll tell you this¡ªthough I am not at that point yet, I am sure that one day, Xiande will become my only reason to keep living. I have already tired of this world. I have long since let go of every other worldly attachment. I have only been living perfunctorily for a long while now, keeping myself alive out of habit. But now that I have him¡­¡± Hei NingYu¡¯s mouth stretched with a smile filled with obsession. ¡°I will stay with him until the end of our days.¡±


    Qinghe was thoughtful for a while as he digested this.


    Then in a casual tone, he noted, ¡°If Senior Brother ever wishes to part from you, then it seems that I¡¯d have to kill you before you¡¯d leave him in peace.¡±


    Grinning widely, Hei NingYu easily agreed, ¡°Yes, that is why I tell you this. Xiao Feng, no matter what happens, if it ever gets to the point where I start hurting Xiande to keep him with me, I think you know what to do. You and I are too similar in certain aspects, so I¡¯m sure you understand my meaning.¡±


    For a moment, Qinghe didn¡¯t know what to feel at being addressed in such a way. Then hearing the rest of Hei NingYu¡¯s words, he blinked in surprise before replying reluctantly, ¡°¡­Yes. I know.¡±


    Actually, even Qinghe had noticed that though neither of them behaved similarly on the outside, both he and Hei NingYu exhibited several common traits.


    For example, both their current selves were honed through the crucibles of untold painful experiences, but outwardly, they looked completely normal and unaffected by their hardships. They were both sharper than they let on, hiding a calculative heart under a seemingly harmless fa?ade. Only in front of their loved ones would they remove their masks.


    For Qinghe, this included the twins, Wei Xiang, his master, Jing Shui, and recently, Yan Lin and Chen Xiande as well. But for Hei NingYu, there was only one person he would deliberately let down his guard with, and that was Chen Xiande.


    Pushing aside these thoughts, Qinghe shifted his focus back to the person in front of him. Taking a deep breath, Qinghe spoke, ¡°One more thing. I want you to take Senior Brother with you and train him.¡±


    Hei NingYu raised an eyebrow in surprise. ¡°Oh? Weren¡¯t you supposed to be his educator?¡±


    Qinghe sighed and explained, ¡°Though he might not show it that often, Senior Brother is a prideful person. I¡¯m sure that he would prefer to learn from someone older and more experienced like you rather than someone younger like me. Plus, I am certain that you have a lot more knowledge than me that you could impart to him as well.¡±


    Narrowing his eyes, Hei NingYu asked, ¡°Are you trying to get rid of him because you think he¡¯d drag you down on your little excursion to the imperial palace?¡±


    Qinghe sighed at the accusation hidden in that sentence.


    Shaking his head, Qinghe decided to give up the main reason he¡¯d made this decision and spoke further, ¡°That¡¯s not it. Senior Brother is going to be the sect master one day, so I do not want him involved in whatever is going to happen in that place since it could be detrimental to his future prospects as the leader of the sect. So take him away and help him grow stronger like he wants to. I will ask the people of Lightning Sky Sect to lend you their Spirit Bewildering Forest for training. Make good use of it.¡±


    Receiving a more proper explanation, Hei NingYu showed a satisfied smile as he praised, ¡°I see that you¡¯ve planned his education well. You truly do make a surprisingly good mentor.¡±


    But Qinghe was utterly unmoved as he said, ¡°I¡¯m only doing what I think is necessary.¡±


    Then looking at the sky to determine the time, Qinghe spoke, ¡°We have talked enough. I hope you can depart soon. Please take good care of Senior Brother.¡±


    ¡°Of course I will!¡± Hei NingYu declared as he got ready to leave. ¡°Now that we have this settled, I have a certain little sheep that I have to prepare to eat~¡±


    With a merry twinkle in his eyes, Qinghe gestured to the exit as he said with mock solemnity, ¡°Then by all means, have a good meal.¡±


    Hei NingYu chuckled amusedly. ¡°Oh? That¡¯s all? Don¡¯t you have any other statements to make?¡±


    Confused, Qinghe asked, ¡°Like what?¡±


    In a more quiet tone, Hei NingYu replied, ¡°You know how he fears pain. Aren¡¯t you going to ask me to take care not to hurt him?¡±


    Qinghe looked away, not knowing how to respond to that. In an awkward voice, he finally said, ¡°That¡­ I¡¯m afraid that this is one thing I am unable to empathize with. I do not remember what it feels like to fear pain.¡±


    Pain had been such a constant part of his life during his time in the orphanage. Every day was spent with the numerous cuts and bruises he¡¯d gotten while fighting to defend himself or Yan Lin, the continuous throb and sting of it becoming a familiar thing. And even after he got out of that place, thinking that he¡¯d caused Yan Lin¡¯s death, he¡¯d unconsciously continued punishing and tormenting himself by putting himself in painful situations.


    Eventually, the feeling of pain itself was delegated to being just another sensation, something similar to the constant discomfort of dust and dirt on his skin or the ever-present feeling of being helpless and in danger while in the orphanage. It was unpleasant, but also manageable.


    To put it simply, Qinghe had become used to being in pain so much that he couldn¡¯t feel fear towards it anymore.


    Hei NingYu felt sympathy towards this young one who could say such words despite only having lived for a few decades. ¡°You¡¯re still young yet. Give it time and I¡¯m sure you will come to remember it again.¡±


    Chuckling lightly, Qinghe spoke, ¡°Shall I consider this to be advice from a senior? Then I will have to keep it in mind.¡±


    But Hei NingYu spoke seriously, his sharp and discerning gaze too piercing as he said, ¡°Feng Qinghe, you are not invincible. Stop treating yourself as if you are.¡±


    In the sudden silence, the sound of the cold wind whooshing around the gazebo sounded unnaturally loud.


    Then there was a soft chuckle.


    With bright eyes, Qinghe tilted his head and asked, ¡°From where does this concern come from?¡±


    ¡°He cares for you, so I naturally have to as well. Also, I do not necessarily dislike you, so you better heed my advice,¡± Hei NingYu said with rare sincerity in his voice.


    Qinghe peered intently at the other man before he blinked and turned away. Feeling strange that someone he barely knew was worrying about him, he replied noncommittally, ¡°Thank you for your concern. I¡­will keep it in mind.¡±


    Hei NingYu merely sighed. ¡°See that you do.¡±


    Straightening, he made to leave as he walked towards the gazebo¡¯s exit.


    But just as he reached the opening, Hei NingYu hesitated before turning and speaking, his pleasant voice flowing with a strange cadence, ¡°Feng Qinghe, you are like your name, you are like the wind, a free and unbridled existence that refuses to be contained or controlled. You can be kind and you can be cruel. You can gently gather seeds and deposit them in the nourishing ground, but you can also decisively uproot centuries-old trees with a single pull. That is a good quality to have for anyone, but especially so for a king. For you to have been honed to such a sharp edge despite your young life, I can see that Heaven has great expectations of you. Maybe it seeks to make you a ruler.¡±


    The unexpected words hung in the air, heavy with meaningful portent.


    With a calm gaze and a relaxed expression set in his cold face, Qinghe spoke firmly, ¡°I do not care about Heaven¡¯s expectations and I have no intention of ruling.¡±


    ¡°I know, but you definitely can choose to do so if you wish. You¡­would make a very good ruler.¡± So saying, Hei NingYu turned and swept out of the gazebo, leaving his words lingering behind him.


    Qinghe stared at the retreating back of his senior brother¡¯s lover with a deep gaze.


    After a while, he also left the gazebo, walking through the garden with a blank face.


    Suddenly stopping, Qinghe looked up at the stars with unfathomable eyes as he thought back on the conversation.


    A ruler? He did not need such a cumbersome title. He was more than satisfied with his current life.


    With the endless night sky reflecting in his eyes, Qinghe contemplated serenely.


    Those stars that twinkled so merrily from up above, how they must be looking down and laughing at the follies and arrogances of the earthbound beings.


    As Qinghe felt the weight of the world pressing down on him, his thoughts were abruptly derailed as warm arms suddenly enveloped him from behind.


    Materializing from the shadows, Wei Xiang couldn¡¯t help but embrace the lonely figure of his lover, unable to bear the sight of his beloved standing silhouetted against the cold sky that twinkled with indifferent starlight.


    Sighing in comfort, Qinghe felt his mood lightening as he smiled, leaning back into his lover¡¯s firm body. ¡°He says Heaven wants me to rule. What do you think?¡±


    Wei Xiang had of course been listening all along while staying hidden in the shadows.


    ¡°No one can crown you against your will. You might not be invincible alone, but as long as I stay with you, nothing and no one will hurt you or force you to become anything you don¡¯t want to be,¡± Wei Xiang stated confidently in his smooth and steady voice, the rumble of his chest vibrating against Qinghe¡¯s back.


    Shedding the last traces of melancholy, Qinghe chuckled at his lover¡¯s assured tone. ¡°That is something I never doubted.¡±


    They stayed like that for a while, a slender figure in white being hugged from behind by a larger figure in black.


    And slowly, as their beloved¡¯s warmth wrapped around and sunk into each other, heat suffused the couple¡¯s bloodstreams. Standing so close to their lover, both of their needs were gradually aroused.


    Qinghe closed his eyes, savoring the feeling of wanting someone, this yearning he felt to be as close to his Xiang as was physically possible. He had never thought he would have the chance to sample such an elusive sentiment in his life.


    While still staying in his beloved¡¯s embrace, Qinghe twisted his body to face Wei Xiang and leaned up to press their lips together. Lifting a leg, Qinghe looped it over Wei Xiang¡¯s waist, pulling their bodies closer until there was no space left between them.


    Sensing his little lover¡¯s ardent need, Wei Xiang let his hands slide down to cup his beloved¡¯s supple buttocks and hoisted him up by them. Qinghe obediently lifted his other leg to clamp around his lover¡¯s waist, locking his ankles behind Wei Xiang¡¯s lower back. Their bodies pressed together so tightly in this position, Qinghe could feel his lover¡¯s aroused hardness pressing against his own through their clothes, the sensation only increasing his appetite for his beloved.


    Not wasting any time, Wei Xiang immediately strode over to the shaded gazebo with his lover still hanging off of him. Qinghe chuckled happily into their ongoing kiss, delighted at the sensation of his lover¡¯s heated palms gripping his butt so firmly.


    The pair of lovers thus disappeared into the gazebo, shielded from watching eyes under the thick cover of draping vines.


    Soon, heated sounds of a couple engaging in passionate activities overflowed from the gazebo, the groans and moans that spilled into the garden an indication of the pleasant spring night the pair was enjoying.


    When seen from the arms of your beloved, even the white glint of the stars seemed warmer.


    ¡­¡­


    The next morning, Chen Xiande and Hei NingYu prepared to head into the territory of the demonic faction.


    As they were about to leave, Qinghe pulled Chen Xiande aside to give him some final words of advice.


    ¡°Senior Brother, I just want to remind you that the earth you wield is the most versatile of all elements. Please learn to make good use of it.¡±


    Chen Xiande blinked. ¡°Junior Brother, earth is one of the most stubborn and difficult elements to manipulate. How can you call it versatile? Compared to it, any other element can be considered more useful.¡±


    Shaking his head at this assessment, Qinghe refuted, ¡°That is not true. It might be somewhat tricky to wield, but earth can dam up water, block the flow of wind, and withstand the heat of fire. Plus, the element of earth can be found everywhere, even at the bottom of the ocean, so the environmental constraints an earth-wielder faces is much less compared to most. If one can master using it skillfully, then they would be a formidable force indeed.¡±


    Hearing this, Chen Xiande sunk into thoughtful silence. What his junior brother said was indeed true. Though it didn¡¯t appear so at first glance, his element did seem to have a lot of advantages over the others.


    Chen Xiande knew that as someone who wielded wind, his junior brother would not be able to help him all that much when it came to mastering the earth element, but the advice Qinghe gave was still very useful.


    And so, as Chen Xiande set out with his beloved for training, his resolve to become strong was burning brighter than ever before.


    Walking by Chen Xiande¡¯s side, Hei NingYu had on an enigmatic smile.


    He felt that it was finally time for him to exact the rest of the ¡®compensation¡¯ from his cute little sheep.


    And maybe, just maybe, he would have the pleasure of seeing the sheep turn into a wolf as well.

 Chapter 53: Welcoming Committee

    After leaving Heavenly Peak Sect, Chen Xiande and Hei NingYu headed for the demonic faction¡¯s territory.


    It had been decided early on that Chen Xiande would be staying there with Hei NingYu since it would be more convenient to easily enter the Spirit Bewildering Forest, and much more easier than constantly using transportation arrays to transfer back and forth between the Heavenly Peak Sect and the forest every day.


    The forest where Chen Xiande met Hei NingYu for the first time was situated at the border of the demonic faction¡¯s territory, and as it extended and curved along the border, it eventually melded into the Spirit Bewildering Forest. Thus, it could be said that the Spirit Bewildering Forest was situated relatively close to the demonic faction.


    Though technically the closest place to the Spirit Bewildering Forest was the Lightning Sky Sect, Chen Xiande personally preferred to stay at a place where he didn¡¯t have to fear being suddenly struck down by errant lightning without warning. Also, he was extremely curious to see just what kind of place Hei NingYu lived in.


    And so, the both of them traveled for several days, heading towards the place Hei NingYu called home¨Dthe Nine Gems Sanctuary.


    Nine Gems Sanctuary was the name of the abode of the demonic faction¡¯s sect leader and the place that housed the entire faction¡¯s core members, so even Chen Xiande had heard of it. Just by the fact that Hei NingYu lived there, Chen Xiande could already deduce how important his position must be in the demonic faction.


    With various such thoughts swimming in his mind, Chen Xiande absentmindedly walked beside Hei NingYu.


    The ignored Hei NingYu tried to gain his lover¡¯s attention by starting a conversation. ¡°Little Sheep, tell me something. What exactly do you see in that master of yours? Why do you respect him so much?¡±


    This should be enough to divert his attention and pique his interest, right? Hei NingYu hoped.


    And sure enough, hearing mention of his master, Chen Xiande immediately snapped to awareness. Frowning, he carefully sorted through memories long past before slowly replying, ¡°It started a long time ago, when I was still a child.¡±


    Hei NingYu happily asked, ¡°And? What happened?¡±


    After hesitating a bit, Chen Xiande finally began speaking again, ¡°Even before I was born, my father¨Dwho was the previous sect master of the Heavenly Peak Sect¨Dwanted me to someday attain the same position as him. I don¡¯t know what means he used, but he made the current sect master promise him that he¡¯d take me in as his head disciple so that I¡¯d have a chance at succeeding to the sect master¡¯s position. And to make sure that I got along well with my future master, my father told me of his various exploits. I grew up hearing of the legendary beasts Master vanquished and the spectacular feats he accomplished.¡±


    As he spoke, Chen Xiande¡¯s eyes grew distant and he smiled with remembered excitement.


    ¡°Master has saved so many people and is one of the most powerful cultivators of current times. He is admired and revered by many. He is kind and generous and so valiant! There was this one time when he personally led a few of us disciples to battle this demonic beast that was terrorizing a town and he was so magnificent as he fought it and¡­¡±


    Chen Xiande thus went on and on as he extolled upon the various virtues of his great master, his attention once again diverted to something other than his lover.


    At the side, Hei NingYu sighed, then smiled ruefully.


    After Chen Xiande finally wound down, he saw Hei NingYu¡¯s expression of affectionate exasperation and couldn¡¯t help but ask embarrassedly, ¡°What?¡±


    Shaking his head in amusement, Hei NingYu quickly replied, ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Then seriously looking ahead, he commented, ¡°We¡¯re already past the border. It will only be a few more hours till we reach the Sanctuary, so let me go ahead for a bit and explain the situation so that no one bothers us later.¡±


    Chen Xiande didn¡¯t understand the necessity of doing so, but rationalized that his beloved would obviously know better than him about what needed to be done.


    So, reluctantly, Chen Xiande nodded. ¡°Okay then, I¡¯ll stay here by the path, under this big tree. Come fetch me when you¡¯re done.¡±


    Hei NingYu nodded and bent to place a peck on his little sheep¡¯s forehead before he walked away, vowing to return as soon as possible.


    Watching his lover¡¯s back getting farther and farther away, Chen Xiande had to stop himself from chasing after him.


    Chen Xiande morosely settled himself under the tree to wait as he kept trying to reassure himself.


    He¡¯d come back. Of course he¡¯d come back. There was no way Hei NingYu would leave him here alone for long. There was no way he¡¯d abandon him¡­


    But buried as it had been in loneliness for centuries, Chen Xiande¡¯s heart remained anxious. Reason and rationality meant nothing when the notion that he was unwanted, that he would always be an unneeded existence, was embedded so deeply into his psyche.


    He had been excluded from other people¡¯s lives for so long. In the face of his past experiences, all his hopes were like so much smoke, dissipating into nothingness.


    Clenching his hands into fists, Chen Xiande tried to persevere.


    No, his lover was different. He would come back. He said he would!


    A faint rustle sounded and Chen Xiande immediately snapped his head up, eagerness and expectations rippling in his heart.


    But the person who stood in front of him was not Hei NingYu.


    ¡°Oh, dear, it seems we have a surprise visitor,¡± said a young woman clothed in black and purple, her hair a waterfall of pure, snowy white. ¡°And who might you be?¡± she asked Chen Xiande as she curiously sized him up, her black eyes glittering like gems.


    Another man emerged from the side, joining the young woman. He was extraordinarily buff, his clothes straining to contain his bulging muscles. In a stern, displeased tone, he queried, ¡°Is it an intruder?¡±


    ¡°Woah, he¡¯s a righteous cultivator!¡± exclaimed yet another person¡ªa young man who seemed to have leapt down from somewhere above. His eyes sparkled with interest as if he¡¯d found a rare treasure.


    Chen Xiande gulped. Who were these people?


    ¡°Sister Bai, can I take him apart?¡± the young man excitedly asked.


    The woman wordlessly reached out with a hand and smacked the young man over the head without a change in her expression. ¡°You idiot, did you forget? We can¡¯t go around killing people,¡± she spat with irritation.


    The young man pouted and rubbed the back of his head. ¡°But I didn¡¯t say I¡¯d kill him,¡± he cried, looking wronged. Then he grinned eerily, ¡°I only said I wanted to take him apart.¡±


    With a pale face, Chen Xiande shrunk back against the tree behind him, trying to minimize his sense of existence.


    Not caring about him, the woman turned and frowned at the young man. ¡°No,¡± she said simply.


    The young man¡¯s spirits visibly drooped.


    Then he turned and blinked his eyes pitifully at the other man. ¡°Brother Tian, can¡¯t I? Please?¡±


    The stern expression on the muscular Brother Tian¡¯s face twitched as if it would crack and fall off. ¡°Xiao Fu¡­you know we can¡¯t. The sect leader¡¯s rules state that¨D¡±


    Not giving him time to finish, the excitable Xiao Fu whined, ¡°But Brother Tian~ I¡¯ll take him apart and put him back together in no time, the sect leader won¡¯t even know! Plus, it¡¯s not like he¡¯s here these days anyway!¡±


    Brother Tian looked like he was on the verge of being convinced.


    The woman called Sister Bai scowled. ¡°Stop it, you both! And Brother Tian, do you think we can afford to keep secrets from the sect leader? Do you not remember what happened to Elder Suishan and the others? Do you need me to remind you what the cost of going against the sect leader is?!¡±


    Brother Tian seemed to have remembered something terrifying as he gave a fearful shiver. ¡°Sister Bai is right. We should just throw this righteous cultivator out and not get involved any more than that.¡±


    Not satisfied, Xiao Fu pouted and puffed his cheeks, looking like a squirrel with a mouth stuffed full of nuts. ¡°But I don¡¯t wanna let him go~ I don¡¯t wanna~ Don¡¯t wanna~¡±


    Sister Bai let out a breath in annoyance at the brat¡¯s whiny, singsong voice, but Brother Tian looked conflicted.


    Then, as if putting in the final nail on Chen Xiande¡¯s coffin, the bratty Xiao Fu looked at Brother Tian and blinked his eyes softly, two streams of clear tears slowly rolling down his rosy cheeks as he asked in a pitiful voice, ¡°Brother Tian¡­ Please, can¡¯t I?¡±


    It seemed that Brother Tian had at last reached his breaking point, for he sighed and finally gave in. ¡°Okay, but let¡¯s make it quick. Don¡¯t forget to put him back together properly.¡±


    Raising her hands as if giving up, Sister Bai spat out, ¡°You both can just do what you want, but I will not risk angering the sect leader.¡±


    And then she turned around and left in a huff, her figure swiftly fading away.


    As the two remaining men looked at Chen Xiande with predatory gazes, Chen Xiande wailed in his heart: Sister Bai, please come back and take me along with you! Your two martial brothers are too scary!


    But his heart¡¯s cries remained unanswered.


    Striding towards him with slow and deliberate steps, Xiao Fu let out a short, spine-chilling laugh as he said, ¡°Hello there! Let me show you the wonderful hospitality of the demonic faction¡¯s welcoming committee. I hope you enjoy our extra special treatment~¡±


    Chen Xiande¡¯s heart almost leapt up into his throat. The very thought of facing pain at these demonic cultivator¡¯s hands spurred him to act quickly.


    Without waiting for the duo to make their move, Chen Xiande pressed his palms against the ground and sent out a pulse of energy, commanding his element to gather around him.


    And the earth swiftly responded.


    Thick walls of soil rose up out of the ground and enveloped Chen Xiande, rapidly forming into a sturdy dome of hardened earth.


    A vague shout of surprise mixed with frustration came from the other side of the earthen walls, muffled by the thick layers of soil. Uncaring of the situation outside, Chen Xiande sent another command to the earth, opening up a tunnel into the ground.


    After these last few months of intense training, he was at the pinnacle of fourth realm and on the verge of breaking through to fifth realm. His control over his element and his skill level had also greatly improved. And unlike the last time when he was so easily captured by Hei NingYu, this time, Chen Xiande was far calmer, his actions more decisive. He remembered his junior brother¡¯s teachings¨Dnever panic, always leave yourself a way out, and never be predictable.


    Jumping into the mouth of the long tunnel that had opened by his feet, Chen Xiande slid down. Dirt and loose mud rubbed over his knees and elbows as he made his power push apart the earth in front of him while trying to avoid any roots or animal burrows as it dug in. As an earth-wielder, Chen Xiande was thankfully resistant to claustrophobia and thus didn¡¯t mind squeezing through the narrow underground tunnel at all.


    And as he went deeper into the ground, Chen Xiande rapidly closed the tunnel¡¯s mouth and the rest of the passage behind him. The earth dome might not last long enough, so he took precautions by hiding his escape route just in case.


    The farther in he went, the more of the tunnel he closed, until he reached the other side and completely blocked it off, leaving no sign of the tunnel or its mouth on the flat ground.


    He had made the tunnel¡¯s exit to be quite a way off from the dome, so breathing a sigh of relief, Chen Xiande took a few minutes to relax. His pursuers must have lost his trail by now. Unless he did something to give away his location, he should be safe.


    Thinking this, Chen Xiande cheerfully took a step forward, only to walk into a strand of spiritual awareness someone had left behind.


    Chen Xiande froze for a moment in incredulity. His luck really couldn¡¯t be this bad, could it?


    But facts proved that it indeed was.


    Fearing that he might have alerted his pursuers of his location, Chen Xiande swiftly leapt up, wanting to leave by stepping on the branches of nearby trees to hide his trail and avoid any further mishaps. But before he could get far, a formation lit up underneath him, triggered by the strand of energy he had just pulled.


    Chen Xiande tried to speed up, but thick green vines shot up out of the ground and wound around him. His escape thwarted, Chen Xiande struggled furiously, but the vines only tightened around him.


    Feeling his breath slowly being squeezed out of his chest, Chen Xiande gasped. He felt his bones aching and grew desperate.


    No! He didn¡¯t want to hurt! He didn¡¯t want to feel pain!


    Despite his training these past months, Chen Xiande had still not let go of his fear of pain. But with his richer variety of experiences, he was now better equipped to deal with it.


    On top of that, Chen Xiande could sense that though these green vines had spiritual energy running through them, they were not alive, they were merely plant-based constructs, so he had no qualms about hurting them.


    Therefore, Chen Xiande unhesitatingly summoned sharpened rocks to fly out of the ground and attack the thick vines that had almost completely wrapped him up by now. The rocks sliced and cut at the green vines, slowly injuring them and breaking them apart until they eventually snapped.


    Feeling his bindings loosening before finally giving away, Chen Xiande took this chance to immediately leap down, aiming his landing outside the formation.


    Panting for breath, Chen Xiande rested for a moment on the ground. Then getting up, he hurriedly ran.


    Since this location was already made known to his pursuers due to the triggered formation, they might show up here at any second now.


    Just as soon as he thought that, he felt a whoosh pass by his cheek. Chen Xiande halted instinctively. Embedded in the tree trunk in front of him was a large axe, its body still faintly quivering from the force of the throw.


    From behind him, he heard the eerie singsong voice of that young man called Xiao Fu. ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t run away~ Stay here and let¡¯s play, play, play~¡±


    Nervous sweat beaded on Chen Xiande¡¯s brow as he slowly turned around.


    The two men, Brother Tian and Xiao Fu, were standing just a few meters behind him. It seemed that he had not escaped in time after all.


    Afraid that Chen Xiande would somehow slip from their grasp again, Brother Tian quickly jumped towards him, his leap too fast to be seen by the naked eye.


    By instinct, Chen Xiande jumped to the side, but he still failed to evade the two muscled arms that clamped onto his shoulders with force.


    Before he knew what happened, Chen Xiande was pinned to the ground by Brother Tian, his strong hands restraining Chen Xiande¡¯s slender arms and his powerful knees pressing down his legs.


    Rendered immobile, Chen Xiande could only watch with wide eyes as Xiao Fu slowly walked towards him, a broad, creepy grin stretched across his face.


    Xiao Fu waved his hands and more green vines wriggled out of the ground, forming into bands around Chen Xiande¡¯s wrists and ankles. His work done, Brother Tian got up and moved to the side to supervise, retrieving his axe from the tree on the way.


    Chen Xiande tried to command the earth once more, urging it to tear apart the vines binding him. The earth answered his call and he felt the soil under him lightly beginning to shift¨D


    A sudden, sharp pain shot through Chen Xiande¡¯s stomach and shattered his concentration.


    ¡°AHHH!¡± Chen Xiande couldn¡¯t help letting out a scream of agony at the burst of biting pain eating at his nerve endings.


    As he strained to jerkily look down, he saw that Xiao Fu was stepping on him, the heel of his shoe digging into the lightly muscled abdomen as he ruthlessly crushed the organs within.


    ¡°Are you done yet?¡± Xiao Fu asked with a giggle.


    Chen Xiande couldn¡¯t focus through the pain to get anything out.


    Giving a satisfied huff, the young man maintained this position as he took out a roll of leather from his spatial storage. As he opened it, neat rows of glinting tools could be seen, each one carefully tied to the stretch of leather. Choosing a gleaming scalpel from among them, Xiao Fu lightly held it up as if admiring it.


    In a casual tone, he asked, ¡°Tell me, Mister Righteous Cultivator, how do you feel knowing that this little piece of metal will soon be going deep inside you? Do you think it will be cold? How do you think it will feel when its tip oh-so-lightly scratches the walls of your organs? Hey, tell me, won¡¯t you?¡±


    Xiao Fu looked at Chen Xiande expectantly, his eyes bright and shining, his wide smile brilliant enough to be blinding.


    Hearing Xiao Fu¡¯s words, Chen Xiande felt his breaths speeding up in panic. He was beginning to hyperventilate due to the impending horror that he knew would befall him. His vision was slowly darkening at the edges.


    This was more than he could handle, he was about to faint.


    But Chen Xiande felt that it was a good thing, because he didn¡¯t want to be awake for whatever was going to happen next.


    He didn¡¯t want to remember the feeling of someone cutting into his body and poking at his innards. He didn¡¯t want to drag around the physical or psychological shadow such an experience would cast over him.


    And so, he chose to sink into the peaceful darkness that was slowly enveloping him as his awareness began to blur and fade.


    Chen Xiande closed his eyes, preparing to welcome the loss of consciousness.


    He felt the foot on his stomach shifting as the young man bent down. He could almost feel the cold emitted by that glinting blade as it neared his skin¡­


    And then the world screeched to a halt.


    The entirety of their surroundings seemed to fall into a frightened hush. A heavy presence pressed down, like the boundless, unbearable weight of the ocean. The air itself seemed to thicken and crackle with barely suppressed fury and violent intent.


    Feeling that something had changed, Chen Xiande blearily opened his eyes and struggled to focus his sight even as his chest heaved up and down in rapid, panicked motions.


    The foot pressing him down suddenly retreated, but the pain in his stomach did not abate. As silent tears brimmed in his eyes, drawn out due to the pain and fear, Chen Xiande turned his head to see a familiar figure striding towards him.


    Hands with strong, slender fingers reached down and lifted him up, the vines wrapped around his wrists and ankles passively falling away. The familiar scent of rain-dampened slate enveloped him as Chen Xiande felt himself being cradled against a warm chest. Silky strands of hair fell from above and slid over his cheek, tickling him lightly, softly.


    ¡°Xiande?¡±


    Hearing that familiar voice calling his name, Chen Xiande let his tears spill out of his eyes as he buried his face in that black-clothed chest.


    ¡°You came,¡± he spoke hoarsely, a faint hint of complaint detectable in his voice.


    The strange pressure in the air finally lifted, disappearing.


    Now that he was back in Hei NingYu¡¯s arms, the fear retreated like waves of the ocean pulling back. Chen Xiande forced himself to retain his consciousness and push back the beguiling darkness. He didn¡¯t need to hide from the pain anymore. His beloved wouldn¡¯t let him be hurt.


    ¡°Little Sheep, are you alright?¡± Hei NingYu asked in a gentle tone, as if he were afraid of breaking him by speaking any louder.


    ¡°It hurts,¡± Chen Xiande grumbled, closing his eyes.


    A smooth, round pill was pushed against his lips and Chen Xiande trustingly opened his mouth and took it in. As he swallowed the pill, he could feel an intense warmth spreading through his body. Slowly, all his aches and pains faded away, including the throbbing brought on by his bruised abdomen.


    Letting out a breath of relief at finally being freed from the pain, Chen Xiande snuggled in closer. He needed this, needed to feel the warm care and concern of his beloved, he needed to feel cherished.


    And as if sensing his thoughts, Hei NingYu placed his warm lips over his forehead and brushed little kisses against his cheeks soothingly, affectionately.


    Chen Xiande murmured in contentment.


    Then his eyes snapped open as he suddenly remembered¡ªthis was not the time to be cuddling! There were still threats nearby!


    With anxious eyes, Chen Xiande looked around, his gaze finally settling on the two figures of Xiao Fu and Brother Tian¡­


    ¡­who were kneeling submissively, prostrating meekly with their foreheads pressing against the ground.


    What happened to them?


    As if sensing Chen Xiande¡¯s gaze, Xiao Fu snuck a peek towards him, then loudly proclaimed, ¡°Please, forgive us! We didn¡¯t know you were Sect Leader Hei¡¯s lover!¡±


    With a cold snort of disdain, Hei NingYu spoke, ¡°Are you saying that if he were not my lover, you wouldn¡¯t feel remorse for your actions?¡±


    Xiao Fu¡¯s face paled, his creepy grin nowhere to be found. ¡°O-Of course not! Th-That¡¯s not what I meant at all! Please, may Sect Leader have mercy, we know our wrongs!¡±


    Hearing Xiao Fu address Hei NingYu like that, Chen Xiande¡¯s mind was spinning chaotically.


    Did he hear that right? Did that young man really just call his lover the Sect Leader?!


    Chen Xiande¡¯s mind went blank for a moment.


    Then reaching out, Chen Xiande pulled at Hei NingYu¡¯s sleeve, motioning for him to bend down.


    Realizing that his little sheep had heard their words just now, Hei NingYu was greatly anticipating his reaction to this revelation, and so he eagerly bent down to see what Chen Xiande wanted to tell him.


    Knowing that he was the sect leader of the entire demonic faction, how would his little sheep react?


    Not sensing the expectation in his lover¡¯s gaze, Chen Xiande asked in a whisper, ¡°Why are they calling you their Sect Leader? Is the Sect Leader your twin or something?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Hei NingYu was flabbergasted.


    In his aggrieved heart, he thought: Am I not majestic enough? Was my arrival not imposing enough? Why do you not even consider the possibility that they¡¯re referring to me?!


    Not knowing his beloved¡¯s thoughts, Chen Xiande continued, ¡°Well, whatever. It¡¯s good that they¡¯re mistaking you for their sect leader. If you play it up, we can easily get out of this situation.¡±


    Chen Xiande sent his speechless lover an encouraging look.


    Hei NingYu suddenly felt that this game of hiding his identity was not fun at all!

 Chapter 54: Disciplinary Action

    This was not at all the entertaining moment of revelation Hei NingYu had thought it would be!


    His lover was the one who was supposed to be stunned due to this situation. So why was he the one who ended up becoming speechless instead?


    With a strange mix of emotions on his face, Hei NingYu confessed, ¡°Xiande¡­they¡¯re not mistaking me for anyone. I really am their Sect Leader.¡±


    As if to stab his heart once more, Chen Xiande questioned doubtfully, ¡°You¡¯re the sect leader? Really?¡±


    Facing his little sheep¡¯s suspicious and disbelieving look, Hei NingYu¡¯s heart shed tears of blood.


    Was he really so unimpressive? Hei NingYu had never before had to doubt himself like this.


    So, with a sardonic tone, he asked, ¡°Why are you so doubtful? Do I not look enough like a sect leader to you?¡±


    Chen Xiande studied his lover for a bit before seriously shaking his head. ¡°Not really.¡±


    Hearing those nonchalant words, Hei NingYu¡¯s heart was stabbed once more, letting out another spurt of blood.


    But then Chen Xiande surprisingly continued, ¡°I expected that the demonic faction¡¯s sect leader would be someone more¡­unpleasant, with an evil aura and cold, dead fish eyes. But you¡¯re such a beautiful, nice and wonderful person, how could I even guess that you would be their sect leader?¡±


    With those few words, Hei NingYu¡¯s wounded heart felt like it had healed right back up, and a wide, happy smile bloomed on his face.


    Seeing this, the two kneeling men at the side wanted to weep as they realized just how much their sect leader was wrapped around this righteous cultivator¡¯s little finger. If their sect leader truly placed this person in such an important position in his heart, then weren¡¯t they screwed?


    As if in answer to their fears, Hei NingYu¡¯s gaze turned cold and suddenly cut in their direction.


    ¡°Now, how should I punish you both for causing such distress to my little sheep?¡± he spoke with frightening calm.


    Chen Xiande turned his face away from the kneeling people and buried his head back into his lover¡¯s embrace, showing no signs of wanting to help them. He was not like his junior brother who would forgive anyone no matter how much he himself was hurt.


    Before his personality was suppressed by his time at the sect, Chen Xiande had been an arrogant, high-spirited, and spiteful person. His eyes would burn with ambition, his posture filled with confidence and assertiveness.


    But after he entered the sect and was condemned by others for the way he became the head disciple, he was denied any human contact aside from the most basic of pleasantries. As time passed, he felt his previous exuberance and self-assuredness shriveling as he was marginalized and pushed away over and over again. Facing such treatment for so long, his character naturally became more introverted and unconfident.


    And then came Feng Qinghe.


    Seeing this junior brother of his so easily receiving all those things that he sought with such desperation, Chen Xiande¡¯s emotions regained their intensity for the first time in a long while. He channeled all his suppressed negativity into hate and directed it towards this person who seemed so overly perfect that it made Chen Xiande yearn to expose his flaws.


    If his master found that this seemingly ideal junior brother was also like him¡ªa wretched, flawed being¡ªthen would he treat them both the same way? Would he also look at Chen Xiande with the same soft eyes and kind smile? Would his master then affectionately try to pat him on the head too?


    Chen Xiande knew that his hopes and expectations were unreasonable. But he needed something to keep this rekindled intensity in him alive. And so he fed it with his hate and envy.


    In this world, no person was made of only black and white.


    Chen Xiande was softly innocent and guileless in some ways, but he was also intensely passionate and unyielding in a lot of other ways. This was something both Feng Qinghe and Hei NingYu realized within moments of meeting him.


    This was why Hei NingYu felt so deeply infatuated with his little sheep back then in the forest despite having only met him for the first time.


    This was why Qinghe was so confident that his senior brother would make a good sect master who could keep their sect together.


    With so many conflicting personality traits having developed in him, Chen Xiande could be especially good at adapting and reacting to various circumstances by looking from various perspectives. And according to the situation¡¯s need, he could either be softhearted or hardhearted.


    And now, Chen Xiande decisively turned away, showing not even a hint of softness as he refused to plead for his tormentors. They had made him suffer, so why shouldn¡¯t they have to pay for that? It was only fair.


    Hei NingYu already knew that his little sheep wouldn¡¯t object to his methods, so he carefully set his lover down while explaining, ¡°I don¡¯t want their blood to dirty you, so stay here and just watch, alright?¡±


    Chen Xiande made no complaints as he quietly sat down on the ground, his back resting against a tree. Raising a hand, Chen Xiande gently patted the rough bark he was leaning against.


    It was this tree that the axe had been flung into before, leaving behind a deep gash even after the weapon had been retrieved. And Chen Xiande naturally felt sad that the tree was hurt.


    Unlike the cruelties humanity perpetrated, plants and non-living things would never hurt someone on purpose. After all, even if a knife stabbed into a person, it did not do so of its own volition, but because of the will of its wielder. So Chen Xiande firmly believed in the innocence of plant life and inanimate objects, and he felt especially troubled when plants were hurt.


    It might be a strange way of thinking, but as someone who was hurt so much by the thoughtless actions of other humans, as someone who¡¯d had to ease his loneliness by talking to trees and other things, thinking like this felt natural for Chen Xiande.


    As Chen Xiande was thus lost in his philosophical ponderings, Hei NingYu, on the other hand, was slowly striding towards the trembling figures of Xiao Fu and Brother Tian that were cowering on the ground.


    Hei NingYu seemed exceedingly calm on the outside as he walked forward with stately steps, however on the inside, he was boiling with rage.


    If that young lady with white hair called Bai-something-or-the-other hadn¡¯t come to him in time to tell him what these two were planning, who knew how many pieces he would have found his beloved little sheep scattered in?!


    For his lover to be in such danger in his territory, for someone to hurt him despite his fear towards pain, this was unacceptable!


    If the Sentinels hadn¡¯t outlawed murder and soul torture, these two quivering idiots would have long since become minced meat, their souls burning in one of those furnaces of the damned that the previous sect leader had so loved to use on his enemies.


    Thankfully, when it came to the demonic faction, the rules set by the Order of Sentinels regarding discipline were somewhat more¡­flexible. This was because most of the dark arts practitioners were people kicked out of the righteous faction for disruptive and unlawful behavior. A gentle slap on their wrists would hardly be enough to keep these sorts of people in line.


    No, to control this troublesome lot, some special methods needed to be used while carrying out disciplinary action.


    Thinking this, Hei NingYu reached for the huge axe resting beside the bulky Brother Tian and easily lifted it up using nothing but the strength in his slender fingers.


    Hefting up the weapon, he commanded brusquely, ¡°Stand.¡±


    Seeing that the Sect Leader¡¯s keen black eyes were focused on him as he spat out this order, Brother Tian gulped and stood up.


    Without warning, Hei NingYu lifted a long leg and kicked him in the stomach.


    Before he could even comprehend what had happened, Brother Tian was flying back, his body hitting a sturdy tree with a thud. His back creaked at the strong impact, blood leaking from the corner of his grimacing lips.


    Hei NingYu lightly swung the axe, and with a flashing glint of metal, Brother Tian¡¯s right hand was chopped off cleanly at the elbow. Vivid crimson sprayed outward in spurts.


    The large man cried out as the pain blasted up his arm, a long scream dragged out of him. Brother Tian slumped back against the tree, unable to adjust to the sudden loss of his limb.


    But Hei NingYu was hardly done.


    He lifted the axe again and sliced through Brother Tian¡¯s right shoulder until the axe blade went through flesh and bone before embedding into the tree trunk further behind. A large splash of blood arced out of the fresh injury and splattered over Hei NingYu¡¯s robe, the vividness of the red looking like it was swallowed up by the deep black. Hei NingYu remained indifferent to the stains on his clothing as if it were not worth noticing.


    Pinned against the tree by his own weapon, Brother Tian howled in agony. His left hand jerkily tried to reach for the axe handle so that he could take it out.


    A cold chuckle sounded as Hei NingYu spoke, ¡°Sure, go ahead and remove it if you don¡¯t mind me removing your other arm as well.¡±


    Brother Tian stilled, a fierce chill running down his spine. Reluctantly, he lowered his hand, miserable groans still spilling out of him.


    Satisfied by his obedience, Hei NingYu¡¯s gaze now shifted to the still-kneeling Xiao Fu.


    As he beheld his sect leader¡¯s ruthless and swift actions, Xiao Fu¡¯s heart was filled to the brim with regret. He and Brother Tian should have listened to Sister Bai when she warned them before. Their sect leader truly wasn¡¯t someone to be trifled with.


    And seeing that this fearsome person was now heading towards him, Xiao Fu almost wet his pants in terror.


    Hei NingYu beckoned with a finger in an elegant motion and the scalpel in Xiao Fu¡¯s grip flew out and landed in his hand.


    In a thoughtful tone, Hei NingYu spoke while studying the scalpel, ¡°Hmm, not bad. It¡¯s a well-made blade and seems to be properly cared for. I gather that you use this often?¡±


    Xiao Fu pressed his face further into the mud as if trying to bury it. He didn¡¯t dare answer this casually asked question.


    Hei NingYu suddenly flicked the fingers holding the scalpel and the blade shot out, piercing through Xiao Fu¡¯s hand and pinning it where it lay on the ground.


    His head jerking up, Xiao Fu let out a shrill shriek, his other hand wrapping around his wrist. But having learnt his lesson from what happened to Brother Tian, Xiao Fu didn¡¯t attempt to remove the scalpel even as he howled in agony.


    Not giving him time to do anything more, Hei NingYu lifted his leg and stomped down on Xiao Fu¡¯s raised head, forcing the young man¡¯s cheek to be pressed back into the ground with force.


    ¡°Who gave you permission to lift up your head?¡± Hei NingYu asked in a conversational tone. His lips were curved up in a pleasant smile, his dark eyes glittering with reflected light.


    At the side, Chen Xiande marveled at the scene. It was the same expression he saw on his lover¡¯s face so many times, and yet it felt undeniably different. Coldness, fury, and arrogance exuded from that usually relaxed figure, an aura of sharp bloodthirst flowing around him like a billowing mantle.


    Grinding his foot with a casual expression, Hei NingYu drove Xiao Fu¡¯s face further into the mud, uncaring of the young man¡¯s tears or pleas.


    ¡°S-Sect Leader, please¡­please, it hurts. It hurts! Please, stop!¡±


    In an almost amused tone that belied the stark coldness in his eyes, Hei NingYu asked, ¡°Oh, it hurts? Then tell me, did you stop even though you knew you were hurting my lover? Did you care about the pain you caused him?¡±


    Xiao Fu simply sobbed harder.


    Why didn¡¯t he listen to Sister Bai? Why did he have to get so excited over a righteous cultivator? Why did he try to break the rules set by his sect leader?


    If he had only used his common sense, he wouldn¡¯t be in such a desperate situation.


    He felt so helpless, he did not have the power to resist the sect leader for even a second. The other man was the previous grandmaster of the entire cultivational world, an entity who had lived for more than hundreds of thousands of years. Someone of Xiao Fu¡¯s level could not even dare to imagine standing up against such a being. All he could do was surrender and hope that he could escape with his puny life.


    Seeing the resignation and acceptance in the young man¡¯s eyes, Hei NingYu was satisfied. These two members of his faction had been particularly easy to discipline, so he decided to let them off for now.


    Removing his foot, Hei NingYu spoke calmly, ¡°Attend to yourselves, then go to the punishment room and await your sentence.¡±


    Xiao Fu and Brother Tian let out breaths of relief. It seemed that in the presence of his lover, the sect leader didn¡¯t want to display his usual extent of cruelty.


    Afraid their sect leader would change his mind, Xiao Fu and Brother Tian hurriedly extracted their respective weapons stuck through their bodies and got up. They hastily gave their sincere thanks and fled, heading straight for the punishment room. They wouldn¡¯t even dream of defying their sect leader again! Who knew if they¡¯d be as lucky the next time.


    Having been spectating from the side all this time, Chen Xiande looked at the backs of the swiftly retreating figures with unfathomable eyes.


    Finished with administering discipline to his unruly sect members, Hei NingYu expressionlessly took out a handkerchief and began meticulously wiping away the blood splatters on his clothes. He didn¡¯t want to contaminate his beloved little sheep with this filth when he held him close after this.


    Having recovered almost all of his strength due to the pill he¡¯d consumed before, Chen Xiande felt that it was finally okay for him to move now. So he got up and walked to his lover before taking the cloth from his hands.


    Hei NingYu frowned, ¡°Xiande, you shouldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    Not heeding his lover¡¯s objections, Chen Xiande began gently wiping away the blood on Hei NingYu¡¯s clothes with the cloth. His brows were furrowed as his hands moved with delicate care.


    Seeing his little sheep so earnestly attending to him, Hei NingYu swallowed down his words and silently enjoyed the attention, the coldness in his eyes finally thawing into pools of tender warmth.


    ¡­¡­


    After that little interruption, the couple arrived at the Nine Gems Sanctuary unimpeded.


    The Sanctuary consisted of nine sprawling courtyards, each named after a gem. The buildings were constructed to exude a sense of understated elegance and furnished very tastefully. The main theme seemed to be black and light grey, but other colors were also occasionally mixed in. A heavy feeling of age gave the entire place a stateliness and majesty that would be impossible to emulate otherwise.


    After entering the Sanctuary, the pair of lovers took a less often used side path to walk on since Hei NingYu didn¡¯t want his time with his precious little sheep to be interrupted by annoying passersby.


    As Chen Xiande walked over the worn stone path, he curiously studied the buildings. They were covered with black glazed tiles at the top, the sharp corners of the triangular roofs lightly curved up. Positioned on each of these corners were palm-sized bright gems, each gem corresponding to the courtyard¡¯s name.


    At the center of each courtyard was a tall and thin tower that rose up as if to pierce the skies. A sense of forbidding might seemed to emanate from these mysterious structures.


    Noticing the direction of his little sheep¡¯s gaze, Hei NingYu took the initiative to explain, ¡°The entire sanctuary has nine such towers, one for each courtyard. Each tower holds one part of the core to the great barrier that protects the Sanctuary. Unless all these cores are broken, the barrier will not fall.¡±


    Chen Xiande was startled at the amount of trust Hei NingYu was showing him by telling him such important information.


    But then Hei NingYu took it a step further by confessing, ¡°Though that¡¯s what they all think, the truth is much more complicated. Each segment of the array core is sealed in a different pocket space within the towers. Only the sect leader¡¯s blood given freely can open each of the pocket spaces. If there is even the slightest of unwillingness while the blood is given, it won¡¯t work. Coercion and blackmail are thus futile.¡±


    Then bending down, Hei NingYu looked into Chen Xiande¡¯s eyes, affection warming his gaze as he spoke, ¡°But if my little sheep wants me to, I will willingly give you all the blood in my body~¡±


    Hearing such heartfelt words of love spoken in such a flirty tone, Chen Xiande could only look at his beloved helplessly.


    With solemnity weighing his voice, Chen Xiande stated in reply, ¡°And if you asked me to, I would also give you all of my blood and body, and even my soul if you so wish. As long as I can make you happy, I don¡¯t even need to be able to reincarnate.¡±


    Hei NingYu¡¯s expression became serious. ¡°Those are not words to be said lightly, Xiande.¡±


    With a light flush across his face, Chen Xiande continued looking steadily into his lover¡¯s deep eyes as he replied, ¡°I know, NingYu.¡±


    A delicate atmosphere spread between the couple, a thread of poignant connection formed due to shared affection and mutual understanding.


    Hearing his name being called so intimately by his lover for the first time, Hei NingYu felt his heart racing. The blood pumping in his veins seemed to heat up, igniting his need to hold his little sheep in his arms as they shared their bodies.


    Reaching out a hand, Hei NingYu brushed his fingertips across his beloved¡¯s fair cheek. ¡°Xiande, I want you now. Shall I ask you to pay the rest of the compensation you owe me?¡±


    Chen Xiande blinked dazedly for a while before he understood what Hei NingYu meant. ¡°Y-You¡­want us to¡­right now?¡±


    Hearing him stammering in nervousness, Hei NingYu clarified, ¡°You should know that if you do not wish to, I will never force you.¡±


    Blushing furiously, Chen Xiande refuted in a soft voice, ¡°W-Who said I don¡¯t want to¡­do that with you?¡±


    Hei NingYu¡¯s fingertips slowly slid down those silky cheeks and rubbed against those tender lips. ¡°It is going to hurt and I know how you dislike pain. Are you saying that you are still willing?¡± he asked to confirm.


    Unable to meet Hei NingYu¡¯s burning gaze, Chen Xiande looked down and nodded, looking demure as he spoke, ¡°Yes, I¡­I am willing.¡±


    Hei NingYu¡¯s eyes darkened, shining with barely suppressed lust.


    Without needing his little sheep to say any further, Hei NingYu swept him up off his feet, carrying a surprised Chen Xiande in his arms as he strode with swift, urgent steps towards his courtyard.


    Chen Xiande barely had the chance to notice that the gems on the roofs on Hei NingYu¡¯s courtyard were all black before he was quickly carried inside.


    Due to the speed at which Hei NingYu whooshed through the other rooms, all Chen Xiande saw of the inside was a quick blur. And then they reached the bedroom.


    Hei NingYu carefully set his little sheep on the bed and Chen Xiande settled comfortably on his knees. He looked up at Hei NingYu still standing by the bedside and saw that his dark gaze was focused on him hungrily.


    ¡°Little Sheep, you are sure?¡± Hei NingYu asked once more.


    Chen Xiande finally showed a displeased expression. Just how many times were they going to go through this same question and answer routine?


    Deciding to show his reply through actions rather than words, Chen Xiande reached out and quickly took ahold of Hei NingYu¡¯s robes. In swift motions, he began undressing his lover, his hands moving impatiently.


    Despite his own raging need, Hei NingYu raised an eyebrow and commented with humor, ¡°My little sheep is so eager to taste me. You¡¯re going to make me blush at this rate.¡±


    Chen Xiande had had enough of this teasing. He pulled Hei NingYu down by the collar of his loosened clothes and tilted his head so that their lips met. Mouth clamped over moist mouth as their tongues reached out to wrap against each other, caressing and sliding in an excited rhythm.


    As his mouth worked, Chen Xiande kept moving his hands and finally succeeded in removing all of Hei NingYu¡¯s robes. Leaning back from the kiss, Chen Xiande panted hard, his eyes keenly focusing on his lover¡¯s body.


    But the sight in front of him made Chen Xiande¡¯s eyes widen in shock as he stiffened unconsciously.


    On Hei NingYu¡¯s fair torso were various large patches of dark red and purple skin, their ragged edges delineated. Some looked slightly uneven while others were smooth. There was a patch of scarred skin on his shoulder, one situated on his hip and abdomen, and yet another on his side. There were sure to be more on his back and legs as well, but Chen Xiande was unable to confirm that for now.


    Seeing those large scars scattered over his beloved¡¯s skin, Chen Xiande felt acute pain stinging his heart.


    What exactly had happened to his lover in the past to leave behind such ghastly marks despite his cultivation?!


    Looking at his little sheep¡¯s reaction, Hei NingYu glanced down at his own body with a wry smile as he asked casually, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to look at them, shall I cover them up for you?¡±


    Chen Xiande startled out of his daze and shook his head vehemently, ¡°No! That¡¯s not it¡­ How did you get them?¡±


    Hei NingYu tilted his head and replied without care, ¡°Having lived for so long, how could I not accumulate a few scars?¡±


    ¡°But¡­for a cultivator to have scars¡­¡± Chen Xiande knew that it couldn¡¯t have been that simple.


    Cultivators healed quickly, their ability to recover so absolute that it was almost impossible for their injuries to leave behind sequelae or scars. So even if Hei NingYu had gotten these scars before he began cultivating, that had been more than a hundred thousand years ago, they should have long since healed by now.


    So the only viable explanation was that he was injured by something so horrific and corrosive that even his millennia of cultivation couldn¡¯t negate its effects.


    Just who would hurt him so viciously and why?


    crimson_carnation


    Hei NingYu: ¡­And so, that¡¯s the summary of my backstory.


    Chen Xiande: (?©n?) So tragic, so sad!


    Hei NingYu: Meh, it was okay. It lacks impact and doesn¡¯t have enough drama to suit my taste.


    Chen Xiande: But so heartbreaking! You have my utmost sympathies.


    Hei NingYu: I¡¯d rather have your flower instead~


    Chen Xiande: (? ?¡ã? o ?¡ã? ?) ¡­Okay.


    Two chapters¡¯ worth of passionate boinking ensues.


    ¨r(£þ¨Œ£þ)¨q

 Chapter 55: Inescapable Enchantment

    Hei NingYu looked at Chen Xiande¡¯s expression filled with grief and sympathy, and could only smile helplessly.


    To ease his little sheep¡¯s worry, he decided to concede the rest of the story behind his scars.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll tell you. I got these from my predecessor, the previous sect leader of the dark arts sect I was a part of a long time ago. The demonic faction had not yet been unified at that time and it was understood that the crueler a person was, the more benefits they¡¯d gain from cultivating the demonic arts. And to stand at the top of his sect at that time, my master was naturally not someone who would be kind to his disciples. That was one of the main reasons I fought against him and wrested control of the sect from his dying hands. But all that was a very long time ago, I don¡¯t even remember that man¡¯s face anymore, so you don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡±


    Seeing that Chen Xiande still looked sad on his behalf, Hei NingYu was both pleased and amused.


    Chen Xiande parsed through his lover¡¯s words and realized something. Hesitatingly opening his mouth, he asked a discerning question. ¡°You said that it was one of the main reasons you went against your master, so¡­were there other reasons?¡±


    The smile on Hei NingYu¡¯s face spread wider. ¡°Yes. My master also used me for my ability¡ªI suppose you could call it a special constitution? I didn¡¯t want to keep being used like that, so I killed him.¡±


    Despite the pitiless words he was speaking, Hei NingYu still smiled brightly, his eyes maintaining their warmth as he looked at his worried little sheep. After having spent so many millennia with these scars, he didn¡¯t feel any hesitation and fear at all as he spoke of these matters. His master¡¯s face and the cruelties he¡¯d done to him had long since stopped haunting Hei NingYu.


    ¡°A¡­special constitution? What type of constitution is it?¡± Chen Xiande asked inquisitively, completely skipping over the mention of Hei NingYu¡¯s master¡¯s demise.


    Rather than answering, a playful smirk suddenly claimed Hei NingYu¡¯s lips.


    While intently watching his little sheep¡¯s reaction, he raised his hand and placed his fingers lightly on his own cheek, then dragged his fingertips down over the curve of his jaw, his throat, down his chest and abdomen, slowly and enticingly.


    Having already forgotten his query, Chen Xiande¡¯s gaze greedily followed the trail of those slender fingers as they slid over his lover¡¯s skin. And when Hei NingYu¡¯s hand abruptly stopped just short of reaching the edge of his pants, Chen Xiande felt an inexplicable surge of disappointment. He wanted those fingers to go further, to keep going down until they reached into those bulging pants and¨D


    Chen Xiande stopped himself from thinking any further and turned his head away, his cheeks flaming.


    Looking at the little sheep¡¯s reaction towards him despite his body marred by scars, Hei NingYu was finally satisfied. He was glad that his lover wasn¡¯t forcing himself for his sake.


    Lightly coughing to get back the dazed Chen Xiande¡¯s attention, Hei NingYu acted like nothing happened and answered his previous question, ¡°My ability is called ¡®Enchantment¡¯, and it was found that I had a special constitution that was particularly suitable for learning it.¡±


    Blinking to clear away his daze, Chen Xiande repeated, ¡°Enchantment? What sort of ability is that?¡±


    ¡°It is as it sounds, an ability that allows me to enchant others. Under the current laws enforced by the Order of Sentinels, there are very few chances where I can use it legally, since my ability is after all a kind of mind control. And mind control of any sort is considered to be one of the most restricted demonic arts.¡±


    Though his ability sounded both simple and powerful, Chen Xiande knew that such an expansive ability must have its strict limits.


    ¡°What are its constraints?¡± he asked.


    Hei NingYu looked at Chen Xiande with vague surprise before covering it up. This had not been the first question he¡¯d expected him to ask after learning that he could use mind control.


    Gathering his thoughts, Hei NingYu replied, ¡°At this point, there are not many limitations on my ability. It allows me to control minds that are weaker than mine, and after having lived so long, there are not many that I cannot control. The ones under my Enchantment will have their consciousness strongly influenced by my commands. Sometimes, they themselves might not realize that they are under my control. Of course, the simpler the commands, the better.¡±


    Then, pausing, Hei NingYu continued in a more subdued tone, ¡°The biggest drawback, however, is that when I use Enchantment, I cannot mobilize my spiritual energy to do anything else. I need to allot the major part of my concentration and power to maintain the spell, so I become particularly vulnerable during this time. But since I can choose to entrap anyone approaching me, this does not pose much of a problem for my current self.¡±


    Chen Xiande read between the lines easily enough.


    So when his lover had been young and not as powerful, his master must have made him use this ability without giving him sufficient protection, causing Hei NingYu to be assailed and wounded again and again when he was at his most vulnerable.


    How many times must he have suffered before he had been able to gather enough power to protect himself and go against his tyrannical master? How many years, how many centuries had his lover had to endure this pain? Had he ever felt helpless and afraid? Had he been lonely?


    As these heartrending thoughts ran one after another in his mind, Chen Xiande suddenly felt two fingers lifting his face up by the chin, breaking him from his musings and forcing him to meet Hei NingYu¡¯s curious gaze. ¡°Little Sheep, why do you look so sad? These matters have long since passed. I am now one of the most powerful people in this world, I have very little to fear. You have no need to fret so much.¡±


    But the sympathy in Chen Xiande¡¯s gaze did not lessen as he said in a hoarse voice, ¡°I wish I had been there to protect you.¡±


    Hei NingYu blinked in surprise.


    Chen Xiande earnestly continued speaking, ¡°I will get even stronger and become your shield. Whenever you use your ability, I will stay by your side and take care of you. Whether you need me or not, I will always be beside you. And just like you do for me, I will also never let you be hurt.¡±


    Staring into his little sheep¡¯s sincere eyes as he spoke these heartfelt words, Hei NingYu felt his own heart squeeze tightly.


    Looking away, Hei NingYu asked in an uncharacteristically quiet tone, ¡°Aren¡¯t you suspicious that I used Enchantment to entrap you? Haven¡¯t you considered that it might be why you feel so strongly towards me?¡±


    Having lived so long, Hei NingYu had seen people show all kinds of reactions to different aspects of him, be it his scars, his ability, his choice of the demonic path, his position as the sect leader, his strength, his physical beauty or his quirky personality. And so, every time he revealed something of himself to his little sheep, he both feared and looked forward to his reactions.


    And his little sheep had never once disappointed him.


    Living up to expectations, Chen Xiande snorted as if insulted. ¡°Though I¡¯m not a genius when it comes to thinking, even I know that if you had used your ability on me at the very beginning in the forest when I first became interested in you, our meeting wouldn¡¯t have turned out as ridiculously as it did.¡±


    Hearing him reply without hesitation, for a moment, Hei NingYu could only stare at Chen Xiande in wonder, his relief carefully hidden within his eyes.


    Then Hei NingYu laughed aloud. ¡°You are absolutely right! Our meeting really was very ludicrous. There¡¯s no way I would have even been able to imagine such a scenario, much less make it happen.¡±


    Seeing that his lover was still able to laugh despite everything, Chen Xiande felt glad in his heart. Leaning forward, he hugged Hei NingYu tightly as he declared. ¡°No matter what, you¡¯re mine now. I¡¯ll take care of you.¡±


    Hei NingYu smiled with equal parts affection and amusement, but gladly accepted this vow even as he spoke flirtatiously, ¡°Little Sheep, you are also mine, don¡¯t forget. But though I have received your heart, I have yet to receive your body.¡±


    As the aforementioned heart beat wildly in his chest at what those words implied, Chen Xiande looked up and saw a playful smile dancing on Hei NingYu¡¯s lips. His gaze heating up, Chen Xiande looked fixatedly at his lover¡¯s tantalizing mouth.


    Strong hands reached over and began undoing Chen Xiande¡¯s clothes while he stared in a daze. Snapping out of it, Chen Xiande added in his effort as he helped Hei NingYu, his robes falling down one after another. And then, without having to exchange a word, they both moved to remove each other¡¯s pants.


    The rustling of clothes continuously sounded in the room until the couple was left without anything covering their bodies.


    Hei NingYu sat down on the bed and lifted his lover up, placing him on his lap so that they faced each other. Chen Xiande¡¯s cheeks flamed brighter in embarrassment as he felt particularly vulnerable in this position where he was straddling his lover, especially without any layers of clothing between their bare skins. Not knowing what he was supposed to do, Chen Xiande decided to let his beloved do whatever he wanted with him.


    Looking at a bashful and clueless Chen Xiande who was obediently waiting for him to begin, Hei NingYu felt his heart melt.


    Since his little sheep seemed to like kissing him so much, Hei NingYu bent forward and offered his lips, the two lovers¡¯ mouths melding together with the ease of familiarity.


    Their lips slid against each other, eager and warm. Tongues explored moist and hot mouths as they licked and caressed the inside of the other¡¯s soft caverns. Breaths mixed and gasps mingled with the sound of wet sucking as slick tongues fought and stroked each other.


    Leaning back, Chen Xiande gasped for breath as clear liquid gathered in his eyes due to the sudden lack of air. Not wanting to lose contact with his lover¡¯s skin, Hei NingYu slid his lips sideways, over his beloved¡¯s cheek and jaw, before moving downward.


    Chen Xiande blinked his teary eyes as he felt a hand cup the back of his head, the silken black strands of his hair slipping between the long, pale fingers. Hei NingYu¡¯s lips trailed down over his neck, collarbones and chest, finally landing on a perky little nub. As those hot lips closed over his sensitive bud, Chen Xiande arched back, his head pushing into that warm palm that held him steady while his chest was forced forward, thrusting the little berry into Hei NingYu¡¯s eager mouth.


    A scalding hot tongue flicked the sensitive point, sending a flood of heated desire rushing through Chen Xiande as he helplessly clutched at Hei NingYu¡¯s head, not knowing if he was trying to hold him back or urge him on.


    Hei NingYu¡¯s other hand laid flat against Chen Xiande¡¯s smooth back, slowly sliding down, instigating his insistently throbbing need to pulse faster and with more urgency.


    Chen Xiande felt his reason slipping and forced out in desperation, ¡°¡­Enough¡­this is enough¡­I want you¡­inside¡­¡± Then realizing his own boldness, Chen Xiande flushed redder, the ripe color spreading down his neck and the top of his chest.


    Hei NingYu chuckled even as his gaze grew heated at the tantalizing picture his flushed little sheep made. ¡°Then let¡¯s prepare you first. This might get a bit uncomfortable,¡± he warned.


    Feeling his little sheep¡¯s body tauten at the words, Hei NingYu gentled his touch as he used his hands to position Chen Xiande on the bed.


    Chen Xiande nervously let his lover guide him to lie down on his knees, his legs held lightly apart. A smooth palm laid flat between his shoulder blades, pressing down so that Chen Xiande¡¯s cheek was pushed onto the bed¡¯s surface, his loosely fisted hands placed on either side of his head. This posture made him look both unbearably tempting and endearingly vulnerable.


    Chen Xiande felt intense embarrassment claim him as he realized how he must look with his butt thrust up in this position. But Hei NingYu had deliberately chosen to arrange him like this because he felt that it would allow his inexperienced lover to more easily take things into his bottom.


    Not allowing him to stew in his discomfiture for long, the hand on Chen Xiande¡¯s back slowly glided down along his spine, drawing a line of heat in its wake. Chen Xiande shifted restlessly as he felt the touch nearing the cleft of his buttocks, before those careful fingers slowly slid between his cheeks.


    Chen Xiande stiffened as the fingers brushed over his tightly pursed entrance, smearing something cool and wet onto the puckered little bud.


    ¡°Try to relax now, Little Sheep,¡± Hei NingYu said in a low, intimate voice.


    Jerkily nodding, Chen Xiande tried to loosen his rigid muscles as a slickened finger gently pushed against his opening. Chen Xiande squeezed his eyes shut as his fingers clenched on the sheets, preparing for pain, but all he felt was a mild ache as his entrance stretched to accommodate the unfamiliar digit pushing through, slowly slipping into him.


    For Chen Xiande, even that one finger felt too large as it was moving within his tight passage. As it pushed apart his inner walls and entered into him, that slender digit felt like it was much bigger than it had any right to be. But though the feeling was somewhat strange and uncomfortable, it was far from being painful, allowing Chen Xiande¡¯s body to unconsciously relax in relief.


    Feeling the tightly scrunched opening loosening a little, Hei NingYu pushed his finger further into the warm channel, trying to be as gentle as possible. As he managed to fit in one finger, rather than rushing to put in a second, Hei NingYu unhurriedly moved his slickened digit until his little sheep¡¯s inner muscles had accepted it completely.


    Removing his finger, Hei NingYu poured more lubricant onto his digits before pressing two of them inside this time. He had long since decided to take his time with the preparations so that his lover would face the minimum of discomfort.


    Feeling how careful Hei NingYu was being in his actions, Chen Xiande tried to be as compliant and unresisting as possible towards the constant intrusion, trying to passively accept those long digits as they slid into his body.


    Hei NingYu slowly, considerately readied Chen Xiande¡¯s entrance before pushing in a third finger. Chen Xiande felt his insides stretch further, making him feel stuffed to the limit, but he realized that he still felt no pain.


    His clenched hands finally loosened as he let himself relax further. He had long since gotten used to the unfamiliar sensation of something steadily invading him, not finding it as uncomfortable anymore.


    And now that he had let go of his apprehension, Chen Xiande could feel his desire stirring, the heat in his belly rising up again. The feeling of his lover¡¯s long fingers pushing in and out of him, sliding and rubbing against his slickened inner walls, began to add to his growing excitement, fueling his need.


    As Hei NingYu carefully removed his fingers out, he was surprised to see his lover¡¯s bottom arching up as if to follow them, seemingly wanting to keep them inside.


    Affectionately, Hei NingYu placed a palm on one of those soft mounds and squeezed. ¡°Is my little sheep eager and ready, then?¡± he asked, his tone teasing.


    But to his surprise, Chen Xiande rasped out urgently in a strained voice, ¡°¡­Yes¡­so quickly¡­put it in¡­!¡±


    Raising an eyebrow, Hei NingYu was astonished at his little sheep¡¯s enthusiasm that had far exceeded his expectations.


    Slathering more of the lubricant onto his own stiffened member, Hei NingYu positioned himself over his lover, covering him from behind.


    Leaning down, Hei NingYu whispered into Chen Xiande¡¯s ear, ¡°I¡¯ll go slowly, but if it still hurts, tell me, alright?¡±


    Chen Xiande nodded as tears silently slid down from his eyes. He so desperately wanted, needed, to somehow appease the raging fire burning through him. His skin felt too hot and tight, his insides feeling molten and liquid. Feeling the press of his lover¡¯s warm skin at his back, violent desire rushed through him in torrential waves, forcefully invading every corner in his body as it urged him on and on.


    He wanted to push Hei NingYu down and selfishly take from him what he sought. He wanted to find his release quickly before this fierce need burned through him, leaving behind nothing but ash.


    Hei NingYu placed a tender kiss on his lover¡¯s cheek, feeling his little sheep¡¯s tensed jaw under his lips. Not willing to cause him too much distress and discomfort, Hei NingYu didn¡¯t prolong it anymore.


    Guiding his shaft with his hand, he led it to press against his lover¡¯s moist entrance that lightly dripped clear liquid left over from the prior preparations.


    Feeling the thick head pressing against his entrance, Chen Xiande forgot all about fearing pain, the need to satisfy the insistent demands of his aroused body taking precedence. He pushed against the blunt head, forcing it to breach his opening and slide inside. His inexperienced channel stretched beyond its limits as it tried to accommodate the girth of the organ suddenly thrust into it.


    At his hasty motions, a sudden sting of pain shot through Chen Xiande¡¯s tender insides, causing him to let out a sharp gasp.


    Though he was surprised at the franticness of his lover¡¯s actions, Hei NingYu still despaired at causing him hurt. Seeking to help him reduce the pain, Hei NingYu advised with concern, ¡°Xiande, careful now. Push outward with your muscles, it will help you take me in more easily.¡±


    Grimacing at the throbbing pain, Chen Xiande felt skeptic as he thought, ¡®Push outward? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m giving birth through my ass!¡¯


    But deciding to put his uncharitable thoughts aside and listen to his lover, he forced his inner muscles to push. And surprisingly, he felt his passage loosen and widen in response.


    ¡°See?¡± Hei NingYu said smugly. ¡°Since I¡¯m older and more experienced, you should listen when I tell you to do something.¡±


    Was this really the time for his lover to start boasting?! Chen Xiande berated in his heart.


    ¡°Enough talking¡­go in deeper¡­¡± he spoke tensely.


    Smiling helplessly, Hei NingYu pushed inside, slowly sinking into the slick passage of his lover as he felt the tight channel gripping him like a fist. Mindful of hurting his eager little darling again, he attempted to move slowly and carefully, but Chen Xiande wasn¡¯t having it.


    ¡°¡­Quick¡­more deeper!¡± he commanded with a growl even as he pushed back, trying to take more of Hei NingYu into him.


    After this tug of war where one tried to be gentle and the other refused the care while urging to move with haste, they somehow managed to fit Hei NingYu¡¯s member in completely.


    They both stilled for a while, damp sweat covering their bodies as they panted lightly due to exertion.


    Chen Xiande¡¯s body was still taut with frustration as Hei NingYu noted casually, ¡°Little Sheep, you are so eager today, I really didn¡¯t expect that. But you better let me take it slow or you¡¯ll hurt a lot more afterward.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Chen Xiande forced out. ¡°I want to¡­move faster. I want you to go harder¡­deeper¡­this is not enough¡­¡±


    Hei NingYu blinked. This three-hundred-year-old virgin was surprisingly very intense in bed, it seemed.


    Chuckling, Hei NingYu finally acquiesced. ¡°Then I¡¯ll just have to prepare a lot of recovery pills for later~¡± he said cheerfully as he pulled completely out.


    Before Chen Xiande could snarl at him to get back in there damn it, Hei NingYu thrust his full length inside in one go.


    Chen Xiande¡¯s body rocked forward due to the force, his face pressing deeply into the bed. As he gasped and his body shuddered at the sensations exploding beneath his skin, Hei NingYu forcefully drove in and out of him, again and again.


    Arching his back and tilting his hips, Chen Xiande matched him thrust for thrust as he moved his body frantically, his thighs trembling with strain. Chen Xiande felt his slick, moist walls wrapping and sucking at the hard length of his lover, attempting to keep it in even as his hips moved back and forth in quick, violent motions. The constant friction as the thick organ rubbed and dragged over his delicate inner walls drove him to the point of madness, his movements turning more helplessly desperate.


    Affected by his little sheep¡¯s ardor, Hei NingYu¡¯s hands and gaze roved hungrily over the tempting lines and curves of the body straining beneath him. He watched as Chen Xiande¡¯s slender limbs clutched helplessly at the sheets as if enduring something unbearable, his face twisted due to agonizing pleasure even as his body pushed itself back in swift, hard motions, ramming himself onto the hard member as he groaned and screamed unreservedly.


    The couple¡¯s bodies pushed and pulled against each other, faster and faster as they collided in desperation, the need flowing through them like burning magma, hot and furious in its intensity, until finally, they reached the peak of ecstasy together as uncontrollable pleasure drowned them, tearing brutally through their bodies.


    Chen Xiande felt a rush of hot liquid pouring into his pulsing channel, filling him until it overflowed. He felt his fingers scrambling frantically over the sheets, searching for purchase, something, anything to hold on to as wave after wave of blinding ecstasy rocked through him, flooding him unceasingly, mercilessly, without giving a moment of reprieve in between to catch his breath. He could only helplessly let these sensations wrack through him as he received them with his body shuddering uncontrollably as he groaned and sobbed without restraint.


    As his climax seemed to go on endlessly, the taut tension in his body was replaced with unfathomable bliss as thick streams of his release shot out of his straining shaft, splattering white liquid over his trembling belly and the crumpled sheets.


    After dragging on and on, the brutal tide of orgasm eventually retreated, leaving only soft and gentle ripples in its wake.


    The two intertwined bodies stayed fixed in their positions, chests heaving deep breaths as sweat slickened their skins.


    The aftermath of his enthusiastic exertion left Chen Xiande unable to even move without feeling his bones creaking and groaning in agony, his muscles twinging sharply in pain. His body felt laden with a deep, weary tiredness, feeling heavy as if made out of lead.


    Chen Xiande felt Hei NingYu shifting over him, their wet skin sliding against each other. Due to Hei NingYu¡¯s movement, his spent member slipped out of Chen Xiande as viscous fluid gushed unimpeded from the bruised and swollen opening that had gotten too numb to even hurt.


    Chen Xiande didn¡¯t even have the energy to care, he was completely exhausted and drained. So finally lowering his hips, he slumped down on the bed to rest his poor, exhausted body.


    He felt Hei NingYu getting up from the bed, and after retrieving a basin of water and a soft cloth from somewhere, he used it to gently wipe away the liquid seeping from the swollen entrance before he carefully began cleaning him up from the inside.


    Not wanting to meet his beloved¡¯s gaze, Chen Xiande buried his head further into the bed. How could he have the gall to face anyone after this?


    Hopefully, his lover would take the hint and never bring up how shameless and unrestrained he acted in bed today.


    After Hei NingYu was done cleaning him up, Chen Xiande felt him lying down beside him on the rumpled bedcovers.


    His lover¡¯s arms smoothed up and down his back as he spoke with barely concealed humor, ¡°My little sheep is indeed a hungry little wolf. Here I was planning to eat you up, but I was the one who got devoured by that adorable ass instead.¡±


    Chen Xiande groaned miserably at how smug Hei NingYu sounded.


    He wished he could just somehow erase himself from existence and escape reality.


    Unfortunately for him, his wish would remain unfulfilled.

 Chapter 56: The Sheep Turned Wolf

    Chen Xiande knew how strangely he¡¯d acted today.


    He still couldn¡¯t figure out what had come over him for him to behave so¡­wildly. He had only ever acted with so much passion when he was a child, before he came to the sect.


    He had never thought anyone other than his junior brother could incite such intensity in him, and even then, what he¡¯d felt had been a strong hatred and nothing more.


    But the intense passion brought out while he was together with Hei NingYu made him into a raging beast that took what it wanted without hesitation and without caring about appearances. He had never felt this unrestrained before.


    And now that he was his usual self again¡­he missed that wildness.


    Seeing his little sheep frowning deep in thought, Hei NingYu smiled and pressed a kiss into that soft cheek.


    Chen Xiande¡¯s attention snapped to his lover and he realized that he had somehow lifted his head up while pondering. But before he could hide himself again in abject embarrassment, Hei NingYu captured him in a hug while laughing.


    ¡°Little Sheep, cease your unreasonable worrying. I don¡¯t mind it at all when you get all wild like that. We had fun, didn¡¯t we? That¡¯s all that matters.¡±


    Seeing Hei NingYu behaving like nothing was wrong, Chen Xiande¡¯s confusion about his own strange behavior also vanished. As long as Hei NingYu didn¡¯t mind, Chen Xiande would also not force himself to push down his intense passion while in bed.


    But he still felt unduly embarrassed about it.


    Seeing that his little sheep was back to being his bashful, blushing self, Hei NingYu felt amused. His lover truly was both a little sheep and a wolf, how fascinating!


    Smiling happily, Hei NingYu continued to pester him, ¡°Xiande, what¡¯s wrong? If you keep frowning like that, you¡¯ll etch those wrinkles so deep that even your cultivation won¡¯t be able to erase them for you. Then if people saw us together and thought you were older than me despite our vast age difference, then wouldn¡¯t that be tragic?¡±


    Chen Xiande sighed. Why did his lover become so chatty despite so much exertion?


    In a hoarse voice, he managed to get out a few words of complaint, ¡°How can you still be so energetic? I¡¯m so tired, my whole body hurts!¡±


    Realizing that his lover had indeed been worked to the bone today, Hei NingYu very considerately gave him a lot of pills for replenishing his strength and vitality.


    As Chen Xiande unreservedly popped them into his mouth, his expression suddenly changed as he noticed something peculiar. In a strange voice, he asked Hei NingYu, ¡°Why did you give me kidney supplements?¡±


    With a solemn tone, Hei NingYu explained, ¡°Since you seem to be particularly enthusiastic in bed despite your low stamina, I¡¯m simply improving my own sex life by giving you this.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Unable to refute that logic, Chen Xiande wordlessly swallowed some more supplements, much to Hei NingYu¡¯s amusement and delight.


    Chen Xiande had been in so much agony that he didn¡¯t even know which specific part to complain about anymore. But after ingesting the pills, he could feel soothing warmth flowing over his entire body as his various aches and pains gradually faded away. Hei NingYu¡¯s pills always worked so quickly that Chen Xiande could only admire their potency.


    ¡°Are you alright now? Does it hurt anywhere?¡± Hei NingYu asked with keen concern.


    Stretching himself out on the bed, Chen Xiande marveled at how his body felt full of energy again. ¡°No, I¡¯m okay. The pain¡¯s all gone.¡±


    Hei NingYu sighed openly in relief, prompting Chen Xiande to give him a strange look. Why did his lover seem even more worried about his pain than he himself had been?


    But seeing such obvious concern caused warmth to spread inside his chest. Chen Xiande felt that it was really nice having a lover who cared for him so much.


    However, thinking back on the urges he¡¯d had while they¡¯d been tussling on the bed before, Chen Xiande felt that he couldn¡¯t meet Hei NingYu¡¯s gaze, turning away with a flustered look.


    With a knowing smile, Hei NingYu prodded, ¡°What is it, my Little Sheep? Am I so unbearably handsome that you have to look away to stop yourself from jumping on me?¡±


    Chen Xiande flushed as he stammered somewhat incoherently, ¡°O-Of course you are, and m-maybe¡­ Just¨C What if I asked you to¡­?¡± But without the courage to finish, he let the sentence trail off.


    Hei NingYu smiled wider. He more or less knew what his little sheep wanted. Shaking his head at the conflicting emotions struggling on his lover¡¯s face, he completed Chen Xiande¡¯s question for him, ¡°So you want to ask me if I¡¯d let you do me next?¡±


    Startled that his lover was able to so easily guess his mind, Chen Xiande¡¯s eyes widened, traces of panic visible in them. ¡°P-Please don¡¯t get angry! If you don¡¯t want to, I will never ask again! So don¡¯t¨D¡±


    Interrupting him, Hei NingYu simply said, ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°¨Dforce yourself to¡­ Wait, what? What did you just say?¡± Chen Xiande looked at him with a blank expression.


    ¡°I said, sure,¡± Hei NingYu reiterated with amusement, ¡°I don¡¯t mind switching our positions. I¡¯m prepared to take what I give. You can top me, my cute little sheep. Or rather, my hungry little wolf~¡±


    Chen Xiande still stared at him as if unable to comprehend his words.


    Chuckling amusedly and feeling greatly entertained by his lover¡¯s reaction, Hei NingYu confessed, ¡°Even though you didn¡¯t know this about yourself till now, I¡¯ve known for a long while that you are both a sheep and a wolf. I was long since prepared to be eaten by you, my dear little Xiande~¡±


    Chen Xiande made a vague choking noise to finally express his disbelief.


    Not daring to hope, he forced himself to ask, ¡°You¡­really don¡¯t mind?¡±


    Sighing, Hei NingYu laid back on the bed as he spoke, ¡°What¡¯s there to mind?¡±


    ¡°But you¡­¡± Chen Xiande began, then trailed away, his eyes growing big and round as he looked enraptured at his lover.


    After lying down on his back, Hei NingYu very nonchalantly pulled up his knees and spread his feet apart, his hands comfortably folded on his stomach as he looked at Chen Xiande with impatience. ¡°Come, come, don¡¯t keep me waiting for so long. I know you want to push me down and eat me up. Don¡¯t you, my ravenous little wolf~¡±


    Chen Xiande gaped. Why was he being so casual about this?


    ¡°Ah, I forgot. You¡¯re a virgin in this too, aren¡¯t you?¡± Hei NingYu suddenly remembered with a chuckle. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll teach you, so watch me properly, alright?¡±


    Not knowing what he meant, Chen Xiande nodded in a daze. Seeing Hei NingYu like this made the desire that he¡¯d just quenched rise up once more. But as much as he wanted to push his lover down, he wasn¡¯t very certain about what came afterward. He didn¡¯t want to hurt his beloved in any way, so he could only sit back with his fists clenched as he tried to keep himself in control.


    The slumbering wildness in him slowly began awakening again as he saw Hei NingYu taking out a bottle from his storage space and pouring some liquid from it onto his fingers. With half-lidded eyes and a sultry smile, Hei NingYu reached down and pressed his slick fingers against his own opening. Seeing his little wolf¡¯s hungry expression made him increasingly amused and aroused.


    Slowly, he pushed a finger inside, his deep gaze locked onto his lover¡¯s face, drinking in his tense and eager expression as he felt his entrance opening and giving way under the light pressure.


    ¡°See?¡± Hei NingYu spoke. ¡°You need to prepare me first like this. And if we use some of this liquid during preparation, it makes pushing things inside easier and smoother.¡±


    Chen Xiande swallowed thickly, his Adam¡¯s apple bobbing as the lust in his gaze grew more heated. His eyes were fixed firmly on his lover¡¯s slender finger as it stroked in and out rhythmically. Hearing Hei NingYu¡¯s voice filling his ears with its pleasant cadence only stoked his desire more.


    Hei NingYu smirked at his lover¡¯s captivated expression.


    Unlike when he was preparing the little sheep, Hei NingYu didn¡¯t spend as much care and effort this time. He didn¡¯t mind the mild discomfort and promptly increased to two, then three fingers. He was very curious to see how his little sheep would look when he turned into a wolf, so he readied himself quickly before withdrawing his fingers.


    A thin sheen of sweat beaded Chen Xiande¡¯s forehead due to his restraint. Seeing his lover removing his digits from within himself, Chen Xiande¡¯s eyes brightened, but he still held himself in check, waiting for the all-clear from his beloved.


    In a husky yet playful tone, Hei NingYu praised, ¡°Such a good little wolf you are to have waited this long, so come on now, I¡¯m ready.¡±


    Without waiting, Chen Xiande pounced.


    He swiftly settled himself over Hei NingYu, his hands eagerly moving over his lover¡¯s smooth skin as his lips descended, greedily sucking and licking at that pair of smirking lips.


    Hei NingYu lifted his hands and smoothed it down Chen Xiande¡¯s back and waist, feeling the tension in his lover¡¯s slim and lightly muscled frame. Hmm, it felt so nice to not have to do much work, he thought happily even as his own lust increased in fervor.


    The heat under Chen Xiande¡¯s skin pulsed faster and faster the more he ran his hands and mouth over his beloved. Feeling Hei NingYu¡¯s muscled body shifting under his touch, hearing his lover let out soft groans as he suckled the skin on his neck, Chen Xiande¡¯s need wound tighter, the flames in his belly burning hotter.


    Feeling that they¡¯d had enough foreplay, Hei NingYu reached down to squeeze one of his enthusiastic lover¡¯s round buttocks to get his attention. ¡°Enough of this, let¡¯s get to the main event now, shall we?¡±


    Chen Xiande slowly rose up, his lips wet. Some hesitation still colored his eyes. What if he ended up hurting his lover due to his inexperience and intensity?


    Seeing this, Hei NingYu chuffed in equal parts amusement and impatience. ¡°Tch, do you still want to hold back? This old one can take anything you give!¡±


    Hearing this, Chen Xiande couldn¡¯t help but feel his anxiety reducing, affection and desire taking its place.


    Looking down at his enchanting lover, his hair spread around him like black silk, Chen Xiande remembered the day they first met. When Hei NingYu had coaxed him to kiss him in compensation, he had laid below him just like this. His smiling face framed by his hair, his lips lustrous and inviting as they curved up¡­


    The more he thought of it, the more wildly his need strained against his reason, until it finally broke free.


    Holding his slender length in his palm, Chen Xiande guided it towards Hei NingYu¡¯s opening, slowly pressing it in. He felt the novel sensation of the tight entrance reluctantly parting, stretching wider as it was forced to swallow his member. As he continued pushing in, the moist inner walls clamped over his shaft, the slick passage enfolding him within its burning heat.


    Chen Xiande panted lightly with the effort of not rushing, of not slamming himself inside with wild abandon.


    Hei NingYu felt droplets of sweat dripping down from his beloved¡¯s face, the effort of restraining himself obvious in his strained expression. So taking mercy on him, Hei NingYu suggested, ¡°No need to go so slow. Xiande, just put it all in.¡±


    Chen Xiande stubbornly shook his head as he whispered in a tense voice, ¡°¡­No, I won¡¯t hurt you¡­¡±


    Hearing this, Hei NingYu¡¯s eyes softened. Ah, what was he going to do with such an obstinate youngster. His little sheep was really too cute.


    Raising his legs, Hei NingYu wrapped it around his beloved¡¯s slender waist and unhesitatingly pulled Chen Xiande forward, causing his lover¡¯s shaft to force itself inside, sheathing itself completely in one smooth motion.


    Both of them hissed at the sudden burst of pleasure derived from the raw, intense friction, their bodies shuddering lightly at the feeling of finally being joined completely.


    Chen Xiande forced himself to unclench his teeth and ask, ¡°You¡­ Are you¡­alright?¡±


    Hei NingYu felt the care in his voice, and so tamping down his impatiently burning need, he spoke patiently, ¡°Of course I am. This is hardly my first time. Stop behaving like I¡¯m going to break and just fuck me already.¡±


    Chen Xiande startled at the words, but finally let himself go according to his lover¡¯s wishes.


    He drew himself out, then quickly pushed back in, then did it again and again. And though it felt irregular at first, the rhythm of the thrusts and draws quickly settled into a more steady tempo that drove them both mad with intense need. Under Hei NingYu¡¯s silent urging, Chen Xiande moved faster, his thrusts increasing in intensity as he drove through his lover¡¯s slick channel with rapid frenzy.


    In between passionate cries, Hei NingYu used his experience with his own body to guide Chen Xiande in a low voice. ¡°¡­A little deeper¡­to the left¡­yes, there¡­mn, harder¡­yes, yes, just like that¡­¡±


    The sound of skin slapping against skin, the wet sound of Chen Xiande¡¯s stiff member sliding in and out of Hei NingYu¡¯s moist passage, echoed through the room. And as Chen Xiande¡¯s hips swung with vigor, Hei NingYu gasped and groaned, his roughened voice mingling with his lover¡¯s hoarse shouts.


    Wanting more friction, Hei NingYu angled his hips, feeling his lover¡¯s shaft pushing into him and rubbing against his walls in swift, hard motions, dragging again and again over a certain point that made him arch back as he let out sharp breaths. Knowing the effect of his actions, Chen Xiande carefully aimed his strokes right over that place and watched enchanted at the sight of Hei NingYu twisting desperately, his head tilting back to leave his pale neck exposed, his Adam¡¯s apple bobbing in agitation.


    Chen Xiande leaned down to bite and suck over that soft throat, his hands smoothing over his lover¡¯s slick skin. Hei NingYu gasped and raised his hands to hold onto Chen Xiande¡¯s shoulders as his legs wrapped more tightly around the younger man¡¯s waist.


    Their bodies slammed together again and again in a mad, primal dance as restless hands hungrily moved over taut muscles, moist mouths and damp tongues roving over reddened skin, heated gasps and breaths fanning over each other¡¯s cheeks as their eyes met, unfocused and glazed due to the overwhelming ecstasy thundering through their veins.


    They twisted and writhed, pulling and pushing each other towards the peak of release.


    The familiar pressure of orgasm slowly built within them, winding hotter and tighter with each thrust as their warm, sweaty skins slipped and slid over each other, their motions desperate and filled with urgency.


    And finally, they tipped over the edge together as the molten heat burst, flooding through their trembling bodies.


    With a drawn out groan, Chen Xiande emptied himself into Hei NingYu, and felt the tight passage wrapped around his organ pulsing as if massaging him, indicating that his lover had also reached his release. Warm liquid spurted out of Hei NingYu¡¯s member, splattering over their bellies that were still pressed together.


    The tides of ecstasy relentlessly washed over them, ebbing and rolling as the pair of lovers desperately clutched at each other, the pleasure rushing through them with an unstoppable force.


    And as the waves of climax finally retreated, Chen Xiande lightly drew back before slumping down on Hei NingYu¡¯s chest, his breaths coming in hard pants. Under his cheek, he could feel the rapid flutter of Hei NingYu¡¯s heartbeat.


    Hei NingYu wrapped his hands over his little sheep¡¯s body, a palm stroking the head of disheveled hair in soothing motions. Lying like that, neither of them spoke, basking in the warm afterglow.


    Now that the frantic frenzy had finally abated, peace and calm returned to the room, the only audible sound being that of soft breathing.


    Chen Xiande suddenly spoke, ¡°It still hurts. Why does it still hurt even if I¡¯m the one on top?!¡±


    Unable to contain himself, Hei NingYu burst out laughing at the petulant tone. ¡°Of course it does. Your stamina really doesn¡¯t seem to be able to keep up with your enthusiasm, my dear little sheep. Here, take some more pills.¡±


    Hei NingYu considerately took out a few pills to feed his complaining lover. Not questioning him this time, Chen Xiande directly put them all into his mouth at once. Pain was truly such a terrible thing!


    Seeing his beloved¡¯s cheeks bulging like a chipmunk¡¯s from all the pills stuffed inside, Hei NingYu laughed aloud yet again. His little sheep was truly too precious of an existence!


    Swallowing down the pills, Chen Xiande looked at Hei NingYu strangely. What was so funny about eating pills? Did he literally bang the brains out of his beloved?


    Wiping away tears of mirth, Hei NingYu suddenly got down to business. ¡°Little Sheep, we should go to the Spirit Bewildering Forest tomorrow so that you can train and grow stronger. We shouldn¡¯t waste this opportunity so kindly provided by your junior brother.¡±


    Chen Xiande groaned in dismay as he slumped back down onto the smooth chest under him. ¡°Why? Can¡¯t we postpone it a little? Unlike you, I¡¯m still sore all over! It¡¯s so unfair!¡±


    Hei NingYu chuckled and said, ¡°That¡¯s only because your cultivation is still lower than mine, our regenerative capabilities naturally cannot be compared. But if you diligently train in the Spirit Bewildering Forest, then both your cultivation and stamina will rapidly improve.¡±


    Then leaning to place his lips by his lover¡¯s ears, Hei NingYu whispered enticingly, ¡°And if your stamina increases, you won¡¯t have to suffer pain after our sessions in bed. We can even do it multiple times a day~¡±


    Chen Xiande¡¯s eyes widened in realization as his mind blanked.


    Then he solemnly nodded, saying in a grave tone, ¡°Yes, going to train tomorrow is of the utmost importance.¡±


    Hei NingYu could hardly contain his chuckles. His little sheep had suddenly gotten so serious! Such a perverted little sheep he was!


    With a wide grin, he spoke, ¡°Well, now that we¡¯ve had our fun, it¡¯s time for you to help clean me up.¡±


    Chen Xiande looked at him uncomprehendingly. When Hei NingYu had cleaned him from the inside out before, he had still been in a daze and had thus not paid any attention. Though he knew that aftercare was necessary, Chen Xiande was mostly clueless about how he should go about doing it.


    Understanding this, Hei NingYu reached out to take Chen Xiande¡¯s fingers in his hand, slowly guiding it down towards his own opening that was dripping thick white fluid from their recent coupling.


    ¡°Here, let me show you how it¡¯s done¡­¡±


    But of course, their lessons in bed didn¡¯t just stop there.


    And so it all began once again.


    ¡­¡­


    The morning sun shone bright and energetic through the window, setting aglow all that it alighted upon. Outside, the sky was a brilliant azure without a speck of a cloud marring its smooth expanse.


    Hurried footsteps sounded in front of the Obsidian Courtyard as a little disciple of the demonic sect rushed towards it.


    Hearing that the sect leader had returned yesterday, many of the Elders had put together a list of all the things that needed the sect leader¡¯s attention. They had then sent this young disciple to act as the messenger and to request the sect leader to grace them with his presence so that they could hold a meeting to discuss the list in detail.


    The little messenger knew that the sect leader lived alone and often did not mind it when people directly entered to give their reports. After all, even if someone tried to attack him while he was sleeping, the sect leader was still powerful enough to easily swat them out of existence!


    So, unheeding of propriety, the disciple decided to directly barge into the sect leader¡¯s bedroom¡­only to freeze in place at the unexpected sight that greeted him.


    There was someone in the sect leader¡¯s bed! And not to mention, this person was lying there without a stitch of clothing on, his head resting on the sect leader¡¯s equally bare chest.


    Flushing bright red, the disciple slowly withdrew, praying that he hadn¡¯t awakened the snuggled pair of lovers.


    But just as he closed the door behind him, he heard the people in the room shifting.


    Gulping, the disciple decided to wait outside the room and pretend that he¡¯d never entered. If his message wasn¡¯t truly important, he would have directly fled this place!


    To the messenger disciple¡¯s chagrin, the door didn¡¯t really block the sounds coming from within the room.


    With exhaustion weighing their tone, someone murmured, ¡°NingYu, wake up. We have to go train.¡±


    Sounds of rustling fabric sounded, indicating that someone was getting up.


    Then his sect leader¡¯s voice sounded groggily, ¡°Ow¡­ Little Sheep, I never thought I¡¯d say this, but we might have had a bit too much fun last night. It¡¯s been such a long time since I last felt pain in my waist due to getting done too much.¡±


    The poor little disciple¡¯s mouth dropped open. What the heck had he just heard?! He must be hallucinating, right? Right?!


    And then another voice, presumably that of his sect leader¡¯s lover, spoke out, ¡°It¡¯s only fair. When you did me after that, I wasn¡¯t even able to move!¡±


    ¡°¡­Are you really putting the blame for that on me?¡± Hei NingYu asked amusedly. They both knew who had contributed the most that time.


    Chen Xiande sputtered, not knowing any words to refute that. Fine! He admitted his fault! He didn¡¯t even feel much embarrassment now about his wildness in bed after such a long night filled with overly passionate festivities.


    Looking at Chan Xiande¡¯s complex expression, Hei NingYu was once again highly entertained by his darling lover.


    Having noticed that they seemed to have a visitor, Hei NingYu directed his voice towards the door, ¡°Boy, what do you want?¡±


    Trembling fearfully, the messenger disciple carefully opened the door and entered, swallowing in nervousness. Then, gathering his courage, he sneakily looked towards his sect leader¡¯s brave lover.


    He had barely managed to catch a glimpse when Hei NingYu caught him peeking.


    In an annoyed voice, Hei NingYu spat, ¡°Quit ogling my lover or I¡¯ll pluck out your eyes and stew them in a soup before feeding it to you. Now tell me why you are here.¡±


    Shivering more than ever, the disciple managed to convey his message while stuttering and stumbling before he finally fled, unable to bear the pressure of his sect leader¡¯s vicious glare.


    And it was only a while before word soon spread about the lover of the demonic faction¡¯s leader, and how he was fearless enough to push the former Grandmaster under him and have his wicked way all night long to the point where even such an old and prominent cultivator ended up having back pain.


    When Hei NingYu heard of this later, he laughed so hard that his belly ached, while Chen Xiande blushed until his face looked like a ripe tomato.


    Once again, Chen Xiande really wished he could disappear off the face of this world!


    And once again, his wish remained unfulfilled.

 Chapter 57: Discussing a Favor

    The cool morning fog rolled in with the breeze, misting the stone platform and casting over it a silver sheen.


    Lightly bathed in the radiance of daylight, this platform was constructed with seamless white stone and sat slightly elevated. On the four corners of the platform were long, rectangular pillars, and atop these pillars sat carved sculptures of clouds that twisted and curved around each other, each symbol encircled with a vertical ring of stone.


    A crisply drawn array, both neat and intricate, sprawled over the white platform, its metallic lines glinting gently in the light of dawn.


    All of a sudden, spiritual energy began rushing and gathering over the array, lending it a bright glow. As more and more energy infused the array, the light it emanated began to pulse, first in a slow rhythm, then growing faster and faster. The carved symbols of clouds on top of the pillars reflected the flashing glow, enveloped in faint luminescence.


    Then, with a sudden burst of power, the light flashed one last time in a bright, blinding white as the space above the platform twisted and crumpled. Then the light dimmed as the gathered energy vanished, absorbed into the disturbed space over the array, the air slowly smoothening again.


    As the agitated wind stirred, two slender figures appeared, standing steadily in the middle of the transportation array.


    One of them was tall, his face mildly handsome with a warm smile curving his lips. His slim body was lightly muscled and clad in a white robe that lent him a reliable and dignified appearance. His expression was calm and composed as he gracefully made his way down from the platform with steady steps.


    The other was also clothed in white, his body of a shorter stature and a slimmer, more androgynous build compared to his companion, his beauty exuding a haughty sharpness. Gold hoops adorned his ears and a worried frown crinkled his brows. His movements were smooth despite the haste with which he impatiently followed the taller figure.


    They were indeed Feng Qinghe and Jing Shui.


    After alighting from the platform, they strode down a path leading from it, walking towards a particular building in the distance. As they made their way down the path, the tranquility of the place slowly sunk into them, easing their hearts.


    A light fragrance of night-blooming jasmine mixed with the fresh scent of morning dew drifted along with the wind, the mild scent pleasant and refreshing. The soft sunlight caressed the light-hued stone pathway and gently enveloped the simple yet elegant buildings at the side in its placid warmth. The hushed environment was one of calmness and serenity, able to quieten even the most violent of tempers with its cool and soothing atmosphere.


    Distant sounds of music sounded, gently rippling the air. The strum of strings, the melodies of flutes, the chime of bells, the voices of singers¡ªall blended into a beautiful whole, seeming to complement and complete each other, but also able to stand on their own. The various tunes played with different instruments and from different places seemed to easily combine together into a pleasing harmony that settled the heart with the flow of its tranquil and peaceful notes.


    As one stood in this place that seemed to gently dissolve all earthly desires, elevating one¡¯s mental condition to a state more suitable for cultivation, looking up, even the brilliant white clouds that swum up high near the heavens did not seem so far off anymore.


    Such was the ambiance of the Drifting Clouds Sect.


    Walking down the path from the transportation array platform, Qinghe and Jing Shui felt their shoulders relax as if shedding years of accumulated weight.


    His worry easing due to the soothing environment, Jing Shui finally spoke into the silence, ¡°Brother Feng, I still do not understand. Since Sect Master Lu only called for you, why did you ask me to come along as well?¡±


    With half-lidded eyes, Qinghe was enjoying the peaceful feeling evoked by the pleasant atmosphere here. In a quiet tone, he replied, ¡°I just suspect that whatever matter he called me here to discuss might have something to do with you as well.¡±


    Jing Shui frowned uncomprehendingly, but let it go. He had long since gotten used to his friend¡¯s enigmatic ways.


    As they entered deeper into the sect, they began seeing more and more disciples, all wearing a serene smile and a content expression. The low murmur of unhurried conversations and discussions sounded pleasantly like the burbling of a brook.


    Reaching the main building, Qinghe and Jing Shui directly made for the sect master¡¯s study after having a disciple send word of their arrival.


    Once they reached the study, they opened the door and went in.


    Inside was a long desk piled with papers and several kinds of brushes, and seated behind the desk was the elegant and refined sect master of the Drifting Clouds Sect¡ªLu Feiyu.


    Sect Master Lu wore a kind and placid smile, his eyes sparkling with lively cheer and a hint of wryness. He looked friendly and amicable, yet sophisticated and scholarly at the same time. His robes were neat and tidy, without a wrinkle or stray mote of dust atop it. His posture was prim and straight, yet it exuded a peaceful sense of relaxation like that of leisurely flowing clouds. The crown holding his hair was decorated with pure white feathers that fanned out in an arc, the only adornment the sect master ever wore.


    Currently, Lu Feiyu had his head bent as he seriously looked through the papers on his desk, occasionally taking a small sip of tea from a cup nearby that was kept filled.


    To his right stood his head disciple, An YaLing, who Qinghe had met before while on the assignment to hunt the wyvern. They had also been trapped with the Nightmare Parasite along with a few others, one of them being Jing Shui.


    Smiling and nodding at the newly arrived Qinghe and Jing Shui, An YaLing poured two cups of tea for them before gracefully seating himself beside his master with the teapot still in his hand so that whenever the tea in his master¡¯s cup ran low, he could pour him some more promptly.


    To the sect master¡¯s left, seated awkwardly by the messy desk, was a rather noble looking young man who seemed to be in his late twenties. Holding a half-filled teacup with a nervous expression, he looked at Qinghe and Jing Shui as if reluctant to accept their presence.


    Sensing the arrival of guests, Lu Feiyu looked up from the papers and called out, ¡°Disciple Feng, come in. And Disciple Jing, it has been a while. I wasn¡¯t expecting you, but come in and have a seat nevertheless.¡±


    Nodding and saying their greetings, Qinghe and Jing Shui seated themselves on the chairs in front of the desk.


    Smiling, Qinghe began, ¡°Sect Master Lu, may I ask who that gentleman by your side is? I do not remember seeing him here before.¡±


    With a cheerful nod, Lu Feiyu explained, ¡°He is a distant relative of mine. His name is Ping Nian and he is the current head of the Ping household and holds a position in the Yong Dynasty¡¯s imperial court.¡±


    At the side, Jing Shui tried to hide his flinch as he heard mention of the Yong Dynasty, while Qinghe continued to smile, not revealing any particular reaction.


    ¡°As you might have guessed, the matter I called you over to discuss this time is related to him,¡± Lu Feiyu continued.


    Frowning, Ping Nian spoke, ¡°Great Uncle Lu, I only came here for your help. I do not understand why you called these people over, but I don¡¯t think they can¨D¡±


    ¡°Now, now,¡± Lu Feiyu interrupted in a kind tone like that of a teacher gently reprimanding a student. ¡°Don¡¯t jump to conclusions and let me speak to them first.¡±


    Ping Nian reluctantly shut up.


    ¡°I think Disciple Feng might have already gotten wind of this, but the current imperial family is not doing too well. The Yong Dynasty is almost at its last legs. The imperial family is trying its best to hoard power and is targeting all official families in the capital that can be called even moderately prominent. I suppose they want to wrest all power from these families and eliminate anything that might become a threat to their waning authority. It¡¯s only a matter of time before the Ping household comes under fire. Ping Nian here has asked me to somehow help his household get through this alive, and if possible, retain at least a modicum of power at the end after everything finishes playing out.¡±


    Frowning harder, Ping Nian showed an even more displeased expression at having all this told to strangers.


    Sedately taking another sip of tea, Qinghe calmly asked, ¡°And? Does Sect Master Lu wish to ask for my assistance in this?¡±


    Lu Feiyu smiled wider. ¡°Precisely. While I can shelter the Ping family and protect them, I cannot directly interfere in the matters of the imperial family from here, nor do I want to. I heard that Disciple Feng is going for a visit to the imperial palace soon, so I thought I would bother you with this.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes narrowed, his smile filled with meaning. ¡°Helping Sect Master Lu¡¯s family will not be such a simple matter.¡±


    His lips twitching, Lu Feiyu conceded. ¡°I will naturally have appropriate reparation ready to compensate for the trouble. If there is anything Disciple Feng wishes from me, you only have to ask.¡±


    Tilting his head curiously, Qinghe observed, ¡°Sect Master Lu seems inordinately protective of your distant family. Might I inquire as to the reason?¡±


    Though Lu Feiyu did not understand what it had to do with anything, he still answered, ¡°They are the descendants of my brother and his family. My brother unfortunately did not have the aptitude necessary to cultivate on the path of immortality. It has been quite a few centuries since he passed away. I simply wish to see his descendants doing well.¡±


    For some reason, this caused Qinghe to smile as if in satisfaction. ¡°I see. So they¡¯re very important to you.¡±


    Lu Feiyu sighed. Why did he feel like he¡¯d just given this shrewd youngster some ammunition against him?


    Qinghe lightly tapped a finger on his chin, looking lost in thought.


    Not knowing why this esteemed great uncle of his was actually seeking help from someone who was clearly younger and less experienced than him, Ping Nian was both puzzled and disapproving. He felt that family matters were better kept within the family. What need was there to involve outsiders?


    As if sensing his thoughts, Lu Feiyu spoke to him, ¡°I know you have your doubts, Xiao Nian. But trust me when I say that this person can solve this issue to your satisfaction. Who knows, he might even exceed expectations.¡±


    With a light chuckle, Qinghe inquired curiously, ¡°From where does such faith in me come from?¡±


    In his gentle voice, Lu Feiyu explained, ¡°The previous matter I entrusted you with was very beautifully completed. I did not expect you to do so well and I was naturally very impressed with how you handled it. And keeping in mind your connections and your reputation for solving troubles, I thought it would be prudent to ask for your help in this matter.¡±


    Qinghe frowned as he asked in confirmation, ¡°The previous matter you mean is¡­the issue with the talisman papers?¡±


    It had, after all, been quite a while since Qinghe had taken his senior brother out on that educational excursion to Master Kai¡¯s manor to discuss this issue.


    Lu Feiyu nodded. ¡°Yes. I only asked you to find me an alternative supplier. I did not expect that you would set up negotiations with the northern traders and begin operations to harvest more efficient raw material for making talisman papers. On top of that, you even opened a new trade route and arranged for an exclusive transportation method. And even more surprisingly, you somehow also managed to coax that famed merchant Master Kai to dip into the business of producing and distributing talisman paper. All of this together has ensured that we will get a smooth and sustainable supply of it with the minimum of hassle and at reduced prices than before. I was really quite speechless when I found out the lengths to which you went to fulfill my request.¡±


    At the side, Jing Shui, An YaLing, and Ping Nian all gaped at Qinghe. This much competence was really too scary!


    Taking another small sip of tea, Qinghe casually replied, ¡°I only did what I thought would yield the best results. If I could be of help, then I am satisfied.¡±


    With a wry smile, Lu Feiyu spoke, ¡°Disciple Feng, you really are too capable and skilled. That is why I want to hand this matter with the Ping household over to you.¡±


    Scowling, Ping Nian refuted, ¡°Matters of trade and matters of politics are completely different! Though I cannot deny that trade and businesses affairs do affect politics to a large degree, but expertise over one does not give you expertise over the other! Do not underestimate the imperial court!¡±


    Unruffled by this sudden outburst, Qinghe countered, ¡°I never said I was an expert with matters of trade, much less politics. But I do like to think I know enough to be of help.¡±


    This did not reassure Ping Nian in the least.


    For the first time, Jing Shui spoke, ¡°Brother Feng, what exactly are you planning to do?¡±


    After all, since this matter was related to the imperial family, it could be said that Jing Shui was more or less connected to it. He was anxious about his friend getting too involved in the imperial court. The people and politics in that place were too dirty and Jing Shui did not want his friend to stain his hands with it.


    Qinghe merely chuckled at the worried tone. Trying to ease his friend¡¯s heart, he spoke comfortingly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Brother Jing. This is nothing I can¡¯t handle.¡±


    After some hesitation, Jing Shui nodded. Indeed, his friend wasn¡¯t like him, he didn¡¯t fear that place or even put those people in his eyes. And thinking back on all that he knew about this person called Feng Qinghe, one thing Jing Shui could be certain about was that his friend would do what he said he would and finish it very skillfully while he was at it.


    Unconvinced by what he thought was simply baseless confidence, Ping Nian burst out, ¡°Arrogant, too arrogant! Do you think you can just waltz in and do whatever you want in the imperial palace?! Just because the current imperial family and their Yong Dynasty are weak does not mean that the Xing Long Empire itself is easy to step on! You underestimate us too much!¡±


    Despite being the focus of such heated words, Qinghe only had on a mildly amused and interested expression. He even praised the fuming man, ¡°Good. Lord Ping, you have an excellent spirit. Yes, you will do very nicely.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? What are you talking about?!¡± Ping Nian asked agitatedly. Seeing Qinghe¡¯s calmness only made him angrier, but he still forced down his temper. He knew that going against someone coolheaded while in a rage would only hurt himself, so he tried to quiet his own fury as well.


    Studying him carefully, Qinghe nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, leave the matter with your household to me.¡±


    Then turning to Lu Feiyu, Qinghe asked to confirm, ¡°Since Sect Master Lu is able to provide protection, then does that mean you only need me to guarantee the Ping household¡¯s prestige?¡±


    Though Lu Feiyu didn¡¯t know why Qinghe was behaving so keenly all of a sudden, he still nodded. ¡°Yes, and in return, I will try to heed one request of equal value to clear all debt between us.¡±


    Qinghe nodded and unhesitatingly asked for what he wanted. ¡°Then may Sect Leader Lu please prepare for me twenty flowers¡¯ worth petals of the ghost lotuses when they reach full bloom.¡±


    Lu Feiyu looked at him with shock on his face. ¡°Twenty?! Ghost lotuses only produce a hundred or so of these flowers every few centuries, and you want me to give you twenty of them at once? Impossible!¡±


    The Drifting Clouds Sect had four pavilions, each themed after a season. In the lake surrounding the Autumn Pavilion, translucent white lotus buds swayed placidly with the water currents. These lotuses were a special kind called ghost lotuses and were spiritual herbs that were neither completely of this world nor entirely that of the netherworld.


    They were an extremely precious treasure that was sought out by many. They had a wide range of uses and were stated as key ingredients in quite a few legendary elixirs and pill recipes, making them valuable beyond measure.


    And as Lu Feiyu stated, they only bloomed once every few centuries, only producing around a hundred flowers at once. Thus, they were also extremely rare.


    It need not be mentioned just how many benefits the Drifting Clouds Sect could gain by trading the ghost lotuses. For them to give away one-fifth of the yield just like that would be nigh impossible.


    But having these ghost lotus petals would also be extremely beneficial to the Heavenly Peak Sect, so Qinghe did not relent.


    ¡°Oh dear, but I do seem to have helped you quite a lot with the issue regarding talisman paper. You even admitted it yourself. And since we are clearing all debt between us, then shouldn¡¯t Sect Mater Lu take that into account?¡± Qinghe bargained with a small smile, his half-lidded eyes glittering with a cunning light.


    Hearing him bringing up the matter from before, Lu Feiyu was filled with regret at the unrestrained words of praise he¡¯d spoken. This disciple was really too sly, not even giving his seniors a discount!


    But unwilling to concede defeat so easily, Lu Feiyu countered, ¡°Fine then, but on one condition. Since I¡¯m paying you such a huge compensation, the results I expect will naturally be more. Only if I think that the outcome is outstanding will I give you a full twenty of the lotuses. Do you agree to these conditions?¡±


    Qinghe let out a light laugh in delight. ¡°Yes, of course. I will naturally complete this task to your satisfaction, Sect Master Lu. You need not doubt that.¡±


    And for some unfathomable reason, Lu Feiyu believed him.


    Sighing helplessly at this youngster¡¯s self-assured manner of speaking, Lu Feiyu smiled and said, ¡°Alright then, I will keep twenty of the ghost lotuses in reserve for you.¡±


    Nodding gratefully, Qinghe declared, ¡°That¡¯s decided then.¡±


    Seeing everything being settled so smoothly right in front of him despite his vocal objections, Ping Nian spoke out once more, ¡°What do you mean? Nothing¡¯s decided yet! You¨D¡±


    Interrupting him, Qinghe spoke in a reasonable tone, ¡°Lord Ping, why must you resist this so much? I am only trying to help you here. Even if I fail, the worst thing that can happen is that you will not be able to retain your family¡¯s status, that¡¯s all. You will still have Sect Master Lu¡¯s protection, will you not? So is there really a reason for you to go against everything I say to this degree?¡±


    Seeing Qinghe speaking so sensibly despite the constant outbursts of hostility directed towards him, Ping Nian was at somewhat of a loss.


    In the various political situations he¡¯d encountered before, one wrong word or one disrespectful action could cause an entire family¡¯s downfall. Grudges were maintained for generations even for the smallest of slights and grievances. Yet this man brushed aside all his shouts and disparaging statements like the wind nonchalantly throwing off dust.


    Ping Nian did admit that what this man said made sense. He really had nothing to lose by taking up his offered help. But something about this calmly smiling man caused alarm bells to ring in Ping Nian¡¯s mind. His instincts for accurately assessing people had been honed in the treacherous imperial court and were seldom wrong.


    He knew that though this man had shrugged off his offensiveness, it was not because he was excessively tolerating or kind. Rather, what colored this pleasant-faced cultivator¡¯s gaze was abject indifference, as if he simply did not care enough about Ping Nian or his opinions to take offense.


    Someone like this would not have any care of society¡¯s views of him, and such a person who was so filled with apathy towards others, would he even have any morals or adhere to the common rules?


    And intuitively realizing this was what had scared Ping Nian from the beginning, causing him to be so overly cautious as he lashed out unthinkingly.


    But since this strange man was offering his help, and since his great uncle seemed to trust him, Ping Nian finally, reluctantly relented as well.


    ¡°¡­Fine, I¡¯ll allow it. Tell me if there¡¯s anything you want me to do.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes widened slightly in surprise. He hadn¡¯t expected convincing this person and gaining his cooperation to be so easy.


    ¡°I do not require you to do much, just show up in the places I tell you, at the time I indicate, and interact well with the people I send, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Ping Nian frowned. This¡­was too easy. Would doing something so simple like this even work? But despite his doubts, he had given his word, and so he would have to follow this person¡¯s instructions.


    Giving a short, stiff nod, Ping Nian showed his acknowledgment.


    With that, this issue was concluded for now.


    As Qinghe and Jing Shui left the study, Ping Nian watched their retreating backs with a complex mix of emotions in his eyes.


    ¡°Great Uncle,¡± he called out hesitatingly, ¡°The person that you called over to help, is he very dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Hm? You mean Feng Qinghe?¡± Lu Feiyu looked at Ping Nian strangely. ¡°Well, he does seem powerful enough to be considered dangerous. But he is also known for being too kind sometimes. Unlike most people, he hates to kill even for self-defense. His moral character is very upright and strong, so don¡¯t worry, he will keep his word.¡±


    Hearing this, Ping Nian was even more confused. Just what sort of a person was this Feng Qinghe in the end?


    But what he didn¡¯t know was that deep in Qinghe''s mind, beyond the reach of consciousness, a sentence constantly echoed. The familiar voice speaking it was both gentle and steady as it advised: ¡°Qinghe, each life is so precious and maintained with so much hard work, ending it carelessly is a sin.¡±


    And so, not wanting to disappoint that voice, Qinghe had learnt to be kind and strived to treat every life with care.


    ¡­¡­


    Soon, the time for their visit to the imperial palace arrived.


    The four people gathered together, all of them having forgone their usual official robes in favor of wearing plain but tasteful clothes, even the Sentinel Wei Xiang.


    The group of cultivators then set off for the palace on their own, refusing the imperial-family-issued carriages. Their reasoning was simple¡ªthey did not want the bother of being embroiled in dramatic plots aimed to scare or assassinate them, like getting into an ¡®accident¡¯ or having a surprise encounter with ¡®highway bandits¡¯ or other such nonsense.


    So skipping over all these clich¨¦ developments, Qinghe and Wei Xiang, Jing Shui and Wu Xiao, all four decided to get to the capital by using their own means while sightseeing and having fun along the way.


    And in this manner, they soon arrived in front of the imperial palace, standing in front of the seat of a dynasty that was on the verge of collapse.

 Chapter 57.5: Bonus Scene – Teatime

    crimson_carnation


    On a certain pleasant evening, three people sat around a table, busy with paperwork. One was the sect master of the Drifting Clouds Sect, Lu Feiyu. The other two were his direct disciples, An YaLing and Li Yingzi.


    Unlike his disciples, Lu Feiyu had been working since morning and felt very exhausted by now. So in a dignified tone, he called, ¡°YaLing, pour me some tea.¡±


    Pausing in his work, An YaLing smiled and nodded. ¡°Right away, Master.¡±


    Putting aside the papers in his hand, An YaLing diligently began preparing the tea and retrieved some clean cups from his storage.


    But Li Yingzi was not willing to see his senior brother so dutifully attending to someone else, so he snapped at his master in irritation, ¡°You have two good hands, don¡¯t you? So why don¡¯t you pour it yourself, old man?¡±


    Unbothered, Lu Feiyu bared his teeth in a smile as he countered, ¡°A good disciple pours tea for his master. What¡¯s so difficult to understand about this, you stinky little brat?¡±


    At the side, An YaLing sighed in resignation as he thought, ¡®Oh dear gods, here they both go again.¡¯


    Not seeing his senior brother''s expression, Li Yingzi sneered at his master. ¡°Oh? Then if you aren¡¯t going to use those chopstick-thin arms of yours, how about I slice them off for you?¡±


    Chuckling, Lu Feiyu retorted, ¡°And with what would you do that? Your bone stick?¡±


    In a disdainful tone, Li Yingzi returned, ¡°It¡¯s a bone pearl flute, you stupid geezer! And I can at least bludgeon you to death with it. On the other hand, what exactly can you do with your feathers? Tickle me to death?¡±


    Lu Feiyu narrowed his eyes, the pleasant smile still on his face. ¡°Is this how you show gratitude to your savior, boy?¡±


    Li Yingzi immediately grew irked at that annoying, sarcastic tone. ¡°What savior? Are you delusional? You only picked me up from¨D¡±


    Deciding that it had gone on long enough, An YaLing interrupted, ¡°Now, now, you two. That¡¯s enough. Master, your tea is getting cold. And Yingzi, calm down. I¡¯ll pour some for you as well.¡±


    Lu Feiyu very gracefully accepted, ¡°Very well, since my darling disciple has reminded me, I will partake of your efforts.¡±


    Miffed, Li Yingzi muttered snidely, ¡°Presumptuous, prissy, pompous old ass.¡±


    Narrowing his eyes, Lu Feiyu asked, ¡°What was that?¡±


    Sneering openly, Li Yingzi had no qualms about speaking his insults out loud. ¡°I said you were a presum¨D¡±


    An YaLing felt that he had to intervene again. ¡°Stop it, Yingzi. Drink your tea.¡±


    Since it was his senior brother who was ordering him, Li Yingzi obediently replied, ¡°¡­Yes, Senior Brother.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± At the side, Lu Feiyu did not forget to express his smugness.


    Li Yingzi¡¯s eye twitched, but he forced down his irritation and decided to relish his senior brother¡¯s tea. Then in a quiet, needy voice, he asked An YaLing, ¡°Senior Brother, can you sing me to sleep today?¡±


    Lu Feiyu''s eyes immediately narrowed.


    Not sensing the strange competitive atmosphere that had suddenly sparked between his master and junior brother, An YaLing easily agreed. ¡°Alright then, after we¡¯re done with this work, we¡¯ll go to your room and I¡¯ll help you sleep.¡±


    Li Yingzi shot a self-satisfied look at his master out of the corner of his eyes, infuriating Lu Feiyu to no end.


    So with a sad expression, the sect master also looked at his head disciple. ¡°YaLing, why have you never sung me to sleep before? Your master also wants to hear your voice when you sing.¡±


    An YaLing looked at him confusedly. ¡°But Master, you don¡¯t need to sleep. And if you want me to sing, I can do it right now.¡±


    Lu Feiyu¡¯s mouth twitched. It¡¯s not the same! If you sing for me here, I can¡¯t make that brat jealous and it won¡¯t be fun at all!


    But outwardly, all Lu Feiyu said was, ¡°No need.¡± Gritting his teeth, he pretended not to notice his second disciple''s look of victory.


    For the next few moments, the sound of tea being sipped was the only thing heard in the room.


    Then Lu Feiyu brightened as something occurred to him. Turning to his darling disciple once again, he advised, ¡°YaLing, since your junior brother is a cultivator, he also doesn¡¯t need much rest. So there¡¯s no need for you to go out of your way to sing him to sleep today. You should spend this time with your master instead and let me teach you some new cultivation methods.¡±


    Li Yingzi¡¯s eyes seemed like they were attempting to spit fire towards this shameless master of his. This blasted old man! Li Yingzi knew that Lu Feiyu was simply messing with him on purpose! He hoped someone would quickly come and take his bothersome master away to hide in a remote cave somewhere so that this meddlesome old man would finally leave him and his senior brother alone!


    Not reading the undercurrents, An YaLing tilted his head cluelessly as he replied, ¡°But, Master¡­ Though Yingzi technically does not need rest, he is still a young boy. He is only nineteen, he still has a lot of growth to go through, and growing teens need a lot of sleep. But since he has trouble sleeping, I still think it¡¯s better if I sing to help him sleep after all.¡±


    Lu Feiyu¡¯s smile froze.


    That smirking, smug expression on the little brat¡¯s face was almost unbearable.


    Gently placing the empty cup down, Lu Feiyu stiffly rose and left.


    He had borne enough indignity today! If he had to stay there anymore, then he wouldn¡¯t be able to stop himself from slapping off that provoking smile from that annoying little rascal¡¯s face! He would not let himself be driven to such uncultured behavior, especially not while in his darling little head disciple¡¯s presence.


    And so, Lu Feiyu really had no choice but to leave.


    Watching his master almost running out of the room, An YaLing contemplated out loud. ¡°I wonder if Master suddenly remembered some urgent business.¡±


    Li Yingzi simply sneered at his master¡¯s rapidly retreating figure. Good riddance at last!


    Then turning to An YaLing, Li Yingzi opened his arms and hugged him tightly, burying his face in his senior brother¡¯s shoulder and luxuriating in the faint fragrance emanating from him.


    Chuckling while remembering how the old man had fled, Li Yingzi praised, ¡°Senior Brother, you really are the best.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± An YaLing felt that his master and junior brother were getting harder and harder to understand these days.


    Li Yingzi sighed contentedly. ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    With a smile, An YaLing affectionately patted his junior brother''s head that was comfortably snuggling into his shoulder. ¡°Yingzi, come on now, get up. Let''s finish all this paperwork so that I can sing you to sleep soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Li Yingzi got up and diligently began going through the paperwork again, the thought that he would be able to hear his senior brother singing exclusively for him spurring him to put in more effort.


    And thus, teatime was concluded as the two disciples continued their work in silent harmony.

 Chapter 58: Entering the Palace

    The imperial palace was wreathed with the aged splendor of an era past its prime, or rather, a reign on the decline.


    The sprawling, majestic building looked weary, the gilded gold decorations seeming several generations old. Its splendorous and imposing presence seemed somewhat diminished and tired in the starkly bright and cheery sunlight.


    Standing in front of this moribund magnificence, all Qinghe felt was disinterest.


    Wei Xiang was equally as indifferent. He was more interested in gazing at his lover¡¯s exquisite form and intent on imagining all the fun ways they could explore each other next, rather than wasting his time looking at an old, gaudy building.


    On the other hand, facing the familiar palace gates, Jing Shui felt his heart fluttering wildly as if urging him to escape. A strong sense of danger and a premonition of incoming disaster pressed down on his mind. He strongly felt that once he entered through these gilded gates, he would never be able to leave.


    He would be trussed up and forced to remain there forever in that oppressive, suffocating place, without being able to even breathe freely, sitting still and swallowing scroll after scroll and book after book packed to the brim with words that he must memorize, his mind feeling like it would burst from the overflowing knowledge ruthlessly being stuffed into it, the endless waves of characters mercilessly drowning him under their overwhelming flow as he felt helpless, so powerless¡­


    And just as he was on the verge of choking on the familiar panic that was rising up his throat, he felt the completely unexpected sensation of a cool hand firmly squeezing his butt.


    Jing Shui froze.


    As if to assure him that it wasn¡¯t an illusion, that impudent hand brazenly gave his ass cheek another squeeze.


    Knowing who the culprit was, Jing Shui slowly, deliberately turned his head, a blistering glare shooting from his eyes. And sure enough, he was met with the smugly smirking expression of Wu Xiao.


    And as if to infuriate him more, Wu Xiao¡¯s impertinent fingers gave his butt one last squeeze before letting go.


    Almost spitting with fury, Jing Shui vented his indignation by wordlessly raising his fist and aiming it directly at Wu Xiao¡¯s face, only for Wu Xiao to effortlessly catch it with a hand just as it reached his nose.


    Then bringing the captured fist close to his mouth, Wu Xiao placed a gentle kiss on it.


    Reddening as he felt the press of soft lips on his knuckles, Jing Shui burst out, ¡°Y-You bastard! H-How dare you¨D! Such impertinence!¡±


    Unheeding of his beloved¡¯s anger, Wu Xiao pulled Jing Shui closer by the fist still held in his hand and wrapped his other arm around the younger man¡¯s slim waist. Bending down, he touched his lips to Jing Shui flushed ear as he whispered intimately, ¡°Ah-Shui, I¡¯m so glad that you invited me over for a visit to your house to meet your parents.¡±


    Jing Shui blushed harder. Why did those words make it seem as if he¡¯d brought Wu Xiao over to introduce him to his family as his lover or something?


    Forget that, what ¡®visit to your house¡¯?! This was the imperial palace! Was this the kind of place you¡¯d casually drop by to visit?!


    But Jing Shui did not notice that due to Wu Xiao¡¯s provocation, he had completely forgotten his fear of the palace. And as he was busy fuming flusteredly on the inside, Wu Xiao pulled him into absent-mindedly entering the golden gates.


    With their hands locked together, Wu Xiao and Jing Shui thus crossed the threshold of the imperial palace, with an amused looking Qinghe and Wei Xiang following behind.


    But no sooner had they stepped foot into the palace than a servant hurried over to greet them.


    ¡°Esteemed guests and Your Highness the Third Prince, His Imperial Majesty calls you for an audience,¡± the servant spoke, hastily bowing his head.


    Qinghe silently raised an eyebrow, his eyes flashing imperceptibly with understanding.


    Usually, when receiving guests who had traveled long distances, it was expected that the visitors would at least be given some time to clean up and refresh themselves before being asked to meet their hosts. But it seemed that the emperor was so eager to meet his runaway son that he couldn¡¯t even wait long enough to fulfill common courtesy.


    Seeing this sort of openly impatient and discourteous behavior, Qinghe could already surmise just how disarrayed the imperial court and inner palace must be.


    After all, there was a reason the rules and restrictions for the people of the imperial palace were so strict. Disregarding it so blatantly for the sake of one¡¯s convenience, especially when one was the emperor¡ªnot only did something like this reflect poorly on the awareness of the ruler, it also didn¡¯t say much about the current situation of the nation under their rule.


    But the fact that the imperial family had already fallen to such a state was very advantageous for Qinghe.


    Thinking this, Qinghe smiled and raised a hand, gesturing to the pensive servant while saying, ¡°Then by all means, please lead the way.¡±


    Wiping away nervous sweat, the servant hurried to comply, quickly leading them down the vast corridors and hallways and to the throne room.


    As they swiftly passed through the opulent passageways, Jing Shui finally snapped out of his thoughts and looked around, puzzled. He was inside the palace, within these familiarly overbearing walls again, and yet the crippling fear that he¡¯d expected to overtake him felt vague and distant.


    Why was he still unafraid?


    Then, becoming aware that his fingers were wrapped around a cool hand, Jing Shui startled in realization.


    When he looked up with wide eyes, he saw Wu Xiao smiling reassuringly at him, no trace of his usual mischievousness visible in his eyes. Then opening his mouth, Wu Xiao spoke those familiar words that he¡¯d so often used to console Jing Shui before:


    ¡°Ah-Shui, it¡¯s alright. I¡¯m here, they can¡¯t hurt you.¡±


    Hearing him say this, Jing Shui closed his eyes to hide the wetness in them.


    Those soothing words spoken in that calm voice¡­ Ah, how many years had it been since he¡¯d last heard them?


    Jing Shui wordlessly held on tighter to Wu Xiao¡¯s hand. As long as he was with this man, Jing Shui knew that he would be safe.


    When Jing Shui had newly arrived at the Golden Sun Sect, he¡¯d been handed off to Wu Xiao by his master, just like she always did with anything she didn¡¯t know how to deal with. And the young and problematic Jing Shui who had so many knots and fears twisting in his mind was someone Sect Master Liu really didn¡¯t know how to handle.


    In those days, every time Jing Shui had a nightmare about being dragged back to the palace, he¡¯d sneak into Wu Xiao¡¯s bed. That was because, to the sixteen-year-old Jing Shui, this strange and playful sect master had been the most reassuring presence, not at all like those daunting and strict adults from the palace.


    The place near Wu Xiao had eventually become Jing Shui¡¯s safe haven. After all, Wu Xiao was the person who had slowly, steadily dispelled his fears during those long, uncertain nights, reassuring him again and again that as long as he was there, Jing Shui need not fear his nightmares.


    And gradually, Jing Shui believed him.


    Now, it had become a conditioned response for Jing Shui to feel safe as long as he was in Wu Xiao¡¯s presence. That was why despite being in the palace, Jing Shui¡¯s fears remained distant as if afraid to plague him while Wu Xiao was near.


    So, firmly holding on to Wu Xiao¡¯s hand, Jing Shui strode through the corridors of this place that had haunted him for decades.


    Looking at Jing Shui¡¯s determined gaze as he kept moving forward, Wu Xiao felt warmth suffusing his chest. Knowing that his Ah-Shui trusted him to this extent, how could he not be happy?


    In this way, they finally reached the throne room.


    On either side within were rows of courtiers and officials, all of whom looked back with calculation and curiosity to peer at their newly returned third prince who had once held the title of Crown Prince.


    But as they beheld the stunning appearance and elegant deportment of the four people who¡¯d arrived, a hushed silence fell over the court.


    Many of their attentions focused on how there were four people rather than the expected three. And since almost all their pre-planned schemes revolved around there being only three people, their plots had to be discarded for now. It was extremely troublesome.


    Another thing that puzzled the courtiers was how all four of them seemed to be cultivators. Wasn¡¯t their crown prince the only one who was supposed to be an immortal? When had his friends also turned into cultivators?!


    Uncaring of their enchanted, inquisitive, or bewildered gazes, Qinghe, Wei Xiang, Jing Shui, and Wu Xiao kept walking.


    For the Wei Xing and Wu Xiao who had lived so long, going to a grocery store would have been a more novel experience that visiting yet another imperial palace. All they felt at the sight of the exaggerated opulence of the throne room was utter boredom.


    And though Qinghe was relatively young, he had also seen his fair share of the world and thus remained unmoved.


    As for Jing Shui, having visited here so many times in his most dismal of dreams, this place couldn¡¯t be any more familiar to him. But since he still had Wu Xiao with him, he was able to remain calm.


    Therefore, the four cultivators reached the throne room with indifferent expressions on their faces. When compared to the garish throne room that displayed material riches with such unreserved extravagance, the cultivators looked especially ethereal and aloof, untouched by the earthly desires and impurities of the secular world.


    A wide and luxuriously carpeted path led from the entrance of the throne room to a high platform perched atop a series of stairs. On the platform, seated on a magnificently wrought throne, was the emperor.


    After the herald announced their entrance, the four cultivators gracefully made their way down the path, walking up to the base of the stairs that lead up to the throne with stately steps.


    On the throne, the old emperor looked on with an expressionless face. Only his eyes were exceptionally bright as they flicked over to his youthful-looking son who had finally returned to his grasp after evading his reach for so long.


    Habitually, Jing Shui made to kneel in front of his father, but maintaining the grip on his hand, Wu Xiao held him up. As cultivators, there was no need for them to bend their knees to a mortal ruler. Qinghe and Wei Xiang also continued standing.


    For those like them who had renounced the mortal world and set foot upon the path of cultivation, only their masters were entitled to receive such respect. And when they ascended, the heavenly emperor would also be deserving of such reverence. As such, how could a mortal emperor be considered worthy of the same regard?


    Seeing them remaining upright, several courtiers marveled at their audacity. This was the emperor of the Xing Long Empire! Did these cultivators think they were above even the emperor?


    Seeking to make a good impression on the emperor, a minister at the side scoffed snidely as he spoke, ¡°Do cultivators not know of proper decorum? Kneel in front of your emperor!¡±


    For a second, the four cultivators stood stunned at the sheer stupidity of this person.


    Then, Qinghe looked over to the impudent minister with naked contempt in his eyes, his tone icy as he replied, ¡°Our emperor? Are all imperial courtiers this ignorant? Cultivators acknowledge no emperor, we are not a part of your mortal empire.¡±


    On the throne, the emperor¡¯s eyes narrowed imperceptibly in displeasure.


    The minister yelled out again, ¡°How insolent! Your sects also stand on the land ruled by His Imperial Majesty! It is your due to pay respects to the emperor!¡±


    At that, all four cultivators, even Jing Shui, looked at the minister with gazes that screamed ¡®Can someone really be so idiotic?¡¯


    After all, cultivator sects had been existing on this land far before even the thought of establishing the Xing Long Empire had formed in its founder¡¯s head. The sects were in fact older than most mountains and rivers in this world.


    They had seen countless kingdoms and empires rise and flourish before eventually falling to dust, forgotten by the relentless march of time. They had witnessed even the rise and fall of the oceans. They had been there to observe the continents being shaped by the hands of nature as the massive chunks of land drifted apart and merged together.


    Cultivators and their sects had been in existence for an unfathomably long time, their history older than the land itself, their power vaster than the endless expanse of the sky, their influence over this world entrenched deeper than the deepest of oceans.


    And yet a mere mortal empire dared claim to own them?


    Pinned under those four piercing and incredulous gazes, the minister felt like his breath was being choked. Unable to withstand the crushing pressure emitted by those many pairs of sharp and cutting eyes, he finally decided that it was a good idea to shut up.


    Suddenly, a deep voice raspy with age spoke up, ¡°I see that cultivators are such arrogant beings!¡±


    As one, the entire court turned its attention to the throne and the noble personage seated on it.


    The emperor was a thin and elderly man in his seventies, with a heavy brow and keen eyes glinting harshly. Though his voice was hoarse, it rang loud and majestic over the entire hall, making his discontentment clear.


    Seeing that the first words he¡¯d spoken to them were not inquiring after Jing Shui¡¯s wellbeing, Qinghe narrowed his eyes, his feeling of dislike towards this person strengthening.


    Qinghe felt that if not bowing down to a selfish old man who was bringing his nation to ruins was being arrogant, then this arrogance was something everybody needed to have.


    Meeting the emperor¡¯s gaze head-on, Qinghe calmly returned, ¡°We are cultivators who pursue the path to ascension. And when one wishes to scale the heights of Heaven, one can hardly stain their knees with the dirt of the mortal world.¡±


    The emperor frowned at what those words implied, his tone holding a thread of anger as he asked, ¡°Are you saying you are above everyone? That you kneel before no man and that no one deserves your respect?!¡±


    Qinghe smiled placidly as he answered with seeming humbleness, ¡°That is not what I meant at all, Your Majesty. If the situation calls for it, I will certainly bow and kneel in front of my master, as is right.¡±


    Hearing this, the emperor¡¯s fury mounted.


    But Qinghe was not yet done.


    With a strange smile and a twinkle in his eyes, Qinghe continued unabashedly in a casual tone, ¡°Of course, there are occasions when I kneel in front of my lover as well, but those are for different reasons.¡± To worship his beloved¡¯s ¡®little dragon¡¯ with his mouth, that is!


    Sudden, shocked silence claimed the throne room.


    Say what you would, but not a single courtier could have expected this refined-looking cultivator to make such a blatant innuendo, and right in front of the emperor at that!


    Even the stoic-faced emperor felt his mouth twitch at this brazenness.


    At the side, Jing Shui had been interestedly following the conversation between his friend and his father. He could guess that the only reason Qinghe had bothered speaking with the emperor at all was so that he could divert everyone¡¯s attention from Jing Shui.


    But hearing that last sentence, Jing Shui felt somewhat confused. Why would he have to kneel before Sentinel Wei? Was it some type of play between them? Or was it some strange codeword? But whatever it was, Jing Shui felt extremely gratified at seeing his normally composed father rendered speechless due to it.


    Wu Xiao, on the other hand, understood all too well what Qinghe meant, and so he burst into unrestrained laughter, uncaring of breaking the absolute silence in the throne room.


    Wei Xiang just sighed and smiled wryly while shaking his head. ¡°Qinghe, love, that is utterly inappropriate to discuss here.¡±


    Because as much as he didn¡¯t care about the imperial palace and the court, that didn¡¯t mean Wei Xiang would be so bold as to completely forsake his manners either.


    Unheeding of his beloved¡¯s words, Qinghe turned and cheekily winked at him. ¡°Oh? Would you rather we retire to our room and discuss it in detail there?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Wei Xiang had to try very hard to suppress his reaction at the image those words brought to his mind. Trying to curb his desire was not something he ever thought he¡¯d be doing while standing in front of an imperial court full of uppity, old-looking men.


    The aforementioned old-looking men all felt extremely aggrieved. This is the imperial court and you are standing in front of the emperor, you know! So could you both just stop flirting so openly and allow us all to scheme in peace?


    Seeing the strange direction this discussion was suddenly taking, even the emperor felt pained.


    So, trying to regain some measure of majesty, the emperor gritted his teeth and bit out, ¡°Very well then. Our guests must be tired and wish to rest. You may all leave for now.¡±


    He felt that if they stayed any longer, making suggestive and lewd jokes fearlessly in his presence, any integrity his imperial court had would be ruined! It was best to just shoo them out now!


    And so, the entire imperial court temporarily had to put aside the matter of the third prince for now.


    The four cultivators thus exited the throne room.


    Though Qinghe retreated while being the very picture of grace and poise, in his mind he was laughing uproariously while rolling on the floor.


    The emperor¡¯s and the courtiers¡¯ expressions had been so great! They were all so stiff and so very easily offended! Ah, this might turn out to be fun after all.


    Wei Xiang had on a rueful smile as he watched his little lover¡¯s gleeful expression. Oh well, as long his beloved was having fun, what did a little bit of indecorum matter in the end.


    Wu Xiao was still chuckling. Who¡¯d have thought that the little boy from back then would grow up to be someone with such a thick face? He could think back on those stupidly gaping expressions of those courtiers and be entertained for days!


    Jing Shui was already used to being ignored by his father except for the times when his father had called to reprimand or punish him before, so he did not really think it was strange that the emperor hadn¡¯t spoken even a word to him. Plus, he had Wu Xiao by his side, so he hadn¡¯t really felt as pressured as he used to under his father¡¯s gaze this time.


    Looking at the cheerful Qinghe, Jing Shui spoke sincerely, ¡°Brother Feng, thank you.¡±


    Qinghe raised his eyebrow as he asked, ¡°What for?¡±


    ¡°Back in the throne room, you diverted all of their attention from me to you by speaking with the emperor first, then you purposely angered him so that he¡¯d let us leave early. Wasn¡¯t that due to consideration for me?¡±


    For a moment, Qinghe simply looked at Jing Shui. Then turning away, he chuckled. ¡°What need is there for thanks between friends. I was the one who made you come here in the first place, so it is only natural that I¡¯d make sure that you don¡¯t feel too anxious while we are here.¡±


    Jing Shui felt moved. But before he could express his thanks once again, Wu Xiao dissatisfiedly spoke out, ¡°What does that mean? Are you saying that I can¡¯t take care of my Ah-Shui? I¡¯ll have you know that I can also keep him anxiety-free!¡±


    Scowling, Jing Shui immediately shifted his attention to this unreasonable person. ¡°When did I become yours? Stop saying weird things like that!¡±


    ¡°But Ah-Shui¡­ You used to come and regularly deliver yourself to my bed when you were younger. I¡¯m only doing what¡¯s expected by taking responsibility for you.¡±


    Sputtering in front of these purposefully ambiguous words, Jing Shui burst out agitatedly, ¡°Y-You! Utterly shameless! Stop making it seem as if¨D!¡±


    Wu Xiao interrupted with a sigh, ¡°Yes, yes, I know how shy you are. No need to say anymore, my beloved.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s your beloved!¡± Jing Shui shouted out loudly.


    But even as his mouth berated and bickered, Jing Shui¡¯s hand was still holding Wu Xiao¡¯s tightly as if loathe to part.

 Chapter 59: Living Arrangements

    A young female servant was currently guiding the four cultivators to their accommodations.


    In a soft and pleasant voice, the servant girl explained, ¡°Since we were unaware that there would be an extra guest, we only have two guest rooms prepared in one of the residential courtyards. A third room shall be prepared soon. The prince¡¯s room has also been tidied up and is ready for His Highness¡¯s use.¡±


    Frowning, Qinghe refused these arrangements directly, ¡°There is no need for all the trouble. I will share a guest room with my lover. Brother Jing can stay with the other person.¡±


    In this way, they could stay nearby and avoid being split up. Jing Shui would also feel more at ease if he shared a room with Wu Xiao.


    Shocked at the thought of four people sharing two rooms, especially when one of those people was the prince, the servant tried to refuse, ¡°B-But propriety dictates that¨D¡±


    Interrupting, Qinghe stated inflexibly, ¡°I¡¯m sure that the imperial palace values their comfort of the guests more than some outdated rules, isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    The servant could only nervously say, ¡°O-Of course, but¨D¡±


    ¡°If anyone makes a fuss over it, just tell them that they are free to take this issue up with me,¡± Qinghe spoke firmly, giving no room for her to refuse anymore.


    Sweating, the servant finally conceded, ¡°¡­Yes, sir.¡±


    She led them farther and farther away from the imperial court and the main building of the imperial palace, to a series of simple courtyards where guests of unimportant rank were usually accommodated.


    The two guest rooms prepared for them were situated beside each other and faced a small garden with stone benches. As they made their way towards the rooms by walking on a narrow garden path, they saw a small pond in the garden, with rotting leaves, algae, and debris floating among the withering lotuses.


    The water in this small pond was a cloudy dark green, tiny fishes and tadpoles barely visible beneath the surface as they swam hectically. The croaks of frogs and toads could be heard, along with the layered chirping of a multitude of insects. A vaguely damp and moldy odor thickened the air around the stagnant water of the pond.


    The pond¡¯s rim looked shiny and green, covered in thick layers of slime. One step on it and a person¡¯s foot would definitely slip, causing them to plunge into those murky depths for an unneeded dunk in its muck-filled waters.


    Seeing that this was not the kind of water he could dip into, Qinghe felt slightly sad. Maybe he should ask his lover to use the shadows and transport him back to his room in the sect every now and then so that he could play in the stream in the backyard. Thinking this, Qinghe¡¯s mood brightened again.


    After showing them to the guest rooms that they¡¯d be residing in, the servant woman left hastily, probably to report to someone that the guests were not staying in the expected rooms.


    Before the four people entered their respective quarters, Wu Xiao set up a barrier that covered both rooms at the same time.


    He guided forth his power and thin tendrils of silvery spiritual energy extended from beneath his feet, disappearing into the walls and covering the outside of the two rooms. The glowing lines formed into characters and shapes, drawing out an intricate formation before sinking into the walls.


    A basic restriction array with protective intent and soundproofing was thus established.


    This was not only so that they could have some measure of privacy, but also to prevent the annoyance of having to constantly check for poison, traps, assassins and the like in the room.


    Just as they were about to enter, Jing Shui spoke out, ¡°Why must I share a room with this fellow?¡±


    The last time he¡¯d stayed in the same room with Wu Xiao had been a long time ago. He could still be considered a kid then. But doing the same now made Jing Shui feel somewhat self-conscious, his face unconsciously heating up at the thought of sleeping on the same bed.


    Noticing his strange expression, Wu Xiao cheerfully exclaimed, ¡°We can start cohabitating now itself in preparation for the day we are going to be married. Isn¡¯t it wonderful?¡±


    But rather than arguing or bickering, Jing Shui¡¯s face only got redder.


    Qinghe took mercy on his friend and stated a more sensible reason, ¡°No matter what, we are still in hostile territory. It would be safer to stay in pairs. Plus, I didn¡¯t think it would be good for Brother Jing to stay in your former room since it might bring back bad memories for you. Staying with each other is still better.¡±


    Not meeting his friend¡¯s eyes, Jing Shui mumbled discontentedly, ¡°But still¡­¡±


    Seeing how he was continuing to be unreasonable, Qinghe bluntly explained, ¡°And I¡¯d rather share a room with my lover rather than either of you, so suck it up, Brother Jing.¡±


    Wu Xiao burst into laughter. Winding a hand around Jing Shui¡¯s shoulders, he leaned in and advised, ¡°Just give it up, Ah-Shui.¡±


    Turning his head away from Wu Xiao¡¯s face that was way too close for his comfort, Jing Shui finally relented, ¡°¡­Okay.¡±


    And so they each went to their respective quarters.


    But for some reason, Jing Shui felt his heart thumping erratically with anticipation at the thought of being alone in a room with Wu Xiao.


    On the other hand, Qinghe didn¡¯t feel much different. After all, he had been sharing his room with Wei Xiang before this anyway.


    Looking around at the mismatched and gaudy ornamentations filling the walls and tables, Qinghe commented, ¡°The room is so¡­crowded. It¡¯s so unnecessarily ostentatious, and most of this stuff cannot be used anyway¡­¡±


    And as Qinghe continued complaining about the tastelessly furnished room, Wei Xiang also surveyed the space with disapproval. He would much rather prefer staying somewhere that was similar to his lover¡¯s neat and sparsely decorated room rather than this messy place filled with too many unneeded things.


    As he looked around, Wei Xiang¡¯s wandering gaze suddenly landed on an especially ridiculous decoration of some sort that had large plumes of feathers sprouting out of an animal¡¯s head cast in gold.


    Reaching out his hand, Wei Xiang plucked one of those deep turquoise colored feathers and studied it curiously. The feather was as long as his arm, the large plume especially fluffy and soft. He guessed that it must have belonged to a huge spiritual bird beast of some sort.


    Lifting his head, he saw that Qinghe was still going on about the room, and on an impulse, Wei Xiang reached over with the feather and brushed it lightly over his lover¡¯s cheek.


    Qinghe¡¯s tirade was suddenly interrupted as he felt the soft touch of the feather strands sliding over his skin. He faintly shuddered before pushing the feather away, a light flush suffusing his face.


    Trying to act indignant, Qinghe turned his head to the side to hide his expression and spoke in a quiet voice, ¡°Stop it. I¡¯m trying to complain here.¡±


    Aware of his little lover¡¯s strange reaction, Wei Xiang looked down at the feather with new interest, his gaze turning contemplative as a smile slowly stretched his lips. But before Qinghe could notice it, he put his expression away, his fingers playing distractedly with the large plume.


    In a casual tone, Wei Xiang spoke in answer to Qinghe¡¯s previous complaints, ¡°Just throw away whatever you don¡¯t like. Having a comfortable bed is the most important thing after all.¡±


    Qinghe waved a hand as he said, ¡°This isn¡¯t our home so I can¡¯t be bothered with redecorating. And we don¡¯t need sleep that much, so the quality of the bed is irrelevant.¡±


    Hearing this, Wei Xiang sidled up to Qinghe and drew him close by his waist. Leaning down, he whispered in a low voice full of meaning, ¡°A bed is used not only for sleeping, my love. There are other, far more interesting activities I¡¯d rather be doing on it. With you, and in you.¡±


    Blushing, Qinghe coughed lightly to alleviate his embarrassment. Then nodding solemnly, he declared, ¡°You¡¯re right, the comfort of the bed is very important. So it¡¯s imperative that we thoroughly inspect it.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes darkened. He lowered his head just as Qinghe raised his up.


    Lips met and hands roved, removing the impeding layers of fabric between their eager bodies. Still kissing, they moved to the bed, their clothes discarded on the floor.


    Qinghe lied on the bed, his face and body flushed, his pupils dilated due to the flame of desire beginning to lick under his skin. He shifted restlessly, his body feeling languid and warm.


    Spotting the huge feather still held in his lover¡¯s hand, Qinghe frowned in puzzlement. ¡°Why are you still holding on to that?¡± he asked huskily.


    Wei Xiang smirked. ¡°Because I want to try something with it.¡±


    Qinghe only frowned more confusedly. ¡°What do you want to try?¡±


    ¡°This,¡± Wei Xiang murmured as he raised the feather and carefully brushed it over his little lover¡¯s flushed body, over his smooth arms, slowly down his chest and belly¡­


    As the fluffy feather dragged across his sensitive skin, Qinghe could feel its lightness and softness leaving delicate wisps of pleasure in its wake, gently stirring his desire.


    This weightless pressure and almost imperceptible friction were not nearly adequate to quench his need, and as the feathery strands ran teasingly over his nerve endings, it only made him writhe for more.


    He was desperate for his lover¡¯s steady and firm touch, for Wei Xiang¡¯s rough and hot palms to press down and slide over his skin, igniting this gentle smolder to blazing flames and finally granting him the release he so frantically sought. Continuing to be teased like this to the point of frustration without being satisfied was torturous!


    Maddened by the unfulfilled need, Qinghe let out soft breaths as his limbs moved restlessly over the cool sheets, seeking, hungering for something elusive just beyond reach.


    ¡°¡­Xiang¡­please¡­¡± he called out breathily. ¡°¡­not¡­enough¡­¡±


    Seeing Qinghe disoriented and shifting in agitation like he was being driven insane, Wei Xiang felt his heart clenching with affection. So it turned out that his little lover became particularly weak when feathers were used on him, he thought with interest.


    Putting the feather away, Wei Xiang carefully settled over his gasping lover to finally give him what he wanted.


    And soon, a symphony of passionate cries echoed throughout the space.


    ¡­¡­


    The muffled and suggestive sounds bled through the wall separating the two quarters, floating into the adjacent room.


    Since the restriction array Wu Xiao had set up only enclosed the outside of the rooms and did not run through the wall in between, the two rooms were not mutually soundproof.


    Just listening to the vague sounds was enough to make Jing Shui blush redder than a cherry. Coughing lightly, he considerately suggested to Wu Xiao, ¡°We should tell them that these rooms have thin walls.¡±


    Wu Xiao merely smiled in amusement. ¡°I¡¯m sure they already know.¡±


    An especially loud gasp sounded from next door and Jing Shui flushed further as he spoke, ¡°If they knew, then why would they be so¡­noisy?¡±


    On the other hand, Wu Xiao was observing his thin-skinned Ah-Shui with great interest. Chuckling, he answered, ¡°Because they don¡¯t care.¡±


    Then moving closer to his awkward looking beloved, Wu Xiao couldn¡¯t help but tease, ¡°Ah-Shui, how about we retaliate against them? If you allow me, I can also make you let out those sorts of sounds.¡±


    Turning his head away, Jing Shui shouted angrily, ¡°Sh-Shameless!¡±


    Unable to let go of this chance, Wu Xiao bent down to lightly blow against Jing Shui¡¯s neck. Startled, Jing Shui almost leapt out of his skin as he jumped away.


    ¡°Y-You¡­ Stop it!¡± he yelled as he moved farther away, his hand covering the tingling region on his neck. He could still feel the sensation left behind by the warm breath brushing against his skin, making him feel strange and hot.


    Wu Xiao looked at his lightly trembling Ah-Shui and smiled. ¡°Okay, okay, I won¡¯t do anything more.¡±


    Jing Shui hesitatingly sat back down beside Wu Xiao on the bed. After all, this room didn¡¯t even have any other seats or even stools in it. The person who furnished this room clearly didn¡¯t have any care for the people who would be using it if they could omit even something as basic as that.


    But since it resulted in them both having to sit together on the bed like this, Wu Xiao couldn¡¯t really complain.


    Looking at the flustered Jing Shui, Wu Xiao marveled at how far he¡¯d come. When they¡¯d first met due to the urgings of his senior martial sister Liu Xue, the current sect master of the Golden Sun Sect, Jing Shui had been very¡­prickly, yet his character had also seemed subdued.


    As he thought back to then, Wu Xiao¡¯s mind slowly drifted to memories of times long past.


    Wu Xiao remembered his senior sister standing beside him, saying, ¡°Xiao Xiao, won¡¯t you take that Crown Prince Jing as your direct disciple?¡±


    But the sect masters of the Silver Moon Sect had never had the habit of arbitrarily taking in direct disciples like this, so Wu Xiao could only refuse. ¡°Elder Sister, you know I can¡¯t do that. And stop calling me with that weird nickname. ¡®Xiao Xiao¡¯ doesn¡¯t sound nice at all.¡±


    Lightly puffing her cheeks, Liu Xue retorted, ¡°Then you can first stop calling me ¡®Elder Sister¡¯. You have to call me Senior Martial Sister!¡±


    Wu Xiao sighed and put aside this age old argument of theirs in favor of the more recent discussion. ¡°Anyway, why do you want to give that crown prince to me? I thought it was one of your Elders who recruited him in the first place? Or is this Crown Prince Jing¡¯s aptitude really so bad?¡±


    Liu Xue said dejectedly, ¡°The problem is not that. His aptitude is actually one of the best I¡¯ve ever seen. He can use one of the elements, so he¡¯ll probably have to be sent to the Heavenly Peak Sect sometime in the future to train in martial arts and to also have the chance to form his own spiritual weapon.¡±


    Raising an eyebrow, Wu Xiao questioned, ¡°That¡¯s hardly a problem and it still doesn¡¯t explain why you want to give him to me.¡±


    Her eyes growing deeper, Liu Xue said seriously, ¡°It¡¯s because I do not understand how to handle his issues. That boy carries around a burden I don¡¯t know how to lighten. But you¡¯re not like me, you know more about how to put people at ease and bring them out of their shell. I¡¯ve seen you do it before, so I want you to use those skills and help this child.¡±


    Wu Xiao closed his eyes and bent his head. The people he had helped were all disciples from his sect, and most of them were members of Silver Mist.


    Granted with the ability to foretell the future, almost all the seers of Silver Mist had to go through untold sufferings.


    They were either fanatically sought out for their ability, ostracized by their family and friends, or driven out of their homes altogether. There were times when these seers would try to change the tragic fates they saw with their foresight, only to fail miserably and make everything worse.


    Not only that, but the cruelties and disasters they often saw with their foresight carved scars deep into their psyche, hurting their minds to the point of making them unable to protect themselves or react suitably to threats and dangers.


    This was why the people of the Silver Moon Sect¨Dspecifically its subdivision of Silver Mist¨Dstayed mostly within the protected confines of their sect grounds, unwilling to set foot outside into the world.


    And as their sect master, Wu Xiao had to take it upon himself to carefully heal these people so that they could smile and laugh again. As such, he could be said to be more than well-versed when it came to handling wounded minds, so Liu Xue was not wrong in handing over Jing Shui to her junior brother.


    But Wu Xiao had no intention of taking in a direct disciple.


    Since this Prince Jing could wield an element, the most suitable sects for him would be either the Heavenly Peak Sect, where all disciples could control an element and use it for fighting, or the Golden Sun Sect, where the disciples learnt a mixture of skills, which also included manipulating elements. No other sects dealt with nurturing element-wielders, so it was out of the question for him to accept this prince into his Silver Moon Sect.


    But he still wanted to help this child somehow, at least for his senior sister¡¯s sake.


    Opening his eyes again, Wu Xiao turned his head to his senior sister and settled on a compromise, ¡°Elder Sister, how about this? I¡¯ll temporarily take in this crown prince of yours, but once he¡¯s recovered enough, you can take him back and make him your direct disciple. It¡¯s about time you got a head disciple after all.¡±


    Thinking it over, Liu Xue grinned. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine with that. After all, I won¡¯t be the one doing all the hard work. Since he already has such high aptitude, as long as he¡¯s competent enough, I don¡¯t mind taking him in as the head disciple.¡±


    Wu Xiao shook his head amusedly at his senior sister¡¯s enthusiasm. ¡°Then tell me about this Crown Prince Jing and I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡±


    Therefore, Liu Xue told him about the free-spirited little prince who was almost crushed under the weight of sudden responsibility. Of how, under the constant pressure, he broke bit by bit, his former self eroding until it was covered under an ocean of unshed tears.


    And the more Wu Xiao heard, the more he pitied this child. The wounds that were wrought due to mental abuse were just as difficult to heal as those resulting from physical violence.


    This kid of barely sixteen must have grown into a timid and sensitive child after his ordeal. Having stayed in the palace all this time, he must be so afraid of this new and unfamiliar environment. Also, he would most likely be very wary of the adults around him. After all, the ones who had hurt him most had been the grown-ups that he¡¯d trusted.


    So, with a heavy heart filled with pity and sympathy, Wu Xiao went to meet this Crown Prince Jing.


    But the first time Jing Shui saw Wu Xiao, he scowled and spat, ¡°So this frivolous-looking dandy is the sect master I¡¯m supposed to be staying with? Hmph, forget it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    And thus, Wu Xiao¡¯s impression of this ¡®pitiful child¡¯ shattered with a loud, resounding crack.

 Chapter 60: Budding Tenderness

    After their disastrous first meeting where Jing Shui very firmly rejected going with Wu Xiao, the sect master of the Golden Sun Sect had to step in. With a mix of coercion and threats from Liu Xue, Jing Shui finally let himself be taken away by Wu Xiao to the grounds of the Silver Moon Sect.


    Seeking to minimize the youngster¡¯s discomfort, Wu Xiao simply gave Jing Shui a room to stay in and did not attempt to meet him after that. He felt that this young prince would probably need some time to acclimatize himself to all these sudden changes in both his environment and his situation. Deciding to work on the child¡¯s issues after he settled in, Wu Xiao thus let him be for now.


    But the surprising thing was that Jing Shui soon came to visit Wu Xiao on his own, albeit in a very sneaky manner.


    On this day, the skies were dark with thunderclouds as heavy drops of rain relentlessly beat on the windows. Winds howled and thunder boomed in the distance as flashes of lightning intermittently bathed the world in a stark light.


    The Silver Moon Sect was situated on a small island surrounded on all sides by the ocean and only connected to land through a single, large stone bridge. Therefore, storms such as the one brewing right now were not an unusual occurrence.


    As the rain poured from the skies outside, Wu Xiao sat placidly on his bed, his posture straight and eyes closed as he meditated in lotus position.


    Suddenly, he heard the soft sounds of someone tiptoeing outside his room, accompanied by the pitter-patter of dripping water. Though these faint noises would be inaudible to normal humans, as a millennia-old cultivator, Wu Xiao¡¯s senses were highly sharpened, and thus he easily detected the soft-footed approach near his door.


    Not willing to give away that he¡¯d already perceived the other person¡¯s presence, Wu Xiao merely opened his eyes a slit while still maintaining his meditative posture. Another cultivator might have noticed the faint glimmer between those slightly parted eyelids, but Jing Shui had not yet started on the path to cultivation, so he wouldn¡¯t notice that Wu Xiao¡¯s eyes weren¡¯t completely closed.


    Silently opening the door, a soaked Jing Shui stepped inside the room, not realizing in his nervousness that he was leaving behind wet footprints.


    On one hand, he held a beautifully bloomed hydrangea that was a lilac-blue color, little droplets of rain decorating those soft petals like tiny crystals. The entire flower looked tender and lush without even the slightest blemish on it. None of the little petals were crumpled or withered and even the leaves on the long stem looked verdant and healthy.


    As Jing Shui carefully snuck inside, the expression on his face was unlike before. There was no irreverence or disdain reflected on his delicate and youthful features. Instead, he looked at the seemingly meditating Wu Xiao with eyes full of awe, guilt, and fear.


    The first time he¡¯d seen this ethereally beautiful cultivator, Jing Shui had been captivated.


    With his shining silver hair, those keen black eyes, every step and motion filled with endless elegance and poise, this person looked so lofty and unattainable, like the moon floating high up in the sky.


    Jing Shui felt that if he reached out his hand to touch this person, this beautiful image would disappear into mist, just like an illusion, like a wonderful dream dissipating in the harsh morning light.


    But then Jing Shui heard that he¡¯d be staying with this person, that he¡¯d have a chance to meet this otherworldly man every day.


    Feeling overwhelmed, he had panicked and lashed out. And though he knew that he shouldn¡¯t be rude lest he made this silver-haired man hate him, Jing Shui had been unable to stop his tongue from spitting out those impolite words.


    In a way, he thought it would be better if he made this person hate him from the beginning itself. In that case, this beautiful man wouldn¡¯t act nicely with him one day only to hurt him later. Jing Shui did not want to trust another adult ever again, so he decided to act rudely to alienate him from the start.


    But to his surprise, even as he kept on behaving obnoxiously, the silver-haired man simply sighed and continued being kind to him as he brought Jing Shui to his sect and showed him to his room. Therefore, Jing Shui had unconsciously begun softening towards this person.


    And then the silver-haired man never came back for him again.


    Thinking that he must have chased him away with his brash mouth, Jing Shui decided to pick the prettiest flower he could find and secretly give it to that beautiful person to assuage his own guilt.


    After all, back at the imperial palace, Jing Shui had once seen a servant gift another servant a flower to apologize. After that, they¡¯d started sucking at each other¡¯s mouths for some reason, but that was a different matter. What Jing Shui had gleaned from that exchange was that you could give flowers to tell someone you were sorry.


    So, braving the torrential downpour, Jing Shui wandered the sect¡¯s gardens for hours until he finally found a flower that he decided was somewhat worthy of that person. All that was left was to stealthily give it.


    So here he was, sneaking into Wu Xiao¡¯s room.


    But thinking that if he were to be found out, he would be scolded or punished like back at the palace, Jing Shui also felt very afraid.


    So, trying to be quiet, he slowly inched close to the undisturbed figure on the bed and carefully placed the hydrangea in front of those crossed, white-clad legs.


    As Jing Shui straightened, his gaze automatically wandered upward.


    Suddenly met with the close-up view of Wu Xiao¡¯s face, Jing Shui grew stunned. His awe and wonder showed openly in his expression as he leaned closer, his nose almost touching Wu Xiao¡¯s as he carefully peered at that exquisite face.


    His lashes were so long¡­, Jing Shui thought dazedly as he marveled at those dark silver eyelashes that fanned lightly over smooth cheeks. They looked so soft that Jing Shui raised a finger without thinking, wanting to run it over those thick lashes and that silky, alabaster skin.


    Then thunder suddenly crashed outside, snapping him out of his reverie. Realizing where he was and what he had been about to do, Jing Shui panicked and hurriedly rushed out of the room.


    On the bed, Wu Xiao opened his eyes the rest of the way.


    Looking at the wet flower soaking his bed and the trail of water left behind by the not-so-sneaky child, he sighed ruefully even as his lips curled up in amusement. This Jing Shui turned out to be far cuter than he¡¯d thought.


    Wu Xiao¡¯s eyes flicked down towards the flower. Then slender fingers reached out to lightly grasp the hydrangea¡¯s stem, lifting it up.


    Wu Xiao had to admit that it really was quite gorgeous. If the person giving it to him had not been a clueless teenaged child, he would have suspected that he was being courted.


    His gaze still focused on the flower, Wu Xiao waved a hand to gather the water pooling on the floor before throwing it outside. Then he got up and changed the damp sheets on his bed.


    Looking at the flower again, Wu Xiao hesitated a bit.


    He should probably put it somewhere safe. After all, as interesting as it would be, he couldn¡¯t very well walk around carrying a flower everywhere he went.


    Thinking this, he took out a luxuriously crafted bottle from his storage space. Wu Xiao then carefully put the fully-bloomed hydrangea inside, using the bottle as a substitute vase.


    This bottle was actually a container for potions, an ancient artifact that could keep its contents fresh for a long time. Wanting to preserve this flower that Jing Shui had braved the harsh weather to pick, Wu Xiao unhesitatingly discarded the stopper and used this legendary artifact as a vase.


    Thinking back to how soaked Jing Shui had looked, Wu Xiao considerately sent a message instructing the disciple who was in charge of cooking for the mortal guests to add a lot of health-enhancing medicinal herbs into Jing Shui¡¯s food to battle against cold, fevers and any other possible illnesses.


    After he was done, Wu Xiao found that his eyes still kept being drawn towards the hydrangea as he thought back to the complex emotions present in Jing Shui¡¯s gaze when he snuck into his room.


    Wu Xiao decided that he really hated seeing fear in those wide, doe-like eyes. If anything, those eyes should show happiness and joy. Earlier when they¡¯d first met, that expression of Jing Shui¡¯s where it looked as if his eyes would spit fire had also been very cute. But thinking about it, Wu Xiao felt that any expression shown in those striking eyes would look adorable, as long as it wasn¡¯t fear.


    And so, Wu Xiao sat down and seriously contemplated on how he could make sure that Jing Shui would never look at him with fearful eyes ever again.


    Since Jing Shui must feel most distrustful towards adults right now, the simplest way would be to not act like an adult. But that was too simplistic, the solution obviously wasn¡¯t so straightforward.


    Thinking more on what Jing Shui went through¡­he must hate strict and serious adults the most, shouldn¡¯t he? So Wu Xiao decided that he should simply avoid acting that way in front of him.


    As Wu Xiao pondered further, he thought back to when a few disciples had greeted Jing Shui after he had just arrived at the sect. Hearing those disciples cheerily calling him ¡®Brother Jing¡¯ or ¡®Prince Jing¡¯, Jing Shui had obviously looked very uneasy and distressed. Now, why was that?


    Hmm, was it because he didn¡¯t like being called by his family name?


    Did the name ¡®Jing¡¯ remind him of the imperial family, and by extension, the imperial palace?


    Wu Xiao felt that it actually made sense.


    Thinking up to here, Wu Xiao already had an idea of how to act.


    First, the way he behaved should not overlap with those from the palace, which meant he shouldn¡¯t look too serious or act strict. Maybe he should behave playfully then? After all, Wu Xiao felt that acting the fool could be quite fun.


    Second, he should not call Jing Shui by his family name, so ¡®Disciple Jing¡¯ and ¡®Xiao Jing¡¯ were out.


    Then what should he call him?


    After thinking awhile, Wu Xiao¡¯s mouth split into a grin. If he called him something as overly familiar as ¡®Ah-Shui¡¯, then would it anger that cute little teen until he was spitting fire again? Wu Xiao couldn¡¯t wait to find out.


    And finally, he should somehow let Jing Shui feel familiar and comfortable with him. Letting him not use honorifics would probably do. Since he would be calling him Ah-Shui from now on, it was only fair to let the kid call him Wu Xiao as well. After all, it wasn¡¯t like Wu Xiao was the type to mind this sort of a minor thing.


    Also, regarding Jing Shui¡¯s issues, they were actually not that difficult to unknot.


    As long as Jing Shui was allowed to play freely without being forcefully confined, as long as he could stay in an environment free of anxiety, undue pressure, or unreasonable expectations for a few months, he should slowly start to recover on his own.


    This was because Wu Xiao felt that Jing Shui had a relatively strong mind. Though that mind had almost cracked under the constant bombardment of stress, it still remained relatively stable. With time, it would regain its vigor.


    And even if that didn¡¯t work, Wu Xiao was confident that he could dig out the root of any other problems that cropped up and address it next. He wanted to slowly work on all of Jing Shui¡¯s issues, unraveling his fears one by one until that brat can smile happily again.


    Keeping all of this in mind, over the course of the next few months, Wu Xiao slowly implemented his ideas and began getting closer to Jing Shui.


    His figure could often be seen as he teased the young teen, a somewhat silly smile stretched on his face as he happily called out ¡°Ah-Shui!¡±


    Though Jing Shui felt very flustered at this otherworldly person behaving with such familiarity towards him, he still began opening up to Wu Xiao. And since Wu Xiao seldom behaved like an adult in his presence, Jing Shui let down his guard completely with him.


    When the nights grew long and his nightmares haunted him once more, Jing Shui would go searching for Wu Xiao, because this was the only adult he ever felt safe with. Of all the people he knew, this was the only person he felt he could show his true self to.


    Wu Xiao was also the only person who could comfort him with his smooth, clear voice while saying, ¡°Ah-Shui, it¡¯s alright. I¡¯m here, they can¡¯t hurt you.¡±


    And because of him, no longer did Jing Shui feel the urge to indiscriminately push everyone away to protect himself. Why would he? Even if all those people betrayed him, even if they tried to hurt him, he knew that Wu Xiao would always be there to take care of him afterward. So why should Jing Shui hold himself back?


    And so, he slowly began spending more time with other people as well.


    But though Jing Shui started keeping company with the disciples of the Silver Moon Sect, it was obvious at a glance that he was terrible at socializing. However, considering how he had been trapped in that palace without being allowed to play with kids his age, it was hardly surprising.


    Nevertheless, because of Jing Shui¡¯s extremely good looks that were highlighted due to his haughtiness, along with his significant talent for the water element that showed through despite the lack of training, the other disciples soon flocked around him.


    Though Jing Shui looked arrogant and his speech was seldom warm or friendly, he never hurt anyone with his words and he showed his care and concern through actions and deeds instead. All these factors combined gained him a lot of fans.


    And so, a Jing Shui fan club was soon formed.


    When Wu Xiao heard of this, his reaction was as expected. He slapped an appearance changing talisman on himself to appear as a disciple and marched to the fan club¡¯s meeting room to¡­promptly register as a member.


    Wu Xiao reasoned to himself that he was only keeping an eye to see that the fan club activities were not interfering with the disciples¡¯ cultivation.


    Of course, Jing Shui knew about none of this. Even if he found out, all he would do was ask what a fan club was.


    But putting that aside, what was obvious to see was that Jing Shui visibly got better. Though he hadn¡¯t shed all his troubles yet, he was definitely on the road to recovery.


    As time passed, Jing Shui became more outgoing, especially when it came to Wu Xiao.


    For example, on a particular day, Jing Shui went to one of the beaches at the edge of the island to practice wielding the water element on his own.


    Though his training hadn¡¯t officially started yet, he still wanted to work hard and climb up the cultivators¡¯ ranks, because no matter how good his innate talent was, he knew that he would still start his life in the Golden Sun Sect as an outer sect disciple. Only after he formed his cultivation core would he be promoted to an inner sect disciple. Wu Xiao had even said that when it happened, the sect master of the Golden Sun Sect might take him in as her head disciple.


    Jing Shui was very pleased to hear this, because if he became a head disciple, then didn¡¯t that mean that there was a chance he could become the sect master in the future? And if he became the Golden Sun Sect¡¯s sect master, then he could finally be on equal footing with Wu Xiao.


    Though he didn¡¯t consider why he wanted to be considered as equal to Wu Xiao, Jing Shui still liked thinking about it very much, so he made it into his goal.


    And to achieve this goal, he needed to practice!


    So here he was at the beach, reaching out with his fledgling spiritual senses to accustom himself to the sensation. But as he widened his senses, Jing Shui felt the presence of someone else on the beach with him.


    Curious, he made his way over to see who it was.


    In a natural pool that was filled with the rising tide, Wu Xiao stood completely unclothed, his side to Jing Shui. With a washcloth in his hand, Wu Xiao was carefully wiping himself down, his expression intent and focused on his actions.


    Though he appeared slender while clothed, Wu Xiao¡¯s body right now was revealed to be leanly muscled. As he moved his hands in steady motions, the muscles in his arms and back flexed, shifting under the smooth, evenly toned skin. His motions were elegant and measured, exuding a hypnotic sense of sensuality that could capture the heart of anyone watching.


    Wu Xiao was covered in a thin sheen of moisture that faintly reflected the sunlight, clear droplets of water hanging on his body. His long and wet hair appeared especially shiny and sleek as it shone brightly like a mirror¡¯s surface. Damp, glistening strands of hair stuck to his body, the silvery tendrils seeming to accentuate his graceful form.


    A sense of quiet and peace surrounded him, the only sounds that of the light splashing of the pool water and the distant crash and roar of waves.


    Stunned at this splendid sight, Jing Shui sat back and appreciated this feast for the eyes. As expected of the person he¡¯d acknowledged as being the most beautiful, Wu Xiao really was perfect in every way!


    Suddenly pausing in the action of washing himself, Wu Xiao turned to directly face the little peeping tom. Blinking his eyes coquettishly, he joked, ¡°Ah-Shui, do you like what you see?¡±


    Seeing that he had been found out, Jing Shui unabashedly came out of hiding. ¡°Hmph, why should I like it? You¡¯re simply being conceited.¡±


    Wu Xiao¡¯s mouth twitched as he refuted in his heart: Then why is your gaze still stuck to my body, you little brat?! Can¡¯t you tone down the admiration in your eyes a little? This old one is really about to start blushing, you know!


    But on the outside, Wu Xiao only smiled wryly as he spoke, ¡°Then do you also want to come and bathe here? The water gathered in this place tends to accumulate a purer form of spiritual energy, it¡¯s especially good for water-wielding cultivators.¡±


    For a moment, Jing Shui¡¯s mind blanked. Was Wu Xiao asking him to bathe together with him?


    And for some unknown reason, Jing Shui felt his face heating up at that thought. Suddenly feeling overly self-conscious, he stuttered out a refusal before running away.


    There was no way he was going to get so near to that person with such a perfect body, with that gleaming silver hair and that silky smooth skin and¡­ No! He should stop thinking about what he just saw! It made him feel strange and weird, so it was better to bury that scene deep in his mind.


    And thus began Jing Shui¡¯s unwitting path to denial.


    On the other hand, Wu Xiao only felt confused.


    Was the thought of bathing together really so frightening? But the sight of that brat running away with a red face really was too cute!


    And so, a certain Wu Xiao decided to keep making his Ah-Shui blush just so he could enjoy the sight of his red cheeks and embarrassed expression.

 Chapter 61: Blooming Affection

    As he had decided earlier, Wu Xiao began teasing Jing Shui every chance he got, taking great delight in seeing that cute little face flush with anger, those clear eyes showing embarrassment and spitting fire. But despite all this, Jing Shui still stuck to Wu Xiao as closely as ever.


    Soon, Liu Xue came to take Jing Shui back.


    Now that his spirits had improved and his mind was in a state fit for cultivating, it was now time for him to be inducted officially into the Golden Sun Sect.


    Under Wu Xiao¡¯s persuasion and urging, Jing Shui finally left, but that didn¡¯t mean he stayed away. Between his training and cultivation, Jing Shui still found some time to come visit Wu Xiao every now and then.


    And every time Wu Xiao saw Jing Shui running back to him with barely concealed eagerness, he felt warmth and affection blooming inside his chest as he thought happily¨DEven though this brat already grew up to be eighteen, he is still so clingy!


    But nevertheless, his arms opened wide every time to hug close that slim figure, enfolding him tightly, yet tenderly.


    In this way, time flowed and the seasons passed, slowly drawing Wu Xiao and Jing Shui closer.


    On this day, the skies were bright and clear as Wu Xiao strolled outside.


    It had been quite some time since Jing Shui had last returned and Wu Xiao couldn¡¯t help but worry if something had happened to him. Though his senior sister kept reassuring him that nothing was wrong, he still worried.


    His gloomy thoughts were suddenly interrupted as he felt someone familiar approaching with soundless footsteps.


    Wu Xiao turned his head and sure enough, it was his Ah-Shui.


    A wide smile unconsciously spread on his face as Wu Xiao called out in a teasing tone, ¡°Ah-Shui, it turns out you remember me after all. So, did you miss me~¡±


    Jing Shui merely huffed in response. Turning his eyes away from the dazzlingly beautiful person who only seemed to have gotten more stunning, Jing Shui took a deep breath to calm himself before retrieving something from his storage space.


    Wu Xiao was at first confused at Jing Shui¡¯s uncharacteristically reticent behavior, but when his eyes fell on the object Jing Shui held out to him, Wu Xiao froze.


    ¡°A-Ah-Shui¡­this is¡­ You made this?¡± Wu Xiao felt strange emotions bubbling up inside of him.


    Still not looking at him, Jing Shui nodded and shoved the beautifully crafted crystal hydrangea into Wu Xiao¡¯s hands before turning around and hurrying away.


    During these past few months, Jing Shui had finally formed his cultivation core and had been made into an inner sect disciple. He was also instated as Sect Master Liu¡¯s head disciple, so he still had a lot of work left to do and a lot of things to learn.


    But despite his tiredness and busy schedule, he had been unable to stay away from Wu Xiao, so he¡¯d rushed over just so that he could give the flower he had worked hard over several months to make.


    Even after Jing Shui quickly left, Wu Xiao still stared after him. Then in a daze, he looked down at the flower.


    The color was the same lilac-blue as the first hydrangea Jing Shui had gifted him so long ago on that rainy day, but this flower obviously had a lot more effort put behind it.


    Tiny, smooth and gleaming crystals formed the flower petals, the transparent material radiant and pure. The highly concentrated water element based spiritual energy that made up each crystal gave off a tranquil and refreshing feeling, washing over one¡¯s mind with a cool and soothing sensation.


    If spiritual power could be said to be the condensed form of spiritual energy, and spiritual force an even more condensed form of spiritual power, then what made up the crystals in the flower was the most compressed and concentrated form of spiritual force.


    It would have taken an overwhelming amount of spiritual force, refined with the utmost care over extended periods of time, to create even a single of these lustrous petals. And each petal was only the size of a fingernail.


    To actually produce the entirety of a fully bloomed hydrangea, with leaves and stem and all, would have taken an unfathomably massive amount of spiritual energy distilled into solid form. The effort put into it must have been staggering.


    Even as he though all this, Wu Xiao still couldn¡¯t tear his eyes away from the delicate-looking bloom.


    Why would anyone spend so much effort on another person?


    Why would the proud and cute Jing Shui go through so much trouble for him?!


    Feeling his heart thudding in his chest, Wu Xiao lifted up a hand to cover his mouth self-consciously. The skin on his face felt very hot under his fingers, as if warmed by a blush.


    Closing his eyes, Wu Xiao took deep breaths to calm himself as he swiftly strode back to his room. Placed on a side table was the bottle-turned-vase, still holding the fresh looking hydrangea Jing Shui had sneakily given him before.


    With complex emotions, Wu Xiao gently added the crystal hydrangea into the vase to keep the older flower company. He couldn¡¯t help but softly brush his fingertips against the petals of the two flowers that looked so alike even after being placed side-by-side. His heart still thumped loudly in his chest, beating out an erratic rhythm.


    Though he had never before thought of his Ah-Shui as a potential romantic partner, Wu Xiao suddenly realized that the idea didn¡¯t feel all that strange to him.


    At first, he did feel a faint resistance to thinking of the boy that way. After all, he had never considered this possibility before, so he was still unused to it. But the more his mind wandered in that direction, the more Wu Xiao realized that he had long since seemed to have fallen for that brat.


    When had it started?


    Even he himself didn¡¯t know.


    It hadn¡¯t happened at any particular time that he could pinpoint, but like the waves of the ocean gradually washing away the sand on a beach, his resistance towards his Ah-Shui¡¯s charm had also been slowly swept away by the currents caused by their time spent together.


    But did Jing Shui feel the same? Wu Xiao wondered. He decided that somewhere deep inside, Jing Shui must also feel something for him. Otherwise, why would he spend so much effort for his sake?


    As Wu Xiao stewed in these thoughts, a knock sounded on his door.


    From the other side, a disciple informed, ¡°Sect Master Wu, Sect Master Liu is here to see you. She¡¯s waiting in the guest hall.¡±


    Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Wu Xiao replied, ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll be there shortly.¡±


    The disciple outside the door retreated.


    Trying to regain his usual state of mind, Wu Xiao went to see what his senior sister wanted.


    The second he opened the door to the waiting hall, Liu Xue shouted, ¡°Xiao Xiao, where is that disobedient disciple of mine? Did he come to see you again?!¡±


    Sighing, Wu Xiao nodded. ¡°Yes, but he left right away. He should have gone back to the sect immediately.¡±


    Liu Xue¡¯s anger deflated. ¡°¡­Oh, so he went back.¡±


    Then tiredly rubbing her brows, she complained, ¡°That brat is so troublesome. He just formed his spiritual weapon in the Spirit Guiding Cavern a few months ago, but the moment he returned from Heavenly Peak Sect after that, he immediately locked himself up in his room and started drawing out large amounts of spiritual force. I don¡¯t know what he did with that much energy during these past months, but that kid must be beyond exhausted by now. When he came out of seclusion, I told him to stay put and rest properly, but did he listen to me? No! The moment he came out, he immediately took off somewhere saying he had urgent business. That stinking brat! Even though I¡¯m his master, he never listens to me!¡±


    Hearing this, Wu Xiao was beyond stunned. His Ah-Shui seemed to have gone through a lot more trouble than he¡¯d expected just to gift him that crystal flower. But¡­why?


    Seeing her junior brother dazing off, Liu Xue got a weird feeling. ¡°Xiao Xiao, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Wu Xiao¡¯s gaze refocused on his senior sister and he hesitated. Then opening his mouth, he asked, ¡°Elder Sister, did he¡­ Did Ah-Shui ever say anything to you that might suggest how he thinks of me?¡±


    Liu Xue raised her eyebrows in realization. Ah-ha! So her junior brother had designs on her little disciple! Well, it was not like it was something unexpected. Actually, she herself had suspected several times that Wu Xiao and Jing Shui were in a relationship. That¡¯s why she had even asked her little disciple about it.


    When Liu Xue told Wu Xiao about this, he felt his heart jumping up to his throat. Swallowing down his anxiety, Wu Xiao strived to sound calm as he inquired, ¡°What exactly did you ask him and how did he respond?¡±


    Her brows scrunched in concentration, Liu Xue thought back. ¡°Hmm, I asked him if he was in a relationship with you, and if not, then did he want to be in a relationship with you. His answer was quite interesting, actually.¡±


    ¡°So? How did he answer?¡± Wu Xiao prodded her impatiently.


    Smiling at her junior brother¡¯s frustrated and eager expression, Liu Xue almost felt sorry for him. ¡°Well, my little disciple blushed red and stammered incoherently for a while. He seemed to be in a panic and very embarrassed about the question. But then he told me that no, he didn¡¯t see you that way.¡±


    Wu Xiao felt his heart dropping. He was unable to hide the naked disappointment dulling his eyes.


    Seeing this, Liu Xue sighed before she continued, ¡°Well, his exact words were ¡®I don¡¯t dare think of him that way. How can I even dream of having that sort of a person all to myself? The fact that he even allows me to be this close to him is already my greatest fortune.¡¯¡±


    Then tilting her head, Liu Xue asked playfully, ¡°Just what spell did you put my disciple under, you wily old fox?¡±


    But lost in his thoughts as he was, Wu Xiao couldn¡¯t hear her.


    Though he had known that Jing Shui held him in high regard, Wu Xiao still couldn¡¯t have imagined just how high up he was held in the end.


    Hearing that Jing Shui thought so highly of him¡­


    A faint blush colored Wu Xiao¡¯s face even as he had to fight the impulse to cover it up with his hands.


    Liu Xue observed her junior brother¡¯s reaction before laughing. ¡°Ah, I never thought I¡¯d see the day when you¡¯d be so utterly smitten by someone! How interesting!¡±


    ¡°¡­Shut up,¡± Wu Xiao managed to say faintly.


    After chuckling for a while, Liu Xue finally softened her tone and asked, ¡°Are you sad that he doesn¡¯t seem to see you that way yet?¡±


    Wu Xiao shook his head. Smiling ruefully, he answered, ¡°How can I? If the reason had been that he didn¡¯t think I was worthy of him or that I didn¡¯t meet his standards somehow, then I could at least put this matter behind me and move on. But for this kind of a reason¡­I can¡¯t even bring myself to feel bitter.¡±


    ¡°Oh? So are you going to give up on him this easily then?¡± Liu Xue sounded doubtful.


    Laughing lightly, Wu Xiao replied, ¡°Of course not. He¡¯s simply not ready yet, but that¡¯s alright. I can wait for him to grow up before I tell him that I want him. I can wait however long it takes.¡±


    Liu Xue smiled at her junior brother¡¯s patient way of handling his own feelings. If it was to this man, then she didn¡¯t mind handing over her cute little disciple at all. It would be nice if they could spend their days together and make each other happy.


    And after this very informative chat with his senior sister, Wu Xiao¡¯s attitude towards Jing Shui went through a marked change. He would touch and hug his Ah-Shui every chance he got while trying to sneakily eat a little tofu here and there.


    He wanted Jing Shui to slowly get used to him and get more comfortable with his touches physically.


    On the other hand, Jing Shui merely thought that it was just another new way of teasing him that Wu Xiao had come up with.


    But still, Jing Shui couldn¡¯t explain to himself why he felt his breath stutter in his chest every time Wu Xiao casually touched him or why he felt like his blood was boiling with heat every time Wu Xiao hugged him. He only knew that it was a feeling that was both pleasant and nerve-wracking.


    And so, in this way, their days had continued.


    ¡­¡­


    As Wu Xiao was busily immersed in these thoughts of the past, his attention was forcefully snapped back to the present when Jing Shui¡¯s voice suddenly called out, ¡°Why are you staring at me like that?¡±


    Blinking, Wu Xiao realized that all this time he¡¯d been reminiscing, his gaze seemed to have been fixed on his flustered little Ah-Shui. Immediately putting on a sincere expression, Wu Xiao professed earnestly, ¡°I¡¯m just admiring art. After all, my Ah-Shui is naturally the most beautiful being ever created!¡±


    Though Jing Shui had heard all sorts of exaggerated compliments before from various people, Wu Xiao¡¯s words still made him feel greatly embarrassed and bashful.


    To hide his own reaction, he refuted stutteringly, ¡°W-What¨D?! U-Utterly¡­ridiculous!¡±


    Wu Xiao leaned back and laughed. ¡°My dear, precious Ah-Shui, after all these years, why do I feel like you only got cuter?¡±


    Jing Shui blushed furiously and turned his face away. Why did Wu Xiao keep complimenting him so much today? How could he cope with it if he kept praising him with such a sincere expression?!


    ¡°E-Enough, let¡¯s sleep,¡± Jing Shui finally managed to speak. It was still evening outside but he couldn¡¯t be bothered with that. He just wanted to somehow find an excuse to run away from this situation.


    Even though he did not need to rest, Wu Xiao still cheerfully nodded and laid down anyway. After all, he would get to share a bed with his beloved tonight!


    Jing Shui also suddenly realized this fact. But despite the pounding of his heart and the nervousness fluttering in his stomach, Jing Shui still lied down beside Wu Xiao without a fuss.


    The room remained silent, filled with a strange and awkward atmosphere as neither of them spoke.


    Both Jing Shui and Wu Xiao were excessively aware of the other¡¯s presence. But in spite of that, after a few hours of twisting and turning, they both eventually fell asleep.


    And while sleeping, Wu Xiao¡¯s dreams were full of vivid spring scenes, all starring a certain Ah-Shui that he was obsessed with.


    Wu Xiao dreamt of tying him up, the dark leather stark against his Ah-Shui¡¯s tender white skin. He dreamt of leaning down and kissing away the clear drops of tears as they gathered at the corner of his beloved¡¯s eyes, of closing his mouth over Ah-Shui¡¯s so that Wu Xiao could swallow down his cries and gasps of pleasure.


    He dreamt of being welcomed into his beloved¡¯s body, entering him from the rear and filling him up with his release again and again until it overflowed, the white liquid tracing a tantalizing line down a pale, smooth thigh as his Ah-Shui pleaded in a trembling voice for more.


    He dreamt of seeing a flushed Jing Shui lying on rumpled sheets, his chest and belly covered with Wu Xiao¡¯s release. He imagined how it would look if his beloved shyly dipped a finger into that thick liquid, bringing it up to his ripe, red lips. Then, slowly meeting Wu Xiao¡¯s eyes, his Ah-Shui would blush in embarrassment while extending out the tip of his tongue to curiously lick at the white fluid covering his fingertip, his other hand slowly reaching down and¨D


    Wu Xiao¡¯s eyes snapped open, his senses going on full alert. But not detecting any danger in the room, he relaxed his vigilance again.


    Sparse moonlight flowed through the small window, barely diluting the thick darkness. A soft, silent hush blanketed the room, the very air seeming still and stagnant.


    Wu Xiao¡¯s body still felt languid and hot due to his dreams, and he sensed that he had already gone hard. Sighing, he tried to clear the lingering images in his mind. Would he not be free from his Ah-Shui¡¯s bewitchment even while asleep?


    Suddenly, Wu Xiao heard a soft whimper from beside him and turned his head to see that unlike him, Jing Shui did not seem to be having pleasant dreams.


    Jing Shui¡¯s brows were scrunched together, the expression on his face as if he was going through great sufferings. His lips trembled as tears tumbled down from his eyes, the fabric under his cheek already soaking wet.


    Succeeding in finally calming his desire, Wu Xiao bent down and wrapped an arm around his Ah-Shui. Tamping down his distress at seeing his beloved like this again, he whispered in a low, steady voice, ¡°Ah-Shui, I¡¯m here. As long as I¡¯m here, they cannot get to you. I will not let them.¡±


    During those nights when Jing Shui would snuggle into his bed because of the nightmares plaguing him, Wu Xiao had comforted him very much the same way. He would sometimes have to hold Jing Shui the entire night, murmuring reassurances until the little teen felt safe enough to sleep. But even his dreams had often not been spared from his fears.


    Holding him and whispering to him like this brought Wu Xiao back to those days. He had thought that they had left those nightmares far behind, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case.


    As Wu Xiao continued comforting his sleeping Ah-Shui, he saw the frown on that beautiful face easing, Jing Shui¡¯s expression finally relaxing as he unconsciously accepted the reassurance just like he used to back then.


    And just like back then, Jing Shui called out in a voice weighed with sleep. ¡°¡­Wu¡­Xiao¡­¡±


    Smiling gently, Wu Xiao answered, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m here. I will always be here by your side.¡±


    Jing Shui finally smiled a small, content smile as he drifted deeper into a more restful sleep.


    But unfortunately, it was not so for Wu Xiao.


    How could he have forgotten his Ah-Shui¡¯s habit of clinging to him in such an inconvenient way every time Wu Xiao succeeded in soothing him back to sleep?! And Wu Xiao was afraid that if he moved, he¡¯d wake up his beloved after he just managed to sleep more peacefully.


    Sighing, Wu Xiao leaned back on the bed and settled in for a long, sleepless, and torturous night.


    Soon, dawn arrived, spilling its golden light over the world.


    Just as Jing Shui awakened from his relaxed sleep, he felt the queer sensation of something touching him between his legs, brushing over that intimate part of him that had risen as if to greet the morning.


    Jing Shui froze.


    Opening his eyes, the first sight he saw was Wu Xiao¡¯s harried looking face. Then when he looked down, Jing Shui saw his own arms clamping onto and hugging close one of Wu Xiao¡¯s arms as he used to do when they had shared a bed before in the Silver Moon Sect. The back of that poor hand was now pressed against a certain bulging part of his, making Jing Shui¡¯s entire face flame red.


    Quickly releasing Wu Xiao¡¯s arm, Jing Shui leapt out of bed as if it were on fire.


    ¡°Wu Xiao, I¡¯m so sorry!¡± he exclaimed, his eyes all everywhere over the room as if unable to meet his companion¡¯s gaze.


    How could he have forgotten this particular habit of his that was triggered only when he slept beside Wu Xiao?! Jing Shui felt acute, stinging embarrassment overflowing within him.


    Wu Xiao merely sighed. ¡°Ah-Shui, it¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t mind.¡± Actually, he wanted to touch him more, but his beloved clearly wasn¡¯t ready.


    Sighing once again, Wu Xiao thought wryly¨Dsuch were the sweet torments of rooming with the one you loved.


    But in the end, Wu Xiao still felt that it was very much worth it.

 Chapter 62: The Merchant’s Wife

    The receiving room was wide and vast, the interior illuminated brightly by the mellow sunshine pouring in through the large windows.


    In the middle of the room was a set of comfortable divans and plush chairs. They were distributed evenly around an ornate table carved out of a luxurious gold colored wood. On the table was a half-finished bowl of oranges that was being consumed at a brisk rate.


    Sitting on one of the divans, Wei Xiang was methodically peeling an orange, dropping the occasional slice into the mouth of his lazy lover.


    Qinghe was lying down with his head on Wei Xiang¡¯s lap, facing upward so that he could be more conveniently fed. His body laid lax and indolent as he waited eagerly for the next slice to fall into his mouth.


    This morning, they had asked to reserve use of a room to meet a guest and were kindly provided one. Qinghe had then promptly cast a sound barrier around the room after verifying that no spies or eavesdroppers lurked within.


    And as they waited for their guest to arrive, Qinghe had happily settled his head down on Wei Xiang¡¯s lap while being fed.


    He felt that his life in the imperial palace was really too comfortable. Not only did he not have to fix the junior disciples¡¯ messes or give them pointers on cultivation, he also didn¡¯t have to do any of his master¡¯s paperwork or run between the various sects on important business. Ah, such bliss.


    Meanwhile, Wei Xiang uncomplainingly indulged his little lover as he gave him the last slice of the orange. But before he could take away his hand to choose another orange to peel, Qinghe clamped his lips onto Wei Xiang¡¯s fingers, not letting them leave his mouth. With his moist tongue, he began licking clean the little bit of orange juice that had gotten onto his lover¡¯s fingers.


    His eyes darkening with rapidly rising lust, Wei Xiang tried to retrieve his hand, but to no avail.


    ¡°Qinghe, not here,¡± he chided gently.


    Puffing his cheeks and pouting, Qinghe released his lover¡¯s orange-flavored fingers. ¡°You never let me have any fun,¡± he grumped.


    Chuckling, Wei Xiang retorted, ¡°Oh? Does that mean you¡¯re saying you didn¡¯t have any fun last night?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s cheeks turned pink, but he still tried to maintain his glare.


    Relenting, Wei Xiang bent down to give his pouty lips a quick kiss. ¡°You are the one who called him over, so you should at least show him some courtesy, hm?¡±


    Sighing, Qinghe agreed, ¡°Yes, yes. Fine, I¡¯ll behave.¡±


    But waiting was really boring and his lover was right here, but too bad he had been forbidden from having fun.


    Just as Qinghe was beginning to get grouchy, the sound of the door opening was heard. Footsteps neared the divan and went past as the guest seated himself opposite to the couple.


    ¡°Feng Qinghe, is that your true face?¡± Master Kai inquired with scrunched brows.


    He¡¯d heard that this young cultivator often bought large quantities of appearance changing talismans, seemingly as if for daily use, so it hadn¡¯t been that difficult for Master Kai to guess that Qinghe hid his appearance almost always. But he couldn¡¯t have guessed that it was actually because his appearance was so¡­extraordinary.


    Hearing Master Kai¡¯s question, Qinghe blinked perplexedly. ¡°Yes, why?¡±


    Master Kai simply shook his head, deciding to get used to this new face quickly.


    Shrugging, Qinghe ate another slice of orange before offering, ¡°Master Kai, feel free to have an orange. Ah, but I won¡¯t be lending you my orange peeler. He belongs exclusively to me.¡±


    Before their guest could reply, the aforementioned orange peeler Wei Xiang spoke flirtily, ¡°Yes, I do. And as your exclusive peeler, when we get back, there¡¯s something I¡¯d really like to peel off of you.¡±


    Qinghe raised an eyebrow curiously. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mean my skin. I still need it.¡±


    Both Wei Xiang and Master Kai¡¯s mouths twitched. Was that really the conclusion someone would normally arrive at after hearing that?!


    Wei Xiang finally managed to respond as he said, ¡°The direction of your thoughts is¡­disturbing. But no, my love, I meant your clothes.¡±


    Blinking slowly, Qinghe asked, ¡°My¡­clothes?¡±


    Chuckling to himself about how adorably befuddled his little lover looked, Wei Xiang replied mischievously, ¡°Yes. Isn¡¯t it similar to the concept of how fruit peeling works? You let the fruit ripen, then peel off the outer layers before eating up what¡¯s inside.¡±


    Then bending down, Wei Xiang continued with a wicked glint in his eyes, ¡°Slowly, thoroughly, enjoying it until every single drop of fruit juice is completely squeezed out.¡±


    Qinghe swallowed, then whispered back, ¡°Fruit juice? In this context, I hope you don¡¯t mean¨D¡±


    Suddenly knowing what his beloved was about to say, Wei Xiang clamped a hand over that tempting little mouth. Qinghe obediently shut up, looking up at his lover with expectant eyes.


    Removing his hand, Wei Xiang sighed wryly before answering the implied question, ¡°No, I don¡¯t mean blood.¡±


    Qinghe squinted his eyes in confusion. ¡°Oh?¡±


    If it wasn¡¯t blood, then what other liquid would you squeeze out¨D?


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes widened in sudden realization as his cheeks flushed. ¡°Oh!¡±


    Wei Xiang could only sigh again, his lips involuntarily curving up. His eyes as he looked at Qinghe practically overflowed with exasperation and affection.


    From the side, Master Kai finally cut in, ¡°Are you both done? As amusing as it is to see your unique way of flirting, I would like to get down to business. I¡¯m a busy man after all.¡±


    Finally turning his gaze away from his lover, Qinghe agreed easily, ¡°Alright then.¡±


    Getting up and sitting properly, Qinghe patted his lap and looked at Wei Xiang. ¡°It¡¯s your turn now.¡±


    His eyes sparkling with mirth, Wei Xiang obediently lied down, his head placed on Qinghe¡¯s lap, his boot-clad feet hanging over the edge because of his height.


    Qinghe took the orange from his lover¡¯s hand and began peeling it the rest of the way before carefully bringing a slice to Wei Xiang¡¯s lips. With amusement, Wei Xiang happily opened his mouth to receive it.


    After he retrieved his hand, Qinghe¡¯s fingers continued to gracefully work on the orange. Then he began at last, ¡°Master Kai, I have a request to make of you.¡±


    Raising a thick eyebrow, Master Kai spoke, ¡°I gathered as much. What do you need?¡±


    Qinghe asked without reservations, ¡°A list of sensible and influential courtiers that the imperial family is currently targeting.¡±


    Master Kai blinked, his eyebrows furrowing doubtfully. ¡°What makes you think that I have something like that? I am merely a simple trader, I do not dabble in politics.¡±


    Chuckling, Qinghe refuted, ¡°A trader you might be, but you are far from simple. And I am already aware that you also happen to trade in information.¡±


    Making a complicated expression, Master Kai looked at Qinghe. Did he even want to know how this man had managed to find out yet another of his secrets?


    ¡°Fine, so you know. That does not mean that I¡¯ll give the information away just because you ask me to, at least not unless I understand why you want it,¡± the merchant said, holding his ground.


    Feeding his lover yet another slice, Qinghe asked, ¡°Why do you need to know?¡±


    With a stubborn expression, Master Kai explained, ¡°Because I am responsible for whatever problems providing you that information might cause. I do not want it to end up burdening my conscience.¡±


    Hearing this, Qinghe paused in surprise. A conscientious businessman was a rare sight indeed in any age.


    With a light chuckle, Qinghe finally relented, ¡°Very well. I merely wish to recruit these people under a certain lord¡¯s banner. I promise that any trouble that may arise will only be temporary. What I am about to do needs to be done for this empire to continue its prosperity.¡±


    Master Kai narrowed his eyes in thought as he tried to understand the hidden implication. But when the meaning finally sunk in, his eyes grew wide.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious. That is¡­¡± he trailed off, unable to complete his sentence.


    Qinghe merely nodded as he continued peeling. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s probably as you think.¡±


    Silence descended in the room.


    Remaining unbothered, Qinghe continued to carefully remove the seeds from the last slice of the orange before feeding it to his lover, then continued peeling yet another one.


    Slowly, the agonized expression on Master Kai¡¯s face cleared. Rubbing his forehead with his fingers in tiredness, he spoke in a voice laden with gravity, ¡°This country is so rotten that it is barely being held together by delicate threads. Which strings are to be snapped must be chosen carefully, lest the whole country comes crashing down.¡±


    ¡°I know. I understand,¡± Qinghe replied. Though he looked casual, the deepness in his eyes belied seriousness.


    Sighing, Master Kai nodded. ¡°I know you do. But¡­are you sure? For a cultivator to interfere in politics to this extent, I¡¯m afraid there will be consequences.¡±


    Qinghe smiled. ¡°That is why I¡¯m recruiting these people under another person¡¯s name. The traces will not lead to me, I can at least make sure of that.¡±


    Master Kai really didn¡¯t know what to feel. He¡¯d never thought that the Feng Qinghe he knew would ever do something so¡­outrageously daring. But then again, maybe this man had already done many things as brash as this before and had simply hidden his tracks well. If that were truly the case, then it wouldn¡¯t surprise him one bit.


    Sighing heavily, Master Kai asked, ¡°So you need the names of people who are valuable and targeted by the imperial family. I will get them to you, but what will you give me in return?¡±


    Qinghe blinked his eyes, a smile visible in their depths as he countered with another question, ¡°Oh, I forgot to ask. How is it going with your wife, Master Kai? Are you still running from her?¡±


    The merchant stiffened, apprehension clearly visible on his face. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s talk about the compensation you will give me instead.¡±


    Seeing his uneasy expression, Qinghe chuckled merrily. ¡°It¡¯s going that badly, huh?¡±


    Master Kai gritted his teeth. ¡°Feng Qinghe, what do you want to say? Just spit it out and be done with it.¡±


    Qinghe had to suppress his laughter before he could speak again. ¡°In return for the information, I can provide you a safe place that I guarantee won¡¯t be found by the Queen of the Seas for at least a month. Not a bad deal, is it?¡±


    Blinking in surprise, Master Kai asked disbelievingly, ¡°Is that even possible?!¡±


    Because he more than anyone knew his wife¡¯s might. How much he loved her was how much he respected her. As for what she saw in him, only she knew.


    Master Kai¡¯s wife was named Hai Liang, and she was one of the most feared and revered people in the current world. Though Hai Liang wasn¡¯t even a cultivator, she managed to not only gain the undying loyalty of many powerful people, both mortals and cultivators alike, she also built a fearsome reputation for herself within a scant few decades that rivaled that of millennia-old cultivators.


    If Master Kai could be said to be the most influential and powerful merchant on land, then Hai Liang was a step above him, crowned as the undisputable Queen of the Seas.


    Her story began when the coastal area she lived in was besieged with pirates. They would pillage and plunder the towns and villages scattered across the coast since they were easy to target. By the time the Sentinels were notified, it was often too late. The pirate ships would have already retreated into the sea with their loot.


    Then they made the mistake of kidnapping Hai Liang.


    Hai Liang was by all means a simple village girl who maybe enjoyed watching swordfights a bit too much. Whenever she saw the martial artists in her village practicing the sword, Hai Liang would eagerly watch every move with shining eyes, imprinting all those graceful and powerful maneuvers into her heart.


    So when she was suddenly dragged away into a pirate ship, rather than panicking or screaming for help, Hai Liang wrested away a sword from one of her captors and confidently challenged the pirate captain of the ship to a duel¡­and won.


    But to no one¡¯s surprise, the pirates refused to admit defeat, so she singlehandedly fought a whole ship¡¯s worth of pirates¡­and won again.


    After beating them all into a miserable, bloody pulp, Hai Ling then began persuading them to follow her. Equal parts charmed and frightened by this strange woman, the pirates agreed.


    Hai Liang then continued on to acquire several other pirate ships until she had enough to create her own fleet. She waged a war against the remaining pirates and decimated them all.


    Thus, peace was restored to the coast.


    After this, Hai Liang accumulated titles such as Terror of the Seas, Pirate Queen, Ocean¡¯s Wrath, and other similar names. Her fame spread far and wide, her name eliciting both fear and respect in the hearts of the people.


    One day, when Hai Liang rescued a certain merchant ship from a fledgling group of wannabe pirates, she met Master Kai. During their journey while heading towards the coast, Master Kai and Hai Liang got close, and Hai Liang inevitably fell in love with the stalwart Master Kai.


    Since her nature was brash and straightforward, she directly proposed to the man she loved, asking him to stay with her forever on her ship, promising to be faithful to him and provide him with everything he could ever wish for.


    And in reply, Master Kai promptly ran away the second the ship touched shore.


    He was someone who had many businesses to run and various responsibilities to fulfill. There was no way he¡¯d spend his entire life on a ship! But more importantly, how could he stay with a woman who asked him to stay forever in a ship while she bloody well knew that he got seasick?! Was that really the care and concern of someone who loved him? He refused to believe it!


    Thus started the thrilling game of tag between Master Kai and Hai Liang.


    Hai Liang eventually managed to capture Master Kai on land and agreed to let him stay there since he was truly uncomfortable at sea. Master Kai also relented and blushingly confessed his love. Everything was wrapping up happily, the couple heading towards their happily ever after¡­


    ¡­And then Hai Liang had the brilliant idea of holding their wedding on her ship.


    Master Kai ran again. Hai Liang captured her lover once again. Then they got married on land.


    After their delightful wedding night, Hai Liang snuck the exhaustedly sleeping Master Kai into her ship to ¡®continue the festivities in the place I call home¡¯, as she put it.


    And so, after waking up, Master Kai ran yet again¡­


    In this way, whenever Hai Liang tried to unreasonably get her husband aboard her ship, Master Kai would flee for a few days or weeks before being captured by his wife. Then they would make up with each other and lead a few months of uneventful life full of marital bliss, only for the run and chase to begin all over again.


    But despite this continuously repeating cycle, the both of them seemed content with things as they were, though neither of them showed it on the surface.


    Qinghe naturally knew all this, so he used it as a bargaining chip.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he reassured Master Kai, ¡°I really do have such a place ready. No matter how influential the Queen of the Seas is, even she will not have her claws this deep in matters of land. You can rest for one month in peace in the place I¡¯ve prepared.¡±


    Master Kai reluctantly chose to believe him.


    And so the deal was struck.


    From his sleeve, Qinghe took out a delicately wrought copper key and handed it to the merchant. Then he gave him detailed directions on how to reach the safe house.


    After promising that he¡¯d have the list ready and send it over in a few days, Master Kai left, a vaguely disbelieving look still on his face.


    Looking amusedly in the direction Master Kai left, Wei Xiang smiled and asked his lover, ¡°Qinghe, tell me, why do you think the wife always insists on dragging her husband to her ship despite knowing about his seasickness while the husband never takes medicine for that very same seasickness so that he can be with his wife?¡±


    Qinghe blinked confusedly. ¡°Are you saying¡­that they¡¯re both doing it on purpose?¡±


    Laughing, Wei Xiang spoke uncaringly, ¡°Who knows?¡±


    But Qinghe¡¯s mind was already roiling with speculations. Then shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Qinghe fed the last slice of yet another orange to his lover before rummaging for something in his spatial storage. When he found what he was looking for, Qinghe cupped his hands and brought out the item.


    It was a small, silvery fish made entirely of light. Its length was smaller than a finger and it was covered in a palm-sized transparent bubble of spiritual energy.


    Lowering his head, Qinghe carefully blew a breath over the little fish and the fish immediately came to life, its body undulating gracefully as it hovered in the air, its tiny tail moving side-to-side in fast motions.


    In a gentle voice, Qinghe whispered a message to the fish and the fish¡¯s motions became even more vigorous. Then using his spiritual power to imprint the time and location at which the message should be delivered, Qinghe set the fish free.


    The silvery little fish ensconced in its bubble swam smoothly in the air, heading towards the window and floating away.


    Having just heard the message Qinghe had whispered, Wei Xiang felt stunned. In a curious voice, he asked, ¡°Who did you just send that message to?¡±


    Qinghe replied as if it were natural, ¡°The Pirate Queen, of course.¡±


    Wei Xiang sat up, a look of rarely seen stupefaction on his face. ¡°But¡­that message just now contained the location of the safe house you sent the merchant to.¡±


    Smiling widely, Qinghe affirmed, ¡°Yes, it did.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    To be fair, Wei Xiang did not doubt his little lover¡¯s intelligence, but that didn¡¯t mean he could fathom the strange routes Qinghe¡¯s thoughts usually took either.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Wei Xiang finally admitted.


    Laughing lightly, Qinghe, explained, ¡°Though I did send the message to the Queen of the Seas, she will only receive it one month later. And when she uses the information I provided to capture Master Kai, she will have to owe me a favor.¡±


    For a second, Wei Xiang could only stare at his cunning lover.


    That¡­was too devious.


    By the time Hai Liang got the message with Master Kai¡¯s location, it would have already been a month, and Qinghe had only promised that the safe house would shelter the merchant for one month. Technically, he wasn¡¯t breaking the agreement and was in fact adhering to it very closely.


    By the end of this, both Master Kai and Hai Liang would owe him, neither knowing that the other had also received help from Qinghe. And there was no way either of them would share the secret, since they would want Qinghe to help them again the next time they played their game of run and chase.


    It really was too devious.


    Lying his head back down on his lover¡¯s lap, Wei Xiang praised, ¡°I¡¯m impressed. Qinghe, even after knowing you for so long, you still keep surprising me.¡±


    Qinghe smiled happily as he took another orange from the almost empty bowl and began peeling. Since his beloved praised him so much, he naturally deserved a reward.


    Settling himself comfortably, Wei Xiang patiently waited to be fed.


    And after all the oranges were peeled and eaten, Wei Xiang took Qinghe back to their room to do a different sort of peeling and eating, making enough noise that Jing Shui had to put up a sound barrier around his room to block them out.

 Chapter 63: Plots and Conspiracies

    ¡°Her Imperial Highness the Empress wishes to speak with you. I have been instructed to lead you to the empress¡¯s palace, so I request this honored guest to please follow me,¡± a maidservant courteously spoke.


    Standing by the opened door, Qinghe blinked curiously.


    ¡°I see. Please give me a moment,¡± he replied politely before closing the door again.


    Turning to his lover, Qinghe asked, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Sitting lazily by the window, Wei Xiang shrugged uncaringly. ¡°You can refuse if you want to, but I¡¯m guessing that you plan to go. Do you want me to shadow you?¡±


    Qinghe smiled and shook his head. ¡°There is no need. I¡¯ll go see what schemes they¡¯ve prepared for me. In the meantime, if someone comes for you, play along and go with them, alright?¡±


    With a raised eyebrow, Wei Xiang looked at Qinghe, a question apparent in his gaze.


    Chuckling, Qinghe explained, ¡°I¡¯m just curious about what interesting tricks they¡¯re going to come up with, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Wei Xiang sighed and relented, ¡°Alright then, as you wish.¡±


    Qinghe walked up to his lover and bent down to give him a quick peck on the cheek before exiting the room and walking away, following behind the maidservant.


    Leaving the guest¡¯s residential courtyards, they walked for quite a while before reaching the empress¡¯s palace. The maidservant escorted Qinghe all the way to the empress¡¯s receiving room before departing.


    As the doors to the receiving room opened, thick smoke billowed out from within.


    Qinghe smiled and entered through the doorway, a look of anticipation on his face.


    ¡­¡­


    Seeing the white-robed cultivator entering the empress¡¯s receiving room, a manservant hurried to relay this to his master.


    In one of the palace¡¯s opulent courtyards sat Jing Hao, listening seriously to the manservant¡¯s report. Once he was done hearing everything, Jing Hao impatiently waved his hand to dismiss him. The servant bowed low before taking off quickly, trying his best not to look at the other person in the room.


    Jing Hao frowned. ¡°It seems the empress is making her move. If she succeeds in convincing this cultivator to help her and somehow manages to force Jing Shui to stay back in the palace, that old fool of an emperor will definitely have him reinstated as the crown prince. Then as the crown prince¡¯s mother, the empress¡¯s value will naturally increase.¡±


    Sudden, sharp giggles sounded from the side in answer. The harsh sounds spilled from the mouth of a young man who looked almost similar to Jing Shui, but only if one could ignore the eccentric expression on his face.


    ¡°Is there any need to worry? Brother, the empress is only a doddering old woman, nothing but a defanged tigress. Her influence is already one of the lowest,¡± Jing Rui reassured before continuing, ¡°I¡¯m more interested in this pretty-faced cultivator. Tell me, compared to my current dolls, how is his beauty¡±


    Jing Hao looked at his younger half-brother while trying to hide his disgust and disdain.


    Jing Rui sat reclined comfortably on a couch, his posture lacking even the slightest of a royal¡¯s bearing. Behind him stood a naked, well-built man with bronze skin, his arms tenderly encircling the seated Jing Rui from behind. But the muscled man¡¯s eyes looked hollow and dead, without the slightest will to live, his spirit already broken.


    At the side, another naked person, a slim young woman, was expressionlessly feeding Jing Rui from a plate of peaches. Rough ropes were tied around her body, aiming to cause maximum discomfort as they ran over sensitive places in such a way that her every movement would cause the rope to chafe against the tender, intimate skin.


    By Jing Rui¡¯s feet was a young teen, his unclothed body constantly shivering, his eyes revealing unfathomable terror. Thick restraints were placed around his throat, wrists, and ankles, his fair skin scattered with countless small, red marks.


    All three of them had stunning good looks, exactly Jing Rui¡¯s type.


    Pressing down a sneer, Jing Hao ran his disdainful gaze over his younger brother¡¯s ¡®dolls¡¯ and spoke, ¡°That cultivator¡¯s beauty is extraordinary, it far exceeds your slaves¡¯. Compared to him, they are not even worth mentioning.¡±


    Jing Rui¡¯s eyes widened in astonishment at such unreserved high praise, especially since it came from this boring older brother of his. ¡°Oh? Now I really want to own him. Brother, why don¡¯t we kill his lover and directly capture him.¡±


    His mouth twitching with intolerance, Jing Hao snapped, ¡°That dratted old emperor has forbidden anyone from acting openly against those cultivators. Though he also doesn¡¯t believe in their so-called cultivation, even the emperor cannot match their influence. Say what you will, but it¡¯s undeniable that those cultivators have lived far longer than us, so they are bound to have more connections and a deeper wealth of influence. It¡¯s best if we don¡¯t act rashly.¡±


    Pouting, Jing Rui groused, ¡°But I want that man.¡±


    To vent his displeasure, Jing Rui casually reached out his hand to brutally pull at the rope wound around the young woman who was feeding him. The woman gasped out in pain, revealing the cut and cauterized stump of her tongue within her mouth before she panickingly managed to clamp her lips shut.


    Jing Hao sighed at his younger brother¡¯s willfulness. ¡°Fine, a petty scheme or two ought to separate that person from his lover. Then you can take your time to seduce him the way you usually like to do before you trap your prey in your palace. Just make sure to cover your tracks well.¡±


    Hearing this, Jing Rui laughed in delight. He licked his lips in anticipation as he wondered curiously: Just how many days would it take to completely break this pretty cultivator?


    Jing Rui was very eager to find out.


    ¡­¡­


    Meanwhile, Qinghe entered the empress¡¯s receiving room with steady steps.


    The inside was covered with gauzy and shimmery red silk, lending the room an elegant and lavish look. All of the upholstery was also of the same vivid shade, while the furniture was made of rich brown wood.


    A thick, translucent red curtain hung in the middle, bisecting the room into two halves. On the other side of the curtain, the vague figure of the empress could be seen. Though not many details were visible, she seemed to be seated gracefully, a fully opened fan in her hand held up so that it covered the lower half of her face.


    In the room, smoke from several incense burners swam freely in the air, impeding one¡¯s vision and making everything look hazy and indistinct. The heavy and slightly acrid aroma of the smoke invaded Qinghe¡¯s nostrils, seeming to congeal in his throat.


    All of a sudden, Qinghe sensed that his perception seemed to have become blunted by an infinitesimal amount. His pupils shrunk in awareness as he immediately circulated his spiritual energy through his body to locate any abnormalities, and sure enough, he found traces of a hallucinogenic agent in his bloodstream.


    It seemed that the incense had been drugged with some sort of medicine that would cause one¡¯s senses to become dull, making their mind vulnerable enough to be planted with suggestions.


    Qinghe suppressed his disdain for such a cheap tactic and swiftly used the wind to gradually clear the air only around him. The smoke swirling in his vicinity seemed to stop when it reached about a finger¡¯s breadth near his outline, unable to approach further due to a subtle wind barrier. But from a distance, this effect was completely invisible.


    Continuing to circulate his spiritual energy, Qinghe quickly got rid of the minute traces of the hallucinogenic drug that had managed to enter his system while he walked forward sedately.


    Just before the curtain bisecting the room, a chair and a table were placed, clearly meant to accommodate one person. Reaching it, Qinghe gestured to the chair politely. ¡°Your Majesty, may I?¡±


    The figure on the other side of the curtain shifted. ¡°After your argument with our esteemed husband, we did not think that you would stand on courtesy,¡± the empress spoke in a regal voice that barely showed her age.


    Raising an eyebrow, Qinghe refuted, ¡°It is only good manners to not sit down in another¡¯s house until the host offers a seat.¡±


    A light laugh floated from the other side of the curtain. Gently waving the fan in front of her face and with a slight note of smugness creeping into her tone, the empress asked, ¡°Then if I do not permit it, will you stand for the entire duration of our talk?¡±


    One side of his lip curling up, Qinghe replied in a casual tone, ¡°If my host does not show even such a common courtesy, then I will of course be terribly hurt and offended to the point of leaving.¡± But though Qinghe said this, it was as if he were amusedly reciting the lines of a play rather than stating his opinion.


    On the other side of the curtain, the empress frowned. She felt that no matter how much she probed, she was unable to get a grasp on this cultivator¡¯s personality. Of all the people who had accompanied her son back, this person was clearly the youngest, and as such, he must be the easiest nut to crack.


    Her son was already stubbornly set in his decision to not return to the palace, and since he didn¡¯t even take a step out of his room till now, she had no way of trying to influence him.


    The other two cultivators¨Dthe two tallest ones¨Dlooked very uncompromising and difficult to handle, refusing to expose even the slightest hint of their true thoughts. On top of that, despite their young and handsome looks, those two were clearly very old and experienced cultivators who had probably weathered many centuries or even millennia of life. The discernible pressure they exuded attested to that.


    Compared to them, the young cultivator in front of her had been hotheaded and brash enough to speak up against the emperor in full view of the imperial court. He should clearly be the easiest target to persuade. So why did it not seem to be the case?


    Forcibly clearing the uncertainty from her thoughts, the empress finally calmed. No, she still had a card to play. As long as this cultivator stayed under the incense¡¯s influence for a while, she could plant her suggestions into his subconscious. Even if he refused to help her, he would still have to follow her suggestions whether he wanted to or not.


    Thus regaining her stability, the empress spoke, ¡°We would of course not be discourteous towards our honored guest. Please have a seat.¡±


    And so, Qinghe sat down and found that the chair was extremely comfortable. One couldn¡¯t help but settle deeper into it, their body ridding itself of all tension as it seemed to slowly melt into the plushly padded seat. It would be all too easy to relax the vigilance of one¡¯s mind while being cradled in such a comfortable chair.


    Deciding to take out his acting skills and play along with the ploy for now, Qinghe assumed a drowsy look as he leaned back into his seat. His eyes seemed to grow heavy, his lids weighed down. He lightly massaged the middle of his forehead with an unsure look on his face as the corners of his lips slightly turned downward.


    Seeing that the incense finally seemed to be working, the empress firmly put to rest her worries.


    ¡°Young Cultivator, may we know your name?¡± the empress asked.


    Qinghe frowned and spoke with difficulty in a slightly thick voice, ¡°Feng.¡±


    The empress nodded in satisfaction. Yes, everything was proceeding perfectly. She opened her mouth and began, ¡°Then Cultivator Feng, do you know why we wished to speak with you?¡±


    In apparent confusion, Qinghe shook his head.


    ¡°It is because we hope for you to grant us your cooperation. We desire your help in convincing our son to stay here with us, not as a visitor in his own home, but as the rightful crown prince of the Yong Dynasty. We miss our son and only wish the best for him. Rather than toiling away in a sect so far away from home, wouldn¡¯t it be better if he could live his life happily among his family?¡±


    The empress¡¯s voice sounded melancholy yet wistful, her words compelling and convincing. If the person sitting on the other side of the curtain was really addled by the drug, then they would surely agree to her demands without question.


    But Qinghe merely frowned hazily as if in discomfort. His voice sounded strained as he forced out, ¡°No¡­he¡­doesn¡¯t want to.¡±


    Her eyes narrowing, the empress felt faint appreciation for this young cultivator¡¯s willpower. To be able to consider her son¡¯s wishes even in such a situation, he must be greatly fond of Jing Shui.


    But not relenting, the empress continued to speak, trying to convince Qinghe to help her detain Jing Shui in the imperial palace. Though Qinghe¡¯s refusals were vocal at first, as time passed, he seemed to only be able to shake his head uncertainly, and soon, his eyes closed as if unable to even stay open.


    The empress was greatly displeased at being resisted to this degree. She motioned with her hand to one of the maids.


    Standing quietly by the walls of the room were several maidservants, all of them with opaque veils covering their noses and mouths. Though these veils looked decorative and added a mysterious charm to their graceful forms, their true function was to block them from inhaling the incense.


    The maid beckoned by the empress obeyed the silent command and walked to Qinghe with a cup of fragrant liquid in her hand. She gently placed the rim of the cup near Qinghe¡¯s lips as the empress said, ¡°Cultivator Feng, why don¡¯t you have a sip of tea to refresh yourself?¡±


    Qinghe opened his eyes blearily and took the cup in his unsteady hands. He put it to his mouth as if taking a sip, but was in fact assessing it. He took in a deep breath to parse through its scent and carefully looked at the texture and quality of the liquid through half-lidded eyes. He dipped the tip of his tongue into it to analyze its taste and flavor. He carefully studied the weight of the liquid over his tongue and evaluated its thickness and viscosity while taking care not to swallow even a drop of it.


    Within moments, he had successfully determined the nature of this ¡®tea¡¯.


    ¡°Cuimian Qu, is it?¡± Qinghe asked in a pleasant and clear voice that seemed to cut through the air thickened with incense smoke. ¡°And you¡¯ve brought out such a large quantity of it too. I¡¯m flattered.¡±


    This Cuimian Qu was a very rare and potent drug. Though ¡®cuimian qu¡¯, as a whole, could mean lullaby, the characters for ¡®cuimian¡¯ by themselves could also mean ¡®hypnotizing¡¯. And unlike the incense, Cuimian Qu was very difficult to resist against, its effects on the mind far more devastating.


    Fortunately, it was a very difficult drug to make and its cost of production was also very high, so it was almost impossible to obtain in significant quantities. Even for the empress, it must be a very precious commodity, only to be used sparingly.


    And yet she had brought it out to use against Qinghe, so one could gather just how important she deemed it was to drag Qinghe over to her side.


    Her reasoning for this was simple. Since her influence was already slipping quickly from between her fingers at a steady rate, the empress knew that if Jing Shui did not return to the palace and garner her a bit more power, then her authority in the palace would drop to below that of even a concubine. She had to prevent this from happening at all costs, even if she had to use her own son as a pawn!


    But all her planning was clearly for naught.


    Startling at how lucid Qinghe¡¯s voice sounded, the empress looked carefully at him. She was alarmed to find that unlike before, Qinghe¡¯s eyes looked sharp and aware, his lips curled in amusement. He had clearly only been pretending to be under the incense¡¯s effects before!


    The servant who had brought the cup also looked surprised, her eyes widening. She hastily retreated back to stand near the wall again, trying to hide herself among the other servants.


    But Qinghe didn¡¯t care about any of this. Placing the cup down on the table nearby, he calmly rose from the chair and stepped towards the curtain in the middle of the room.


    Watching him approaching closer, the empress stiffened but did not have enough time to react before Qinghe reached the partition. Extending his hand to clutch the curtain, Qinghe pulled, and the thick and heavy red material easily tore under his strength. Following the motions of his hand, the fabric of the curtain billowed out, covering their vision in a layer of fluttering red for a moment before it came away to reveal the other half of the room.


    After both sides were opened to each other, smoke flowed from the outer half and into the inner area that had been hidden beyond the heavy curtain till now. The maids on the other side were without veils to protect them, so they swiftly used their sleeves to cover their nose and mouth to prevent getting drugged. The empress also hurried to follow suit.


    Looking at the still seated empress, Qinghe spoke casually, ¡°I expected more from you, Your Majesty. Were you not aware that poisons and drugs simply do not work on cultivators?¡±


    Hearing this, the empress revealed shock in her eyes.


    Of course, Qinghe was simply bluffing. He thought that if the empress believed it, then she would at least hesitate before using such insidious methods on him and his group. And when word of this eventually spread outside, as it inevitably would, the other people of the court and palace would also have to put away any such plans. Consequently, it would be very convenient for Qinghe and his group if they did not have to constantly test everything around them for poison or drugs whenever they stepped out of their rooms.


    Hearing that her plan had been futile from the beginning, the empress looked up at Qinghe with dismay.


    Leaning down, Qinghe looked into the empress¡¯s eyes and spoke, each word crisp and distinct, ¡°No matter what, you are still my friend¡¯s mother, so I will warn you once. Stay out of our way. If you try to embroil us in any more of your schemes, then don¡¯t blame me for destroying you and everything of yours. If you think it¡¯s such a terrible thing to be an unfavored empress, then I wonder how you¡¯ll feel about being a beggar struggling on the streets, with neither arms nor feet to support yourself with, neither eyes to witness the world nor a tongue to express yourself, caked in grime and filth for the rest of your miserable life. When you reach that point, I wonder just how much you¡¯ll curse your current self for being greedy and reaching beyond your limits. If you wish to spare yourself from such a fate, then do not offend me by targeting my friend.¡±


    The hand still holding up the fan trembled as the empress forced herself to meet the gaze of this beautiful cultivator. Though his voice was pleasant, though his smile looked warm, his eyes only held cold indifference as he spoke such vicious words. His gaze as he looked at her was sharp and heavy, like the edge of a blade sinking into her heart.


    A feeling of thick dread and jagged alarm pierced through her. The empress was absolutely sure that if she ever interfered with this man again, or if she so much as looked wrongly at Jing Shui, then this cultivator would make good on every one of his threats while not even putting her in his eyes.


    Seeing the empress¡¯s eyes slowly widen in terror, Qinghe straightened and turned to leave without ceremony. His work here was done. If the empress tried anything despite this, then he wouldn¡¯t show any mercy.


    In truth, what he had said to the empress was just a threat that was made to precisely aim at her worst fears. Qinghe had no intention of behaving so cruelly. But that did not mean that he wouldn¡¯t make her regret it if she ever even thought of targeting his friend again.


    Every single person who had hurt Jing Shui should just tuck in their tails and stay out of his sight to escape his wrath. But if they attempted to hurt his friend in any way, directly or indirectly, then Qinghe would make them rue ever being born into this world while making sure that he didn¡¯t break a single law while doing it.


    With such thoughts churning in his mind, Qinghe finally stepped out of the empress¡¯s receiving room, only to be greeted with another unwelcome face.


    ¡°Hello, do you remember me?¡± Jing Hao spoke, smiling amiably. ¡°I was wondering if you would do me the honor of accompanying me while I give you a little tour around the place.¡±


    Qinghe sighed inwardly. Out of one scheme and into another. Hopefully, this plot would at least keep him entertained for a while.


    Thinking like this, Qinghe smiled, hiding his sharp demeanor and piercing gaze behind his usual pleasant expression, his eyes radiating harmlessness and warmth. ¡°Of course, I would be glad to. Please lead the way.¡±


    And so Qinghe followed Jing Hao, hoping to be entertained at last.

 Chapter 64: Attempted Enticement

    ¡°¡­and so, after Elder Imperial Brother Shui ran away to join one of your cultivator sects, betraying the hopes of his family and nation, Imperial Father chose to elevate my position to that of a prince of the first rank. I have dutifully labored to fulfill all expectations since then, striving for the betterment of the people of the Xing Long Empire,¡± Jing Hao continued to monologue self-righteously as he led Qinghe down the palace¡¯s corridors. Somewhere along the way, he seemed to have forgotten that he was supposed to be giving his guest a tour.


    Qinghe maintained his polite smile throughout as he followed along.


    After talking a bit more along these lines, Jing Hao finally paused and looked at Qinghe as if waiting to hear his opinion on his tedious tirade.


    Qinghe sighed on the inside, but outwardly, he spoke in an approving tone, ¡°Well, this is the best outcome, isn¡¯t it? My friend gets his freedom and the nation gets an admirable and hardworking person such as Your Highness for their first prince.¡±


    Hearing this simplistic statement, Jing Hao peered at Qinghe with a keenly assessing gaze. He had been trying to gauge this cultivator¡¯s intelligence and understanding of current political matters to see if he was a threat. But by his answer, he clearly didn¡¯t know much. Though Jing Hao couldn¡¯t completely put his guard down, he still dismissed this pleasant-faced cultivator as a potential risk.


    So with an amiable expression, Jing Hao continued to lead Qinghe forward. ¡°Yes, of course, you are absolutely right.¡±


    Facing Jing Hao¡¯s back, Qinghe¡¯s lips curled in an imperceptible sneer. Just how stupid did this person think he was? This prince hadn¡¯t even tried to hide that he was probing him. Was this all he had planned? How utterly disappointing¡­


    Just as Qinghe was contemplating heading back to his room and diving right into his beloved¡¯s arms again before putting this matter behind him, he heard the sounds of lively chatter coming from beyond the next bend in their path.


    Jing Hao¡¯s eyes showed an expectant look as if he was looking forward to some sort of show. If Qinghe wasn¡¯t adept at reading faces, he would have missed the subtle fluctuation in Jing Hao¡¯s expression.


    Just as he was wondering what Jing Hao had in store for him, Qinghe heard the unmistakable voice of his lover coming from the group chattering around the corner. Wei Xiang¡¯s low and smooth voice clearly stood out from within the crowd of high-pitched voices giggling coquettishly.


    Narrowing his eyes, Qinghe was about to walk faster to see what Wei Xiang was doing when Jing Hao looked at him with apparent pity and whispered, ¡°It seems that your lover has company. Why don¡¯t we just take a little peek first to see what¡¯s happening? I¡¯m sure your lover has his reasons. Let¡¯s not jump to any conclusions.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Could his misleading be any more obvious in this situation? Jing Hao was deliberately acting as if he was trying to spare Qinghe¡¯s feelings by seemingly hiding the fact that his lover was cheating or something!


    Qinghe felt endlessly irked that his intelligence was being looked down upon to this degree, but since this was the result of his deliberate manipulation, he could only bear with it for now.


    For the record, Qinghe absolutely did not doubt Wei Xiang¡¯s fidelity. He remembered that before he had left their room, he¡¯d asked his beloved to play along with their little ploys, which was obviously why Wei Xiang was here.


    After walking a few more steps, they finally reached the corner. Jing Hao carefully peeked around, slight glee in his eyes. Yes, everything was going as he had planned.


    Curious to see just what sort of a situation his lover had gotten himself into, Qinghe used a mirror to look around the corner so that he didn¡¯t have to peek from beside Jing Hao and risk being touched.


    The scene reflected on the mirror, however, made Qinghe frown with discontent.


    Past the corner, the corridor opened up. On one side ran a low parapet wall intercepted with thick pillars set into it. These pillars in turn supported wide and expansive arches that curved overhead. On the other side of the arches was a neatly trimmed open garden with evenly spaced rows of delicate blooms.


    Wei Xiang was seated on the parapet wall, his back relaxed against a pillar and his long legs stretched out in front of him. Crowded around him were a number of lords and ladies, each and every one of them looking young and fresh with beautiful faces, gorgeous clothes, and bright expressions.


    Wei Xiang looked at the youngsters surrounding him with a slight smile, just a corner of his lips tilting upward. His eyes glittered with a sharp light as the people surrounding him kept trying to vie for his attention. But only Qinghe seemed to realize that Wei Xiang¡¯s current expression did not, in fact, denote a pleasant mood. It was more like a mixture of amusement and mockery.


    But not knowing this, one of the young ladies shyly walked closer as if encouraged by that smile and clutched delicately onto Wei Xiang¡¯s arm. In a sweet voice, she spoke, ¡°Lord Wei, you¡¯ve come to the capital before, haven¡¯t you? My aunt¡¯s cousin talks of you very fondly.¡±


    Then boldly leaning closer, the girl continued in a whisper, ¡°She says that the one night she spent with you was the best night of her life. When she heard that you were in the palace, she wanted me to ask you if you could visit her again sometime.¡±


    Of course, the girl¡¯s ¡®whisper¡¯ was loud enough to be heard even by the mortal Jing Hao despite him standing so far away, so how could Qinghe miss it? But his reaction to those words was to just wait and watch. By now, Qinghe was sure that Wei Xiang must have already sensed his presence. He wanted to see how his lover would extricate himself from this situation.


    But even though he looked outwardly calm, Qinghe would be lying if he said he wasn¡¯t displeased by the looks those young socialites were directing at his beloved after they heard the girl¡¯s statement. They assessed Wei Xiang with intrusive gazes as if they were undressing him in their mind. Several already had flushed faces, their eyes locking on Wei Xiang¡¯s body with unhidden eagerness.


    Discontentment and irritation sparked in Qinghe¡¯s gaze. Though his rational mind tried to persuade him that as long as they didn¡¯t act on their desires, it shouldn¡¯t matter, he still hated anyone looking at his Xiang in that way. With difficulty, he suppressed the sudden surge of violence that had begun to boil in his heart.


    Sensing Qinghe¡¯s worsening mood, Jing Hao showed a small, self-satisfied smile. Yes, as he had expected, splitting them apart would be easy. And then he could present this cultivator to Jing Rui to keep that troublesome half-brother of his occupied for a while.


    But despite his obvious displeasure, Qinghe still didn¡¯t storm up to the lively group in a fit of fury as expected. He was patiently waiting to see how his lover would react.


    And sure enough, Wei Xiang did not disappoint.


    Flinging away the arm that was clinging onto him, Wei Xiang couldn¡¯t hold back his sneer. They dared try to play him after bringing his beloved out to watch? These people sure had guts!


    Curbing his anger, he gritted out, ¡°That was decades ago. I now have a wonderful lover I cherish very much, so be careful of what you say or imply. I will not have you sowing discord between us.¡±


    Understanding that she had ended up infuriating him, the girl showed a scared expression. ¡°Please, forgive me! I-I wasn¡¯t trying to offend you, Lord Wei!¡±


    At the side, a young man showed a mocking expression towards the girl as he moved closer to Wei Xiang. Since this Lord Wei had rejected the girl¡¯s suggestion outright, the young man wanted to give it a try next.


    Batting his thick, long lashes, the young man blinked his limpid eyes and spoke, his voice soft and soothing, ¡°My lord, there is no need to mind something said in a moment of thoughtlessness. I¡¯m sure that your lover isn¡¯t such a narrow-minded person that he would misunderstand those words. But if he is¡­¡± The young man lowered his head coyly as a lovely blush colored his cheeks. ¡°If your lover really is that sort of a person, then it can only mean that he doesn¡¯t place his trust in you as you rightfully deserve. In that case¡­I am willing to show you my trust by putting myself in your care, both heart and body.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Qinghe was speechless. This¡­was way too forward! Would people generally even fall for this kind of bullcrap?! This young man¡¯s intentions were so obvious that Qinghe thought it was even a little funny.


    Wei Xiang, on the other hand, was unamused, his eyes hardening in anger. He had tried to be courteous till now, but that hardly meant that he would sit down and take it when his beloved was being spoken ill of like this. Since polite words obviously didn¡¯t work on this group, he would simply have to speak his mind.


    In an almost casual tone that hid derision, Wei Xiang spoke with his usual level of comportment, ¡°It seems I have not made myself clear enough. I should have directly asked you annoying pests to stop bothering me, constantly buzzing around like flies on shit. What if my beloved sees me surrounded by such revolting pieces of garbage? Wouldn¡¯t he be too disgusted to even come near?¡±


    And just in case they hadn¡¯t gotten his message clearly enough, Wei Xiang enunciated each word crisply as he continued, ¡°I¡¯m done playing now, so get lost.¡±


    Hearing his scathing tone, it was obvious that he had lost all patience and signs of civility.


    Some of the young lords and ladies paled at the harsh words, a few flushing in shame while others sputtered in outrage. They had never before been faced with such directly rude words and were left utterly unable to respond.


    But they still had to grit their teeth and thicken their faces to keep staying here, because it was imperative that they gained this Lord Wei¡¯s favor!


    As for the reason, it all started a few days ago.


    The palace was riddled with countless spies, most of who had recently been instructed to watch the newly arrived cultivators to see if these guests could be of some use to their masters¡¯ personal schemes. And the spies had reported back that among the cultivators accompanying Prince Jing Shui, the one clad in black had the bearing of someone from a noble lineage.


    Speculations and calculations running rampant, the aristocrats hurried to check Wei Xiang¡¯s background to see if he really had any noble blood. And during the investigations, though the fact that Wei Xiang was a Sentinel remained a secret, the aristocrats somehow managed to figure out from bits and pieces that Wei Xiang was in fact a very old and powerful cultivator who had deep influence in both the cultivation and mortal worlds.


    After confirming this, the aristocrats¡¯ first response was to naturally send their children to the palace and try their luck to see if they could woo such a powerhouse to their side through whatever means, be it promises or seduction.


    Of course Jing Hao ended up hearing of this, so he orchestrated a scenario where not only did these children of nobility get their chance at Wei Xiang, but Qinghe would also be able to witness his beloved surrounded by those people while being openly seduced, which would hopefully lead to a misunderstanding.


    And that was how this current scene came to be.


    From what their families had told them about Wei Xiang, these young lords and ladies had all expected a refined, dignified, and a somewhat heroic person. Wasn¡¯t that how the powerful cultivators in stories were supposed to be?


    Yet they got this fiend who could toss out insults so easily. The youngsters could only cry about this injustice within their hearts.


    But no matter how his personality turned out to be, the important thing was that they had to gain his favor somehow, because the power he wielded was that important to their families!


    So though a few sensible ones swiftly retreated, most of the youngsters stayed to try and make Wei Xiang interested in them. Some of them even delicately burst into tears, looking pitiful and wronged. If they could manage to rouse this Lord Wei¡¯s protective instincts towards them, then they could somehow work through that and gain his regard before slowly melting his heart.


    But seeing their crocodile tears, Wei Xiang only felt irritated and impatient. He did not see any reason to hold himself back as he spat, ¡°I don¡¯t have time right now for the dramatic slices of stinking bullshit you¡¯re trying to heap on my plate. So can¡¯t you idiots please just call over your nannies to mop up your tears and snot? It¡¯s honestly too sickening to watch and I have no interest in pandering to a group of shameless thigh-huggers. Go bother someone else with your bogus sniveling.¡±


    Sudden silence reigned around Wei Xiang, but he hardly cared.


    Qinghe, on the other hand, was very gratified by this. He almost felt like laughing when he saw Jing Hao¡¯s reaction. Jing Hao seemed so shocked by the lethality of Wei Xiang¡¯s venomous tongue that he couldn¡¯t even react. He just stared dumbly at this scene with an uncomprehending look on his face.


    Yes, Qinghe was very satisfied with how everything turned out.


    On the other side, feeling that he had suffered enough, Wei Xiang directly turned his head towards the direction from where he sensed his little lover¡¯s presence and called wryly, ¡°Have you had enough fun at my expense yet?¡±


    Qinghe walked around the corner and made for his beloved while smiling. ¡°Yes, thank you for performing such an entertaining play on my behalf. It seems that the potency of your poisonous tongue is especially high today, but don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll enjoy sucking on it anyway.¡±


    Wei Xiang shook his head bemusedly while the surrounding lords and ladies all gaped.


    Not only was this person so unafraid of being improper, but his beauty was also absolutely heaven-defying! Everything about him, from the graceful way he walked to the pleasant way he spoke, was exquisite. They finally felt like they understood just how useless it had been to try and snatch away such a person¡¯s lover. Who would be willing to leave someone like this?


    Uncaring of the gaping expressions of the young nobles, Qinghe straightforwardly dived into his lover¡¯s embrace as he had wanted to before. Ah, so warm and comfy! This had to be the biggest advantage of Wei Xiang not having to wear his stiff uniform. It was so much more convenient to burrow into his arms now without fear of being poked or scratched by the golden embroidery on his uniform, the Sentinel equipment, or his myriad hidden weapons.


    Wei Xiang happily received his eager little lover, automatically locking his arms around Qinghe¡¯s waist.


    Seeing that the situation was completely disadvantageous to them now, the lords and ladies all had to regretfully leave. After all, with such a person by his side, there was no way Lord Wei would look at them now. And truthfully speaking, having such harsh words flung on them one after another, they also did not wish to stay anymore.


    Meanwhile, Qinghe had already leaned up and pressed his lips to Wei Xiang¡¯s. Qinghe felt strangely restless, and only after doing this did he feel his disquiet settling down again.


    Wei Xiang gladly opened his mouth and welcomed Qinghe¡¯s tongue inside before meeting it with his own. His little lover seemed particularly impatient today, but Wei Xiang could more or less guess the reason.


    Qinghe hungrily wrapped himself around his lover. He wished they were back at their room so that they could remove these annoying clothes that separated them. He wanted them to be pressed as close together as possible, skin against skin, so that he could sate his craving for his beloved.


    But before his need could rise too much, Wei Xiang wisely disengaged. Qinghe gasped for breath as he reluctantly leaned back.


    ¡°Let¡¯s return to our room,¡± Wei Xiang told him.


    Sighing, Qinghe nodded.


    The disheartened and stupefied Jing Hao was completely discarded by Qinghe in favor of his lover¡¯s company as the couple began making their way towards the residential courtyards.


    On the way back, Qinghe tightly clutched his lover¡¯s hand, his expression showing mild discontent as he pondered upon the scene earlier. Just thinking about someone trying to take Wei Xiang away from him made him mad! How dare they look at his man with covetous eyes!


    By the time they made it inside their room, Qinghe had puffed up his cheeks while pouting unhappily.


    Unable to bear his lover¡¯s cute way of showing his jealousy, Wei Xiang reached out and lightly pinched a fair cheek.


    Qinghe immediately took ahold of one of those impudent fingers and bent it backwards as he warned, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare, or I¡¯ll dislocate it!¡±


    Wei Xiang was both amused and unconcerned. In a tone that almost sounded indulgent, he said, ¡°Oh? We¡¯re resorting to violence now, are we? But if you really want to, you can break any bone in my body, or even all of them.¡±


    Then leaning closer, he looked into his little lover¡¯s eyes and smirked while asking playfully, ¡°But can you bear to do that to me?¡±


    Qinghe turned his face away and huffed before letting go. Of course he couldn¡¯t hurt his Xiang!


    But when Qinghe looked down, he saw that the finger he¡¯d grabbed and bent back looked slightly red at its base and knuckle. It seemed that he¡¯d unknowingly used a little too much force.


    With an expression of guilt and remorse, Qinghe reached out and took the injured finger in his hand, studying it carefully. Then bending his head, he placed a gentle kiss on the reddened knuckle.


    Looking up through his lashes, Qinghe apologized to his lover in a remorseful voice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Does it hurt?¡±


    Wei Xiang shook his head and smiled softly as he asked in return, ¡°Are you angry at me?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s expression immediately turned thunderous. ¡°No! I¡¯m angry at those bastards for having such good taste! So what if you¡¯re amazing, how does that give them the right to drool over you?! They better have enough common sense to keep their stupid eyes off of you! Because you¡¯re mine!¡±


    At first, Wei Xiang was shocked at his little lover¡¯s uncharacteristically vehement tone, then he grew conflicted. With a deep gaze, he looked at Qinghe and spoke wryly, ¡°Love, are you trying to seduce me? Because it¡¯s working. Even I can take only so much of being complimented by my beloved before I start to blush.¡±


    Qinghe looked up with a confused frown at his decidedly unblushing lover. ¡°What makes you think I was complimenting you? I was being angry at those flies that kept buzzing around you!¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled helplessly at Qinghe¡¯s indignant tone. His lover was really too adorable when he was jealous.


    As his ire mounted, Qinghe continued, ¡°How dare they look at you like that! And they even tried to¨D¡±


    Suddenly, Wei Xiang bent down and enveloped Qinghe in a tight hug. Nuzzling his lovely little lover affectionately, Wei Xiang said, ¡°I know. You were jealous even though we both know that you have no reason to be.¡±


    Qinghe stiffened. ¡°I was¡­jealous?¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡± Wei Xiang cheerfully replied.


    Blinking in befuddlement, Qinghe managed to say, ¡°¡­Huh.¡±


    Wei Xiang chuffed in laughter. ¡°Is it that surprising?¡±


    ¡°¡­Maybe?¡± Qinghe replied hesitantly. ¡°I just didn¡¯t expect that I¡¯d ever have such an unreasonable yet completely normal reaction to something. I¡¯m sorry, I realize that I was being irrational.¡±


    Seeing his beloved trying so hard to be logical in the face of jealousy, Wei Xiang felt a burst of affection. It was just like his Qinghe to carefully think about even something like this.


    In a patient tone, Wei Xiang spoke, ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize or feel bad. I¡¯ve felt jealous a lot of times too. It¡¯s not that big of a deal unless we make it into one. As long as we behave sensibly and not let our emotions run wild, it¡¯s nothing to be bothered about.¡±


    Qinghe buried his face into Wei Xiang¡¯s chest and nodded. His lover was so kind and dependable that it really made Qinghe want to eat him up thoroughly. His Wei Xiang was really worth being jealous over.


    ¡°¡­Xiang,¡± Qinghe called out in a low voice.


    Wei Xiang asked, ¡°What is it, love?¡±


    Looking up, Qinghe smiled slowly as he spoke, ¡°It¡¯s already night outside. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s time for us to enjoy some nighttime activities?¡±


    Hearing such a tempting invitation, how could Wei Xiang resist?


    And so, the poor, unfortunate Jing Shui had to put up another sound barrier in his and Wu Xiao¡¯s room that night. He couldn¡¯t help but feel that his neighbors were really too noisy and troublesome! He was never going to stay in a room adjacent to this couple ever again!

 Chapter 65: Mist atop the Mountain

    These past few days, Jing Shui spent all his time in the room cultivating.


    Though Wu Xiao also meditated along with him every now and then, he mostly just sat and gazed intently at the peaceful form of his Ah-Shui who looked so serene when he had his eyes closed.


    During this time, the emperor dispatched many people to summon Jing Shui for an audience, but Wu Xiao sent them all away, using force if necessary. He did not give a crap about being rude or disrespectful towards Jing Shui¡¯s father. All he cared about was his beloved Ah-Shui¡¯s comfort and happiness. Anyway, it wasn¡¯t like the imperial palace could kick them out after trying so hard to convince them to come, now could they?


    And so the days passed by peacefully.


    This night, when Jing Shui opened his eyes again after a session of cultivation, he expected to find Wu Xiao¡¯s face staring up close at him like always. But Wu Xiao didn¡¯t seem to be lurking anywhere nearby this time.


    Looking around, Jing Shui finally found Wu Xiao standing a bit further away by the tall window.


    The moonlight flowing inside thinned the darkness in the room, shading the figure standing by the window in silvery hues. But it also starkly illuminated the empty space around him, his shadowed back looking especially lonely.


    Jing Shui frowned, not liking this thought. He¡¯d just opened his mouth to call out to him when Wu Xiao turned, his eyes landing on Jing Shui. Wu Xiao¡¯s gaze looked firm and steady as if he had come to a decision on something.


    And for some unfathomable reason, Jing Shui felt his heart tighten as he looked into the depths of those dark eyes.


    Wu Xiao¡¯s lips curled in a faint smile before they parted to speak his name, ¡°Ah-Shui.¡±


    Swallowing to clear the sudden dryness in his throat, Jing Shui replied, ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I like you,¡± Wu Xiao stated, his eyes boring into his beloved¡¯s.


    Jing Shui frowned. ¡°I know. I also like you. You are my closest friend.¡±


    Wu Xiao chuckled, but didn¡¯t refute him. Instead, he asked, ¡°Ah-Shui, do you like spending time with me?¡±


    Not knowing what had gotten into Wu Xiao all of a sudden, Jing Shui simply nodded.


    ¡°Do you like it when I touch you?¡± Wu Xiao inquired again.


    Jing Shui felt a blush spreading on his face, but he still seriously pondered the question before replying honestly, ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. It feels weird and too hot, but I¡­I don¡¯t really hate it.¡±


    Wu Xiao looked faintly surprised, then he smiled wider.


    After a moment of hesitation, Wu Xiao still chose to say it, his voice soft and his gaze warm, ¡°Ah-Shui, if I asked you to become my lover, then would you agree?¡±


    Jing Shui squinted in confusion before the words sank in, then his eyes widened in shock.


    ¡°Wu Xiao! W-What are you even¨D! I d-don¡¯t¡­¡± Turning his face away from that intent gaze that glowed with reflected moonlight, Jing Shui trailed off, not knowing what to say.


    What was even happening? Did Wu Xiao just¡­ask him to be his lover? It couldn¡¯t be, right?!


    ¡°It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t want to. That¡¯s fine as well,¡± Wu Xiao reassured, his voice unchanging.


    But this only made Jing Shui more flustered. ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ I¡¯m not refusing, but I-I¡­I just don¡¯t know!¡±


    He did not want to outright reject Wu Xiao and disappoint him. And more importantly, though Jing Shui felt nervous and anxious, he did not in any way feel averse to the idea of being lovers. When he heard Wu Xiao suggest such a thing, Jing Shui even felt as if some empty place in his heart was finally being filled¡­


    Nevertheless, he still couldn¡¯t just decide something like this on the spur of the moment. This was just too abrupt! He hadn¡¯t even finished wrapping his mind around this strange and new possibility of¡­being in a relationship, and with Wu Xiao of all people!


    Because Wu Xiao was someone so beautiful, so magnificent, he was someone whose existence was so lofty that Jing Shui didn¡¯t even dare imagine touching him that easily.


    With a start, Jing Shui suddenly realized that he had been absorbed in his thoughts for too long. Afraid that he might have made Wu Xiao upset by not agreeing immediately, Jing Shui carefully looked at Wu Xiao to observe his expression.


    But Wu Xiao did not look sad, he was smiling instead.


    With his face turned toward the night sky outside, Wu Xiao¡¯s eyes glinted brightly as he said in a gentle tone, ¡°I have been waiting for us to reach this point for so long, I can wait awhile more. Years or centuries, I do not care. Take as long as you need.¡±


    Then he turned around again, fixing that intense gaze on Jing Shui as he spoke resolutely, ¡°But Ah-Shui, if you choose to give yourself to me, then do not do it half-heartedly. I want your mind, body, soul, your everything. In return, I will offer you my everything as well, my entire being will belong to you. I know I ask much of you, and that to reciprocate the depth of what I feel might be impossible for you, but I still want it. Ah-Shui, can you give me that? Can you give me all of you?¡±


    Jing Shui was speechless, unable to process the intensity of emotions that was expressed in those words. He could only stare stunned.


    Wu Xiao sighed, a desolate exhalation, as he looked away again and continued in a much more normal tone, ¡°If my affections for you are too heavy for you to bear, if you think they might crush you under their weight, then you need not accept them. Just throw them away. I will still stay with you, I will still cherish and protect you in all the ways you allow me to.¡±


    This¡­was too much.


    Jing Shui closed his eyes and sighed. Just which part of him elicited such devotion from someone as wonderful as Wu Xiao? Wu Xiao¡­he deserved the best, but Jing Shui wasn¡¯t sure that he would be enough.


    ¡°Wu Xiao¡­,¡± he sighed, ¡°You are like the mist atop the mountain, so distant. How can I dare to touch something that floats so high above¡­¡±


    Wu Xiao looked surprised at first, then showed a wry expression, his brows arching down ruefully. ¡°Ah, but Ah-Shui, it gets terribly cold on top of the mountain on my own. Can¡¯t I ask you to keep me company?¡±


    Jing Shui looked at him, startled.


    This was the first time Wu Xiao had ever requested something of him so seriously, and he looked so forlorn while doing so too. Jing Shui had never seen him like this.


    It was always Wu Xiao who was cheerful and easygoing. He was always so caring and considerate of Jing Shui, often seeming to know what he needed before even Jing Shui himself realized it. Wu Xiao was his safe haven, always able to set his mind at ease no matter what plagued him.


    It had been so from as long back as when he¡¯d stayed at the Silver Moon Sect.


    Thinking of that time, Jing Shui remembered sitting on Wu Xiao¡¯s lap, gazing at the starry sky from atop a tree branch as he slowly let his fears of being dragged back float away into the tranquility of the night.


    He remembered how he would try to sneak into Wu Xiao¡¯s bed so that he¡¯d feel safe, because he believed strongly that even if his family came to haul him back to the palace, there was no way they¡¯d be able to make it past Wu Xiao.


    In the beginning, Jing Shui had seen his master and Wu Xiao as his second family, the two adults more like an aunt and uncle rather than some distant and dignified sect masters. But as he grew older and started to realize that even these two impressive grown-ups were still human, he started seeing his master as more of an elder sister.


    And as for Wu Xiao, Jing Shui himself didn¡¯t know how he saw him.


    It was clearly not something as simple as a brother or just a friend as he had said before, but their relationship was also not distant. No matter how he tried to quantify or define his feelings, Jing Shui simply couldn¡¯t tell what Wu Xiao was to him. Jing Shui just knew that Wu Xiao was someone very precious to him.


    But now, after hearing Wu Xiao saying he wanted them to be lovers, Jing Shui suddenly had an epiphany. He realized that maybe the reason he didn¡¯t mind that thought all that much was because he had long since seen Wu Xiao as a potential romantic partner. Maybe that was what these indefinable feelings of his were. If so, then perhaps this really could work.


    Maybe¡­he should really give the thought of being lovers some consideration.


    Though he didn¡¯t want their current closeness to change, he also didn¡¯t feel entirely satisfied by the way things were. He wanted more, but just how much more of Wu Xiao he wanted was uncertain.


    But Jing Shui knew that he would only find the answer to that if he accepted Wu Xiao¡¯s proposal and really started a relationship with him.


    Standing silently by the window, Wu Xiao didn¡¯t know what his Ah-Shui was thinking about. He only saw Jing Shui¡¯s uncertain and thoughtful expression suddenly clearing as if he¡¯d understood something. Then a look of determination claimed Jing Shui¡¯s face as he slowly got up from the bed where he had been sitting to cultivate these past few days.


    Making his way to Wu Xiao, Jing Shui spoke, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll keep you company.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Wu Xiao let out a sound of confusion.


    Jing Shui stood calmly in front of Wu Xiao and met his gaze. With clear and solemn eyes, Jing Shui pledged earnestly, ¡°I¡¯ll stay with you so that you won¡¯t be lonely anymore.¡±


    Stupefied, Wu Xiao could only stare at Jing Shui. Those words¡­did they mean what he thought they meant? Was he misunderstanding something here? Because he felt that this was just too good to be true!


    As if reading his doubts, Jing Shui bashfully looked away before he stated more straightforwardly, ¡°I¡¯m saying that I¡¯ll be your lover!¡±


    Hearing this simple declaration, Wu Xiao felt sudden warmth surging up inside him. His Ah-Shui was really agreeing? He was really agreeing to be his lover?!


    A river of pink bubbles gushed in Wu Xiao¡¯s heart, washing away all signs of melancholy. With a shout of happiness, Wu Xiao shed his serious mien and sprung onto Jing Shui, hugging him tightly as he cried joyfully, ¡°Ah-Shui! You really agreed! You can¡¯t take those words back now!¡±


    Seeing Wu Xiao reverting back to his usual ridiculous self, Jing Shui felt somewhat helpless. But rather than pushing him away like usual, Jing Shui smiled and hugged him back, burying himself into Wu Xiao¡¯s embrace.


    He still felt that Wu Xiao was too good for him, but Jing Shui also understood that Wu Xiao thought the same way about him, that Jing Shui was someone far away that he didn¡¯t dare touch for fear of losing him.


    Even so, Jing Shui didn¡¯t want them to maintain that respectful distance towards each other anymore. He wanted them to be closer, and for that, he would try to put aside his own flustered embarrassment and do what he had always wanted to do. From now on, Jing Shui was determined to reciprocate all the little touches and words of affection that Wu Xiao so generously showered him with.


    Feeling Jing Shui¡¯s arms wrapping around him in return, Wu Xiao felt like his heart would burst. How long had he dreamed of this, and now it had finally become reality.


    In a half-teasing voice, Wu Xiao asked, ¡°Ah-Shui, does this mean that I can bed you right now?¡±


    Jing Shui stiffened.


    Knowing that he was still resistant towards that idea, Wu Xiao let it go easily. ¡°It¡¯s alright, I was just jok¨D¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jing Shui spoke, interrupting him.


    Blinking, Wu Xiao pushed Jing Shui to arm¡¯s length as he carefully observed his expression before asking, ¡°You mean, you want to do it? Really? Right now?¡±


    Jing Shui turned his face away and reluctantly nodded.


    Honestly, he did not feel ready, or rather, he did not have the time to prepare himself mentally enough to feel ready. On top of that, Jing Shui felt uncomfortable at the thought of their first time happening in such a place. After all, this was the imperial palace grounds that he had such bad memories of. But Wu Xiao had already waited for him for so long. How could Jing Shui let him wait any longer?


    Wu Xiao¡¯s eyes narrowed. His Ah-Shui clearly did not want to, but he still agreed. This would not do at all! Their first time should be an enthusiastic affair for both of them, not something grudgingly agreed to like this.


    Seeing that Wu Xiao was only staring at him and not doing anything more, Jing Shui turned to him and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Aren¡¯t you going to take me to bed?¡±


    A sharp smile unexpectedly spread on Wu Xiao¡¯s face. Looking at his intent and predatory expression, Jing Shui gulped in nervousness.


    Wu Xiao suddenly began pulling Jing Shui as he started walking towards the bed, then unceremoniously pushed him down onto it. Before Jing Shui could recover, Wu Xiao had already settled himself on top of his beloved, his fingers wrapping around Jing Shui¡¯s wrists and pressing them down. Silver hair slid down from over Wu Xiao¡¯s shoulders to drape around Jing Shui¡¯s face, his vision filled with Wu Xiao¡¯s unreadable expression framed by those silky tresses.


    ¡°¡­Wu Xiao?¡± Jing Shui called out uncertainly.


    In an even tone that did not give anything away, Wu Xiao spoke, ¡°Ah-Shui, let me ask you one more time, do you really want to do this?¡±


    ¡°O-Of course. You can just¡­do what you want with me,¡± Jing Shui said as he averted his eyes.


    Wu Xiao¡¯s eyes narrowed at the subtle reluctance reflected in his beloved¡¯s tone. With hints of anger apparent in his voice, he called, ¡°Jing Shui!¡±


    Since Wu Xiao only ever called him Ah-Shui, Jing Shui felt that the matter was particularly serious when being called by his full name.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Jing Shui asked apprehensively.


    In a firm tone, Wu Xiao spoke, ¡°Are you just going along with it? If you don¡¯t want to, you better tell me.¡±


    With his gaze still focused to the side, Jing Shui shifted in unease. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m averse to the thought of¡­doing it with you. You don¡¯t have to keep holding back.¡±


    ¡°Ah-Shui!¡±


    Jing Shui flinched into the mattress and turned his face away.


    Exhaling softly, Wu Xiao leaned down and pressed his cheek against Jing Shui¡¯s as if in comfort. In a gentler tone, he said, ¡°I don¡¯t mind waiting if you don¡¯t feel prepared. But don¡¯t you dare say you¡¯re okay with this when you clearly aren¡¯t. Ah-Shui, don¡¯t lie to me.¡±


    Jing Shui felt surprised at how easily Wu Xiao had read him, then he apologized in a small voice, ¡°¡­I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Wu Xiao sighed and got up. ¡°Tell me what the matter is, okay? I¡¯ll try to fix it.¡±


    Also sitting up, Jing Shui deliberated for a while before explaining hesitantly, ¡°It¡¯s just that I¡­want some more time to get used to the idea of being together first. Also, I don¡¯t want our first time to be here. I have no good memories left of this place.¡±


    Wu Xiao blinked. So that was the reason? He felt like he should have expected it.


    In a more relaxed tone, Wu Xiao drawled, ¡°Oh? I think it could be quite therapeutic though. We can replace your bad memories with more deliciously spicy ones.¡±


    Jing Shui¡¯s face immediately flushed brightly. ¡°Wu Xiao!¡±


    Laughing, Wu Xiao hugged his Ah-Shui close again. This is how his beloved should be, always lively and energetic.


    ¡°Ah-Shui,¡± Wu Xiao began in a serious tone. ¡°In the future, don¡¯t lie to me about something like this again. There are certain things that you should never compromise on in a relationship and this is one of them. I won¡¯t feel sad or blame you if you say no. On the other hand, if you don¡¯t say what you mean and I end up hurting you, then I¡¯ll hate myself more than you can imagine. I¡¯d hate myself enough that I¡¯d want to die. Don¡¯t do that to me, alright? Just say what you truly feel, don¡¯t make me hurt you like this.¡±


    Jing Shui¡¯s head drooped down guiltily. He hadn¡¯t thought it would be that big of a deal, but Wu Xiao was right. It had been an irresponsible thing to do.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I won¡¯t do it again,¡± Jing Shui reflected dispiritedly.


    Wu Xiao bent down and kissed his Ah-Shui¡¯s cheek as he soothed, ¡°Don¡¯t look like that. I¡¯m not angry at you. I only care too much.¡±


    Blushing, Jing Shui tried to turn away and hide his face, but Wu Xiao hugged him closer, not letting him evade his gaze as he placed another kiss on his forehead. ¡°Ah-Shui, I love you.¡±


    Hearing this soft confession said with such obvious affection, Jing Shui didn¡¯t know how to respond. Shouldn¡¯t he say those words back? Shouldn¡¯t he let Wu Xiao know that his feelings were reciprocated?


    ¡°I-I also, like you very much,¡± Jig Shui barely got out before burying his face into Wu Xiao¡¯s chest in embarrassment.


    Jing Shui felt a slight vibration from the chest pressed under his cheek as Wu Xiao chuckled happily. ¡°Shall we seal the deal with a kiss then?¡±


    Startled into panicking, Jing Shui shot upright and yelped, ¡°W-W-What are you saying?!¡±


    Wu Xiao ran his fingertips down the delicate column of Jing Shui¡¯s throat as he commented worriedly, ¡°Your voice suddenly went very high-pitched there, my beloved. Is your throat alright? Does it hurt?¡±


    Vexed and mortified by the slight touch, Jing Shui flushed as he complained, ¡°Y-Y-You¡­stop that!¡±


    Blinking his eyes in the very picture of innocence, Wu Xiao asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Jing Shui glared at him. Who was he trying to fool with that act?! Jing Shui had already seen the mischievousness glinting in Wu Xiao¡¯s eyes!


    Wu Xiao suddenly burst out laughing. ¡°You¡¯re still very fun to tease!¡± he confessed audaciously.


    Curbing the sudden urge to punch the smirk off his new lover¡¯s face, Jing Shui growled, ¡°Keep this up and I¡¯ll never kiss you!¡±


    The threat was successful as Wu Xiao immediately stopped his laughter. Instead, he gazed at Jing Shui with wide, beseeching eyes, looking very wronged and pitiful.


    Jing Shui¡¯s lips twitched. This man was still so shameless! But he felt his heart beginning to melt nevertheless, so he begrudgingly decided to forgive him.


    Inwardly sighing at his own weakness, Jing Shui pointed to his lips as he relented, his voice somewhat unsteady as he gave his permission. ¡°Okay then, since you¡¯ve repented, you can have a kiss.¡±


    Wu Xiao¡¯s eyes brightened and his hands immediately moved, one wrapping around his beloved¡¯s slim waist to pull him closer, the other supporting the back of Jing Shui¡¯s head as their lips were slowly brought nearer.


    Without being prompted, Jing Shui closed his eyes, tilted his head, and parted his lips in waiting. He felt Wu Xiao¡¯s warm breath a moment before a pair of silken lips settled over his own.


    As their lips slid and brushed softly against each other, Wu Xiao let out his tongue to lightly stroke it against the seam of his beloved¡¯s lips. Jing Shui opened his mouth slightly and let him in. The slick tongue pushed in and swept over Jing Shui¡¯s mouth, rubbing over the sensitive inside of his cheeks, caressing the roof of his mouth, winding skillfully around his tongue.


    Molten currents swept through Jing Shui as a strange need gently unfurled within his belly. Gasping, he leaned into Wu Xiao, his hands clutching desperately at his lover¡¯s shoulders.


    Affected by his own desire, Wu Xiao also pulled his Ah-Shui closer, pressing their bodies together tightly. His hand resting on that slender waist began roaming up and down, mapping over his beloved¡¯s back in firm and steady motions.


    Jing Shui let out an involuntary moan at the sensation, his body all but melting into Wu Xiao¡¯s.


    That strained sound snapped Wu Xiao out of his haze. Their locked lips finally parted as Wu Xiao leaned back, taking in deep breaths to regain his control.


    Jing Shui was still resting limply against Wu Xiao, his mind in a daze as he finally understood the appeal of kissing, of being touched by your loved one. No wonder his friend and his Sentinel lover made so much noise so frequently.


    The sensation of Wu Xiao¡¯s hands on his body and his tongue in his mouth felt really¡­nice. When being touched like that, Jing Shui was surprised to realize that he hadn¡¯t even cared about the sounds he¡¯d let out, because being in such a situation with Wu Xiao really felt that comfortable.


    ¡°Was that alright?¡± Wu Xiao¡¯s whisper floated down lightly from above.


    Jing Shui nodded, but kept his face buried in Wu Xiao¡¯s chest.


    Not minding it, Wu Xiao spoke, ¡°After we leave the palace and return, if you still want to, then we can do it. But I have to warn you, Ah-Shui. My tastes can be a bit¡­heavy.¡±


    Stiffening, Jing Shui finally spoke, ¡°Heavy? How heavy?¡±


    Wu Xiao raised an eyebrow in surprise. ¡°Oh? You know what I mean?¡±


    Jing Shui huffed as he straightened. In a flat tone, he explained, ¡°There was one time when Master assigned me to catalogue and check on various private orders processed by some of our affiliated blacksmiths. There were many unusual instruments that had been customized for specific usage by the clients and I was naturally required to fully understand their functions to affirm the quality of the work. Long story short, by the time I was done with that assignment, I ended up being enlightened to various unusual proclivities, along with all the different types of metal, wood, leather, and other types of instruments used during bedtime activities, all in unnecessarily excruciating detail. I might not have any practical experience in many things relating to sex, but I am quite aware of most of the unusual practices people engage in while in the bedroom. So yes, I know what you mean by ¡®heavy tastes¡¯.¡±


    Wu Xiao¡¯s mouth twitched. It seemed that his senior sister had unwittingly broadened her disciple¡¯s mind to an unusual degree. He wondered how she¡¯d react if she ever found out.


    Shaking his head, Wu Xiao wryly said, ¡°You might know about it, but that doesn¡¯t mean that you¡¯ll enjoy it. Ah-Shui, if you feel hesitant, then we can¨D¡±


    ¡°No, I¡­I don¡¯t mind trying it,¡± Jing Shui interrupted in a barely audible voice.


    Wu Xiao was surprised yet again. Then smiling, he compromised, ¡°Let¡¯s take it slow, alright? Even if you want to try it, we should start gradually. Let¡¯s explore this after we get back.¡±


    Jing Shui turned his face away, his expression bashful as he nodded. Things were proceeding at a quick pace, yet it also felt natural somehow. Being with Wu Xiao really was very effortless and comfortable.


    In a soft voice, Jing Shui suddenly spoke, ¡°Maybe we should just leave here now. I don¡¯t mind going back early.¡±


    Wu Xiao seriously considered it before shaking his head, ¡°No, let¡¯s stay. Xiao Feng seems to have something planned for this place. I think it¡¯s related to you, so we should wait here a while more and see what he¡¯s plotting now in that twisted mind of his.¡±


    Frowning, Jing Shui tried to defend his friend. ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s as strange as you make him out to be.¡±


    With an amused tone, Wu Xiao refuted affectionately, ¡°You only think that because you¡¯re so innocent and pure.¡±


    Jing Shui immediately puffed up in fury. ¡°I¡¯m not! Stop calling me¨D¡±


    Yet Wu Xiao paid no heed to his beloved¡¯s outbursts as he exclaimed, ¡°Ah, my lover is so cute even when he¡¯s angry!¡±


    ¡°Wu Xiao!¡± Jing Shui shouted flusteredly. Just when would his lover stop spouting such embarrassing things!


    In the neighboring room, Qinghe woke up blearily at the noise of bickering clearly filtering in through the wall and sighed, ¡°So loud.¡±

 Chapter 66: Unwanted Advances

    Due to the ruckus Jing Shui made while arguing loudly with Wu Xiao in the other room, not only did Qinghe end up waking, Wei Xiang also stirred out of sleep.


    ¡°Why are they so noisy at this time of the night?¡± Qinghe complained grumpily.


    Wei Xiang chuffed in laughter. ¡°How can you say that when we ourselves make enough noise to wake the dead every time we go at it?¡±


    Huffing, Qinghe hugged Wei Xiang closer and grumbled, ¡°Still, I can¡¯t sleep now.¡±


    ¡°Then do you want to go outside for a walk?¡± Wei Xiang offered considerately.


    Thinking it over, Qinghe nodded. Ah well, it wasn¡¯t like they needed sleep anyway.


    And so, the couple stepped out of their room hand-in-hand for a casual stroll. After wandering for a while in the messily maintained garden, Qinghe and Wei Xiang finally settled down together on one of the stone benches scattered around the area.


    Sitting on a bench that faced the little pond, Qinghe mournfully watched the reflection of the moon on the surface of the thick, mucky waters. He really missed bathing in the stream that flowed through his backyard back at the sect.


    Sensing that Qinghe was feeling homesick, Wei Xiang brushed a hand comfortingly over his little lover¡¯s hair. ¡°Do you want to go back?¡±


    After a moment of hesitation, Qinghe resolutely shook his head. ¡°You know that there are still things that I want to do here.¡±


    Wei Xiang frowned as he spoke, ¡°I realize why you¡¯re doing this, but even so, isn¡¯t it a little too extreme?¡±


    Qinghe was still looking at the pond, his gaze deep and unfathomable as he replied, ¡°This is the only way to completely pull the problem out by the roots. I don¡¯t want Brother Jing to have to live his life in constant fear.¡±


    Sighing, Wei Xiang let it go. This over-the-top sense of loyalty was also a part of his lover, so Wei Xiang would try and accept it wholeheartedly as long as Qinghe didn¡¯t hurt himself because of it.


    The wind whispered through the untended garden, causing the leaves to rustle and dance while ripples bloomed continuously over the surface of the pond. As the gentle breeze brushed back the hair from his face, Qinghe tilted his head to the side while his eyes went half-mast, seemingly as if he was listening intently to something.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Wei Xiang asked worriedly.


    His brows creasing, Qinghe spoke in a soft voice, ¡°Xiang, enter the shadow realm for now. Don¡¯t come out until I call you.¡±


    Wei Xiang hesitated. Qinghe¡¯s words made him think that whatever was going to happen would not be good. So how could he leave and let his lover face it by himself?


    However, Qinghe continued unwaveringly in an entreating tone, ¡°I ask that you please trust me to look after myself.¡±


    Choosing to believe in his beloved, Wei Xiang finally nodded before dissolving into the shadows by Qinghe¡¯s feet.


    A few minutes later, the sound of a large group approaching the garden was heard. Various sounds, like that of soldier¡¯s boots clanging on a stone path, along with the sharp voice of someone speaking in a harsh tone mixed with the jangling of chains, slowly grew nearer.


    Not moving from his position on the bench, Qinghe leaned back and relaxed with his eyes closed.


    From what he had heard through the wind, these people were here to look for him. Even if Qinghe tried to hide, it wouldn¡¯t necessarily stop them from searching for him, so he figured that he might as well stay here and rest.


    The approaching group soon made it through a wall of vegetation while following the garden path and came out near the small pond. The group consisted of almost a dozen soldiers, a few servants, a well-dressed noble who looked remarkably similar to Jing Shui, and a young, naked teen who was being dragged by said noble via a chain attached to his collar.


    Once the group caught sight of Qinghe, they stopped as one.


    Qinghe slowly opened his eyes and stood up. His cold gaze alighting on the newly arrived group, Qinghe barely managed to conceal his fury at the sight of the young man being treated like that.


    It wouldn¡¯t do to act hastily, Qinghe realized, since any small thoughtless action on his part might cause this despicable noble to harm the young man instead. He would have to patiently wait to get the young man away from that noble first.


    ¡°Oh my,¡± Jing Rui let out an exclamation of surprise as he peered inquisitively at Qinghe. ¡°You truly do look exquisite.¡±


    Indifferent to the prince¡¯s words, Qinghe narrowed his eyes and spoke sternly, ¡°Let go of that boy.¡±


    Unexpectedly, Jing Rui released the chain in his hand without complaint as he asked with enthusiasm, ¡°Do you want him? I haven¡¯t trained him yet, so I don¡¯t mind giving him to you at all.¡±


    Qinghe gritted his teeth at that callous way he spoke about another human being. Then forcing himself to calm down, Qinghe looked at the frightened young man and called in a gentle voice, ¡°Please come here, I won¡¯t hurt you.¡±


    The young man looked between Qinghe and Jing Rui with uncertainty written plainly in his eyes.


    He did not know which option would be worse and was afraid that what laid waiting for him at this new man¡¯s side would be just as bad, or far worse, than what he had been suffering up till now. Though the beautiful white-robed man seemed much more gentle than his master, the young man knew that appearances could be deceptive.


    Sensing his dilemma, Qinghe chose to wait. No matter what, he would help this person. But letting the young man make that first choice would be for the best, since it would reassure the youth that he at least had some measure of control over his life. Qinghe knew that at this stage, it was very important to consider these sorts of things carefully so that the young man¡¯s recovery from this ordeal would go smoother.


    And if worse came to worse, Qinghe could just use an alternative approach to get the young man out of the clutches of his abusers and to a safe place.


    However, Jing Rui clearly didn¡¯t have the patience to wait for all that.


    He had finally met this person who had ended up exceeding his expectations. Since his older half-brother had warned that he couldn¡¯t outright snatch this beautiful person away and had to slowly ensnare him instead, Jing Rui decided that making a good impression would be more beneficial to him in the end. And so, Jing Rui decided that losing one or two toys would mean nothing if he could make this cultivator look favorably towards him, since it would make it easier to capture him later on.


    But seeing that the young man was still not going over, Jing Rui scowled as he snarled, ¡°What are you doing just lying there, you useless thing! I¡¯m giving you to him, so go quickly, scram!¡±


    Then lifting his leg, Jing Rui made as if to kick the shivering young man. However, before Qinghe could move to stop Jing Rui, the young man had already scrabbled frantically over to Qinghe¡¯s side on his own.


    Qinghe¡¯s brows tightened, his dislike for this noble growing.


    He¡¯d already figured out that this must be the eccentric and vicious Prince Jing Rui that he had heard whispers of through the wind. Though this person looked similar to Jing Shui, no one would mistake Jing Rui¡¯s face that bore such a malignant expression for that of Jing Shui¡¯s.


    Even though Qinghe had heard of Jing Rui¡¯s debauched ways, he had never expected that he would have such a disgusting hobby. Qinghe immediately decided to notify the Sentinels and find out if there was anyone else suffering under this prince. If there was, then Qinghe resolved to do his utmost to rescue them.


    Unaware of Qinghe¡¯s plummeting opinion of him, Jing Rui smiled widely and declared, ¡°Cultivator, you are exactly my type. I want you. You can be the top or bottom while we are in bed, I don¡¯t care, but I want you to be mine.¡±


    Without a moment of hesitation, Qinghe calmly refused, ¡°I will have to decline. I already have an amazing partner that I love very much. I have no intention of separating from him.¡±


    Jing Rui scowled unhappily. So he¡¯d have to get rid of that bastard lover of this person after all. Neither he nor his brother had expected to not even make a dent in their relationship after all the effort they put in last time. But no matter, they¡¯d find other ways.


    Still trying to convince Qinghe, Jing Rui continued his persuasion, ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. I can give you as much money or as many treasures as you want. I can offer you the finest things in the empire. All you have to do is agree to belong to me.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s disdain only grew deeper. Retaining his calm, he spoke evenly, ¡°I have no use for your country¡¯s legal tender. I already have everything I could ever want. And if I do wish for something, then I am confident in my ability to obtain it on my own.¡±


    Seeing his dignified bearing as he spoke confidently, Jing Rui¡¯s need to possess this person only increased. He wanted to see the coldness and composure on that ethereal face splinter, he wanted to see him desperate and struggling. And more than anything, Jing Rui wanted to witness the process of this aloof cultivator being slowly, thoroughly broken, preferably by Jing Rui¡¯s own hands.


    Unable to contain himself, Jing Rui walked forward towards the cultivator, his hand reaching out to touch that beautiful face.


    Qinghe immediately stepped back to evade the touch. Though his aversion to being touched had lessened somewhat, he still found it very unbearable unless the person touching him was someone he trusted.


    But not knowing this, Jing Rui was infuriated. ¡°You arrogant cultivator, do you look down on this prince so much that you refuse to even be touched by me?¡±


    Sighing at this overreaction, Qinghe replied in a steady voice, ¡°I simply do not like being touched.¡±


    Jing Rui looked at him intently before breaking into a malevolent grin, ¡°If that is the case, then I will just have to keep touching you until you get used to it.¡±


    Qinghe felt aggrieved at this willful statement. How selfish was this prince to not consider his opinions at all!


    Not waiting for Qinghe¡¯s response, Jing Rui reached out his hand again towards that striking face, looking forward to touching that temptingly smooth skin. He wanted to pinch that fair skin until beautiful red bruises bloomed on it, painting it with vivid color and marking this person as his belonging.


    But Qinghe was already fed up with Jing Rui.


    Very well, since this prince insisted on pursuing this of all matters, he wouldn¡¯t be polite either!


    Thinking this, Qinghe sent out a mere thread of his spiritual force. A blast of wind immediately tore towards Jing Rui, impacting him strongly and pushing him back.


    Jing Rui stumbled, a look of shock on his face. Where had this wind suddenly come from? It couldn¡¯t be that cultivator, could it?! But cultivation wasn¡¯t real! Or at least, it wasn¡¯t supposed to be¡­


    Even as his mind reeled with such speculations, his body was already tumbling backward. Jing Rui felt his heel stepping on something slick and slimy. Before he could brace himself, his feet directly slid from underneath him¡­


    ¡­and Jing Rui unceremoniously fell straight into the muck-filled pool.


    The resultant splash rose up to chest height as large waves spread out, disturbing the pool¡¯s surface. The sound of crashing waters sounded unnaturally loud in the ensuing silence.


    For a second, Qinghe looked utterly dumbfounded.


    Till now, he had generally used his spiritual force only against other cultivators, who would at most just slide back a bit when faced with a wind of this magnitude. That was why Qinghe had not expected the prince to be so untrained that he¡¯d not only be directly blown off by this kind of weak wind, but that he¡¯d also subsequently trip and fall off the edge of the pool in such a spectacular way.


    This¡­was baffling.


    On the other hand, Jing Rui was in a very awkward situation.


    As he ungracefully flailed about in the cold and murky water, a large, round, half-rotten lotus leaf ended up getting stuck to the side of Jing Rui¡¯s face. From atop the leaf, a lone frog croaked mournfully, poised in the very image of disapproval. But before Jing Rui could swat away the annoying creature, the frog leapt up in a graceful arc and jumped into the water with a small plop, as if demonstrating to the prince just how one must properly dive into the water.


    Qinghe struggled to contain his laughter at this absurdly funny thought.


    Then in a more composed tone, he observed, ¡°Your Highness, your balance is truly terrible.¡±


    Thinking that Qinghe was making fun of him, Jing Rui¡¯s expression darkened. He roared furiously for his people to come help him up, then stood opposite to Qinghe again, albeit a bit further away from the pool¡¯s edge this time.


    Looking at Qinghe¡¯s unruffled figure, Jing Rui spat venomously, ¡°How dare you mock me! Do you think you¡¯re high above us mortals? Just wait until I pull you down and cover you with filth. I¡¯ll tie you down and defile that pure-looking body of yours, then let in strangers to come and violate you in cruel ways you could never even have imagined existed! I¡¯ll ruin and break you thoroughly until you don¡¯t have a shred of dignity left!¡±


    Qinghe sensed the spiritual energy in the shadow under him roiling furiously. Sending his own spiritual energy downward, Qinghe attempted to soothe his beloved¡¯s rage. Only after he felt Wei Xiang regain some measure of control over his emotions did Qinghe turn his attention back to the prince.


    To be honest, Qinghe only felt amused at Jing Rui¡¯s outburst. He might have been at least mildly shaken if it were before, but after spending so much time with Wei Xiang and hearing his beloved¡¯s steady voice soothing away his doubts and fears whenever they cropped up, Qinghe¡¯s psychological scars had slowly begun to heal. He no longer felt afraid of such crude talk.


    This prince wanted to break him? How funny. Which part of his body had not been ground to a pulp and crushed into pieces before being regenerated again? Just how many cruelties had he faced till now? None of them had managed to break him, so how could this degenerate prince¡¯s baseless threats still faze him?


    So with a carefree laugh, Qinghe commented lightly, ¡°How vulgar. Is this the famed comportment of an imperial prince? It surely is something to behold.¡±


    Seeing that Qinghe still remained unaffected despite the harsh provocation, Jing Rui was practically seething with rage, unable to even get out words.


    Faced with the fuming Jing Rui, Qinghe still remained blithe and unimpressed.


    The two people stood opposite to each other with opposing expressions.


    One had a disgraceful posture draped with soggy, stained clothes, dripping hair, disheveled appearance, and a reddened face twisted with sullen fury. And along with the filthy words that had previously spewed out of his mouth, Jing Rui seemed as different as could be from the tranquil and dignified countenance of the person standing before him.


    In contrast, Qinghe stood straight and tall, his fluttering white robes immaculate and seeming especially bright in the gentle moonlight. His hands were serenely clasped behind his back, his sharp eyes half-lidded as a graceful smile curved his lips. His silken hair waved gently in the wind. He was the very image of a cool, calm, and aloof cultivator, untouched by worldly dust. The remarkable beauty of his features only added to the enchantment, easily able to evoke awe in the hearts of anyone in his presence.


    This naturally elegant air was utterly incomparable to Jing Rui¡¯s miserable appearance. Watching these two people was like watching the difference between Heaven and earth. It only highlighted how utterly unreachable Qinghe was to someone like Jing Rui.


    Suddenly growing furious at this glaring disparity between them, Jing Rui shouted to the guards, ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of this, capture that cultivator and bring him to me alive! Then tie him to my bed and prepare the disciplining tools! Now move!¡±


    The guards immediately obeyed and quickly surrounded Qinghe.


    Qinghe¡¯s smile widened in amusement, showing a glimpse of even, white teeth, as his chin tilted up haughtily. With his hands still clasped behind his back, Qinghe decided to first set up an impenetrable wind barrier around him.


    Thankfully, he had long since steeped the entire area around their rooms, including this garden, completely in his spiritual awareness. As such, he didn¡¯t even need to use his eyes to know how many people were heading towards him or understand each of their positions.


    So without even looking, Qinghe accurately extended his control of the wind to the air in the guards¡¯ lungs and pulled out their breaths.


    The speed of the rushing guards suddenly slowed, but since they were after all experienced imperial guards who had been practicing martial arts for years, they didn¡¯t immediately topple over. However, even if they pushed themselves to the limit to reach their target, in the end, they still had to stop because of the wind barrier. None of them could get within even five steps of Qinghe.


    A few more minutes later, the guards began clutching at their throats and chests as their steps began to falter. One by one, they started falling down while gasping desperately for breath, their consciousness flickering and fading due to their lungs having been starved of air for too long.


    And so, the area near the barrier soon became littered with a dozen fallen bodies.


    Taking pity on the unconscious guards, Qinghe finally released his hold over their breaths, and the downed guards immediately began taking in large gulps of air again by instinct while still being out cold.


    And thus, the entire contingent of imperial guards was incapacitated without even a single injury or a life lost.


    Qinghe really loved this convenient ability of his. As long as his opponents were of a lower realm of cultivation, Qinghe could control the air in their bodies.


    The reason for this limitation was because a person¡¯s body was usually filled completely with their own spiritual energy, which made their physical body their own exclusive domain. This meant that interfering with the functions of another¡¯s body would be extremely difficult if one had a cultivation base lower than their enemy¡¯s. But this also meant that as long as one¡¯s realm of cultivation was above their opponent¡¯s, they could supersede that control and impose upon it their own spiritual energy to try and manipulate it.


    As such, it would have been all too easy for Qinghe to simply stop the breaths of these mortal guards forever, since they had absolutely no spiritual energy in their bodies to resist or hinder his control. But keeping in mind the laws enforced by the Sentinels and his own core values, Qinghe chose to stop at rendering them unconscious.


    Not knowing this, the Jing Rui who had been dazedly watching this whole fight took one look at the dozen or so unmoving figures splayed on the ground and immediately came to the erroneous conclusion that Qinghe had cold-bloodedly killed the guards.


    For the first time, Jing Rui began to feel regret over his hasty actions. It turned out that this cultivator really shouldn¡¯t be underestimated! But how could he have guessed that something like cultivation and spiritual powers actually existed?!


    With his amused smile still unchanging, Qinghe waved his hand to remove the wind barrier. Walking up to one of the fallen guards, he used the tip of his foot to lightly kick up the sword lying beside the downed figure and caught it in his hand.


    Qinghe studied the sword curiously. Though it looked somewhat old, it¡¯s quality and the level of its craftsmanship was undeniable. Nonchalantly balancing the tip of the sword¡¯s hilt on his finger, Qinghe finally turned to look at Jing Rui.


    In an unhurried tone, Qinghe spoke, ¡°I¡¯m assuming that Your Highness has absolutely no martial arts skills whatsoever to speak of, but if you still wish to pursue my capture, then I welcome you to pick up a sword and challenge me.¡±


    Jing Rui didn¡¯t have to be a genius to figure out that Qinghe was proficient in swordsmanship, it was quite obvious from the familiar way he treated the sword that was at present balanced precariously on his fingertip. Continuing to fight with him at this point would only mean seeking his own death.


    Trying not to show his fear on his face, Jing Rui declared with subdued arrogance, ¡°Fine, I will leave for now, but this is by no means over! I am still a prince and you are in my empire. I will definitely be able to find a way to obtain you!¡±


    Qinghe shrugged. ¡°At least do me the courtesy of making your plot entertaining, then.¡±


    Jing Rui gnashed his teeth, but forced down the words of fury perched on the tip of his tongue. Whirling around in a huff, he left with his anxious looking servants.


    Dropping his smile, Qinghe threw the sword back to the ground. He turned to the side and spoke softly, ¡°The prince is gone, you can come out now. There¡¯s no more danger.¡±


    Rustling sounded from one of the overgrown bushes and the naked figure of the young man slowly pushed out from between the leaves and branches, the chain still connected to his restraints jangling discordantly with every movement. The second everyone¡¯s attentions had shifted away from him, he had immediately hidden himself among the vegetation. He¡¯d hoped he would be forgotten so that he could escape, but it looked like his luck had run out.


    After witnessing the standoff with the prince and the way this white-robed man effortlessly handled all the guards, the young man couldn¡¯t even begin to guess what type of a person this new master of his might be. If he used those strange powers on him, then the young man feared that he wouldn¡¯t be able to resist anything his new master wanted to do to him anyway. He could only hope that this gentle-looking person wouldn¡¯t be too cruel to him, or that his cruelty would at least be within his limits to bear.


    Facing this terrified countenance of the young man, Qinghe gentled his expression in an attempt to allay his fears. Though the prince had left for now, it seemed that he still had some work left to do in the aftermath.

 Chapter 67: Lending Assistance

    After slowly crawling out of the bushes, the young man still sat on the ground, his face radiating apprehension and his body trembling in fear. His skin was littered with countless red marks. Thick leather restraints wrapped around his wrists, ankles, and neck. Though he appeared clean and well-groomed, his youthful body looked too thin and pale as if he had been shut in and forced to starve for too long.


    Seeing that the young man had no intention of getting up, Qinghe chose to sit down in front of him instead. His legs folded under him as he sat back on his heels, Qinghe asked in a soothing tone, ¡°What is your name?¡±


    The young man stiffened. In the prince¡¯s palace, it was understood that no matter what was done to you, if you so much as whimpered, your tongue would be cut out. So the young man had swallowed and swallowed his words all these months, not letting out a single peep in fear of getting his tongue sliced off. But now that he actually needed to speak, he found that he couldn¡¯t make a sound. His words seemed stuck in his throat as if by habit, unable to come out.


    The young man¡¯s dread grew. If he didn¡¯t answer his new master, then would he get angry and punish him?


    But Qinghe merely waited as the young man struggled to find a way to speak. After a few minutes of frantic effort, softly whispered words finally emerged from the youth¡¯s quivering lips, ¡°¡­Xi¡­Heng.¡±


    ¡°So your name is Xi Heng?¡± Qinghe asked patiently.


    With hesitation, the young man nodded. From his new master¡¯s expression, it didn¡¯t look like he would be punished, but he still had to be vigilant.


    Reading his cautious expression, Qinghe sighed. ¡°Xi Heng, I will not hurt you. I know you don¡¯t believe me yet, so I can only prove it to you through my actions.¡±


    Xi Heng looked unconvinced, but Qinghe didn¡¯t mind the suspicious gaze.


    ¡°Tell me, Xi Heng, do you want to escape?¡± Qinghe suddenly asked.


    Caught off-guard, Xi Heng instinctively nodded, then realizing what he¡¯d given away, he began violently shaking his head.


    Qinghe chuckled and spoke kindly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t get angry. In fact, I want to help you.¡±


    With a face full of doubt, Xi Heng looked at Qinghe. Then gathering his courage, the young man forcefully pushed out a few more words, ¡°Then¡­let me¡­go.¡±


    Smiling, Qinghe shook his head and carefully explained, ¡°I could do that, but it would be terribly irresponsible of me. Right now, we are inside the imperial family¡¯s grounds. If you go wandering around, you¡¯ll be spotted easily by the guards. Even if I gave you clothes to make you less conspicuous, you will still be unable to make it out on your own, won¡¯t you?¡±


    Saying so, Qinghe meaningfully looked at one of Xi Heng¡¯s ankles. At the back, above his left heel, a clean slice was visible. Someone had cut the youth¡¯s Achilles tendon to keep him from being able to walk properly, presumably to keep him from escaping.


    Looking down at the cut, Xi Heng frowned. What this person said was definitely true. Even if he tried, he wouldn¡¯t be able to make it more than a few steps, since currently, he could only put his weight on one of his feet. The only other way he could think of would be to hop or crawl all the way to the palace gates and beyond, but Xi Heng couldn¡¯t help but realize how unrealistic and ridiculous that sounded. He really had to face the reality that there was no way for him to escape.


    ¡°That¡¯s why,¡± Qinghe continued, ¡°I want you to let me help you. I can have someone accompany you outside and get you to a safe place. If you don¡¯t have a family, then I know a friend who you could stay with. He is a very nice person and will help you recover while also keep you fed and sheltered. You won¡¯t have to do anything, just rest. So will you let me help you?¡±


    Xi Heng felt conflicted. What this person said seemed too good to be true. Why would anyone help another person to this degree? What motive did this person have to treat him this well? It obviously had to be a trap!


    After saying in this palace among people with such rotten hearts, Xi Heng had long since stopped believing in the good of humanity, and he naturally did not believe in human kindness anymore.


    Qinghe¡¯s low voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts. ¡°If you are wondering why I am doing this, then the answer is simple. It¡¯s because I have been in your place before.¡±


    Xi Heng looked up with shock displayed plainly on his face.


    After all, the man in front of him was dressed neatly and primly, with an elegant comportment and a refined grace about him. Xi Heng couldn¡¯t imagine someone like this ever being in the same wretched situation as him.


    With a thoughtful expression, Qinghe continued, ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t exactly the same, but my experience enables me to empathize with you. So helping you will make me feel good too. That is the reason I¡¯m offering you my cooperation. Whether you let me help you or not is solely for you to decide.¡±


    Not knowing what to say, Xi Heng sank into his thoughts. For now, he could at least infer that this person would not hurt him. And not only did he not look down on him, this person also acted with the utmost consideration to make him feel comfortable.


    Because, though Qinghe¡¯s words and actions seemed casual, the unassuming way they were carried out had slowly whittled away at Xi Heng¡¯s vigilance and fear.


    So, after some hesitation, Xi Heng finally whispered, ¡°¡­Okay¡­I¡¯ll¡­let you¡­help.¡±


    Qinghe beamed happily. Rummaging in his storage space, he found a bottle of ointment and offered it to the young man. ¡°Here, put some of this over the injury on your foot. It should begin to heal up.¡±


    Taking the medicine, Xi Heng didn¡¯t hesitate to do so.


    Though it would be very difficult to heal an injured tendon through normal means, Qinghe had various alchemical medicines and elixirs brewed from spiritual herbs for this exact purpose, especially since he often found himself with similar injuries.


    Feeling the medicine immediately beginning to work, Xi Heng looked down at his foot with wonder.


    In a regretful voice, Qinghe said, ¡°As much as I¡¯d like for us to wait here until your injury heals, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s wise to keep sitting here. Would you like me to carry you back?¡±


    Xi Heng stiffened and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­do it¡­on my own.¡±


    Qinghe inwardly sighed with relief that he wouldn¡¯t have to let the young man touch him. In a concerned tone, he advised, ¡°Alright, but don¡¯t push yourself.¡±


    Standing up, Qinghe retrieved a simple robe from his storage space and handed it over to Xi Heng. After the young man was clothed, Qinghe compressed the wind to make a few thin wind blades and used them to carefully slice away Xi Heng¡¯s restraints.


    Navigating through the still-unconscious guards lying around in the garden, Qinghe slowly led Xi Heng in the direction of the room he was currently staying in with Wei Xiang.


    As Xi Heng dragged around his wounded foot, he almost stumbled over one of the guards. But as Qinghe extended his hands to catch him, Xi Heng flinched away.


    Qinghe sighed, but let it be. It wasn¡¯t like he was any better than the young man. It was only that Qinghe had already mentally prepared himself to touch Xi Heng, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t have offered to support the young man previously.


    But Xi Heng felt guilty at the way he was avoiding his benefactor¡¯s well-intentioned touch, so he tried to haltingly explain, ¡°I¡¯m¡­sorry. It¡¯s just that my master¡­I mean, the prince¡­he told me¡­that I was¡­too dirty. I shouldn¡¯t¡­touch others.¡±


    Qinghe froze. With a furious expression, he turned to Xi Heng and demanded, ¡°What do you mean? What type of bullshit did that pathetic excuse of a human being feed you?!¡±


    Xi Heng blinked in surprise at this unexpected outburst. Till now, this person had always remained calm and collected, so why was he angry now? And it sounded like he was actually angry at the prince?


    Swallowing in nervousness, Xi Heng elaborated, ¡°Master said that¡­since I was¡­I was defiled by¡­many men¡­I¡¯ve become dirty and¡­if anyone touches me¡­they¡¯ll get stained.¡±


    His expression growing darker with every word, Qinghe felt like calling back that useless prince and strangling some sense into him.


    Taking a deep breath to calm his fury and to avoid alarming Xi Heng any more, Qinghe finally spoke, ¡°That¡¯s completely untrue. How can someone¡¯s value be determined by something as senseless as how many times they have been touched? It sounds absurd. A person¡¯s worth isn¡¯t defined by the number of people they have slept with, whether consensually or not. Or rather, the concept of assigning value to people as if they are objects is in itself ridiculous. You shouldn¡¯t believe anything that comes out of that degenerate¡¯s mouth. Most of what he spouts is utter rubbish.¡±


    Looking down, Xi Heng muttered unconvincedly, ¡°B-But¡­I really¨D¡±


    Qinghe didn¡¯t let him finish. After pushing down his aversion to touch, Qinghe directly hugged a startled Xi Heng. Right now, it was more important to let this young man understand that he was in no way ¡®dirty¡¯ just because of what had happened to him.


    Not having expected Qinghe to suddenly hug him, Xi Heng froze.


    Then slowly, carefully, he wrapped his arms around Qinghe in reciprocation. A strange feeling of warmth welled up in Xi Heng¡¯s chest. He realized that he¡¯d grown to trust this person who had only shown him kindness and understanding till now.


    Patting Xi Heng¡¯s back, Qinghe spoke in a gentle tone, ¡°Alright now, let¡¯s go. We can¡¯t have you standing for too long and worsening your injury.¡±


    Xi Heng reluctantly let go and Qinghe inwardly sighed in relief before steeling himself again.


    This time when Qinghe offered his support, Xi Heng didn¡¯t refuse, so Qinghe directly picked him up and strode quickly over to the room adjacent to the one he was staying at.


    After carefully setting Xi Heng down to rest on the ground, Qinghe knocked politely as he called, ¡°Sect Master Wu, I need your help.¡±


    A few moments later, Jing Shui opened the door with Wu Xiao standing behind him. ¡°Brother Feng, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Qinghe motioned to Xi Feng and began explaining the situation, ending with, ¡°¡­and so, I was hoping that Sect Master Wu would be kind enough to escort Xi Heng to Yan Lin¡¯s place. If you tell him the situation, I¡¯m sure Yan Lin will agree to help.¡±


    Frowning thoughtfully, Jing Shui asked, ¡°Are you sending him there because Yan Lin went through a similar experience, so he¡¯d know what all would need to be done?¡±


    But Qinghe shook his head, saying, ¡°Well, there is that. But rather than Yan Lin, I think Zhang LiYing will be more suitable to handle this matter, since she has after all been with Yan Lin so long and must already be familiar with how to help someone who has gone through such an ordeal.¡±


    Wu Xiao nodded. ¡°That¡¯s true. And their place really is quite suitable for recuperation. But Xiao Feng, tell me, did you just say that you used spiritual energy?¡±


    Qinghe looked at him with confusion before nodding his head.


    ¡°Oh? And how are your restrictions?¡± Wu Xiao asked with concern.


    Realizing what Wu Xiao had been worried about, Qinghe reassured, ¡°I didn¡¯t use much, so it¡¯s still alright. I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Frowning dissatisfiedly at his recklessness, Wu Xiao began to lecture him, ¡°You should take better care of yourself. Shouldn¡¯t you already know that the more you use your spiritual energy, the more likely you are to breakthrough whether your body is prepared to advance or not? So try to minimize using your spiritual energy and remember to use your martial arts instead.¡±


    Qinghe lowered his head and accepted the scolding. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll take care next time.¡±


    Wu Xiao narrowed his eyes, then huffed in satisfaction at Qinghe¡¯s repentant attitude. ¡°See that you do. Now, you need me to take this brat to Yan Lin¡¯s and explain the situation to them, that¡¯s it?¡±


    Nodding, Qinghe added, ¡°It would be better if we gave them compensation for food and board beforehand.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll handle it,¡± Wu Xiao spoke.


    Then suddenly remembering something, Qinghe turned to Xi Heng and asked, ¡°Are there more people like you who are detained against their will within the palace?¡±


    Xi Heng startled, then nodded. ¡°Yes, there are. But not all of us¡­are kept in the same place. There are several secret chambers¡­that are used for illegal activities¡­that are, well¡­of an unpleasant sort.¡±


    Qinghe frowned. This was going to complicate matters.


    Jing Shui spoke up, ¡°Brother Feng, don¡¯t try to handle everything on your own again. Just ask Sentinel Wei to take care of this. It¡¯s a matter that falls under the Sentinels¡¯ jurisdiction anyway.¡±


    Wu Xiao nodded to show his support towards his lover. ¡°Yes, yes, my Ah-Shui is absolutely right. Stop being a control freak and let others help you once in a while.¡±


    Smiling wryly, Qinghe agreed. ¡°Very well, then. I¡¯ll let Xiang know.¡±


    Then turning to Xi Heng, Qinghe spoke in a comforting tone, ¡°This silver-haired man here will now take you to that friend¡¯s place that I mentioned before. My friend will take very good care of you, so listen to him, okay?¡±


    Xi Heng reluctantly nodded before asking in a pitiful voice, ¡°But you¡¯ll¡­come visit, right?¡±


    Qinghe blinked in surprise. Had this young man really gotten attached to him so quickly?


    Smiling affectionately, Qinghe assured, ¡°Of course I¡¯ll visit you. And don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t have to feel alone for long. The other people who are being confined here will soon join you as well.¡±


    And so, despite Xi Heng not willing to part from Qinghe so soon, he still obediently followed Wu Xiao and left for Yan Lin¡¯s house.


    Jing Shui went back to his room to wait for Wu Xiao while deciding to cultivate in the meantime. After all, the Hundred-Year Tournament was coming up, and as the Golden Sun Sect¡¯s head disciple, Jing Shui wanted to do his sect proud.


    Sighing in exhaustion, Qinghe also retired to his room and closed the door before slumping tiredly against it.


    ¡°Xiang, you can come out now,¡± he called.


    The shadow by his feet immediately extended upward, coalescing into Wei Xiang¡¯s form. But no sooner had Wei Xiang exited the shadow realm than he immediately closed his arms around Qinghe in a tight hug.


    Qinghe startled at the suddenness of the embrace, but quickly hugged his lover back.


    He had expected that Wei Xiang would react like this, which was why he had sent Wu Xiao with Xi Heng rather than going himself. From the moment Jing Rui had begun spouting his vulgar words, Wei Xiang had been in a rage and Qinghe had clearly sensed it. And no matter how much time had passed, Qinghe hadn¡¯t felt his lover¡¯s anger and distress abating even by a little till now.


    Sure enough, the first words out of Wei Xiang¡¯s mouth were, ¡°I¡¯ll never let him touch you!¡±


    Smiling helplessly at the rage saturated in his lover¡¯s low voice, Qinghe patted Wei Xiang¡¯s back. In a soothing tone, he replied, ¡°I know.¡±


    As if not hearing him, Wei Xiang growled, ¡°I don¡¯t want him to even look at you!¡±


    Qinghe closed his eyes and repeated quietly, ¡°I know.¡±


    He truly knew how much Wei Xiang must have hated having to stay idly in the shadows while Jing Rui crudely mouthed off, talking about doing offensive things to Qinghe. He knew how much Wei Xiang cared for him and how much his lover wanted to protect him.


    So Qinghe held his beloved and slowly tried to calm him down with his touch. They stayed like that, with Wei Xiang hugging him tightly and Qinghe running his hand comfortingly over his beloved¡¯s back, their roles reversed for once.


    But soon, Qinghe realized that something seemed off about Wei Xiang. His voice had seemed strangely deeper and the feel of Wei Xiang¡¯s body also felt imperceptibly different in his embrace.


    Frowning, Qinghe asked carefully, ¡°Xiang, why does it feel like something¡¯s changed with you?¡±


    Wordlessly leaning back from Qinghe¡¯s arms, Wei Xiang let his lover have a proper look at him.


    And at the first clear sight of his beloved¡¯s new form, Qinghe gasped.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes had gone completely gold, seeming almost reflective, while the dark pupils within had elongated into thin, vertical slits. Wei Xiang¡¯s features seemed sharper, his ears having grown longer and pointed at the ends. His honey-toned complexion now had a faint golden sheen as tiny and delicate scales glimmered softly in a fine, transparent layer over his skin. Long, thin, and exceedingly sharp nails extended straightly from his fingertips, its color a deep ebony as it exuded a smooth shine.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s body seemed more limber and languid, as if it had shed a layer of rigidness, his movements bearing a boneless grace like that of a serpent. An air of dangerous wildness swirled around him, extremely different from the mature and dignified aura he usually projected.


    Qinghe looked at his lover with open wonder and fascination.


    In a marveling tone, Qinghe asked, ¡°Is this your¡­half-beast form?¡±


    Wei Xiang opened his mouth and answered in a slightly rumbling voice, ¡°Yes. I suppose I haven¡¯t shown it to you before.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s attention focused on the two pointed incisors revealed between his lover¡¯s parted lips when he spoke. As he looked over his beloved¡¯s new form, Qinghe felt uncontrollable excitement rising within him.


    He found that he liked this side of his Wei Xiang very much, too.


    The half-beast form of a spiritual beast was exactly as it sounded¨Dit was a meld of the physical characteristics of both their human and beast forms.


    Half-blooded beasts like the twins had no ability to change completely between their human and beast forms, but stayed perpetually in their half-beast forms. But full-blooded spiritual beasts like Wei Xiang were able to shift not only between looking fully like a spiritual beast or human, they also possessed the ability to assume a blend of both forms like the half-blooded beasts.


    Beasts in half-beast form exhibited more animalistic characteristics, both physically and personality-wise, than when they looked completely human.


    Raising a hand, Qinghe ran a finger over his beloved¡¯s cheek. He felt a faint friction as the scales dragged lightly on his fingertip.


    ¡°Qinghe?¡± Wei Xiang called uncertainly. For some reason, his little lover seemed to have become quite excited, his dark eyes shining brightly.


    With an eager gaze, Qinghe looked at Wei Xiang and said directly, ¡°Xiang, take me to bed in this form!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Coughing at this unexpectedly enthusiastic request, Wei Xiang shook his head regretfully. ¡°Love, it¡¯s not possible for us to do it in this form, at least not without a lot of preparation.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Why?¡± Qinghe looked up at his beloved with a disheartened expression.


    With a light chuckle, Wei Xiang took ahold of Qinghe¡¯s wrist and led his hand to cup him between the legs. Qinghe habitually gave the bulge a squeeze, then froze. With a disbelieving look, he quickly undid Wei Xiang¡¯s belt and parted his robe before brazenly plunging his hand into his lover¡¯s pants.


    ¡°No way!¡± Qinghe looked up at his amused beloved as he asked, ¡°You have two of them now?!¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded, suppressing his urge to burst out laughing at Qinghe¡¯s shocked expression, even as his golden eyes darkened at the feel of his lover¡¯s warm palm touching him so very intimately. ¡°Yes. I share the blood of both true dragons and serpents. And serpents have two members, didn¡¯t you know?¡±


    Removing his hand from within Wei Xiang¡¯s pants, Qinghe dazedly shook his head. How the hell was he supposed to know something so random?!


    Lifting a hand, Wei Xiang affectionately patted Qinghe on the head. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll return to normal soon. I¡¯ll take you to bed at that time, alright?¡±


    But with a reluctant expression, Qinghe turned his face away. Then, in a hesitant voice, he confessed, ¡°Xiang¡­even if takes some extra preparation¡­I still don¡¯t mind. I want you in this form.¡±


    Wei Xiang looked at his little lover with surprise. Qinghe¡¯s cheeks were flushed with desire, his lashes lowered shyly.


    Bending down, Wei Xiang planted a light kiss on Qinghe¡¯s forehead. ¡°Not yet. Let¡¯s wait till we go back to your sect first before we try something more adventurous.¡±


    Qinghe considered it, then nodded. ¡°Okay. But I still want you now, even if it¡¯s in your human form.¡±


    Chuffing in laughter, Wei Xiang agreed, ¡°I¡¯ll try to turn back to my human form then.¡±


    Therefore, Wei Xiang began concentrating on suppressing his beast until his body slowly changed back. And then the couple promptly moved to the bed.


    In all honesty, Qinghe had expected that Wei Xiang would be especially intense and possessive today and had even braced himself for it. But contrary to his expectations, Wei Xiang was particularly gentle, his every touch tender and careful as if wishing to show just how much he cherished his beloved.


    It was a very sweet and wonderful night.

 Chapter 68: Gauging Undercurrents

    The next morning, Wei Xiang set off to the Sentinel headquarters to report about people being held against their will and abused in the imperial palace.


    It would take the Sentinels some time to gather the necessary information and prepare to rescue the captives. After all, if they acted carelessly and ended up prematurely alerting the people in the palace, the abusers might simply wipe out the captives to hide the evidence. To avoid such a scenario, it was necessary to exercise due caution.


    By the time Wei Xiang finished taking care of the necessary procedures and returned to the palace, it was already afternoon.


    The second his lover stepped into the room, Qinghe immediately dragged him outside and knocked on the neighboring door again.


    This time, Wu Xiao was the one to unlock the door while Jing Shui just opened his eyes curiously from where he sat cross-legged on the bed.


    Wu Xiao immediately began, ¡°If you¡¯re here to inquire about that brat from yesterday, then there¡¯s no need to worry. His calf injury healed up nicely, and Yan Lin and his wife also agreed to take him in. Last I saw, he was eagerly listening to Zhang LiYing lecture him about the proper method to pick fruits.¡±


    Qinghe nodded. ¡°Well, that¡¯s good to know. While I also wanted to ask you about that, it¡¯s not the only reason I¡¯m here.¡±


    Raising an eyebrow, Wu Xiao waited for him to elaborate.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s time we took a look around the capital,¡± Qinghe spoke.


    Wu Xiao narrowed his eyes suspiciously. ¡°What do you want to do in the city? I doubt you just want to tour around.¡±


    Chuckling, Qinghe admitted, ¡°I want to gauge the undercurrents in the capital.¡±


    Even though Qinghe said this, Wu Xiao felt that it didn¡¯t explain anything at all. But despite his misgivings, Wu Xiao chose to let it go.


    Turning back, he called, ¡°Ah-Shui, your friend wants to go on a double date! It¡¯ll be our first time going out as a couple, aren¡¯t you excited?¡±


    Jing Shui¡¯s disgruntled voice shouted back in reply, ¡°Why the hell should I be excited?! Also, don¡¯t go deciding these things on your own!¡±


    Leaving the door open, Wu Xiao went back inside the room to pout and plead shamelessly until he finally managed to get a blushing Jing Shui to agree to come along.


    And so, the four of them stepped out of the palace gates for the first time after having entered it a few days ago.


    Qinghe decided that rather than going to the affluent parts of the city inhabited by the more influential people, they should look around the places that the common citizens frequented. And so the group set off in that direction.


    Lit under the harsh noon sun, the market square in the capital city was bustling, the streets filled with rushing oxcarts and hurrying people. At the sides, vendors sold everything from fruits and vegetables to fabric and earthenware, all the while calling out in loud voices with a practiced cadence.


    The smell of dust, stagnant water, animal musk, and sweaty bodies hung heavy in the air. A disorderly cacophony of overlapping noises assailed the ears, consisting of the talking and shouting of humans along with the cries of animals mixed with the myriad other sounds of a lively marketplace.


    A hectic sort of energy ran through the street, quickening one¡¯s pulse and immersing them in its rampant chaos until you had no choice but to join the constantly flowing tide of people.


    Nimbly threading through the crowds, the group of four cultivators made their way steadily forward.


    ¡°Brother Feng, where are we going?¡± Jing Shui finally asked.


    Qinghe tilted his head in thought before answering, ¡°Probably somewhere where we can observe people in their natural habitat.¡±


    ¡°¡­And that doesn¡¯t sound weird at all,¡± Wu Xiao piped in sarcastically.


    In a rare fit of childishness, Qinghe stuck out his tongue at an amused Wu Xiao before turning to Wei Xiang. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Looking at his little lover intently, Wei Xiang replied in all seriousness, ¡°I think that your tongue is very cute.¡±


    Huffing, Qinghe swatted Wei Xiang on his arm before admonishing, ¡°You know that¡¯s not what I meant! Where do you think we should go to get a feel for the city?¡±


    Wei Xiang considered for a while before saying, ¡°A restaurant or a tavern should do.¡±


    After a moment of thought, Qinghe nodded. ¡°Yes, and we can get some wine too,¡± he said, unable to stop eagerness from seeping into his tone.


    Chuckling, Wei Xiang shook his head. ¡°No wine for you, especially not during the day.¡±


    Qinghe pouted and spoke as if wronged, ¡°I only want us to celebrate Sect Master Wu and Brother Jing getting together finally. A little bit of wine should be fine, right?¡±


    Faced with his pleading gaze, Wei Xiang could only sigh helplessly and relent. ¡°Very well then, as you wish. But choose something light.¡±


    Having gotten his way, Qinghe easily compromised with a nod.


    In a somewhat shocked tone, Jing Shui reacted belatedly, ¡°Wait, what do you mean by Wu Xiao and me getting together ¡®finally¡¯? Why does it seem like you expected us to become a couple?¡±


    Wu Xiao chuffed in silent laughter at his Ah-Shui¡¯s cluelessness while Qinghe shrugged and explained, ¡°That¡¯s because everyone in the cultivation world more or less knows that Sect Master Wu has been interested in Brother Jing for more than a couple of decades. We all just thought it was a given that you¡¯d both become lovers sooner or later. I think Brother Jing is the only one surprised by this development.¡±


    Jing Shui felt speechless. They all knew? Did that include his master? His fellow disciples in the sect? Everyone?!


    Looping an arm around Jing Shui¡¯s shoulders, Wu Xiao spoke as if reading his mind, ¡°Yes, my beloved, everyone knows.¡±


    Hearing this, Jing Shui suddenly felt that his sense of perception had failed him. How come he was the last to find out?!


    Qinghe laughed at Jing Shui¡¯s stupefied expression while twining his fingers with Wei Xiang¡¯s to pull him in the direction of a small restaurant. ¡°Let¡¯s go here. It seems to have enough people to observe.¡±


    And so the group entered a small restaurant situated a little way from the marketplace.


    The inside was wide and spacious, with tables and chairs distributed neatly throughout the dining area. One side of the restaurant was left open to the outside to let in some of the refreshing breeze and bright light. The aroma of spices and seasoning wafted in the air enticingly, stirring one¡¯s appetite with the promise of freshly made, delicious and warm food.


    Almost every table in the restaurant was taken, leaving only one with five chairs set around it, four of which Qinghe and his group promptly occupied.


    A young man soon came to ask them what they wanted to have. Without hesitation, Qinghe immediately asked for some light fruit wine and sweets while Jing Shui asked for buns with chestnut fillings. After some hesitation, Wei Xiang ordered sweet and sour dumplings. Once he confirmed that Wu Xiao did not need anything, the young man swiftly departed to relay their order.


    Soon, the food and drink were placed on the table and the group of four began to partake of it.


    After finishing half of the sweets quickly, Qinghe asked his lover, ¡°So you like sweet and sour things?¡±


    Finding his tone strange, Wei Xiang raised an eyebrow. ¡°Yes, I do. Do you dislike it?¡±


    Qinghe made a difficult expression, but shook his head. ¡°I guess I can¡­tolerate it.¡±


    Seeing the obvious reluctance with which Qinghe made this statement, Wei Xiang dutifully noted down his beloved¡¯s distaste of sour foodstuffs.


    After gobbling down a few more sweets in quick succession, Qinghe looked consideringly at the remaining ones before picking one with his chopsticks and turning towards his lover. ¡°Xiang, open your mouth.¡±


    Having just finished his meal, Wei Xiang happily accepted the dessert personally fed to him by his beloved.


    Seeing them, Wu Xiao turned to Jing Shui with a hopeful gaze. ¡°Ah-Shui, don¡¯t you also want to share your food with me?¡±


    Jing Shui looked up from munching on his buns only to meet Wu Xiao¡¯s eyes sparkling brightly with expectation.


    Sighing helplessly, Jing Shui acquiesced with a small, indulgent smile, ¡°Alright then, open up.¡±


    Wu Xiao eagerly did so, and Jing Sui carefully put a corner of a bun into Wu Xiao¡¯s mouth for him to bite off. Once Wu Xiao took a mouthful, Jing Shui casually finished the rest.


    Seeing that his beloved didn¡¯t mind eating something he¡¯d taken a bite from, Wu Xiao felt gratified. ¡°Ah-Shui, feed me another~¡± Wu Xiao entreated.


    And so, the couples spent lunchtime happily in this way, sharing food and feeding each other, until all the food was consumed, leaving only the wine.


    As the four of them divided the lightly flavored fruit wine among themselves, Qinghe observed offhandedly, ¡°It seems unrest has already grown.¡±


    Wei Xiang agreed with a small nod, ¡°Yes, it does seem so.¡±


    Though Wu Xiao sipped his wine unconcernedly, Jing Shui looked at them both with puzzlement written plainly on his face. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Qinghe looked at his friend and answered as if it was obvious, ¡°The mood in the capital, of course.¡±


    Frowning, Jing Shui asked, ¡°How can you tell that there¡¯s unrest? The marketplace outside seemed quite lively, and even inside the restaurant, it¡¯s fairly peaceful.¡±


    Promptly entering lecture mode, Qinghe began to explain, ¡°Look at the people. All of them look tense and on edge. They seem exhausted as if they¡¯ve given up hope. Listen to their words. Though none of them directly disparage the current regime, their dissatisfaction is very apparent and implied. Look at the way their eyes keep shifting to the doorway every time they talk about their difficulties, as if a wrong word will summon guards who¡¯d drag them away. Most of them are also ordering very little food or wine. Every coin spent obviously hurts them. The clothes of many people are also hanging loosely over their frames, meaning they¡¯ve lost a lot of weight recently, most likely due to a lack of sufficient food. Their robes also seem very worn with too many noticeable patches. We can easily conclude from this that there¡¯s an economic crisis brewing among the common folk, along with civil unrest. It¡¯s only a matter of time before businesses start failing and people start rioting.¡±


    Jing Shui blinked and looked around, and sure enough, when he observed the little details, it really seemed to be as Qinghe said.


    Though the people chatted amiably, the corners of their eyes were tightened and their brows mildly furrowed. Their conversations were mostly held in a low voice, as if afraid to be overheard. Every now and then, their gazes flicked to the restaurant¡¯s entrance in small, barely visible motions. And if someone even remotely resembling a guard passed by, the volume of the chatter would inevitably drop lower.


    Seeing that it really was as Qinghe had said, Jing Shui looked at his friend with new appreciation in his eyes. ¡°Brother Feng, it seems that you¡¯re quite experienced in observing these sorts of things.¡±


    Qinghe smiled pleasantly as he spoke, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve done some work that requires these skills.¡±


    Jing Shui inquisitively asked, ¡°Like what?¡±


    At the side, Wu Xiao coughed delicately while muttering ¡°Espionage¡± in between.


    Not minding the insinuation, Qinghe tranquilly sipped his wine while still smiling.


    Knowing that it was entirely possible, Jing Shui shook his head while saying ruefully, ¡°I should have known.¡±


    At the side, Wei Xiang smiled amusedly at this assumption. But if it were true, then it would surprise no one. After all, his little lover seemed entirely capable of taking up such sneaky work.


    Wu Xiao suddenly turned to Qinghe as if remembering something and inquired seriously, ¡°Xiao Feng, are you cultivating properly? You should make sure that your body is strong enough so that you can more freely use your spiritual energy. After all, the Hundred-Year Tournament is coming up.¡±


    Qinghe blinked in surprise. ¡°Oh, is it? Well, I think I¡¯ll be fine. Even now, I can feel that my physique has almost caught up with my cultivation.¡±


    His curiosity piquing, Jing Shui asked, ¡°Which realm are you at now?¡±


    Placidly taking a sip of his wine, Qinghe answered honestly, ¡°Eighth realm.¡±


    Hearing this being uttered so casually, Jing Shui wanted to spit out blood.


    He had been cultivating almost constantly for the last few months. Even after entering the palace, he had poured his focus into cultivation, if only to escape having to go outside and face the people of the imperial family. And despite all this, his cultivation was only in the fifth realm!


    The last time he¡¯d asked Qinghe just after leaving the hidden realm, his friend had clearly stated that he was in the sixth realm. Yet, within only a few months, he had already reached the eighth?! How come he¡¯d advanced so quickly?!


    Not knowing about his friend¡¯s internal struggle with frustration, Qinghe turned to Wei Xiang and asked, ¡°What about you? Will you come to watch?¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can bring along my master as well. It¡¯s time you both met.¡±


    Smiling slyly, Qinghe asked, ¡°Oh? You¡¯re this eager to introduce me to my future father-in-law?¡±


    After all, to Wei Xiang, the Sentinel Grandmaster was as good as a father.


    Laughing, Wei Xiang affectionately cupped his little lover¡¯s cheek, his thumb lightly brushing over his beloved¡¯s soft skin. In a teasing tone, he said playfully, ¡°Yes, I am. And maybe I want to give you a chance to ask my master for my hand in marriage.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s face immediately flushed red, his lashes lowering over his clear eyes as he smiled a small, shy smile. ¡°Maybe I really will ask him to let me marry you.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s gaze deepened. Lowering his head, he placed a gentle kiss on his beloved¡¯s temple. ¡°There¡¯s no rush. Marriage for us is a mere formality.¡±


    Raising a hand, Qinghe placed his palm over the back of Wei Xiang¡¯s fingers that were still cupping his cheek. Slowly nodding, he spoke, ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll get married when the time is right. For now, let¡¯s just enjoy each other as much as we can.¡±


    Wu Xiao looked at this romantic scene with interest, wishing he had a few melon seeds to munch on while enjoying this real-life display of affectionate love that easily ignored not only the time and place, but also the fragile hearts of all the single people watching.


    You could almost see the cherry blossoms fluttering in the air, dyeing it a tender pink as a passionate atmosphere spread from this pair of lovers. Say what you will, but this couple really didn¡¯t waste any time beating around the bush, Wu Xiao thought with amusement.


    On the other hand, Jing Shui felt as if he were intruding on a very private discussion. His gaze drifted all over the place in embarrassment, not knowing where to settle on.


    Sensing his awkwardness, Wu Xiao smiled and spoke, ¡°Ah-Shui, do you also want to declare your proposal to me?¡±


    Jing Shui covered his face with both palms to hide his blush. A muffled voice issued from behind his hands as he stuttered, ¡°J-Just, sh-shut up!¡±


    Wu Xiao chuckled evilly. It was so easy to get a rise out of his Ah-Shui!


    As Wu Xiao began poking and playing with Jing Shui¡¯s fingers while trying to pry them away from his red face, he spotted a flash of white from the corner of his eyes. Turning his head, Wu Xiao saw a small paper boat being blown into the restaurant by the wind. A faint trace of spiritual energy accompanied it as it landed beside their table.


    Seeing the folded paper boat, Qinghe¡¯s eyes widened slightly. He more or less had an idea of who had sent it.


    In a soft voice, Qinghe whispered, ¡°Sect Master Wu, please collect the paper boat.¡±


    Making sure that his actions would not be noticed, Wu Xiao inconspicuously took the paper boat from the floor and passed it to Qinghe, who immediately placed it into his storage space.


    Ever since they had stepped out of the palace, the four cultivators had all noticed that they were being tailed by the people from the palace. But since they weren¡¯t going to be doing anything worth hiding, the four people naturally didn¡¯t pay them any attention. But now that something like this had occurred, they had to take care that the people following them wouldn¡¯t notice.


    Wei Xiang observed wryly, ¡°He really only took a few days to compile and send over the list despite technically being in hiding. His efficiency seems to be really high.¡±


    Chuckling, Qinghe nodded. ¡°Yes, Master Kai never disappoints.¡±


    ¡°Eh? What list?¡± Jing Shui popped his head out from behind his hands to ask.


    Qinghe casually spoke, ¡°Brother Jing, do you remember the request made by Sect Master Lu that time in the Drifting Clouds Sect, before we came to the palace?¡±


    Jing Shui made a thoughtful expression as he recollected, ¡°He wanted you to help his relatives retain some prestige despite the emperor¡¯s hostility against powerful families like them. It was the¡­Ping household, I think?¡±


    Nodding, Qinghe explained further, ¡°I asked an acquaintance of mine to give me a list of other people in prominent positions who are also being targeted by the imperial family. Having all of these people band together with the Ping household will help raise their status, will it not?¡±


    Frowning, Jing Shui questioned, ¡°But won¡¯t that take a lot of effort on your part? I mean, you¡¯ll have to convince all those nobles to throw in their lot with this Ping household.¡±


    Qinghe smiled as he said quietly, ¡°It¡¯s okay. It will be worth it.¡±


    Jing Shui felt confused, but nodded to show that he more or less understood.


    Sighing and shaking his head at how gullible his lover was, Wu Xiao continued to look at Qinghe intently. In an unsatisfied tone, he spoke, ¡°Xiao Feng, tell us the truth. It¡¯s hardly worth this much work to just fulfill a request. What are you planning?¡±


    Qinghe blinked his guileless eyes and asked in a befuddled tone, ¡°Sect Master Wu, whatever do you mean? Why do you think I¡¯m plotting something more?¡±


    Wu Xiao felt his mouth twitch in agitation. This fellow was still trying to hide it!


    He continued to protest, ¡°It can¡¯t be the only reason, otherwise there will be a gross unbalance of power in the empire. After all, gathering all these prominent powers under the banner of one household will give too much power to that particular household. If something like that happens, it wouldn¡¯t be strange even if they became the¨D¡±


    His words abruptly halting as the realization finally struck him, Wu Xiao looked at Qinghe with wide eyes.


    Wei Xiang chuckled at the side and finally said, ¡°Qinghe, tell them.¡±


    Qinghe looked at his lover with surprise evident on his face. ¡°But, Xiang¡­¡±


    Unrelentingly, Wei Xiang urged, ¡°When you¡¯re doing something good for someone, what need is there to hide it? Tell them.¡±


    A trace of hesitation and uncertainty appeared on Qinghe¡¯s face. Then sighing, he reluctantly opened his mouth and spoke, ¡°Fine. I¡¯m just trying to ensure that Brother Jing never has to feel afraid of this place ever again.¡±


    Jing Shui blinked uncomprehendingly. What did this have to do with him?


    ¡°Brother Feng, what do you mean?¡±


    Qinghe seemed to shrink into himself as he explained, ¡°Well, the biggest reason you feel afraid is because you think they¡¯ll take you back to the palace somehow, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Jing Shui wordlessly nodded.


    ¡°And the biggest reason they keep trying to get you back is because of your position as the only legitimate son of the emperor, right?¡±


    Jing Shui nodded again.


    ¡°So I just thought that, well, if you lose your position, then they won¡¯t come after you anymore and you won¡¯t have to keep fearing that possibility.¡±


    Wu Xiao scoffed. Having already figured it out, he felt that this explanation was an understatement. ¡°You make it sound so simple. Why don¡¯t you just come outright and say it?¡±


    Still not understanding, Jing Shui tilted his head. ¡°Brother Feng, what do you mean by that? How can I lose my position as the only legitimate heir? I¡¯m pretty sure that my father isn¡¯t capable of producing any more heirs, legitimate or not, given his advanced age.¡±


    Qinghe coughed lightly and spoke in a small voice, ¡°I meant, what if the current dynasty came to an end? You would naturally lose your position as the prince if another household rose to the position of the nation of Xing Long¡¯s imperial family.¡±


    Jing Shui froze in absolute shock.


    It was only a few moments later that he managed to stutter in reply, ¡°W-What do you mean¡­? You¡¯re going to¡­end the Yong Dynasty?¡±


    Bowing his head, Qinghe nodded.


    Still in a daze, Jing Shui spoke, ¡°Then the people¡­¡±


    Qinghe hurriedly interrupted him, ¡°The people will be fine! There might be a few months of upheaval, but if everything is handled properly, then the common people¡¯s lives will only get better after the current government that is rife with corruption is overthrown. After all, the dynasty does not make the people, it is the people who make the dynasty.¡±


    Jing Shui slowly nodded. Gradually, his shock cleared, and Jing Shui looked at his friend with a complicated gaze. In a strangely thick voice, he asked, ¡°It will take a lot of trouble to gather everyone¡¯s support and make the transitioning smooth. From convincing the nobles to uprooting the current regime¡­then installing a new emperor¡­changing public opinion¡­and so many other, small things¡­it will take so much effort¡­¡±


    By the end of it, Jing Shui could barely get out the words through his voice gone too thick, his eyes beginning to sting as his nose grew sour.


    But seeing that Jing Shui didn¡¯t seem to be angry, just shocked and somewhat choked up, Qinghe breathed a sigh of relief as he sat up straighter. Regaining his composure, Qinghe assured with an easy smile, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about all that, Brother Jing. I¡¯ve already figured most of it out. Within a few more days, you won¡¯t have to feel afraid of the palace anymore. Just leave this matter to me.¡±


    No sooner had Qinghe stopped speaking than two trails of tears flowed down from Jing Shui¡¯s eyes as he cried openly.


    Qinghe looked at him flabbergasted, feeling a little lost. Gazing up flusteredly at Wei Xiang, Qinghe asked in a guilty voice, ¡°Did I say something wrong? Was I being insensitive?¡±


    Because he truly didn¡¯t understand! Why was his friend crying?! Or rather, what had he done to make him cry?!


    Wei Xiang smiled warmly at his cluelessly panicking lover and reassured, ¡°No, he must just be too overwhelmed by relief.¡±


    That¡­was good, right? Qinghe thought to himself uncertainly.


    After carefully studying Wei Xiang¡¯s expression, Qinghe decided that it didn¡¯t seem to be a bad thing, at least.


    Wu Xiao had already lifted Jing Shui up and placed him on his lap, uncaring of the stares and looks being cast towards them by the other patrons in the restaurant. Holding his Ah-Shui close, Wu Xiao soothingly patted his beloved¡¯s back as Jing Shui buried his tearstained face in Wu Xiao¡¯s shoulder.


    Jing Shui¡¯s heart clenched as he thought of all the painstaking effort his friend was putting in for him, to make sure that his nightmares would finally stop plaguing him.


    After this¡­he wouldn¡¯t have to keep fearing this place and his family, right?


    After so many years¡­he¡¯d finally be free, right?!


    Wu Xiao held his Ah-Shui gently as he felt the unceasing flood of tears soaking the shoulder of his robe. Soft and almost inaudible sobs issued from his beloved as he finally let out his fear and uncertainty.


    Smiling with gratitude, Wu Xiao turned to Qinghe. ¡°Xiao Feng, thank you for helping Ah-Shui.¡±


    Qinghe didn¡¯t know how to react when faced with such a sincere Wu Xiao, so he asked playfully, ¡°Does this mean that Sect Master Wu agrees to owe me a favor?¡±


    Laughing, Wu Xiao answered in a compassionate voice, ¡°You brat, it means that you don¡¯t need me to owe you favors just to make me do something for you. If you have a request in the future, I will do my best to fulfill it. Xiao Feng, if you ever need my help, you only have to ask.¡±


    Qinghe blinked confusedly. Why was this person being so friendly all of a sudden?


    How come he was suddenly finding it so difficult to understand people today?!


    ¨DAnd thus ended the two couples¡¯ double date.

 Chapter 69: Collecting the Pieces

    It was a moonless night both dark and dreary. Even the stars seemed to hide themselves behind a dim veil, unwilling to cast their light over the world.


    Strong gusts of wind erratically blasted over the procession that was slowly making its way down the forest path. The tall, black shadows of the trees swayed threatening on either side, the frenzied rustling of the branches and leaves sounding almost angry.


    The procession consisted of a couple of carriages¨Done containing a person and the other filled with luggage¨Dsurrounded on all sides by vigilant guards on horsebacks. The dull glint of metal flashed occasionally in the gloom as the guards kept their weapons half-unsheathed in fear of a sudden attack.


    Inside his carriage, the official sent from the Ministry of Agriculture gulped nervously. He had a bad premonition that something would happen tonight. As an old and experienced officer who had survived in the scheming imperial court while retaining his prominence all this while, the official knew to listen closely to his gut when it came to such matters.


    After all, it had been an imperial decree that had brought him and his guards out despite such terrible weather. The emperor had insisted that he make haste to return to the capital, traveling through night and day to return to his side.


    And so, the official had had to cut short his important visit to the distant provinces where he¡¯d been sent to study the virulent outbreak of a certain disease currently spreading through rice crops. Instead, he and his procession were now rushing through this forest and hurrying towards the capital despite such dreadful weather conditions. It wouldn¡¯t surprise him one bit if there was an ambush set up somewhere to capture or kill him, which was why he had mobilized such a large contingent of guards to accompany him on the way back.


    But he simply couldn¡¯t have expected that there would be an even larger group of assassins waiting for him.


    The first to notice were the horses as they whinnied and shifted restlessly, flicking their tails and ears as if to warn their riders. Sensing that something was amiss, the guards reacted immediately as their leader shouted, ¡°Guard the carriages! Group around while facing outward! Weapons and shields up!¡±


    Within moments, the area around the official¡¯s carriage was packed with guards standing shoulder to shoulder, weapons and shields facing outward towards whatever threats that might come their way.


    Inside, the official¡¯s face went pale, yet he maintained his composure and lied down stably on the floor of the carriage in an experienced manner so that no errant arrows or strikes would land on him. After all, he knew that it was as much his duty to protect himself as it was the guards¡¯.


    Soon, the rustlings of the leaves intensified, almost unnoticeable amid the sharp whistling of the wind. Black-clad figures with masks over their faces poured out of the shadows and fell over the guards like a wave crashing over shore.


    The official trembled at the violent sounds of battle raging outside. The clash of metal against metal, the strained grunting of those fighting and the pained cries of the wounded, along with the stamping of feet against ground and flesh thudding as it was impacted with blows, all melded into a violent cacophony that resounded in the carriage¡¯s closed space.


    From what the official could hear, the situation outside was not too good. It seemed that the enemy had conscripted a larger amount of people against him. Since things were like this, the official knew that losing his life was an almost certain thing.


    The carriage began to rock as the fighting neared it, the assassins gaining ground and pushing closer as they tried to find a way in.


    The door was suddenly kicked in as a black-clothed assassin with bloodied blades in both hands forced his way into the carriage.


    Spotting the hapless old official quivering on the floor with wide eyes staring fearfully at the intruding figure, the assassin felt a burst of satisfaction. Not willing to engage in any small talk, he directly raised one of his blades and brought it down on the scrawny neck of the official who had already gone stiff from terror.


    But the blade never reached its destination.


    Sudden cries of alarm rang out from the people outside and the discordant noise of battle abruptly halted. The sounds of bodies continuously hitting the ground one by one could be heard, feeling especially loud and inexplicable in the ensuing silence.


    Meanwhile inside the carriage, the assassin looked down dumbly at his unmoving blade that had halted a mere finger¡¯s breadth from his target¡¯s neck.


    The next moment, the assassin felt his breath leaving his lungs. As he gasped and clawed frantically at his chest while trying in vain to gulp down air, he felt his vision darkening and his sight fading before he finally lost consciousness.


    Hearing the thump of the assassin¡¯s body falling out of the carriage, the official opened his eyes and looked up with hope coloring his gaze.


    Standing by the ruined doorframe of the carriage was an ethereal figure clad in white, his face too beautiful to behold. The sharp and clear eyes set under those gracefully arched brows focused on the official, making the old man almost faint from the irresistible magnetism exuding from them.


    The official immediately bowed down to show his sincerity while proclaiming loudly, ¡°This one thanks Your Excellency for saving his pitiful old life. If there is anything Your Excellency wants, then this one shall strive to do his utmost to fulfill it!¡±


    Following his words, a heavy hush seemed to fall inside the carriage, softly smothering the sounds of the frantically rustling leaves and the sharply whistling wind that filtered in from outside.


    Then in a pleasant voice that sounded like the trickling of cool water, the young man clad in white finally spoke, ¡°I cannot accept your gratitude, for I am merely here at the behest of another. If you wish to thank someone for this rescue, then please do so directly.¡±


    Rising up, the official looked at this dazzlingly attractive young man and asked eagerly, ¡°Then may Your Excellency please enlighten this one as to the identity of this generous benefactor.¡±


    But rather than immediately answering, the young man stepped further into the carriage and waved his hand in an elegant gesture. And as if in response, the broken door lifted off the ground and forced itself to fit into the warped frame, closing off the carriage from the outside world.


    A slip of paper suddenly appeared between the slender fingers of the white-clad man, and he flicked it towards the door in a casual motion. The paper flew in a straight line and stuck itself neatly to the center of the door. Precisely drawn characters flashed with a bright glow and a ball of brilliant golden flame hovered near the paper, casting the inside of the carriage in a warm and mellow light.


    The official watched all this with his mouth agape.


    This person¡­he must be one of those legendary cultivators! One of those elusive immortals who flew in the air and battled vicious demons and fantastical monsters! And such a person was actually here, right in front of him!


    Unmindful of the worshipful gaze being directed towards him, the young man seated himself on one side of the carriage with poise, then signaled the official to settle himself on the opposite side.


    After the old official dazedly did so, the young man began in his soothing, calm voice, ¡°The one who requested me to aid you was the head of the Ping household, Ping Nian. You might not know him personally, but Lord Ping does not wish to see the innocent blood of his fellow official shed due to dirty schemes concocted just for the sake of desperately holding on to power. Thus, he wished me to help you.¡±


    The official flinched at these words. How could he not realize by now whom the other person meant?


    Gritting his teeth, he bit out, ¡°So the imperial family was the one behind this after all. That emperor¡­¡± Then the official¡¯s gaze suddenly dulled as he continued to mutter to himself, ¡°But¡­no, it¡¯s best to just hide away until this matter blows over. A single old official like me, what can I even do? I can¡¯t even protect myself. Even though the emperor is supposed to be the one to protect his people¡­ No, no, I mustn¡¯t think of that. The important thing is to find someplace remote and hide¨D¡±


    ¡°Are you sure that will work?¡± came a tranquil interjection.


    Looking up, the old official found that the white-clad man¡¯s gaze was fixed on him, a glint of faint amusement visible in those eyes.


    In a placid tone that conveyed mild indifference, the young man continued, ¡°No matter how much you lie low, as long as you still hold power, you will keep being targeted.¡±


    Hearing this, the old official¡¯s back slumped dejectedly. Honestly speaking, he already knew that what the other man said was the truth, but he at least had to try to preserve this life of his, didn¡¯t he?


    Tilting his head, the young man shed his apathy and began speaking in a firm and rousing tone, ¡°Are you really willing to so easily let go of all your hard-won achievements and renounce your position? Do you wish to bow down and let the imperial family trample over your back?¡±


    The official looked up with startlement, then frowned thoughtfully.


    The white-robed man continued, his words growing heated, ¡°Who is the one who has worked hard and slaved unceasingly to come up with solutions to the endless problems constantly besieging the various agricultural areas? Who was it who proposed a more effective irrigational system? Who implemented the new crop harvesting method to increase the annual yield? Do you really not mind all these painstaking efforts of yours going to waste? All your years of backbreaking hard work¡­can you really bear to let it all amount to nothing?¡±


    Just hearing this incited the official¡¯s blood to boil with rage and the unwillingness to surrender. That¡¯s right! He had put in so much effort to come this far in his career! Yet, after he did so much work for the emperor, he was treated like this! This was patently unacceptable!


    The white-robed man¡¯s lips curved into a small smile as his eyes deepened with a mysterious light. In a considering tone, he spoke, ¡°If this Lord Official also thinks of it as unfair, then I have a proposition that I think will interest you. Not only does it guarantee your safety in the meantime, but your position in the court will also rise significantly when all¡¯s said and done.¡±


    The old man perked up his ears in attention. ¡°Oh? Please, do tell.¡±


    As the two men discussed various things, the wind outside slowly began to die down. The stars shone brightly again, twinkling as if in wicked amusement.


    The door to the carriage was finally pushed open, and the figure in white stepped out composedly. Turning to the occupant of the carriage, he smiled as he said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll count on you, my lord.¡±


    The sound of excited reassurances and words of gratitude spilled from within.


    The young man nodded his head as he looked around. Surrounding the carriage were the unconscious bodies of both the guards and assassins. After all, if only the assassins were incapacitated, the guards might take this chance to kill them all and save themselves the trouble. To minimize the lives lost, this was really the best choice.


    Thankfully, the young man had the foresight to have already called for people to come and detain the assassins, as well as to escort the official and his guards to a safe place. With this, everything that should be taken care of was taken care of.


    After giving one last greeting to the exuberant official and closing the carriage door, the young man clad in white appeared as if to have drifted away, seeming to disappear into the bleak scenery outside.


    After walking into the forest, Qinghe rested his back against a tree and sighed in relief. This particular official had been far easier to convince than the others. Though he hoped that the others would be just as simple to persuade, he knew that it would be asking for too much.


    Oh well, he¡¯d just have to keep working hard like he had been for the last couple of days. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t need all that much sleep, or he¡¯d have long since dropped down out of sheer exhaustion.


    Retrieving the folded paper boat that Master Kai had sent him, Qinghe injected a bit of spiritual energy into it, and the plain-looking paper boat turned into a small scroll made of expensive-looking materials.


    Unfurling the scroll, Qinghe took a look at the next person on the list before putting it away.


    Just a few more and he¡¯d finally be done.


    ¡­¡­


    A scrawny middle-aged courtier hurried down the halls of his courtyard with hasty steps while praying for someone, anyone, to come save him.


    God or deity or demon, he didn¡¯t care! He just needed someone to tell him what to do!


    Now that the emperor was targeting his household, what the heck was he supposed to do to keep himself and his family safe?!


    He had supported that dratted old man on the throne through thick and thin, staying loyal no matter what. In return, he had gained many favors and monetary rewards, most of which he used for the welfare of the common people. After all, he himself was someone from the slums, taken in by this household and raised as one of their own.


    And to make sure that he kept his foster family safe, the courtier had done everything he could to stay in the emperor¡¯s good graces while also mitigating the damage wrought by that capricious old man¡¯s laws and decrees. He had tried his best to make sure that the suffering of the people was minimized while faithfully working for his egotistical master.


    But now, that very same master he had served with all his might had turned against him! It wasn¡¯t like he hadn¡¯t seen this coming, but all his preparation had turned out to be for naught, all his escape routes being cut off in the end.


    That old fogey was way too wily! How was he supposed to safeguard his family now?!


    He really wished some passing god or deity would take pity on his miserable self and descend to solve all his troubles. Ah, how nice that would be!


    Thinking such unrealistic thoughts to escape from the brutal reality staring him in the face, the middle-aged courtier turned yet another corner in a muddle. He ended up walking into the open space between buildings as his feet automatically took him towards his room.


    Steeped in his musings, he looked up absentmindedly and froze, his steps abruptly halting.


    On the roof of the building in front of him was the otherworldly figure of a man clothed entirely in white. His robes fluttered in the wind, looking pure like untrodden snow, the pale color striking against the pitch black night sky. The man¡¯s eyes looked cold and aloof, a corner of his lips quirked up. With his hands clasped behind him, this unreal-looking person stood there as if in answer to his prayers.


    The courtier wasted not even a moment as his knees hit the ground. Laying his palms flat, he gave a deep kowtow, his forehead banging against the earth with an audible thump.


    On the rooftop, Qinghe blinked. What the heck?!


    ¡°Oh, Great Deity! I thank you sincerely for heeding my call and coming to my aid in this time of need! Please hear my prayer¡ªkeep me and my household safe from this cruel, vicious, back-stabbing son of a bitch that is the current emperor! If you can permanently retire him from this world, then that works too¡­ But more importantly, please keep us safe!¡±


    Unseen by the bowing courtier, Qinghe¡¯s mouth twitched.


    He¡¯d thought that the official he¡¯d previously spoken to had been easy to recruit, but this man really broke that record.


    Sighing inwardly, Qinghe decided to just take this as his good luck and began speaking to the kneeling man, giving him the same instructions that he¡¯d given to the old official before.


    The prostrating courtier was overjoyed. So he still had a way to get out of this! His prayers had really been answered!


    Looking up, the middle-aged courtier wanted to thank this descended deity, but all he saw was the empty rooftop. The figure clad in white had vanished.


    It truly was a miracle, the work of gods!


    Thinking so, the courtier cheerfully set off for Ping Nian¡¯s mansion to offer his loyalty just as he was told to do.


    ¡­¡­


    The garden, though meticulously maintained, looked desolate. Sturdy trees with rich brown bark lined the pathway in neat rows on either side, their withering leaves rustling gently as if in polite greeting.


    A noble-looking madam in her forties slowly strolled down the path, her back straight and her expression calm, yet her eyes showed her deep anxiousness.


    It had been many days since her friend had contacted her through their usual methods, which could only mean one thing¨Dthe emperor had finally aimed his greedy eyes in the direction of her friend¡¯s family. They were in trouble, yet the noble madam couldn¡¯t help even though she very much wanted to. After all, her own family was under fire as well. She had no resources to spare.


    And so, she worried. So much so that she chose to take a walk at this time of the night rather than lay comfortably tucked in her bed to sleep.


    With a soft exhalation filled with the weight of her hopelessness, the madam looked up at the sky as if seeking answers in the stars.


    That was when she noticed that something seemed to be floating towards her. As the object neared, she could see that it was a white flower, gliding gently in her direction as if guided by the hands of careful wind currents.


    The madam held her hand out with a disbelieving expression, and the flower landed precisely in the center of her palm as if that had been its destination all along.


    As she carefully studied the flower, the madam noticed that two of its petals were missing. Carefully counting through the rows of petals to understand the exact position of the missing petals, the madam looked shocked.


    This was no random coincidence! This was the secret code that she and her friend had developed, a code that only the both of them knew!


    And the meaning behind the message this time was indicated by two characters represented by the two missing petals. The two characters that made up the entirety of the message were: ¡®person¡¯ and ¡®trustworthy¡¯.


    So, was her friend telling her that a certain person was trustworthy? Who was that person?


    But wait¡­ For the flower to appear like this all of a sudden, it couldn¡¯t be a coincidence. Someone must be nearby to send it to her, which meant that her friend had trusted this message to that person. So shouldn¡¯t it mean that this messenger, or at least someone the messenger knew, was the trustworthy person that her friend meant?


    Her gaze firming, the madam looked up and spoke to the seemingly empty garden, ¡°Thank you for delivering the message. May I ask how my friend is doing and why she sent you here?¡±


    From behind one of the trees, a young man casually emerged. His white robes flowed gracefully around him, the strands of his gleaming black hair waving freely in the wind. His shining black eyes looked dark and deep as if filled with unfathomable thoughts, while his lips were bent slightly in a smile that added a touch of warmth to his cold beauty.


    With a carefree laugh, he spoke, ¡°Your Ladyship is very clever to have figured it out so quickly. I see that your friend¡¯s praises were justified. To answer your questions, your friend is doing perfectly fine. She is currently safe and well, staying in a safe place along with her family. As for why she sent me¡­¡±


    The young man tilted his head, his smile growing brighter as he continued, ¡°Your friend wishes for you to join her in changing the current situation for the better. I am here to offer you that opportunity.¡±


    The madam frowned. Was there really a way out of this mess? Could she and her friend really change anything about their inescapable predicament?


    In a firm tone, she demanded, ¡°Tell me the details.¡±


    And so, Qinghe explained.


    After hearing everything, the madam sighed. If it was really as this young man said, then this was an operation taking place in a scale far larger than anything she could¡¯ve ever predicted. And yet¡­a faint hint of excitement and anticipation sprouted in her heart.


    After being cornered to a dead end, she had felt endlessly frustrated at her own powerlessness. Yet now, she had the chance to flip the tables on that oppressive imperial family and finally regain control over her fate. Not only that, but taking part in this would also be greatly beneficial for all parties involved. By the end of this, the prestige of all contributing families would rise greatly.


    So how could she refuse?


    Therefore, another supporter was duly added.


    ¡­¡­


    The study in the Ping household was dark and gloomy, the faint flicker of flame that still remained in the lamp on the verge of extinguishing.


    Ping Nian sighed and massaged his forehead while leaning on the simple-looking wooden desk. He did not know from where this new wave of allies had come from, but he really was grateful for their support. Nevertheless, coordinating between them and discussing an alliance with so many people was still really tiring.


    Sighing deeply once again, Ping Nian wished that this mysterious, behind-the-scenes benefactor of his that all his allies spoke so highly of would just show up already and tell him what he wanted him to do. Worrying over this was causing his already heavy burden to weigh more on his shoulders.


    A light breeze gusted in through the open window, blowing out the dying lamplight and leaving nothing but the radiance of the stars to illuminate the study.


    An amused voice suddenly spoke into the room from the vicinity of the window, ¡°Lord Ping, you look like you have a lot on your mind right now.¡±


    Ping Nian¡¯s head shot up to gaze at the newly arrived person.


    A sword suddenly whooshed out of nowhere, aiming for the intruder¡¯s neck. But the blade was forced to halt mid-air as it impacted an invisible wind barrier, yet the weapon kept stubbornly straining against the shield.


    Qinghe didn¡¯t even turn his head to look at the hidden guard as he lifted a finger and flicked it lightly against the sword. With a loud, ringing sound, the blade shattered into jagged pieces from the place where Qinghe¡¯s fingertip had impacted it.


    In a casual tone, Qinghe said, ¡°I¡¯m not here to harm your master, I only want to bother him for a bit.¡±


    His mouth twitching, Ping Nian motioned for his hidden guards to withdraw.


    In a disgruntled voice, Ping Nian queried, ¡°Feng Qinghe, why are you here?¡±


    In order to be recognized by Ping Nian, Qinghe had very considerately applied an appearance changing talisman onto himself once again, changing his face to that of the mildly handsome one he usually wore.


    Blinking his eyes all wide and innocent, Qinghe replied, ¡°I heard that there was a splendid fruit orchard nearby that supplied oranges to the imperial palace, so I went to get myself some of the fruits. But while I was heading there, I suddenly happened to notice that the venerable Lord Ping¡¯s manor was just on the way. Truly, what a delightful coincidence! So I thought I¡¯d just drop by to give my greetings.¡±


    Ping Nian remained unamused. ¡°Are you the one who keeps sending all those people to swear allegiance to me?¡±


    With a wide smile, Qinghe unhesitatingly nodded. ¡°Yes. All you need to do is keep playing nice with them like you are doing now. I¡¯ll tell you what instructions you should give them and you can take care of the rest easily enough.¡±


    Frowning, Ping Nian asked thunderously, ¡°Just what are you planning, gathering so many prominent people in such an extravagant manner? What type of insidious scheme are you plotting using my name?!¡±


    Letting out a light chuckle, Qinghe simply said, ¡°Lord Ping, to prevent being caught unawares, you should prepare soon.¡±


    Not expecting this vague non-answer, Ping Nian scowled, ¡°What do you mean? Just what should I prepare for?¡±


    His lips curving up and his half-lidded eyes hiding sharp amusement, Qinghe opened his mouth and spoke four words with crisp distinction.


    Shocked beyond belief, Ping Nian gaped at him disbelievingly.


    Uncaring of the reaction his words had elicited, Qinghe laughed with his clear voice that flowed like moonlight and swept out the window, disappearing from sight.


    Ping Nian slumped onto the desk, his mouth agape and eyes rounded. Then his body began shuddering with suppressed laughter. He really shouldn¡¯t have underestimated this person that his Great Uncle Lu had spoken so highly of.


    This man had really gone beyond expectations! They had only asked him to help the Ping household retain some prestige, but who would have known that he would go this far just to fulfill their request?!


    Because when Ping Nian had asked what he should prepare for, the four words that Qinghe had answered him with were¡ªto become the emperor.


    ¡­¡­


    Unfurling the list once more, Qinghe cheerfully noted that there was only one more person left to recruit before he could be assured that everything would go smoothly. But since it had already been a couple of days since he had last been back to their room in the palace, Qinghe was missing his lover terribly.


    Deciding to leave this last person for later, Qinghe chose to head back for now.


    After all, he didn¡¯t want to keep his Xiang waiting for too long.

 Chapter 70: A Nighttime Show

    With worry tightening his brows and anxiousness swirling in his gaze, Wei Xiang stared at the empty room, waiting fretfully for his lover¡¯s return.


    After getting that list sent over by Master Kai, Qinghe had sped out like a gust of wind to implement whatever schemes he had concocted, asking Wei Xiang to go back to the Sentinel headquarters in the meanwhile and take care of his piled up work.


    Though Wei Xiang felt resistant to the idea of leaving his lover alone, he had still agreed to do what Qinghe said while maintaining his calm on the outside. But inwardly, Wei Xiang was plagued with endless worries.


    After all, this was Qinghe they were talking about.


    The last time Wei Xiang had left him to his own devices like this for a couple of days, Qinghe had ended up in one of the Black Fang bases, ruthlessly tortured and looking like he was on the brink of death. So now that Qinghe had traipsed off on his own, how could Wei Xiang feel at ease?


    And so, after quickly clearing the paperwork piled on his desk, taking care of some of his administrative duties, and reassigning a few of the more urgent tasks, Wei Xiang had hurried back to wait anxiously for his beloved¡¯s return.


    While the thought of going out to find Qinghe on his own had occurred to him, Wei Xiang didn¡¯t want to make his lover feel like he was distrustful of him or looked down on his ability to protect himself. Qinghe was one of the most prominent and powerful cultivators of his generation, and with good reason at that. He definitely had the capability to take care of himself and defend against any threats.


    But the question was, would Qinghe actually choose to protect himself if he was in danger?


    Though Wei Xiang wanted to believe that he really would, that because of his intervention, Qinghe had really started to take better care of himself, he still couldn¡¯t be sure.


    Suddenly feeling his beloved¡¯s approach, Wei Xiang pushed aside his fretful thoughts, his gaze moving over to the window as he forced his expression into a more normal one.


    With soundless grace, Qinghe lightly landed near the open window. Without wasting any time, he quickly hoisted himself over the windowsill and swept into the room.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes keenly roved over his lover, searching for any signs of bloodstains, torn clothing, or stiffness caused due to wounds. Thankfully, his beloved didn¡¯t seem injured.


    The second he stepped foot inside the room, Qinghe immediately dashed towards Wei Xiang with a wide smile.


    Feeling his own lips quirking up, Wei Xiang opened his arms to receive his lover, enfolding him in a tight hug.


    ¡°Xiang, I¡¯m back!¡± Qinghe exuberantly announced.


    With affection pooling in his dark eyes, Wei Xiang spoke, ¡°Yes. So, how was it?¡±


    Leaning back, Qinghe answered, ¡°It was alright. There¡¯s only one more to go before I can move on to the next phase. Everything¡¯s falling into place quite nicely. I reckon we¡¯ll be done soon, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s smile turned wry.


    Looking at his little lover, Wei Xiang contemplated how, even until now, he still didn¡¯t know the true extent of Qinghe¡¯s influence. But even if he were to outright ask him about it, Wei Xiang knew that something like the influence his beloved currently held would be difficult to quantify.


    After all, Qinghe had collected favors from all sorts of people. He had connections with prominent mortals like Master Kai and the Pirate Queen, but was also associated with high-level cultivators like the sect masters of the Five Great Sects and their head disciples, not to mention all the other less-known disciples and mortals he must know.


    Qinghe obtained all these people¡¯s help by earning their respect and high regard, or convincing them with his silver tongue and logical reasoning, or by trading something of value to them in exchange. Of course, there were also some who didn¡¯t dare refuse him because of their fear of him and the power he wielded.


    All in all, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that Feng Qinghe held great sway over both the mortal and cultivation worlds, the true power of his influence as of yet undeterminable.


    But looking at his adorable little lover who was currently snuggling into his embrace with simple happiness reflected on his face, Wei Xiang felt that he didn¡¯t look at all like someone with his claws lodged deep into the heart of the world.


    Appearances were truly deceiving.


    But putting aside all that, for now, Wei Xiang felt endlessly grateful that his beloved had returned to him without any injuries. It seemed that Qinghe really had taken to heart what Wei Xiang had said to him about taking care of himself. It was good that Qinghe was finally getting better in this aspect.


    And it was good that his beloved was finally back at his side.


    Seeming to sense something, Qinghe looked up to see that a complex expression had spread on his lover¡¯s face. ¡°Xiang, what¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked concernedly.


    Wei Xiang shook his head. ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing for you to worry about.¡± The fact that his beloved had made it back safely was enough. His own thoughts and wants were irrelevant.


    But Qinghe wasn¡¯t having it.


    Puffing up his cheeks, Qinghe directed a furious gaze at his lover. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that. I know that it¡¯s not nothing. Tell me, really, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Sighing, Wei Xiang held Qinghe close again and confessed in a soft voice, ¡°These past few days, I have constantly been anxious that you¡¯d get hurt or let yourself be wounded for some reason. I felt very worried and lonely. Qinghe, I missed you.¡±


    Blinking in surprise, Qinghe leaned back from his beloved¡¯s arms and looked up, meeting Wei Xiang¡¯s deep gaze that was churning with unspoken words.


    And so, with earnestness brimming in his eyes, Qinghe professed in return, ¡°I also missed you very much. And¡­I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll bring you along with me next time, okay?¡±


    Seeing Qinghe trying to make amends, Wei Xiang felt like teasing his sincere-looking little lover.


    In a playful tone, he spoke, ¡°Alright then, but I want you to make it up to me in another way too. I was terribly lonely, you know?¡±


    Qinghe tilted his head confusedly. ¡°Make it up to you? How?¡±


    Wei Xiang put on an expression as if he was seriously considering the question. ¡°Hm¡­ how about you put on a show for me?¡±


    Frowning, Qinghe responded, ¡°A show? You want me to sing and dance? Because I don¡¯t think¨D¡±


    Interrupting him with a chuckle, Wei Xiang explained with glinting eyes, ¡°Not quite. Qinghe, I want you to pleasure yourself in front of me.¡±


    Qinghe startled, then blushed with a strange expression claiming his face. His lover was really very forward tonight. But still, what he asked was a bit¡­


    Coughing to alleviate his own awkwardness, Qinghe spoke, ¡°I don¡¯t think¡­it¡¯ll go as you expect.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Why not?¡± Wei Xiang asked with curiosity evident in his voice.


    Flushing further, Qinghe wondered just how he was going to explain this. After clearing his throat nervously, he began, ¡°It¡­doesn¡¯t work for me that way. It¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t tried pleasuring myself before, but I just lose motivation halfway through and think to hell with it and give up. I¡¯ve never finished on my own. I simply thought that I was an asexual who did not have enough interest in physical pleasure to even masturbate. And to be honest, I didn¡¯t really mind it all that much. So it was actually a pleasant surprise when I found myself attracted to you physically. I never thought that¡­I would have that.¡±


    An affectionate warmth bloomed in Wei Xiang¡¯s chest as he heard this. But outwardly, he merely cocked a brow as he stated, ¡°No wonder you were so inexperienced in the beginning.¡±


    Qinghe laughed and openly declared, ¡°Yes, but I still did well, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    Smiling, Wei Xiang conceded, ¡°Yes, you did. But all of that isn¡¯t going to get you off the hook so easily, my love.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­what do you want me to do?¡± Qinghe asked in an uncertain voice.


    Anticipation sparkled in Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes. ¡°How about you prepare yourself and I¡¯ll watch.¡±


    His eyes widening at the implication, Qinghe spoke hesitantly, ¡°Prepare myself? You mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Wei Xiang confirmed as he unabashedly grinned.


    Qinghe lowered his head to hide his embarrassment. Then while blushing, he softly whispered his assent, ¡°¡­Okay.¡±


    After all, this was what his Xiang wanted. Even if this was Qinghe¡¯s first time touching himself like this, especially that particular place, he only felt a little shyness mixed with the faint sense of excitement born out of doing something new with his lover.


    Slowly, Qinghe stood up with flaming cheeks while avoiding meeting Wei Xiang¡¯s intent gaze out of sheer mortification. Rather than dilly-dallying, Qinghe chose to immediately begin undoing his belt, then moved on to his robe.


    After removing his clothes with quick and efficient motions, Qinghe pondered for a bit before choosing where to lie down.


    His gaze alighting on the bed, Qinghe slowly walked up to it. With a bit of hesitation, he bent over the edge of the bed with his knees on the floor, his entire upper body lying on the mattress. Since his lover wanted a show, shouldn¡¯t this position be alright?


    But who could have thought that Wei Xiang would brazenly pull Qinghe¡¯s knees apart, settling himself comfortably between his beloved¡¯s trim legs? Crossing his own legs, Wei Xiang rested an elbow on one knee and held his chin in his hand, his head lowered so that it was almost face-to-face with Qinghe¡¯s posterior, only a couple of handsbreadths away from the most sensitive of areas.


    In a husky voice, Wei Xiang spoke, ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, just continue.¡±


    Flushing at how his lover¡¯s warm breath fanned over his naked backside, Qinghe swallowed down his flustered complaints, deciding to let Wei Xiang do whatever he wanted.


    Qinghe buried his cheek in the bed, trying to hide the embarrassment coloring his face as he brought up two fingers up to his mouth and sucked them inside. After making sure to wet them thoroughly with his tongue, Qinghe reluctantly reached behind and pushed at the opening situated in the cleft between his round buttocks.


    ¡°Open yourself up and let me see,¡± Wei Xiang commanded in a soft voice.


    Qinghe licked his lips nervously and, forcing down his bashfulness, used his thumb and little finger to push apart the cheeks and expose the dusky little bud situated in between, feeling unused to the sensation of the open air brushing over his entrance.


    Wei Xiang watched as his lover¡¯s slender fingers, slickened with his own saliva, hesitatingly pushed into the tight little hole. He continued to gaze enthralled as the fair fingers slowly sank in, swallowed into his lover¡¯s delicate entrance. The slick digits moving in and out created a titillating picture, and Wei Xiang¡¯s gaze slowly grew fevered, heated from within by his rising passion.


    On the other hand, as Qinghe felt his own insides wrapping around and closing tightly over his fingers as they breached the opening, he felt strange. The feeling of intruding into himself, the sensation of his fingers pressing in and rubbing against his own soft walls, all of it was different from when Wei Xiang touched him like this. And though he didn¡¯t derive the same pleasure, the thought of Wei Xiang¡¯s intense gaze focused on him, on his fingers sliding in and out of his entrance as he stretched himself open for his lover, evoked both shame and a strange sense of excitement within him.


    With difficulty, Qinghe pushed in a third finger, inching it inside himself little by little. He bit his lip in concentration as sweat beaded his frowning forehead.


    Wei Xiang observed with interest as Qinghe labored to widen his opening slowly. As all three digits finally fit in, the rim of Qinghe¡¯s dusky entrance stretched tautly over the intruding fingers, looking even more unbearably enticing.


    Trying to accustom himself to the width, Qinghe moved his fingers back and forth carefully. He felt his channel gradually loosening and relaxing around the digits as it widened further.


    Wei Xiang watched, captivated by Qinghe¡¯s movements. Then finally reaching his limit, he spoke in a voice turned husky with desire, ¡°That should be enough.¡±


    With a jerky nod, Qinghe slipped his fingers out. The stretched opening immediately tried to squeeze close, leaving only a small gap to show for his preparations.


    Removing his own clothes swiftly, Wei Xiang positioned himself over Qinghe. Leaning down, Wei Xiang kissed Qinghe between his shoulder blades, inciting the slender young man lying beneath him to shudder lightly.


    ¡°Was that okay?¡± Qinghe turned and asked Wei Xiang in a hesitant, unsure voice, his moist eyes looking up at his lover through long lashes.


    Feeling a burst of affection, Wei Xiang hummed, ¡°Yes. You did very well.¡±


    Qinghe felt his lover¡¯s comfortable warmth cover him from behind, he felt the vibrations in Wei Xiang¡¯s chest as he spoke. The scent of warm metal and woodsmoke shrouded him, making him feel cherished and safe. The familiar anticipation rose in his belly, slowly spreading heat and want through him in languid pulses.


    Wei Xiang used one hand to hold Qinghe¡¯s waist as the other hand guided his stiffened member into his lover¡¯s prepared entrance. As Wei Xiang slowly eased into the gripping warmth of his beloved¡¯s opening and slid inside the slick passage, Qinghe let out a low moan, his hands fisting on the bedcovers.


    Feeling his lover slowly fill him up, Qinghe¡¯s desire was pushed even higher, swallowing his reason as skin pressed against heated skin. His beloved¡¯s firm arm was looped over his waist to hold him in place as Wei Xiang began moving inside him in smooth, powerful strokes. It was all Qinghe could do to tightly grip the sheets in his fists as he received his lover¡¯s thrusts.


    Burying himself deep inside his beloved, Wei Xiang slowly stopped moving, savoring the feel of his lover¡¯s passage squeezing him tightly, the hot, liquid heat swallowing his member completely.


    Before Qinghe could react to the sudden lack of motion, the slightly rough fingers of Wei Xiang¡¯s other hand reached forward and held his jaw to pull his head to the side. Lowering his lips over the exposed arch of his lover¡¯s pale neck, Wei Xiang kissed and suckled the delicate skin before swiping his moist tongue over it, feeling his beloved¡¯s frantically throbbing pulse under his lips.


    Panting, Qinghe extended his neck further to allow better access as he reached back to twine his fingers in his lover¡¯s hair. Using this grip, Qinghe pulled Wei Xiang¡¯s head down lower, letting his beloved¡¯s lips bear down more firmly as they caressed the side of his vulnerable neck.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s other hand slowly wandered up from Qinghe¡¯s waist, sliding over the smooth skin with familiarity. As those long fingers finally reached his lover¡¯s chest, they lightly pinched and pulled at the sensitive little buds, playing with them leisurely.


    Qinghe clenched his fists so hard that they trembled, trying to contain his reaction to the bursts of pleasure exploding from everywhere his beloved touched him.


    Biting his lower lip to contain his moans, Qinghe swallowed frantically, his Adam apple bobbing and brushing the corner of Wei Xiang¡¯s palm that was still holding his jaw. As Qinghe squeezed his eyes shut tightly, his lashes quivered, dampened and glistening with moisture.


    The liquid heat of desire was everywhere, covering his skin from the outside, filling him up from within, like a boiling fire raging out of control. So unbearable, yet so undeniably pleasurable that he could only let it flood through him unresistingly.


    Wei Xiang lifted his head from his lover¡¯s neck and brushed his lips against a flushed ear. ¡°Why are you holding back today? Come on, open your lips so that I can hear you cry out.¡±


    Saying so, Wei Xiang¡¯s hand shifted on his lover¡¯s jaw, his fingertips pressed into the seam between Qinghe¡¯s lips as if urging them apart. Qinghe finally opened his mouth, a low, breathless moan slipping out of him. Wei Xiang¡¯s fingers took the chance and dipped inside, pressing into the soft, moist mouth and taking liberties.


    Qinghe felt his lover¡¯s fingers exploring his mouth, playing with his tongue and brushing over the inside of his cheeks. Trying to accommodate his beloved further, Qinghe tried to part his lips as far as he could, not caring about the clear liquid dripping from the corner of his mouth.


    Seeing this seductive appearance of his little lover as he unhesitatingly opened himself up for him, Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes softened. Removing his fingers from that hot mouth, he bent down to press a gentle kiss to the corner of Qinghe¡¯s lips, lapping lightly at the saliva trickling down.


    Qinghe panted as he felt his body grow hotter, his need winding impossibly tighter.


    Bending low over the edge of the bed and pressing his flushed cheeks into the cool sheets once more, Qinghe reached back and pulled Wei Xiang closer until his lover¡¯s hips were flush against his own soft buttocks, silently asking his beloved to start moving again. Any more of this teasing and Qinghe felt that he would go completely mad.


    Chuckling at the unspoken demand, Wei Xiang happily obliged.


    After they smoothed down over his lover¡¯s supple body one last time, Wei Xiang¡¯s palms landed on Qinghe¡¯s hips. Holding his beloved firmly, he began to move, pulling out swiftly before slamming back in, again and again in hard and fast motions.


    Qinghe trembled at the fierce sensations washing over him as he let out an uninhibited groan of pleasure.


    The sound of flesh slapping against flesh sounded loud and lewd, accompanied by whimpers and moans intercepted with deep growls. By the time they both finally reached climax, they were slicked with sweat and panting heavily.


    Wei Xiang dipped his head to press a gentle kiss on his lover¡¯s shoulder before sliding his member out. Retrieving a cloth from his spatial storage, he wiped the excess white liquid dripping down his beloved¡¯s thigh in careful motions and cleaned up more of the fluid covering his lover¡¯s shaft after his release. As for the sheets, they were simply replaced.


    Then lifting Qinghe up, Wei Xiang placed him on the bed and spoke, ¡°Wait for me, I¡¯ll be back in a moment.¡±


    Qinghe lethargically nodded, his body feeling heavy and lax in the aftermath of their coupling.


    Wei Xiang disappeared into the shadows without bothering to put anything on, then appeared again a few seconds later with a large copper tub full of water that was sloshing down the sides. After setting the tub on the floor, Wei Xiang placed a palm over the surface of the water and used the energy of the fire element to heat it up.


    His eyelids lowered in laziness, Qinghe absentmindedly marveled at his lover¡¯s convenient ability.


    These past few days in the palace, rather than calling for a bath for his lover¡¯s aftercare, Wei Xiang used the shadows to return to his room in the Sentinel compound and personally filled up his tub with water drawn from a well situated nearby. Then bringing it over, he¡¯d heat it up just like this. By now, Qinghe had long grown used to this process.


    First, Wei Xiang helped clear out Qinghe¡¯s back passage before refilling the tub again with fresh water for a bath. Then the pair of lovers comfortably settled themselves inside the large copper tub and peacefully soaked in the warm water.


    ¡°Xiang,¡± Qinghe suddenly called out in a husky voice. ¡°Let¡¯s wash each other?¡±


    Smiling affectionately, Wei Xiang easily acquiesced, ¡°Alright.¡±


    Qinghe immediately became energized and jumped over to his lover. After eagerly scooping up some water, he used the excuse of washing his beloved to unabashedly run his hands all over his lover¡¯s well-defined frame. As Qinghe openly groped him with overt glee on his face, Wei Xiang smiled with helpless amusement.


    With humor glittering in his eyes, Wei Xiang lightly remarked, ¡°It seems that the more time we spend together, the more directly you¡¯ve learned to take advantage of me.¡±


    Qinghe blinked his limpid eyes at his beloved. ¡°Who else would I take advantage of if not my lover?¡±


    Leaning back and resting his elbows on the rim of the tub, Wei Xiang laughed freely. ¡°Indeed.¡±


    His roaming hands suddenly paused on his lover¡¯s skin as Qinghe remembered something. Looking at Wei Xiang, he noted curiously, ¡°It seemed like you really liked touching inside my mouth today.¡±


    Not expecting his beloved to open up this topic out of all things, Wei Xiang looked startled, then he replied, ¡°I like touching you everywhere. Why? Did you not like it?¡±


    Qinghe immediately shook his head. ¡°No, no, you can touch me there anytime! Actually, you can touch me anywhere you want to.¡±


    However, suddenly remembering Wei Xiang¡¯s sharp nails, Qinghe amended, ¡°Of course, except when you¡¯re in your half-beast form. Your nails seemed rather sharp, after all.¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled and reassured, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even in that form, I can change my physical features at will. For example, last time I chose not to manifest the wings and horns.¡±


    With eyes sparkling with fascination, Qinghe asked, ¡°You can control it to that extent?¡±


    Laughing at his beloved¡¯s expression, Wei Xiang admitted, ¡°Yes, but unfortunately, I can¡¯t control the number of my shafts.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay. I still like your half-beast form very much,¡± Qinghe spoke, not minding it in the least.


    Wei Xiang noted with amusement, ¡°You seem really excited at the thought of me taking you in that form.¡±


    Qinghe shrugged and stated as if it was only natural, ¡°That¡¯s because I want to taste my Xiang in all possible flavors.¡±


    ¡°All possible flavors, is it?¡± Wei Xiang repeated, quirking a brow. ¡°But I¡¯m afraid that some flavors of mine will be impossible for you to handle.¡±


    Blinking, Qinghe asked confusedly, ¡°Eh? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I mean my complete beast form. As a wyvern, I¡¯m really quite large,¡± Wei Xiang elaborated.


    Qinghe contemplated upon that with a thoughtful expression, then inquired, ¡°How large?¡±


    With a smirk, Wei Xiang answered, ¡°Hmm¡­ In that form, I suppose that my member itself will be as long as your full height.¡±


    For some reason, that comparison made Qinghe flush. Then in a determined tone that held traces of anticipation, he declared, ¡°Then I¡¯ll just have to hug it tightly.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang tried very hard not to imagine such a ridiculous image, but failed spectacularly.


    Just picturing how his lover would look, stripped naked and tightly hugging his large member, arms and legs wrapped around his length like a possessive little octopus¡­


    Unable to take the sheer absurdity of such a thought, Wei Xiang exploded into unrestrained laughter.


    Qinghe tilted his head, not understanding his beloved¡¯s reaction. Why did it seem like when it came to him, his lover always seemed to burst out laughing at the most random of times?

 Chapter 71: The Second Disciple

    The next day, Qinghe took Wei Xiang along with him as promised.


    After sneaking out to avoid anyone from the palace following them, they walked leisurely for a while before reaching a certain building.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a¡­brothel?¡± Wei Xiang observed with an eyebrow raised in question.


    Qinghe nodded. ¡°Yes, and this is where Lord Tai, the last person I need to recruit, is currently at.¡±


    Wei Xiang snickered.


    ¡°What?¡± Qinghe asked suspiciously.


    Unheeding of the warning in his lover¡¯s tone, Wei Xiang joked, ¡°Are you going to infiltrate this establishment by dressing up as one of the prostitutes? I¡¯m very curious to see just how you¡¯d look in such a flamboyant getup.¡±


    Qinghe huffed. ¡°What need is there to complicate things to that degree. I¡¯ll just sneak into his room through the window. You can just stay here. Being with you makes me feel too safe, so I might not pay attention to the details of my surroundings as much if you come along.¡±


    Wei Xiang couldn''t help but feel his gaze soften. This must be the most adorably affectionate way anyone had ever snubbed him in till now.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll stay outside and keep watch. If you need me, just call.¡±


    Qinghe nodded and set out to casually break into the building.


    Staying outside as promised, Wei Xiang nonetheless kept his senses focused around his lover just in case of unexpected danger. After all, it was better to be safe than sorry.


    As he scoped the area, Wei Xiang felt a familiar presence lurking about in the building Qinghe was heading towards.


    Wei Xiang frowned. Why was that dratted fellow here? What trouble was he getting up to now? Considering that it was a brothel, Wei Xiang could only hope that he wasn¡¯t indulging himself in an orgy or two while on duty. Even that imbecile wouldn¡¯t be so ballsy, would he?


    But though the other person¡¯s very existence irked him, Wei Xiang decided to let it be for now. After all, no matter for what reason he was here, not even his unreliable senior brother would be foolish enough to mess with his beloved. But if he really was that idiotic, then Wei Xiang wouldn¡¯t hesitate to step in and give him a thorough thrashing, or better yet, he¡¯d let his little lover beat him up.


    So with narrowed eyes, Wei Xiang kept his attention cautiously focused around his beloved, hoping that his second brother had some sense of self-preservation left in that feckless head of his.


    On the other hand, Qinghe had successfully snuck into Lord Tai¡¯s room, slipping in silent and unseen through the window. But the moment he stepped inside, Qinghe sensed the vaguely familiar presence of someone in the shadows.


    Well, if it was truly a Sentinel as he guessed, then there was probably nothing to be worried about.


    Thinking this, Qinghe made himself comfortable on one of the chairs, patiently waiting for Lord Tai to return to this room that was usually reserved for him alone. By this, one could see just how regularly this Lord Tai frequented this establishment.


    Around fifteen minutes later, a drunken Lord Tai pushed open the door and unsteadily entered the room.


    With a wave of his hand, Qinghe swiftly sent out wind to close and lock the door, startling the befuddled old man into jerking upright while looking around frantically.


    His gaze finally alighting on Qinghe¡¯s gracefully seated figure, Lord Tai gaped at the intruder with open astonishment. But his surprise quickly segued into distrust and terror as the lord thought panickily¡ªFrom when had the emperor¡¯s assassins become this handsome and capable?!


    And so, because of this misunderstanding perpetrated by his alcoholic stupor, Lord Tai did not even give Qinghe a chance to open his mouth before crying out shrilly, ¡°He¡¯s here! The assassin is here! Sentinel, save meee!¡±


    Hearing him shouting like this, Qinghe sighed at how easily everything had suddenly slipped out of control.


    Before the last syllable left Lord Tai¡¯s lips, Qinghe had already stood up and sprung away from the chair he¡¯d been sitting on. And sure enough, three arrows made of light quickly embedded themselves into the chair¡¯s backrest immediately.


    Anticipating a battle, Lord Tai promptly jumped behind the large bed in the corner and hid in self-preservation.


    As he watched the hunter-green arrows made of spiritual force slowly dissipating, Qinghe narrowed his eyes. It was obvious that his opponent used the bow as his weapon of choice, and among the Sentinels, the only one who both used a bow and was familiar to Qinghe was the Grandmaster¡¯s second disciple, Kong Min.


    As for why Qinghe was familiar with him, it was because Kong Min had been the other Sentinel beside Wei Xiang who had shadowed Qinghe and his group back in the hidden realm. So even though Qinghe hadn¡¯t met Kong Min face-to-face yet, he still recognized the other¡¯s presence.


    In a calm voice, Qinghe called out, ¡°Sentinel Kong, please come out. There¡¯s no need to hide yourself.¡±


    A faint chuckle sounded.


    From a shadowed corner stepped out a man who looked to be in his mid-twenties, a plain wooden bow clutched in one hand.


    His skin was a light copper, a few shades darker than Wei Xiang¡¯s honey-tinted complexion. Most of his hair was gathered up in a bun, leaving the ends unbound so that the untamed hair reached down to cover the nape of his neck. A wide smile curled his thin lips, looking playful yet mocking. His light brown eyes held both curiosity and mild hostility, shining brightly in the lamplit room.


    ¡°It is my greatest honor to finally be able to meet my third brother¡¯s lover,¡± Kong Min spoke in his husky voice. ¡°I must say, I¡¯m very impressed that you could tell who I was even when I kept myself so meticulously hidden. It seems that my third brother¡¯s observation was right, you really must have noticed us shadowing you back in the hidden realm. How absolutely intriguing you are.¡±


    Despite his praising words, Qinghe felt that this man did not like him. It wasn¡¯t to the point of hate, but his unfriendliness was still fairly noticeable. Feeling uncertain of this Sentinel¡¯s attitude, Qinghe decided to keep his guard up.


    Uncaring of the younger man¡¯s cautious manner, Kong Min blithely continued, ¡°Truthfully, I almost didn¡¯t recognize you in this appearance. After all, the last time I saw you, you were wearing a different face. But if this is your true face, then I can understand why you would want to hide it. Tell me, is that the face you used to bewitch my third brother?¡±


    Qinghe sensed the hostility directed towards him increase. But after hearing those words, he could at least guess at the source of the other person¡¯s dislike.


    It was obvious that Kong Min was being protective of Wei Xiang, feeling that Qinghe did not deserve to receive Wei Xiang¡¯s affection. But since this was after all the person his junior brother had chosen, Kong Min was currently assessing this little disciple in front of him to see if he could be deemed worthy.


    And as someone who had done this very same thing when his friends had been pursued by their respective lovers, how could Qinghe not understand this? But now that he was on the receiving end of it, he couldn¡¯t help but feel conflicted.


    Pacifying himself by thinking that Kong Min¡¯s antagonism was only due to his care for Wei Xiang, Qinghe tried to remain polite as he replied to the other man¡¯s blatantly provoking words, ¡°I think Sentinel Kong should be well aware that Wei Xiang is not the kind of person who would fall for someone based on their physical appearance alone.¡±


    With a cold smirk stretching his lips, Kong Min spoke, ¡°A glib tongue isn¡¯t going to prove your worth to me, Little Disciple Feng.¡±


    Tilting his head, Qinghe asked, ¡°Do you wish to test me then?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Kong Min grinned sinisterly and immediately aimed his bow at his junior brother¡¯s lover.


    Strange green arrows made of solid spiritual force rained in his direction and Qinghe used nimble footwork to weave between them. His white robes flared behind him gracefully, his hair floating and seeming to leave a trail of shining ebony in his wake. Yet, despite his ostensibly casual evasions, not even a single arrow so much as grazed him. And what Qinghe couldn¡¯t dodge, he easily deflected with his wind. To those watching, he looked like an intangible wraith, remaining untouched as he slipped like smoke between the glowing green arrows with minimal yet fluid motions.


    Thankfully, the room was wide and spacious enough that Qinghe could move about unconstrainedly without having to fear that he would be forced into a corner. But he nevertheless kept an eye on his surroundings as well, trying to minimize the damage to the room and its furnishings.


    As his body kept shifting and dodging while he remained mindful, Qinghe sighed inwardly.


    Well, this was going to be a bother.


    He¡¯d have to make sure not to be hit even while taking care not to hurt his beloved¡¯s senior brother. After all, from all that Wei Xiang had said about his second brother till now, his beloved seemed to care a great deal for him, though it wasn¡¯t at all obvious by the caustic way Wei Xiang spoke of him.


    On the other hand, Kong Min greatly looked down on his junior brother¡¯s pretty-faced lover.


    Though he had at first admired Feng Qinghe¡¯s decisive planning and clever strategizing when taking down the Behemoth, all that respect had immediately turned to disdain when he¡¯d heard that this little disciple had somehow seduced and gotten together with his third brother.


    Hmph, what was so great about this Feng Qinghe? After all, he had only relied on tricks to take down that Behemoth. Kong Min felt that he or Wei Xiang could have finished off that beast with their eyes closed and hands tied behind their backs!


    And so, his initially favorable impression towards Qinghe was completely overturned. Such was the power of overprotective brotherly love.


    Sneering, Kong Min remarked, ¡°All you do is bounce around. Do you not even know how to fight back?!¡±


    Qinghe felt really wronged. In a resigned tone, he replied even as he kept dodging the constant barrage of arrows with an unconcerned expression, ¡°You are Wei Xiang¡¯s senior brother, so I do not wish to hurt you. Can¡¯t we just be done with this already and simply talk this through?¡±


    Because Qinghe was honestly just about fed up of dancing between those glowing green arrows! If he closed his eyes, he could still see those darned things flashing like glowworms behind his eyelids. It was absolutely annoying!


    After hearing his words, to Qinghe¡¯s great surprise, Kong Min really stopped releasing his arrows.


    Qinghe had just halted his motions and let out a breath of relief when Kong Min directly rushed at him, his hand coated in green spiritual force.


    Though he was caught off-guard at the suddenness of this attack, Qinghe quickly collected himself out of habit and evaded, but Kong Min showed no signs of stopping his offensive. Thus, Qinghe was once again forced to keep evading.


    But Kong Min¡¯s speed was surprisingly far greater than that of his arrows. As a cultivator at ninth realm, he was a whole realm above Qinghe, who as still at the peak of eighth realm right now. As such, Qinghe had to significantly increase his speed to keep up with his opponent.


    While his hands continuously chopped down in Qinghe¡¯s direction, Kong Min growled, ¡°So you thought to go easy on me? Feng Qinghe, are you looking down on me?!¡±


    Not giving his opponent any time to reply, Kong Min suddenly put on a burst of speed, his hand making directly for Qinghe¡¯s throat.


    Qinghe had not really expected his beloved¡¯s senior brother to ruthlessly aim for such a vulnerable point with a killing blow, but what startled him even more was that at this rate, Kong Min would directly touch his skin.


    His blood chilled at that sudden realization.


    Trying to frantically avoid his touch, Qinghe panicked and reacted instinctively. A slender leg shot out in a motion too quick to catch, landing a powerful blow charged with spiritual power straight on Kong Min¡¯s unprotected abdomen.


    Caught unprepared by the swift lethality behind the move, Kong Min was thrown back and impacted the wall with a resounding crash. Flakes of dust sprinkled down from the ceiling as the vibrations traveled through the building. Kong Min felt sticky liquid flowing up his throat and had no choice but to cough out a mouthful of dark blood to avoid choking on it.


    Taking a few steps back, Qinghe forced himself to breathe deeply in an attempt to regain his equilibrium. But looking at Kong Min¡¯s injured state, Qinghe felt distress rise within him. Would his beloved blame him for hurting his second brother?


    With a strangely bright shine in his eyes, Kong Min let out a bout of hoarse laughter. ¡°So, touch is your trigger, huh?¡± he observed unkindly with shrewd astuteness.


    Qinghe froze.


    Not waiting for him to react, Kong Min had already leapt towards Qinghe, his hand reaching out threateningly. He finally realized that he shouldn¡¯t have underestimated this little disciple. But that was okay, he wouldn¡¯t make the same mistake again.


    Afraid that if he counterattacked, he would hurt his lover¡¯s senior brother again, Qinghe stood motionless. What should he do?! Should he dodge again? Or directly escape?


    But just as Kong Min reached within five steps of Qinghe, he suddenly sensed danger and jumped back hastily. In the place where Kong Min had just escaped from, the ends of several thin gold strings could be seen to be embedded deeply into the floor. The strings seemed to extend from a certain shadow at the side, gleaming vibrantly in the lamplight. As the strings retracted, they only left behind indiscernible pinprick-sized holes in the wooden floor.


    From the darkness where the golden strings had disappeared into, a familiar figure emerged, admonishing in a furious tone, ¡°Kong Min, what the bloody hell are you doing?¡±


    Seeing that Wei Xiang had arrived, Qinghe let out a breath of relief. Honestly, he was so used to taking care of everything by himself that Qinghe had forgotten to call for Wei Xiang. Realizing how he¡¯d had backup all along but had simply not remembered to ask for help, Qinghe drowned in self-reprobation.


    On the other hand, hearing his junior brother¡¯s livid tone, Kong Min flinched in guilt before opening a telepathic conversation with him. <Third Brother, I was just testing him, that¡¯s all! No need to wear that oh-so-scary look.>


    Wei Xiang¡¯s brows twitched. <Oh, is that so? Then just remember that the next time you decide to ¡®test¡¯ my little lover, I¡¯ll rip out your spine and beat you to death with it.>


    A strange expression claimed Kong Min¡¯s face. <Your little lover? So you already have a nickname for him now? That is so blatantly unfair! Why does my darling junior brother never call me anything so cute? I¡¯m really envious of that loathsome Feng fellow now! What does he even have going for him except that attractive face and maybe a bit of skill?>


    Narrowing his eyes, Wei Xiang warned, <You will keep a civil tongue in your head when you are talking about him, or I¡¯ll just have to pull out that bothersome tongue of yours, understood? And more importantly, do not speak to him rudely.>


    Kong Min looked at his third brother with dissatisfaction written plainly on his face. He was used to being threatened with physical harm by now, he just wrote it off as his junior brother¡¯s way of showing love. But for his third brother to so fervently defend that pretty-faced disciple, this he could not bear!


    At the side, Qinghe patiently waited for the pair of martial brothers to finish their silent conversation.


    Suddenly, Qinghe saw Kong Min shooting a piercing glare at him before turning away with a huff.


    In contrast, Wei Xiang approached Qinghe with a worried frown on his face. In a voice bleeding with concern, he asked, ¡°Are you alright? Did that idiot hurt you in any way?¡±


    Qinghe shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m not the one who sustai¨D¡±


    Kong Min let out a loud ¡®hmph¡¯ of disdain, purposefully interrupting him.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s mouth twitched, his teeth itching at his second brother¡¯s petulance. Then his expression smoothening, Wei Xiang spoke out loud in a seemingly amiable tone, ¡°Second Brother, now this won¡¯t do. You can¡¯t keep bullying my lover just because he is cute.¡±


    Unable to take this injustice silently, Kong Min burst out incredulously, ¡°Me? Bullying him? Remind me again, which one of us ended up with an injury?¡±


    Clicking his tongue in disapproval, Wei Xiang easily returned back, ¡°Second Brother, you¡¯re such a disgrace. You even took out your spiritual artifact, yet managed to land not even a single blow on your opponent though he was unarmed. For shame.¡±


    Feeling that he had to support his lover, Qinghe also dutifully shook his head and said with due solemnity, ¡°Yes, for shame.¡±


    With a wronged expression, Kong Min asked disbelievingly, ¡°¡­Are you both ganging up on me?¡±


    As one, Qinghe and Wei Xiang showed similar mischievous smiles as they nodded, ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Kong Min wanted to spit out another mouthful of blood.


    Now who was he supposed to bring to back him up against this couple?! This was patently unfair!


    Still wearing the same friendly smile, Wei Xiang lifted his hand to reveal a set of his long and sharp black claws that had extended menacingly from his fingers at some unknown time, then spoke, ¡°Now, my dear senior brother, are you going to tell me why you are here or do I have to start cutting out body parts? Honestly, I personally don¡¯t mind torturing you a little bit to vent my anger, so please, resist me by all means.¡±


    Kong Min gulped and took a step back with his hands raised, a placating expression on his face. Deciding to stop pushing his junior brother, he quickly spilled everything. ¡°I was just enjoying myself in this brothel when I met Lord Tai. He recognized me from somewhere and remembered that I was a Sentinel, so he requested me to protect him, saying he had assassins after him or something. Even if I was off-duty, I was still a member of the Order, so I agreed. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here.¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded seriously, then asked, ¡°Just how many times have you slept with your charge¨Dthis Lord Tai¨Dtill now?¡±


    Shuffling his feet, Kong Min dutifully recalled, ¡°Maybe four, or was it six times?¡±


    From behind the bed came the strangely shy voice of the Lord Tai currently being discussed, ¡°It was twelve times, Sentinel.¡±


    Kong Min winced.


    Sighing, Wei Xiang retracted his claws and massaged his forehead. ¡°This is why you are never assigned to protection detail, you are too irresponsible. Your duties are that of an information gathering specialist, so do you want to explain to me why you are playing around as a bodyguard?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, no.¡± Kong Min immediately shook his head. He really did not want to explain! After all, his junior brother would never buy any excuses he came up with anyway, so why waste all that brainpower?


    Wei Xiang sighed again. ¡°Since you have taken up this task, do not besmirch the Order¡¯s name and fulfill your duty properly.¡±


    Nodding with gusto, Kong Min heaved a breath in relief, reassured that his junior brother wouldn¡¯t make things too difficult for him. After all, the one holding the most power in the Order of Sentinels, after the Sentinel Grandmaster himself, was undoubtedly Wei Xiang.


    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s one more thing,¡± Wei Xiang spoke as if suddenly realizing something. Turning to Qinghe, he said, ¡°Love, while fighting him just now, why didn¡¯t you rough up this useless senior brother of mine even worse? His regenerative abilities are after all quite strong, so you wouldn¡¯t have ended up accidentally killing him anyway.¡±


    Listening to this, Kong Min felt like crying. Why was he always badmouthed to such a degree by this little brat? Weren¡¯t junior brothers supposed to be cute and obedient? Why did he get this domineering and foul-mouthed sadist of a commanding officer instead?


    Kong Min decided that after he returned to headquarters later, he definitely had to go and complain to his master about this!

 Chapter 72: Two Martial Brothers

    Being asked why he had held back with Kong Min, Qinghe first hesitated. Then tilting his head, he decided to answer his beloved truthfully, ¡°Well, since he is your senior brother, I thought you wouldn¡¯t like to see him hurt.¡±


    Wei Xiang looked startled, then smiled affectionately at his overly-considerate lover. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have held back on my account. How about this¡ªwe can just hold a rematch right now and you can beat him up however much you want in retaliation.¡±


    Though Qinghe appeared reluctant, Kong Min jumped up and nodded vigorously. ¡°I staunchly approve! I refuse to believe that this little pretty-face¨D ehem, I mean, I don¡¯t think your lover has the strength to land even a single blow on me while I have my guard up. So this little disciple Feng can just come at me anytime!¡±


    Qinghe still looked conflicted even as he politely defended himself, ¡°Sentinel Kong, I am actually only a level below you, so I don¡¯t think¨D¡±


    However, taking this chance to launch a surprise attack, Kong Min did not even give Qinghe the time to finish his sentence as he abruptly plunged into the shadow realm, zipping through it to appear behind Qinghe through his shadow.


    But just as he took a step out of the shadow behind Qinghe, Kong Min felt the air congeal and harden around him, holding him firmly in place. It was quickly followed by the sensation of numerous wind needles prickling him all over his body, precisely poised over a myriad of incapacitating as well as lethal pressure points.


    Having suddenly perceived the approach of danger behind him, Qinghe had also whipped around instantly, wind already molded over his fingers into sharp claws that headed straight for his opponent¡¯s throat.


    In that frozen moment before those claws reached him, Kong Min¡¯s eyes widened in instinctive fear at the sight of Qinghe¡¯s incomparably icy and ruthless expression.


    Having been caught completely off-guard, Qinghe seemed like a different person altogether as he faced the unexpected threat.


    Sharp killing intent glinted in his cold gaze, vicious and raging like that of an unleashed beast. The merciless darkness of certain death was reflected in those deep, dark eyes, inescapable and all-consuming to the point of devouring the courage of all those who dared glance into it. A heavy, suffocating pressure saturated the air and turned it jagged, making the very breath in one¡¯s lungs seem serrated as it scraped inside their chest.


    Keen terror twanged through his nerves as Kong Min felt like he was facing a ravenous abyss of unfathomable depths.


    It had not even been a full moment since he¡¯d made that ill-fated choice of sneak attacking this seemingly harmless little disciple, and yet death already loomed in front of him as those transparent claws shot towards his neck.


    But just as the tip of those keenly sharp wind claws touched Kong Min¡¯s throat, they were forced to a halt. A small bead of glistening blood welled over the point where the claws lightly pressed onto the taut, copper-hued skin.


    Having silently appeared, Wei Xiang stood beside them, calmly holding Qinghe¡¯s wrist in his hand in a seemingly tender grip, but the claws aimed at Kong Min were nevertheless rendered completely unmoving.


    Despite the direness of the situation, only amusement shone in his gaze as Wei Xiang commanded softly, ¡°Qinghe, enough.¡±


    Qinghe blinked, clarity returning to his eyes.


    Lowering his hand and stepping back, Qinghe looked at Kong Min with confusion and mild surprise as he apologized in his usual pleasant tone, ¡°Sentinel Kong, forgive me, I reacted before I could think. Are you alright?¡±


    For all intents and purposes, Feng Qinghe appeared like a contrite disciple, gentle and refined, completely different from the person who had been exuding naked bloodlust and a wild thirst for battle just now.


    Kong Min felt like he would get whiplash from these sudden changes in this little disciple¡¯s temperament.


    Wei Xiang happily chuckled at his senior brother¡¯s unnerved and disoriented expression that was painting a face gone too pale from fright.


    Unable to even speak due to the sudden shock and his near brush with death, Kong Min asked Wei Xiang telepathically, <Third Brother¡­ how the hell did you manage to tame such a monster to make him remain by your side? Aren¡¯t you afraid that he¡¯ll tear out your throat while you sleep?!>


    Amusement glittered in Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes as he replied, <Now, now, don¡¯t look so scared. This monster of mine is a rather cute one. I have neither the need nor any intention of taming him. I love him as he is, claws and all.>


    Even though they were conversing telepathically, Kong Min could easily perceive the affection overflowing in his junior brother¡¯s tone.


    Sighing, Kong Min commented, <You really just had to go and find yourself such a troublesome partner¡­ Not that our guys back at the Order are any less troublesome.>


    Wei Xiang sensed his second brother¡¯s softening attitude and smiled. <As an expert in gathering information, I think you of all people should know just how intriguing and mysterious this person called Feng Qinghe is. Second Brother, I feel fortunate to have him.>


    With a reluctant expression, Kong Min admitted, <He is indeed more powerful than I could have thought. It goes far beyond the boundaries of the realms and stages that the cultivators of this world have set up for themselves. This Feng Qinghe of yours is really¡­quite an unfathomable being.>


    Smiling widely at this unenthusiastic acknowledgment, Wei Xiang spoke aloud in a voice brimming with unhidden pride, ¡°See? My little lover doesn¡¯t even have to seduce me. The moment I was exposed to his existence, I was already ensnared. So he really has no reason to go out of his way to seduce me in the first place.¡±


    Hearing his beloved speaking such praises of him all of a sudden, Qinghe lightly puffed his blushing cheeks and retorted, ¡°What do you mean by that? I think you are very worthy of being seduced!¡±


    With adoration melting his gaze at his lover¡¯s bashful yet indignant tone, Wei Xiang smiled. ¡°I¡¯m glad you think so.¡±


    Kong Min sighed defeatedly in the face of this blatant, full-course display of love that was practically being rubbed into his face. ¡°Fine, fine, I get it that you¡¯re both smitten with each other. So stop your flirting already.¡±


    Then turning to Qinghe, Kong Min finally said, ¡°Since you are not completely incompetent, I guess I¡¯ll begrudgingly welcome you to the family, Little Bro. Do come visit headquarters some time, the rest of our brothers are also dying to see just what type of a person managed to captivate someone with such a terrible personality as our Third Brother.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s lips twitched, but he remained silent. He couldn¡¯t in all honesty say that his attitude towards others was pleasant, after all.


    Qinghe frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t think there are any problems with Xiang¡¯s personality.¡±


    ¡°Of all things, that is what you get stuck up about?¡± Kong Min commented incredulously.


    Blinking as if in realization, Qinghe immediately delivered a respectful bow towards Kong Min while saying, ¡°Thank you for the invitation and for choosing to entrust your junior brother to me, Sentinel Kong. I will definitely take good care of him.¡±


    Kong Min looked at Qinghe with a strange expression, then shook his head with a small, helpless smile. ¡°Yes, you better look after him well.¡±


    Wei Xiang felt warmth spreading in his chest as he saw his lover and senior brother finally getting along.


    Straightening, Qinghe peeked at Kong Min, and seeing that he didn¡¯t look so unwilling or hostile anymore, he breathed a sigh of relief.


    After that, Wei Xiang decided to speed everything up and instructed Kong Min to ask Lord Tai to listen to whatever Qinghe had to say.


    Surprisingly enough, Lord Tai easily acquiesced to Qinghe¡¯s advice and assured that he would ally with the Ping household, if only to escape the current uncertainty of not knowing when he¡¯d be murdered by an assassin sent by the imperial family.


    Since he had already promised to protect him, Kong Min decided to go along with Lord Tai for now, much to the old lord¡¯s delight.


    With their work thus completed, Qinghe and Wei Xiang decided to return to their room.


    On the way, as the couple walked along the road in companionable silence, Qinghe thought back to everything Wei Xiang had told him about Kong Min, and how his unreliable senior brother had taken care of him whenever Wei Xiang needed his help.


    ......


    The first time Wei Xiang had met Kong Min, it was just a while after he had wiped out the entire heavenly wyvern clan in the secret dimension situated deep within the Spirit Bewildering Forest.


    The Sentinel Grandmaster had introduced Kong Min and Wei Xiang to each other and asked Kong Min to take care of his new junior brother. Then the Grandmaster left the pair alone to bond.


    But Kong Min was someone who had been brought up in a boisterous and open-minded brothel. It had been a lively place where everyone took care of each other, laughing and indulging freely in physical pleasures no matter the time of day. Growing up in this kind of a place, Kong Min had long since gotten inured to the pleasures of flesh at a young age, thinking that it was only normal to incorporate such things into one¡¯s daily life.


    And so, Kong Min¡¯s first reaction to hearing that he should ¡®take care¡¯ of this junior brother was to push Wei Xiang down and offer to physically care for his body.


    After all, he surmised that this junior brother of his must be quite shaken after his ordeal. And since sex always made Kong Min feel better, he freely offered it to his new junior brother as well, knowing that despite his junior brother looking like he was in his mid-teens, he was already around four hundred years old. So it should be alright, shouldn¡¯t it?


    To say that the young Wei Xiang was startled at suddenly being pushed down and propositioned like this would be an understatement.


    Brandishing his claws and swiping them savagely in Kong Min¡¯s direction to make him back away, Wei Xiang panickily escaped.


    Tracking his new master¡¯s scent, Wei Xiang strode straight to the Sentinel Grandmaster¡¯s office and relayed everything while in a furious fluster.


    The Sentinel Grandmaster could only sigh as he called in his troublesome second disciple.


    Then the Grandmaster tried to explain to Kong Min about how, even though Wei Xiang was technically four hundred years old, maturity-wise, he was only fifteen or so. After all, since spiritual beasts lived longer, their children also grew at a slower rate.


    Kong Min thoughtfully nodded as he declared solemnly, ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait for Third Brother to grow into an adult before offering to comfort him again.¡±


    Not waiting for his master to reply to this statement, Wei Xiang swiftly regained his composure and interjected coldly, ¡°There will be no need. Second Brother can just stay the hell away from me.¡±


    Smiling brightly, Kong Min easily refused, ¡°No way! As fellow brothers, there¡¯s no need to keep any distance between us. Don¡¯t worry, since you are saying that you¡¯re not interested, I can take the hint and back off. No need to remain so vigilant.¡±


    Wei Xiang remained unconvinced, but the Sentinel Grandmaster spoke on his second disciple¡¯s behalf. ¡°Xiang-er, though he might seem unreliable, your senior brother is very trustworthy. Since he has said so, believe him and get along well.¡±


    Kong Min eagerly nodded.


    And so, Wei Xiang reluctantly continued interacting with his seemingly foolish senior brother.


    It was only about a century later that the incident that was responsible for truly bringing together this pair of martial brothers occurred, marked by the time Wei Xiang reached adulthood while in the Order.


    One day, Kong Min sauntered to Wei Xiang¡¯s door and knocked as usual, wanting to talk to his junior brother about a recent task they had both undertaken together. But no matter how much he waited, the door remained closed despite the clear signs of life within.


    Sensing that something was wrong, Kong Min directly used the shadows to get inside his third brother¡¯s room. But the second he entered the place, the strong scent of saturated pheromones assaulted his nostrils, thick and potent.


    On the bed, Wei Xiang laid in an uncharacteristically disheveled state, his clothes half undone and ripped in several places as if pulled by something sharp, his long hair spread around him in equal disarray. Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes had gone completely golden, his claws out and digging desperately into the bedding as if holding on for dear life, shredding the bedcover in the process.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s pupils seemed abnormally dilated, his cheeks flushed a feverish red. And as he panted hoarsely, he held his body with rigidness as if afraid he¡¯d lose control over himself otherwise.


    Seeing his third brother who usually maintained such firm and rigorous self-discipline over himself in this state, Kong Min felt that something must have gone terribly wrong.


    ¡°Third Brother, what happened?¡± Kong Min asked in a calm voice. He instinctively understood that he should act as less aggressive as possible to not agitate his junior brother further.


    Wei Xiang tried to focus his attention, but failed. So he could only shake his head in response.


    Kong Min firmed his tone and spoke again, ¡°Wei Xiang, until you tell me what¡¯s wrong, I can¡¯t fix it for you. Come now, try and tell your senior brother about what happened.¡±


    And so, with great difficulty, Wei Xiang gritted out a single word, ¡°Heat.¡±


    Frowning, Kong Min tried to make sense of what he meant, then his eyes grew wide as realization struck him. If he remembered right, his master had definitely told him about this before.


    To confirm, Kong Min asked, ¡°You mean you¡¯ve reached adulthood, so your body has automatically gone into heat? I suppose this is your first heat period?¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded. Though he would have liked it better if his master had been here instead, Wei Xiang felt that having this senior brother of his nearby was also not bad. After all, Kong Min could be surprisingly dependable when it counted.


    On the other hand, seeing his junior brother¡¯s miserable state where even speaking seemed to be difficult, Kong Min sighed in sympathy. It appeared that due to Wei Xiang¡¯s powerful inherent ability, nature had decided quite strongly that he needed to leave descendants, so his heat was especially forceful this first time.


    Walking up to the bedside, Kong Min crouched down, his elbows resting on his knees, fingers lightly interlaced, and his brows furrowed in thought. With hesitation coloring his light brown eyes, he suggested, ¡°If you want to, I can take care of it for you and help you relieve some of your heat.¡±


    Wei Xiang stiffly shook his head. Listening to his senior brother¡¯s voice speaking in composed tones calmed Wei Xiang enough to let him say, ¡°You¡¯re my senior brother¡­I can¡¯t mate with you¡­¡±


    As if expecting this, Kong Min nodded.


    After training, undertaking missions, and facing life and death together, Kong Min had also long since stopped considering his junior brother as a potential partner, so he didn¡¯t feel all that comfortable with offering to take him to bed in the first place. But needs must, and they hardly had many options in this situation.


    Thinking for a bit, Kong Min finally spoke, ¡°Third Brother, I will take you to people I trust, so let them take care of your heat for now, alright?¡±


    Though he didn¡¯t know what this senior brother of his was planning, Wei Xiang was almost at the limit of what he could bear anyway. Anything would be better than leaving this dry hotness burning him up from the inside out, so Wei Xiang nodded to express that he would let his senior brother handle this.


    Heaving a sigh of relief, Kong Min stood up and bent down to lift his junior brother. Wei Xiang had already grown to be taller than Kong Min, with a more sturdy and defined body. So Kong Min had to spend some effort to get him up and drape his third brother¡¯s arm over his shoulder.


    Entering the shadows, Kong Min directly transported them to the brothel where he had grown up so long ago, having still maintained contact with the place despite the passage of so many years.


    After laying Wei Xiang down in a room to rest, Kong Min went to discuss some arrangements with the proprietress of the shop.


    The solution to this predicament was after all quite simple. All Wei Xiang had to do was spend a night with a few people and get it out of his system by quenching his heat-induced lust. Otherwise, it might end up damaging his body.


    Therefore, Kong Min explained the situation and requested the help of several ladies who worked at the brothel, all of whom he trusted very much. The ladies had also taken appropriate medicine beforehand so that they wouldn¡¯t get pregnant, which made them uniquely suitable for this task.


    And so, making sure that every tiny detail was taken care of, Kong Min chose a moment when clarity returned to his junior brother¡¯s eyes to ask him if he consented to this. Wei Xiang didn¡¯t mind it much and agreed. Having received his approval, Kong Min let the ladies attend to his junior brother.


    But since Wei Xiang was mostly in the grip of his beast-self during his heat period, Kong Min had to stay in the room the whole time to make sure that his junior brother didn¡¯t lose himself completely and hurt anyone.


    It was a very long night.


    By the time Wei Xiang completely spent himself, morning had already arrived.


    Kong Min carried his exhausted junior brother back to his room and drew him a bath. Not minding that Wei Xiang was only semiconscious and unable to contribute, Kong Min helped his junior brother into the tub and bathed him until he was clean before wiping him down and dressing him in comfortable clothing. Then tucking his third brother into the bed, Kong Min silently exited the room, leaving Wei Xiang to sleep peacefully.


    And as the days stretched to years and then centuries and millennia, Wei Xiang learned to exercise stricter discipline over himself due to his rigorous Sentinel training.


    During every subsequent heat period since then, Wei Xiang left on his own to spend the next few night or nights in one brothel or another, gaining quite a reputation as a ladies¡¯ man. But thankfully, as the years went by, the time between the heat periods lengthened, and Wei Xiang didn¡¯t need to suffer under the influence of his beast side as much.


    Nevertheless, whenever he thought back to that first time, it caused Wei Xiang no small amount of embarrassment. After all, who wouldn¡¯t feel awkward while remembering that their senior brother had been chaperoning them the whole time they had spent losing their virginity?


    As if he was able to sense this, despite his usual mouthiness, Kong Min also never brought up that time in front of his junior brother, staying tactfully silent about the matter.


    Needless to say that after this episode, though Wei Xiang and Kong Min still continued to bicker and act as usual with each other, they had inevitably become closer as fellow martial brothers.


    ¡­¡­


    As his mind pondered over this fragment of his lover¡¯s past, Qinghe felt a broad smile slowly spreading over his face.


    Qinghe felt very much gladdened that his beloved had felt comfortable enough to share with him something that he thought of as a mortifying bit of his history. It showed just how much Wei Xiang truly trusted him.


    ¡°What are you grinning about, my little imp?¡± Wei Xiang playfully asked from beside Qinghe while extending a hand to lightly pinch his little lover¡¯s soft cheek.


    Looking up at this seemingly indomitable Sentinel Wei, Qinghe beamed. After swatting away Wei Xiang¡¯s obnoxious fingers from his cheek, Qinghe spoke, ¡°I was just thinking about your second brother. He really cares for you a lot.¡±


    Wei Xiang shrugged. ¡°All of us in the Order are more or less close to each other. And it¡¯s especially so for us three direct disciples of Master. But since the eldest disciple is often gone on tasks pertaining to infiltration and undercover work, it only leaves me and that idiot Kong Min to take care of most of the matters.¡±


    Qinghe smiled brightly. ¡°I¡¯m very thankful to him for being there for you.¡±


    Shaking his head, Wei Xiang dryly commented, ¡°It goes both ways. The number of times I had to extract him from troublesome situations and cover his backside amounts to a lot more. He also keeps dumping all his paperwork on me, that unreliable fool. And after filling up my schedule with the things he should have been taking care of, that damned frivolous bastard has the gall to come and ask me if I have time to join him and his friends in an orgy¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang looked absolutely scandalized as he extensively named the many sins of his senior brother.


    Seeing his lover¡¯s aggravated expression, Qinghe burst out laughing.


    It seemed that just as Qinghe had ended up with the troublesome twins, his beloved had also been saddled with an equally as bothersome senior brother. But despite all the annoyances and exasperations that their brothers brought them, Qinghe and Wei Xiang knew that neither of them would trade their family for the world.

 Chapter 73: Unexpected Company

    Having finally gathered all the people he needed to make his plan work, Qinghe felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.


    After all, no matter how good at persuasion he was or how desperate the emperor had made these influential courtiers, it hadn¡¯t been a hundred percent certain that they would agree to follow someone like Ping Nian who had laid low all this while. The human heart was truly an unpredictable thing, and this matter could have gone sideways at any time.


    But thankfully, Qinghe had managed to finish what he had set out to do and now he could focus on positioning his pieces in their respective places.


    And so, with the sense of accomplishment born from a task well done, Qinghe cheerfully walked down the garden path leading to the residential courtyards in the palace, swinging his and Wei Xiang¡¯s entwined hands as he hummed a pleasant melody.


    Wei Xiang simply luxuriated in his lover¡¯s happy expression, his own lips tilting up in a small smile.


    Suddenly, the couple froze, their gazes sharpening and their senses widening to scan their surroundings at the same time.


    The air stilled, seemingly stiffened with caution.


    But surprisingly, Wei Xiang was the first to retract his senses, speaking in a relaxed tone, ¡°There¡¯s no need for vigilance.¡±


    Hearing his lover¡¯s reassurance, Qinghe heeded his words and lowered his guard as well. The couple continued to walk down the path again and soon reached the garden with the pool that was situated before their room.


    In one of the stone benches near to the pool sat a young woman with long hair the color of soft and fresh snow. Her attire was black and purple, and combined with the fact that she exuded a slightly altered form of spiritual energy unlike that of a righteous cultivator, it could be surmised that she was from the demonic faction.


    This woman was indeed Sister Bai, the martial sister of the Xiao Fu and Brother Tian who had been implicit in chasing and wounding Chen Xiande while he was on the way to the Nine Gems Sanctuary. Sister Bai had left before her martial brothers could drag her into their plan of capturing and tormenting Chen Xiande, and she had then dutifully reported back to Hei NingYu that his lover was in danger.


    After that incident, Hei NingYu had taken notice of her talent and had begun entrusting her with errands more often in an effort to nurture her. It was one such errand that had brought her here to wait in the garden at this time.


    Having spotted Qinghe and Wei Xiang as they entered the garden, Sister Bai stood up gracefully from the bench and faced them.


    Immediately locking her eyes on the white-robed man in front of her, she asked in a clear and slightly bored voice, ¡°Are you Feng Qinghe? Sect Leader Hei has sent me with news about how your senior brother is doing in our sect. Shall I begin reciting it?¡±


    Looking at Sister Bai¡¯s hair, Qinghe lightly startled. From the corner of his eyes, he carefully examined Wei Xiang¡¯s face, only to see the usual indifference displayed in his lover¡¯s expression.


    Turning to look at Sister Bai, Qinghe spoke with a pleasant smile, ¡°Thank you for your effort in bringing me the message. Why don¡¯t you step in for a bit? The journey from the demonic faction to the capital must have been tiring for you. You can tell me what Sect Leader Hei asked you to convey while relaxing with a cup of tea.¡±


    Sister Bai tilted her head and peered at Qinghe as if he were a strange insect. Then shrugging, she answered, ¡°Sure, why not? It¡¯s no skin off my back, after all.¡±


    Qinghe shot her a wry look and led the way inside the room. Since Sister Bai was accompanying alongside them and had their unspoken permission to enter, the restriction barrier set up by Wu Xiao let her pass through without a fuss.


    Unlike with Jing Shui and Wu Xiao¡¯s room, Qinghe and Wei Xiang¡¯s room was furnished with a full set of tables and chairs.


    After inviting their guest to sit down with an elegant gesture, Qinghe retrieved from his spatial storage a set of cups and a teapot that was already filled with fragrant, steaming tea. Since time stood perpetually still for everything placed in the storage space, the tea remained fresh as if just recently brewed.


    Setting three cups on the table, Qinghe neatly filled them before putting away the pot.


    After the three of them sat at the table and began sipping at the tea, Qinghe casually began, ¡°As you might have noticed already, this room is surrounded by a powerful restriction barrier that was cast by the Silver Moon Sect¡¯s Sect Master Wu Xiao himself. There is no threat of unwanted eavesdroppers, so you can rest assured and speak freely, Sentinel Bai Rong.¡±


    A sudden silence descended over the room.


    Hearing his little lover¡¯s confident statement, Wei Xiang¡¯s lips twitched with faint amusement as he continued to calmly savor his tea.


    On the other hand, Sister Bai seemed confused as she looked at Qinghe. ¡°What do you mean? And why are you calling me ¡®Sentinel¡¯? Feng Qinghe, is there a misunderstanding here or are you mistaking me for someone else?¡±


    Chuckling, Wei Xiang finally spoke, ¡°Give it up, Eldest Sister. He¡¯s already figured it out.¡±


    The befuddled and lively look on Sister Bai¡¯s face immediately turned blank, with neither warmth nor coldness to be seen. It was an utter lack of expression, showing nothing. Losing her previously lazy posture, she sat prim and straight like a carefully positioned doll, her way of sitting showing not even the slightest hint of any personality.


    ¡°Third Brother, you are not permitted to disclose the contents of my work, and you are especially not authorized to reveal my identity as an undercover officer. It is an inexcusable breach of code, and all violators of the Sentinel Code will be punished,¡± Bai Rong intoned in a flat, inflectionless voice.


    Wei Xiang sighed. ¡°Yes, yes, I know. Senior Sister, I did not break the code, you should know me better than that. My lover found out all on his own. You can rest assured that he will tell no one.¡±


    Qinghe dipped his head in a nod while adding in a sincere tone, ¡°Yes, Sentinel Bai. I would never ask my beloved for work-related secrets and neither would he offer. I came to know of your identity by myself. Please place no blame on him.¡±


    Bai Rong frowned. Her junior brother was indeed trustworthy, he couldn¡¯t have leaked it. Then that could only mean that¡­this young cultivator had really figured it out on his own?


    Since that indeed seemed to be the case, Bai Rong easily put it out of her mind. This was not her jurisdiction after all.


    In a calm tone, Bai Rong finally replied, ¡°I understand. Then the contents of my mission remain unchanged. I will now relay the message I was asked to pass on by Sect Leader Hei.¡±


    Qinghe really didn¡¯t know what to make of this Sentinel, so he simply nodded. Wei Xiang, on the other hand, was long since used to his senior sister¡¯s idiosyncrasy and remained unruffled.


    Bai Rong continued, ¡°Your senior brother Chen Xiande is doing well and is making great strides in his cultivation. He has recently had a breakthrough to fifth realm and needs time to stabilize his level. Therefore, he will be unable to participate in the Hundred-Year Tournament this time and wishes that his Junior Brother Feng will do well in his stead. From my personal observation, the sect leader of the demonic faction treats his lover very well and with the utmost care and reverence. There is no cause for worry. End of report.¡±


    Inwardly amused at how the message seemed to be delivered like a military statement, Qinghe said earnestly, ¡°Sentinel Bai, thank you for delivering the message. It indeed eases my mind to know that Senior Brother is happy and making progress. Having you in his vicinity is also very reassuring. You have my sincere gratitude.¡±


    Bai Rong blinked, a faint reaction indicating her surprise. She had only done what she had been told to do, so she did not understand the need for gratitude, but she remained silent nevertheless.


    Since this person was her third brother¡¯s lover, he was as good as another junior brother to her now, so she decided to let his strangeness pass.


    If Qinghe knew, he would surely feel wronged at being dubbed strange by this overly blank Sentinel Bai of all people. Because, in a way, wasn¡¯t she even stranger than him?!


    ¡°My task has been fulfilled. I shall be taking my leave now,¡± Bai Rong informed in her inflectionless voice as she got up.


    Wei Xiang simply nodded a greeting towards his senior sister as she left, while Qinghe accompanied her to the door to see her off.


    The moment she stepped out of the confines of the room, Bai Rong turned into her previous persona. Her eyes glinted with life while her body moved with lithe languidness as she ambled into the garden.


    Walking till she reached the boundary of the garden, she easily scaled the tall wall and stood atop it. Turning back, Bai Rong gave Qinghe a short wave as she drawled leisurely, ¡°Thank you for the tea. See you guys later then.¡±


    And then she jumped off to the other side and disappeared from sight.


    Shaking his head with a helpless smile, Qinghe closed the door behind him as he walked back to his lover¡¯s side.


    ¡°Are all the Sentinels as¡­peculiar as your senior brother and sister?¡± he asked with curiosity and amusement.


    Wei Xiang smiled and shrugged. ¡°More or less. You¡¯ll see when you come visit headquarters.¡±


    With faint anticipation glinting in his eyes, Qinghe spoke, ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to it then. Now, what should we do about the other visitor who has come to the palace? She is after all someone familiar to me. I think it would be rude if I didn¡¯t go greet her.¡±


    Laughing lightly, Wei Xiang suggested, ¡°Then let me come along.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    And so the couple set off once again.


    ¡­¡­


    In the private audience chamber, the emperor tapped his finger agitatedly on the armrest.


    In front of him knelt a woman with shining locks of curly silver hair that tumbled to the ground like a gleaming waterfall with swirling water currents.


    The woman looked up, a light smile perched at the edges of her lips. Her eyes were bright, yet they also seemed hazy, as if focused on some faraway sight.


    Opening her mouth, she spoke in a voice that chimed pleasantly like the tinkling of bells, ¡°Everything I said is definitely true, Your Majesty. You already know that. As long as Feng Qinghe is allowed to roam free, your reign will definitely collapse. All of the recent problems you have been having with the disappearances of the courtiers you tried to eliminate were certainly his doing. The recent sparking of civil unrest also seems to have his shadow behind it. His influence has already grown to a great degree in the capital. It is only a matter of time now until¡­¡±


    As the woman¡¯s voice suddenly trailed away, her eyes grew even more unfocused as her smile spread wider.


    Ah, they were here. Had they sensed her presence already?


    ¡°You are certain then, Elder?¡± the emperor interrupted her reverie to confirm yet again, his tone excessively snappish in an attempt to hide the building fear apparent in his voice.


    Blinking, the silver-haired woman once again diverted her attention to the world in front of her. In a breezy tone, she spoke, ¡°Yes, indeed. I speak only the truth.¡±


    The emperor suddenly banged a fist against his armrest with a loud thud.


    How? How could this be?! He had worked so hard and schemed so much to hold onto his power, so how could it slip away so easily, snatched away by outsiders that he hadn¡¯t even deigned to put in his eye?!


    Though the emperor did not trust in the authenticity of cultivators and all their spiritual power nonsense, over time, he had come to at least believe that certain cultivators were very accurate fortunetellers. This silver-haired woman in front of him was one such being who had proved the genuineness of her skills over and over again. Everything that she had said would happen had always come true without a doubt.


    But the future she saw for him was not pleasing in the least!


    In a fit of fury borne out of his malcontent, the emperor¡¯s fist punched out and swept down the platters of food and the goblets of drink on the table beside him. A series of loud thumps and bangs sounded out, along with the clattering of metal and the crashing of broken porcelain.


    In the face of their monarch¡¯s unhidden fury, the servants and attendants all lowered their heads until their chins were almost touching their chests. And yet the silver-haired woman looked the same, smiling serenely as if she weren¡¯t even paying attention to what was happening in front of her.


    ¡°Very well then,¡± the emperor spat, his chest heaving. With a dangerous light glinting in his eyes, he spoke, ¡°Now that I know to beware, I can change my future. Elder, you may leave.¡±


    Despite hearing the arrogance in his voice, the woman said nothing, merely getting up and rearranging her clothes before sedately retreating, leaving behind a thoughtful emperor.


    As his mind churned with various ideas that he was forced to discard after careful consideration, the emperor grew more and more frustrated.


    He knew that he couldn¡¯t lay a hand on this cultivator directly, because he knew that the political weight, deep connections, and economic power wielded by the cultivators as a whole were indisputable. Harming one of them would bring consequences that he was not sure he could take.


    So how was he to take care of this mess before it bloomed into a disaster?


    As the emperor pondered, his eyes suddenly lit up with glee and greed.


    Yes, this could work! He simply needed to bind this Feng Qinghe to the imperial family, and not only would the emperor then be granted control over him, but this cultivator¡¯s power and influence would also become his to use.


    As for whom to bind him to¡­ this was something the emperor couldn¡¯t decide. It should be someone of royal line, but also easily influenceable and not too cunning.


    His first choice would have been that son of his, but Jing Shui truly seemed to have slipped out of his control for good. The emperor decided to deal with that unfilial brat later.


    Jing Hao was also out. He was too much of a schemer to be of use.


    Then that only left¡­


    The emperor¡¯s usually stiff expression stretched into a rare grin.


    Yes, Jing Rui would do quite nicely.


    ¡­¡­


    The silver-haired woman stepped out of the private audience chamber and directly walked to a nearby secluded alcove that sat wreathed in deep shadows, only a sliver of weak moonlight piercing the gloom.


    In the alcove, leaning against a wall as if leisurely waiting for her arrival was the slender and white-clad form of Feng Qinghe.


    In her voice that flowed like the silvery peals of bells, the silver-haired woman spoke playfully, ¡°Seeing you standing here waiting for me, I can¡¯t help but feel special!¡±


    ¡°Elder Yue,¡± Qinghe bowed courteously, unheeding of her cheery words as he continued, ¡°May I ask what business brings the former sect leader of the Silver Moon Sect here to a mortal emperor¡¯s palace?¡±


    Laughing happily, the woman replied, ¡°Since I still owe you for that time you freed me from the spirit suppressing cell, I thought I¡¯d help move along your plan as repayment. And it seems that you already know my identity. What else has the wind whispered into your ear?¡±


    Hearing this, Qinghe didn¡¯t even feel surprised.


    This Elder Yue, besides being the previous sect master of the Silver Moon Sect and Wu Xiao¡¯s master, was also the silver-haired woman who had kept Qinghe and Chen Xiande company in that dungeon full of cells made with spirit suppressing material in the Black Fang base.


    Back then, though Qinghe had surmised her identity as a member of Silver Mist, he hadn¡¯t yet known everything. After succeeding in escaping from there, he had naturally investigated a bit and found out about the Elder¡¯s name and the position she had held.


    And some of what he found had been truly astonishing.


    Over the many, many years she lived, this Elder Yue seemed to have meddled in quite a few important incidents in history, arriving at opportune times and changing the course of events with a few words and deceptively simple deeds.


    As such, after seeing her here in the palace intervening in his plans, Qinghe couldn¡¯t help but feel cautious.


    But showing none of this outward, Qinghe replied to her question with a pleasant smile, ¡°The wind has told me a lot of things, but there¡¯s one particular fact I wish to confirm. Many thousands of years ago, you once visited a certain demonic sect. Soon after, Hei NingYu took over as this sect¡¯s sect leader and unified the entire demonic faction. I wonder just how you are related to that occurrence.¡±


    Seeing as Hei NingYu was now together with his senior brother, Qinghe was naturally concerned about this. After all, one could never be too vigilant regarding such suspicious things. Who knew when it would come to bite them back if they showed negligence?


    ¡°I only did what I was permitted to do,¡± Elder Yue replied, her eyes shining brightly with reflected light even in this dim space. ¡°The future is fluid, but also rigid. There are many things I¡¯m not allowed to interfere with. But that one¡¯s future, I was thankfully able to change.¡±


    With unfathomable thoughts swimming in the depths of his placid eyes, Qinghe pondered over the Elder¡¯s words. After a while of silence, he finally spoke, ¡°Knowing Hei NingYu¡¯s past, I can more or less guess what you wanted to alter about his future. But what motive did you have to change his future in the first place?¡±


    This was what truly bothered him. What designs did such a powerful and seemingly all-knowing Elder have on the future of his senior brother¡¯s lover? Or had her purpose already been fulfilled?


    Guessing these doubts from Qinghe¡¯s words, Elder Yue sighed as she began explaining, ¡°Why, you ask? It¡¯s because if I hadn¡¯t done so, Hei NingYu wouldn¡¯t be here. His presence has now become one of the most crucial lynchpins holding together the current peace and stability of the world, since despite being their sect leader, Hei NingYu keeps the dark arts practitioners strictly in check.


    ¡°He keeps the power of the demonic path suppressed, not caring if it weakens the demonic faction, and as a result, his own sway over this world. Because he, more than anyone, knows what will happen to those steeped in the demonic arts. And he, more than anyone, knows to protect the world from being subjected to such a fate again.


    ¡°But his reason for doing this is not due to care for the world, but because he does not wish this world that houses his beloved to be destroyed. That¡¯s all he¡¯s ever strived for, and even now, that hasn¡¯t changed. It is also the reason why he has refused to take that final step and ascend to a deity. That child has really been waiting too long, so it¡¯s good that he has finally found his beloved.


    ¡°After all, one will not fear something being taken away unless they have that something in the first place. So the reason I meddled in his future was to achieve this end, where not only does that child find his happiness, but he also strives to maintain the current world order to keep this newfound happiness safe.¡±


    As Elder Yue stopped speaking, Qinghe felt overwhelmed by this torrent of unexpected information.


    This¡­was too much to think on.


    Qinghe digested everything in contemplative silence, then asked in a subdued voice, ¡°So he already knew that he¡¯d meet Senior Brother? Did you tell this to him back before he became the demonic faction¡¯s sect leader?¡±


    What Qinghe wanted to truly ask was¨DDid Hei NingYu get together with his senior brother for this reason, thinking that it was predestined, and not because he had actually grown to care for Chen Xiande?


    But Elder Yue shook her head, her bright smile returning as she said, ¡°Though I did tell him that he might meet someone who would make his life worth living, that child has probably long since forgotten about it. After all, a lot of time has passed since then.¡±


    Then laughing her light, silvery laugh, she changed the subject, ¡°For now, let¡¯s talk about something else.¡± Her gaze then subsequently landing on Qinghe¡¯s shadow that had already blended in with the darkness, Elder Yue greeted amiably, ¡°Hello, Sentinel. It has been such a long time since I have met one of you.¡±


    Seeing that his presence had been found out, Wei Xiang didn¡¯t feel the need to hide anymore. Detaching his form from the shadows, Wei Xiang stood beside Qinghe, his expression seeming sharply amused.


    Not minding his sudden appearance, Elder Yue looked at him curiously while asking, ¡°Sentinel, I wonder if you know the true reason your Order came to be?¡±


    Wei Xiang raised an eyebrow at the abrupt query, faint curiosity tingeing his gaze.


    Chuckling merrily, Elder Yue declared, ¡°Why, the main reason was this young man called Feng Qinghe!¡±


    As her words rang out, the shadowed alcove echoed with a silence steeped in surprise and disbelief.


    Qinghe looked at Elder Yue with confusion evident on his face. ¡°Are you saying that I am somehow indirectly responsible for the decision of creating the Order of Sentinels that was established millennia ago?¡±


    Chortling in amusement, the silver-haired woman refuted his inference, ¡°Not indirectly, but very directly! The biggest reason the Order was established is undoubtedly because of you!¡±


    At the side, Wei Xiang narrowed his eyes as his brows furrowed in contemplation. How could such a thing be possible?


    Shaking his head, Qinghe also had the same thought as he rebutted calmly, ¡°But I wasn¡¯t even born then. I¡¯m only thirty-six now, but the Order of Sentinels was established several hundreds of thousands of years ago. It is implausible for me to be involved in a matter that took place so many millennia in the past.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Elder Yue agreed while nodding cheerfully, but did not elaborate further.


    Qinghe continued his rebuttal, ¡°And there is no way to go backward or forward in time in this world, so it is impossible even in that respect.¡±


    Elder Yue continued nodding. ¡°That is definitely true.¡±


    ¡°Then how¡­?¡± Qinghe began, then frowned incredulously as a possibility occurred to him. ¡°Can it be that¡­I am not from this world?¡±


    Neither agreeing nor disagreeing, Elder Yue simply smiled widely as she spoke as if in a trance, ¡°All will be explained to you by the one who should. I am merely an observer. I do not meddle in matters of this world, especially when it concerns such weighty things. Or at least not unless I am allowed to. The moon is such a fickle thing after all, waxing and waning at its whim, just like all our fates. Its bright and uncovered face hides more behind it than all the layers of mists and veils combined.¡±


    Qinghe blinked in befuddlement, then shook his head to set aside these convoluted strings of thoughts that seemed to twist and knot over each other. There was no use in thinking about it now. The futures told by the people of the Silver Mist were often confusing like this, so there was no need for him to burden himself with unnecessary speculations in the absence of sufficient information.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I understand. But I will wait for everything to be cleared in its own time,¡± Qinghe finally spoke, his voice serene.


    Seeing his attitude, Elder Yue was duly impressed as she praised, ¡°Very good! Just maintain this outlook and you will get your answer eventually. Now, I think it¡¯s time I returned to the sect.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to meet your disciple?¡± Wei Xiang asked amusedly. After all, Wu Xiao was conveniently nearby.


    But Elder Yue shook her head with a laugh. ¡°I see that brat often enough. Besides, even I am not ill-mannered enough to interrupt his time with his beloved.¡±


    Qinghe showed a wry expression as he bid his farewell, ¡°Then until we meet again, Elder.¡±


    Her gaze grew distant as the silver-haired woman whispered, ¡°I hope our meeting doesn¡¯t come soon, because if it does¡­then it can only mean that an undesirable fate is approaching us.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Qinghe looked at her confused, but Elder Yue merely shook her head.


    With a brilliant smile, she spoke, ¡°Alright now, I have to get going. And don¡¯t tell anyone else about what I said, even that lovestruck disciple of mine! It¡¯s the three of our secret~¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Were they children now?!


    With a helpless expression on their faces, Qinghe and Wei Xiang looked at the silver-haired Elder as she winked at them and left the alcove while skipping away cheerfully.


    They really didn¡¯t know what to feel about the conversation just now, but thinking over everything, a faint suspicion had nevertheless taken root in their hearts.


    After all, if the founding of the Order had something to do with Qinghe, then didn¡¯t it mean that the Sentinel Grandmaster was somehow involved as well?


    But Qinghe didn¡¯t have time to think too much about this, because the next morning, the emperor summoned them all for an audience again.

 Chapter 74: Thwarting a Decree

    This time, the one who came to request their presence on behalf of the emperor was the same servant who had approached them back when they had met Jing Hao, while they had been on their way back from Yan Lin¡¯s place.


    Though Jing Shui and Wu Xiao wanted to reject the invitation outright, Qinghe suggested that they should all go and take a look at what the emperor wanted, his expression showing unhidden anticipation.


    Qinghe could more or less guess that this was the result of Elder Yue¡¯s meddling, resulting in events proceeding much faster than he had expected. But it was still a good thing, since everything was ready on his end anyway. Plus, the sooner this was done with, the sooner those people trapped in the palace could be rescued.


    Seeing Qinghe cheerfully proposing to go and meet the emperor, Jing Shui decided to listen to his friend despite his own misgivings. Wu Xiao naturally followed his Ah-Shui¡¯s decision, and Wei Xiang, as usual, had no particular opinion and went along with them.


    And so, the four cultivators were now making their way towards the imperial court once more.


    As they walked down the various corridors of the imperial palace while heading towards the throne room, Jing Shui was silently clutching Wu Xiao¡¯s hand, taking reassurance from his lover¡¯s steady and calm presence to tamp down his own uncertainty.


    ¡°Brother Feng, why do you think we are being summoned now?¡± Jing Shui asked with unease rippling in his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯ve no clue about the specifics, but the emperor will probably try to target me somehow,¡± Qinghe replied with an unconcerned look.


    Then seeing that Jing Shui was beginning to panic on his behalf, Qinghe continued quickly, ¡°Now, now, it won¡¯t be anything I can¡¯t handle. Anyway, don¡¯t I have you three to watch out for me? So really, there¡¯s no need to worry.¡±


    Jing Shui looked hesitant, but still nodded. Yes, he would put aside his own fears for now and make sure that his father wouldn¡¯t have his way with his friend!


    Witnessing the open distress on Jing Shui¡¯s face turning to determination, Qinghe could only shake his head helplessly as an affectionate smile bent his lips.


    Soon, they reached the entrance to the throne room.


    Though the inside was as extravagant and ostentatious as the last time, the place seemed more empty, having visibly less courtiers and ministers than the last time, all thanks to the emperor alienating the more powerful ones and facilitating their falling into Qinghe¡¯s clutches.


    The emperor sat on his throne on the high platform as always, but this time, a second, smaller throne was added next to his own to seat the empress. On either side of the imperial couple stood Jing Hao and Jing Rui, both wearing different expressions.


    Jing Hao bore a blandly polite look, while Jing Rui appeared visibly more excited. Thankfully, he did not seem to have brought any of his ¡®dolls¡¯ with him, presumably because of his father forbidding it.


    As for Jing Hao and Jing Rui¡¯s concubine mothers, one was bedridden due to palace schemes while the other was already dead.


    After entering the throne room, the group of four directly headed to the base of the platform like last time.


    For a moment, Wei Xiang¡¯s gaze flicked to Jing Rui, the color of his eyes deepening with barely hidden anger, before he forced down his emotions and returned to looking indifferent.


    On the other hand, faced with his father¡¯s usual forbidding look, Jing Shui did his best to suppress the urge to hide behind Wu Xiao. And even as Wu Xiao kept smiling with what seemed like casual amusement on the surface, his arms silently wound themselves around his lover as if to shield him from all malicious gazes and hoping to offer his beloved Ah-Shui some support at the same time.


    Though the emperor didn¡¯t seem to notice this action, the empress narrowed her eyes, her gaze assessing as she stared at the way that silver-haired cultivator held her son with so much protectiveness. But before she could think of all the ways she could use this newfound discovery, she felt cold eyes settling on her. Shifting her attention, she saw that white-robed cultivator named Feng looking at her, his lips lightly quirked up and his expression deceptively mild.


    Holding back a shudder, the empress resolutely discarded the thought of interfering any further in her son¡¯s life. Offending that cultivator would definitely not be worth it!


    Qinghe turned his gaze away from the empress in satisfaction. It seemed that his warning from last time had stuck with her as he had hoped.


    The emperor waited for the group of four to greet him, only to be met with silence, causing him to grit his teeth at this blatant disrespect.


    It seemed that their lack of courtesy hadn¡¯t changed in the least from the last time! He could only pray that they wouldn¡¯t go about cracking lewd jokes in his presence again.


    ¡°Cultivator Feng, we have called you here for an important reason,¡± the emperor began without delay.


    Qinghe tilted his head in apparent curiosity at being addressed so directly. ¡°I am willing to listen, Your Majesty,¡± he said noncommittally.


    The emperor narrowed his eyes, unable to hide the eagerness glittering in his gaze as he stated, ¡°We wish to pass an imperial decree regarding the venerable Cultivator Feng and grant you an unimaginable honor.¡±


    As a rule, imperial decrees were not passed directly like this by the emperor in the throne room. A eunuch from the palace usually carried the scroll containing the decree to the relevant household and read it out loud, followed by the bequeathing of carefully selected treasures and gifts. Of course, the actual procedure was a lot more complicated, with many more steps and stringent protocols to be observed in between.


    But the emperor felt that according to his guests¡¯ irreverent attitudes, if he were to send out an imperial decree to them using the usual method, they would probably just throw it away! He would have no power over the situation or have any way to make them obey if he used that approach.


    And so, realizing this, the emperor invited them here, having already stationed many soldiers to surround the imperial court so that these cultivators wouldn¡¯t be able to escape and would have no choice but to follow his decree.


    Of course, the cultivators had long since sensed the presence of the guards outside, but they remained silent, waiting patiently to see where this would go.


    Seeing that the emperor appeared to be waiting for a response, Qinghe nodded and simply repeated again, ¡°I am willing to listen.¡± He would not promise to do any more than that.


    Not minding his vague reply, the emperor smiled in anticipation and announced to the court with a solemn and majestic tone, his voice ringing throughout the throne room:


    ¡°We hereby bestow a marriage to the cultivator Feng Qinghe, who is to be wedded to our son, Jing Rui, within the time of three months, on an auspicious day chosen by the court astrologers. We hope that this joyful union will be blessed with health and prosperity!¡±


    A moment of stunned silence fell upon the room.


    Jing Rui¡¯s smile got impossibly wider, his gaze gleaming with unmentionable desires as he looked at that impossibly beautiful cultivator who had humiliated him so badly the last time they¡¯d met.


    Over these past days, Jing Rui¡¯s obsession to own this man had grown to an unbelievable degree. He wanted to watch that cultivator¡¯s face twist and wrench in agony while Jing Rui used his body as he pleased. He wanted to see that aloof person slowly fall apart and break, being gradually unraveled within his hands. And thinking how he would finally have that chance, Jing Rui could barely contain his glee.


    And once he was done playing with him, Jing Rui would of course throw him away and get back to torturing his dolls again. After all, everyone already knew that this marriage edict was just a farce, so no one would expect this philandering prince to change his ways or take this marriage seriously.


    Meanwhile, after hearing this ridiculous proclamation, the four cultivators looked up with incredulity at the old emperor.


    Jing Shui frowned in disbelief and dissatisfaction that his father was trying to impose something like this upon his friend. Feng Qinghe was not someone from this empire, so how could his father have the right to decide his fate? And trying to marry him to that Jing Rui was simply bad taste to an extreme degree!


    Unlike his silently fuming beloved, Wu Xiao directly let out a snort at the emperor¡¯s presumptuousness. There was no way that crafty Xiao Feng was going to take this lying down and let this foolish old man have his way!


    On the other hand, Wei Xiang, who had been standing with a disinterested look all this time, suddenly snapped his attention to the emperor after hearing the decree, his gaze sharp and icy.


    Even though he didn¡¯t feel that the emperor¡¯s words posed any threat to the relationship between him and his little lover, he still couldn¡¯t bear his audacity in trying to link his beloved to that vile cretin. Even now, he still remembered what sort of vulgar words that Jing Rui had flung at his Qinghe. For his lover to be mentioned in the same sentence as that disgrace of a human being was in itself an insult!


    Sensing his beloved¡¯s mounting fury, Qinghe placed a hand on Wei Xiang¡¯s arm and rubbed it lightly in a soothing gesture.


    Then in a pleasant and unruffled tone, Qinghe turned to the emperor and said simply, ¡°I refuse.¡±


    The emperor¡¯s eyes bulged at the casualness of this rejection. ¡°You do not have the right to refuse. This is an imperial decree!¡±


    Wu Xiao burst out into laughter, the sound of his merriment ringing loudly in the large room. In a mocking voice, he asked, ¡°My dear Father-in-law, have you gone senile? In which universe would that useless son of yours deserve to even lick the boots of our Xiao Feng, let alone marry him?¡±


    Despite the overt rudeness of the words, Jing Shui still felt like cheering on his lover. It was truly well said! As for his beloved¡¯s address of the emperor as ¡®Father-in-law¡¯¡­Jing Shui decisively chose to ignore it for now.


    Hearing this, Wei Xiang¡¯s rage also abated somewhat, faint amusement beginning to take root in its place. Yes, this was truly too ridiculous.


    Qinghe smiled helplessly, feeling somewhat strange at being defended like this. After all, he was still unused to being cared for by others.


    Retaining his peace in the face of the emperor¡¯s piercing gaze, Qinghe spoke up and stated plainly, ¡°Imperial decree or not, you still have no right to make me marry without my express consent. And I definitely do not consent.¡±


    The emperor gritted his teeth again. But before he could say something, Jing Rui burst out, ¡°Oh? You still think you have a choice?¡± Then giving a cold chuckle, he continued, ¡°Here¡¯s the only choice you have¡ªyou can either choose to give yourself to me of your own free will or be forced into becoming mine.¡±


    Qinghe wanted to roll his eyes at this ridiculous threat. This prince wanted to force him? Him and what army? But no, Qinghe reflected that even an army wouldn¡¯t suffice if they wanted to go against him, not to mention the additional three people with him.


    But before Qinghe could say this aloud, Wei Xiang stepped in front of him as if unable to bear Jing Rui casting his greedy gaze on his beloved.


    In a cutting tone, Wei Xiang spat at Jing Rui, ¡°You dare think you can lay a hand on my lover? I would very much like to see you try. Or better yet, why don¡¯t you come and try to take me on by yourself, you spineless maggot.¡±


    Jing Rui¡¯s face immediately turned an unsightly purple from rage as he choked on his words.


    Not willing to see his son¡¯s disgraceful state anymore, the emperor spoke to Wei Xiang, ¡°Lover or not, you have no say in this matter.¡± Then turning to Qinghe, he said solemnly, ¡°I advise Cultivator Feng to think carefully. You are within lands that operate under the authority of the imperial family and the emperor. Your connections with the cultivator sects will be of no use here. As such, it is impossible for you to evade the imperial decree with your own strength. And if your companions try to aid you, then they will have to be detained in the dungeons for the crime of breaking the law. And in this empire, what I say is the law!¡±


    Jing Shui finally couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. ¡°Imperial Father, do you really think the cultivation world won¡¯t hear of this? Are you not afraid of the consequences of forcefully detaining a cultivator?!¡±


    The emperor frowned, disliking having to look at this disobedient son of his at all, much less hearing him speak for the other side¡¯s defense. If he couldn¡¯t be of use, then he should just stay mute.


    After a second of silence, the emperor finally deigned to speak, ¡°He is only one cultivator, while I rule the entire Xing Long Empire. Would the cultivation sects cause a diplomatic issue with such a prominent empire just for the sake of a few cultivators? As long as your lives aren¡¯t threatened, they will simply pay your plights no mind and go about their business. It would be better to quickly accept the fact that there will be no help arriving for you and just give in.¡±


    Wu Xiao burst into laughter, his voice much louder than before.


    The emperor turned his head to glare at him viciously.


    This silver-haired man kept constantly mocking him in this way. And on top of that, the emperor was also aware that it was because of this man that all his attempts at getting his hands on his son till now were thwarted.


    The emperor did not know what methods this silver-haired man had used, but none of his men were willing to act against his son anymore after having to face his son¡¯s lover just once. In the end, the emperor had been forced to leave them in peace, his belly full of grievances and dissatisfaction.


    Scowling, the emperor asked furiously, ¡°What does this cultivator find so humorous, may I ask?¡±


    But though the question was directed at Wu Xiao, seeing how he was still laughing uncontrollably, Jing Shui decided to answer on behalf of his beloved. ¡°Of course he¡¯d laugh, your reasoning is that laughable.¡±


    The emperor directed a fierce look at his son and Jing Shui had to force himself to not flinch or look away from his father¡¯s overbearing gaze.


    Firming his resolve, Jing Shui finally decided to put everything on the table. ¡°You say that the cultivation world would ignore our plight? Imperial Father, do you even know who we are?! The Brother Feng that you are looking down on and trying to coerce so forcefully is the second and most favored disciple of the Heavenly Peak Sect. And he is not only beloved by his master and the people of his sect, but he also has the support of many other prominent people in the cultivational world. For example, me, the current head disciple and future sect master of the Golden Sun Sect, and my lover, the sect master of the Silver Moon Sect.¡±


    The emperor looked at the silver-haired man, who was still chortling, with disbelief. He was the sect master of such a renowned sect? And his own son was the future sect master of that famed Golden Sun Sect? Wasn¡¯t the Golden Sun Sect known to be the leading power in the financial and business worlds?!


    Unheeding of his father¡¯s astonishment, Jing Shui continued, ¡°And not only does Brother Feng have the support of these three sects, he is also owed favors and has close relationships with the Lightning Sky Sect and the Drifting Clouds Sect. In short, Brother Feng is directly connected to some of the most influential members of the entire Five Great Sects that oversee the cultivation world. Imperial Father, it means that if you try to wrong Feng Qinghe, you will have to prepare for war with the entire cultivation world. Are you prepared to go that far?¡±


    The entire court fell into a horrified silence.


    War with the entire cultivation world? Don¡¯t joke! Even if their cultivation was a sham, their martial arts skills were definitely genuine! Combined with their far greater age which would have allowed them to gain more experience in fighting, there was no guarantee that their empire would win if they clashed in battle. In fact, putting together the cultivation world¡¯s martial might, their powerful connections, and their deep influence in various areas, they could easily crush the Xing Long empire under their heel!


    With a wide grin, Wu Xiao proudly praised his beloved for standing up to his bastard of a father and stunning the entire court into silence. ¡°Well said, Ah-Shui! After such a long time of peace, the young ones in the sects are itching for a fight anyway. This could be fun.¡±


    Hearing all this, Qinghe felt touched. In a way, he really did have a lot of people who cared for him.


    And of course, he also had people who would lend their aid because they owed him.


    For example, because he had helped the people from the Lightning Sky Sect with the wyvern, they would stand by him. And because he had in a way already fulfilled his end of the bargain by giving the Ping residence the loyalty of many prominent people, thus raising their status, the Drifting Clouds Sect also owed him and would help, since their sect master hadn¡¯t paid up yet.


    All in all, the human connections he had were plentiful, though truthfully, he didn¡¯t need any of them to deal with the current issue.


    But for now, there was no reason to let them know that.


    While the entire court contemplated seriously about the significance of these cultivator guests and their surprising status, the empress suddenly spoke up, ¡°I refuse to believe that those cultivators will go to war over such a tiny matter. After all, the Sentinels won¡¯t stand for such unnecessary bloodshed!¡±


    Qinghe wanted to snort. Well, the Sentinels did not stand for forced marriages or the kidnapping and torturing of civilians either, and yet this self-righteous empress didn¡¯t seem to have a problem with that.


    Wu Xiao decided to enlighten them and said, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure. Do you not know who Xiao Feng¡¯s lover is? I¡¯m certain even you must have heard of Sentinel Wei.¡±


    Hearing that name, the empress¡¯s face paled.


    Who here hadn¡¯t heard of Wei Xiang, the rumored successor of the Sentinel Grandmaster? They all knew his reputation and how he was the Grandmaster¡¯s most favored disciple. If he truly decided to wage war for this offense against his beloved, then they would have to deal with the might of the Sentinels on top of the cultivators.


    Seeing this reaction, Wei Xiang merely smirked. He supposed it was about time for them to know his identity. After all, there was no more need to keep it hidden.


    At the side, Qinghe also smiled. By now, their objective must have already been accomplished.


    Because the true reason for Qinghe agreeing to meet with the emperor was not simply out of boredom or amusement.


    Now that the entire imperial family was congregated at one place, they would of course require the most talented imperial guards to stay beside them and keep watch so that no one took this opportunity to wipe them all out in one go. On top of that, they had also diverted a significant portion of the soldiers patrolling the palace¡¯s grounds to surround the imperial court to pressure Qinghe and his group.


    As a result, the security in other places had naturally thinned, making it easier for the Sentinels to sneak in.


    And as for the purpose of the Sentinel¡¯s infiltration, it was to find and rescue the people who were forcefully detained in the palace. And the reason for all this secrecy was to avoid tipping off the perpetrators so that they wouldn¡¯t do something drastic and harm the captives in their desperation.


    A few days back, Qinghe had used his wind to carefully note down each of the secret chambers and hidden places that Xi Heng had spoken about. All these details about the canvassed locations were handed to the Sentinels through Wei Xiang so that their work would go smoother.


    All in all, considering the Sentinels¡¯ efficiency, the rescue operation would have been completed by now, all the captives freed and taken away to a safe place to recuperate in peace.


    They had no more need to stall.


    ¡°So, Your Majesty, that¡¯s how it is. You can¡¯t raise a hand against us if you wish to avoid a war. If you still continue pursuing this matter of marriage between me and your son, then please don¡¯t blame us for not holding back,¡± Qinghe said with a carefree shrug.


    The emperor¡¯s hands fisted tightly over the armrests of his throne. The way the events had proceeded had really left him with the feeling of being slapped in the face again and again! It was unbearable! But he couldn¡¯t justify being foolish enough to go against this group of powerful people, knowing full well that it would only be detrimental to him.


    He couldn¡¯t risk that, especially not now that his power base had grown so shaky.


    Seeing the worries and caution on the emperor¡¯s face, Qinghe smiled happily and spoke, ¡°Since it seems that Your Majesty has come to a reasonable decision, we shall take our leave now. Please instruct your soldiers to not obstruct us.¡±


    Saying so, Qinghe promptly turned to leave.


    The emperor could only watch with bulging eyes and gritted teeth, the veins in his forehead popping out clearly as he watched the group of cultivators walk back out of the throne room without ceremony.


    It infuriated him to death, but there was nothing he could do!


    crimson_carnation


    Wu Xiao (to the emperor): Who are you to try and bully our Xiao Feng? I am the only one who can bully him!


    Qinghe: (¨‹£ß¨‹)


    Wei Xiang: I take exception. Only I can bully my cute little lover.


    Qinghe: (¨‹£ß¨‹)


    Qinghe: Sure, you can both try it. *cracks knuckles* But don''t start crying when I bully you back, okay? (?^?^?)¦Õ


    Wu Xiao, Wei Xiang: ¡­


    The Emperor: Are you all just ignoring me?


    Jing Shui: *sipping tea at the side* You go, Brother Feng. Teach them a lesson.

 Chapter 75: The Fall of a Dynasty

    When the fall came, it arrived suddenly and swiftly.


    Like a pot boiling over, the raging rebellion suddenly broke through the imperial family¡¯s suppression.


    The people rioted.


    It was a string of simple things that, when put together, formed a terrible picture of corruption and oppression, of pitiless, merciless subjugation, inciting the fury that the people had already been forced to endure and swallow down for too long. That was how the rebellion first began.


    All the people had needed was a small spark, a little flicker of flame, for all their dissatisfaction with the current regime to ignite into glorious fire that roared high and mighty. And now, they refused to let that fire be extinguished.


    And of course, all of this was the result of Qinghe¡¯s meticulous planning and manipulation behind the scenes finally bearing fruit.


    By carefully gathering the verified accounts of the imperial family¡¯s misdeeds and allowing it to promulgate through preplanned and carefully chosen channels, the already abundant rumors against the imperial family intensified. This made the emperor order the imperial guards to crack down harder on those that spoke ill of him, which only seeded even more dissent in the people, causing more unsavory rumors about the imperial family and their tyrannical ways to spread.


    As this vicious cycle kept repeating, the merchants and traders suddenly started raising their prices, claiming that the corrupt tax officials were asking for more and more bribes. They expressed their helplessness, saying that they were unable to do anything but increase the charges on their wares to keep their family fed.


    Hearing this and being directly inconvenienced because of this issue, the common people began feeling that the stability of their everyday life was being threatened. Even those who had expressed neutral opinions regarding politics before slowly began joining the rebellion. After all, corruption causing the prices of food and other daily necessities to increase was no joke! It directly impacted their lives!


    And just as the interior of the country was in turmoil, the nation¡¯s boundary wasn¡¯t spared either.


    One by one, the generals started pulling back, allowing the country¡¯s borders to be in unrest and on the verge of being breached by the foreign threats. The generals all claimed the same thing¨Dthe funds allotted by the imperial treasury had all been stolen by the various officials on the way, rendering them unable to support the army with the remaining pittance that managed to reach them. Thus, they were forced to halt their defense due to lack of even the most basic of rations and being unable to repair or replace their damaged armor and weaponry.


    As word of this spread, people only pointed more fingers at the associated ministers and corrupt government officials. If another country invaded them at a time like this, what were they going to do? Was lining their own pockets really such an important thing at a time like this?!


    But the emperor chose to ignore these voices that demanded answers of him. All the implicated courtiers were his people, and extricating them from this mess ended up leaving him with huge damages. Not to mention that the reputation of the imperial palace and all its supporters was being dragged through the mud due to this.


    And still the dissenting went on and on, denouncing the imperial court for being dishonest, arrogant, incompetent among other things.


    But the truth was that all of these problems had, in fact, been existing for a long time now. It was just that no one had dared to make a fuss about it, trying to keep things running so that their livelihoods would be safe.


    For example, the generals had always had to supplement for the missing funds with their own wealth, paying out of their pockets while their household slowly declined. But what could they do? They couldn¡¯t very well let the common people fend for themselves against foreign attacks, now could they?


    And so they had suffered.


    The same applied for the merchants and traders as well. If they wanted to continue being able to do business in the empire, they had to grit their teeth and fork out the bribes as asked, even if they were forced to live increasingly frugal lives day by day due to the loss of profit.


    And so they¡¯d had to endure.


    Nevertheless, things only got worse, and not better, as time passed.


    Even though the people tried to hold on and compromise more and more, the quality of their lives still kept declining. And being compelled to bear the pressure of the imperial family pressing down on them during all this only made everything all the more difficult for them to bear.


    Taking advantage of this suppressed rage and indignation of the people, Qinghe had simply lit the fuse, letting them know about what all they could do and how they could coordinate their efforts so that this situation could be reversed.


    He let Ping Nian and his people convince the populace that things could be even better. For example, the traders and merchants were informed of the increased projections of profits for businesses they could get if they were not as constrained by this tyrannical rule.


    As for people of military lineages who fought loyally for the imperial family all these years, they were shown irrefutable proof of how the imperial family had been intending to turn on them out of baseless fear that they would betray their masters.


    Merchants, farmers, traders, soldiers, artisans, scholars¡­ Ping Nian and his people told each of these factions about all the ways their lives could become better if they escaped from this oppression. He explained that if they helped them in overthrowing the current reign, then they would only reap benefits.


    With their self-interests and passions thus roused, the people chose to finally stand up and cry injustice against their incompetent rulers.


    The streets echoed with the roars of the angry crowds, like the battle cry of a huge beast with a million throats. The rebellion that had been brewing for a long while was finally underway in full swing.


    ¡­¡­.


    The old baker woman hid under her cloak as she slowly walked forward on the dusty path, dawdling past the guards who had been sent by the palace to suppress the rebels.


    These were dangerous times, where the ones who should have been protecting the citizens were the ones doing them harm instead.


    My, how scary, thought the sweet old lady, shaking her head disapprovingly.


    In one hand, she carried a basket of freshly baked bread, fragrant steam still wafting off of it in tantalizing curls. In her other hand, she clutched a crumpled little white flower.


    Though it looked like a common wildflower that one would find growing anywhere by the roadside, it was in fact a mutation that could only take root in areas with very special conditions, specifically, places rich in spiritual energy. And in the current world, most of such areas fell within the domain of the cultivational sects.


    The only way to distinguish between these two varieties would be to see whether the flower¡¯s soft yellow center was tinged with orange, like the color of a ripe mango. The flower in the old baker woman¡¯s hand was definitely one of these rare mutations.


    But as if uncaring of this uniqueness, the old woman carelessly clutched it in her hand and hurried onward.


    Reaching a large black iron gate, the baker woman looked up with deep eyes, firm resolution lining her wrinkled face.


    As if from nowhere, a guard suddenly appeared outside the gate and approached the old woman. The woman wordlessly handed over the flower, and after examining it carefully, the guard opened the gates and let her in with a respectful bow.


    Down the path leading from the gate was a huge manor. In one of the rooms inside this manor were several prominent guests.


    Ping Nian looked over from his desk, his eyes wandering over this collection of influential people with a complicated look.


    Perpendicular to the desk and a little ways away was a long table with chairs on either side. On one side sat a madam in her forties, arranging flowers in a vase out of boredom, while the friend seated beside her was talking eagerly about horticulture with the man across the table. This man was the official from the Ministry of Agriculture that Qinghe had rescued from assassins on the forested road. The official was now eagerly discussing methods of replanting certain types of flowering plants with the madam¡¯s friend.


    At the end of the long table sat another man, a scrawny middle-aged courtier, eagerly devouring noodles from a large bowl, eating as if he were starving and it was his last meal.


    Leaning against one wall was a muscular man wearing dented plate armor with a dull sheen. He was carefully wiping down a tomahawk with a cloth, his brows furrowed. He had just arrived and had yet to get out of his gear, choosing instead to stay here to observe the others in the room and get a read of the situation first.


    By a chair near the windowsill sat a young man with a beautiful face, frowning in concentration as he moved a brush across a canvas. A small streak of paint smudged his chin, adding charm to his otherwise cold visage. Occasionally, he looked up at the room full of people with squinted eyes, then went back to painting.


    And finally, reposed on a divan at the side laid Kong Min, his folded hands placed under his head as he rested lazily. By the foot of the divan and sprawled on the floor sat Lord Tai, happily chomping on a plate of juicy fruits.


    When the old baker woman entered, this was the scene that greeted her.


    The young man painting by the window looked up with obvious surprise on his face. ¡°Grandma Shi? Have you also joined the rebels?¡±


    The two women sitting at the table, Lord Tai lounging at the side, and Lord Ping Nian, all looked up at the old lady with the same astonished expressions.


    With a bright smile and kind eyes, the baker woman nodded in reply to the young man. Then walking to the table, she placed her basket of fresh bread down and spoke in a warm tone, ¡°I don¡¯t know of how much use I will be, but for now, sit down and have something to eat. I baked a batch of these just a while ago, so they are still warm.¡±


    As the aroma of freshly baked bread spread throughout the room, as if drawn over by an irresistible urge, the group of people slowly walked towards the table, converging around the basket. After they all pulled out a chair to sit and eat, Ping Nian called for a few more dishes to be brought, deciding to turn this into an early lunch.


    Except for the Kong Min still drowsing at the side, the others all happily partook of the meal.


    The moment he was done eating, the young man rushed back to his painting while sighing in his heart. Now he would have to add Grandma Shi into the scene as well. So much work.


    As for who this Grandma Shi was¡­ She was just a baker woman.


    But because she was a kind old lady with a worldly air about her, people felt comfortable in spilling their secrets and worries to her, and Grandma Shi listened intently to each of their stories and often had the perfect solution for their troubles. It could be a problem as simple as that of a youngster seeking advice to get over an unrequited love, or as weighty as a minister seeking to know how to protect one¡¯s family from the advances of a more powerful household¡ªno matter the issue, Grandma Shi could solve it all.


    Soon, this propensity of hers made her somewhat famous among the citizens of the capital, especially nobles who were looking for capable people to add to their side. It also helped that many powerful people who had taken to visiting her shop owed her favors for her helpful guidance.


    And so, many people tried to request her to become their advisor, but Grandma Shi refused them all, content to run her little bakery and bake fresh bread every morning for the nearby housewives and househusbands to come and buy.


    But not many knew that Grandma Shi was, in fact, the retired matriarch of a very powerful noble family.


    In the capital and beyond, the Shi household was known for remaining neutral for the most part, neither supporting nor denouncing any of the various political factions. It had been so even for the rebellion.


    At least until now.


    Due to their former matriarch¡¯s presence here, it was obvious that the Shi household had finally chosen a side.


    Since Grandma Shi was here at Ping Nian¡¯s mansion, it naturally meant that she must have been sent an invite in the form of that mutated flower, indicating that she was useful for their cause and was trustworthy. The fact that she chose to accept it and come here already made her one of the rebellion¡¯s people now.


    Soon, lunch was over and the group of people finally began to discuss.


    ¡°Have you heard from Lord Feng yet?¡± asked the official from the Ministry of Agriculture with mild anxiety tightening his face. ¡°Have we received any new instructions?¡±


    Ping Nian sighed. ¡°His instructions will come when he thinks it is time. Until then, we will fill in the gaps and do what is expected.¡±


    Many of the people nodded.


    The woman who had been discussing gardening with the official piped up, ¡°It¡¯s easier said than done. The situation with the sea route where we were planning to send reinforcements to the northern territories is going sideways. The imperial army is in the process of creating a blockade with troublesome checkpoints. We can get through there, but we will need some extra time to modify the vessels to hide the troops better so that they won¡¯t be found out. But at the rate things are going, getting even that bit of additional time is going to be problematic.¡±


    The man wearing armor frowned. ¡°I hear that we will be getting support from the Queen of the Seas. I don¡¯t know how Lord Feng managed it, but it¡¯s a very valuable avenue of support. You should make use of it.¡±


    The woman looked thoughtful, then nodded.


    ¡°If there are any other issues, then please report them now,¡± Ping Nian called to them all.


    The young man who was painting was the first to respond. In an absentminded tone, he continued moving his brush as he spoke, ¡°I need some clarification regarding the publicizing of the information about the captives freed from the palace. It would be more impactful if a few of them came out to give their testimonies to the public. It would breed more sympathy towards the victims and result in increased outrage against the palace.¡±


    But Ping Nian shook his head. ¡°Lord Feng has already asked us not to involve the victims since it could have a detrimental effect on their mental health. Do what you can with the information alone.¡±


    The young man nodded breezily, his attention seemingly focused on the canvas as he asked, ¡°Then may I count on the famed Grandma Shi¡¯s assistance in this matter?¡±


    The old woman nodded with a sweet smile. ¡°Of course. If I am able to, I¡¯ll be glad to help.¡±


    The armored man spoke up again. ¡°How much longer should we generals manage the border like this? Making it look as if we aren¡¯t defending it, but having to do all the work in secret anyway¡­ this method is very tiring for us. I am here to ask on behalf of all the generals guarding the borders, not just myself. If this goes on, we can¡¯t guarantee that we won¡¯t expose something at a crucial time due to exhaustion. We need this to end quickly.¡±


    Sighing, Ping Nian nodded. ¡°I have already received instructions regarding this. If this drags on beyond your endurance, then I have received assurance from Lord Feng that he will send people to take care of the border on his own and not burden you further.¡±


    The man wearing armor furrowed his brows and sunk into a contemplative silence.


    With worry apparent in her gaze, the madam in her forties spoke up for the first time. ¡°Lord Ping, there is something that I have to ask. How sure are you that Lord Feng will not interfere in the background or try to pull your strings after you have been enthroned?¡±


    The others had also had this doubt at one time or another, but none of them had voiced it out loud like this.


    Ping Nian looked at the madam with an almost amused expression as he reassured, ¡°I don¡¯t think he is interested in ruling, even from the background. As we all know, he is not a part of the mortal world. He does not seek wealth or power as most would. Trying to gauge him by our standards will only bring us frustration, so there is no need to trouble ourselves over it.¡±


    Many showed thoughtful expressions as they reflected on these words, their expressions complicated.


    Lord Tai finally broke this complex and layered silence as he said with a sharp look in his eyes, ¡°This is a rare occurrence where someone from the cultivational world is working together with people from the mortal world to remove this blight of an emperor. We should utilize this chance properly. Anyway, there is no point in doubting him now. Things have almost come to a head with the rebellion. Adding to that, Lord Feng has never asked us anything in return or imposed any unreasonable conditions on us for his benefit even though he has had plenty of opportunities to do so. There is no reason to withhold our trust in him because of such baseless doubts. If we did so, then we wouldn¡¯t be any better than that paranoid emperor.¡±


    Everyone nodded, finally convinced by this reasoning, and Ping Nian silently let out a sigh in relief.


    Now that that was resolved, the middle-aged courtier who had been eating noodles got up and stretched while patting his full stomach cheerfully. Seeing that the young man by the window was still painting, the courtier headed towards him to see just what he was doing.


    But what he saw really made the courtier feel speechless.


    He¡¯d thought that the young man was drawing the scene in the room, but what he saw was¡­


    ¡°Are those frogs?¡± the courtier asked incredulously.


    The young man didn¡¯t look up as he added a few touch-ups here and there. ¡°Bravo for figuring it out. I see that your eyes are not only for show, my lord.¡±


    Indeed, painted on the canvas were a group of frogs, all of them alighted on a gathering of moldering lotus leaves, the wide and round leaves floating placidly on the surface of a muck-filled pool. In a small basket-like nutshell placed at the center were a bunch of dead flies. A particularly thin frog at the side was enthusiastically munching on one such fly, an expression of glee on its face.


    Seeing this, the courtier had the strange feeling that this frog was supposed to represent him. But putting that aside¡­


    ¡°¡­Why a fly?¡± he asked.


    The young man answered as if it was obvious, ¡°Because, to my knowledge, frogs don¡¯t eat bread or noodles.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Hearing the young man putting it this way, it was obvious that that thin frog was really meant to be him! Then did it mean that the remaining frogs stood for the other people in this room? The courtier pondered upon this possibility with wry humor.


    But before he had the chance to ask the young man about this, he saw something flash at the corner of his vision.


    Just then, something silvery floated in through an open window, diverting the attentions of all the people in the room.


    It was a little fish ensconced in a bubble of spiritual energy.


    The lords and ladies who saw this showed open or hidden wonder in their faces, their eyes tracking the movements of the little fish as it swam through the air and made directly for Ping Nian.


    Ping Nian opened his hand, palm up, and extended it towards the fish by habit. He had already gotten used to this by now.


    The little silver fish floated down and settled onto the offered palm and flashed brighter. A pleasant voice sounded from the fish, commanding with a single word:


    ¡°Begin.¡±


    Then the fish dissolved into light and disappeared.


    The expressions on the faces of all those present changed. Some showed anticipation, some excitement, while others maintained their seriousness. One by one, they got up and began heading towards the door.


    Since their Lord Feng had finally given the go-ahead, they were looking forward to finally going all out. It was, at last, the time for them to pull down that selfish emperor from his throne of rot and greed.


    It was time for the old dynasty to fall.


    ¡­¡­


    Soon, the Yong Dynasty toppled under the combined efforts of Ping Nian and his faction of influential courtiers, and the Ping household was instated as the new imperial family, to overwhelming support from both the public and the aristocrats.


    Due to a bit of information manipulation behind the scenes and the open way in which Ping Nian had led the rebellion, the transition from the old regime to the new was particularly smooth, with a minimum of friction from the populace.


    But by the time all this happened, Qinghe and his group had long since left the capital.


    Just as when they were traveling towards the palace, the four cultivators took their time, sightseeing and enjoying their journey.


    While making their way through a stretch of forest, Qinghe spotted a small lake lying in a valley, its shimmering surface a bright azure blue.


    Unable to hide his excitement at the thought of finally being able to take a dip in clear and clean waters, Qinghe suggested that they rest for a while by the lake. The others amusedly agreed and the group soon settled nearby.


    ¡°The Yong Dynasty really came to an end?¡± Jing Shui asked, trying to contain the trembling in his voice caused by the mixed emotions churning inside him. ¡°What about my paren¨D I mean, the emperor and the empress?¡±


    Qinghe looked at his friend with sympathy as he recounted, ¡°The emperor fled with a portion of the army that still retained their loyalty towards him. From what I hear, Prince Jing Rui is the only other imperial family member with him. No one else wishes to throw in their lot with that pair while they are being pursued by the Sentinels. After all, they are implicated in that case with people being held captive in the palace and quite a few other matters. It¡¯s only a matter of time before they are caught and held accountable for their crimes.


    ¡°The empress went to take shelter in her maiden home and Prince Jing Hao escaped into the streets of the capital. I didn¡¯t bother to find out about the empress¡¯s situation, but I do know that Prince Jing Hao is not doing too well. None of his allies wish to take him in at this time, so I suppose he will have to turn to working like a commoner to survive for now. But if he turns out to be involved with something illegal, as I¡¯m sure he is, then the Sentinels won¡¯t let him off so easily.¡±


    Hearing this, Jing Shui felt neither happy nor sad. Though they were his family by blood, not much familial affections were left between them now. Hearing about their fates only left him feeling numb.


    But thinking about how he wasn¡¯t a prince anymore, about how he didn¡¯t need to fear being dragged back from now on¡­ an intense sense of relief surged through him, almost bowling him over with its strength.


    He was finally, finally free from that place.

 Chapter 76: Finally Back Home

    The bright rays of sunlight fell onto the surface of the lake, scattering glittering reflections on the water that sparkled with enough brilliance to dazzle the eyes.


    On the flat surface of a large rock situated by the lakeside sat a white-clad person, his legs crossed and posture straight.


    This calmly meditating figure looked like a picture painted solely in black and white. The smooth fall of his ink-like hair spilled over and contrasted against the unblemished snowy robe in a solemnly stark, yet nevertheless complementary lack of colors. And despite being tinted with the faint flush of warmth denoting life, his skin still seemed a radiant white due to the tranquility and quietude surrounding him, as if time itself had stilled, immortalizing this peaceful scene.


    Suddenly, the lashes of the serenely meditating man lightly trembled, then slowly rose, revealing bright and keen eyes that shone liquidly in the light.


    Qinghe slowly unfolded his legs and sat more relaxedly while looking around to survey the situation.


    Sitting in the shade under a nearby tree, Jing Shui and Wu Xiao were talking softly, Jing Shui¡¯s face flushed a faint pink as he shyly held on to Wu Xiao¡¯s hand.


    A bit further away, Wei Xiang was lying stretched out on the grassy ground, appearing to be asleep. But seemingly sensing his beloved¡¯s gaze on him, his eyes eased open as he turned to look in Qinghe¡¯s direction. Pushing himself up in a smooth motion, Wei Xiang began walking towards his little lover while Wu Xiao and Jing Shui also finally noticed that Qinghe had awakened from his meditation.


    Wu Xiao was the first to speak. ¡°Xiao Feng, how is your cultivation? Is it stable enough for the coming tournament? After all, you¡¯ll have to fight using your spiritual energy. Will you really be alright?¡±


    Qinghe nodded and reassured him, ¡°I don¡¯t see any problems. My body has already caught up with my cultivation, so even if it were to rise by a level more, I can still handle it fairly easily.¡±


    Having finally reached Qinghe, Wei Xiang heard their conversation and decided to take a peek at his beloved¡¯s soul just in case. ¡°Yes, the restrictions seem pretty stable and there are no abnormalities with his soul.¡±


    With equally surprised expressions, Wu Xiao and Jing Shui turned to Wei Xiang.


    ¡°You can see people¡¯s souls?¡± Wu Xiao burst out.


    At the same time, Jing Shui asked, ¡°You have the dragon¡¯s eyes?¡±


    Hearing this strange statement, everyone looked at Jing Shui confusedly.


    Qinghe was just wondering whether his friend had somehow found out about Wei Xiang¡¯s heritage when Jing Shui elaborated, ¡°Ah, it¡¯s a type of constitution, I guess. Legends state that true dragons from the heavenly realm have the ability to look into a person¡¯s soul. They say that sometimes those descended from the bloodlines of true dragons can also manifest this ability, so it¡¯s called ¡®dragon eyes¡¯ or ¡®dragon sight¡¯. It doesn¡¯t mean that these people are necessarily related to spiritual beasts, just that they might have had a true dragon somewhere far back in their bloodline.¡±


    Wei Xiang looked amused at this bit of information while Qinghe secretly heaved a breath in relief.


    It wasn¡¯t that he minded his friend finding it out, but this was after all not Qinghe¡¯s secret to reveal. If Wei Xiang wanted to, he would tell them in his own time, but until then, Qinghe was prepared to keep the secret of his lover¡¯s birth hidden.


    Qinghe calmly switched the topic as he asked, ¡°Brother Jing, will you be participating in the coming Hundred-Year Tournament?¡±


    Jing Shui nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve already reached fifth realm and finished consolidating it, so I¡¯m qualified at least. I suppose I¡¯ll be one of the few representing my sect. Brother Feng, you are also taking part, yes?¡±


    ¡°I guess so. I don¡¯t think my junior brothers will have had the time to achieve a breakthrough into fifth realm yet,¡± Qinghe said. After all, in his absence, the twins would have had to shoulder the majority of the work that Qinghe usually took care of, not leaving them with enough time to cultivate and raise their level.


    ¡°I see,¡± Jing Shui said consideringly. ¡°Then what about Brother Chen? I¡¯ve heard that he is throwing himself into intense training. Shouldn¡¯t he have had a breakthrough to fifth realm by now?¡±


    Qinghe smiled helplessly. ¡°Yes, in fact he did. But he hasn¡¯t yet finished consolidating his level yet. And the gap between his last few advancements have been very short, so if he doesn¡¯t take his time right now and stabilize his base, then it will only cause him troubles in the future.¡±


    Jing Shui nodded in agreement.


    Just then, with a flutter of spiritual energy, a bird-shaped message entered their field of vision, flying down from the sky and heading towards the group.


    As one, the four cultivators ceased speaking and diverted their attention towards the warm yellow colored bird.


    The bird was a cute and chubby little sparrow, seemingly molded out of glowing light and enclosed within a transparent bubble of energy as it made straight for Qinghe, its little wings flapping in quick little motions.


    Without getting up from where he was seated on the rock, Qinghe lifted a hand, his index finger extended as if offering a perch. The little bird swooped down to accurately land on it, its little claws carefully encircling the slender finger to anchor itself stably.


    Wu Xiao raised his eyebrows in recognition. There was only one person he knew who sent out this little bird as their messenger.


    In his clear voice, Qinghe ordered the bird, ¡°Speak.¡±


    Obeying, the bird¡¯s beak finally opened. But rather than sweet little chirps, what came out of its mouth was the pitiful and worried sounding voice of an old man, creating an absurdly comical disparity.


    ¡°Qing-er, where have you run off to now?! Master is very worried that you will miss the Hundred-Year Tournament. It only happens once every hundred years, so if you miss it now, you will have to wait another century! Your senior and junior brothers cannot participate this time, so you will be representing your master. Qing-er, there is only around a week left before the tournament begins, so hurry back and don¡¯t keep your master worrying like this¨D!¡±


    Zhen YiLan¡¯s voice abruptly halted before continuing in a more muffled tone, as if he were speaking to someone else at the side, ¡°¡­Ah, Jin-er, no¨D wait, there¡¯s even more paperwork? Ah! This much?!¡±


    Then in a more miserable tone, the message went on, ¡°Qing-er, your master is going to die under all these piles of papers! Please, hurry!¡±


    As the complaining voice finally stopped, the little bird shut its beak again and dissolved into light before disappearing completely.


    Qinghe let out a deep sigh. His master was really too troublesome.


    Clapping him lightly on the shoulder, Wei Xiang hid his amusement as he advised, ¡°I think we¡¯ve rested enough. Let¡¯s resume.¡±


    What could Qinghe do but nod in resignation?


    His heart, however, was wallowing in bitterness that he hadn¡¯t been able to frolic in the clear waters of the lake as he had wanted to.


    Oh well, he would just have to wait until he got back home. Then he could play in the stream flowing through his backyard to his heart¡¯s content, and maybe even rope in his lover so that they could engage in a few rounds of passionate water sports.


    And so, the group sped up as they steadily made for their destination. But since not all their sects were in the same place, they had to split up partway, with Jing Shui and Wu Xiao going in one direction while Qinghe and Wei Xiang went in another.


    The easiest way to reach the Silver Moon Sect was to go through the Golden Sun Sect, so Wu Xiao accompanied Jing Shui as they entered the grounds of the latter¡¯s sect.


    Over the last few hours, Jing Shui had grown strangely subdued, his cheeks flushing red and his eyes evading Wu Xiao¡¯s. And though Wu Xiao had noticed his beloved¡¯s odd behavior, he didn¡¯t comment on it.


    With a smile in his eyes, he spoke, ¡°Ah-Shui, I¡¯ll be going in a different direction from here, so we¡¯ll have to part ways for now.¡±


    Jing Shui gave a jerky nod and stuttered in a fluster, ¡°I-I¡¯ll see you l-later then.¡± And then he immediately sped away like his backside was on fire.


    Wu Xiao blinked confusedly at the swiftly retreating back of his beloved. Really now, what was up with his Ah-Shui all of a sudden?


    And then he remembered something.


    Back when they had been staying at the palace, Wu Xiao and Jing Shui had decided together that they¡¯d have sex after returning. And as they were making their way back, Jing Shui must have recalled what they had discussed before and must have gotten shy because of that.


    With an amused chuckle, Wu Xiao shook his head. What was he going to do with this adorable and bashful lover of his? Wu Xiao supposed he would just have to wait for Jing Shui to make up his mind and take the initiative to come to him on his own.


    Thinking this to himself cheerfully, Wu Xiao continued on towards his sect. But as he walked, he suddenly came across his senior sister on the way.


    Liu Xue was marching somewhere with a serious expression on her face as she dragged along a disciple behind her. The little disciple was carrying an armload of papers as he tried to frantically keep pace with his sect master¡¯s long strides.


    Seeing Wu Xiao, Liu Xue abruptly changed directions.


    ¡°Oi, Xiao Xiao, if you¡¯re back, then say so. Why are you sneaking around in my sect like this?¡± was how Liu Xue greeted Wu Xiao at running across him again after a long time.


    Wu Xiao snorted. ¡°I grew up in this sect right alongside you, so don¡¯t give me that nonsense, Elder Sister. And anyway, I just came back, so where would I have had the time to inform you about my return?¡±


    Liu Xue rolled her eyes as she huffed, ¡°I keep telling you to call me Senior Martial Sister. You brat, is this the respect you show your senior disciple?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, you keep lecturing me about that, but why don¡¯t I remember ever being called Junior Martial Brother by you, Elder Sister?¡±


    Shifting her gaze away, Liu Xue replied breezily, ¡°Why should I? Xiao Xiao sounds good enough. Who¡¯d waste their time spouting all those extra syllables each time?¡±


    ¡°You hypocrite!¡± Wu Xiao burst out.


    Liu Xue stuck out her tongue childishly, completely disregarding her image.


    The little disciple with a mountain of papers in his hands whipped his head back and forth as the two sect masters kept bickering. He felt like crying. Couldn¡¯t they both indulge in their sibling affection after he was done carrying this stuff? It was so heavy that his arms felt like they were going to pop right out of their sockets at any time, you know!


    As if sensing his grievances, Wu Xiao suddenly turned to look at this little disciple.


    His frowned as he felt a sense of familiarity, as if he¡¯d seen this little disciple before. Narrowing his eyes, Wu Xiao suddenly remembered. So it was that brat!


    Seeing Wu Xiao¡¯s gaze on the little disciple, Liu Xiao grinned evilly. ¡°Xiao Xiao, this is Wen Huan. Isn¡¯t he cute?¡±


    A light pink dusted Wen Huan¡¯s cheeks at the praise.


    This Wen Huan was, in fact, the Junior Brother Wen who had kept trying to speak up against Qinghe in the hidden realm. After he¡¯d sincerely apologized to Qinghe, Jing Shui had begun to feel somewhat favorably towards him, and so he helped him out now and then, which seemed to have brought Wen Huan to the notice of Liu Xue, who had then accepted him as a direct disciple and started using him as an errand boy with delight.


    Wu Xiao frowned and shot his senior sister a look. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking my leave now. I¡¯m sure I have much work piled up and waiting for me on my desk.¡±


    Liu Xue laughed smugly as she put an arm around the little disciple and pulled him closer before instructing, ¡°Xiao Huan, call me ¡®master¡¯.¡±


    Though Wen Huan felt exceedingly confused, he still dutifully did as told. ¡°Yes, Master.¡±


    Wu Xiao frowned harder, then his forehead suddenly smoothened as a wry grin stretched his lips. ¡°Oh, I forgot to tell you something before.¡±


    Then bowing towards a befuddled Liu Xue, Wu Xiao spoke, ¡°Senior Sister, your junior brother humbly asks for your blessings to live a happy life together with your first disciple from now on. After all, Ah-Shui has at last agreed to become my lover!¡±


    Liu Xue¡¯s brow twitched. Damn this one-upping little bastard!


    ¡°Wu Xiao, you sly old fox. So you finally seduced my little disciple into your evil clutches! This is so unfair!¡± Liu Xue groused.


    Wu Xiao chuckled with even more smugness than what Liu Xue had shown before. Pointedly looking at Liu Xue¡¯s arm still around Wen Huan¡¯s shoulder, Wu Xiao refuted, ¡°What do you mean unfair? This is exceedingly fair.¡±


    Then chortling happily, Wu Xiao continued, ¡°There is one saying that fits this situation especially well, it¡¯s something that the disciples from the Mist often like to use: Karma is a bitch.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s a bitch,¡± Liu Xue immediately retorted in a mutter under her breath.


    Wu Xiao blinked innocently, his eyes shining with laughter. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t catch that. What did the dignified sect master of the Golden Sun Sect just say?¡±


    Growling her dissatisfaction, Liu Xue warned, ¡°You better treat my little disciple well or I¡¯ll break your legs.¡±


    Uncaring of his senior sister¡¯s tone, Wu Xiao smiled warmly, ¡°I know, I know. Elder Sister, do you really think you need to threaten me before I promise to cherish and take care of my beloved Ah-Shui?¡±


    Liu Xue glared at Wu Xiao. ¡°Nevertheless, I¡¯ll be watching you.¡±


    Then with a huff, Liu Xue turned and continued her march towards her previous destination while dragging Wen Huan along again.


    But away from Wu Xiao¡¯s sight, Liu Xue¡¯s lips curled up, her eyes glowing with happiness. Though she had meant every word she said to Wu Xiao, she was more pleased by the union of her junior brother and little disciple than she let on.


    Wen Huan peeked up at his master¡¯s strange reaction, then looked away. Never mind, it was none of his business. These sect masers all had unfathomably abnormal personalities anyway, so he shouldn¡¯t let this faze him.


    But still, no matter how much he pondered, Wen Huan still couldn¡¯t understand. Why did Sect Master Wu behave so strangely when he saw him calling Sect Master Liu as ¡®Master¡¯? And why did it seem like the silver-haired sect master knew him from somewhere?


    Shaking his head, Wen Huan decided to leave these thoughts behind in favor of hurrying up to keep pace with his master.


    On the other hand, Wu Xiao stood still in the same place, thinking about that little brat Wen Huan calling his senior sister as ¡®Master¡¯.


    With bitterness, Wu Xiao complained in his heart¨DThat address was supposed to belong to him! He was his master, dammit! ¡­Or at least, he was going to be in the future!


    The only reason Wu Xiao couldn¡¯t yet take in that Wen Huan as his disciple was because of the traditions of the Silver Moon Sect, or specifically, the traditions pertaining to the selection of the next sect master of the Silver Moon Sect.


    And these traditions were established for a reason.


    The sect masters of the Silver Moon Sect each had a single prophecy at the time they assumed their position. Maybe this was something that had developed over time or maybe it was the result of the complicated ceremony during which the power of the sect leader was passed over, but the undeniable truth was that they would undoubtedly receive this prophecy while they assumed their seat. And the contents of this prophecy revealed to them the identity of the child who would become their direct disciple, the one who would be their successor and the only disciple the Sect Master would ever have.


    But the Sect Master couldn¡¯t just take them in directly as their disciple. This was because all sect masters of the Silver Moon Sect and their successors were able to view the future, just like the people from the subdivision of Silver Mist.


    After all, viewing the future was a risky thing. If the seer with this ability decided to unintentionally or intentionally interfere with predetermined events, then the effects would be unpredictable and could even be catastrophic. To avoid this temptation of altering the future, the people of Silver Mist stayed within the Silver Mist compound allotted to them and chose to never leave its premises.


    This restriction usually even applied to the Sect Master, but since Wu Xiao¡¯s precognition ability was not that far-reaching enough to cause him trouble, he wasn¡¯t prevented from going out now and then.


    But if all sect masters of the Silver Moon Sect, after being identified due to the prophecy while they were still a child, were to be confined from a young age to avoid them misusing their ability, then they wouldn¡¯t be able to develop into healthy human beings, much less master the necessary skills to run an entire sect. After all, going outside and interacting with different types of people and experiencing different kinds of situations was no doubt an important part of growth, especially for a child.


    And so, a solution was proposed.


    The disciple who was chosen to be the Sect Master¡¯s direct disciple would have their precognition ability sealed, then they would be inducted into the Golden Sun Sect as a disciple. This was not only because of the close ties between the Silver Moon Sect and the Golden Sun Sect, but also because by becoming a part of such a worldly sect, it would be easy for the disciple to gain a wide array of experiences and wisdom.


    Then, when the time came to officially choose the successor who would become the future Sect Master of the Golden Sun Sect, the identity of the Silver Moon Sect¡¯s head disciple would also be revealed. Until then, even the disciple themselves wouldn¡¯t know that they had been chosen.


    During the ceremony of instating the new successors of the Golden Sun and Silver Moon Sects, the seal on the Silver Moon Sect¡¯s direct disciple¡¯s ability would also be removed. After this, having gained enough experience and knowledge, they would be taken in at last by their true master, the current Sect Leader of the Silver Moon Sect, and live their life mostly in the sect¡¯s grounds.


    It had been so for Wu Xiao, and it would be so for his direct disciple as well.


    And the person whom Wu Xiao knew to be his disciple was Wen Huan.


    But before Wu Xiao could develop the close feelings of a master and disciple with Wen Huan, his senior sister was already making that little disciple acknowledge her as his master! It was infuriating and so enviable!


    Therefore, in retaliation, Wu Xiao had revealed the development in his and Jing Shui¡¯s relationship. Though he would have mentioned it sooner or later, he was very gratified at being able to get even with his sister!


    Hmph, so what if she had an arm around his future disciple? Wu Xiao already had the affections of his senior sister¡¯s little disciple as his lover!


    And now that he had started thinking about Jing Shui, Wu Xiao¡¯s mind began wandering, thinking of how shy his Ah-Shui had been just now.


    With anticipation and warmth filling his heart, Wu Xiao began walking towards his sect, his mind completely occupied with thoughts of his Ah-Shui.


    Meanwhile, Jing Shui was in his room, lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling in a daze, his head just as packed with thoughts of Wu Xiao.


    Excitement and nervousness seemed to flutter madly in his chest as Jing Shui thought about how he and Wu Xiao would soon consummate their relationship, their bodies joining into one.


    Jing Shui thought back to that day when Wu Xiao had confessed his affections, on how warm and firm Wu Xiao¡¯s hands had felt even through his clothes, how hot and slippery his lover¡¯s tongue had been as it had stroked everywhere inside his mouth. Jing Shui could still remember the eager and hungry look in Wu Xiao¡¯s eyes when he had looked at him, the deep voice with which he called him ¡°Ah-Shui,¡± that slight flush of pink suffusing his cheeks, those silken lips parted with desire¡­


    The more he deliberated on how Wu Xiao had looked that day, the hotter his body seemed to become, the blood in his veins seeming to rush faster and faster.


    Feeling restless, Jing Shui shifted around on his bed. His clothes felt too restrictive, the friction of cloth against skin too distracting. His hands lightly tugged and pulled at his robe, wanting to remove it quickly, but a sudden knock on his door interrupted him.


    Feeling strangely lightheaded, Jing Shui got up to open the door.


    Standing outside was Liu Xue.


    ¡°Master?¡± Jing Shui called out while blinking confusedly. Why was his master here? Did she have an assignment for him?


    Liu Xue studied her little disciple¡¯s red face and his dazed eyes, then smirked. ¡°Xiao Shui, who were you thinking about just now?¡±


    Jing Shui looked at her as if he didn¡¯t understand why she would ask him something like this, but he still answered truthfully, ¡°Wu Xiao.¡±


    Her smile getting wider, Liu Xue stepped into Jing Shui¡¯s room and closed the door behind her. Then retrieving a large, flat box, she directly handed it over to her little disciple. ¡°The next time you spend a night together with Wu Xiao, wear this.¡±


    With puzzlement, Jing Shui opened the box, only to find a thin robe inside, its material soft and extremely luxurious. Its color was that of the sunlit sky reflected on clear waters, a gentle, warm, and light blue. As Jing Shui reached out his hand and touched it, the cloth felt cool and pleasant under his fingertips.


    There were no decorations marring the smooth, satiny surface of the cloth. The cut of the robe was also simple, yet exuded refinement due to this simplicity. And the light blue material, when placed against Jing Shui¡¯s skin, lent it an exceedingly radiant and tender look, making him appear very refreshing and charming.


    Liu Xue nodded with satisfaction and said, ¡°It looks very good on you. As expected, my eye for these things is never wrong. Xiao Shui, don¡¯t forget to wear it for your lover when you¡¯re banging each other later, alright?¡±


    Then leaving behind a flustered and stuttering Jing Shui, Liu Xue swept out the room with a grin.


    After seeing her little disciple in that robe, her junior brother would definitely have to agree that he owed her one.


    ¡­¡­


    The second Qinghe made it back to the sect, he forwent reporting to his master and headed straight to his room and the stream beyond, impatiently dragging a laughing Wei Xiang along with him.


    After quickly disrobing, Qinghe pulled Wei Xiang into the water to play and wash together. To no one¡¯s surprise, the pair of lovers soon became engaged in other activities, the sounds of their continuous lovemaking echoing throughout the backyard along with the violent splashing of water constantly being disturbed by the two passionately writhing bodies.


    It was only many hours later that the couple wiped themselves dry and returned to the room.


    Sighing happily, Qinghe laid down on the bed with contentment, preparing to finally sleep without worries. Staying in such an unfriendly territory like the palace for so long without being able to let his guard down had really been very taxing.


    But sensing that his lover hadn¡¯t yet come to lie down beside him, Qinghe curiously looked up, only to be met with the sight of Wei Xiang putting on his uniform. He felt like it had been a long time since he¡¯d seen his lover in his Sentinel garb, as Wei Xiang had worn civilian clothing all this while in the palace.


    ¡°Xiang?¡± Qinghe called out, a question apparent in his soft voice.


    Wei Xiang looked back at the bed, his gaze running over his drowsy and sated lover lying limply on the white sheets, his smooth limbs stretched, his hair scattered around him lazily.


    Qinghe¡¯s exposed skin still visibly retained moisture, seeming to invite Wei Xiang to touch and kiss it, to begin yet another round of passionate activities, their sweaty skin sliding against each other, their bodies wrapping around one another, their chests pressing together so tightly that they could feel the other¡¯s heartbeat thudding uncontrollably, their heated bodies pressing into each other as they rocked as one in a wild, primal rhythm until¡­


    Abruptly stopping that alluring line of thought and shaking his head to clear it, Wei Xiang curbed his rising lust and focused on answering his beloved, ¡°I still have a matter left to handle regarding apprehending a few escaping criminals. I should be back by the time you wake up.¡±


    Qinghe sleepily pouted, then asked astutely, ¡°Are these criminals by any chance from the Xing Long Empire? Or more specifically, someone from the imperial palace?¡±


    Wei Xiang did not attempt to hide anything as he nodded while he finished putting on his uniform.


    Smiling knowingly, Qinghe closed his eyes and snuggled into the bedcovers. In a voice already gone thick from sleep, he spoke, ¡°Alright then. Come back to me safely and quickly.¡±


    With warmth pooling in his eyes, Wei Xiang silently walked up to the bed and bent down to place a gentle kiss to his little lover¡¯s temple.


    ¡°I will. So sleep well,¡± he whispered almost soundlessly, his fingertips carefully, tenderly brushing back his beloved¡¯s hair.


    Then straightening again, Wei Xiang cast one more loving glance over his Qinghe¡¯s peaceful expression before he turned away, disappearing into the insubstantial shadows.

 Chapter 77: The Forbidden Valley

    ¡°This is where you lost him?¡± Wei Xiang asked one of the three Sentinels standing nearby.


    A young man with light brown hair squinted at the barely visible cave opening before them and nodded. ¡°Yes. We didn¡¯t know that there was another entrance to the ruins this far out. After all, the main structure of the Liuxingyu Ruins is at least eight hundred kilometers away.¡±


    It was said that the Liuxingyu Ruins were found in the light of a meteor shower. Thus its name came to be ¡®Liuxingyu¡¯, which literally meant ¡®Meteor Shower.¡¯


    The Liuxingyu Ruins were thought to once have been a very prosperous underground city in ancient times. Its most prominent features were its chambers with strange traps and the warren of tunnels that spread out from the main structure. Even till now, no one had managed to find all the tunnels and entrances connecting to the ruins.


    And due to sheer luck, Jing Rui had managed to escape into one such undiscovered tunnel entrance.


    ¡°What about the former emperor? Weren¡¯t they both fleeing together?¡± Wei Xiang queried.


    The light-haired Sentinel dutifully reported. ¡°We found signs indicating that the former emperor Jing Zuo fell off a cliff five hundred meters southwest of here. Whether it was suicide, an accident, or a deliberate homicide has not yet been confirmed.¡±


    Wei Xiang frowned, then turned to the other two Sentinels at the side and stated, ¡°If Jing Rui really killed his father, then his sentence will have to be increased. Investigate thoroughly and send me the report before his trial.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Senior Officer Wei!¡± the two Sentinels replied crisply, then bowed and left to do as commanded.


    Without being prompted, the light-haired Sentinel spoke, ¡°The perimeter has been sealed off completely and we already have people inspecting where we think this tunnel leads. But just to be safe, one of us should nevertheless enter it from this side to prevent the former prince from escaping through yet another hidden entrance.¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded to show that he agreed. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be going in,¡± he informed and promptly began walking towards the tunnel¡¯s entrance.


    His eyes squeezing into thin lines, the light-haired Sentinel asked with surprise, ¡°You¡¯re going in personally? Is that wise?¡±


    Raising a hand without looking back, Wei Xiang waved casually as if to dismiss his fears, then continued onward to enter the tunnel.


    The light-haired Sentinel shrugged. In a way, since Wei Xiang was one of the strongest people in the current world, he was more than qualified for this task. But unable to shake off his unease, the light-haired Sentinel first hesitated, then sighed and decided to join his senior officer as he navigated this unknown territory.


    The air inside the tunnel was dry and dusty, the atmosphere strangely still, with a sense of heavy, oppressive gloom permeating throughout.


    The Sentinels¡¯ boots stepped soundlessly on the tunnel¡¯s floor as they pressed forward, silently tracking the direction in which Jing Rui had fled while hiding their presence.


    The two Sentinels each had a lit up, short-ranged paper talisman in their hand that illuminated their surroundings. The cheery white light seemed as if it was swallowed at the edges by the encroaching darkness, but for the Sentinels who regularly used shadows for transportation, this hardly felt threatening.


    As for why the Sentinels didn¡¯t directly use shadows this time, it was because without knowing the specifics of their destination, they couldn¡¯t use the shadow realm to get there. And since they didn¡¯t know the exact location where Jing Rui was currently at, this option was rendered useless for now.


    As he continued walking, Wei Xiang suddenly heard a faint sound coming from up ahead and immediately extinguished his talisman. Without being needed to be told, the light-haired Sentinel quickly followed suit.


    A faint light seemed to be coming from beyond the bend in the path ahead. Slowly and cautiously, the two Sentinels made their way forward, ready to defend themselves against sudden attacks.


    Past the bend, the tunnel opened up into a massive cavern, a wide, shallow bowl-shaped depression set into the middle of the floor. At the center of this depression, huge embers at least a meter in height glowed a soft orange, crackling in a subdued manner. It was difficult to determine just how many years these embers had remained lit like this for.


    On the stone walls and the rectangular pillars of the cavern were reliefs of elaborately carved faces, all of them of different sizes and with different expressions. The ceiling was high and had a dome at its center, seeming to mirror the position, size, and curvature of the bowl-shaped depression in the middle of the cavern¡¯s floor. And drawn with meticulous care, a large formation was painted into the dome.


    A bad premonition suddenly rose up in Wei Xiang¡¯s heart.


    Deciding not to prolong this, Wei Xiang extended his hand. Golden strings immediately shot out, unhesitatingly extending towards a particular pillar. But before they could reach all the way, an unkempt figure dashed out from behind the pillar, stumbling as he fled further away from the pursuing strings.


    This figure was indeed Jing Rui.


    Seeing the direction their target was heading in, the light-haired Sentinel silently disappeared into the shadows, transporting himself to the other side of the bowl-shaped depression to block the exit situated there. And since Wei Xiang was positioned before the entrance to the cavern, Jing Rui was truly caught in between the two Sentinels with no way to escape.


    The golden strings glinted in the faint light of the embers as it sliced through the air and went for the disheveled figure of Jing Rui again. Tripping over every little bump on the floor, Jing Rui cried out miserably as he kept trying to evade the strings to no avail.


    But just as the strings were on the verge of surrounding and capturing the stumbling former prince, Jing Rui tripped on a particular rock that gave a low click as it sunk into the ground.


    A rumbling sound immediately erupted from the ceiling as a giant slab of stone dropped down, landing accurately on the extended strings and rendering them immobile. Temporarily freed from the threat, Jing Rui crawled away frantically.


    Wei Xiang frowned and was about to send out more strings when the fleeing Jing Rui managed to trip over the edge of the bowl-shaped depression. And just like back when he¡¯d fallen into the pool, Jing Rui tumbled into the depression with his arms and legs flailing undignifiedly.


    Suddenly, the glowing embers at the center of the depression brightened.


    The bad feeling in his heart growing stronger, Wei Xiang frowned as he retrieved his strings and swiftly leapt forward so that he could end this chase once and for all. But he had barely taken a step when he was forced to halt in caution as the walls began trembling intensely.


    The carved faces in the walls and pillars suddenly opened their mouths and deafening sounds issued forth from their stone lips. Some laughed uproariously while some cried, some shrieked shrilly in anger while some wailed in sorrow. The cacophony was unbearable, the gratingly loud noise violently vibrating the air as it spread through it.


    Lying in an ungraceful sprawl in the bowl-shaped depression, Jing Rui covered his ears and screamed because of the noise painfully stabbing his eardrums. The light-haired Sentinel also frowned in discomfort as two lines of red trickled down from his ears.


    But for the Wei Xiang whose beast heritage gave him exceptionally sensitive hearing, this was more than just painful. It felt like a hundred spikes were being driven into his head through his ears.


    Grimacing, Wei Xiang tried to retrieve a sound barrier talisman from his spatial storage, but found that his spirit sense was in disarray due to his disrupted concentration.


    The glowing embers in the bowl-shaped depression suddenly burst into bright orange fire. The blazing tongues of flame reached higher and higher until they brushed the ceiling and the formation drawn on it. From that point of contact, a dark red glow spread through the lines of the formation.


    The edges of the bowl and dome began glowing the same ominous red, and bright, blinding light flashed in between the bowl and dome, connecting the pair of curved surfaces.


    The two Sentinels closed their eyes instinctively to block the blazing light, and by the time they could open them again, almost everything in the cavern was restored to the way it had been. The carved faces had turned silent once more and the formation in the dome no longer glowed. However, the embers in the center of the depression seemed to have become extinguished, its power already exhausted.


    And more importantly, Jing Rui was nowhere to be found.


    ¡°It seems that the formation on the ceiling is a transportation array that was somehow triggered when the prince tripped into the depression on the floor. The former prince Jing Rui must have been transported to the other end of this formation then,¡± the light-haired Sentinel observed calmly. His ear had stopped bleeding and had already healed.


    As for Wei Xiang, though there was still a faint ringing in his head, he had also more or less recovered.


    Tucking away his frustration at his prey having escaped at the last moment, Wei Xiang spoke, ¡°It does seem so. And though it makes things more complicated, we still have a few options to try. To figure out Jing Rui¡¯s current location, we must first find out if this transportation array is a part of a network, and if it is, then what are the locations of the other arrays it is connected to.¡±


    Understanding what he meant, the light-haired Sentinel nodded, then vigilantly made his way towards the bowl and the formation situated above it. Closing his eyes, the light-haired Sentinel sent out his spirit sense and let it brush across the now inert formation.


    Unlike most, this light-haired Sentinel had the rare ability to ¡®taste¡¯ spiritual energy. In case of transportation arrays like this one, he could use his ability to even trace all the other arrays this transportation array was connected to and gain a vague understanding of the other arrays¡¯ locations.


    But as he tried to trace along the connections that should have extended from this array, the Sentinel seemed to hit an immovable block.


    Frowning, the light-haired Sentinel shook his head. ¡°Senior Officer Wei, this array seems to have already been disconnected from its network, or maybe the other transportation arrays have long since stopped functioning. But as things stand, without a fixed destination point at the other side of the array, I¡¯m afraid the former prince could have been transported anywhere. His location is currently undeterminable using this method.¡±


    Wei Xiang sunk into deep thought, then said, ¡°For now, we will return to headquarters and activate the locating formation. If that doesn¡¯t work, then there are other methods to try.¡±


    The light-haired Sentinel nodded.


    Then using his telepathic connection to the other Sentinels, Wei Xiang sent out orders for them to spread out and ascertain whether anyone had suddenly popped up out of thin air anywhere recently. Though this method was somewhat crude, it was better than nothing.


    With nothing more to be done here, Wei Xiang and his companion quickly used the shadows and transported themselves to the Sentinel headquarters to try and locate Jing Rui.


    ¡­¡­


    In a place far, far away from that tunnel, cradled in between steep and towering cliffs, was a flat and barren expanse of land that led into a strange valley. This valley was completely surrounded by an opaque, milky white barrier that hid its contents from outside view.


    Near the entrance to this valley stood a disheveled figure who was looking at the opaque surface of the barrier with a contemplative expression.


    Jing Rui knew that the Sentinels might have lost his trail for now, but they would catch up to him sooner or later.


    As if guided by the hands of Heaven, he was able to somehow escape this far by sheer luck. But Jing Rui knew that he couldn¡¯t delude himself and think that this streak of luck would last forever.


    He had to hide quickly or he¡¯d surely be caught.


    As to where he should hide¡­ Jing Rui knew that it mustn¡¯t be any place the Sentinels could find him easily, so cities and towns were out. Even if he hid in a forest or a cave, he wasn¡¯t sure he could escape capture.


    Jing Rui thought for a while and still couldn¡¯t decide.


    Raising his head, he once again looked at the smooth and milky surface of the opaque barrier stretched before him. If only he could somehow enter it, then maybe he could hide behind this mysterious thing.


    On an impulse, he walked up to the milky white barrier and reached out, expecting to touch something solid. But surprisingly, his hand easily went through.


    His eyes widening with disbelief, Jing Rui stared at the barrier, then closed his eyes and stepped through quickly. There was absolutely no resistance from the barrier as it easily let him pass. Jing Rui could hardly contain his joy.


    But when he opened his eyes to the scene at the other side of the barrier, abject horror immediately claimed his features.


    Jing Rui turned around and tried to go back the way he came, but the barrier refused to let him pass. Beating his hands against the suddenly solid surface of the barrier, Jing Rui called out desperately, but of course no one came to help him.


    After all, this was the Valley of the Terrified Dead.


    As far as anyone could remember, the valley had been hidden by that large, opaque barrier that shone under the sun like a lusterless opal. The locals had all been quite curious to see just what lied at the other side, and so a few had ventured in. But none had been able to get out.


    It soon came to be known that the valley¡¯s barrier only let people enter but not exit.


    No one knew what had happened to the people who¡¯d gone in, but satisfying one¡¯s curiosity was hardly worth giving up their lives for, so people eventually stopped entering the valley out of self-preservation.


    But on a certain day around thirty years ago, the barrier had suddenly begun fluctuating, its milky surface rippling as if it was being battered by waves of some strong force. And under this inexplicable assault, the barrier actually thinned, turning from opaque to transparent for a handful of days.


    The curious locals had all rushed to sate their curiosity and to finally discover what lied on the other side of the barrier. But what they saw filled them with terror.


    There laid at the bottom of the valley a dense layer of eroded bones and skeletons with barely any flesh or cloth clinging to them. The jaws of the bare skulls were opened as wide as they could go, as if they had been screaming in desperate, unbearable agony and terror until their final moments, their mouths fixed like that even after death.


    Thus, the valley¡¯s name came to be.


    And now, after entering the Valley of the Terrified Dead, Jing Rui was faced with this same scene of the entire floor of the valley carpeted in a thick layer of the bones that belonged to those hapless people who had entered this place before him.


    Hovering in the air was a dense, shimmering mist that swirled hypnotically. But whichever place this mist touched sent out a sizzling sound as it visibly eroded and dissolved. And even though Jing Rui had stayed in this mist for barely a few minutes, he could already feel pinpricks of pain from where the fine droplets of the mist had touched him.


    Ceasing his hysterical screaming and hitting, Jing Rui finally recognized the futility of his actions. After these strange events, he was already nearing the end of his limit. What he needed now was a place where he could take refuge from this corrosive mist and think about his next step.


    Covering his face with his hands, Jing Rui couldn¡¯t help but sob. This wasn¡¯t how his life should¡¯ve been! Why did everything turn out this way?


    But no matter how many tears he shed, the stinging mist showed him no mercy, so Jing Rui was forced to suck it up and move further into the valley in search of a place to take shelter in.


    As Jing Rui waded through the broken and corroded bones, the sharp edges stabbed and cut into him, dragging over his skin and leaving countless shallow lacerations. But he had no choice but to keep moving forward, his heart weeping at his miserable situation.


    And as more time passed, the mist began to gradually seep into his body through his pores, eating away slowly at his insides. It felt like the extremely unpleasant and disturbing sensation of small insects unceasingly gnawing at his flesh from within, taking countless miniscule and prickling bites at once.


    But thankfully, as he kept dragging himself forward, Jing Rui spotted the mouth of a cave at a distance.


    Feeling invigorated at the thought of finally being free from this painful sensation of something chewing at him from the inside, Jing Rui rushed forward, uncaring of his mounting injuries. Unable to contain his joy, he laughed madly, his heart finally seeing a ray of hope.


    Who knew, maybe he would find yet another tunnel entrance that would lead him out of here! Jing Rui thought optimistically.


    As he stepped foot into the dark maw of the cave, Jing Rui felt a moment of disorientation, but shook it off. The inside of the cave was thankfully free of that mist, so he heaved a breath of relief and slumped against a rocky wall. The painful feeling under his skin also slowly began dissipating.


    His life back at the palace, where he could torture his dolls every day, obtain new playthings whenever he wanted to, where his every need and want was carefully taken care of by people waiting on him hand and foot¡­ all of it seemed so far away.


    How had his blissful life changed so drastically? It all still felt so unreal to him.


    Lost in self-pitying thoughts, Jing Rui did not notice that the darkness around him seemed to be shifting. Faint hissing sounds whispered gleefully as unknown things slowly slithered towards the clueless intruder. It had been too long since they¡¯d had their last meal and they eagerly anticipated shredding this human and devouring him.


    As if sensing the meaning behind this sinister hissing, in the deepest, darkest part of the cave, an unknown being slid open his eyes unhurriedly.


    By the time Jing Rui realized that he wasn¡¯t alone in the cave, it was already too late.


    Black vines extended forward like lunging snakes and immediately wrapped themselves around him. The vines were thick and rough, with tough, needle-like bristles covering their entire surface. They scraped over his skin and pulled open his injuries further, causing more blood to pour out of them.


    Before Jing Rui could even comprehend what was happening, the dark vines pushed into his widened wounds, crawling into his body and under his skin, sliding between his muscles and pulling apart the tendons and veins. He could feel the needle-like bristles on the black vines piercing into his bones and pulling cruelly as it moved within his body, scraping his insides with excruciating and agonizing slowness.


    Due to the swiftness with which the vines attacked him, it was a moment before the sudden flash of bright agony registered in his mind. The pain was debilitating to the point where Jing Rui couldn¡¯t even scream past his gritted teeth, his tightly clenched jaw creaking and groaning in anguish. And no matter how much he tried to thrash or flail, the stiff vines crawling in his body held him in place, rigid and immovable.


    This was truly Heaven¡¯s retribution for all the torments he¡¯d done unto the people he had captured and detained in his residence all these years.


    Abruptly, the squirming and writhing of the vines halted as though by someone¡¯s command.


    And as if it were a conjuration of his tormented mind, a voice suddenly whispered by Jing Rui¡¯s ear, ¡°Since you delivered yourself to me so considerately, I will consider fulfilling one request of yours. For example, if you have anyone you have a grudge against, feel free to speak up their name.¡±


    Jing Rui was in too much misery to fully comprehend what was being said.


    He kept thinking¡ªhow could this happen to him? He was a prince! He was supposed to be invincible, his authority inviolable! All he¡¯d wanted was to use that man as a plaything and break him under his hands! Yet he had resisted him to such a degree, driving him into this corner, ruining his fate until he was this helpless and in so much pain¡­


    Yes, it was all that man¡¯s fault!


    And so, finding strength in a burst of fury, his enraged voice saturated with despair, Jing Rui spat out the three characters that made up that person¡¯s name, his enunciation exact and distinct, ¡°Feng. Qing. He!¡±


    Hearing this name, the newly awakened being showed a somewhat surprised expression.


    On the other hand, using the opening when Jing Rui had unclenched his jaws to speak, the vines entered his mouth and pushed into his throat, shredding and tearing apart the soft tissue as they forced themselves inside his body that was made unable to even scream anymore.


    Soon, his fragile body was torn asunder, every inch split open and dug through by the vines ruthlessly, until he was nothing but a mess of skin and flesh being played with by the dark vines.


    And thus, Jing Rui was devoured.


    ¡°Feng Qinghe?¡± the awakened being pondered aloud in a disbelieving voice. ¡°To hear the surname Feng here¡­ Could it really be that Feng? Is it possible for this Feng Qinghe to be related to that person? No, it¡¯s better not to jump to conclusions yet.¡±


    Then licking his lips, he spoke wistfully, ¡°After being awakened by that disturbance about three decades ago, I¡¯ve finally gained that last bit of energy I need to stay awake and break the seal. Now we can use this world to get back our divinity and enter the heavenly realm once more. Aren¡¯t you glad?¡±


    As if answering him, a hoarse and whispery growl sounded from the side, seeming almost affectionate in its gentleness.


    A gigantic black dragon slowly detached itself from the darkness, unwinding its massive coils as its large, triangular head moved towards the awakened being. The dragon¡¯s scales looked faded and dull, littered with countless scratches and scars that made its hide look bumpy and rough.


    The awakened being shook himself lightly, and the broken links of black chains rained down from where they had been wound around his body. The layered manacles and restraints on his wrists, arms, neck, and ankles all clanked and groaned as they were pulled open by an unseen force, before falling to the ground with clinks and clatters.


    Now free, the awakened being reached out and placed his hand on the snout of the dragon hovering near him. The dragon¡¯s head itself was twice his height, yet he showed no fear as he patted its blunt nose.


    ¡°Were you guarding me all this time?¡± he asked the dragon softly.


    The black dragon let out a low rumble in assent.


    Chuffing lightly, the awakened being spoke, ¡°Then you must have been shut in here for a very long time indeed. Let us leave this place.¡± Then pausing as if remembering something, he continued, ¡°No, I suppose we mustn¡¯t be so hasty. Let the people of this world still remain unaware of our existence a while longer. For now, I suppose I should gather us some helpers.¡±


    Shortly after he spoke this, a pulse of barely discernible energy shot outward from the cave, passing beneath the earth without alerting those aboveground.


    In the graveyards of the towns near the valley, the soil over the graves trembled before caving in slightly, leaving countless concave divots as the occupants of the coffins within broke apart their wooden confines and began digging underground.


    But this wouldn¡¯t be discovered until a while later.


    ¡­¡­


    Soon after, Wei Xiang and a few other Sentinels arrived at the entrance to the Valley of the Terrified Dead after following the tracking spell that had successfully been cast.


    The spell had taken the form of a large arrow made out of bright golden light and had unerringly led them straight here, unmistakably pointing into the valley.


    Looking up at the giant milky barrier in front of him, the light-haired cultivator spoke, ¡°Senior Officer Wei, how do we proceed.¡±


    Wei Xiang clenched his fists, then slowly loosened them. ¡°This is forbidden land that we cannot enter. Since Jing Rui has gone in, he is as good as dead. There is no need to pursue him any longer.¡±


    Then turning on his heel, Wei Xiang strode back the way he had come.


    The other Sentinels silently followed his lead, leaving behind the forbidden valley.

 Chapter 78: Offering Oneself Up

    The colors of evening painted the sky with vivid hues, dyeing the clouds in their warm shades. The vast expanse of the ocean glinted in the fading light as its waves rolled and swayed placidly.


    Wu Xiao strode through the light-colored halls of the Silver Moon Sect, his boots softly tapping out a measured cadence on the stone floor.


    As he walked, he saw yet another disciple giving him a strange look as if they knew some great secret about him. Wu Xiao¡¯s eyebrows twitched in irritation as he shot a glare in that disciple¡¯s direction.


    The aforementioned disciple saw him glowering and giggled while advising with a knowing look, ¡°Don¡¯t disappoint those sweet expectations now, Sect Master.¡± Then the disciple rushed away, leaving Wu Xiao with more frustrated questions than answers.


    What expectations? And what the heck did every single disciple on his way seem to know that kept making them act like that? Why couldn¡¯t they come out and just say it plainly to his face?!


    His brows furrowed, Wu Xiao finally reached his room. He pushed open the door and shut it behind him as he walked in.


    The room he was staying at was big and airy, a huge painted screen bisecting the space into a living room and a bedroom. A row of large arched windows covered the entire wall on his left, currently left open to let in the sea breeze. Translucent curtains the color of sea foam lightly floated up in the salt-scented air.


    With leisurely steps, Wu Xiao made his way towards the screen and the bedroom beyond. But just as the bed came into view, Wu Xiao¡¯s steps halted, his entire being frozen.


    He finally understood what all those looks directed towards him on the way had been for. It seemed that the disciples of his sect had been long aware of this unexpected guest of his.


    Sitting at the edge of the bed with his legs hanging over the side was Jing Shui.


    He looked as if he had just taken a bath, his fair skin still seeming somewhat moist and his unbound hair lightly curled. His ears were left unadorned and he wore nothing except for a single layer of fabric¡ªa thin robe that looked soft and satiny, its color a warm, light blue that lent his skin the mesmerizing luster of a pearl.


    Jing Shui¡¯s liquid eyes lifted up and met Wu Xiao¡¯s, his slender fingers smoothing over his robe in nervousness. Licking his lips, he spoke with a slightly quivering voice, ¡°Wu Xiao¡­I-I¡¯ve come to consummate our relationship.¡±


    Wu Xiao blinked. ¡°Ah-Shui? Right now? You¡­ Are you sure?¡±


    He suddenly had the urge to see if he was dreaming. His Ah-Shui had actually come to him on his own. He was really asking him to¡­


    ¡°Yes, I¡­I¡¯m sure. Wu Xiao,¡± Jing Shui looked away with a faint blush as he said bashfully, ¡°Do whatever you want with me.¡±


    These were the same words he¡¯d said back in their room while at the palace, but the way he spoke them just now, it held an obvious eagerness when compared to the hesitance and resignation of that time.


    Hearing this, Wu Xiao at first felt startled, then his gaze slowly deepened. As his mouth curved up lightly, Wu Xiao began stalking unhurriedly towards his Ah-Shui.


    Since his Ah-Shui was willingly offering himself up, who was he to refuse?


    Jing Shui watched as Wu Xiao slowly approached him, his beloved¡¯s smile sharp and his eyes gleaming with a hungry, predatory look.


    ¡®Well,¡¯ Jing Shui thought to himself as his heartbeat increased in fervor, ¡®If my lover is a predator, then I suppose I will be his willing prey.¡¯


    Reaching Jing Shui and standing before him, Wu Xiao raised a hand to lift his Ah-Shui¡¯s chin with a finger. ¡°Are you sure? I¡¯ve already told you that my tastes are heavy. Since this is my darling Ah-Shui¡¯s first time, why don¡¯t we take it slow?¡±


    Feeling embarrassed, Jing Shui burst out, ¡°How did you know that this is my¨D? ¡­Fuck! I said to do it, so do it!¡±


    Wu Xiao chuckled at his lover¡¯s discomposure. There his Ah-Shui was spitting fire at him again. How cute!


    ¡°¡­Alright. But Ah-Shui, tell me if it gets to be too much,¡± Wu Xiao cautioned seriously.


    Jing Shui turned his face away while flushing harder, ¡°Hmph! You think I can¡¯t handle it?¡±


    Seeing this, Wu Xiao could only smile helplessly. ¡°Alright, alright. If my darling says he can take it, then of course I won¡¯t dare to doubt him.¡±


    ¡°You better not!¡± Jing Shui blustered.


    Wu Xiao merely smiled wider and bent down, touching his lips to his beloved¡¯s. Jing Shui didn¡¯t hesitate to open up and their mouths soon closed over each other¡¯s, their tongues eagerly entwining together.


    While Jing Shui was focused intently on the kiss, his hands clutching Wu Xiao¡¯s shoulders to pull him closer, Wu Xiao¡¯s hands were meanwhile busily working to loosen his lover¡¯s clothing. Once he succeeded, Wu Xiao gently pushed off the slackened robe so that it slid down his Ah-Shui¡¯s smooth shoulders, down his slender arms, until the silky fabric pooled at his elbows and waist, where it was barely held together by the loosely cinched belt.


    Feeling a draft of cool air brushing over his exposed skin, Jing Shui lightly shuddered and leaned back, his lips reddened, cheeks flushing, and eyes glazed.


    ¡°Wu Xiao?¡± he asked confusedly, his moist eyes blinking up at his lover dazedly.


    Feeling a sudden surge of desire, Wu Xiao lifted Jing Shui up in his arms. Then settling himself down cross-legged on the bed, Wu Xiao sat Jing Shui on his lap, his beloved¡¯s slim legs on either side of his hips.


    Finding himself suddenly face-to-face with Wu Xiao, his bare chest pressed to his lover¡¯s still clothed one, Jing Shui felt embarrassed and disoriented.


    ¡°W-What are you doing?¡± he asked breathily.


    Wu Xiao smirked. ¡°Well, if we are going to do this, then we¡¯ll have to first prepare you, won¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Prepare?¡± Jing Shui repeated dumbly. Then realizing what he meant, he turned even redder and buried his burning face into Wu Xiao¡¯s shoulder. In a soft whisper, he finally replied, ¡°O-Okay.¡±


    But unlike what Jing Shui had expected, Wu Xiao didn¡¯t remove his clothes the rest of the way. Rather, Wu Xiao simply lifted the hem of Jing Shui¡¯s robe and tucked it into the belt, exposing his bottom while leaving his disheveled and half-undone clothing as it was.


    As he felt the sensation of wind stroking his bared buttocks, Jing Shui lightly shuddered, then held on tighter to Wu Xiao, attempting to bury himself further into his beloved¡¯s embrace.


    Wu Xiao cupped his Ah-Shui¡¯s soft butt with both his hands before giving it a light squeeze. Jing Shui stiffened, then forced himself to relax and push aside his shyness. Wu Xiao was after all his lover, so it was only natural that he should allow him to do this.


    And yet Jing Shui felt unduly embarrassed.


    ¡°Tell me if it gets too uncomfortable,¡± Wu Xiao whispered to Jing Shui.


    Jing Shui nodded, his head still buried.


    Receiving his lover¡¯s assent, Wu Xiao finally began.


    With the fingers of one hand, Wu Xiao carefully parted Jing Shui¡¯s buttocks, revealing the little puckered bud in between. A cool finger covered in slippery liquid lightly began teasing and rubbing over Jing Shui¡¯s exposed opening, causing him to shudder at the strange sensation. Then slowly, carefully, the slickened digit entered his passage, pressing inward with a firm gentleness.


    Jing Shui felt his breathing deepen as his shoulders hunched. He held on to Wu Xiao, his hands fisting on his beloved¡¯s shoulders as he squeezed his eyes closed.


    He felt Wu Xiao¡¯s finger gradually beginning to withdraw and then push in again, continuously repeating this rhythmic motion, causing molten need to smolder within him.


    Jing Shui felt a sudden thought intruding in his mind. Hadn¡¯t Wu Xiao said before that his tastes were heavy? Just how heavy did he exactly mean?


    Gulping nervously, Jing Shui wondered if Wu Xiao would use whips or switches on him. Or would he use those complicated looking restraints or clamps? Or perhaps it would be some other instrument that he¡¯d never seen before?


    Though these thoughts made Jing Shui feel slightly scared due to the potential pain or humiliation they¡¯d bring with them, it also strangely excited him. After all, this was his Wu Xiao. Jing Shui had faith that he wouldn¡¯t make him do anything too out of his comfort zone. But it still didn¡¯t stop Jing Shui from feeling nervous.


    Sensing the muscles wrapped around his finger tightening suddenly, Wu Xiao realized that his Ah-Shui must be feeling apprehensive. So, even as he continued pushing his finger in and out while slowly adding in a second digit, Wu Xiao softly whispered into Jing Shui¡¯s ear to distract him, ¡°Ah, I never thought I¡¯d be touching my beloved Ah-Shui like this.¡±


    Jing Shui felt beyond embarrassed at how casually his lover had begun to converse now of all times. After all, Jing Shui could still feel Wu Xiao¡¯s fingers moving within him, carefully and steadily massaging his insides.


    Not waiting for Jing Shui¡¯s reply, Wu Xiao kept talking, ¡°Say, Ah-Shui, did you ever imagine that I¡¯d one day be doing this to you? That you¡¯d be sitting on my lap like this half-naked and aroused while being prepared to be entered?¡±


    Mortified, Jing Shui tried to bury his head deeper into the crook of Wu Xiao¡¯s shoulder.


    Then Jing Shui suddenly felt the fingers lodged deep within him twist in an abrupt motion, rubbing forcibly against his sensitive inner walls. The unexpected friction sent a spike of heat shooting up his spine, causing his back to snap straight. Jing Shui swallowed down his moans and gritted his teeth as he tried to bear the stimulation silently while trembling.


    Wu Xiao relentlessly continued speaking, his voice intimate and playful as his breath brushed the side of Jing Shui¡¯s face, ¡°My Ah-Shui is so cute~ After we consummate our relationship, I want Ah-Shui to look only at me. Don¡¯t let anyone else take advantage of you even with their eyes, okay?¡±


    Being tormented by his lover¡¯s fingers and teased by his mouth at the same time, Jing Shui reached his limit and finally snapped.


    ¡°What the bloody hell are you talking about at this time with your fingers still in my ass!¡± he shouted angrily.


    There was a moment of absolute silence in the room, the last few words echoing unnaturally loud in the wide space.


    Realizing what he just said, Jing Shui immediately flushed in shame and groaned miserably while Wu Xiao began laughing. Jing Shui suddenly realized that the tension he had been feeling seemed to have lessened and understood that this was why Wu Xiao must have acted so ridiculously just now.


    Rubbing his cheek against his Ah-Shui¡¯s hair, Wu Xiao spoke in a kind voice, ¡°Why are you so nervous? If you don¡¯t feel comfortable with anything, all you have to do is tell me and I¡¯ll stop. After all these years, is there even anything that you can¡¯t tell me about?¡±


    Lulled by Wu Xiao¡¯s casual attitude and the familiarity he felt with his lover, Jing Shui finally felt himself relaxing.


    Sensing this, Wu Xiao smiled tenderly even as he pushed in a third finger into his beloved¡¯s tight passage. Jing Shui bit his lip and tried to keep his body loose despite the queer feeling of his entrance being stretched wide open. His arms hugged Wu Xiao tightly as Jing Shui endeavored not to let out any embarrassing sounds.


    After a few more minutes, Wu Xiao finally felt satisfied with the amount of preparation.


    Lifting Jing Shui up, Wu Xiao laid him carefully down on his stomach before helping his lover pull up his knees while he positioned his Ah-Shui appropriately, his hands all the while gentle and coaxing.


    Jing Shui now lied on the bed, his head resting comfortably on pillows, his hands on either side of his chest, his lower body propped up on his knees with his legs folded.


    Leaning back, Wu Xiao pondered seriously on the delectable view of his beloved¡¯s posterior thrust up into the air like this, as if it were an offering presented solely for him to savor. Reaching out his hands, Wu Xiao lightly kneaded the two lily-white mounds again, feeling their softness and elasticity beneath his palms as he said in wonder, ¡°Ah-Shui, your butt is so cute!¡±


    Jing Shui buried his head into the pillows in shame. He felt that before this night ended, he¡¯d die of abject embarrassment!


    ¡°Y-You¡­just hurry up and remove your clothes!¡± Jing Shui gritted out.


    Wu Xiao raised an eyebrow and spoke teasingly, ¡°Not yet, my eager little darling. There¡¯s something else I want to try with you first.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Jing Shui turned his head back to look questioningly at Wu Xiao, only to see him slathering some liquid onto a strange item.


    It was a slightly curved, blunt and cylindrical object that had the thickness and shape of a male¡¯s organ. It was covered in countless rows of small, smooth bumps that were spread evenly over its entire surface.


    ¡°Wu Xiao, th-that thing is¡­ are we using it?¡± Jing Shui asked with equal parts unease and curiosity.


    Smiling reassuringly, Wu Xiao nodded. ¡°Yes. But if you don¡¯t want to, then we won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I-I have no objections,¡± Jing Shui murmured softly. Then feeling as if he needed to express more of his enthusiasm, Jing Shui hid his face in the pillows and arched his back, lifting up his bottom as if presenting it to his lover.


    Wu Xiao felt surprised at how easily his Ah-Shui had accepted this, even seeming somewhat eager. Then smiling, Wu Xiao warned, ¡°I might get a little rough. Are you still okay with that?¡±


    Though he hesitated a bit, Jing Shui still nodded. He was just thankful that it wouldn¡¯t be anything too painful or humiliating like he had imagined. Besides, he really trusted that no matter how rough Wu Xiao got, he would never actually cause him hurt¡­just maybe a little bit of soreness.


    Receiving his lover¡¯s assent and feeling how much faith his Ah-Shui placed in him, Wu Xiao¡¯s heart warmed even as his smile grew sharper.


    With a hand resting on his beloved¡¯s hip, Wu Xiao positioned the head of the lubricated object over Jing Shui¡¯s entrance, then began decisively thrusting it into the tight channel. With the preparations they¡¯d already made, Wu Xiao was certain that this wouldn¡¯t cause his lover any discomfort.


    On the other hand, Jing Shui could distinctly feel the presence of the small, smooth bumps on the cold and hard object that was being shoved inside him. The hard little points pressed and dragged against his soft inner walls, the friction almost unbearable as it sent sparks arcing across his nerve endings.


    Jing Shui felt his body burning hotter and hotter as the intense sensations burst under his skin. But no matter how much he twisted or squirmed, the vivid sensations flowing through him were inescapable.


    Due to his frantic motions, Jing Shui¡¯s loosened robe finally came undone, slipping to the side and gathering in a heap. Without pausing, Wu Xiao directly put the robe away into his storage space. He really liked how his Ah-Shui looked in it, so he couldn¡¯t bear for it to get crumpled or stained.


    Now that Jing Shui¡¯s body was completely bared, Wu Xiao¡¯s gaze greedily passed over his beloved¡¯s writhing form. Tempted by the view of his lover¡¯s shifting muscles, Wu Xiao traced his free hand over his beloved¡¯s skin, sometimes rubbing his palm over his Ah-Shui¡¯s straining shaft, other times skimming over his stomach and abdomen, then pinching and pulling the little points perked up on his chest. All the while, his other hand persistently kept pressing the hard length deeper and deeper into his Ah-Shui.


    The little bumps rubbed against the inside of Jing Shui¡¯s butt cheeks as the large, foreign object was slowly pushed further in, forcing his tender insides to swallow the hardness. His delicate passage was being reshaped around the intruding thing as it relentlessly and inflexibly kept being thrust into him.


    As the strange sensations overflowed, soft, helpless whimpers spilled from his lips. Hot tears trailed down his cheeks as he unsteadily tried to accept the thick hardness into his inexperienced body.


    ¡°Ah-Shui,¡± Wu Xiao leaned over and whispered into his beloved¡¯s flushed ear, his warm hand rubbing up and down Jing Shui¡¯s back that had curved sharply due to the piercing pleasure. In a soft, concerned voice, Wu Xiao asked, ¡°Can you take it?¡±


    With wetness still running down his face, Jing Shui nodded as he sobbed and trembled, his red, tearstained cheeks rubbing against the cool fabric under him.


    As the thick object seated itself fully within him, it caused indescribable pleasure to flow over his senses, making him sob harder at this unbearable feeling. But despite this, Jing Shui truly wanted to keep going. He even felt somewhat ashamed at how much he was enjoying this regardless of how overwhelming it felt.


    Having received his reassurance, Wu Xiao pressed loving little kisses against Jing Shui¡¯s back even as his hand ruthlessly twisted and pulled the hard length of the object completely out before mercilessly slamming it back in.


    Jing Shui jerked violently as the blunt points scraped almost harshly against his fragile inner walls. Again and again Wu Xiao tormented him, thrusting it in and out in decisive, pitiless motions, sometimes rotating, sometimes twisting, without allowing him a moment of reprieve in between.


    Jing Shui felt like he was slipping down the edge of sanity as the raw pleasure tore through him, both fierce and brutal in its intensity. He buried his head in the sheets and screamed until his voice went hoarse, the sound muffled and desperate as he struggled to clutch onto the last strands of his reason.


    ¡°Ah-Shui, do you want to stop?¡± Wu Xiao asked considerately.


    Jing Shui slowly shook his head twice even as he gritted his teeth, his head bowed and his hands clutching the sheets tightly as the unbearable sensations kept washing over him. And still he wanted more, so much more, until he was filled to the brim with this liquid heat, until he could drown under the waves of this intense pleasure.


    And just as he wished, Wu Xiao kept giving him more, pushing him higher and higher still.


    Tears kept unabatedly slipping from Jing Shui¡¯s closed eyes and clear liquid spilled out of the corner of his mouth as his lips stretched wide to let out helpless gasps and strangled screams. His fists were clenched so hard that they shook as they jerkily moved on the bed in uncontrollable motions. His skin was flushed a delectable red, contrasting with the pure white sheets being rumpled under his twisting body.


    Though Jing Shui knew that his writhing and squirming appearance was extremely unbecoming, he wasn¡¯t in a state to care about that. Besides, his body had long since slipped out of his control. He could only let himself be played in between his lover¡¯s experienced and ruthless hands that seemed to know just which places to caress and touch to push him into a frenzied state.


    Wu Xiao smiled, his eyes glinting happily as he continued his ministrations. The more undignified Jing Shui looked, the more pleased Wu Xiao became, taking pleasure in the fact that he was the one who had driven his beloved into this state. He wanted his Ah-Shui to behave more unrestrainedly, to not shut in his feelings and to express them freely, just like how he was doing now.


    And so, as it went on, Jing Shui kept enduring the torment, sweating and shaking while he was pushed higher, his need winding tighter. But just as he was about to reach the peak, right on the verge of attaining release¡­


    Wu Xiao stopped.


    As he laid there in dazed confusion, Jing Shui felt the intrusive device slide one last time against his over-stimulated insides as it was pulled out with a wet, sucking sound. A feeling of pervasive emptiness claimed him at the sudden absence of what had been filling him up and stretching him to the limit till now.


    Before Jing Shui could recover, careful and firm hands turned him around and flipped him over onto his back on the bed. Still befuddled due to the intense need burning through him like wildfire, Jing Shui stared blankly at the ceiling as his position was suddenly changed.


    Before he could adapt, he felt a cool body pressing down against his own heated skin as a naked Wu Xiao laid on top of him.


    ¡°Ah-Shui, are you willing to receive me?¡± Wu Xiao asked gently.


    Still quivering under the relentless onslaught of desire, Jing Shui tremblingly nodded. Yes, what he wanted now more than anything was to hold this man inside of him.


    Wu Xiao bent down and slowly kissed away his beloved¡¯s tears. He had truly not expected that his Ah-Shui would be able to take it till now. He had thought that Jing Shui would call it quits halfway through. But the fact that he was able to come this far was good.


    Supporting himself on an elbow, Wu Xiao used his other hand to carefully guide himself to his beloved¡¯s entrance. Feeling his opening being breached again, Jing Shui widened his legs further and endeavored to relax his inner muscles to make it easier to accept his lover into him.


    Closing his eyes, Jing Shui tried to absorb every moment of this, of Wu Xiao steadily pressing inside his tight channel.


    Jing Shui felt his hot inner walls being pushed apart as the intruding member was slowly thrust in. He could feel his opening being forced to expand, his tender insides stretching around the large organ. As his warm, tight passage wrapped around his lover¡¯s hard shaft, his delicate inner folds were stretched until they smoothened. He could feel every nook and cranny of his sensitive and slick channel being rubbed against the hard length that his tight passage was being forced to accept. His insides quivered at the strange sensations washing through him.


    Once he was fully seated inside his beloved, Wu Xiao stopped, allowing Jing Shui some time to adapt to the feeling of being stretched and filled by his hot member.


    Unwilling to stay still, Wu Xiao bent down, resting his face in the crook between Jing Shui¡¯s neck and shoulders as the younger man trembled incessantly at the fierce pleasure spreading anew through his body.


    Wu Xiao took in a deep breath, savoring the heady scent of his Ah-Shui¡¯s warm and flushed skin dampened with sweat. Wu Xiao could see Jing Shui¡¯s pulse throbbing hectically in his neck, his beloved¡¯s chest heaving in short rapid breaths.


    Leaning back up, Wu Xiao relished the sight of his impassioned lover. Jing Shui¡¯s entire body was flushed, his eyes open yet glazed, his soft, red lips gaping open as he arched up and writhed, sobbing and moaning his beloved¡¯s name breathlessly.


    ¡°¡­Wu Xiao¡­more¡­¡±


    His eyes softening, Wu Xiao murmured back, ¡°As my Ah-Shui wishes, then.¡±


    And so he finally began to move.


    This time, Wu Xiao went slowly. As his hips rocked to and fro in a maddeningly unhurried and relaxed rhythm, his hands and gaze incessantly roamed over his beloved¡¯s body.


    Wu Xiao leaned down now and then to place little kisses on Jing Shui¡¯s face. His fingers lightly grazed and gently kneaded the soft little buds on his Ah-Shui¡¯s chest, before a hand slid down and gripped his lover¡¯s slender shaft in its palm, beginning to pump it languorously, yet steadily.


    This slow torture had Jing Shui just as overwhelmed as before. The pleasure lapped at him in slow, heated pulses before receding again, only to return stronger than before. This torment was all-consuming and felt endless, washing over him again and again.


    Jing Shui pressed the back of his hand against his mouth, trying to stifle the sounds trying to slip out of him, feeling that he¡¯d already let out enough embarrassing noises for one day. But Wu Xiao didn¡¯t allow him the luxury of hiding behind anything. Cool fingers wrapped around his wrist as Wu Xiao pulled away his hand from where it was pressed against his quivering lips. Leaning down, Wu Xiao whispered, ¡°I like it when you cry out for me, Ah-Shui.¡±


    A desperate, broken moan was drawn out of Jing Shui as if in answer.


    As Wu Xiao¡¯s face hovered close to him, that pale visage framed by shining silver hair that shone like watered silk, Jing Shui dazedly thought how similar Wu Xiao was to the brilliant moon perched in the sky, obscured by the clouds and hazy mists, so cold and distant, its light so far away.


    But that aloof person, that someone who was always so elegant and extraordinary, was now pressed on top of him, moving inside of him. The thought was mind-boggling, yet so strangely satisfying as Jing Shui thought amazedly¡ªYes, this was now his person, his dear lover.


    Gradually, Wu Xiao¡¯s thrusts grew more intense and insistent, his member sliding in and out of Jing Shui¡¯s passage in hard and fast motions. And in response, Jing Shui also quickened his movements, his hands lifting to rove over his lover¡¯s smooth skin hungrily as he felt the urgency brought on by his nearing release.


    Raising up Jing Shui¡¯s legs, Wu Xiao hoisted them on his shoulders. Jing Shui reflexively crossed his ankles behind Wu Xiao¡¯s neck and tilted his hips up to allow his lover to thrust in deeper.


    Hoarse panting sounded as the pair of lovers worked their hips furiously, rushing to move harder and faster in a frenzy. The sound of sweaty skin slapping against each other mixed and merged together with breathless moans and throaty growls.


    As Jing Shui was relentlessly pushed higher and higher, pleasure gathered at the base of his spine before shooting throughout his body as the orgasm suddenly ripped through him. It felt like a powerful bolt of lightning was cleaving through his nerve endings as the roar of thunder seemed to rush through his ears.


    His mouth gaped open as he screamed silently, his body twisting as if in excruciating agony, his eyes scrunched close as it squeezed out more tears. As the punishing waves of ecstasy flooded him, Jing Shui felt as if his very being was slowly splintering apart before joining together again, forming anew.


    As the violent tides of release finally swept by and receded, Jing Shui fell onto the bed weakly, his muscles trembling due to the strenuous coupling. His body felt as heavy as a rock while his mind floated in a cloud of bliss in the afterglow.


    Soon after, Wu Xiao also reached his climax, emptying himself inside the soft confines of his beloved Ah-Shui before listlessly sprawling down on the bed.


    The pair of lovers thus laid side-by-side, trying to recover their breath.


    Still lost in a haze, Jing Shui¡¯s mind felt weightless, drifting and skipping from thought to thought directionlessly before finally finding something to ponder over.


    Jing Shui was all too aware that he had the bad habit of hiding his emotions, acting angry or indignant instead of expressing what he felt properly. Though it wasn¡¯t as bad as it had been a few years before, and though the people around him had more or less learned to cope with it, it still didn¡¯t change the truth that this habit of his was decidedly unhealthy.


    But being with Wu Xiao today had overloaded his senses with so much pleasure and stimulation that Jing Shui couldn¡¯t even hide behind his bluster. All he could do was twist and writhe, moan and scream passionately with wild abandon. He hadn¡¯t had the chance to cover up his true emotions, displaying everything for his lover to see.


    And in a way, it was freeing.


    It might have been frightening if this were to happen with anyone else, but there was no one Jing Shui felt safer with or trusted more than Wu Xiao. Jing Shui didn¡¯t mind being uninhibited and unrestrained in front of him. He didn¡¯t care about looking unbecoming or undignified in front of Wu Xiao, because Jing Shui believed without a doubt that Wu Xiao would accept all of him without reservation.


    And he would do the same as well.


    Jing Shui was prepared to accept Wu Xiao¡¯s ¡®heavy tastes¡¯ and enjoy them. He would accept his eccentricities and sometimes infuriating behavior. He would accept all of Wu Xiao just as his lover accepted him.


    Interrupting these solemn contemplations, Wu Xiao suddenly gathered Jing Shui in his arms and spoke seriously, ¡°No matter how roughly I behave in bed, you do know that I love you, right?¡±


    Caught off-guard, Jing Shui flushed and looked away, his voice cracking as he admonished, ¡°I-Idiot! If I didn¡¯t know, do you think I¡¯d let you do all that to me?!¡±


    Wu Xiao softly chuckled and admitted, ¡°My dear, dear Ah-Shui¡­ I never imagined you would accept me this wholeheartedly.¡±


    Hearing this, Jing Shui felt his face becoming hotter.


    Pushing down his embarrassment, Jing Shui lifted his head up and blinked his soft, dewy eyes at his lover. Leaning upward, Jing Shui took the initiative to deliberately place a warm and lingering kiss on Wu Xiao¡¯s lips, then quickly bent to hide his face in his lover¡¯s chest out of bashfulness.


    Wu Xiao laid there stunned, his expression frozen in surprise.


    Then a soft blush slowly suffused his face.


    Not knowing how to react, Wu Xiao did what he did every time he felt shaken¡ªhe fell back to teasing.


    In a somewhat unsteady voice, he tried to joke, ¡°A-Ah-Shui, does this mean you¡¯re ready for another round?¡±


    But to his immense surprise, Jing Shui nodded shyly. Looking up at Wu Xiao through his lashes, he whispered, ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel sore inside anymore, everything seems to have already healed. And¡­I also took tomorrow off in advance, so I don¡¯t have to go back for now.¡±


    What he was suggesting was plain as day.


    Wu Xiao felt desire exploding inside of him again as he pressed his Ah-Shui down into the bed, while Jing Shui eagerly reached up his hands to rest them on his lover¡¯s shoulders and pulled him closer, anticipation fluttering wildly in his stomach.


    And so, the passionate night stretched longer.


    crimson_carnation


    The couple is lying on the bed lazily when Jing Shui extends a hand to lightly grasp Wu Xiao''s forefinger like a child, pulling on it to get his lover''s attention.


    Wu Xiao: Hm? What is it, my dear Ah-Shui?


    Jing Shui: *cheeks puffed in embarrassment* W-Wu Xiao¡­even though this was my first time, you still touched me everywhere, both outside and inside, then did all those shameless things to me. *blushes* S-So, you better take responsibility for me forever! *looks away shyly*


    Wu Xiao: ¡­


    Wu Xiao: *dies of excessive nosebleed*

 Chapter 79: Dreaming the Past

    The sky was a dark grey, covered with a sheet of thick clouds that spawned a seemingly endless downpour, the falling droplets like so many thin and gleaming needles.


    From the outside, it looked as if sheets of water were enveloping the entire Nine Gems Sanctuary, drawn over it like a translucent shroud.


    As the heavy rain poured down from the heavens, it incessantly drummed over the black-tiled roof of the Obsidian Courtyard. But despite the constant noise, on the inside, the entire courtyard was permeated by a hushed and peaceful silence, lending it a tranquil serenity.


    Standing by the open window in nothing but a pair of pants, Hei NingYu looked out into the darkened world with a gaze tinted with nostalgia.


    ¡°NingYu, it must be cold there. You should close the window,¡± Chen Xiande spoke worriedly. Taking a large blanket from the bed, he walked over to his lover and covered him in it.


    With an amused smile, Hei NingYu accepted his little sheep¡¯s concern. Lifting up a corner of the blanket, Hei NingYu pulled Chen Xiande into his embrace before wrapping the thick fabric around them both snugly.


    Feeling how his lover¡¯s body had gotten chilly, Chen Xiande moved under the blanket to wrap his arms around Hei NingYu¡¯s waist, holding his beloved closer to share his warmth.


    ¡°Your body is freezing, why don¡¯t we get away from here?¡± Chen Xiande suggested.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s not like I can catch a cold,¡± Hei NingYu reassured his beloved, then returned to looking out the window.


    Frowning, Chen Xiande asked, ¡°Is something wrong outside?¡±


    Hei NingYu shook his head, his smile turning wry. ¡°I was just reminiscing fondly about the time I killed my master. It had been raining then as well, though I don¡¯t remember much about it anymore.¡±


    Chen Xiande felt his heart aching for his lover. Every time he looked at those large scars littering Hei NingYu¡¯s body, it made Chen Xiande wish that he had been there to help him, to shield him from his cruel master.


    But Hei NingYu thankfully didn¡¯t seem all that broken up about what had happened to him long ago, so Chen Xiande was content to let it remain in the past as well.


    After about an hour of the couple peacefully watching the rain fall, they moved to the bed for a round of passionate activities, then fell asleep in each other¡¯s arms, their minds filled with contentment.


    On the little table situated by the bedside was a small round vase, holding a large, fully bloomed flower that was a pristine white, the edges of its petals tinted with a very light purple. It emitted a faint fragrance that involuntarily made one¡¯s mind relax under its influence, causing thoughts to drift and memories to unwind.


    This beautiful blossom had many names, but it was well-known for only one thing.


    This was the flower that connected dreams.


    ¡­¡­


    The moment Chen Xiande became cognizant, he knew that he was dreaming. As to why he felt that way¡­


    It was because he had no freaking body!


    Right now, Chen Xiande knew that he was nothing but a disembodied mind, floating about at eye-level. He clearly remembered lying down to sleep alongside Hei NingYu and didn¡¯t recall waking, so he was definitely still asleep. This could clearly be nothing but a dream.


    After determining this fact, Chen Xiande finally decided to look around his dreamscape, then wished he hadn¡¯t.


    This definitely did not seem to be a pleasant dream.


    The room he was in was dark and gloomy, a single tallow candle lighting up a lone corner in a dreadfully unhealthy-looking orangish yellow. The rest of the space seemed a vague, murky brown that slowly darkened to black at the edges.


    Ominous shadows swung threateningly in the air. But upon closer inspection, they were revealed to be thick and rusted chains that dangled from the ceiling like garlands, manacles and hooks with dark stains hanging from the ends.


    Half-rotten wooden tables were scattered haphazardly throughout the room, their surfaces filled with heaps of strange implements and tools that Chen Xiande really didn¡¯t want to look any closer at.


    Placed at the side by the wall was the only spotless thing in the entire room. It was an odd, vase-shaped artifact that was almost as high as an adult human. On its bloated belly was a palm-sized round hole that was covered with an intricate metal grille. Beyond the grille, all Chen Xiande could see was a bizarre green flame that flickered and flailed menacingly.


    As Chen Xiande pondered over the importance of this weird artifact, he suddenly remembered what it was.


    This was the furnace of the damned¡ªa soul burning furnace!


    If Chen Xiande had a body right now, he would have flinched and recoiled away from this blighted thing. After all, soul burning furnaces were torture devices that had once been used by demonic cultivators to torment the souls of their enemies, as well as to distill the souls of innocents and use them to better their own cultivation.


    Thankfully, the Sentinels had long since outlawed these sorts of things. But for Chen Xiande to see one right now in his dream¡­ just what exactly was happening?


    Suddenly, something moved and clinked in the darkened corner that was situated the furthest away from the gloomy candle.


    Chen Xiande wanted to gulp in fear, but then remembered that he had no throat or body. He slowly steered his consciousness towards the direction of the noise to see what it was, then felt like reeling due to shock.


    In the corner, collared and chained like an animal, was a person. His hair was disheveled and loose, covering his lowered face and draping over his skinny frame in tangles. His upper body was bare, the emaciated torso smudged with dirt and covered in wounds and bruises. The edges of his restraints were crusted with thick, dried blood, the skin surrounding the cuffs reddish purple and puffy.


    After making that slight movement that had alerted Chen Xiande to his presence, the man stilled again, continuing to sit there in the corner motionlessly.


    Just imagining all the ways in which this man must have been mistreated, Chen Xiande felt distress welling up within him. But this was definitely a dream¨Dor rather, a nightmare¨Dso this man mustn¡¯t really exist, right?


    As Chen Xiande seriously contemplated over this, he heard the sound of nearing footsteps. Then, with a creaky groan, a small and roughly hewn wooden door that he had overlooked before opened, revealing the silhouette of a robust man.


    He stepped into the room with steady steps and lightly closed the door behind him again but didn¡¯t lock it, as if he didn¡¯t feel the need to do so.


    This newly arrived person looked like he was in his early forties, the lower half of his face covered in a neatly trimmed beard and moustache. The hair on his head was pinned up properly, the black strands scattered with equally as much grey and white.


    Hanging from one side of his belt were a sheathed sword and a jade pendant weighed with age, and dangling from the other side were a thick horsewhip and a dagger.


    Garbed in the traditional attire of demonic practitioners, the man was very carefully dressed and groomed, making the chained, half-naked figure in the corner look especially wretched in comparison.


    But the man¡¯s eyes, however, were cold and indifferent, almost cruelly so.


    Seeing this, Chen Xiande could already tell that this was not a nice person. It also wasn¡¯t that difficult to guess that this man must be the tormenter of the chained individual.


    Sure enough, the man¡¯s gaze directly cut to the figure in the corner, and a condescending sneer claimed his face.


    ¡°Yet another of your senior brothers ended up disappointing me. Dying so soon due to a little torture, how pathetic. But just because you¡¯ve managed to live this long doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re any better. Sooner or later, you¡¯ll die miserably too, just like a mangy street dog,¡± the man spat at the chained figure viciously.


    But the person in the corner didn¡¯t even twitch, remaining utterly still as if not realizing that there was someone else in the room, much less that they were addressing him.


    The man scoffed at being ignored and walked over to the dark corner in large strides, his steps thumping the ground loudly. He grabbed the chained man by the jaw and lifted his head up in a brusque manner. The grimy strands of hair covering the chained man¡¯s features finally slid away to reveal a gaunt yet beautiful face.


    The Chen Xiande who had been watching all this from the side felt like gasping in recognition and horror. How could he not recognize that face? After all, that was the face of his most beloved person!


    The chained man was Hei NingYu.


    And though his expression remained blank for the most part, Hei NingYu¡¯s eyes as he looked at the man were sharp and filled with a deep hunger, like that of a wild, savage beast.


    Seeing this open show of hate and defiance, the man¡¯s cold eyes narrowed in displeasure. He took the horsewhip from his belt and directly lashed at Hei NingYu¡¯s unflinching face.


    A red mark immediately bloomed on his skin, looking bright and garish on the too-pale cheek, but Hei NingYu still stared at the man fixedly as if he couldn¡¯t feel the sting and burn of the injury.


    Witnessing all this with misery and despair filling his heart, Chen Xiande realized that this man must be Hei NingYu¡¯s master. This wasn¡¯t a dream or a nightmare, but Hei NingYu¡¯s memories of the past.


    And no matter how much he wanted to scream and cry due to the heart-wrenching pain of watching this happening to his beloved, Chen Xiande knew that all of this had already happened. It was already in the past where he couldn¡¯t touch or change any of it. He could only act as a spectator now and finally understand what his lover had had to go through.


    But still, Chen Xiande felt befuddled. From what Hei NingYu had told him till now, his past had clearly not sounded this terrible. But reality proved that it was more horrific than anything he could have imagined.


    But why would Hei NingYu lie?


    Rather than feeling angry or betrayed, Chen Xiande merely felt confused. He felt that if Hei NingYu lied to him, then it must be for a very good reason. And so, Chen Xiande resolved to ask him after he got back.


    On the other hand, Hei NingYu¡¯s master didn¡¯t remain idle.


    Gripping the chain connecting to the collar, the man brutally pulled Hei NingYu up. The sharp edges of the rusted collar cut into his pale and thin neck, causing it to bleed. The fresh, red liquid dripped out and covered the bloodstains that had already caked onto the collar¡¯s edge in a thick layer, new blood flowing over the old.


    Lowering his face so that his eyes were peering into Hei NingYu¡¯s, the man growled aggressively, ¡°I don¡¯t have time to sit and properly discipline you again, you filthy beast. I still have work for you to do. Behave till then. For now, I¡¯ll remove the spirit suppressing restraints on you, so you better work hard with that ability of yours.¡±


    Hei NingYu¡¯s master then unceremoniously hoisted up his disciple and chanted a strange spell, then used his blood to draw complicated symbols on the metal cuffs. The restraints opened on their own, the various heavy chains cascading down and landing on the ground with thunks.


    But though his bindings had fallen off, Hei NingYu made no move to escape. And as if expecting this, his master also did not take any precautions.


    ¡°Time for you to work, mongrel,¡± the man said with an anticipatory glint in his eyes as he dragged Hei NingYu out of the room by his hair. Since the muscles in his legs had atrophied after not being used for so long, Hei NingYu wasn¡¯t able to walk steadily and could only let himself be roughly pulled along.


    If Chen Xiande had had his body, he would have been crying his eyes out and wringing his hands anxiously, all the while worrying about what was going to happen to his beloved. He would have rushed up to that damned master of his lover and strangled him. He would have hugged and taken care of his beloved until he turned back into the cheerful and teasing self he was in the real world.


    But unfortunately, Chen Xiande was helpless to change anything.


    As the two people left the room, the scenery also changed, fading into that of a vast and rocky plain, with grey boulders and prickly cactuses strewn all over the barren land.


    In a certain direction, Chen Xiande could see a large cloud of dust approaching rapidly. The dust was being stirred up by the hooves of strange demonic beasts, and riding on the backs of each these huge beasts was a cultivator.


    Chen Xiande surmised that these people must be from one of the beast tamer sects that had existed before the spiritual beasts withdrew from the world and went into hiding. More specifically, since they were riding demonic beasts, these cultivators must be from a beast tamer sect belonging to the demonic faction.


    The demonic beasts being ridden by these dark arts practitioners looked vaguely like upright salamanders, their dull, gleaming hides colored in varying shades of green and plum, their backs patterned with tan stripes. From the middle of each of their foreheads rose three straight, black horns, an indicator that they were of the third realm and had turned demonic. Their eyes were a deep orange with dark slits expanding and contracting within.


    These beasts had sharp and curved claws with a strange nacreous sheen to them, indicating that they were coated with poison. Their giant maws gaped wide open, displaying several sets of small and exceedingly sharp teeth that covered the entire inside of their mouths in closely-packed rows this arrangement very conducive for clamping down and holding onto struggling prey. The beasts walked on their powerful hind legs, their forelegs folded and held in front of them like hands, with claws facing outward.


    As their riders urged these demonic beasts on, they galloped with thundering steps towards a sprawling group of buildings in the distance. Looking in that direction, Chen Xiande recognized their destination to be the Nine Gems Sanctuary.


    But before the group of riders and beasts could go any further, a figure suddenly blocked their path.


    The riders all pulled their mounts to a halt, vigilantly looking at the emaciated man who had suddenly appeared.


    The man¡¯s bare upper torso looked bruised and battered, while his neck, wrists, and ankles showed dark ring-shaped marks that had clearly been left behind by restraints. And though his gaunt face had a haunting, fragile beauty to it, the black eyes set within that face brimmed with savage wildness, as if he were a beast straining against his leash.


    The leader of the riders looked around with caution to see if there was anyone else here to back this person. But seeing that the shirtless man was the only one nearby, the leader of the riders sneered, then motioned his subordinates to charge forward again.


    If this person got in their way, then he would only be squashed under the feet of their beasts and churned into meat paste, the leader thought callously.


    Seeing the beasts speeding towards him, Hei NingYu¡¯s lips curled up slightly.


    As the group complacently kept on riding in the direction of the figure obstructing their way, the riders suddenly began to stiffen on the backs of their mounts and started sliding down one by one. As the riders fell down to the ground, they were then subsequently trampled under the galloping beasts¡¯ feet, their bodies crushed and turned to pulp.


    This was a result of Hei NingYu using his ability, ¡®Enchantment¡¯, to paralyze his enemies.


    But not all of the riders were immediately affected by his Enchantment. After all, Hei NingYu¡¯s spiritual circulation had been sealed off for long periods of time by his spirit suppressing restraints, with only a few hours of reprieve in between for him to practice his cultivation. As a result, Hei NingYu naturally couldn¡¯t do his best in his current condition.


    Realizing that they had underestimated him too much, the remaining riders pressed forward with gritted teeth, setting their mounts upon the unguarded man in an attempt to kill or at least incapacitate him.


    Watching at the side, Chen Xiande¡¯s heart shook with horror and distress.


    After the remainder of the beasts quickly reached him, their talons immediately raised and pierced into Hei NingYu, yet he didn¡¯t attempt to move or escape. Chunks of flesh flew as bright blood splashed copiously onto the rough ground.


    As the sharp claws dug into him, the poison from them visibly spread under Hei NingYu¡¯s skin in dark red and purple blotches.


    Seeing this, Chen Xiande suddenly realized that this was how his lover had gotten his scars. But even then, he couldn¡¯t understand. Why didn¡¯t Hei NingYu dodge? Even though he was weak, it definitely wasn¡¯t to the point where he couldn¡¯t even put up a struggle, was it?


    As the beasts continued to maul Hei NingYu, brutally ripping into his already weakened body, Hei NingYu simply closed his eyes and made no move to resist.


    Chen Xiande couldn¡¯t bear to look at this anymore, but he refused to avert his gaze from this tragic scene.


    A few minutes later, Hei NingYu¡¯s master appeared, sneaking behind the group of preoccupied assailants and their vicious beasts.


    He flicked his sleeves and a stream of talismans flew out, yellow characters scrawled on black slips of paper. The talismans attached themselves onto the backs of the clueless group of riders and their mounts, all of them too busy tormenting Hei NingYu to notice that they were being targeted. His master barked out a coarse-sounding word, and the yellow characters on the talismans suddenly flashed an eerie red.


    Alerted by the sound, the riders turned around to see yet another person who seemed to have suddenly appeared.


    But before the riders could react to the presence of this new threat, they were already clutching at their throats as they foamed at their mouths. Their eyes rolling up, the group of riders fell to the ground, writhing and thrashing madly due to the spell. The riders¡¯ struggles gradually slowed, and within a few moments, they had all died, their beasts swiftly following after them to the afterlife.


    Seeing his opponents so easily defeated, Hei NingYu¡¯s master let out a pleased chuckle. Then looking at his disciple¡¯s sorry state, he laughed happily, roughly shoving some healing pills into Hei NingYu¡¯s mouth before dragging him back to the Sanctuary.


    Witnessing the careless way he was handling a wounded Hei NingYu, Chen Xiande wished with all his might that he could suddenly pop into the past and skewer this vicious bastard with a thousand swords!


    But Hei NingYu did not utter a word of complaint or protest, just continued to lie in his master¡¯s grasp limply, a disinterested and blank look on his face. On the other hand, his master seemed filled with endless good cheer.


    However, by the time the master and disciple pair made it back to that gloomy room again, Hei NingYu¡¯s master wasn¡¯t laughing anymore.


    Though all his other wounds had healed by now, the splotches of poison under Hei NingYu¡¯s skin kept spreading at a visible rate. And when the spirit suppressing restraints were applied to him, the rate of the spreading only increased.


    It was obvious that as long as his spiritual energy was allowed to keep circulating through him, it somewhat managed to suppress the poison. Though it wasn¡¯t a permanent solution, it was still better than nothing. So for now, the man bound his disciple using plain iron restraints, Hei NingYu¡¯s hands pulled straight above as he slumped on his knees without strength.


    Chen Xiande¡¯s heart ached. He really wanted to pierce through time and hold his beloved.


    Forcing himself to divert his attention, Chen Xiande noted that even now, the patches of scarred skin on Hei NingYu¡¯s body were relatively small, only a palms width, so how did they get as big as the ones that he had seen on Hei NingYu¡¯s skin in the future? Was it because they weren¡¯t treated in time, so they had grown?


    On the other hand, Hei NingYu¡¯s master was pondering on how to proceed with the problem of the poison.


    To diagnose it better, he carelessly thrust his power into Hei NingYu¡¯s spiritual veins to see if there was any way he could heal the poison, or at least gather some useful information so that he could find a cure. But this was not out of concern for the well-being of his disciple, but rather pure self-interest. Because as much as he manhandled and abused his disciple, he knew how much easier having Hei NingYu¡¯s ability on his side made things for him.


    For example, the riders just now had been coming over to challenge Hei NingYu¡¯s master for his position as the sect leader. But since he wasn¡¯t confident in his power, Hei NingYu¡¯s master had used his trump card, his disciple, and had ambushed his opponents on the way to sneakily kill them off while they were weakened due to his disciple¡¯s ability.


    Therefore, he naturally didn¡¯t want to see this useful disciple of his die.


    On the other hand, having his master¡¯s spiritual energy thrust so abruptly into him, Hei NingYu jolted in his restraints before stilling again. He gritted his teeth and bore his master¡¯s forceful method of surveying the effects of the poison as the intrusive power scraped through his spiritual channels.


    Once he had gathered all the information he could get, Hei NingYu¡¯s master simply strode out. He knew that Hei NingYu was too weak, so he didn¡¯t feel threatened at all at leaving his disciple like this without putting spirit suppressing restraints on him. After all, what could he do?


    A few minutes after his master left, the Hei NingYu who had been hanging limply from the iron chains suddenly raised his head. A small cruel smile slowly claimed his lips.


    ¡°Stupid, so stupid,¡± Hei NingYu whispered softly into the darkness, amusement and disgust coloring his hoarse voice.


    With a twist of his wrists, he effortlessly undid the manacles. Then gripping the collar in his hands, he easily pulled it apart, before continuing on to wrench open the cuffs on his ankles as well.


    Finally freed of all restraints, Hei NingYu leisurely stood up and stretched. Then with slow and steady steps, he walked toward the wooden door that led outside the room.


    Chen Xiande beheld his lover¡¯s nonchalant actions while feeling stunned.


    So he had been able to escape all along? Then why didn¡¯t he do so earlier?


    And seeing his expression just now, why did it feel like his beloved was greatly looking down on his master? And why did Hei NingYu seem so assured all of a sudden?


    A stream of confused thoughts filled his mind.


    But still, Chen Xiande couldn¡¯t help but feel apprehensive, because he knew that on the other side of the door was Hei NingYu¡¯s master. And if Hei NingYu went out right now, wouldn¡¯t he be found immediately by him? Surely his beloved also realized this?


    But contrary to Chen Xiande¡¯s expectations, upon opening the door and seeing his master, Hei NingYu only smiled wider, eagerness and bloodthirst swirling in his dark gaze.

 Chapter 80: A Reason to Live

    Standing by the opened door, Hei NingYu curiously surveyed the room beyond, which appeared to be a well-appointed study.


    During all those times that his master had dragged him through here, it wasn¡¯t like Hei NingYu could ask to stop and admire the scenery, so he had only caught glimpses of the room. But now that he had the chance, he leaned against the doorframe and leisurely examined his master¡¯s study.


    It was a far cry from the small, stuffy space that Hei NingYu had been kept in.


    The study was opulent yet comfortable with a homey feeling to it. Bookshelves lined a wall and thick carpet covered the floor. On one side, a cheery fire burned in the fireplace, burnishing the room with warm colors.


    Sitting on a plush chair by the fire, Hei NingYu¡¯s master was going through various manuals and scrolls with an annoyed expression as he tried to find out if there was a cure for the poison his disciple had been afflicted with.


    Such a useful disciple with such a convenient ability, there was no way he was going to let him die and slip through his fingers so easily!


    Suddenly sensing Hei NingYu¡¯s presence, his master looked up startled, but there was no alarm on his face.


    Recovering from his initial surprise, he sneered at his disciple with a mocking expression, ¡°Do you want to be punished so badly that you came to disturb me on your own, you mongrel? Now get back to your chains or so help me, the whips and tools will be dripping with your blood again by the time I¡¯m done with you.¡±


    Hei NingYu laughed softly in reply, utterly unbothered by the threat. The hate saturated in his dark eyes was stark and sharp, turning his gaze jagged as if it wanted to cut through the person he was looking at.


    Though his master felt some unease, he still remained unafraid. After all, he already knew that not only was his disciple¡¯s cultivation below his, but his Enchantment had also clearly never worked on him till now.


    But facts soon proved him wrong.


    Because this time, when Hei NingYu released Enchantment, his master felt his entire body and spiritual flow being instantly paralyzed. His eyes frantically spun in his sockets as he panickily and confusedly tried to make sense of things.


    This shouldn¡¯t be happening! It wasn¡¯t possible!


    Hei NingYu laughed again, his hungry eyes fixed on his master as he explained in a casual tone, ¡°My Enchantment has already developed to a much higher level than you can imagine. I only lacked sufficient spiritual energy to utilize it. So I deliberately got myself infected with that particular poison so that you would have to leave off the spirit suppressing chains or risk losing me. And how can you bear to lose such a convenient little pet beast? Thanks to your greed, I was at last able to gather sufficient power to cast Enchantment fully on you.¡±


    His master looked shocked and disbelieving at this revelation, at how his seemingly dull and unresponsive disciple had outwitted him. His skeptical gaze finally moved down to fix on the spreading marks on Hei NingYu¡¯s exposed torso.


    Reading the question displayed in his master¡¯s eyes, Hei NingYu spoke, ¡°Do you want to ask me why I let myself be poisoned despite knowing that there might be no cure?¡±


    Then laughing carefreely, he stared at his master with an eerie light in his eyes as he answered with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s because I don¡¯t care about living or dying. All I care about is killing you.¡±


    Having been spectating at the side all this while in his disembodied form, Chen Xiande felt his mind chilling as he heard his lover saying such words. It sounded as though the only reason Hei NingYu had been living till now was to assuage his hate by killing his master.


    Casually striding over to the chair by the fireplace, Hei NingYu climbed on and straddled the paralyzed person seated in it. Then raising his hands, he wrapped his bony fingers around his master¡¯s throat without a change in his expression.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see how long it will take me to strangle you in spite of your cultivation, shall we? I imagine it will take quite a while.¡±


    As he spoke, his thin fingers slowly began tightening around his master¡¯s throat.


    The eyes of Hei NingYu¡¯s master bulged out and rolled around frantically, but due to his paralysis, most of his struggles could only remain internal.


    Hei NingYu remained like that, his hands squeezing mercilessly while a mild smile bent his lips. His dark eyes remained intently fixed on his master¡¯s swollen face as it slowly turned red, then blue, with veins bulging and tongue sticking out in reaction to being choked.


    Chen Xiande found the whole thing horrifying to watch. Yet there was nothing else he could do but witness his lover exact his revenge.


    Several days thus passed.


    Despite his weak body and the constant use of his spiritual energy to sustain his Enchantment over his master, Hei NingYu did not seem tired in the least. His mental strength stayed unfaltering as he continued to impose his will on his master¡¯s mind to keep him immobilized, and his smiling expression remained the same as his hands maintained their steady pressure around his master¡¯s throat.


    Meanwhile, the poisoned skin on his body had spread, growing into large patches that marred his skin with blotches of violent red and purple. But Hei NingYu remained uncaring, absorbed in staring at his slowly suffocating master who had still not died.


    Outside, the skies slowly darkened as clouds gathered.


    The sudden sound of falling rain pattering against the roof tiles caused Hei NingYu to startle out of his reverie and look out the window, only to see that it was pitch-black outside, the rain falling with a peaceful hush. No lightning flashed and there was no booming thunder, the absolute lack of noise lending the scene a serene calm. It was as if the whole world was sleeping peacefully.


    Lulled by this tranquil sight, Hei NingYu slowly blinked his eyes, then let go of his master¡¯s now swollen throat. Looking down, he finally registered the pathetic form his tormentor was reduced to.


    Hei NingYu simply sighed. ¡°Boring.¡±


    Then grabbing the sword hanging from his master¡¯s hip, Hei NingYu unsheathed the blade and swung it down without delay, cutting off his master¡¯s head with one clean swipe. With a look of surprise still reflected in the bulging eyes, the swollen and unsightly head flew off its neck and bounced on the ground with a thump.


    Hei NingYu looked at the severed head with a lost expression.


    Now that his master was dead and his hatred was spent, he didn¡¯t know what to do.


    He stood up from his master¡¯s beheaded body emotionlessly and walked to one of the other chairs by the fireplace. He felt that he had no more reason to keep living, so he sat down and patiently waited for the poison to claim his life.


    Chen Xiande looked at the flat and hollow look in his lover¡¯s eyes, alarmed by the dreadful emptiness within them. It was like a bottomless void, completely without the will to live.


    The poison under Hei NingYu¡¯s skin continued to slowly spread as he simply slumped in the chair with his eyes closed, awaiting his eventual death.


    Suddenly, a silvery bell-like voice tsked in disapproval, ¡°Such a young man, yet here you are passively welcoming the reaper. Where is your sense of youthful rebelliousness and passion, you brat?¡±


    Hei NingYu opened his eyes to calmly look at the newly arrived person.


    A silver-haired woman was perched daintily on the windowsill, a white umbrella encrusted with glittering raindrops gently twirling in her hand.


    She shook her fist at him with playful anger and exclaimed, ¡°Young men your age should be out there frolicking with their lover in the grass and forcing sweet dog food down the passersby¡¯s throats! What are you doing staying shut inside like this together with a rotting corpse?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Deciding to treat this ridiculous woman as a hallucination in the hope that she would go away, Hei NingYu closed his eyes and leaned back once more, turning his head away from the window.


    ¡°Tch. So stubborn. You youngsters these days have no respect for your elders at all,¡± the woman continued to tease.


    Hei NingYu frowned, but determinedly ignored her.


    On the other hand, Chen Xiande wanted to gape at this silver-haired woman.


    Wasn¡¯t she the same woman who had been stuck with him and his junior brother back in the Black Fang base? What was she doing here so far back in the past?! Could it be that she was really that old?!


    As if hearing his thoughts, the silver-haired woman introduced herself. ¡°In case you¡¯re wondering, I¡¯m Yue Yi, the current peak master of the Silver Moon Peak, a part of the righteous faction¡¯s Heavenly Peak Sect. You can call me Elder Yue. And no, I¡¯m not a hallucination that¡¯ll go away, so you better face me, boy.¡±


    Sighing in defeat, Hei NingYu finally opened his eyes with resignation and turned his head towards her. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    Blinking her bright eyes, Elder Yue spoke, ¡°I want world peace, but it¡¯s not going to happen yet, so let me ask you for something smaller. I want you to live.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Hei NingYu asked brusquely.


    ¡°So rude,¡± Elder Yue muttered while shaking her head helplessly. Then smiling at him with a kind gaze, she spoke, ¡°You must live, because you have the potential to make the world a safer place. But if you want a better incentive, then here it is: Someday in the future, you might meet someone you think is interesting and fun enough to play and spend your life with, someone who will make you feel glad from the bottom of your heart that you lived long enough to have a chance to meet them, someone who will make your life worth living. Until then, you can work to protect this world that will one day give you your beloved.¡±


    Hei NingYu felt his heart stir.


    His beloved¡­a person who would be his alone¡­


    Someone who would make his life worth living, was it?


    It sounded too good to be true.


    Scowling, Hei NingYu asked with obvious doubt, ¡°Why should I believe you?¡±


    Elder Yue spread her hands and countered, ¡°And what do you think I will gain out of lying to you?¡±


    No matter how much he thought, Hei NingYu truly couldn¡¯t come up with an answer to that.


    By her silvery hair and her words that seemed to foretell the future, he guessed that this woman was one of the seers from Silver Mist, so her predictions of the future were bound to be accurate. And the people of the Mist were famously eccentric, so her coming all the way here to the demonic faction to tell him his future was not that strange.


    So did it mean that he could believe her?


    In truth, it wasn¡¯t that Hei NingYu wanted to die because he couldn¡¯t bear to live. It was only that he didn¡¯t know what to keep living for. And without a crucial reason to go on, living would only bring more misery to his current broken self. That was why Hei NingYu had chosen to simply give up and die.


    But if what this Elder Yue said was true, if there really was a person in his future who could make him feel grateful for continuing to exist, then Hei NingYu felt that he might indeed have a reason to live.


    Even if that reason was a person he hadn¡¯t even met yet.


    Sighing, Hei NingYu finally gave in. ¡°Alright, I will try to live. If I truly do find the person you are talking about, then I will personally come and thank you. But if I find that you were lying, then I¡¯ll come to hunt for your head just like I did my master¡¯s.¡±


    Elder Yue simply laughed her tinkling laugh and agreed without hesitation. ¡°Very well then, I wish you luck, boy!¡±


    Then turning in Chen Xiande¡¯s direction, she continued with a twinkle in her eye, ¡°I hope you won¡¯t forget this promise.¡±


    It almost seemed as if she were directly speaking to Chen Xiande.


    Then with her umbrella in a hand, she nimbly left through the window the way she had entered.


    Recovering from the shock of appearing to be directly addressed, Chen Xiande solemnly nodded towards Elder Yue¡¯s retreating back.


    For giving his lover the will to live, he would truly be forever grateful to her.


    Chen Xiande resolved in his heart that once he woke up, he would drag Hei NingYu with him to the Silver Moon Sect and offer his sincere thanks to Elder Yue. Without her intervention, his beloved would have long given up hope. It was only right that he personally conveyed his gratitude to her.


    After Elder Yue left, Hei NingYu kept staring out the window. His eyes were deep as he gazed at the pitch black world outside through the curtain of peacefully falling rain.


    A strange emotion flickered over his face.


    ¡°Everything outside is so black, with the darkness filtered through such tranquil rain¡­ Since I don¡¯t remember what I used to be called, should I make this into my name?¡± Hei NingYu softly pondered aloud.


    Chen Xiande felt startled. So his lover¡¯s current name was something he had decided on his own?


    Looking out the window, Chen Xiande felt like he could understand.


    This was the day that had changed his lover¡¯s life, so of course he would decide his name based on it. Using the characters for ¡®black¡¯ and ¡®tranquil rain¡¯ as his name was actually not bad. There were so many other, more terrible things Hei NingYu could have chosen to remember, but Chen Xiande was glad that what his lover chose to keep with him was such a peaceful scene.


    Having decided on his name, Hei NingYu began thinking of his future.


    First, he went to the headless corpse and retrieved the sect leader¡¯s token, which was in the form of a jade pendant hanging from his master¡¯s belt.


    Hei NingYu knew that if he wanted to gain enough influence to slowly change this world that his beloved would be born into, he first needed to claim his kill in front of the other demonic practitioners and take the sect leader¡¯s seat. From there, he could start the process of unifying all the myriad demonic sects and slowly reduce the negative impact the demonic faction had on the world as a whole.


    But for now, all that could wait.


    Entering his master¡¯s bedroom, Hei NingYu freshened up, painstakingly removing the dirt, grime, and blood caked into his skin and hair before donning a set of plain black robes from among his master¡¯s clothes, leaving his hair unbound.


    For now, he was assured that he at least looked presentable.


    Then cleaning up his master¡¯s corpse by throwing it into the storage space of a spatial ring, Hei NingYu sat down by the fireplace and began going through the medical manuals that his master had been perusing earlier. After all, he still had to find a cure for the poison spreading under his skin.


    All this while, Chen Xiande constantly kept watch, his gaze unwaveringly trained on his lover¡¯s form.


    ¡­¡­


    The first thing Chen Xiande noticed when he opened his eyes was the withered bloom on the bedside table.


    As he remembered all the things that he had just seen in his dream, Chen Xiande quickly turned his body to look at his lover.


    Hei NingYu was still sleeping peacefully, his face relaxed. Even in slumber, his lips were slightly hooked up in an unconscious smile. He looked so happy and content that Chen Xiande felt his own heart calming.


    Chen Xiande raised a hand and gently stroked a finger over his lover¡¯s cheek. He would never have guessed all the things that his beloved had had to go through to get to this point, all the pain and sufferings he¡¯d had to endure before he finally gained his freedom.


    Hei NingYu¡¯s lashes lightly quivered before his eyes eased open. The first thing that came into view was his lover¡¯s worriedly frowning face.


    ¡°Little Sheep, is your passion for me so intense that you couldn¡¯t even sleep?¡± Hei NingYu teased while smiling, his voice still thick with drowsiness.


    Hearing his playful tone and seeing the liveliness in his expression, Chen Xiande suddenly felt like something was stuck in his throat.


    ¡°NingYu¡­¡± Chen Xiande began, then trailed away. There were so many things he wanted to say, yet he couldn¡¯t find the words to express them.


    Sighing and burrowing comfortably into the sheets, Hei NingYu spoke sleepily, ¡°Little Sheep, if you want to do it now, then you¡¯ll have to top. And I hope you won¡¯t take offense if I start snoring halfway through while being plowed, because I¡¯m really too sleepy.¡±


    Chen Xiande didn¡¯t know whether he should laugh or cry.


    ¡°NingYu, why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± he suddenly burst out, unable to hold it in any longer.


    Blinking slowly, Hei NingYu asked, ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I mean your past and about how you got your scars¡­ Why didn¡¯t you tell me what happened to you?¡±


    In a confused tone, Hei NingYu replied, ¡°Little Sheep, I already told you before. It was right here in this room, in fact. Did you forget?¡±


    Chen Xiande pressed his lips together. ¡°What you said and what actually happened were not on the same level at all!¡±


    Hei NingYu didn¡¯t understand what had his beloved so upset. Shrugging, he wanted to go back to sleep when Chen Xiande suddenly grabbed his wrists and pushed him onto his back. Settling himself over his uncooperative lover, Chen Xiande pressed Hei NingYu¡¯s wrists into the bed, his expression determined.


    Smiling amusedly, Hei NingYu looked at his suddenly aggressive little sheep. Or should he call him a wolf now?


    ¡°Are we going to do it then?¡± Hei NingYu asked, lifting his long legs to wrap them around his lover¡¯s lightly muscled waist.


    His mouth twitching, Chen Xiande said, ¡°NingYu I¡¯m trying to have a serious discussion here.¡±


    Hei NingYu sighed, then lowered his legs again. Well, whatever his beloved wanted to talk about seemed important, so he tried to push back his sleepiness and attempted to look satisfactorily solemn. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m listening.¡±


    ¡°Why did you hide or gloss over so many things about your past?¡± Chen Xiande promptly began his interrogation.


    Barely stopping himself from rolling his eyes, Hei NingYu answered, ¡°Xiande, if you want a detailed report on my past, then I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to disappoint you. It¡¯s been so long that I hardly remember most of it.¡±


    Chen Xiande frowned at his blas¨¦ tone.


    ¡°You forgot?¡± he asked incredulously. ¡°How can you just forget such a tragic past?!¡±


    Hei NingYu smiled with a trace of helplessness. ¡°Little Sheep, do you know how many hundreds of thousands of years ago it was? It would be stranger if I could remember. Maybe it was somewhat grueling, but I definitely don¡¯t feel sad or bothered about it anymore.¡±


    Chen Xiande looked unconvinced.


    Sighing at his frowning lover, Hei NingYu suddenly twisted his body to switch their positions. Laying his palms flat on either side of his beloved¡¯s head, Hei NingYu hovered over him, his wrists still held captive in Chen Xiande¡¯s hands.


    Thinking back to the similar situation that had occurred when they¡¯d first met, Hei NingYu chuckled at the irony. Only, his little sheep was the one who had him by the wrists now.


    ¡°Xiande, why did you suddenly gain an interest in my past? And from what you¡¯ve said so far, it seems like you already know most of the details, yes?¡±


    After hesitating for a moment, Chen Xiande nodded. ¡°I had a dream. I-I saw how your master treated you, and how you got your scars. I saw how you killed your master and met that silver-haired Elder Yue. I watched you choose your name.¡±


    Hei NingYu furrowed his brows in thought as vague memories stirred. Yes, all that had indeed happened.


    But a faint, suppressed sob soon attracted Hei NingYu¡¯s attention and drew him out of his musings. Looking down, he saw that tears had welled in Chen Xiande¡¯s eyes.


    With concern filling his gaze, Hei NingYu bent down and placed a comforting and affectionate kiss on Chen Xiande¡¯s forehead. It seemed that seeing his past had distressed his lover to this degree. Now, this wouldn¡¯t do. Hei NingYu felt that he had to explain things more properly and set things straight to ease his beloved¡¯s mind.


    In a soft and solemn voice, Hei NingYu began speaking, ¡°Things fade with time, and so do memories. Little Sheep, that time is long gone. I don¡¯t remember much or care about what happened before. It¡¯s my present time with you that is far more important. Every day with you is so much fun that I¡¯m glad I chose to live. Every moment spent with you makes my life truly worth living.¡±


    Hearing such words, Chen Xiande couldn¡¯t stop himself from crying harder. Letting go of Hei NingYu¡¯s wrists, he raised his hands to wipe away his tears, but more soon took their place.


    Gathering his beloved in his arms, Hei NingYu sat back on the bed, hugging his little sheep close and patting his back.


    After a while, Chen Xiande¡¯s sobs slowly quietened.


    As his little sheep finally raised up his head, Hei NingYu noticed how his cheeks, nose, and eyes had turned red from crying. He felt his heart stinging. Why did his Xiande have to get this distressed over things that had happened so far back in the past?


    As if reading his mind, Chen Xiande provided an answer without being asked.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry for being so unreasonable, but I hated seeing you getting hurt. I wanted to shield and protect you from everything so badly, but there was nothing I could do but watch. It was really very painful and frustrating,¡± Chen Xiande complained miserably.


    Realizing that all this was out of concern and care for him, Hei NingYu felt both warm and helpless.


    So all this time, his little sheep had been distressed on his behalf?


    Thinking this, Hei NingYu couldn¡¯t help but smile at his lover¡¯s obvious affection for him.


    ¡°I¡¯m alright now, so don¡¯t feel sad about it anymore, okay?¡± he coaxed.


    Lowering his head and resting his forehead on Hei NingYu¡¯s shoulder, Chen Xiande nodded. Yes, his lover was now safe and sound in his arms, living his life full of vigor and happiness. All that had happened, all the ways his master had hurt him, they no longer had any hold on him now.


    Then recalling something, Chen Xiande lifted his head again and spoke, ¡°NingYu, we owe Elder Yue our gratitude. We should go over to the Silver Moon Sect tomorrow and give her our thanks.¡±


    ¡°Will that make you feel better?¡± Hei NingYu asked. Because truthfully, he didn¡¯t care about promises from the past, and it was not like he remembered much of it either. But if his little sheep thought it was necessary, then he would of course cooperate.


    Chen Xiande nodded again in reply.


    As he kept looking at Hei NingYu, Chen Xiande felt his eyes softening as they lovingly traced the smile still curling his lover¡¯s lips, his heart melting as he beheld the tenderness in his beloved¡¯s gaze.


    Chen Xiande thought of how Hei NingYu had progressed from that person on that rainy day, lacking even the slightest will to live, into his current self who spent his life cheerfully bullying his sect¡¯s disciples and teasing his lover playfully, his laughter unrestrained and carefree.


    Turning his face away with a blush, Chen Xiande suddenly spoke, his voice soft as a feather, ¡°NingYu, I love you.¡±


    Hei NingYu blinked in surprise, then smiled. ¡°I know. I love you too.¡±


    Then leaning forward to kiss his little sheep on his cute nose, Hei NingYu said, ¡°Now how about we get some sleep before we meet this Elder Yue?¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Chen Xiande agreed easily.


    As the pair of lovers lied down again and cuddled into each other, their hearts felt finally at ease.


    And despite the cold rain pouring outside, their smiles were warm and blissful.

 Chapter 81: Receiving a Summons

    It was a bright and cheery afternoon in the orchard surrounding Yan Lin¡¯s cottage, with wind rustling the leaves playfully as sunlight brushed its golden fingers over the greenery.


    Under the shade of a tree, Qinghe slept peacefully, his head resting on Wei Xiang¡¯s lap. Nearby, Wu Xiao and Jing Shui were bickering in lowered voices.


    The people rescued from the imperial palace by the Sentinels were scattered around the orchard. Some cheerfully picked fruits from the trees and filled the large baskets placed at the base, laughing like they were having fun as Yan Lin patiently guided them. Others watched silently from the side, sitting under the shade of trees, small smiles on their otherwise solemn faces.


    As for Zhang LiYing, she was puttering around inside the house, busy with making lunch for everyone after declining Wei Xiang¡¯s offer of help. Occasionally, she would come outside to bring a tray of refreshments.


    It was yet another tranquil day.


    In the distance, a glowing, lilac colored butterfly ensconced in a bubble of spiritual energy fluttered its wings and slowly made for the four cultivators under the tree.


    Soft gasps of wonder came from the people around them, everyone having stopped what they were doing to watch this mystical sight.


    After drifting around as if searching, the small butterfly finally floated over and accurately alighted on the tip of Qinghe¡¯s nose.


    Awakened by the delicate tickling sensation right on his face, Qinghe lazily opened his eyes, his expression still sleepy.


    ¡°Brother Feng, it seems you have a message,¡± Jing Shui informed softly from the side.


    On the other hand, seeing the little butterfly, Wu Xiao showed a shocked expression. For those people to actually send out a message, could it be that something dire was about to happen?


    After casting a disinterested look at the fluttering insect, Wei Xiang continued stroking his beloved¡¯s hair.


    As his mind slowly cleared from the muddle of sleep, Qinghe carefully inserted a thread of his spiritual energy into the message, since it seemed to require it to activate.


    Sure enough, a melodious female voice immediately issued from the butterfly, ¡°The Mist summons Feng Qinghe. Elder Yue awaits your presence. Please do not delay.¡±


    After this brusque message, the butterfly dissolved.


    Qinghe lightly sneezed. Damn, could that butterfly have not found some other place to perch? Why did it have to scatter its spent spiritual energy right on top of his nose?! Qinghe complained to himself in annoyance as he sneezed once again.


    Seeing his little lover¡¯s aggrieved expression, Wei Xiang laughed amusedly. ¡°Since it¡¯s a summons from the Mist, you shouldn¡¯t ignore it,¡± he advised.


    Nodding to show that he understood, Qinghe slowly sat upright and turned to Wu Xiao, ¡°Sect Master Wu, do you know why they¡¯d call for me?¡±


    Wu Xiao shook his head with a wry expression. ¡°That bunch rarely tells me anything. The people of the Mist are such a troublesome lot.¡±


    Seeming confused, Jing Shui asked, ¡°Wait, what are you all talking about? What mist?¡±


    Wu Xiao suddenly froze, an expression of guilt on his face. Most people weren¡¯t even supposed to know about the existence of the Silver Mist, but here he was, casually discussing it with others.


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll explain it later,¡± Wu Xiao finally said. Well, telling it to the future sect master of the Golden Sun Sect should be alright, no? After all, Wu Xiao didn¡¯t want to keep any secrets from his beloved Ah-Shui.


    Jing Shui squinted at his lover suspiciously, but chose to let it go in the end, feeling that Wu Xiao would tell him in due time.


    Sighing, Qinghe stood up. ¡°I guess we¡¯re visiting your sect then, Sect Master Wu,¡± he spoke while dusting his robe.


    Jing Shui blinked. They were going to the Silver Moon Sect now? Was it because of this ¡®mist¡¯ thing?


    Following Qinghe, the others also got up, preparing to head out.


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving already? Did something happen?¡± Yan Lin walked up to them and asked, a worried expression on his face.


    Smiling, Qinghe reassured him, ¡°There no need to worry, it isn¡¯t an emergency, just something we can¡¯t ignore. Tell Madam Yan that we will have to skip out on lunch. We¡¯ll visit again later to make up for it.¡±


    Seeing Qinghe¡¯s casual attitude, Yan Lin finally relaxed. ¡°Alright then, take care on your way.¡±


    And so, the group had to leave behind their relaxed afternoon and set out towards the Silver Moon Sect.


    But to get to the Silver Moon Sect, one had to first pass through the Golden Sun Sect, and that was where the group was headed now.


    The sect grounds of the Golden Sun Sect were large, bright, and opulent, with the vast sky spreading above and an air of lively cheer throughout the premises. Behind the sect was the wide open sea, the blue stretching endlessly beyond until it merged with the sky at the distant horizon.


    At its front, the sect was surrounded by a huge, sprawling and bustling market, which was also a famous trade area that people from all over the world regularly came to attend.


    In this market, tall buildings with curving golden roofs were efficiently arranged in neat rows, leaving large spaces between them. Countless wealthy-looking shops lined the streets on either side, the merchants within seeming especially well-mannered and polite. Rather than the scent of manure and sweat that permeated most streets, the roads of the Golden Sun Sect¡¯s business district smelled lightly of expensive incense and sun-warmed flagstones.


    As one would expect, the goods in this trade area were all of the highest quality, many of them rare beyond compare, with all the heavyweights in the world itching to get their hands on at least one of them no matter the cost. And befitting their rarity, the prices of these items were of course beyond sky-high, but none questioned these astronomical rates, since based on the quality alone, the prices were more than reasonable.


    A huge chunk of these shops in the marketplace was run by the Golden Sun Sect, either out in the open or behind the scenes. There were also several auction houses in the trade area, the most famous and sought after ones also unsurprisingly belonging to the Golden Sun Sect. Only highly rare things that were too invaluable to set a price upon were sold at these auction houses directly backed by the sect.


    Looking over the busy scene of the market, Qinghe mused that most of the Behemoth¡¯s body must have also been auctioned at one such place.


    The group of four leisurely strolled down the main street of the marketplace, casually observing this world-famous trade area that buzzed with energy.


    The many gold-colored decorations on the buildings dazzlingly reflected the bright sunlight that rained down from the cloudless blue skies, causing glints and glimmers of gold to constantly flash at the corners of their eyes.


    Meanwhile, the packed streets of the marketplace bustled in a well-mannered and orderly way, displaying a calm and controlled systematic chaos.


    ¡°It¡¯s very lively, isn¡¯t it?¡± Qinghe commented as he happily looked around, his eyes showing open curiosity.


    Wu Xiao shot him a surprised glance. ¡°Xiao Feng, don¡¯t tell me, you¡¯ve never been here before?¡±


    Shrugging casually, Qinghe easily confessed, ¡°Oh, I have, once or twice. But it was always during nighttime and for purposes that are better dealt with in the dark. I¡¯ve never been here during the day. It¡¯s quite a different atmosphere.¡±


    Jing Shui looked at Qinghe curiously. ¡°What type of businesses did you handle here during the night?¡±


    Waving a hand breezily, Qinghe replied, ¡°Nothing much, just this and that.¡±


    ¡°I hope your ¡®this and that¡¯ did not involve smuggling, assassination, or other illegal activities,¡± Wei Xiang cautioned half-jokingly.


    Qinghe rolled his eyes. ¡°No, nothing so exciting. But tell me, Xiang, if I did do something illegal, would you personally come to apprehend me and detain me in one of your cells?¡±


    Wei Xiang raised an eyebrow and returned with a smirk, ¡°Would you want me to?¡±


    Giving it some serious thought, Qinghe leaned into his lover. His fingertips trailing over the curve of Wei Xiang¡¯s jaw, Qinghe whispered with a sly smile, ¡°I¡¯ll let you capture me, but only if you plan on taking advantage of me afterward. I can think of plenty of ways you can use¨D¡±


    A sudden burst of exuberant shouting interrupted him and spared the others from having to listen to this couple¡¯s open and bizarre way of flirting.


    ¡°Senior Brother Jing is here!¡± an excited voice squealed.


    A chorus of other such sentiments followed in high-pitched and loud voices, and soon, a gaggle of junior disciples from the Golden Sun Sect, both male and female, gathered around them.


    ¡°Senior Brother Jing, did you just get back from a mission?¡±


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother, when are you going to become the Sect Master?¡±


    ¡°Senior Brother, will you help me with my cultivation?¡±


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s no fair! Senior Brother Jing is very busy, you can¡¯t take up his time like that!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! He¡¯s the Sect Master¡¯s head disciple! The Sect Master must give him a lot of secret assignments!¡±


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother, I have a new cultivation manual that you might like. Will you accept it?¡±


    ¡°Senior Brother Jing, marry me!¡±


    Wu Xiao¡¯s mouth twitched. He didn¡¯t expect that they¡¯d be besieged by his beloved¡¯s fan club so soon.


    Despite being surrounded by a crowd of excitable juniors, Jing Shui only frowned. There was none of his blushing and stuttering self present, only an air of disapproval and mild annoyance like back when Qinghe had first met him for their assignment in the hidden realm.


    In his usual ill-tempered tone, Jing Shui admonished the squawking juniors, ¡°What are you all doing out here clogging up the streets? Get back to your respective duties now. If you want to be a disgrace to our sect¡¯s name, then don¡¯t let people know that you are related to me in any way!¡±


    But the juniors were far from offended, already used to Jing Shui¡¯s sharp tongue by now. They were all convinced that under that harsh and prickly exterior lied a warm and soft heart. And contrary to expectations, some of the disciples even looked ecstatic at being given a tongue lashing personally by their idolized senior brother, becoming even more energized.


    And so the crowd surged around them even more excitedly.


    Seeing that the commotion didn¡¯t look like it was going to clear up soon despite Jing Shui¡¯s attempts of asking the disciples to disperse, Qinghe could only sigh. It was at times like these that he wished they could directly use spells of flight to fly over populated areas and directly reach their destination. It was too bad that the Sentinels had outlawed it, even though they had good reason to.


    After all, before the Sentinels had passed the law banning flight above inhabited places, there had been a lot of accidents.


    Because the more populated an area was, the more people would be flying over through its skies. And the more air traffic there was, the more people who were careless or incompetent would bump into each other, either falling themselves or dropping things that, when plunging from great heights, might cause injury to those below on the ground. And if something that was volatile or explosive was dropped down by mistake, then the consequences would be disastrous, especially to the mortals who had no ways of defending themselves from such a predicament if they were caught in it.


    After carefully considering the pros and cons of the situation, the Sentinels had decided that protecting the people was more important than the convenience provided by being able to fly over populated areas to cross distances.


    And thus, the law prohibiting people from flying over densely inhabited areas was duly established.


    But even though he already knew all this, Qinghe still couldn¡¯t help grumbling about how inconveniencing it was.


    ¡°Eh? Is there some sort of a commotion going on over there?¡± a familiar voice suddenly floated over.


    ¡°And it seems like the ones in the middle are people you already know, Little Sheep,¡± another familiar voice replied.


    Qinghe looked over in the direction of these voices and finally saw Chen Xiande and Hei NingYu looking over with interest towards the crowd of junior disciples surrounding them.


    Grabbing Wei Xiang¡¯s arm, Qinghe stealthily extricated himself from the chaos that showed no signs of abating anytime soon. Though his retreat earned him a glare from the Wu Xiao who couldn¡¯t very well just leave Jing Shui alone and escape, Qinghe still pretended to not see it and walked over to where his senior brother and his lover were standing.


    ¡°Sect Leader Hei, you look well,¡± Qinghe greeted Hei NingYu. Then without preamble, he turned to Chen Xiande and directly asked, ¡°Senior Brother, have you completed consolidating your realm already?¡±


    Chen Xiande shook his head. ¡°Not yet. An important matter just came to my attention, so I¡¯m going to the Silver Moon Sect to resolve it before I go back to continue cultivating.¡±


    Hei Ning Yu sighed as he advised, ¡°Little Sheep, I still think it would have been better if we came here after you finished stabilizing your cultivation.¡±


    ¡°If I let you, you¡¯ll keep procrastinating and pushing this away. Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know that,¡± Chen Xiande admonished while frowning.


    Qinghe felt faintly surprised. After spending just a few months with his lover, his senior brother seemed to have become a lot more expressive and outgoing. No matter what, the Chen Xiande of the past would never have had the courage to speak so rudely to someone as powerful and prominent as Hei NingYu, and yet here he was, scolding him as if it were only natural.


    Seeing such an obvious improvement in his senior brother, Qinghe smiled, his eyes warm.


    On the other hand, Hei NingYu didn¡¯t look displeased at being reprimanded at all. Laughing, he wrapped an arm over his beloved and leaned into him bonelessly, ¡°We¡¯ve only spent a few months together and my little sheep already knows me so well. At least I know now that it¡¯s not only my body you¡¯ve been paying such keen attention to all these days~¡±


    ¡°NingYu!¡± Chen Xiande reproached embarrassedly.


    Qinghe looked on in amusement at how Hei NingYu seemed to be draped around Chen Xiande like a great black cat, teasing and playing cheerfully with his feisty little mouse.


    Turning his face away from his lover, Chen Xiande attempted to regain his composure as he addressed Qinghe, ¡°A-Anyway, Junior Brother, it¡¯s been a while since I last saw you.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Senior Brother, it¡¯s good to see you again as well. And during the time you were gone, we¡¯ve heard much about your exploits in the demonic faction¡¯s Sanctuary,¡± Qinghe replied in a solemn tone that belied the twinkle in his eyes.


    As if knowing where this was going, Hei NingYu covered his mouth to hide his chuckles.


    On the other hand, Chen Xiande remained oblivious as he asked confusedly, ¡°Exploits? What exploits? You mean my training? I don¡¯t train in the demonic faction but in the Spirit Bewildering Forest. Junior Brother, I thought you already knew that since you were the one who sent me there.¡±


    ¡°No, that isn¡¯t what I mean by your ¡®exploits¡¯,¡± Qinghe began, his expression still serious as he continued to explain. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that¡­ehem, the current leader of the demonic faction and the future leader of the righteous faction engage in constant battles in their bedroom. Both sides are said to have been conquered an equal number of times till now. And considering the great age and power of the demonic faction¡¯s leader and how you were able to ¡®conquer¡¯ him¡­many think that you truly deserve the title of the future sect master of the Heavenly Peak Sect, and by extension, the future leader of the entire righteous faction.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Xiande was rendered speechless, while Hei NingYu began laughing uncontrollably.


    ¡°Th-This is¡­really too¡­great¡­,¡± he got out between gasps.


    At the side, Wei Xiang could only shake his head in amusement. His little imp really loved teasing the people he was closest to, always getting up to mischief like this.


    On the other hand, after opening and closing his mouth like a fish for a long time while his face slowly burned red, Chen Xiande finally stuttered out, ¡°W-W-What are you¨D This is just so¡­ H-How did you all even know¨D?!¡±


    Qinghe suppressed a smile as he consoled, ¡°Now, now, Senior Brother, there¡¯s no need to be so overwhelmed. Just take it in stride. After all, now your position as the Sect Master is more or less confirmed.¡±


    Unable to hold it back, Chen Xiande burst out loudly, ¡°Who the fuck decides on a sect master that way?!¡±


    Hei NingYu only laughed more at his little sheep¡¯s outburst.


    Meanwhile, Jing Shui and Wu Xiao had successfully managed to send off the junior disciples by now and walked to where Qinghe and the rest were standing.


    ¡°Brother Chen, I heard you had another breakthrough. Congratulations,¡± Jing Shui greeted Chen Xiande, then bowed to Hei NingYu, ¡°And Sect Leader Hei, I welcome you to my sect¡¯s territory. May I know the reason for your visit?¡±


    As the head disciple of the Golden Sun Sect, Jing Shui felt that he couldn¡¯t abandon all propriety towards the second most strongest and oldest cultivator in the current world, hence he followed courtesy and greeted Hei NingYu politely.


    Hei NingYu wiped away tears of laughter from the corner of his eyes and stood upright, his demeanor casual and completely unbefitting someone of his station. ¡°We are here to ask for an audience with someone from the Silver Moon Sect,¡± he explained.


    Since the Golden Sun Sect acted as the first checkpoint for those who wanted to visit the Silver Moon Sect, it was necessary for the visitors to first get permission from qualified personnel in the Golden Sun Sect. However, since Qinghe had received a summons, he was exempt from this rule, though the others still required a permit. But since they had both Jing Shui and Wu Xiao leading the way for them now, the rest of the group could also easily pass through the Golden Sun Sect and enter the premises of the Silver Moon Sect without much fuss.


    ¡°Since it¡¯s like that, then why don¡¯t we go together? We have business in the Silver Moon Sect as well,¡± Qinghe offered.


    After Chen Xiande and Hei NingYu accepted, the group of four swelled to a group of six as they made their way to the Golden Sun Sect first.


    As they entered and passed through the sect grounds, Qinghe spotted a familiar face hurrying around with an armful of papers.


    ¡°Ah, isn¡¯t that Junior Brother Wen? He seems very busy,¡± Qinghe commented.


    Jing Shui nodded. ¡°Yes, Master took him in as a direct disciple and appears to have made him her assistant. She now sends him on errands constantly.¡±


    Qinghe chuckled as he spoke, ¡°Then you should take care of him more, Brother Jing. You¡¯ll be spending a lot of time with him in the future as well, won¡¯t you?¡±


    Though the words appeared casual as long as one didn¡¯t read too much into it, Wu Xiao nevertheless felt his spine stiffening.


    This precocious brat¡­did he already figure out that Wen Huan was the one chosen to be his direct disciple? And was he insinuating to his Ah-Shui that since they were both going to be fellow sect masters in the future, they should get along well?


    As if reading his doubts, Qinghe glanced at Wu Xiao from the corner of his eyes as he asked, ¡°Sect Master Wu, what do you think?¡±


    Endeavoring not to show his suspicions on his face, Wu Xiao replied, ¡°What do I think about what?¡±


    ¡°About Junior Brother Wen. I think his name was¡­Wen Huan, yes? He seems very diligent and hardworking. I¡¯m sure anyone would want to have him as their disciple. Doesn¡¯t Sect Master Wu think so too?¡± Qinghe spoke as if casually commenting, but his eyes glowed with mischief.


    Wu Xiao gritted his teeth. This brat¡­he definitely knew! And he was clearly enjoying taunting him!


    In a dry tone, Wu Xiao asked helplessly, ¡°Xiao Feng, are you using your wind to spy sneakily again?¡±


    But shaking his head, Qinghe spread his hands and widened his eyes innocently as he defended himself, ¡°Why, I would never! It¡¯s just that I noticed back in the hidden realm that Junior Brother Wen was very perceptive with his questions, so his astuteness left an impression on me. It was as if the world he was seeing was clearer and unclouded by mists unlike the rest of his peers. He gave off quite a different feel compared to the others, that¡¯s all.¡±


    In the hidden realm, Junior Brother Wen had been the only one who had suspected that all was not as it seemed with Qinghe, constantly questioning him and his methods, seeming to subconsciously recognize that though Qinghe appeared sincere on the surface, he was merely playing with them.


    Hearing Qinghe¡¯s reasoning and realizing that he truly didn¡¯t seem to have found it out using his trusty wind, Wu Xiao¡¯s mouth twitched. He had to admit that this youngster¡¯s mind was really not to be underestimated! To have surmised Wen Huan¡¯s identity within just that little time spent together, his observation and deduction skills were truly frightening!


    Jing Shui cut in curiously, ¡°What are you both talking about? What¡¯s wrong with Wen Huan?¡±


    Wu Xiao turned his head away and grumped, ¡°Nothing, your friend is just being nosy again.¡±


    Qinghe laughed merrily.


    Seeing his mischievous little lover playfully poking around for his amusement, Wei Xiang could only shake his head while smiling warmly. Bending down, he lightly nipped at the tip of his beloved¡¯s ear as he said, ¡°Qinghe, enough of toying with other people¡¯s secrets.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Qinghe agreed easily, his lips still stretched in a wide smile.


    And in this way, they soon passed around the Golden Sun Sect and arrived behind the sect grounds. From the edge, a giant stone bridge extended from the Golden Sun Sect and over the ocean, leading to the island where the Silver Moon Sect was situated.

 Chapter 82: Beyond the Mists

    At the edge of the Golden Sun Sect¡¯s grounds, extending from the tip of a steep cliff, was a flat and wide, railing-less bridge.


    It stretched like a strip of ribbon, connecting the Golden Sun Sect and the Silver Moon Sect in a straight line. The massive structure was carved entirely out of pure white stone and seemed to have withstood the test of time completely unscathed.


    Curving over the bridge was a transparent canopy of intricate spellwork drawn with delicate, glowing white lines. This spellwork shielded the entirety of the bridge¡¯s length from both the elements of nature and any potential unforeseen attacks.


    Since the people of the Silver Moon Sect mostly stayed secluded within their sect grounds and since not many people were allowed access to the Silver Moon Sect in the first place, the bridge leading to the sect was empty right now.


    The group of six leisurely made their way over it, marveling at the feeling of being suspended at such a great height over the deep blue-green of the ocean with nothing but the stone bridge holding them up.


    While Qinghe, Wei Xiang, and Jing Shui greatly relished the thrill of this feeling of walking so high above on this bridge without a protective railing along the edges, Chen Xiande, in contrast, only felt nervous and panicky since the earth element that he was most familiar with felt so far away here.


    As his mind was invaded with paranoid thoughts of the bridge collapsing from under his feet and sinking with him into the depths of the ocean, Chen Xiande felt something unpleasant churning in the pit of his stomach, a feeling of anxious tension bubbling within him.


    Sensing his beloved¡¯s discomfort, Hei NingYu held him close as he reassured, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Little Sheep, I¡¯m here. Nothing will happen. Close your eyes if the view makes you uneasy.¡±


    And so, squeezing his eyes close to block out the feeling of being suspended in the air, Chen Xiande unabashedly dove into Hei NingYu¡¯s embrace and let his lover lead him forward.


    When they finally reached the island housing the Silver Moon Sect, Chen Xiande wanted to weep in relief. There was nothing quite as reassuring as having his feet firmly planted on solid ground again.


    The island in front of them was covered in well-maintained greenery, an atmosphere of peace and serenity suffusing it. The air here was fresh and crisp due to the high concentration of water-based spiritual energy, the pleasant sea breeze tinged with salt and feeling slightly cold as it brushed over them. The distant crash of waves against shore and the sound of sea birds calling to each other only added to this clear and harmonious ambiance.


    Following a wide and well-worn path, Wu Xiao led them toward the spacious and sprawling structures that made up the main compound of the Silver Moon Sect.


    As they walked, they could see the Silver Moon Sect¡¯s well-known Array Experimentation Valley in the distance, marked by the constant flickering of bright flashes above it.


    Complex arrays constructed with a mix of circles, squares, triangles, and various polygons were built and activated in quick succession, each array blooming in vivid colors of yellow, red, green, blue, purple, and orange. If the casting was successful, the array would flash before fading away slowly on its own, but if it failed, then the array would burst into sparks like a firework. It was like a perpetual festival of luminous colors as the various arrays activated and flared above the valley in a mesmerizing succession of blazing lights.


    On the other hand, the equally famous Inner Dream Corridor¨Dwhich was where cultivators who received permission from the Sect Master could go to resolve any issues that hindered them from advancing¨Dwas unfortunately not visible from the path they were currently taking. And since each person who sought the Inner Dream Corridor was shown different things according to the specific knots in their hearts, no one was even sure how the corridor actually looked like.


    As they walked, Wu Xiao asked Hei NingYu, ¡°May I know which one of my sect¡¯s Elders Sect Leader Hei wishes to speak with?¡±


    Hei NingYu unhesitatingly replied, ¡°I think she was called Elder Yue? She claimed to be your sect¡¯s sect master a long time ago, or rather, the Silver Moon Peak¡¯s peak master as it was called at that time. I don¡¯t remember her full name.¡±


    ¡°She said it was Yue Yi,¡± Chen Xiande helpfully supplied. Since he¡¯d just recently seen his lover¡¯s memories, it was still fresh in his mind.


    Wu Xiao had to stop himself from reaching up and massaging his temple. What headaches would his master¡¯s antics end up causing him now?


    ¡°Yes, she is indeed my master, and yes, she is indeed that old. I suppose that she is already expecting you,¡± Wu Xiao spoke wryly.


    Since it turned out they were all here to meet his master, Wu Xiao promptly changed the direction he was heading towards and led them all through a hidden, less-traveled road.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I have to say this, but whatever you see beyond here must stay secret from the outside world,¡± Wu Xiao warned.


    Though Jing Shui had already come here a lot during his stay at the Silver Moon Sect, he had still maintained its existence a secret even though he didn¡¯t understand why. Chen Xiande was similarly confused, but also promised to keep whatever he saw hidden. The others also pledged a vow of silence.


    Nodding, Wu Xiao led them further in to the area housing the Silver Mist.


    As they walked, the path gradually opened up, leading them into a wide and flat area. In the middle was a building that was constructed low on the ground so that it could weather storms better. Its walls were a cool white and its roofs lined with dark turquoise tiles. Wide arched doorways and huge windows lent the whole place an airy feel.


    On either side of the path leading up to the building were flower gardens lined with carefully cultivated bushes. Blossoms in a variety of colors bloomed amid the shiny green leaves, sparkling with dew and looking very refreshing.


    As Wu Xiao led them into the building, the figure of a teen girl suddenly dashed towards them, unerringly colliding with Wu Xiao despite his attempts at dodging her.


    Wu Xiao sighed and pushed the girl back while admonishing, ¡°You¡¯ve been here for a few months already and yet you haven¡¯t learned any manners. How many times do I have to tell you to stop running in the corridors like this?¡±


    The girl grinned uncaringly, two little tiger teeth cutely peeking out as she demanded, ¡°Dorm Manager, tell me that story again, the one with the spaceship battles and wormholes!¡±


    His lips twitching at this brat¡¯s audacity, Wu Xiao got out through gritted teeth, ¡°First of all, this is not a dormitory, so you can stop calling me that. This is a sect and I am the Sect Master, you little twerp. Get it straight. And second, we have guests.¡±


    The girl looked behind Wu Xiao at the group of cultivators, then turned her head back and said breezily, ¡°Yeah, so?¡±


    Wu Xiao bopped her on the nose as he reminded her, ¡°Two words: information seal.¡±


    Blinking her eyes as if suddenly realizing something, the girl showed a look of chagrin, ¡°¡­Oopsie? Well, if they¡¯re your friends, then they won¡¯t talk outside, no?¡±


    Another heavy sigh escaped Wu Xiao. Why did his sect have to be so troublesome?


    ¡°Go inside and play for now,¡± he instructed the girl in a patient voice. ¡°I¡¯ll have one of your seniors tell you the story later. They know it better than me anyway.¡±


    Flashing a bright smile as her guilt dissipated, the girl hugged Wu Xiao and said a quick thanks before dashing back into the depths of the building.


    A strange silence claimed the place.


    Then Qinghe spoke, ¡°You have an information seal on this place?¡±


    Shrugging, Wu Xiao answered, ¡°Yes, and it¡¯s enforced by the authority of the Sentinels.¡±


    Everyone turned to look at Wei Xiang as one.


    Wei Xiang easily admitted, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true. No information learnt within the confines of the land allotted to the Silver Mist is to be disclosed or acted upon in any way in the world outside. In short, an information seal has been placed on the entire Silver Mist. It isn¡¯t some sort of spell but a law that is strictly enforced.¡±


    Chen Xiande frowned as he asked, ¡°Why so much secrecy? And what is this Silver Mist?¡±


    Hearing the question that had been plaguing him being asked out loud like this, Jing Shui¡¯s interest was also piqued.


    Wu Xiao hesitated, then looked carefully over the group of people he¡¯d brought with him. His personal judgment was that they were all very trustworthy, so he supposed he could tell them. Anyway, most of them were either in a high enough position to already know, like Hei NingYu and Wei Xiang, or had found out on their own, like Qinghe.


    Having made his decision, Wu Xiao turned and resumed walking into the Silver Mist compound, striding through its spacious and light colored hallways.


    As the group followed behind him, Wu Xiao began explaining, ¡°Silver Mist is the name of a very secretive subdivision within the Silver Moon Sect. Silver Mist is comprised of seers, or cultivators who can see through the mists. To put it in broader terms, they have the ability to see the future. They use this ability to constantly monitor for approaching threats and calamities so that we can make appropriate preparations in advance.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Jing Shui exclaimed. ¡°Wait, if I understand correctly, then this is the building belonging to this Silver Mist, right? I¡¯ve already been here before, so how come I didn¡¯t know about this?!¡±


    Wu Xiao let out a helpless chuckle. ¡°Ah-Shui, the people of the Mist are used to secrecy. Many of them have suffered at the hands of those who sought their power for selfish reasons or discriminated against them horribly because of their strange ability. They do not tell other people about it if they can help it. As their sect master, the decision to reveal their secrets is always left to me, and now I have decided to tell you about it.¡±


    Jing Shui frowned. Then all those people from here who had been friendly with him before¡­had they all kept this from him because they didn¡¯t trust him?


    A smooth palm cupped Jing Shui¡¯s cheek and lifted up his face. ¡°Ah-Shui,¡± Wu Xiao spoke in a warm voice, ¡°the children from the Mist were afraid that you¡¯d start avoiding them if you learned of their abilities. It has happened to them before, so they had their reasons for doing this. Don¡¯t blame them and give them a chance to explain later, alright?¡±


    The frown on Jing Shui¡¯s face slowly smoothened. ¡°Alright,¡± he agreed softly.


    Smiling, Wu Xiao let go and turned back around to continue walking. ¡°My master, the Elder Yue that everyone is here to see, is also a part of the Silver Mist, just like how all sect masters of the sect more or less usually are. Her visions are some of the most accurate and she constantly goes around manipulating events using the things she sees in her visions of the future. She might seem very rude or nosy, but she is only trying to help people in her own way, so try not to take offense.¡±


    As Wu Xiao stopped talking, silence once again claimed the group.


    Qinghe, Wei Xiang, and Hei NingYu had already known about all this, so they saw no reason to comment. Chen Xiande simply digested all this with a look of concentration on his face.


    On the other hand, Jing Shui wore a worried expression as he asked, ¡°Wu Xiao, you said that all sect masters of the sect have this ability. Then¡­can you see the future too? Did it also cause trouble for you before?¡±


    Wu Xiao looked at his lover with surprise. ¡°No, I had a very ordinary childhood. My ability is not that troublesome, so it went unnoticed for the most part. Ah-Shui, you don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡±


    Hearing this, Jing Shui let out a breath in relief.


    As the group walked deeper into the building, they passed many huge arches leading to other corridors or large common rooms. Hanging from these arches in layers were huge, billowing gauzy curtains in white, grey and silver, giving the impression of floating mist or churning sea foam. It made one feel as if they were drifting among weightless clouds, the feeling ethereal.


    Suddenly, voices interrupted this serene atmosphere, chattering over each other excitably using unfamiliar and strange terms.


    ¡°Damn, I can¡¯t wait for anime to be invented¡­¡±


    ¡°Girl, that¡¯s like so many days away.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you mean millennia? Like seriously dude, get your shit together.¡±


    ¡°Time has no meaning to us. All will return to the void.¡±


    ¡°Think of that the next time your favorite show is postponed again.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t! That shit is evil! Why do they gotta keep doing that to my babyyyyy!¡±


    ¡°Ah, censorship is so annoying to get around. I hate crabs!¡±


    ¡°But red velvet cake looks really good. I wonder how long it¡¯ll take before I get a taste¡­¡±


    ¡°Ice cream just looks like colorful goop though, how good can it be?¡±


    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t diss my creamy goodness! Don¡¯t hate it till you taste it.¡±


    ¡°¡­You haven¡¯t tasted any either though.¡±


    ¡°I taste ¡®em with my eyes!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that just called looking? It¡¯s not like you put that stuff into your eyes like eye drops.¡±


    ¡°Wait, are eye drops even invented yet?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Maybe we have an herbal version?¡±


    Qinghe and the rest didn¡¯t even know what to make of this nonsensical conversation, while Jing Shui and Wu Xiao acted like it was nothing unusual, having long since gotten used to it.


    Stopping with a hesitant look on his face, Jing Shui firmed his resolve and stepped forward, drawing open the light curtains and revealing the large room beyond from where these chattering voices originated.


    Lounging around on the floor, windowsills, chairs, tables, and divans were many disciples, all of them either chatting animatedly with each other or engaged in bizarre actions.


    One of them held a feather, slowly plucking its strands one by one as he kept mumbling to himself. Another was throwing a handful of glassy marbles onto a large map, intently peering at where each of the marbles landed and carefully noting it down. Yet another was staring at the ceiling with wide, unfocused eyes, a stick of candy held in her little mouth.


    ¡°There are more stars out today,¡± she muttered around the candy. ¡°Are they breeding in the sky?¡±


    Without missing a beat, Wu Xiao replied, ¡°The number of stars remains the same. It is you who seems to have attained a breakthrough, so your ability must have grown stronger. That¡¯s why you are able to see more of them than before.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh,¡± the girl said, then continued staring at the ceiling as if she could see through it to the vast cosmos beyond.


    Sitting on the windowsill, a young man was intently looking at a blank jade tablet as if the mysteries of the universe were recorded within it. In a flat voice, he turned to Wu Xiao and spoke, ¡°Sect Master, it¡¯s all eight directions. You have to remember it ah. Using eight points makes it the most stable.¡±


    Feigning understanding, Wu Xiao solemnly nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll remember. Thank you for telling me.¡±


    The young man showed a shy smile then went back to looking at the flat rectangle of jade in his hands.


    A voice suddenly cut through the mystical atmosphere in the room. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s Xiao Jing!¡±


    Several heads turned in Jing Shui¡¯s direction with widened eyes. Some of them hastily tried to hide their strange tools of divination as they peeked at him with guilt and fear, afraid that he¡¯d find out about their weird abilities and think them unnatural.


    Jing Shui sighed, then spoke with annoyance, ¡°I already know about the Silver Mist, so there¡¯s no need to hide it now.¡±


    Several pairs of eyes looked at Wu Xiao, shooting him glares filled with betrayal. Wu Xiao blinked back innocently as if all this had nothing to do with him.


    Taking a deep breath, Jing Shui continued speaking, ¡°So what if you have such an ability? Did you all really think I¡¯d push you away because of something like this? Hmph! I¡¯m not that narrow-minded!¡±


    After a moment of stunned silence, several people jumped towards Jing Shui, not giving him time to escape as they rubbed his head, pinched his cheeks, patted his back, or simply hugged him with tears flowing.


    ¡°I should have never doubted you, Xiao Jing!¡±


    ¡°Ah, our little campus prince is so adorable!¡±


    ¡°As expected of a tsundere with a marshmallow heart!¡±


    ¡°Xiao Jing, what shampoo do you use? Your hair smells so nice~¡±


    Wu Xiao unceremoniously pulled his Ah-Shui out of those grabby pairs of hands and scolded, ¡°Stop molesting my lover and return to work, you brats!¡±


    Giggles and laughter sounded as the group dispersed into the room, resuming whatever they had been doing before with wide smiles on their faces.


    The visiting cultivators could only stand there and stare at this strange group with complicated expressions as they watched all this.


    Now that this issue was satisfactorily resolved, Wu Xiao pulled Jing Shui along with him and finally exited the room, then continued leading them all towards Elder Yue once again.


    As the group followed behind Wu Xiao, Qinghe couldn¡¯t help but ask what was in all their minds, ¡°Sect Master Wu, why does the way the disciples of the Silver Mist speak seem so different? And why do they use such strange words?¡±


    Rather than answering right away, Wu Xiao asked in return, ¡°Xiao Feng, tell me, what do you think is the ability of Silver Mist?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it seeing the future?¡± Qinghe replied with a confused look on his face.


    Wu Xiao shook his head as he said, ¡°It¡¯s partially correct, but not quite. The Silver Mist¡¯s ability is to see through the misty veils of time and space. They can see the future, but that¡¯s only one aspect of it.¡±


    Qinghe frowned in contemplation, then his eyes widened as realization struck him. ¡°When you say time and space¡­ don¡¯t tell me, they can also see the past? And see through to other worlds?¡±


    Shooting him a surprised look, Wu Xiao chuckled. ¡°As perceptive as always, aren¡¯t you, Xiao Feng? Yes, it¡¯s precisely that. And they are particularly fixated with watching a type of world that¡¯s¡­very different from ours. That¡¯s why the way they speak and the topics they discuss might seem odd to those of this world.¡±


    Hearing this, everyone felt shocked. They could see through to other worlds as well? None of them had ever considered that such a thing might be possible before.


    Unable to curb his curiosity, Qinghe asked with sparkling eyes, ¡°You said they like watching a particular world that¡¯s different from ours. In what way is it different?¡±


    Wu Xiao felt that this situation was too surreal as he tried to explain about another world to his fellow cultivators. ¡°That world is very young compared to ours and has very scant amounts of spiritual energy, barely worth mentioning. So without the use of spiritual energy to make their lives easier, the people of that world had to develop complicated machinery that¡¯s much more intricate and profound than what can be found in our world.¡±


    Chen Xiande frowned and piped up from the side, ¡°It almost sounds like the machinery that the ancients left behind, but even those use spiritual power, don¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But rather than spiritual energy, the machinery in that world runs on¡­how do I explain this?¡± Struggling with putting the concept of electricity into words, Wu Xiao finally said, ¡°It¡¯s a kind of low powered and weak lightning that they control using various complicated methods.¡±


    Jing Shui looked doubtful as he asked with disbelief, ¡°¡­That sounds too unbelievably fantastical. Are you sure that such a strange world actually exists?¡±


    Laughing, Wu Xiao assured him, ¡°Yes, yes, such a world really does exist! And Ah-Shui, though you say that that world seems fantastical, maybe to the people of that world, it is our world that seems to be the more mythical one.¡±


    The group pondered on these new and profound revelations in thoughtful silence.


    In a way, it was easy for them to now understand why an information seal was placed over the Silver Mist. After all, if information from different worlds made its way into this world, then what would follow would be chaos. The methods or inventions from a different world, especially weapons or techniques that could be used to cause harm, would temporarily destabilize society¡¯s morals as everyone ran to learn this new knowledge because of its novelty and end up hurting themselves or others. By the time the Sentinels could regulate it and pass laws according to the potential danger, the damage would have already been done.


    Introducing different ideas from different worlds, where the people operated with different mindsets and ethics, into this world, would only bring disaster if this information wasn¡¯t treated responsibly. Therefore, for now, until a better method of handling this new knowledge was found, the information seal was absolutely necessary.


    As they kept walking while sunk in contemplation, Wu Xiao suddenly announced, ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    They had stopped in front of a slightly weathered white wooden door embellished with dried flowers, paper butterflies, and seashells, these decorations making solemn white door seem somewhat childish.


    After knocking on the door twice, Wu Xiao directly pushed in. ¡°Master, you have guests.¡±


    The inside of the room was steeped in a shadowed gloom, feeling strangely hushed and comfortable. Large swathes of gossamer thin fabric stretched from corner to corner and wall to wall, making it seem as if a large spider had made its nest inside.


    Using one of these swathes of fabric as a hammock, Elder Yue was lying lazily, a leg dangling off the side. Clamped between her teeth was the tip of a flower stem, the large, fully-bloomed flower at the end of the stem bearing pure white petals tinted with lilac at the edges. Her long stretch of curly silver hair flowed down from her head, waving gently in the air as the hammock swung to and fro.


    Her head cocking to the side, Elder Yue opened her mouth to let the flower fall. Her eyes appeared to flash silver due to the reflected light, seeming unfathomable and eerie. But then she blinked and the feeling was gone.


    ¡°So you lot are finally here!¡± she exclaimed in her usual teasing voice that sounded like the silvery peals of bells. ¡°Xiao Xiao, lead them to my receiving room. Quick, don¡¯t dawdle now!¡±


    Saying so, Elder Yue jumped down from her hammock and landed softly on the ground before heading for the doorway.


    Rolling his eyes inwardly, Wu Xiao nevertheless obeyed his master and turned around, leading the group to the receiving room situated at the side.


    As the door closed, leaving the room at the mercy of shadows once more, the fully-bloomed flower lay on the floor, its bright white petals seeming to glow in the dark.

 Chapter 83: Impending Future

    Elder Yue¡¯s receiving room was bright and cheery, the windows at the sides left wide open to invite in the sea breeze. Gauzy curtains billowed and swayed with hazy lightness, turning the blinding sunlight filtering through it into a softer and calmer color as it lit up the room.


    In the receiving room was a light blue stone table, and on one side of this table, sitting casually on a high-backed chair, was Elder Yue. Seated opposite to her were Qinghe and Wei Xiang.


    Wu Xiao stood to the side of the table with Jing Shui standing a bit further away. Hei NingYu leaned against the wall by a window, seeming unconcerned, while Chen Xiande was standing beside his lover, looking at Elder Yue as if he had something to say.


    Elder Yue turned and addressed Chen Xiande in a teasing tone, ¡°It seems that at least you haven¡¯t forgotten the promise.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Chen Xiande nodded, then delivered a deep and respectful bow. ¡°I am endlessly thankful for Elder Yue¡¯s help to my lover. Please accept my gratitude.¡±


    Then seeing that Hei NingYu was just standing there lazily, Chen Xiande shot him a look while still remaining bowed.


    Hei NingYu sighed, but also bent with barely passable manners. ¡°Yes, what my little sheep said.¡±


    Elder Yue¡¯s mouth twitched with suppressed laughter. ¡°So insincere! And you even promised that you¡¯d come to personally thank me!¡±


    Rolling his eyes, Hei NingYu straightened as he quipped, ¡°And you trusted the word of a demonic cultivator just like that? Anyway, since we¡¯re done with what we came here to do, we¡¯ll be leaving now.¡±


    Hei NingYu promptly began walking towards the door, pulling Chen Xiande upright on the way and dragging him along.


    ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t rush,¡± Elder Yue spoke unhurriedly. ¡°What we are about to discuss next will have an impact on the entire world. Are you sure you still want to leave, Sect Leader Hei?¡±


    Sighing, Hei NingYu halted.


    Though he was usually easygoing, he felt especially impatient today. He just wanted to go home and cuddle with his cute little sheep.


    After their affectionate heart-to-heart yesterday night, they hadn¡¯t even had a chance to reaffirm their love through passionate bedroom activities that Hei NingYu had hoped would span several days and nights. And yet, not only had this visit interrupted what he had been greatly anticipating, it was even intolerably dragging on.


    Why was his life so difficult today?


    But unfortunately, as the leader of the demonic faction, he couldn¡¯t avoid matters that could be important, so he had to give in.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll listen,¡± Hei NingYu finally grumped, then walked back to where he had been leaning on the wall before, his expression showing his reluctance.


    Sensing his lover¡¯s dissatisfaction, Chen Xiande patted his beloved on the arm in comfort as he leaned beside him, their shoulders touching. Feeling his little sheep¡¯s warmth snuggled so close, Hei NingYu smiled contentedly, his mood improving.


    Now that that was settled, Qinghe politely got down to business. ¡°So Elder Yue, why did you summon me here?¡±


    Elder Yue¡¯s cheery expression slowly faded, replaced by a grave one. Her dark eyes grew deep and unfathomable as she replied, ¡°I saw something very important that you need to know.¡±


    At the side, Wu Xiao frowned. He¡¯d rarely seen his master ever looking this serious. It seemed that the matter this time wasn¡¯t so simple. But if it was as his master had indicated before, if this was truly something that concerned the entire world, then he supposed that this solemnity was only to be expected. Even his master wouldn¡¯t act with her usual frivolousness when the lives of everyone in this world might be at stake.


    Qinghe, however, remained calm. ¡°May I ask what you saw?¡±


    Leaning back on her chair, Elder Yue closed her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s been some time since I did a complete reading like this, so it might get a tad uncomfortable. Just bear with it, it¡¯ll only be a moment.¡±


    Nodding, Qinghe settled to patiently wait.


    As Elder Yue slowly released her power, the air in the room seemed to become sluggish, weighed down as if it was gradually being filled with thick and potent energy.


    The view around them gained a sudden sense of unreality, as if what they were seeing of the world was nothing but an illusion, a vague, untrustworthy dream. The space surrounding them seemed to become thin and insubstantial. Their senses grew blurred and distorted, queer whispers scratching at the edge of their consciousness. The world slowly, little by little, seemed to be tilting out of phase with reality, time and space stretching taut and on the verge of breaking apart.


    ¡°Master, this much is enough,¡± Wu Xiao¡¯s soft whisper suddenly cut through the discomfiting sensations, steadying everything once again.


    As if in reply to Wu Xiao¡¯s words, the heavy power that was saturating the room slowly retreated like the tide.


    Elder Yue opened her eyes, her pupils dilated. Her face looked blank, her attention seemingly unfocused.


    Qinghe spoke in a clear voice, ¡°Elder Yue Yi, tell me what I need to know.¡±


    The silver-haired woman slowly nodded, then opened her mouth. In an unusually subdued voice that seemed light enough to float away with the wind, Elder Yue spoke, ¡°Your fall thirty years ago set in motion the awakening of something that Heaven wills to sleep. But you aren¡¯t the one who set it free, so you do not bear the responsibility.¡±


    At the side, Wei Xiang sensed something flash through his mind. He felt like something he had recently encountered was related to some event that happened almost thirty years ago. But what was it?


    However, the more he tried to remember, the more it slipped away from his grasp, lost in the tangled skeins of his memory. Wei Xiang finally chose to give up for now, hoping that the memory would come to him on its own eventually.


    After a slight pause, Qinghe replied, ¡°I¡­see. Then may I ask what this awakening will bring to the world?¡±


    Her gaze indistinct, Elder Yue once again answered, ¡°It brings battle and the battle heads your way. The outcome is yet uncertain. But one thing I can tell is that your life and death rests solely on Heaven¡¯s acceptance of your soul. Ah, and such a beautiful soul you have, such a pure one. I suppose it is only to be expected of a heavenly soul.¡±


    At the mention of Qinghe¡¯s soul, Wu Xiao narrowed his eyes. When he had sealed it long ago, this little disciple¡¯s soul had certainly felt purer and more powerful than normal.


    On the other hand, as someone who was able to actually see Qinghe¡¯s soul, Wei Xiang could only nod in agreement. Yes, calling it something heavenly wasn¡¯t untrue in the least.


    Not knowing the others¡¯ thoughts, Qinghe frowned as he echoed doubtfully, ¡°Heavenly soul?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Elder Yue continued, unperturbed. ¡°You have a very good chance of being chosen by the Throne, but it is still uncertain. Heaven is after all quite an unpredictable existence.¡±


    Shaking his head, Qinghe admitted, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t understand.¡± He felt like this discussion was slowly veering off-track. Weren¡¯t they supposed to be talking about some danger to the world?


    But Elder Yue maintained her serene blankness as she replied, ¡°You don¡¯t have to understand it for now. What should happen will happen. If you do what you must, this world and everything living in it can be saved. If not¡­ this world will simply cease to exist, consumed by him for power.¡±


    Sensing the weight in her words, everyone grew silent.


    From what Elder Yue just said, it was easy enough to deduce that a great calamity was approaching their world. So they all sharpened their hearing so as to not miss a single word of what was about to be said. If they could, they would like to make preparations in advance to tide over whatever disaster that might be coming their way.


    ¡°Consumed by whom?¡± Qinghe asked, feeling faintly frustrated at how this exchange seemed to be getting more incomprehensible. He really wanted to know more about how to navigate the danger the Elder was speaking about.


    ¡°The black one¡¯s companion, of course,¡± Elder Yue replied, not explaining anything, her words only giving rise to more questions. ¡°Ah, those two poor, lonely beings, so much do they hunger. All he wants is to meet his beloved person again and ask ¡®Why?¡¯.¡±


    Qinghe finally had to sigh in defeat, not knowing how to drag this conversation back on track. This didn¡¯t seem to be going anywhere, Elder Yue¡¯s words only getting progressively more confusing.


    Keeping the disappointment out of his tone, he vaguely responded, ¡°I will keep that in mind if I ever meet them.¡±


    Elder Yue shook her head sadly as she advised, ¡°There is no need to. Their burdens are not your own. But later, when you prepare to end the battle, you must remember¨Ddo not hold back.¡±


    After saying this, Elder Yue¡¯s lashes slowly quivered as she once again closed her eyes, her chest rising as she took in a deep breath. And when she opened her eyes this time, she displayed her usual lively cheer as she said, ¡°You may continue asking your questions.¡±


    Qinghe blinked at this sudden change. But tilting his head, he nevertheless decided to continue his query to seek more hints, ¡°About what you said before, what do you mean by ¡®do not hold back¡¯? What exactly should I not be holding back?¡±


    Now back to her usual self, Elder Yue shook her index finger and tsked as she said, ¡°Feng Qinghe, what I mean is that it is not good to restrain yourself this much.¡±


    Smiling pleasantly as usual to hide his befuddlement, Qinghe replied, uncertainly ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think I am restraining anything.¡±


    But letting out a light laugh, Elder Yue shot him a knowing look. ¡°Then I wonder where all that battle lust you inherited from your mother went off to. Thankfully, you also seem to have inherited some of your father¡¯s traits to balance everything out, or you might have ended up becoming another tragically chaotic existence. Truly, you are a perfect combination of your parents¡¯ attributes.¡±


    Hearing this, Qinghe¡¯s face suddenly turned expressionless, his eyes flashing with an unreadable emotion. A fierce and oppressive aura abruptly burst out of him, pressing down over the occupants of the room with a fierce and shocking brutality.


    But just as quickly as it appeared, the pressure disappeared again as Qinghe carefully restrained himself once more.


    In a flat tone that gave nothing away, he spoke, ¡°My battle lust, as you say, is perfectly under control. Elder Yue need not worry. But I have to correct you on one thing. Though I may have gotten certain characteristics from the mother and father I don¡¯t even remember, those inherited traits are now my own. I am not merely made of pieces of my parents glued together. I, as Feng Qinghe, am a complete and whole person.¡±


    At the side, Wei Xiang couldn¡¯t help but frown with concern. For his lover to suddenly and blatantly drop his usual pleasant mien, something must definitely be wrong.


    After listening to Qinghe, for a second, Elder Yue showed a vaguely surprised expression. Then seemingly uncaring of his sudden change in attitude, she cheerfully admitted, ¡°You are certainly right! You have my apologies. But I am curious, are you not going to ask me if I know something about your parents?¡±


    ¡°I have no interest in knowing,¡± Qinghe said, then stood up. ¡°If that is all, then I shall take my leave.¡±


    But as if not hearing him, Elder Yue pressed on, ¡°Though you say you have no interest in your parents, does it still hold true even if I tell you that they did not abandon you?¡±


    Qinghe felt a vague pain inexplicably stinging in his chest as he heard those words. He wanted to grit his teeth and walk out unheeding of manners, but he still forced himself to speak politely, ¡°Elder Yue, while I do appreciate your help thus far, I must respectfully ask you not to meddle further in my affairs.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Then what about Heaven? It is very clearly meddling in your affairs. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve realized it by now,¡± she continued to pry.


    Hearing this, Wu Xiao startled lightly while Hei NingYu widened his eyes imperceptibly. Meanwhile, Wei Xiang narrowed his eyes, displeasure coloring them at the thought of his lover being targeted by Heaven for some as of yet unknown reason. On the other hand, Jing Shui and Chen Xiande were more unrestrained in their reactions, openly showing shocked expressions.


    After all, for Heaven to directly interfere in a person¡¯s affairs, it could only mean that that person must have unparalleled importance.


    But Qinghe remained unimpressed. Giving a cold chuckle, he spoke in a soft voice that could nonetheless be heard clearly, ¡°I will bear Heaven¡¯s shackles and let it maintain its control over my life for now. But if Heaven wishes for something from me, then it should already know to not push my limits. Coercion will only turn me against it, I¡¯m sure Heaven already comprehends this.¡±


    Then glancing at the silver-haired woman with piercing eyes, Qinghe spoke, ¡°And Elder Yue, you might be able to see the past and the future, but you cannot see into someone¡¯s thoughts. So please do not presume what goes on in another¡¯s mind.¡±


    Turning around, Qinghe didn¡¯t wait for a response as he walked out the door, leaving behind a silent room.


    Wei Xiang felt worry pulling taut his brows. There was definitely something weighing on his little lover¡¯s mind. So without hesitation, Wei Xiang followed his beloved and also exited the room.


    On the other hand, Wu Xiao felt like massaging his forehead. He didn¡¯t know which nerve of the always cool Xiao Feng his master had managed to touch, but he had never seen Feng Qinghe behaving this openly cold before.


    Smiling and shaking her head, Elder Yue remarked, ¡°Youngsters these days are really quite stubborn.¡±


    Then turning to Hei NingYu, she said, ¡°Even you weren¡¯t this stubborn before.¡±


    Hei NingYu laughed drily. ¡°Well, I had an incentive to not be. After all, I knew that my little sheep was waiting for me in my future. But I have to say, Xiao Feng really has the aura of a ruler. So domineering.¡±


    Wu Xiao rubbed his chin in thought as he looked in the direction Qinghe had gone in. ¡°Yes, he would make a good ruler. Crafty and calculative, but only for the benefit of others; empathic, but not na?ve or clouded by emotions; he¡¯s someone who¡¯s gone through a lot and clearly knows how to use that experience. Indeed, he is very suitable for a ruling position.¡±


    ¡°You boys have good eyes,¡± Elder Yue praised them happily. ¡°Feng Qinghe might really end up as a ruler one day, and it will be the most important position too.¡±


    Then chuckling, Elder Yue continued on a different tangent, ¡°But never mind that for now. Xiao Xiao, I really miss your cooking. Why don¡¯t you go and make me something sweet?¡±


    Hearing this, Wu Xiao¡¯s eyes brightened, the recent incident easily put out of his mind for now. He didn¡¯t even mind that stupid nickname perpetuated by his senior sister anymore.


    ¡°Right away, Master!¡± he replied, sounding exceedingly cheerful.


    At the side, Jing Shui couldn¡¯t help but wince. In the entire world, Wu Xiao¡¯s master must be the only one who truly enjoyed eating his cooking. Honestly, even calling it cooking was a travesty. Jing Shui knew how any ingredients placed in his lover¡¯s hands were automatically turned into chemical weapons of mass destruction by his beloved¡¯s cooking skills. No one would even dare to go near the finished product, much less consume such a deadly thing!


    Sweating silently, Jing Shui chose to make a tactical retreat. ¡°I-I will be going then. I, um, have some very urgent assignments left to do.¡±


    But before Jing Shui could escape, Wu Xiao casually captured him by the collar of his robe as he began dragging him away.


    ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going, my dear, beloved Ah-Shui? As my lover, it is naturally your duty to help taste test for me,¡± Wu Xiao spoke with a bright smile, the grip of his fingers firm on the back of Jing Shui¡¯s collar.


    Giving up any semblance of dignity in the face of this terrifying threat, Jing Shui struggled and flailed in desperation as he gasped out frantically, ¡°No, Wu Xiao! Show some mercy! I-I don¡¯t want to die yet, and I definitely don¡¯t want to die in such a horrifying way! Let me go!¡±


    Bearing silent witness to this scene, Chen Xiande and Hei NingYu decided to make their escape lest they also be roped in to ¡®taste test¡¯.


    Though they did not know just how bad Wu Xiao¡¯s cooking was, but just by seeing Jing Shui¡¯s strong reaction¡­ Yes, they definitely didn¡¯t dare to stay here. So hastily bidding Elder Yue their farewells, Chen Xiande and Hei NingYu also left.


    Sitting alone in the otherwise empty room, Elder Yue looked towards the door quietly, thinking of Feng Qinghe and his tempestuous exit.


    With a helpless smile, she murmured to herself, ¡°That brat is so troublesome. But no matter how much he might want to distance himself, his parents won¡¯t let him go so easily. Ah, familial love, so poignant. I suppose it¡¯ll only be a few more days before he meets his father, eh?¡±


    Elder Yue¡¯s bell-like laughter echoed throughout the vast room, sounding eager with anticipation.


    ¡­¡­


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang soon returned to the Heavenly Peak Sect using the shadows.


    As he stood in his room, Qinghe¡¯s face retained its grim, almost angry expression.


    Seeing this, Wei Xiang was at a loss. He had never seen anything truly angering his little lover to this degree, and now that he was faced with this unprecedented situation, Wei Xiang didn¡¯t know what to do.


    ¡°Qinghe, what¡¯s wrong?¡± he finally asked.


    Suddenly realizing that he was not brooding alone in his room as he was used to doing before, Qinghe froze. As he turned his head, he was greeted with his lover¡¯s worried face.


    ¡°Ah, Xiang, I¡­¡± Qinghe stopped, then turned away and continued, ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m not being myself.¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled as he replied, ¡°No, don¡¯t apologize. Qinghe, I like every part of you, and I know that how you are now is also a facet of your personality. You don¡¯t have to hide or make excuses for it.¡±


    Lowering his head as complex emotions churned within him, Qinghe nodded.


    Extending his hand, Wei Xiang patted his lover¡¯s head comfortingly as he began, ¡°Qinghe, about today¨D¡±


    Suddenly reaching up, Qinghe clutched his lover¡¯s hand and interrupted, ¡°Xiang, I-I¡¯ll tell you later after I figure some things out, okay? I don¡¯t want to talk about it now.¡±


    Wei Xiang paused in surprise, but nodded understandingly. It seemed that Qinghe still needed some time to think things through. If that was the case, then Wei Xiang would wholeheartedly support his lover and be there for him as he needed.


    So in a gentle voice, Wei Xiang finally spoke, ¡°Alright then. We¡¯ll leave it for later.¡±


    Qinghe lifted his head to look up at Wei Xiang, his expression somewhat surprised. ¡°Really?¡±


    Wei Xiang could only smile helplessly at the relief he heard in his little lover¡¯s voice. ¡°Yes, really. Qinghe, in the end it¡¯s your decision. Please don¡¯t feel that I¡¯m forcing you.¡±


    Qinghe leaned forward and wordlessly hugged his considerate lover before saying, ¡°Thank you, Xiang. I-I only need a bit of time¡±


    His eyes warming with affection, Wei Xiang wrapped his arms around Qinghe and patted his beloved on his back soothingly. ¡°Then take as much time as you need. But for now, let¡¯s go to bed.¡±


    Stiffening, Qinghe stuttered, ¡°Ah, t-that¡¯s¡­¡± As he trailed away, soft pink suffused his cheeks.


    ¡°I meant only to sleep. What were you thinking?¡± Wei Xiang teased with a chuckle.


    Qinghe puffed his cheeks as he admonished, ¡°Xiang!¡±


    Considering his lover¡¯s choice of words, it was obvious that he had deliberately tried to mislead him!


    Wei Xiang laughed, then held his little lover tighter, leaning down to speak in a low voice, ¡°Qinghe, about what that Elder said today, don¡¯t take it to heart. No matter what happens in the future or what you choose to be in the end, know that I¡¯ll support your decision and always remain by your side.¡±


    Hearing this, Qinghe felt the last traces of coldness and anger in his heart thawing, replaced by the blooming of tender warmth.


    The couple soon undressed and lied down on the bed, holding each other and sinking into peaceful sleep.


    But for Qinghe, that peace didn¡¯t last.


    He once again dreamt of falling and falling, his body finally impacting the harsh ground and spattering into pieces.


    He dreamt of many things, bits and flashes of memories from before swimming hazily through his mind, causing his chest to ache heavily.


    When Qinghe abruptly woke up in the middle of the night, he felt his heart still clenching tightly with remembered dread and pain. Though he knew that his parents were probably not to blame, the feeling of betrayal felt by his childhood self still remained, cutting at him from within.


    If he, despite being a cultivator of only thirty-six, already felt that his memories were so burdensome, then he wondered how those beings who were thousands of years old bore this weight.


    Sighing, Qinghe slowly got up and walked to the backyard, heading towards the stream.


    Maybe the cool water would wash away these unwanted emotions and grant him some peace at last.

 Chapter 84: Betrayal and Trust

    Qinghe walked towards the stream barefooted and shed his robe on the bank. But rather than submerging himself into the cool water immediately, he decided to sit at the edge and only dip his feet in for now.


    Before sitting down, Qinghe cleared the area with a swipe of his hand. After all, a sharp rock poking him in the butt would hardly be conducive to the profound contemplation he was planning to do.


    Finally sitting down on the bank and leaning back on his arms with his palms flat on the ground, Qinghe distractedly splashed his feet in the stream as his mind sank into thoughts.


    For some reason, he seemed to have a lot of sealed or forgotten memories, mostly hidden away due to them being unpleasant and devastating. But till now, Qinghe had honestly thought that the only reason he couldn¡¯t remember anything before the orphanage was because of the physical trauma of his fall.


    But thinking back on the incomplete dreams he¡¯d been having recently, he realized that it might not be so simple.


    Feeling a vague ache due to the emotions he was suppressing, Qinghe absentmindedly raised a hand and rubbed it over his chest as he recalled his dreams.


    While Qinghe pondered over his own forgotten past, in the meantime, within the bedroom, Wei Xiang slowly awoke after feeling his beloved¡¯s absence.


    Sensing Qinghe¡¯s presence by the stream, Wei Xiang unhurriedly straightened and stood up from the bed before walking towards his sleepless little lover. Stopping a bit further away, he leisurely drank in the tantalizing view of his beloved¡¯s bared body.


    Seeing how Qinghe looked so completely unselfconscious and self-assured despite his utter lack of attire, Wei Xiang felt something itch in his heart. He couldn¡¯t help but walk over with silent footsteps and settle himself behind his lover, his hands reaching around to touch and slide lovingly over Qinghe¡¯s chest and belly, his fingers careful as he fondled his beloved¡¯s body.


    Qinghe had already sensed his lover¡¯s presence long ago and remained unalarmed. He simply closed his eyes and sank into the sensations, not wanting to stop his Xiang from having his fill.


    As those strong and skillful fingers began kneading and rolling the little points on his chest, Qinghe let out a soft groan, his cheeks turning pink. But though his body melted back into his beloved¡¯s embrace and began shifting restlessly with need, Qinghe¡¯s mind was still burdened with too many thoughts to enjoy his lover¡¯s attention.


    Biting his lip, he hesitantly spoke out, ¡°Xiang, I¡­I¡¯m not feeling like it right now.¡±


    Qinghe felt immensely guilty for refusing his lover both before sleeping yesterday and now once more. He felt bad that he was leaving his beloved¡¯s desire unfulfilled.


    Would his Xiang blame him for this? After all, Qinghe could clearly sense how his own body had reacted with enthusiasm. Wouldn¡¯t his beloved feel that he was holding out on him for no reason?


    But hearing that Qinghe didn¡¯t want to continue, Wei Xiang immediately halted without questioning. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s stop here then.¡±


    Wei Xiang wrapped Qinghe in his arms and merely held him in an embrace, not attempting to do anything more.


    Though there was no blame in his beloved¡¯s tone, Qinghe still bowed his head and apologized, ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Wei Xiang simply chuckled, not sounding put out in the least as he explained kindly, ¡°It¡¯s alright. Love, you don¡¯t have to apologize for saying no. It¡¯s your right and I definitely don¡¯t take any offense. Whether your body is aroused or not, if you¡¯re not in the mood, then there¡¯s no helping it. Please don¡¯t feel guilty about asking for what you want. I¡¯ll have plenty of opportunities later when you¡¯re willing.¡±


    Qinghe felt a small smile curving his lips. His Xiang was really too good to him. This was why Qinghe believed in him so much, trusting him with his entire being.


    ¡°Why did you come here in the middle of the night? Were you not able to sleep?¡± Wei Xiang¡¯s concerned voice sounded from above.


    Lifting his hands, Qinghe clutched at the firm arms wrapped around him as he replied, ¡°I¡¯ve been dreaming about that time I fell from the sky. I thought I¡¯d forgotten all those memories because of the impact, but I¡¯m beginning to remember some things that make me realize that¡­I might have suppressed them on my own.¡±


    Wei Xiang frowned, but kept his voice light as he asked, ¡°Do you want to talk about it?¡±


    Qinghe hesitated, then nodded. He wanted his Xiang to know, and telling him would also lighten his own burden somewhat.


    And so, Qinghe began speaking, ¡°I don¡¯t remember how I came to fall, only that I was already falling for a long time. I remember the wind whistling past my ears and I remember that the air felt very rough and painful for some reason. When I crashed into the ground, my limbs were torn off from the impact, scattering in different directions. My bones were crushed and my organs became squashed or prolapsed. I even remember the taste of a lung that had pushed up through my throat and out of my mouth. It felt very spongy on my tongue.¡±


    Wei Xiang felt horror welling up within him. His lover had only been four or five at that time! The amount of psychological shock and physical pain a child of that age would face due to such an ordeal was bound to be devastating. After all, something like this was enough to drive even fully grown adults insane.


    His voice hazy with remembrance, Qinghe continued, ¡°The pain was too much and what was left of my nervous system also shut down. I was unable to move and I blacked out a lot while my body regenerated. I clearly recall feeling that the air was wrong. It felt like the more of this air I breathed in, the weaker I became and the more vitality I lost. It was¡­very unpleasant.¡±


    Unpleasant was an understatement. Wei Xiang held on tighter to his reminiscing lover, pushing down the pain in his heart and trying to concentrate solely on listening to his beloved recounting all the terrible things he remembered of that time.


    ¡°After the fall, one of my eyeballs had popped out and the other had turned to pulp, but after they grew back, all I could use them for was to see the grass and weeds growing around me, the shadows of clouds passing by, and the worms and insects crawling along. It was very lonely. The whole time, my mind was only filled with the hope that my parents would come and get me.


    ¡°I remembered that my mother and father promised that they would never let anything hurt me, and yet I was hurt. They promised to never leave me, and yet they did. And they promised that whenever I needed them, they would always be there. But this time they weren¡¯t. They left me alone and I suffered so much. I remembered my hopes turning to worry and fear. Every night I dream of this terrible feeling of betrayal filling up my chest.¡±


    Gritting his teeth, Wei Xiang wished he could go back in time and help his lover, holding him as he was now and give him all the care and comfort he needed.


    But Qinghe was not yet done. His tone grew dull as he went on, ¡°When all that was left to regenerate were my bones and a few organs, the people from the orphanage found me. They were a group of rough men and they hauled me off. I was so scared of those people that I kept calling out for my mother and father to come and save me. Of course, no one came. Those men laughed and one of them told me that my parents abandoned me and that¡¯s why I was stuck in such a situation.


    ¡°Maybe if I had been clearheaded, I wouldn¡¯t have put any worth in those words. But I had been in constant pain for many days and my mind was far from sane at that point. I¡­believed them. I truly started thinking that¡­that my parents didn¡¯t want me anymore, and th-that¡¯s why they didn¡¯t come to get me. M-Maybe they really dumped me there b-because they h-hated¡­¡±


    ¡°Qinghe, enough,¡± Wei Xiang stopped him, unable to bear hearing his lover¡¯s voice cracking with heartrending pain as he struggled to keep speaking. What his beloved had said till now was more than enough for Wei Xiang to understand.


    This was why Qinghe had gotten so uncharacteristically riled up when Elder Yue had mentioned his parents. Though Qinghe might not remember his mother and father, he clearly remembered the pain the thought of them had caused his childhood self. As the silver-haired Elder kept digging into that sore spot, it had been enough to make him lose his cool.


    Shaking his head, Qinghe chose to keep speaking, ¡°No. I¨D There¡¯s still more that I have to tell.¡±


    Though Wei Xiang felt helpless at seeing his beloved being torn up like this from within, he still decided to let Qinghe get it all over with in one breath rather than prolonging his misery.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m still listening,¡± Wei Xiang urged his lover, his expression pained.


    Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Qinghe drew strength from his beloved¡¯s warmth and scent enveloping him as he began once again in a steady voice, ¡°Even after they took me away to the orphanage, putting a collar on me after my wounds healed and shoving me into that cramped room with the other kids, a small part of me still hoped that my parents would come for me.


    ¡°I would sometimes escape and run back to that place where I fell, hoping against hope that my father or mother would be there waiting, or that they¡¯d somehow trace my location to that place and come searching. But of course, that didn¡¯t happen.


    ¡°And every time the people of the orphanage caught me after I escaped, I would always get a beating. Slowly, the pain of waiting for something I knew would never happen ate me up. The despair and that feeling of betrayal were too much. So I chose to forget them and cast away the memories of the life I¡¯d lived before. I knew that I could at least adapt much easier to my situation that way.¡±


    Qinghe paused, his face strangely blank. Then a hoarse, broken laugh suddenly burst out of him. After remembering the agony of his childhood self, Qinghe constantly felt as if something jagged and sharp was scraping inside him. It felt so raw and painful that he didn¡¯t know how to process it.


    Feeling that something was wrong, Wei Xiang started to ask, ¡°Qinghe, what¨D¡±


    But not giving his lover time to finish, Qinghe had already begun talking again.


    ¡°I-I know that they loved me and I feel like I was a spoiled and sheltered child before I fell. Maybe that was why what happened later hit me so hard. But Xiang, even now, even though my current self knows that I¡¯m being unreasonable, this feeling of betrayal is still entrenched too deep.¡±


    Qinghe suddenly clutched his head with both hands, his fingers gripping his hair as he spoke through gritted teeth. ¡°But still, I-I can¡¯t get those feelings out. I d-don¡¯t want to remember. Even if I meet my parents later, maybe it would be better if I can just forget it all once more and treat them as strangers. I just¨D I can¡¯t¨D¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s voice grew thick as if he were being choked before cutting off mid-sentence, unable to continue any longer.


    Wei Xiang grew increasingly alarmed at how tortured Qinghe seemed to grow with each word. With gentle hands, he slowly loosened his beloved¡¯s fingers that were tightly clenched in his hair. Pulling Qinghe¡¯s hands down from his head, Wei Xiang hugged him close again.


    Qinghe stared blankly, and though his eyes had grown red at the edges, there were no tears.


    Then sighing, Qinghe slumped into Wei Xiang limply. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I lost control over myself for a moment. I just don¡¯t know what to do. Xiang¡­can you tell me? What do I do? I-I don¡¯t know how to deal with this type of pain that¡¯s not physical.¡±


    After a stretch of silence, Wei Xiang finally responded, ¡°Qinghe, you just remembered all this. So first of all, you should give yourself time to digest everything. I know that adjusting to this extra bit from your past will not be easy, but do not rush to make any hasty decisions because of that. If you think you can¡¯t deal with all of this alone, then I¡¯ll always be here to discuss it with you. I will try my best to make processing this easier in any way I can. And if you ever meet your parents, remember that you are not alone. I will be beside you and I will always be on your side.¡±


    Closing his eyes, Qinghe listened to his lover¡¯s low and measured voice reverberating through the chest pressed up against him. The soothing comfort and reassurance in his words were exactly what Qinghe needed right now.


    Sensing that his beloved was finally calming down, Wei Xiang continued, ¡°Nevertheless, if you find that your parents deeply and sincerely care about you, then you should try to give them your acceptance, or at least, you shouldn¡¯t reject them outright. But if you truly find them unpleasant and don¡¯t like them for any reason, then I¡¯ll help you keep them away.¡±


    With a thoughtful expression, Qinghe listened carefully to everything his beloved said. Yes, it all sounded very sensible. And yet, a little doubt niggled at the back of his mind.


    In a hesitant voice, Qinghe asked, ¡°Xiang, you said you¡¯d help me keep them away, but¡­will it hold true even if one of my parents is that person?¡±


    Qinghe didn¡¯t want to say that person¡¯s identity out loud yet. It was still unconfirmed anyway.


    Wei Xiang smiled and spoke, ¡°Yes, my love, even if it¡¯s him.¡±


    Startling, Qinghe twisted back in his lover¡¯s embrace and peered up. Wei Xiang gazed at him with affectionate eyes, a look of resolution firming his gaze.


    Seeing this, Qinghe finally felt assured as he relaxed back into his beloved¡¯s arms.


    Feeling his cheer slowly returning, Qinghe spoke, ¡°As long I have my Xiang by my side, I don¡¯t need to think so much about others, do I?¡± Then looking up, he playfully batted his eyes, ¡°Xiang, won¡¯t you protect your weak and delicate little lover?¡±


    Hearing his beloved¡¯s lively tone, Wei Xiang finally felt his worry abating. It seemed that his lover had quickly bounced back as usual.


    Showing a wry yet loving smile, he teased back, ¡°Love, if that¡¯s what you think of yourself, then I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m just as weak and delicate as you are.¡±


    Inwardly, Wei Xiang felt both amused and complicated.


    Who was his lover trying to kid? No matter how much of his weakness or softness his beloved showed him, Wei Xiang never forgot that Feng Qinghe was a fearsome existence who was as powerful as he was competent. Wei Xiang would never do his beloved the dishonor of underestimating him. He had more sense than that.


    However, Wei Xiang also felt worried at how much unconditional trust Qinghe placed in him. Because though Wei Xiang knew that he would never consciously betray this faith, he was still unsure about how much trust he deserved in the first place, because after all, everyone made mistakes. But when it came to Qinghe and his unreserved belief in him, Wei Xiang was afraid that the weight of any mistakes he might make would turn out to be very heavy.


    He still keenly remembered the first time he ever lost control, how his beast instincts had taken over after sensing danger back when he was in the clan, going berserk and annihilating the entire race of heavenly wyverns in one night. Wei Xiang clearly remembered the look of betrayal his clan members had given him as he had killed them all one by one.


    After that, Wei Xiang had lost trust in himself. Who knew when he¡¯d lose control and go berserk like that again?


    And so, he¡¯d thrown himself into his rigorous Sentinel training in order to learn to maintain rigid self-discipline, all so that he would never lose control like that ever again.


    Nevertheless, his clan members¡¯ eyes from that day, filled with fierce resentment and betrayal, still haunted him.


    Wei Xiang never wanted his Qinghe to ever direct such a look towards him.


    But how could he convince Qinghe to keep his guard up against him and make his little lover understand that he couldn¡¯t completely trust him like this?


    His expression turning sharper, Wei Xiang suddenly moved, and before Qinghe could process what was happening, he already felt his back pressed against the rough sand of the stream bank, caged between his Xiang¡¯s arms as his vision was dominated by his lover¡¯s stern face.


    But rather than growing cautious or alarmed, Qinghe only looked befuddled. His unguarded posture and the faint confusion in his eyes indicated his absolute trust in his beloved.


    ¡°Xiang?¡± he asked while looking up uncertainly.


    In an attempt to make him understand, Wei Xiang decided to unreservedly confess his deepest, darkest thoughts that were borne out of his beast instincts that he kept trying so hard to bury even now.


    In a dark tone, he spoke, ¡°Qinghe, if I told you that I wanted to capture you and put you in a cage so that no one else except me can see or touch you, so that I can make sure that no one can hurt you ever again, so that your entire world will be composed of only me and no one else, with you always being at my mercy¡­would you agree?¡±


    Qinghe blinked at Wei Xiang as if not understanding why he was asking, but he still unhesitatingly nodded. ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    Hearing such a prompt reply, a complicated expression spread over Wei Xiang¡¯s features.


    Wei Xiang sighed, then lifted a hand to massage his temple as he said, ¡°Qinghe, that¡¯s not a good thing. But that¡¯s just like you. Though you remain vigilant and aware when you are facing others, when it comes to the people dear to you, you have no sense of self-preservation at all.¡±


    Though he heard the helplessness and exasperation tingeing his beloved¡¯s voice, Qinghe didn¡¯t understand why his lover was worrying over this. ¡°But isn¡¯t it okay? Because Xiang, you would never hurt me. You won¡¯t even let me hurt myself.¡±


    Seeing the implicit trust in his little lover¡¯s eyes, Wei Xiang¡¯s worry only increased. If he ever lost control even once, especially during his next heat period¡­ No, he didn¡¯t want to think of what would happen.


    After all, now that Qinghe¡¯s existence was very firmly lodged into Wei Xiang¡¯s heart as his one and only mate, even his beast self would acknowledge this fact and try to spend the entirety of his heat period with his little lover.


    But since it would be Wei Xiang¡¯s first heat period with his mate, it might be a bit too¡­fierce for Qinghe to handle. As powerful as he was, Wei Xiang didn¡¯t think that even Qinghe could bear all of his beast¡¯s aggressive mating focused on him alone. His lover¡¯s young body might just be torn apart by his impassioned self.


    That was why Wei Xiang needed his lover to stay vigilant against him, because he felt the time for his next heat period fast approaching. There was only around a year left now, and Wei Xiang worried that he might unexpectedly go into heat one day and hurt his beloved.


    Just thinking about it was unbearable.


    Wei Xiang leaned down and touched his forehead to his lover¡¯s, saying in an exhausted voice, ¡°Qinghe, I hope we find your parents soon and that they care for you a lot, and I also hope that they are more powerful than me.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Why?¡± Qinghe asked, blinking confusedly.


    With a grim expression, Wei Xiang replied, ¡°That way, if I ever lose control and do something to you that I shouldn¡¯t, they can restrain and punish me.¡±


    Qinghe immediately burst out, ¡°No! I-I don¡¯t like that. I don¡¯t like the thought of anyone hurting you!¡± His voice was both frantic and angry. No matter what, he would never allow anyone to hurt his lover!


    Hearing his beloved¡¯s immediate reply, Wei Xiang chuckled helplessly, unable to hide the melancholy tenderness in his eyes. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t like the thought of me hurting you either, that¡¯s why I need someone to restrain me.¡±


    But Qinghe only grew more panicked as he pleaded, ¡°Xiang, even if you break my body, it can be fixed, so please don¡¯t be sad about it. No matter what you do to me, I won¡¯t get angry with you, I promise!¡±


    Seeing Qinghe getting so agitated at the thought of Wei Xiang beating himself up over hurting his lover, Wei Xiang could only let out another heavy sigh.


    Trying to soothe his beloved, Wei Xiang placed a light kiss on Qinghe¡¯s forehead. ¡°Love, don¡¯t say that. If I do something bad to you, you have every right to be angry. And don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not sad. For now, it¡¯s all only a hypothetical situation anyway. I¡¯ll do my best to make sure it never happens.¡±


    Qinghe visibly relaxed, taken in by this reassurance.


    Wei Xiang continued in a more subdued voice, ¡°But Qinghe¡­you really place too much undeserved trust in me. I don¡¯t want to make you feel like I betrayed you if I ever make a mistake.¡±


    Hearing this, Qinghe peered up at his lover with an unfathomable gaze.


    So this was what his Xiang had been worried about all this time?


    Turning his head away, Qinghe scoffed at how much of a worrywart his beloved was being. Then with puffed cheeks, he began admonishing, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m stupid? I know that the responsibility of never betraying my trust must be heavy on you. But Xiang, you don¡¯t need to worry about it. I truly will not feel betrayed by you, because I can already gauge both our limits and act accordingly.


    ¡°I will always keep doing my best so that you will never have to be put in such a situation where you fear losing my trust. I¡¯m not passive enough to defenselessly place the entire weight of my belief on you alone or let myself be hurt because of this. Trusting you completely is after all my prerogative, I will not let it be a burden on you. And my belief in you is certainly not so fragile that I¡¯d lose my trust just because you make a few mistakes. Shame on you for even thinking that!¡±


    For a second, Wei Xiang could only look at Qinghe with a stunned expression. Then relief surged through him, along with a thread of amusement.


    His little lover was really too much, seemingly reading all his thoughts and assuaging all his worries so easily.


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. You won¡¯t let me go that easily, will you?¡± Wei Xiang spoke, his voice slightly hoarse.


    Qinghe proudly declared, ¡°Of course I won¡¯t! I have such a good lover, why would I let him go just like that? Hmph, I¡¯m not that stupid.¡±


    Unable to help himself, Wei Xiang laughed.


    Sitting back up, he lifted Qinghe along and hugged him as he happily sighed, ¡°I love you.¡±


    Blinking in surprise, Qinghe returned, ¡°I love you too.¡± Then with a thoughtful expression, he continued, ¡°Xiang, now that we¡¯ve resolved all that, I think I¡¯m feeling ready now. So let¡¯s go to bed, but¡­not to sleep.¡±


    Despite the abruptness of this proposition, Wei Xiang was only too eager to agree.


    And so, within moments, the couple quickly relocated to the bed, brushing the dust from the stream bank off of themselves and quickly undressing.


    Laying his little loved on the bed, Wei Xiang settled atop him, pressing their bodies together as he bent down and nuzzled the crook between Qinghe¡¯s shoulder and neck. Wei Xiang luxuriated in the scent of mint and his lover¡¯s arousal filling his nose, so familiar and tempting.


    With his beloved so close, his warmth spreading through from everywhere their skin touched, his lover¡¯s breath brushing over him, Qinghe felt his desire rising further. He felt himself getting harder due to the increasingly insistent burn of arousal. His body unconsciously softened, as if readying to mold itself against a firmer, more muscular one.


    Qinghe¡¯s lids lowered and his eyes turned dewy. A red tongue peeked out, swishing against and moistening his parted lips. His inner muscles automatically relaxed seemingly in a conditioned response resultant of their many previous couplings, anticipating the moment when he would accept his lover into his body, receiving that thick member as it parted his inner walls and sunk into his soft and tender passage.


    As lust languorously flowed through him, gradually filling him up, Qinghe¡¯s whole being exuded a sensual allure that could not be ignored.


    Charmed beyond compare by his enticing little lover, Wei Xiang drew closer, and this time, Qinghe welcomed him with his body wholeheartedly.

 Chapter 85: Dual Cultivation

    Soft, deep, and passionate moans echoed in the room, making anyone hearing it feel like a feather was being dragged across their skin.


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang lay on the bed, slowly rocking together while their hands wandered restlessly over each other¡¯s bodies. Insistent need pulsed through them, turning the atmosphere thick and heavy with lust.


    But in the midst of things, a hesitant knock unexpectedly interrupted them.


    Startled, the couple paused.


    Qinghe quickly used his spirit sense and determined that it was his master who had come to visit, carrying a wrapped jade scroll in his hands.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± Wei Xiang asked his lover in a husky voice.


    His sweaty brows lowered in a frown, Qinghe answered, ¡°It¡¯s my master. He seems to have brought something for me.¡±


    Hearing this, Wei Xiang tried to slide out of his lover, but he was barely halfway out when Qinghe held him in place by locking his ankles behind his beloved¡¯s waist, refusing to let Wei Xiang withdraw.


    Wei Xiang shot Qinghe an exasperated look. Then smiling wickedly, he purposefully drove back in, making sure to hit his lover¡¯s sweet spot while reaching over to pluck at the stiff buds on his chest.


    Not expecting that he would be retaliated against in this way, Qinghe gasped and groaned, forgetting for a moment about his master waiting on the other side of the door.


    Outside the room, Zhen YiLan heard his disciple seemingly crying out in pain and became worried. In a concerned tone, he called out, ¡°Qing-er, are you alright?¡±


    But Wei Xiang still refused to ease up as he started moving once again, sliding in and out of his little lover¡¯s slickened passage in torturously slow motions.


    Qinghe bit his lip and forced himself to reply to his master, his voice deep and throaty, ¡°Yes, Master¡­I¡¯m fine so¡­,¡± he panted breathily before being able to continue again, ¡°¡­I¡¯m okay. I¡¯m just busy¡­.¡­I¡¯ll come and find you later.¡±


    However, hearing how strange his disciple sounded, Zhen YiLan remained unconvinced and started banging on the door. ¡°Qing-er, you don¡¯t sound alright! Let me in! Let your Master come help you out!¡±


    Still unrelentingly moving within his beloved¡¯s soft and tight channel, Wei Xiang once again hit that particular spot with firm and measured strokes, sending sudden waves of pleasure flooding through Qinghe.


    In a hoarse voice, Qinghe couldn¡¯t help but curse loudly, ¡°Fuck!¡±


    The banging on the door suddenly stopped as if in surprise.


    Zhen YiLan would¡¯ve never thought that his disciple knew or was capable of using such an obscenity.


    Leaning down beside his little lover¡¯s ear, Wei Xiang whispered laughingly, ¡°Do you want your master to come ¡®help you out¡¯ with this?¡± Wei Xiang began running his fingers over Qinghe¡¯s member, indicating what he meant by ¡®this¡¯.


    Qinghe¡¯s face twisted in a grimace as he tried not to imagine that.


    Wei Xiang remained ruthless as his hands and mouth roved over his beloved¡¯s body, constantly stimulating Qinghe to the point of making him lose his reason.


    ¡°Qing-er? Do you need me to get someone to help? Wait, your master will break this door down and come rescue you!¡±


    Qinghe suddenly froze, jerking out of the pleasurable haze of desire. He called out frantically, ¡°No! Master, wait!¡±


    On the other side of the door, Zhen YiLan halted, his mind filled with confusion and distress. ¡°Qing-er, just tell your master what¡¯s wrong!¡±


    Qinghe pushed Wei Xiang away to gain a moment of reprieve to steady his voice. But unrelentingly, Wei Xiang dipped his head to mercilessly suckle on his beloved¡¯s throat.


    This new assault on his senses sent another wave of inescapable heat flooding through him, softening his resistance and causing his body to melt back into the sheets. And since a more delicate phrasing eluded him in this state, Qinghe blurted out loud bluntly, ¡°Master, I¡¯m in the middle of getting fucked, can we please postpone this for later?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    A second of shocked silence descended over them. Even Wei Xiang stopped what he was doing to lean back in disbelief.


    Then the sound of someone startled into sputtering came from the other side of the door, accompanied by something solid dropping onto the floor and hurried footsteps dashing away as if fleeing.


    Realizing what he¡¯d just said out loud to his master, Qinghe felt abject embarrassment turning his already flushed cheeks into a deeper shade of red.


    Dropping his head beside his little lover¡¯s, Wei Xiang burst out laughing. ¡°Qinghe, you¡­you really¡­are something.¡±


    Clenching his butt to squeeze his lover¡¯s member still lodged deep inside him, Qinghe admonished, ¡°And whose fault do you think all this is?¡±


    Wei Xiang gasped as his beloved¡¯s hot inner muscles tightened around his shaft, then retorted, ¡°Oh? And who was the one who refused to let me go in the beginning?¡±


    Unable to refute, Qinghe flushed as he ordered, ¡°Stop talking and start working!¡±


    Grinning evilly, Wei Xiang complied.


    Soon, calls for mercy and loud shouts of pleasure rang out amid the rapid sounds of flesh slapping against flesh and the strained groaning of the wooden bed.


    By the time they finished, Qinghe felt that his throat was more sore than his butt. His lover¡¯s prowess in bed were truly too terrible to behold, especially when he got all riled up like this.


    As Wei Xiang slowly and carefully cleaned his beloved¡¯s passage, he looked on amusedly at his little lover¡¯s puffed cheeks.


    ¡°Are you mad?¡± Wei Xiang asked, trying to keep all traces of mirth out of his voice.


    Qinghe nodded forcefully, then declared, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m mad! You didn¡¯t even give me a chance to touch you in all the ways I wanted to. Doing all those things one after another, how can you expect me to keep up? Xiang, I¡¯m realizing that you are very mean!¡±


    Though his beloved spoke in a reprimanding tone, all Wei Xiang wanted to do was to pinch those cheeks and wax poetic about how adorable he was.


    ¡°Now, now, Qinghe¡­don¡¯t say that. I¡¯ll make sure to make it up to you next time, alright?¡± Wei Xiang placated as he finished his task, using a soft cloth to pat his lover dry.


    After contemplating with a thoughtful expression, Qinghe finally nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll consider it acceptable for now,¡± he declared haughtily.


    Wei Xiang felt his fingers itching. He really wanted to press his little lover back on the bed and go another round to make it up to his beloved right here and now. But before he could act on his impulse, Wei Xiang suddenly remembered about how they had been interrupted before, as well as how his lover¡¯s master seemed to have dropped something outside their door.


    He should probably check on it now.


    Sighing, Wei Xiang draped a robe over himself and walked to the door before opening it to take a look. On the floor, there was a small jade scroll that seemed to have slipped out of its wrapping cloth.


    ¡°Xiang, what did Master drop?¡± Qinghe asked from within the room, lying lazily on the bed without a stitch of clothing on.


    Closing the door and bringing the jade scroll inside, Wei Xiang replied, ¡°It seems to be some sort of a high-level cultivation manual. Let me take a look at it first.¡±


    Qinghe made a sound of assent, shifting on the bed to get more comfortable as he saw his lover opening the scroll to glance over its contents.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s brows suddenly rose, a strange, anticipatory grin curving his lips.


    Seeing this, Qinghe¡¯s head perked up in interest. ¡°What is it? What did you find?¡±


    His eyes sparkling, Wei Xiang answered, ¡°This seems to be a dual cultivation manual, and an extraordinary one at that.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s interest was suitably piqued as he sat up while continuing to listen.


    Wei Xiang went on, ¡°It has two very important uses: One, it can greatly improve and stabilize one¡¯s cultivation. This will be particularly useful for you because of your restrictions, especially since you¡¯ll be taking part in the Hundred-Year Tournament soon. And second, it can actually help two people form a soul bond. The longer we practice from this manual, the stronger the bond will grow, until our fates themselves become altered and entwine together.¡±


    Qinghe blinked, not understanding what his lover meant. But since Wei Xiang seemed impressed, Qinghe deduced that it must truly be something very amazing.


    But Qinghe was never one to leave his curiosity unsatisfied, so he asked inquisitively, ¡°Xiang, what¡¯s a soul bond?¡±


    Rolling the scroll back up again, Wei Xiang sat down on the bed beside his little lover and explained, ¡°It¡¯s a special type of connection that happens between two souls. Lovers with a soul bond have their lives and fates bound together. If one of them dies, the other will inevitably follow within moments. And even after death, their fates will remain tied, leading them to each other when they reincarnate.¡±


    As he heard this, Qinghe felt wonder welling up in his heart.


    If they practiced dual cultivation according to this manual, then did it mean that he and his Xiang would be together for a literal eternity?


    With excitement surging within him, Qinghe asked, ¡°Xiang, do you want to try it? Let¡¯s try it!¡±


    But Wei Xiang¡¯s brows were drawn in a frown. ¡°There seems to be a condition though. We can only practice this manual if we can fulfill it.¡±


    Qinghe also frowned. ¡°A condition? What is it?¡±


    ¡°The only requirement is that, for the soul bond to form, we will have to share our minds for a short while,¡± Wei Xiang replied. Then looking at his beloved, he spoke seriously, ¡°I don¡¯t mind doing this. But Qinghe, if you don¡¯t want to, then that¡¯s also fine.¡±


    Waving his hand to dispel his lover¡¯s worries, Qinghe regained his enthusiasm. ¡°No, I want to. Let¡¯s do it.¡±


    Wei Xiang felt his gaze warming with affection. If it was to this person, then he would gladly tie his soul.


    ¡°Alright then,¡± Wei Xiang agreed with a helpless smile. ¡°How do you want to do this?¡±


    His eyes brightening, Qinghe immediately said, ¡°Xiang, I want you in your half-beast form.¡±


    Shaking his head, Wei Xiang could only reply indulgently, ¡°Very well then. But let¡¯s prepare you before first. I can hardly do that with my claws out.¡±


    Qinghe nodded, then helpfully pulled up his knees and bent over so that his lover could begin.


    As he began preparing his beloved, Wei Xiang took his time to carefully ready his little lover so that Qinghe would be able to accept the two members he had in his half-beast form with minimal pain and discomfort. Wei Xiang used up almost half a bottle of oil and persevered until his entire hand could fit through his little lover¡¯s opening, and yet he still wasn¡¯t sure if it would be enough.


    After an hour of preparations, Wei Xiang finally shifted into his half-beast form and began entering his beloved from the rear.


    Qinghe¡¯s hands were fisted over the bed¡¯s headboard, his flushed cheek lying atop the wide and flat wooden edge. His knees were spread apart as his thighs trembled with strain, his back curved as his bottom was unreservedly presented for his beloved to press deeper into.


    Enveloping him from behind was Wei Xiang¡¯s body, one claw-tipped hand resting on Qinghe¡¯s hip and the other slowly guiding his shafts into his little lover.


    Wei Xiang had already managed to push in one of his members and was now carefully inserting in another, taking the utmost care to avoid causing his beloved any pain.


    As Wei Xiang pushed on, the slender body under his strained to accept the additional girth, the line of his beloved¡¯s spine stretched taut. Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes were drawn to a small droplet of sweat that was slowly sliding down that arched spine. Unable to help himself, he dipped his head to halt its descent, his lips closing over and sucking in that little drop of moisture.


    Qinghe shuddered as he felt his lover¡¯s hot mouth on the middle of his back. He felt it very keenly as Wei Xiang¡¯s lips and tongue slowly swept upward, seeming to leave a trail of fire in their wake as they finally reached the back of his neck.


    As Wei Xiang lightly traced his mate¡¯s fragile nape with the sharp tips of his fangs, he felt Qinghe begin to tremble. Burying his nose in his little lover¡¯s neck, he scented the fresh rush of desire flooding his mate.


    His chest rumbling with pleasure, Wei Xiang asked, ¡°So you like that?¡±


    Being tormented for so long while being prepared and teased like this on the side, Qinghe was already nearing his limit. Unable to string together coherent words, Qinghe could only moan and whimper. ¡°X-Xiang¡­p-please¨Dah!¡±


    Wei Xiang had lightly nipped the side of his lover¡¯s throat, licking and nibbling at the soft and fragile skin with enthusiasm.


    Biting his lower lip, Qinghe wordlessly bent his head to the side, exposing more of his neck. Feeling the sharp fangs scraping against his skin sent an inexplicable shudder of thrill and pleasure rushing through him. An embarrassingly low and drawn out moan slipped out of his gasping mouth.


    As Wei Xiang kept pressing himself into his mate¡¯s tight heat with one hand, the palm of his other hand slowly moved from where it had been placed on his little lover¡¯s hip and over to his soft belly.


    Unable to help himself, Wei Xiang began stroking the smooth and sweaty skin in small, steady motions. Under this softness, Wei Xiang felt bunched ridges of abdominal muscles clenching and relaxing as his beloved¡¯s supple waist twisted restlessly. It fascinated him how though his lover¡¯s body was actually well-built, his body type ensured that his muscles stayed hidden under a layer of softness, making him look less muscled than he was.


    On the other hand, feeling the intense friction of the rough scales and the tips of those sharp talons being lightly drawn across his vulnerable stomach, Qinghe couldn¡¯t help but begin to squirm and plead. ¡°Xiang, faster¡­please¡­m-more¡­touch me more¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang wordlessly complied, his beast instincts inwardly hissing in satisfaction that his mate sought his touch with so much desperation.


    His hand slid to the side, over the swell of his lover¡¯s hip and down to his thigh that was taut and trembling with strain. Slowly kneading the firm flesh, Wei Xiang moved his palm to the inside of Qinghe¡¯s thigh, his fingers brushing over the smooth and soft skin.


    As those rough fingertips trailed up and down, tracing burning lines over the sensitive skin, Qinghe let out an unrestrained groan. ¡°Xiang¡­touch me¡­there.¡±


    Knowing what he meant, Wei Xiang smiled as he obliged, his palm dragging up the inside of his lover¡¯s thigh and landing on his stiff and dripping shaft.


    As Qinghe felt his beloved¡¯s hot palm sliding up and down his member, he was almost driven mad by the unbearable friction caused by the edges of the small scales covering his lover¡¯s skin and the sensation of the tips of those sharp black nails lightly dragging along his vulnerable shaft.


    Qinghe panted, his breaths quick and short. His body trembled as the vivid sensation kept rocketing through him. All along, Wei Xiang had kept slowly and steadily pushing himself into his lover.


    Suddenly, Qinghe¡¯s body snapped taut as he gasped sharply in pain.


    Wei Xiang immediately stopped thrusting into him and asked in a tone saturated with concern, ¡°Qinghe, does it hurt?¡±


    ¡°Only a b-bit,¡± Qinghe answered, his voice unsteady.


    In truth, it felt like his insides were splitting in half. A little inspection with his spiritual power revealed that there was no tearing, but the burning pain was still like a sharp lance as it shot through him.


    But Qinghe still felt that it was tolerable. He had already figured out that no matter how much they prepared, doing it for the first time with Wei Xiang in his half-beast form would still hurt very much. There was no easy way past this, so Qinghe wanted to bear it for now and quickly move on from the pain so that he could have his lover in his other form as well.


    Besides, Qinghe already felt his insides healing and the pain subsiding as his spiritual energy circulated quickly to mend his bruised and injured inner muscles. Though it still stung somewhat, the pleasure from being filled and stretched by his lover¡¯s members soon drowned out any discomfort.


    Not knowing this, Wei Xiang frowned worriedly and began to withdraw. ¡°Since it hurts, let¡¯s stop for now.¡±


    ¡°Xiang, no! Please, don¡¯t,¡± Qinghe burst out, his hand looping behind him and around his lover¡¯s waist to hold him in place.


    Wei Xiang felt complicated at his little lover¡¯s vehement rejection. In a helpless tone, he began, ¡°Love, if it hurts¨D¡±


    Qinghe quickly interrupted him, ¡°It¡¯s only a little bit, I promise. It¡¯s already gotten better. And¡­Xiang, I really, really want to do this. So let¡¯s keep going, okay?¡±


    Knowing how his beloved tended to often ignore his own discomfort in favor of others, Wei Xiang remained unconvinced. To make sure, he bent down and buried his nose in Qinghe¡¯s neck, breathing in deeply. Qinghe instinctively exposed his neck further once again.


    Due to Wei Xiang¡¯s senses having gotten sharper in his half-beast form, along with the light layer of sweat strengthening Qinghe¡¯s scent, Wei Xiang could easily deduce what Qinghe was feeling from the scent exuded by the various hormones swimming in his lover¡¯s bloodstream right now.


    From just a whiff, Wei Xiang could smell Qinghe¡¯s strong arousal mixed with a hint of pain, but he didn¡¯t scent any fear, distress, anger, or other negative emotions from his beloved. In the end, he could only conclude that¡­his little lover really was enjoying this despite the pain.


    Wei Xiang didn¡¯t know what to think about this.


    Sensing that his lover was wavering, Qinghe struck while the iron was hot and pleaded in a soft voice, ¡°Xiang, it¡¯s okay. I really want this. So let¡¯s continue, please?¡±


    Realizing that his beloved might have a slightly masochistic streak in him, Wei Xiang was finally forced to give in. Even though this newly discovered tendency of his little lover might make things a little complicated sometimes, Wei Xiang was determined to satisfy his beloved to the utmost.


    ¡°Alright then, but let¡¯s take it slower. And if you feel the pain getting worse, you will tell me, alright?¡± Wei Xiang commanded unbendingly.


    Qinghe bit his lip, but still nodded. What his lover asked of him was very sensible, so he saw no reason to refuse.


    And so they continued.


    By the time both of Wei Xiang¡¯s members were fully and snugly seated inside his little lover¡¯s tight passage, the couple was panting and sweating, their faces flushed and eyes glazed.


    Qinghe felt his entrance stretched impossibly wide, his inner walls wrapped firmly around his beloved¡¯s members without even the slightest bit of space in between. By now, the sting of pain had also subsided until it was nothing more than a vague ache. His insides felt filled to the brim, the sensation causing Qinghe to squirm restlessly.


    He wanted to start moving, start feeling his lover¡¯s shafts sliding in and out, driving swiftly through his slickened channel. But Wei Xiang very firmly held his beloved¡¯s shifting hips in place, waiting for his lover¡¯s passage to get fully accustomed to his girth.


    ¡°Xiang¡­quickly¡­¡± Qinghe moaned complainingly.


    With a strained chuckle, Wei Xiang spoke, ¡°Love, did you forget why we started this in the first place? We should use the manual and begin dual cultivating now.¡±


    Qinghe blinked, his hazy mind finally recalling that there was indeed such a thing.


    Trying to suppress his need, Qinghe asked hoarsely, ¡°H-How should we do it?¡±


    ¡°Hm, maybe it would be better if we sat facing each other?¡± Wei Xiang suggested.


    Qinghe nodded. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s do that.¡±


    Wei Xiang thus slowly slid out of his beloved and sat down cross-legged on the bed. Then reaching out and pulling his lover towards himself, Wei Xiang parted Qinghe¡¯s knees and placed them on either side of his hips.


    A soft blush claimed Qinghe¡¯s face as he felt the heads of his lover¡¯s stiff members positioned right under his opening. Steadying himself with his hands on Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulders, Qinghe slowly lowered himself onto the hard shafts beneath him. He lightly panted, his eyes squeezed shut and his lashes quivering as he felt the thick heads slowly pushing into his entrance, parting his inner walls and pressing further in.


    Wei Xiang intently studied every twitch and tremble on his little lover¡¯s face, his mouth curving up in a gentle smile. One of his hands held his shafts steady as his beloved bore down on them, gradually taking them into himself.


    This time, Qinghe felt that the whole process was quite painless and that it even felt very pleasurable. Soon, he had completely taken in his lover¡¯s shafts, the penetration in this position feeling deeper than before.


    Opening his eyes and finding Wei Xiang¡¯s smirking face right in front of him, Qinghe couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly bashful and awkward.


    Wei Xiang took out the dual cultivation manual and opened it, placing the jade scroll on the bed in such a way that they could both read from it.


    The procedure explained in the scroll detailed how one should regulate their spiritual energy, which spiritual pathways to use and which nodes and points to gather their power in, how to open their minds and let in their lover¡¯s consciousness, and how to seamlessly circulate their spiritual energies between them and through each other¡¯s bodies.


    While maintaining their position, with Wei Xiang¡¯s members still sheathed within Qinghe¡¯s body, the couple diligently absorbed this new knowledge, the concepts within fascinating and the methods meticulously explained.


    Once he was done, Qinghe turned his face away and commented embarrassedly, ¡°Maybe mixing sex and cultivation wasn¡¯t such a good idea.¡±


    Also having finished with the manual, Wei Xiang looked up and raised an eyebrow regally as if his lover wasn¡¯t currently sitting on his little twin dragons. ¡°Oh? Why so?¡±


    Giving a light cough to cover his discomfiture, Qinghe replied, ¡°I feel like I¡¯m doing homework on the bed rather than¡­something more fun.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes glittered with amusement. Leaning in to his beloved, he whispered huskily while kneading his little lover¡¯s butt, his voice playful, ¡°Little Student, why haven¡¯t you started yet? You better complete your homework soon or this instructor will have to punish you.¡±


    Feeling his mouth suddenly going dry, Qinghe swallowed thickly and asked with hidden anticipation, ¡°Punish me? How?¡±


    ¡°By giving you more ¡®homework¡¯ to finish, of course,¡± Wei Xiang answered with a wicked smile, his hand squeezing his beloved¡¯s backside more firmly.


    Unable to contain his reaction, Qinghe shivered, his cheeks flushing harder in response to his lover¡¯s teasing voice and warm palms massaging his rear in steady motions.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s hands slid down, the points of his nails dragging along as his palms settled on the back of his little lover¡¯s thighs, keenly feeling the strength of the firm muscles and the smoothness of the soft skin under his hands. In a deep voice, he spoke, ¡°We should begin.¡±


    Qinghe nodded unsteadily, then closed his eyes and brought his lips to his lover¡¯s. As the couple opened up and clamped their mouths over each other¡¯s, they slowly began circulating their spiritual energy using the method in the manual.


    And carefully, hesitantly, they sent out their spiritual energies, cautiously guiding it to enter their lover¡¯s body.


    Suddenly, Qinghe sensed a rush of warm and vigorous energy flowing through his spiritual channels, feeling smooth with a light tang of metallic sharpness. Qinghe immediately recognized this as Wei Xiang¡¯s essence and gladly allowed it into him, letting the bright streams of energy course through his meridians.


    Similarly, Wei Xiang felt Qinghe¡¯s spiritual energy flooding his pathways, calm and slightly cool like distilled moonlight. The clear currents of energy felt pleasant and pure as they flowed through him unhurriedly, their taste familiar and soothing.


    As they exchanged their spiritual energies, letting it flow from their bodies into their lover¡¯s at a steady pace, the couple slowly and deliberately relaxed the barriers in their minds, following the manual¡¯s instructions to let the other person in, to let them see from their perspective and feel what they felt for their beloved.


    As he lowered his mental barriers, Qinghe felt Wei Xiang¡¯s thoughts and impressions of him filling his mind.


    The first time Wei Xiang saw him in the hidden realm, he had been attracted to the mystery around Qinghe¡¯s soul and had felt respect for his intelligence and decisiveness, but that was it. He hadn¡¯t felt any particularly deep or earth-shaking emotions.


    Later, seeing Qinghe in his true appearance as he bathed in the stream that day had been so very tempting, and knowing that this enchanting person was also competent enough to see through his concealment only made Wei Xiang more interested. But Wei Xiang still hadn¡¯t intended on taking it any further.


    However, the more time he spent watching Qinghe, the more he was drawn in.


    Feng Qinghe had a sharp mind and was obviously strong, having both talent and ability in spades. He was neither too humble and nor too arrogant. But all this was only scratching the surface.


    Qinghe was kind, yet not na?ve. He could be cold and aloof, yet also playful and cute. Once he chose to care about someone, he gave them his all. Yet for all his compassion, he also stood strangely removed, as if he wasn¡¯t a part of this world, looking indifferently over everything from the same height as the stars. It was very rare for him to be truly moved, seldom laughing from his heart or seething with pure rage. It was to the point that it couldn¡¯t simply be explained away by saying he had a mild temperament.


    With a strange personality that was exceedingly hard to grasp. Feng Qinghe was someone who Wei Xiang thought was very difficult to understand.


    But the more time he spent in his presence, the more Wei Xiang realized that he enjoyed this little cultivator¡¯s company.


    Seeing him go about his day with assurance and grace, watching him getting into trouble yet staying calm despite the dire situation, then witnessing his cute side as he acted spoiled and childish, observing his interesting reactions when he was teased¡­ As Wei Xiang beheld all this, he had become bewitched by Feng Qinghe before he even knew it.


    And so, when he finally realized that he wanted this little cultivator, rather than waiting, Wei Xiang had directly asked him to become his lover.


    After Qinghe agreed and Wei Xiang started spending more time with him, he discovered even more fascinating facets to Qinghe¡¯s personality. Wei Xiang was surprised to find that his affection kept growing impossibly deeper the longer he stayed with his little lover.


    He realized he loved to see Qinghe smile and laugh. He liked that twinkle in his beloved¡¯s eyes when he was planning something devious, or that gleam of inquisitiveness that lighted up his gaze whenever he became curious. Wei Xiang felt irresistibly charmed by both his lover¡¯s intelligence and innocence, thinking him cute yet also respecting him as an equal. He adored how Qinghe acted playfully or melted into his embrace, his body soft and pliant, and he enjoyed seeing the obvious excitement flushing his little lover¡¯s face whenever Wei Xiang proposed doing something sexual.


    There were a million things, both big and small, that made up Feng Qinghe, and Wei Xiang held each and every one of them dear.


    All of these thoughts and emotions of his lover filled Qinghe until he felt that his heart would overflow with warmth.


    Similarly, Wei Xiang was also immersed in Qinghe¡¯s thoughts of him.


    Seeing through his eyes and perceiving the world through his mind, Wei Xiang finally understood just how different Qinghe truly was.


    Qinghe¡¯s heart was an ocean of calm, his spirit clear and unwavering while his mind constantly kept working. Through Qinghe, Wei Xiang felt the essence of wind stretching around them in all directions, enveloping and categorizing everything while constantly monitoring for movements. Qinghe¡¯s every action was carefully taken, aiming for maximum effectiveness. What others perceived as his elegance was in fact just Qinghe moving his body in what he deemed to be the most efficient way.


    Wei Xiang felt how Qinghe had to constantly redirect his attention to consciously display the emotions he felt or thought he was supposed to feel on his face, carefully arranging his expression to make it show what he wanted it to. It was only when he was alone or with the twins that he didn¡¯t need to make this effort.


    And now, he sometimes even did this when he was with Wei Xiang, since being with his lover just felt so comfortable.


    In the beginning, when Qinghe had first perceived Wei Xiang¡¯s presence lurking in the shadows in the hidden realm, he only felt indifference. Unless the Sentinels hiding in the dark interfered with his plans, he was determined to ignore them.


    When he felt Wei Xiang following him back to his home, Qinghe felt faint surprise, but nothing more. He more or less trusted that the Sentinels wouldn¡¯t hurt him without reason, and so he¡¯d once again ignored him.


    It was only when Wei Xiang rescued him by the cliffs that Qinghe finally recognized his presence.


    The first thing that struck Qinghe was Wei Xiang¡¯s face. He thought it was stunning.


    And yet, as he saw through his little lover¡¯s eyes, Wei Xiang was surprised to find that Qinghe couldn¡¯t actually perceive whether a person¡¯s appearance was beautiful or not. Though he could remember and recognize every line and angle of another¡¯s facial features, he was unable to judge them. So his preferences were purely based on what he read from the other person¡¯s expressions.


    Qinghe thought Wei Xiang was stunning because of his sharp eyes that danced with liveliness, the sardonic tilt of his lips that conveyed equal parts disdain and amusement, the confident slant of his eyebrows that showed his self-assuredness.


    And then Wei Xiang had gone above and beyond to help Qinghe, getting him safely back to his room and accompanying him afterward.


    Despite his sharp tongue and his eyes that constantly showed how unimpressed he was with the world, Wei Xiang had still taken the time to help him.


    Realizing this, Qinghe felt that this Sentinel was actually very intriguing.


    After that, being teased by him and then being shielded by his wings on Starry Mountain Peak, Qinghe had started feeling closer and more at ease with Wei Xiang. Slowly, Qinghe started noticing the details of Wei Xiang¡¯s physical attributes, which was something that he had never truly shown an interest in before with others. This was the first time Qinghe had ever truly felt physically attracted to someone, though he didn¡¯t recognize it at that time.


    And then, when Wei Xiang had proposed becoming lovers, Qinghe had felt shocked yet curious. Since he didn¡¯t feel averse to it and even felt somewhat interested, he decided to give it a try.


    But Qinghe had never have imagined just how much he would grow to like this lover of his.


    Qinghe saw Wei Xiang as his closest friend and also a teacher, someone who didn¡¯t mind guiding him whenever he felt lost and carefully pointing him in the right direction. Everything, from his soothing voice to his steady bearing, his patience and his calm maturity, but also his teasing and his sharp tongue, all of it slowly captivated Qinghe.


    He liked how Wei Xiang laughed, free and exuberant. He liked bantering with his lover and rolling in the sheets together every night. And he especially liked Wei Xiang¡¯s half-beast form because he thought that the wildness of it perfectly embodied his lover¡¯s personality.


    He liked Wei Xiang¡¯s warmth and nestling in his lover¡¯s arms, but Qinghe also felt very protective of his dear beloved. One of the very few things that could truly make him angry was the thought of his lover getting hurt, either physically or emotionally.


    Just by seeing or thinking of Wei Xiang, Qinghe could feel the calm in his heart stir and the coldness of his mind melt. He wanted to spend an eternity with his lover, just feeling his smile under his fingertips, filling his ears with his beloved¡¯s smooth voice, and seeing his lover¡¯s eyes flash with wickedness, always staying by each other¡¯s side and sharing their lives.


    Wei Xiang was so, so very precious to Qinghe that he didn¡¯t know how to express it. He could only try with all his might to make sure that his lover would never be sad or dissatisfied, always giving his Xiang everything of himself in an attempt to show his lover just how beloved he was.


    As Wei Xiang felt all this through his connection with Qinghe, his heart grew overwhelmed.


    The pair of lovers thus shared their consciousnesses, seeing each other¡¯s thoughts of the past, the satisfaction of their lives at present, and the expectant hopes of their future together.


    And as their minds were welcomed into each other while resonating in harmony, Qinghe and Wei Xiang¡¯s souls slowly stretched, then connected, melding to form a nascent bond that tied their fates together.


    When Qinghe and Wei Xiang finally opened their eyes, they keenly felt the connection between their souls, just like how their bodies were connected below.


    Without a word exchanged, the couple started moving, sounds of passion soon ringing out. And by the end of the night, both their minds and bodies were filled with bliss and soul-deep satisfaction as they nestled together.


    From now on, this was how they wanted to spend their eternity.

 Chapter 86: Tournament Begins

    A few days later marked the beginning of the Hundred-Year Tournament.


    As one could guess, it was named as such because it took place only once every hundred years. The biggest aim of the tournament was to let the disciples compete to keep their skills sharp and also so that the various mid- and low-tier sects would have a chance to make a name for themselves.


    The rewards for the winners were usually comprised of a collection of rare and unique treasures, cultivation manuals, artifacts, pills, spiritual herbs, beast cores etc. that were pitched in by each of the sects. The prizes also included resources that had been secured by the disciples of many sects working together, making the ownership of these resources remain undecided since most of them were unable to be distributed among them all.


    But the biggest reason most took part in the Hundred-Year Tournament was of course so that they could gain the bragging rights of the victor.


    The only requirement for a disciple to participate in the tournament was for them to have reached a realm equal to or above the fifth and below ninth. This was because people below fifth realm would get easily defeated while cultivators at ninth realm and above were already eligible to become an Elder or Sect Master.


    As such, Qinghe definitely qualified as a competitor in the tournament since his cultivation was currently at eighth realm.


    The morning of the tournament, Qinghe woke up as usual, bathed and dressed along with his lover as usual, chatting merrily and without a care.


    As Wei Xiang was putting on his complicated Sentinel uniform at a steady and brisk pace, Qinghe sat at the side lost in thought, already having gotten dressed.


    ¡°Maybe I should try to find some more dual cultivation manuals like ours for Senior Brother and Brother Jing,¡± Qinghe suddenly said, his mind already flipping through all possible places where such types of manuals could be found.


    However, Wei Xiang shook his head and dissuaded him, ¡°Love, it¡¯s next to impossible to find another like that in this world. Since that dual cultivation manual is able to change fates and join souls, it must at least be of heavenly origin. It¡¯s a very rare and priceless treasure. Your master indeed cares much about you to give you such a thing so easily.¡±


    Hearing that it was unfeasible, Qinghe¡¯s shoulder¡¯s drooped in disappointment, ¡°Oh¡­ So I can¡¯t get any more of them?¡±


    Seeing his little lover¡¯s dejected look, Wei Xiang paused his actions and comforted, ¡°After you ascend to Heaven in the future, you can bring down a few of these types of manuals from there and give them to your friends. Don¡¯t worry about it for now.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s head shot up, his eyes sparkling. So there was actually such an option!


    Since the only deity in the current world, the Sentinel Grandmaster, was Wei Xiang¡¯s master, he would naturally know the rules and whether or not a person would be allowed to come back down after ascending to Heaven. And the fact that the Grandmaster had himself descended proved that it was indeed possible.


    Convinced, Qinghe nodded. ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s talk about it after I ascend.¡±


    Then remembering something, Qinghe asked his lover. ¡°But now that I think about it¡­ Xiang, what about you? Why haven¡¯t you advanced from tenth realm till now?¡±


    Because judging by his beloved¡¯s aptitude, Qinghe was sure that Wei Xiang could easily breakthrough into a demigod if he so chose. After that, becoming a deity would only be a level away.


    Hearing this query, Wei Xiang smiled wryly. If this question had come from anyone else¡¯s mouth, it would have sounded rude or mocking. But his little lover only looked at him matter-of-factly, his gaze burning with frank curiosity.


    Wei Xiang finished dressing and began straightening all the miniscule creases and folds on his uniform as he explained, ¡°That¡¯s because I do not want to become a demigod and get that close to ascending yet, so I¡¯ve been skimping on my cultivation for the past several thousands of years. I didn¡¯t want to leave my master in this world while he had unfinished business here and ascend alone.¡±


    With a complex expression, Qinghe looked away. ¡°Oh¡­I see.¡±


    Wei Xiang merely smiled and continued, ¡°But now that I have you, I will naturally wait till you reach tenth realm and then cultivate along with you so that we can ascend together.¡±


    Though he felt as if his thoughts were seen through, Qinghe nevertheless felt a flush of happiness suffusing his face.


    ¡°I¡­see,¡± he repeated softly, then nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll try to catch up soon then.¡±


    Walking closer to his beloved, Wei Xiang lightly trailed his fingertips over Qinghe¡¯s cheek, his eyes tender.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to hurry or push yourself, we¡¯ll take our time,¡± Wei Xiang spoke gently.


    Qinghe leaned into his beloved¡¯s touch and closed his eyes. Now that their souls were bonded, Qinghe felt much more at ease, his mind filled with peacefulness and contentment.


    Regretfully withdrawing his hand, Wei Xiang said, ¡°I still have work to do now, but I¡¯ll try to make it to the tournament along with Master at least by the second stage.¡±


    Smiling, Qinghe reassured, ¡°Don¡¯t worry and just focus on staying safe. I¡¯ll simply play around a bit in the tournament, that¡¯s all. There¡¯s no need to fret about it.¡±


    Wei Xiang laughed at his little lover¡¯s casual tone. ¡°Even if you say that, I still want to be there to see you play around. And for me to finish up early and make it there at least by the second stage, I¡¯ll have to get going now. Have fun and take care.¡±


    And with that, Wei Xiang finally set off.


    Staring at the empty room, Qinghe cupped his own cheek as if to capture the warmth of his lover¡¯s fingers against his skin. Letting out a deep sigh, Qinghe stood up, his eyes clearing and his gaze sharpening.


    After placing an appearance changing talisman under his robes and assuming his usual calm expression and pleasant smile, Qinghe set out towards the venue of the Hundred-Year Tournament.


    The Hundred-Year Tournament had a total of three stages, with points calculated for each test.


    Two of the stages would be held one after another today itself, since one trial did not affect the other and the two stages each tested different things.


    The third stage, on the other hand, would be held in the Battle Arena a week later. The reason for this delay was to let the participants recover their energy, and also so that judges could tally the points while the sects would have sufficient time to complete the necessary preparations for the third stage.


    The first and second stages of the tournament would be held on a flat plain that was equidistant from the Five Great Sects and was also within a manageable distance for the other sects.


    The vast plain was bracketed between a tree line and a steep slope, its surface cleared away of debris for the tournament.


    As preparations for the first stage were being carried out, the disciples milled about restlessly, gathering in groups or wandering solo. At the side, the various sect masters and Elders were seated comfortably on a series of elevated, step-like platforms that oversaw the entire competition grounds.


    In the direction of the slope was a large curtain of spiritual energy that stretched from the ground to the skies above, shifting and distorting the view beyond in metallic ripples. Many disciples speculated that the aforementioned preparations for the first stage were taking place behind it.


    Meanwhile, Qinghe finally arrived at the plain after going through a chain of teleportation arrays and promptly decided to first greet his master. After all, Qinghe realized that he hadn¡¯t once been to see Zhen YiLan since his return from the imperial palace. Also, his master had so considerately given him such a great dual cultivation manual, so it was only proper for him to show his gratitude in person.


    Thinking this, Qinghe began to decisively walk towards the platform seating the sect masters and Elders.


    Most of the disciples who saw him stopped what they were doing and offered their salutations. With his usual cordial expression on, Qinghe returned their greetings as he kept striding forward and quickly reached the platform.


    Climbing up the step-like structure, Qinghe reached the level where Zhen YiLan and other prominent leaders of the cultivation world were seated. Behind the sect masters of the Five Great Sects, there were several seats set out for the most well-known and respected Elders of each sect as well.


    To the far left of this platform was the sect master of the Drifting Clouds Sect, Lu Feiyu, his posture indolently graceful as he gazed at the competition grounds far below. Next to him was the sect master of the Lightning Sky Sect, his face set in its usual strict lines as he sat ramrod straight, his steely gaze trained directly ahead. Seated to his left, the sect leader of the Golden Sun Sect, Liu Xue, was resting her head on her hand and snoring softly, utterly unbothered about the time or place. Beside her sat the Sect Master of the Silver Moon Sect, Wu Xiao, discussing something with one of the sect masters of a mid-tier sect seated on the platform below. And finally, to the far right sat the sect master of the Heavenly Peak Sect, Zhen YiLan, stroking his fluffy white beard thoughtfully, his eyes unfocused.


    With steady steps, Qinghe unhurriedly walked up to his master.


    Sensing someone nearing, Zhen YiLan looked up, then was slightly startled to see his disciple approaching him.


    ¡°Master, this disciple offers his greetings,¡± Qinghe said with a respectful bow the moment he arrived in front of his master.


    ¡°Qing-er, you¡¯re here!¡± Zhen YiLan exclaimed somewhat disbelievingly.


    Feeling relieved that his disciple had finally made it to the tournament in time, Zhen YiLan unthinkingly reached out a palm as if to pat Qinghe¡¯s head. But sensing the approaching touch, Qinghe instinctively dodged it even as he remained bowing.


    Zhen YiLan froze, then lowered his hand with a dejected look.


    Then quickly recovering, he motioned for his wayward disciple to stand up as he began to complain, ¡°Qing-er, you didn¡¯t even come to greet me after you returned! I was so worried that you were upset with your master. But when I came to give you a gift and reconcile, you were¡­uh, busy.¡±


    Hearing the awkwardness in Zhen YiLan¡¯s voice and remembering how he¡¯d turned away his master by saying that he was ¡®in the middle of getting fucked¡¯, Qinghe inwardly winced in utter embarrassment.


    Mustering up a sincere expression, he spoke, ¡°Yes, I apologize, Master. And thank you very much for the manual. It is very much appreciated.¡±


    Seeing that Qinghe seemed to have truly liked the gift, Zhen YiLan showed a pleased expression even as waved his hand to dismiss his disciple¡¯s gratitude. ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me. I only did what I should for my dear little disciple. But Qing-er, why haven¡¯t you come out of your room these past few days?¡±


    Still maintaining the sincere look in his eyes, Qinghe solemnly replied, ¡°After I returned from my visit to the palace, I was too tired, so I spent all this time in my room recuperating and relaxing with my lover.¡±


    Sitting at the side and having been listening to this master and disciple¡¯s conversation all this while, Wu Xiao sneered to himself after hearing Qinghe¡¯s words.


    He knew just what type of ¡®recuperating and relaxing¡¯ this Disciple Feng and that Sentinel lover of his must have been doing. After spending so many days in the room beside theirs, Wu Xiao could honestly say that he hadn¡¯t met many people with such a high stamina, constantly going at it despite the time of the day, then appearing relaxed and fresh-faced the next time they met. It was really enviable!


    Zhen YiLan, on the other hand, was very pleased to hear that this worrisome disciple of his had actually been looking after himself all this time. Maybe having a lover who would now constantly worry over him had spurred his second disciple to take better care of himself as well.


    Thinking this, Zhen YiLan nodded to himself with a small, satisfied smile.


    ¡°I see. If you were resting, then that¡¯s good. So Qing-er, how was your trip to the capital? I heard that a while back, just before you returned, there was some sort of a major upheaval. I think it was something about the imperial household changing or rebels rising and causing a disturbance. Did that affect your stay or give you any trouble?¡± Zhen YiLan asked his disciple with concern.


    Hearing this na?ve statement, the thoughts of the surrounding sect masters and Elders were unanimous¨D


    How could Zhen YiLan believe that his disciple had nothing to do with this? No matter how you looked, considering Feng Qinghe¡¯s personality, he must clearly be the reason for the aforementioned upheaval!


    As if not noticing the others¡¯ incredulous gazes, Qinghe answered calmly, ¡°Thank you for your concern, Master. Your disciple had a pleasant and uneventful stay in the capital.¡±


    Listening to this, all the venerable people sitting around them showed appalled expressions.


    After inciting and managing the rebellion that changed the dynasty of an entire empire, this disciple actually had the gall to say that he had an uneventful stay! The eavesdropping sect masters all wanted to spit up blood in frustration!


    On the other hand, clueless to his peers¡¯ aggravation, Zhen YiLan nodded while stroking his fluffy beard. ¡°Then that¡¯s good. As for politics and those sorts of matters, someone as innocent as my Qing-er will just get eaten whole if you step into such shark-infested waters. Yes, it¡¯s a very good thing that you steered out of trouble this time.¡±


    All the surrounding sect masters cried tears of blood in their hearts at Zhen YiLan¡¯s willful blindness. What ¡®steered out of trouble¡¯? Your disciple Feng Qinghe is obviously the one who started the trouble in the first place! If politics were shark-infested waters, then your disciple would be the water dragon devouring those poor, helpless sharks!


    As if hearing their inner grievances, Qinghe lightly swept his gaze over the surrounding sect masters and Elders. For some reason, feeling those dark eyes being cast over them, all these remarkable personages felt eerie chills running up and down their backs as if in warning.


    Everyone suddenly decided to pay the utmost attention to the competition grounds with focused eyes and brows furrowed in concentration.


    Nope, they didn¡¯t hear anything at all! And by no means were they going to poke their nose into that master and disciple pair¡¯s business. If Zhen YiLan was ignorant, then let him stay that way. After all, ignorance was bliss!


    With a satisfied glint that was quickly hidden away, Qinghe turned back to his master with his gaze radiating guilelessness and a face wreathed in an amiable expression as usual. ¡°Now that this disciple has paid greetings to Master, I would be remiss if I didn¡¯t do the same to the other sect masters and Elders. So Master, please excuse me.¡±


    Zhen YiLan nodded happily while thinking how courteous and well-mannered his little disciple had turned out to be. On the other hand, the others simply felt that Feng Qinghe was threatening them with that sentence.


    As if unable to see their stiff and cautious expressions, Qinghe gracefully greeted each of the sect masters and Elders before stopping in front of the sect master of Drifting Clouds Sect, Lu Feiyu.


    ¡°Feng Qinghe, you exceeded my expectations yet again,¡± Lu Feiyu commented drily to the disciple in front of him.


    Lu Feiyu had only asked this disciple to help the Ping household maintain its status in those turbulent times, and yet Qinghe had overturned the entire Xing Long Empire itself and helped instate them as the new imperial family! To say he had held up his end of the bargain would be a gross understatement. Lu Feiyu couldn¡¯t help but feel both horrified and impressed with this disciple¡¯s capability.


    Smiling elegantly, Qinghe spoke, ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that you approve of the way I chose to fulfill your request, Sect Master Lu. Please don¡¯t forget what you promised me in return.¡±


    Lu Feiyu rolled his eyes discreetly as he replied, ¡°Yes, yes. Twenty ghost lotuses, I remember. I¡¯ve already reserved them for you. When they bloom, you can come and pick up your payment.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then I will. Then may Sect Master Lu please excuse me,¡± Qinghe said as he returned to his master¡¯s side.


    Seeing his disciple coming his way again, Zhen YiLan showed a worried expression. ¡°Qing-er, is something else the matter? If you need your master¡¯s help with anything, just ask.¡±


    Hearing this, Qinghe couldn¡¯t help warmth from seeping into his eyes. His master was truly a good person who obviously cared for him very much. And so, Qinghe decided to give his master the one thing he had never been able to give before.


    Bending down, Qinghe carefully wrapped his arms around his master.


    Zhen YiLan froze.


    This¡­ Was his disciple actually hugging him? This couldn¡¯t be right, he must be dreaming!


    Qinghe let go of his unresponsive master and straightened again as if nothing of note had happened. In a casual tone, he advised, ¡°Master, from now onwards, if you wish to touch me, please indicate it beforehand so that I can prepare myself mentally to accept it.¡±


    Then with a turn of his heel and a swish of his robes, Qinghe descended the platform, seamlessly blending into the crowd of disciples.


    Zhen YiLan kept staring in wonder. In all these years, his beloved disciple had never once let him or anyone except those twins touch him, and he had definitely never initiated a hug like this himself.


    As he felt his eyes stinging due to complicated emotions, Zhen YiLan decided that having a lover definitely suited his disciple.


    Not knowing the impact his actions had had on his master, Qinghe was casually drifting among the disciples while curiously observing the layout of the competition grounds. He glanced once to the side where the huge curtain hiding the preparations blocked the view beyond, then shifted his gaze away as a group of disciples approached him to talk.


    Though he knew that Jing Shui was somewhere here, Qinghe did not intend to hunt him down just so they could chat. If he wanted to talk, he could just contact his friend at any time. After all, they weren¡¯t strangers. And since the few other disciples he was truly close to, like the twins and his senior brother, were unable to participate and were busy with their cultivation and duties, Qinghe spent most of this time speaking to casual acquaintances or disciples he had never conversed with before.


    Qinghe passed the time in this way until the first stage began. Sometimes he talked with a few other head disciples from the various sects, at other times he listened as a few speculated about the contents of the first stage, which would test the disciples¡¯ spirit sensing. Every time in the Hundred-Year Tournament, the test in the first stage alone was always different.


    As the participating disciples all eagerly chattered, the loud and clear sound of a bell suddenly rang out, piercing through the noise.


    The people quietened as they all turned to face in the direction of the sound, only to see a giant silver bell hanging from a tall stone frame that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.


    In front of the bell stood a row of Elders who were clearly in charge of invigilating the tests.


    ¡°The first stage of the Hundred-Year Tournament is now about to commence!¡± announced one of the Elders in a sonorous and grand voice.


    Further behind the bell, the curtain of spiritual energy that had been blocking the view suddenly shifted and began to part, revealing the scene beyond.


    On that newly revealed part of the plain that was backed by the slope was the competition area for the first stage.


    There were several large cylindrical chambers placed on the ground in a neat row, their walls transparent and made out of spiritual power molded into barriers. The cylinders were as high as they were wide and filled to the brim with round glassy marbles of various colors. A ring of spells circled the bottom of each cylinder, its purpose being to keep up the cylindrical walls of spiritual power.


    Attached to the front of each cylinder was an enchanted stone tablet to accurately measure and display the time each participant took to complete the task.


    As for the rules for the first stage, the invigilating Elders soon began explaining them.


    The objective was for the disciples to use their spirit sense and find marbles of a specific shade in the cylinder, the color itself being randomly chosen, and then to crush only those particularly colored marbles in the shortest possible time.


    Qinghe could already guess that many would find this test difficult, because if they used a bit too much force and made the marbles spill out of the filled-to-the-brim cylinder, they would be disqualified. Also, the ability to accurately detect different shades of colors using their spiritual perception was in itself a very difficult to acquire skill. On top of that, if they so much as chipped a marble that was not of their designated color, they would lose points.


    And so, to quickly find marbles of a particular color would test the strength of the disciples¡¯ ability, and having to accurately crush only those specific marbles would test both their precision and control.


    All in all, Qinghe felt that it was a comprehensive and well thought out test.


    To qualify for this stage and earn points, a disciple had to score less than a hundred instants on the rectangular black stone tablet mounted in front of each cylinder. Each instant was represented by a white dot and amounted to one-hundredth of a second. To put it in other words, one had to finish the task in less than a second to qualify. This difficulty level was enough to weed out more than ninety-five percent of the disciples.


    The number of points for each of the disciples who qualified in the first stage was determined by tallying the number of instances they earned and their cultivation level. After all, a disciple in a higher realm would of course perform better. It would be unfair if the final results were based on the instances alone.


    The final score calculated using this method would only be revealed at the end of the third stage, just before the score for all three stages are tallied and the champion is finally named.


    Once the Elders finished reciting the rules and the procedure for this stage, the disciples were asked to line up in front of a cylinder to finally begin the first stage of the Hundred-Year Tournament.

 Chapter 87: The First Stage

    The first stage was about to start.


    In front of each of the transparent cylinders filled with marbles stood an invigilating Elder to administer and oversee the test. In their hands, they held a long staff with a copper ball attached at the end, the whole thing looking like a drumstick generally used to hit a gong.


    As the Elders began calling for the participants to line up, Qinghe went along with the tide of disciples and randomly chose a cylinder of marbles somewhere in the middle of the row.


    As he walked forward with the intention of joining the line, he suddenly sensed a hostile gaze being directed towards him. Halting, Qinghe looked around and finally found the source of the glare.


    It was a chubby-cheeked girl with two hair buns on either side of her head, slender violet ribbons trailing from them. Even as she shot Qinghe a look filled with poison, one of her hands was tenderly clutching at the sleeve of the stern-faced woman beside her.


    Qinghe turned to the woman and offered a greeting, ¡°Sister Lei, it has been a while since we last met. I hope you are well.¡±


    Lei Zihua, the head disciple of the sect master of the Lightning Sky Sect, gave a short nod as she returned in her usual taciturn manner, ¡°You too, Brother Feng.¡±


    Lei Zihua and her junior brother Xiao Ran were two of the disciples who had been trapped along with Qinghe, having to go through the trial of the Nightmare Parasite as they witnessed each other¡¯s fears and terrors.


    The last time Qinghe interacted with Lei Zihua had been to give her the bottles filled with acid harvested from the wyvern hiding in the pocket dimension. After that, they hadn¡¯t crossed paths again.


    But it was hardly surprising that as fellow head disciples of two of the Five Great Sects, they would meet again in the tournament. As for Xiao Ran, he unfortunately didn¡¯t seem to have made the cut of having a cultivation level of fifth realm or above and was therefore unable to participate this time.


    And now, in Xiao Ran¡¯s place was the person whom Qinghe guessed to be Lei Zihua¡¯s junior sister, who was currently glaring at him for no apparent reason.


    Tilting his head in confusion, Qinghe asked, ¡°Sister Lei, may I ask if I have somehow offended your junior sister?¡±


    Not waiting for Lei Zihua to speak in her stead, the young girl immediately burst out angrily, ¡°Senior Brother Feng, you just wait! My Senior Sister will definitely beat you!¡±


    Facing this intense outburst, Qinghe felt somewhat speechless.


    Lei Zihua frowned at her junior sister¡¯s impertinence and admonished, ¡°Xiao Meng, stop it.¡±


    Looking wronged, Xiao Meng turned her burning gaze towards her Senior Sister and began fervently complaining, ¡°But Senior Sister Lei! As a reputed alchemist from the Lightning Peak Sect who constantly uses their spirit sense to refine pills, your skills in perception must be far greater than this fellow from the Heavenly Peak Sect! Those knuckleheaded warriors from that sect only know how to fight using brute force anyway, I doubt they even know what finesse is! You can beat him easily!¡±


    Far from being offended upon hearing this, Qinghe merely shook his head amusedly as he forced down his chuckles.


    Lei Zihua, however, only frowned harder. ¡°Xiao Meng, you are being rude.¡±


    Her fists clenched as she pouted, Xiao Meng lowered her eyes, unable to meet her senior sister¡¯s reprimanding gaze. ¡°But I¡¯m not wrong! Why does everyone keep saying that he will win? You are clearly more amazing!¡±


    Qinghe raised his eyebrows, suddenly feeling like he understood what the matter was with this little junior. So it was only that she couldn¡¯t bear others comparing her beloved senior sister with him, was it?


    Seeing that Xiao Meng was a lost cause who refused to act reasonably, Lei Zihua instead turned to Qinghe and said, ¡°Brother Feng, I apologize for my junior sister¡¯s conduct. Please do not take it to heart.¡±


    Smiling pleasantly, Qinghe waved it away. ¡°Sister Lei need not apologize. I do not take offense. I¡¯m glad to see that you have such a dedicated junior. Anyway, we should probably join a line soon. The test is about to start.¡±


    Sure enough, when they glanced forward, they saw that most of the disciples had already finished lining up.


    As Qinghe walked over to join the end of a line, Xiao Meng purposefully dragged over her senior sister and cut in front of him, then looked back with a triumphant and provoking expression as if she had won one over him by being at the front.


    But seeing that Qinghe was actually smiling at her with mirth dancing in his gaze, Xiao Meng felt her teeth itch. This damned senior brother was too infuriating! Why couldn¡¯t he just take offense like a normal person! This sensation was like rearing back for a punch, only for her fist to land on soft and springy cotton¨Din other words, it was extremely frustrating!


    However, in contrast, Qinghe actually felt that this Xiao Meng was quite cute in a childish way. She reminded him of the twins and made him want to smile indulgently and pat her on the head while offering her some sweets.


    If the little junior heard his thoughts, she would spit up a fountain of blood and die out of sheer indignation.


    ¡°Xiao Meng, stand properly,¡± Lei Zihua instructed in an attempt to redirect her junior sister¡¯s attention.


    Glowering one last time at Qinghe, Xiao Meng obediently faced forward while standing straight.


    Seeing that everyone had finished lining up, the Elders began the test.


    ¡°The first in line, step forward!¡± the female Elder in charge of their line called out.


    Standing at the foremost position was a lanky young man from the Golden Sun Sect. Wiping his sweaty palms on his thighs, he carefully took a step towards the giant transparent cylinder in the front.


    ¡°Your name and level?¡± the Elder asked the disciple.


    ¡°Jiang Wan, sixth realm,¡± he answered.


    The Elder in charge dutifully noted it down along with the name of his sect indicated by the emblem at the bottom center of his robes. Then lifting the staff in her hand, she hit its round end on the black stone tablet affixed to the front of the cylinder.


    As soon as the staff struck the rectangular tablet, the transparent cylinder immediately turned opaque to hide its contents as the marbles within whirled quickly to rearrange themselves before settling down again. Once that was done, the tablet attached to the cylinder flashed a bright azure blue, indicating the color of the marbles that the disciple was designated to.


    Since this was the first disciple to take the test, the Elder patiently explained, ¡°Since the tablet showed this particular shade of blue, that is the only color of the marbles you are supposed to break. Do not touch marbles of any other color or shade. You may now begin.¡±


    The disciple nodded and extended a hand, his forehead creasing in concentration. His spirit sense flooded the cylinder in a rush and seeped through the marbles, frantically searching for as many azure blue ones as it could and crushing them one by one.


    Not even a whole second had passed when the tablet flashed once more, indicating that all the marbles assigned to the disciple had been successfully broken. The walls of the cylinder then quickly returned to transparency.


    The disciple lowered his hand, sweat beginning to bead his temple as he anxiously awaited the result.


    Neat rows of white dots began to appear one after another on the black stone tablet. When the dots finally stopped appearing, the Elder in charge swiftly calculated the number of the dots and announced, ¡°Jiang Wan, ninety-seven instances,¡± before noting it down as well.


    Though it was barely below the cut-off of a hundred, the disciple sighed in relief that he was able to qualify at all. Now even if he didn¡¯t participate in the next stage, he would still be eligible to take part in the third stage, which was where the most valuable rewards were granted.


    ¡°Next in line, step forward!¡± the Elder announced, and the line slowly shuffled ahead as another disciple walked to the front.


    The next few disciples were not as fortunate as the first one. Some were too reckless and caused the marbles to spill from the top of the cylinder, and others managed to chip a few and had this mistake dutifully noted down by the Elder as well. But the reason most disciples failed to qualify was because they took much longer than the stipulated one second, or a hundred instances as it was called, to finish the task.


    The line slowly moved forward as more and more disciples took the test, but only a couple had been successful till now.


    Soon, only Xiao Meng, Lei Zihua, and Qinghe, who was the last person in the line, were left.


    ¡°Next in line, step forward!¡±


    Xiao Meng strode to the front with a fierce gaze and stated before she could be asked, ¡°Chu Meng, fifth realm.¡±


    The Elder carefully wrote it down before lifting her staff and knocking on the tablet. After the cylinder turned opaque and the marbles inside were finished shuffling, the tablet flashed orange.


    Standing proudly, Xiao Meng lifted a hand, her expression confident as she split her spiritual awareness into fine threads and inserted it quickly through the space between the marbles, increasing her efficiency with this method. Almost instantaneously, the tablet flashed, indicating that she had already completed crushing all of the orange-colored marbles.


    White dots quickly finished appearing on the rectangular tablet.


    Without much change in her expression, the Elder announced, ¡°Chu Meng, twenty-six instances.¡±


    The disciples who had finished with their test and were now wandering about nearby all showed shocked expressions when they heard this. Getting only twenty-six instances was really a great achievement, worthy of being placed in one of the top ten, no, top five positions!


    Seeing how people were now shooting her looks of admiration and envy, Xiao Meng showed a smug expression, her little cheeks flushed pink with pride. Her clear eyes sparkled with pleasure and haughtiness at being the center of attention.


    Lei Zihua couldn¡¯t help but feel her heart soften when she saw this. When she was not being unreasonable, her junior sister was actually quite cute.


    ¡°Senior Sister, you should also score well. Then we can both place within the top five ah!¡± Xiao Mei happily said, then skipped to the side to make way for her senior sister and waited there.


    Who cared about that Senior Brother Feng? Her senior sister¡¯s speed would definitely leave him in the dust!


    ¡°Next in line, step forward!¡±


    Lei Zihua walked up to the cylinder and spoke, ¡°Lei Zihua, seventh realm.¡±


    Hearing this, Qinghe felt slightly shocked.


    When they had parted the last time, Lei Zihua had only been in fifth realm while he had been in the seventh. Yet, within these few months, she had already broken through to seventh realm while he had only progressed to eighth. Her speed was really fast!


    As Qinghe came out of his musings and paid attention to what was happening in front of him again, he saw the tablet flash with a hunter green color.


    Closing her eyes, Lei Zihua intertwined her fingers over her stomach primly as her spiritual awareness tore out of her in a violent wave. The tablet immediately flashed and dots began to appear one by one.


    After their attentions had been attracted by Xiao Meng¡¯s test before, the surrounding disciples all began to keep an eye on this area. Seeing Lei Zihua completing the test so quickly, they all looked over with even more interest at her score.


    The presiding Elder¡¯s eyes slightly widened as she announced, ¡°Lei Zihua, eight instances.¡±


    A hushed silence fell around them as the surrounding disciples looked at Lei Zihua with respect and wonder openly displayed on their faces. This definitely had to be the first place! There was no doubt about it!


    ¡°Sister Lei, congratulations,¡± Qinghe offered.


    Opening her eyes placidly, Lei Zihua nodded, then said, ¡°Thank you. Brother Feng, I don¡¯t think your speed will lose to mine.¡±


    With that, she walked towards the waiting Xiao Meng who was jumping with joy at her senior sister¡¯s score.


    ¡°Last in line, step forward!¡±


    With calm steadiness, Qinghe made his way to the front and gave his details, ¡°Feng Qinghe, eighth realm.¡±


    The surrounding disciples all whispered among themselves after hearing this, their voices tinged with awe. Though they had all heard of Feng Qinghe and how he had a relatively high level of cultivation, they had never expected it to be this high!


    Qinghe paid them no mind, his attention focused on his own test.


    The Elder struck the stone tablet with her staff and the cylinder turned opaque once again, the clinks of shuffling marbles sounding out crisply from within. When the noise stopped and the marbles settled in a random order, the black tablet on the cylinder flashed a deep red.


    Without a moment of hesitation, a vast ocean of spiritual awareness flowed into the cylinder without disturbing a single marble, winding through and assessing colors, then wrapping around the red ones and crushing them all in one go.


    From the outside, no sooner had the tablet flashed red than it immediately flashed white once again to show that the task was done, the two contrasting colors overlapping and looking instantaneous.


    The observing disciples could only gape. Even the Elder showed mild surprise.


    Curious to see what sort of a score Qinghe would get, they all turned as one to watch the tablet, but the tablet¡¯s surface remained blank, not a single spot in sight.


    The Elder waited.


    The amassed audience waited.


    Qinghe inwardly sighed.


    But the black stone tablet still remained blank, showing nothing.


    Realizing that something was wrong, the Elder frowned and lightly brushed her fingers over a simple jade pendant suspended from her belt. The pendant flashed and a voice asked, ¡°Has there been a problem?¡±


    The Elder spoke, ¡°Yes, one of the display tablets seems to be malfunctioning. Please send over a disciple from the Silver Moon Sect who specializes in this.¡±


    The person speaking from the other end of the jade pendant seemed to pause in surprise, then said, ¡°Yes, I will send someone over.¡±


    Even after removing her hand from the pendant, the Elder remained frowning.


    The spectating disciples all speculated among themselves about what this could mean and exactly what Martial Brother Feng must have done to damage the tablet.


    Attracted by the commotion, several other people also gathered around. Since most of the competing disciples had finished with their test, the crowd soon swelled to include almost every single participant. Noticing the large gathering, the gazes of even the Elders and Sect Masters seated on the high platform gravitated towards this area.


    On the other hand, Qinghe simply stood where he was, his pleasant smile still curving his lips and his eyes radiating tranquility as if utterly unbothered by all this fuss.


    Soon, a silver-haired disciple walked up to them with large strides. His long hair was gathered in a high ponytail cinched by a black crown at the base, his expression looking composed and steady as if nothing could faze him.


    ¡°Elder, may I ask what the problem seems to be?¡± the silver-haired disciple asked.


    The Elder pointed to the tablet and explained, ¡°Just now, this disciple took the test and the tablet indicated that he finished the task successfully, but no instances were displayed.¡±


    The disciple from the Silver Moon Sect frowned. He was actually one of the cultivators from his sect who was involved in crafting the operating formations of these black stone tablets. He had seen how his sect had checked and double-checked each and every single one of these tablets before issuing them for the use of the Hundred-Year Tournament. There should have been no problems like this.


    So seeking to see what was making the tablet act in this way, the silver-haired disciple went up to the stone tablet and placed his palm over it. Complex sigils and formations in silver glowed over the black surface for a moment, then faded.


    Removing his hand, the disciple observed with a strange expression, ¡°According to my inspection, the device is functioning normally. There should¡¯ve been no mistake.¡±


    Raising her eyebrows, the Elder asked incredulously, ¡°Then are you saying that the number of instances for this disciple is¡­zero?¡±


    Showing a wry expression, the silver-haired disciple spoke, ¡°In fact, that¡¯s not far from the truth. It seems that this disciple¡¯s speed is faster than an instance, which means that he completed the task in less than one-hundredth of a second. This tablet is unable to calculate such a small number, so I suggest that the Elder mark down his score as zero instances instead.¡±


    Hearing that his swiftness had actually defied the scoring method, the surrounding disciples all turned to look at Qinghe with wide eyes and open mouths, their shock and disbelief apparent on their faces.


    To have such speed, just what sort of a monster was he?!


    Despite being the center of so many piercing gazes, Qinghe remained calm.


    The Elder turned to him and asked, ¡°Disciple Feng, would you like to retry using a different method so that we can more accurately score you?¡±


    Qinghe shook his head as he replied, ¡°I do not wish to bother anyone further. I am content to accept the score that¡¯s already been given to me.¡±


    And so, with a complicated expression, the Elder finally announced, ¡°Feng Qinghe¡­ zero instances!¡±


    The first stage thus came to an end, with Qinghe as the undisputable victor.


    At the side, Xiao Meng was watching this with her eyes spitting venom while her brows drew down in a dejected arc. The expression was quite contradicting and complex.


    Clutching the edge of Lei Zihua¡¯s sleeve, Xiao Meng spat, ¡°Senior Sister, this is absurd! That man must have definitely cheated! There¡¯s no way he can be more talented than you!¡±


    Lei Zihua felt a headache coming on as she watched her junior sister pouting furiously while looking to be on the verge of tears.


    Since pushing her to be courteous was not working, Lei Zihua could only try a different approach to stop her junior sister¡¯s absurd habit of constantly comparing her with Feng Qinghe.


    As clear tears began to brim in Xiao Meng¡¯s eyes, Lei Zihua reached out to pat her junior sister on the head and tried to smile reassuringly, but she only felt a corner of her lips twitch in response to her efforts while her expression still remained stiff.


    Giving up on smiling, Lei Zihua tried to gentle her tone instead as she asked, ¡°Xiao Meng, you keep comparing me to Brother Feng. Tell me, since I¡¯m not as fast as him, do you think I am unworthy in some way?¡±


    Her tears disappearing in the face of this unexpected question, Xiao Meng lunged forward to tackle Lei Zihua in a hug as she firmly refuted, ¡°No, of course not! Senior Sister, who cares about that man, in my eyes, you are naturally the best! You are incomparable!¡±


    ¡°Then you should stop comparing me to him and start being more polite towards Brother Feng. It also doesn¡¯t bother me at all that he is faster than I am. As long as Xiao Meng doesn¡¯t mind my inadequacies, I also don¡¯t care about getting first or second place,¡± Lei Zihua spoke while trying not to wince. Taking such a soft and cajoling approach made her feel very embarrassed and awkward.


    But listening to this, Xiao Meng grew inevitably happy, a wide smile blooming on her pretty face.


    ¡°As Senior Sister Lei wishes then!¡± she cried joyfully before hugging her senior sister more tightly.


    As Lei Zihua patted Xiao Meng¡¯s head that was buried in her chest, she inwardly sighed at how difficult it was to coax juniors. But she was relieved that her junior sister would at least stop this irrational hostility now.


    Meanwhile, the Xiao Meng who was now gleefully eating the tofu of her unsuspecting senior sister could only squeal in her heart¨DHer senior sister¡¯s chest was really soft and comfortable ah! She wished she could just stay like this forever!


    Now that all disciples had finished taking the test and the names of all those who had passed were noted down, it was time to announce the first five places.


    The large silver bell tolled once again, attracting the attention of all the disciples on the competition grounds.


    The invigilating Elders who were in charge of the first stage stood in a row in front of the bell once more, their expressions serious.


    Stepping forward, the same Elder who had explained the rules before began speaking, ¡°We hereby announce the top five scorers for the first stage:


    ¡°Fifth place, Chu Meng from Lightning Sky Sect, twenty-six instances.


    ¡°Fourth place, Su Mian from Drifting Clouds Sect, twenty-two instances.


    ¡°Third place, Jing Shui from Golden Sun Sect, fourteen instances.


    ¡°Second place, Lei Zihua from Lightning Sky Sect, eight instances.¡±


    Then after a brief pause, the Elder declared loudly with aplomb¨D


    ¡°First place, Feng Qinghe from Heavenly Peak Sect, zero instances!¡±


    Though many people had already guessed these results, it still made them feel endless awe when it was proclaimed like this.


    As expected, the top places were all taken by disciples of the Five Great Sects, making the mid- and low-tier sects feel somewhat bitter in their hearts at this clear disparity.


    Meanwhile, after hearing that Jing Shui had gotten third place, Qinghe didn¡¯t feel surprised. After all, his friend¡¯s ability to wield the water element demanded precise control and flexibility of his spiritual energy. So him placing third was nothing to be astonished about.


    What did shock him, however, was that among the top five, there were no disciples from the Silver Moon Sect.


    But then Qinghe realized that since most of the preparations for the stages required various customized formations to be crafted, the Silver Moon Sect, which specialized in formations and arrays, must have volunteered. This meant that the reclusive disciples of the Silver Moon Sect would have to withdraw from participating due to having to be on standby in case any of the formations or devices malfunctioned.


    In a way, this would also prevent the Silver Moon Sect from being called unfair, since if they had taken part in the first stage, then they would be tested using the formations and devices that they themselves had crafted, leading to doubts about them rigging the test in their own favor and cheating.


    After the results were finished being announced and everyone had had time to discuss it for a few minutes, the Elder¡¯s voice declared, ¡°The first stage of the Hundred-Year Tournament is thus concluded! May the participants take a brief respite until the preparations for the second stage are complete.¡±


    With that, the rippling curtain of spiritual energy was drawn close once more, blocking off the area with the cylinders presumably so that the equipment for the first stage could be cleared away and those for the second stage could be installed.


    The second stage of the Hundred-Year Tournament tested pure combat ability without the use of spiritual energy.


    People like Lei Zihua and the other alchemists from the Lightning Sky Sect would generally opt out of the second stage due to their lack of combat prowess. Nevertheless, qualifying in a particular stage was enough to let them gain the privilege of being able to participate in the third stage and earn a few rewards anyway. So most just tried to place at the top in one of the first two stages of the tournament, knowing full well that they most likely wouldn¡¯t get enough added points at the end to become the tournament¡¯s champion in any case.


    Qinghe guessed that his friend would also not participate in the second stage, since Jing Shui¡¯s skills were mostly focused around controlling the battlefield with his water manipulation. As such, he was probably not that well-versed in hand-to-hand or close quarters combat.


    As Qinghe wandered among the crowds of disciples aimlessly once again, his mind ruminated on various such things in an attempt to distract himself from his lover¡¯s promise before. After all, he still keenly remembered how his Xiang had stated that he would come along with his master to watch him sometime during the second stage.


    Though Qinghe really didn¡¯t mind one way or another whether Wei Xiang came, thinking that his lover might appear nevertheless sent faint flutters of anticipation through him.


    And thus, as Qinghe whiled his time away while steeped in his thoughts, occasionally joining his fellow disciples when they drew him into their conversations, it was once again time for the curtain of spiritual energy to be drawn back.


    The second stage was about to begin.


    Thank you all for your continued support :)

 Chapter 88: The Second Stage

    As the curtain of spiritual energy was opened, several combat rings were revealed on the other side.


    These rings were drawn on the ground with extreme precision, each circle around a hundred meters wide in diameter. The color of the lines denoting the boundaries was a reflective silver that the combatants wouldn¡¯t be able to mistakenly ignore even in the heat of battle. After all, if they stepped over the boundary during a match, they would automatically be disqualified.


    Near each combat ring stood an Elder who was selected to act as a referee for the one-versus-one matches that would be taking place in the second stage.


    The Elder who had declared the results of the first stage now started explaining the rules for the second stage as well.


    In this stage, each participating disciple would have to fight ten rounds with different disciples as indicated by the announcing Elder. If a disciple won a round, they would be awarded ten points, and if they lost, they would get nothing. However, if a match was considered a draw by the referee, then both participants would get five points each. At the end of the second stage, the disciples would be ranked according to the total number of points earned in this stage.


    After detailing the rules, the Elder then began announcing one by one the names of the competing disciples who would battle each other.


    ¡°Ring One, Luo Ling and Yang Chen.


    ¡°Ring Two, Fan Xuehui and Zhang Yu.


    ¡°Ring Three¡­¡±


    And thus, as the Elder continued to announce the pairings for the twelve rings, under the watch of the refereeing Elders, the second stage was soon underway.


    Qinghe watched the matches distractedly, his awareness always on the platforms where the sect masters were seated. More specifically, what he kept his focus on was the highest platform that still remained empty till now. If Wei Xiang and the Sentinel Grandmaster arrived, then that was the platform where they would sit and watch the proceedings from.


    As happy as he would be if his lover came for his sake, Qinghe felt equally as nervous at the thought of finally meeting the Sentinel Grandmaster. What if his speculations were proven to be true? What if, other than being his future father-in-law, the Sentinel Grandmaster was also¨D


    ¡°Ring Six, Feng Qinghe and Yi Zhishan.¡±


    The Elder¡¯s announcement suddenly snapped Qinghe out of his thoughts.


    By now, each of the rings had seen a few matches. After all, a duel between two cultivators, especially without using spiritual energy, would barely last a few minutes. This was because even if they couldn¡¯t use their cultivation, the competing disciples¡¯ bodies still retained the physical strength and agility of a cultivator, making each battle progress quickly and with explosive brutality.


    Quickly stabilizing his mental state with practiced swiftness, Qinghe stepped towards the sixth ring and entered it.


    The opponent chosen for him also slowly walked into the ring, his gaze intense and assessing as it fixed on Qinghe.


    Yi Zhishan was a hulking man layered with hard slabs of muscle. He was more than a head taller than Qinghe and almost twice his width. His gait was measured and each of his steps seemed unusually heavy, yet his body moved with a litheness that was unexpected from his bulky frame.


    Glancing at the emblem on his opponent¡¯s white robes, Qinghe deduced that this person was a direct disciple of the sect master of the mid-tier sect called the Luminous Bloom Sect. It had started out as a sect that primarily nurtured cultivators with wood and earth elemental attributes, but later developed into a sect known mostly for specializing in physique strengthening.


    The Elder overseeing their ring called out, ¡°Choose your weapons.¡±


    In a deep voice that sounded like the rumbling of shifting boulders, Yi Zhishan replied, ¡°No weapons.¡±


    Inclining his head towards the Elder, Qinghe also answered, ¡°No weapons for me as well.¡±


    After all, Qinghe felt it would be quite unfair to spar with an unarmed person with blades in his hand. And by fighting this way, Qinghe hoped that the other man would pose more of a challenge to him and at least aid him in keeping his mind off his lover and the Grandmaster for a few minutes.


    Though their choice made the Elder raise one of his grizzled eyebrows, he still announced without delay, ¡°Then commence battle!¡±


    Before many of the bystanders had even finished hearing the command, the two combatants had already disappeared from their original positions. The place where Qinghe had been standing was almost instantly smashed into a crater with Yi Zhishan beside it, his fist embedded into the ground.


    Having dodged it with plenty of time to spare, Qinghe circled around and aimed a roundhouse kick at his opponent¡¯s head. Yi Zhishan turned nimbly and quickly deflected it, then tried to catch Qinghe¡¯s foot in his hand, but Qinghe slipped away and brought up his fist, aiming for Yi Zhishan¡¯s stomach.


    Though Yi Zhishan had tried to take the initiative and control his opponent by pushing the other man to play according to his rhythm, he was the one who ended up being played instead. Now it was all he could do to keep up with the rapid flurry of blows sent over by Qinghe.


    With crisp and elegant motions, Qinghe pressed forward and continued to strike with quick efficiency while Yi Zhishan was forced to go on the defensive.


    Meanwhile, Qinghe¡¯s interest was piqued. Since his opponent was able to withstand these many of his direct hits, his guard must be unusually tough and difficult to break.


    So rather than using the straightforward approach, Qinghe decided to employ sneakier tactics. He used feints and bluffs, then followed up with more double and triple bluffs to confuse and frustrate his opponent. His movements also became more unpredictable and fluid, his actions more unrestrained.


    With gritted teeth, Yi Zhishan finally realized that all this time, Qinghe hadn¡¯t been taking him seriously at all.


    Fuming with rage, Yi Zhishan also increased his speed and tried to go on the offensive, sending out well-placed punches and kicks.


    Qinghe smoothly stepped to the side to avoid a powerful kick, then caught Yi Zhishan¡¯s wrist as it punched toward him before pulling his opponent forward using this grip. Not expecting it, Yi Zhishan stumbled and fell towards Qinghe. Moving with nimble swiftness, Qinghe used his other hand to grab the back of Yi Zhishan¡¯s neck and ¡®helpfully¡¯ guided his opponent¡¯s head to smash against the ground with the aid of gravity.


    Yi Zhishan fell like a cut tree and a loud crack resounded as his skull impacted the hard ground, making many of the viewing disciples and Elders wince.


    As one might expect, Yi Zhishan was immediately knocked out cold.


    Seeing that one of the participants was unable to continue, the refereeing Elder quickly announced, ¡°Winner of this round, Feng Qinghe! Ten points!¡±


    Qinghe remained calm, neither happiness nor pride visible in his expression as he bent down and flipped Yi Zhishan over. Then retrieving some healing pills from his sleeves, he carefully pushed it into the unconscious man¡¯s mouth. After all, Qinghe was almost certain that he had given his opponent a concussion and a cracked skull with that move just now, not to mention the visibly shattered cheekbone and the broken nose. Therefore, Qinghe felt that it was only right for him to compensate for it


    On the other hand, the surrounding disciples all sighed in their hearts. It was truly as said ¨C Martial Brother Feng was such a kind and dependable person! He had such compassion even for the opponent who had just been fighting against him!


    After stepping aside and letting Yi Zhishan¡¯s fellow sect disciples retrieve him, Qinghe returned to where he had been standing before. It had not even been a full minute since the beginning of the match. He felt it was truly regrettable that his opponent hadn¡¯t lasted longer.


    Just as he was wallowing in disappointment, another announcement with his name sounded out.


    ¡°Ring Nine, Song Jian and Feng Qinghe.¡±


    His gloom forgotten, an anticipatory light shone in Qinghe¡¯s eyes as he walked towards the indicated ring.


    Maybe this time his opponent would last a while more¡­


    In this way, time passed and Qinghe continued participating in matches every time his name was called. And every time he went up to fight, the ring he was in would gain a large number of spectators, some anticipating his quick victory while others seriously tried to learn from him.


    As Qinghe grew busy, two people in black and gold robes unhurriedly made their way up the platform, settling down on the topmost seats.


    In the ring, Qinghe suddenly felt his soul bond twang, indicating that his lover was here. But right now, he was too busy fighting an opponent to greet his beloved with more than a glance out of the corner of his eye.


    On the highest platform, Wei Xiang comfortably situated himself beside his master and called out to the Wu Xiao seated right below him. ¡°Sect Master Wu, what is his score right now?¡±


    His face appearing upturned as he leaned back and looked upward, Wu Xiao answered casually, ¡°Do you even need to ask? Till now, it¡¯s nine wins and zero losses. I bet that the whole time, the disciples were all praying that they wouldn¡¯t get matched up against him. It¡¯s his tenth and last match now. His opponent this time seems to be very strong, so it might take some time. But still, the outcome is hardly a suspense.¡±


    Hearing this, Wei Xiang nodded as if it was only to be expected.


    At the side, the Sentinel Grandmaster carefully studied his disciple and how his gaze kept being drawn towards the valiantly fighting form of a white-clad disciple. It seemed that Wei Xiang was truly smitten with this lover of his.


    One of the biggest reasons the Grandmaster had agreed to come along and watch the Hundred-Year Tournament this time was so that he could assess this cultivator who very obviously held his third disciple¡¯s heart. But before meeting him, the Grandmaster felt like it would be more prudent if he gathered some information from his disciple first.


    After thinking on it for a bit, the Grandmaster decided to ask directly, ¡°Xiang-er, give me a status report and profile assessment on your lover.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s mouth twitched at his master¡¯s strange way of asking about his beloved, but he still dutifully cast a sound barrier around them and began to recount his little lover¡¯s past. After all, Qinghe himself had long since given Wei Xiang the go-ahead to reveal details of his past as he saw fit.


    As Wei Xiang recited the tale of Qinghe¡¯s childhood at the orphanage, the Grandmaster listened intently, feeling pained and sympathetic, but not shocked. After all, in his hundreds of millennia of existence, he had seen more tragic fates.


    But as his disciple spoke of how his beloved fell from the sky, the Grandmaster felt a vague itchiness at the back of his mind as if it should mean something to him, but the sensation soon faded away, leaving him frowning imperceptibly. And again as Wei Xiang revealed how Qinghe¡¯s cultivation had shot up the moment his spirit suppressing collar was removed, a strange thought began niggling at the back of the Grandmaster¡¯s mind.


    Could it be¡­?


    The Grandmaster grew tense at the thought of that possibility. Using the voice in which he usually gave out orders, the Grandmaster commanded, ¡°Tell me more.¡±


    Wei Xiang paused in surprise at the obvious tension tingeing his master¡¯s voice.


    Though his master¡¯s face was as blank and rigid as usual, Wei Xiang could still tell that he was anxious. Those little telltale signs were all there¡ªthe slight terseness in his tone, his spine stretched even tauter than normal, his fingertips pressing into the armrests¡­


    But feeling that he could somewhat guess at the cause of his master¡¯s strange behavior, Wei Xiang continued to speak about his lover in detail.


    ¡°After Sect Master Wu wove restrictions around his soul, he was brought back to the Heavenly Peak Sect by Sect Master Zhen. And when it was discovered that his aptitude wasn¡¯t lessened due to the restrictions, Sect Master Zhen took him as his second disciple and gave him many of the sect¡¯s cultivation methods and manuals to learn from, all of which he absorbed within mere months.¡±


    With a hint of disbelief, the Grandmaster remarked, ¡°That can¡¯t be possible. For a sect as prominent and steeped in history as the Heavenly Peak Sect, it would take a cultivator a minimum of a few hundred years to completely master so many profound cultivation methods.¡±


    ¡°That would be the case normally, but his comprehension abilities have always been above and beyond everyone else¡¯s,¡± Wei Xiang replied proudly, then continued, ¡°That was why once he was done learning from the Sect Master, he took turns staying with and learning from each of his sect¡¯s Elders. He learned so quickly and thoroughly that he earned even the most stubborn of the Elders¡¯ respect. It got to the point where they called him an honorary little Elder amongst themselves. Whenever they had a problem, they would discuss it with him despite his obvious inexperience, and more often than not, he would provide them with a feasible solution.¡±


    As Wei Xiang kept speaking of Qinghe¡¯s exploits with pride, the Grandmaster looked at the softness and awe in his disciple¡¯s eyes and felt both happy and sad. His Xiang-er had now found someone else to respect and care about apart from him. It was a step in the right direction, and yet it left him feeling a bit lonely.


    But in the end, he would of course support whatever his disciple chose for himself.


    His eyes showing a slight smile, the Grandmaster reached out a hand and patted Wei Xiang on the head like he used to, and Wei Xiang obediently lowered his head and let him.


    In one of the combat rings, Qinghe suddenly whipped his head over, his gaze accurately landing on the master and disciple pair after perceiving that someone was touching his lover.


    Thinking that he was distracted, Qinghe¡¯s opponent chopped down with his machete, putting his entire weight behind the blow. Without even looking, Qinghe smoothly dodged the offensive and struck out with a leg, catching his opponent unawares and almost tripping him. The other man was forced to quickly retreat, his expression showing his frustration at the lack of openings Qinghe presented.


    All this time, despite being busy with his matches, Qinghe hadn¡¯t been able to help keeping his vigilance up while anticipating sudden attacks on the competition venue. After all, with so many promising disciples, powerful Elders, and sect masters gathered in one place, it would be all too easy if someone wanted to wipe out the power base of the entire righteous faction in one go.


    So, after looking over to confirm that it was only Wei Xiang¡¯s master who was touching his lover and that his beloved wasn¡¯t in any danger, Qinghe felt relieved and redirected his attention to the match once again.


    Witnessing this series of events, the Grandmaster didn¡¯t know what to say. After a while, he finally commented, ¡°It seems that his possessiveness of you does not lose to that of your beast¡¯s.¡±


    His eyes sparkling with happiness, Wei Xiang corrected, ¡°It¡¯s more of a protective instinct than possessiveness on his part, and he is no more protective of me than I am of him.¡±


    The Grandmaster felt somewhat surprised at hearing that. After all, who would have thought that a cultivator at eighth realm would feel the need to be protective of the third most powerful cultivator in this entire world?


    But if his disciple had to have a lover, then this was the sort of person the Grandmaster felt assured leaving Wei Xiang to.


    ¡°You both truly are a suitable match,¡± the Grandmaster spoke with a hint of amusement warming his eyes.


    Wei Xiang smiled with satisfaction. ¡°Yes, we are.¡±


    The Grandmaster¡¯s gaze slowly drifted over to where Qinghe was playing around with his opponent in the ring. His voice growing serious once more, he said, ¡°Xiang-er, now tell me more about your lover.¡±


    Looking at how the Grandmaster¡¯s intense gaze was pinned on Qinghe, Wei Xiang thought that if he didn¡¯t know better, he would think that his master was interested in his lover romantically. But Wei Xiang did know better, and combined with the suspicions already in his mind¡­he felt that such interest was only to be expected.


    And so, Wei Xiang continued to speak about his beloved, ¡°Apart from his Elders, he is highly regarded among his fellow disciples as well. And though his ability is a head and shoulder above theirs, he treats them all with courtesy. He helps anyone who comes to him and solves their problems no matter how tricky they are. He also assists his master with a significant portion of the sect master¡¯s work, especially with things like discussing sect relations or hosting events, collaborating with other sects for hunting beasts or assigning duties to relevant personnel.


    ¡°But over time, he relegated all the administrative duties to his junior brothers and other disciples while taking on more secretive assignments like making deals with prominent powers for the benefit of the sect or hunting for materials, treasures, rampaging beasts and the like. He is seldom in the sect anymore, only staying there for brief periods and spending the rest of his time roaming the lands while helping people and seeking various ways to support and develop his sect further.¡±


    His gaze deep and thoughtful, the Grandmaster kept his eyes trained on the young cultivator in the ring who kept effortlessly evading all attacks thrown at him while delivering precise blows that slowly wore down his opponent. This style of playing cat-and-mouse with one¡¯s adversary really reminded him of another person.


    Wei Xiang saw his master¡¯s gaze softening ever so slightly as if recalling a fond memory and couldn¡¯t help but wish that his speculations were really true.


    After a few more minutes, Qinghe finally tired of fighting and decided to stop procrastinating and get his meeting with the Grandmaster quickly over with.


    Ducking and swerving out of the way of another round of vicious slashes, Qinghe clamped his arms over his opponent¡¯s wrists to immobilize the machete temporarily. Then without hesitation, Qinghe brought up his knee to sink it into the other man¡¯s stomach in a swift motion.


    Grunting in pain, his opponent doubled over and tried to regain his bearing, but Qinghe didn¡¯t give him the chance. Not wanting to play around anymore, Qinghe delivered a hard kick, putting the entire power of his back, hip, knee, all the way to his heel, behind the blow.


    The moment the kick connected, his opponent flew like a comet right out of the ring, getting instantly disqualified.


    ¡°Winner of this round, Feng Qinghe! Total, hundred points!¡±


    Deafening cheers rang out as Qinghe straightened once again. Bowing towards his opponent who was fortunately able to get back to his feet on his own, Qinghe said, ¡°I thank this martial brother for your guidance.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s opponent showed a conflicting mix of emotions on his face, but just shook his head helplessly in the end and bowed back before leaving.


    After finishing with all the niceties, Qinghe turned around and finally managed with effort to push out from the throng of people surrounding the ring. The second he came out, Qinghe looked about in search of his lover.


    As for Wei Xiang, as soon as he¡¯d seen Qinghe beginning to wrap up his match, he had also taken his master along and descended from the platform to walk towards where Qinghe had been fighting.


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang spotted one another at almost the same time and calmly strode towards each other with a steady and unhurried gait.


    Seeing that Sentinel Wei and the Grandmaster were walking amongst them, the crowd of disciples also quickly parted to make way.


    And so the two sides finally met.


    ¡°How was it?¡± Wei Xiang immediately asked, his voice soft.


    Qinghe looked up at his lover with a smile. ¡°It was fun.¡±


    His gaze then shifting to the side, with curious eyes, Qinghe studied the Sentinel Grandmaster who had acted as his lover¡¯s foster father all these years.


    Rather than seeming overtly tough or chivalrous as one would expect, the Grandmaster instead looked graceful and cold. His build was androgynous and his expression stiff. When he walked, every step seemed to be executed with militaristic exactness, lacking the fluid elegance one would expect from someone with such a devastatingly beautiful face and slender figure.


    The depths of the Grandmaster¡¯s dark eyes seemed weighed with immeasurable age, his gaze holding unfathomable power and unbending strength. As he stood there wrapped in an air of quiet command, his calm and steady presence exuded a sense of magnetism, drawing in everyone around him.


    Unlike the other Sentinels¡¯ uniform, the Grandmaster¡¯s robe was simple, colored plainly in black and edged with a line of gleaming gold. The only other ornamentation on his clothing was the character for judgment stitched on the left of his chest with gold thread. The color of the robe itself was a very dark black that seemed to swallow all light in its vicinity, its material visibly luxurious and appearing very resilient.


    The phrase ¡®This disciple greets Grandmaster¡¯ almost reached Qinghe¡¯s tongue before he was forced to pause in shock, his eyes drawn to the character on the left of the Grandmaster¡¯s robe.


    It was the exact same character as the one on the Sentinels¡¯ authority token, including the style of the strokes with which it was written. But unlike on the authority token, there were no ornate designs surrounding it. And yet, this only intensified the sense of recognition Qinghe felt upon looking at it.


    He strongly remembered seeing that character stitched on this exact style of black robe, maybe even worn by the same person as now.


    Perceiving the strangeness in his little lover¡¯s expression, Wei Xiang grew concerned.


    Then in a casual voice, he broke the silence and began introducing, ¡°Qinghe, this is my master, the Grandmaster and the leader of the Order of Sentinels. And Master, this is my lover, Feng Qinghe, the second disciple of the sect master of the Heavenly Peak Sect.¡±


    Snapping out of his thoughts, Qinghe absentmindedly bowed to his lover¡¯s master in greeting, but the Grandmaster¡¯s reaction to the introduction was noticeably more intense.


    ¡°Feng Qinghe? That¡¯s your name?¡± the Grandmaster asked, his voice sounding slightly unsteady despite his blank face.


    Qinghe nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    On the other hand, seeing his master¡¯s pallor visibly worsening, Wei Xiang was beginning to grow anxious. ¡°Master, are you alright?¡±


    Nodding to alleviate his disciple¡¯s concern, the Grandmaster looked at Qinghe with an intense gaze as he asked, ¡°How is your name written¡±


    Though Qinghe felt a sense of unease, he still opened his mouth to answer. But Wei Xiang was a step faster as he replied in his lover¡¯s stead, ¡°It¡¯s written with the characters for ¡®wind¡¯ and ¡®clear harmony¡¯.¡±


    Qinghe looked at his beloved with widened eyes. ¡°Xiang, how do you know? I don¡¯t remember telling you this before.¡±


    Shrugging, Wei Xiang explained, ¡°Back when we were stuck with the Nightmare Parasite, I saw the younger version of you wearing a sash that had your name on it.¡±


    ¡°What else was written on that sash?¡± the Grandmaster pressed, a sense of urgency in his tone.


    Wei Xiang looked at his master with startlement, but still dutifully recited from memory, ¡°It said, ¡®My name is Feng Qinghe. If you find me loitering at any place I shouldn¡¯t be¡ª¡¯¡±


    ¡°¡®¡ªplease return me to the Feng residence¡¯,¡± the Grandmaster finished in a strange voice.


    ¡°Yes. Master, how did you know?¡± Wei Xiang asked. Though he had his doubts, he would like his master to confirm them himself. But by now, Wei Xiang was almost completely sure that his speculation was true.


    However, before the conversation could proceed any further, Qinghe interrupted them, ¡°I think it would be better if we resume this discussion elsewhere. I¡¯ve finished the first two stages of the tournament and the next stage isn¡¯t until a week later, so I am free for now. Is there any particular place where the Grandmaster wishes to continue this conversation?¡±


    The Grandmaster looked at Qinghe with an unfathomable expression, then nodded. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I would like to visit the place where you live.¡±


    Qinghe paused in surprise, but nodded. ¡°Very well, let¡¯s do that.¡±


    And so, Qinghe left with Wei Xiang and the Grandmaster through the shadows, not even waiting until the results were announced, declaring that he had once again gotten first place.


    crimson_carnation

 Chapter 89: Rediscovered Ties

    The shadows deposited them right outside Qinghe¡¯s room.


    Qinghe opened the door and let the other two in, then closed the door again behind him.


    Since Wei Xiang was already more than familiar with his lover¡¯s room, he refrained from being polite and directly went over to sit down at the table.


    The Grandmaster, on the other hand, remained standing by the door and studied his surroundings carefully.


    The room was neat and uncluttered, containing a bed, a low table, and a few other pieces of furniture. The back door was left open and invited in the chilly evening breeze from the backyard beyond. Though the size of the room itself was not large, the way everything was arranged gave it a sense of pleasant spaciousness.


    As he looked around, the Grandmaster noted how everything was properly put away in cupboards or shelves, not even a single item placed outside in plain sight.


    As someone who also used the wind element, the Grandmaster knew that whenever wind element cultivators lost control over their power, either when they were unconscious or in extreme distress, they would end up waking to a chaotic room that looked as though a tornado had gone through it.


    One such instance was when the wind-wielder was sleeping and had a terrible nightmare. In that case, they would lash out unconsciously, using the wind in their sleep in an attempt to protect themselves from imaginary harm and end up causing a mess of their surroundings. So if a wind-wielder was prone to such nightmares, then they would eventually gain the habit of putting away all their possessions where the wind couldn¡¯t knock or damage them easily.


    And seeing Qinghe¡¯s room, the Grandmaster logically deduced that he was one such person.


    As for how the Grandmaster knew this, it was naturally because he was also someone who suffered from nightmares. After all, what he had lost back then and had been searching for up till now was really that much of a precious existence to him. Every day he drowned in guilt and self-recrimination that he couldn¡¯t protect that which he held so dear.


    Then looking at the back of the white-robed man in front of him who had already gone through so much, the Grandmaster couldn¡¯t help but feel pain biting into his heart.


    Ah, Chunyi, even though I descended for his sake, it seems that I still ended up failing him.


    As Qinghe sat down beside his beloved, he looked up to see the Grandmaster still standing by the door. ¡°Grandmaster, please have a seat. Let¡¯s continue our discussion from where we left off before.¡±


    Giving a short nod, the Grandmaster walked up to the table and sat down opposite to Qinghe and Wei Xiang, his posture straight and dignified.


    Remembering that he still had his appearance changing talisman on, Qinghe removed it from under his robes and discarded it. Suddenly faced with Qinghe¡¯s true appearance, the Grandmaster¡¯s pupils shrunk in shock, a hint of recognition flashing in his eyes. Then blinking once, the Grandmaster quickly put his reaction away.


    Without preamble, Qinghe began, ¡°From the questions you asked about my name and how you knew what was written on my sash, can I presume that you are someone who knew me from before I fell?¡±


    The Grandmaster nodded hesitantly, but did not say anything more.


    Tilting his head, Qinghe directly asked, ¡°Are you¡­my father?¡±


    At the side, Wei Xiang raised an eyebrow at how his little lover unhesitatingly went for the kill.


    The Grandmaster paused, his stiff expression seeming to freeze even more, then nodded once again. ¡°Yes, I am indeed your father. Your mother awaits you in the heavenly realm.¡±


    Both Wei Xiang and the Grandmaster looked at Qinghe intently, waiting for his reaction.


    However, Qinghe remained calm as he spoke, ¡°¡­I see. Does this mean that I¡¯m a trueborn deity?¡±


    Wei Xiang couldn¡¯t help but frown. From the extreme way his little lover had reacted previously after remembering about the time he fell, Qinghe should not have taken the news this calmly.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look very surprised,¡± Wei Xiang observed.


    Something flickered in Qinghe¡¯s eyes, there and gone in an instant.


    In an even tone, he explained, ¡°Well, guessing from my aptitude and inherent power, it was one my speculations. I already checked for spiritual beast bloodline and didn¡¯t find any, so there were only a few other options left. And considering how my cultivation soared up to the tenth realm and beyond the very second it was freed from the effects of the spirit suppressing collar back then, I naturally guessed that it could be because of my true cultivation level being at that of a deity. And the only way a child could be a deity was if they were a trueborn god.¡±


    ¡°So¡­you already knew,¡± the Grandmaster stated quietly.


    Qinghe bowed his head and spoke in an equally quiet voice, ¡°I guessed.¡±


    The hands he¡¯d hidden in his sleeves lightly trembled, while his eyelids lowered as if hiding the turmoil in his gaze.


    ¡°But no matter how correct my deduction, I am still after all only human. After confirming it and meeting my family so suddenly, even I would feel¡­¡±


    As Qinghe trailed off, Wei Xiang completed the sentence for him, ¡°Unprepared?¡±


    Qinghe gave a tight nod.


    Sighing, Wei Xiang pulled his lover close and rubbed his back soothingly like he always did. And just like always, Qinghe felt his body slowly relaxing in response to his beloved¡¯s comforting touch.


    ¡°Qinghe, I¡¯m here for you. I¡¯ll always be here,¡± Wei Xiang said softly.


    Hearing this, Qinghe felt something in him loosen. He unreservedly leaned into his lover and clutched at Wei Xiang, burying his face into his beloved¡¯s warm embrace as he tried to regain his balance.


    From the side, as the Grandmaster looked at Qinghe, he couldn¡¯t help but reminisce about the time when his son was still a chubby little boy.


    He thought back to the warm weight of his infant son resting in his arms, so innocent and fragile, yet so full of life and energy.


    He recalled how that child would sometimes grab ahold of his hair and refuse to leave. He remembered how much he¡¯d cried because his mother had cut off the hair he was gripping to so that he could have it. The child clearly didn¡¯t care about the hair still clenched in his fist, he had just wanted to stay anchored to his father.


    He remembered how that infant had grown into a young boy with a proud, mischievous smile and clear eyes that seemed to see too much of the world, able to cut through all the extraneous things and get to the heart of everything so easily.


    Those small fingers of his son clutching the edge of his robe as he tried to trot along and keep pace with his father¡¯s long strides, that spoiled pout and those puffed cheeks that were so like his mother¡¯s, that sweet voice giggling childishly, bubbling with unrestrained joy and bursting with life¡­ he remembered them all so vividly.


    But that little boy from back then had ended up separated from him, his situation unknown. And after searching frantically for so long, when he finally found his son again, he discovered just how late he had been.


    His son had already suffered.


    The person in front of him now was no longer that small and chubby child with a smile brighter than the sun. He was already an adult, tempered by anguish and adversity, his gaze calm and distant.


    Parting his lips, the Grandmaster finally said what he¡¯d wanted to say for the longest time, ¡°Qinghe, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Qinghe stilled, then leaned back from his beloved¡¯s arms to look at the Grandmaster¡¯s¨D no, his father¡¯s serious expression. Though the other person¡¯s face remained blank as usual, his eyes clearly showed his remorse and pain.


    Taking a deep breath, the Grandmaster continued, ¡°I¡¯m sorry that your mother and I couldn¡¯t protect you. I¡¯m sorry that you had to go through all that you did. I¡¯m sorry we weren¡¯t there when you needed us. You have the right to hate me for being an incompetent parent, but please, don¡¯t blame your mother. If I hadn¡¯t stopped her back then, she would have torn apart the world then and there to come and rescue you.¡±


    Qinghe blinked uncomprehendingly. Just this morning, he¡¯d still considered himself an orphan. Now he was suddenly faced with the realization that he not only had parents, but that they also cared about him to this extent, blaming themselves for his fall just as much as his childhood self had blamed them, maybe even more.


    In a soft voice, Qinghe finally spoke, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    The Grandmaster startled and looked at his son.


    Qinghe patiently repeated, ¡°What are your names? I think it¡¯s somewhat awkward if I don¡¯t even know the names of my parents.¡±


    With difficulty, the Grandmaster got out, ¡°My name is Feng Huixin. Your mother is Feng Chunyi.¡±


    Raising an eyebrow, Qinghe commented, ¡°Is my mother¡¯s maiden name also Feng?¡±


    ¡°No, it was just that when we first met, your mother was being chased by¡­well, the entire cultivation world. And while fighting them all, she ended up losing her memory somehow, so she didn''t remember her name. After seeing ¡®Chunyi¡¯ embroidered on the inside of her pouch, she recalled that it was her given name, but she didn¡¯t know her surname, so I gave her mine. But even after she regained most of her memories, your mother didn¡¯t want to keep her surname, so she bears mine now,¡± the Grandmaster calmly explained.


    Despite himself, Qinghe started feeling interested in his parents¡¯ lives.


    But talking about all that could come later. For now, he wanted to clarify certain things.


    Taking a deep breath, Qinghe spoke, ¡°Grandmaster, I still don¡¯t feel comfortable with addressing you as Father. I would like some time to get used to having parents, so would you mind?¡±


    His expression remaining staid, Feng Huixin shook his head and spoke in an unconsciously gentle tone, ¡°I¡¯m glad that you¡¯re willing to give us a chance. Take as much time as you need to figure it out.¡±


    Qinghe smiled. His father¡¯s words reminded him of how his own lover comforted him when he grew agitated or confused. So that was where his Xiang had learned it from.


    Seeing his little lover smiling again, Wei Xiang felt relieved. It seemed that Qinghe had found his equilibrium again.


    Qinghe lazily leaned into his lover and got comfortable. Then closing his eyes, he said in a light tone, ¡°Then Grandmaster, may I ask you to tell me how I came to fall to this world?¡±


    Seeing how peaceful and relaxed his son looked, Feng Huixin felt his own heart calming in response.


    In a quiet voice, he answered, ¡°Yes, it was my fault. Few years after my and Chunyi¡¯s ascension, I was chosen by Heaven to be the next Heavenly Emperor. This caused many people who were hoping for that position to become hostile towards me.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes snapped open, his eyebrows rising. So his father was the future Heavenly Emperor?!


    Even Wei Xiang showed a look of surprise. After all, even though they were closer to the Grandmaster than anyone else, none of the Sentinels had ever tried to pry about his past or his standing in Heaven. They hadn¡¯t even asked for his name, willing to let the Grandmaster disclose only what he wanted to. Otherwise, there was no way Wei Xiang wouldn¡¯t have put together the ¡®Feng¡¯ in his master¡¯s name and his beloved¡¯s surname before now.


    Not seeing their reactions, the Grandmaster went on, ¡°One day, you wandered off as usual to make mischief and one of the people who had an enmity with me ended up capturing you. They demanded that I step down from my position in exchange for your safe return. I wanted to agree, but the final decision was after all not mine. Only Heaven itself can take back its edict.


    ¡°And so, your mother and I went to rescue you from the mansion where you were held hostage. As much as I tried to hold her back, your mother still went on a rampage, killing everyone who tried to hinder her until she destroyed the mansion and its inhabitants completely.


    ¡°The person who held you hostage had not expected your mother¡¯s fury, so he panicked. I tried to clean up the mess left behind by your mother quickly so that I could catch up with her and defuse the situation. But before I could make it, she confronted the kidnapper on her own, threatening him with her blade dripping blood and her dress stained a darker red.


    ¡°The kidnapper¡¯s ability was manipulating space. Though he lacked the precision for moving objects or teleporting people, he could rip holes in space using brute force. So knowing that he couldn¡¯t escape, he opened a portal out of spite and threw you into it despite the portal¡¯s instability. We¡­we thought you died.¡±


    Feng Huixin paused, his face paler than paper as he remembered the pain of thinking he had lost his precious child forever. He recalled how his wife¡¯s scream had torn through the air, filled with an unbearable sadness that made anyone who heard it feel like their chests were being shredded from the inside with heartrending pain.


    Seeing the agony reflected in his father¡¯s eyes, Qinghe tried to distract him from his thoughts as he asked in a soft voice, ¡°What happened next?¡±


    Snapping back to the present, Feng Huixin took a moment to look at his son, confirming that he was indeed safe and sound, that he was indeed sitting here in front of him.


    Then he continued, ¡°I convinced your mother to not tear through the worlds just to try to get to you. After the kidnapper was apprehended and slated to be punished appropriately for his crime, we consulted the Heavenly Emperor about you. He confirmed that you were thankfully still alive, but had suffered grievous injury due to having fallen through a portal that seemed to have opened up in the sky in another world.


    ¡°Chunyi and I asked if there was a way, any way at all, to reach you. In response, the Heavenly Emperor personally drew a formation that would send a single person through to the time and place where you fell. We talked amongst ourselves and your mother finally agreed to let me go. But something seemed to have gone wrong, because when I descended, it was several hundreds of thousands of years before the time when you fell.¡±


    As Feng Huixin stopped speaking, a thoughtful silence descended over them as Qinghe and Wei Xiang digested all this.


    Wei Xiang frowned and finally broke the quiet, ¡°Master, how sure are you that this Heavenly Emperor himself didn¡¯t tamper with the formation that sent you here?¡±


    But Feng Huixin shook his head as he replied, ¡°To be able to become the Heavenly Emperor by itself means that they do not have such impurities in their hearts. I have also observed the current Heavenly Emperor¡¯s character to be very upstanding.¡±


    Nodding, Wei Xiang wordlessly accepted this. He always trusted his master¡¯s unbiased judgment more than anything.


    ¡°Then what do you think happened?¡± Qinghe asked his father. ¡°Do you have any ideas?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Feng Huixin said. ¡°There are only two possibilities: Either someone tampered with the formation, or Heaven itself willed it to be so and interfered with the formation¡¯s working, sending me to a different time. If it was the latter, then there is nothing we can do, but if it was the former, then your mother will have definitely found the perpetrators by now, and by the time she¡¯s done, there will not even be a single whole tooth, nail, or hair left of them.¡±


    Hearing his father state this so confidently, Qinghe couldn¡¯t help but widen his eyes, ¡°My mother sounds quite¡­bloodthirsty.¡±


    Feng Huixin opened his mouth before closing it again. He couldn¡¯t really refute that statement. ¡°Truth be told, I¡¯m worried about her. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be leaving her alone in the heavenly realm for so long.¡±


    Seeing concern darkening his father¡¯s gaze, Qinghe spoke gently, ¡°Are you worried that my mother will be lonely?¡±


    But Feng Huixin shook his head and said, ¡°No, it¡¯s just that without me there to supervise her and act as her impulse control, I¡¯m afraid that there might not be a heavenly realm left at all by the time I go back.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Qinghe felt speechless. So the revered Sentinel Grandmaster who was known far and wide for advocating peace and maintaining order actually had a wife with such a disorderly and destructive personality?


    How come even his newfound family was so unusual?!


    Qinghe could only shake his head and sigh in resignation.


    But deciding to satisfy his burning curiosity, he nonetheless asked, ¡°Grandmaster, what sort of a person is my mother?¡±


    Hearing this and just thinking of his wife, Feng Huixin felt his chest aching.


    Though for her it would have only been thirty or so years since he¡¯d descended from the heavenly realm, for him, it had actually been tens of thousands of years. If the person he was searching for hadn¡¯t been his son, then he might have not found the strength to persevere for so long despite having to be apart from his wife.


    But as much as he loved his Chunyi, he still had to admit that the very thought of trying to explain her character to their son made his head ache.


    In a somewhat strangled tone, Feng Huixin finally got out, ¡°Your mother is¡­a very unique woman. You¡¯ll see for yourself later.¡±


    Yes, his Chunyi was truly unique, but it was not always in a good way.


    Feng Huixin felt a heavy sigh leave his chest as he reminisced about his home world, thinking back to that time before he and his wife had ascended.


    ¡­¡­


    The flames had risen up high into the sky as if to lick at the heavens. Golden sparks and flakes of ash fluttered in the scorching air in a caricature of snow. The sound of burning wood and stone, the crackling of embers and the roaring of fire, the rumble of pillars and walls crashing down in the distance, all of it seemed muffled by the thick air of death and despair that pressed down over this place.


    Everyone was dead.


    These burning ruins had once been the Feng household, housing Feng Huixin¡¯s family that had opposed his choice of pursuing cultivation, chasing after him in a bid to erase the one stain on this historic family of aristocrats and merchants.


    When he had taken in and become cultivation partners with Chunyi, they had attempted to separate them, and when that hadn¡¯t worked, they had tried to kill her too.


    The both of them had been hunted and cornered numerous times, sustaining terrible wounds and being driven to the brink of death again and again. But Feng Huixin had, in the end, still been unable to raise his hand against his own family.


    As a cultivator, he had the means to do so. And living in a world where might made right, he could have killed them all without consequences. But he couldn¡¯t bring himself to.


    And yet, they had all been wiped out anyway¡­the entire household utterly decimated within moments.


    Light giggling floated from further ahead. A figure soaked in red, with a pale and beautiful face painted with streaks of scarlet, fingertips dyed crimson, her appearance like that of a demon from hell reveling in the carnage¡­ she slowly emerged into his vision, framed by the long licks of flickering flame that danced madly as if in a frenzy.


    ¡°Ah-Xin, look! I killed all these mean people who kept trying to hurt you, didn¡¯t I do good?¡±


    Feng Huixin felt his eyes grow hot, stinging with smoke and the unspeakable feeling of loss.


    ¡°Eh? Ah-Xin, what¡¯s wrong? Why do you look sad? Ah-Xin?¡±


    Though they had been terrible, they had still been his family. This had been his home, the place he had grown up in, and these were the people who had molded him into the person he was now. Yet all of it was now gone.


    ¡°Ah-Xin¡­did I do something wrong? Ah-Xin, please don¡¯t be sad, okay? If I did something bad, then¡­then you can hit me all you want, but please don¡¯t look like that.¡±


    Closing his eyes, Feng Huixin reached out and embraced his frantic beloved. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Chunyi, it¡¯s okay. I-I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t her fault. She had just been trying to protect him in the only way she knew how. And in truth, after all the misdeeds and suffering his family had perpetrated¨Dnot only towards him and his lover, but also towards the other, smaller families and less influential people¨Dthe Feng household had truly deserved its end. And yet¡­


    Feng Huixin couldn¡¯t help but mourn.


    Ah, my dear Chunyi, you shouldn¡¯t stain your hands so easily. How can I make you understand?


    Holding the confused woman in his arms tighter, Feng Huixin silently grieved.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Grandmaster, are you alright?¡±


    Feng Huixin snapped out of his memories and looked up to see his son peering at him with worry.


    Seeing this somehow seemed to ease the pain in his chest.


    Feng Huixin nodded, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    That time was long gone. His wife was no longer as callous when it came to taking life. Even if she didn¡¯t understand it, she still tried to treasure the life of every living being for her husband¡¯s sake.


    As he distractedly looked out the window, he suddenly realized that night had already fallen.


    ¡°It¡¯s already gotten late. I think I should go now,¡± Feng Huixin said.


    Qinghe looked at him, startled. ¡°Oh, alright.¡±


    In truth, Qinghe didn¡¯t want his father to go so soon. He wanted to talk more and find out all the missing pieces of his past, putting them together to finally understand the answers to questions he¡¯d never thought to ask before.


    But besides that¡­he also wanted to try and get closer to this father of his.


    Whatever grievances he had felt against his parents had slowly begun to melt away in the face of the obvious care and affection they held for him. Qinghe didn¡¯t think he could bear to push them away when they seemed to have suffered just as much as he had because of his fall.


    From the side, Wei Xiang wryly observed the obviously reluctant expressions on both his lover and his master. They clearly both wanted to stay together and talk more, but tried to be polite and let the other person go.


    Wei Xiang sighed. They were truly father and son. Even their troublesome points were the same!


    ¡°It might be late, but none of us need sleep, so why don¡¯t we continue?¡± Wei Xiang spoke up.


    Qinghe immediately nodded his head. ¡°If the Grandmaster has nothing pressing that he has to get to right away, then I don¡¯t mind talking for a while more.¡±


    The Feng Huixin who had just gotten up to leave immediately sat down. ¡°If you both don¡¯t think I¡¯d be imposing on your time together, then I don¡¯t mind staying as well.¡±


    Wei Xiang shook his head at them in both exasperation and affection. For better or worse, these were the two people he held dearest.


    And so, the discussion between the father, the son, and the son-in-law continued into the night.

 Chapter 89.5: Bonus Scene – Before (Part 2)

    This was the room of a certain young boy.


    It was clean and spacious, all the toys neatly put away. The floor was lined with soft carpet and the furniture all had blunted edges. Over the windows, the curtains fluttered in the wind, casting faded shadows over the inside of the room.


    Everything seemed tranquil and still.


    Feng Chunyi crouched by her son¡¯s bed, carefully placing the sleeping little boy curled up in her arms onto it before covering him with a quilt and tucking it under his chin.


    With a fingertip, she hesitantly traced one of Qinghe¡¯s plump cheeks.


    The little boy shifted in his sleep and a small mint leaf tumbled out of his locks and fell onto his mother¡¯s hand.


    Feng Chunyi stilled and looked down at that leaf with a complicated expression.


    Standing at the side with folded arms, Feng Huixin saw the solemn and somewhat afraid look on his wife¡¯s face and asked with worry, ¡°Chunyi, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Feng Chunyi shook her head, then paused. In a soft whisper, she asked her husband in a trembling voice, ¡°Ah-Xin, what if after he gets older¡­Qinghe grows to hate me?¡±


    His eyes showing his puzzlement, Feng Huixin returned, ¡°Why would he?¡±


    ¡°Because he is bound to eventually find out about all the people I murdered and all the bad things I did,¡± she answered, her head bowing as her eyelashes quivered. Her voice grew slightly thick as if with suppressed emotions.


    Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Feng Chunyi continued, ¡°Ah-Xin¡­even now, I don¡¯t understand why killing is wrong. I¡¯m only abiding the laws because you are the one enforcing it. I will always listen to you. After all, we¡¯ve long decided that you will be my conscience. But what if finding this about me disgusts our son? If he looks at me like that¡­like how those people from our world used to look at me¡­then I can¡¯t, I won¡¯t be able to take it. Ah-Xin, what do I do?¡±


    That cute face of her son was always looking at her like she was his hero, displaying such open adoration and worship. Whenever they sparred and Qinghe was knocked down onto his little butt, he¡¯d still come running back, clutching her robe as he looked up at her with avid excitement and interest sparkling in his clear gaze, demanding excitedly in his childish voice, ¡°Mother, teach me that move!¡±


    Feng Chunyi couldn¡¯t bear to even imagine all that admiration and respect turning to horror and revulsion. She¡¯d rather burn the world to ashes rather than let something like that happen!


    Her husband¡¯s steady voice interrupted her frantic thoughts that had been roiling with desperation, ¡°Chunyi, he is our son. He loves you just as much as I do. Even if he finds out, he will understand.¡±


    Feng Chunyi''s mind slowly calmed at the assurance she heard in her husband''s voice.


    In a plaintive tone rife with uncertainty and hope, she asked, ¡°¡­Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, really,¡± Feng Huixin reassured.


    Oblivious to his parents¡¯ conversation, Qinghe continued to sleep peacefully on the bed.


    ¡­¡­


    Feng Qinghe¡¯s home, the Feng residence in the heavenly realm, was large and well-appointed, and despite only housing the family of three, it did not feel empty at all.


    Stones and feathers, along with shells and other knick-knacks abundantly decorated the place, each of them with a memory attached to them and lending the house the warm atmosphere of home.


    It was a place that brought Qinghe contentment, be it due to his father¡¯s familiar low voice that spoke with care or his mother¡¯s exuberant laughter that rang loud and unrestrained until it echoed off the rafters.


    For the four-year-old Feng Qinghe, this was the life he was used to.


    Another thing he was used to was his parents¡¯ cooking skills, or rather, the lack thereof.


    On this particular day, the family of three sat around the dinner table, each contemplating yet again over the dishes placed in front of them.


    One was a bowl of white rice sprinkled with barely enough condiments to be considered edible. Another was a bowl of thick, dark red liquid that could be called more a weapon than a curry. Just looking at it could cause one to go blind due to the deadly fumes it emitted in a thick vapor.


    The rice was made by Feng Huixin, Qinghe¡¯s father, and the curry was made by Feng Chunyi, Qinghe¡¯s mother.


    As the family of three each struggled with gulping down this monstrosity of a meal that they really should have gotten used to eating by now, the little Qinghe thought seriously about what he could add to the dinner table in the future that would balance it out.


    After all, his father usually made the rice and his mother always made the curry, so shouldn¡¯t he also make something like appetizers or desserts to contribute?


    Hmm, since he liked sweets, Qinghe decided that he should probably aim for making desserts then. It should have milk, because he liked drinking milk. And he liked the calming scent of mint that he smelled on his mother sometimes, especially after she had just finished tending to her patch of mint plants. So he also wanted his desserts to have mint in them. If he found other tasty things that he liked later on, then maybe he could add them as well.


    Satisfied with this, Qinghe seriously nodded his little head while still sunken in thought.


    At the side, Feng Huixin and Feng Chunyi looked with warm and mirthful eyes at their son who had on such a solemnly contemplating face as he kept occasionally nodding to himself in a very pleased manner.


    ¡°Oi, little son of mine, what are you thinking?¡± Feng Chunyi couldn¡¯t help but ask, her elbows on the table and both her palms supporting her chin. A wide smile stretched her lips, both sharp and mischievous.


    But lost deep in thought, Qinghe didn¡¯t seem to hear his mother.


    Feng Chunyi didn¡¯t mind, simply chuckling to herself as she admired how adorable her child was.


    With a frown wrinkling his cute little face, Qinghe suddenly stood up, his meal already having been consumed as he had been absentmindedly pondering all this while.


    ¡°Mother, Father, I¡¯m going to inspect the mint patch in the backyard!¡± Qinghe declared decisively.


    Feng Huixin looked at his son with vague bafflement showing in his eyes. ¡°Inspect? Why?¡±


    Had his son found any hidden threat or danger there?


    With a proud sniff, Qinghe proclaimed, ¡°Because I¡¯m going to use the mint there as ingredients when I make my own sweets!¡±


    Feeling as if he¡¯d explained everything that needed explaining, Qinghe dashed off, not willing to waste a moment more.


    Feng Huixin and Feng Chunyi watched their son¡¯s retreating back with helpless and loving expressions.


    They knew that more likely than not, their little son would probably end up playing with the bugs and worms crawling on the plants, then end up sleeping in the mint patch while basking in the sun. These days, because of this tendency, he was also beginning to smell increasingly more of mint, just like his mother.


    ¡°As he grows older, I feel like I understand him less and less,¡± Feng Huixin finally confessed to his wife.


    Laughing cheerfully, Feng Chunyi slapped her husband on the back and got up. ¡°Don¡¯t fret, dear husband, or you¡¯ll age sooner. We don¡¯t have to understand him. It¡¯s fine as long as we raise him up into a decent person who knows how to find happiness, that¡¯s all.¡±


    After delivering this profound wisdom, Feng Chunyi turned on a heel and began making her dramatic exit, only for her to be pulled back by an arm winding around her waist.


    ¡°Chunyi, are you planning on running away again? It¡¯s your turn to do the dishes today,¡± Feng Huixin calmly informed his wife.


    With a strained laugh, Feng Chunyi refuted, ¡°Me? Run away? What makes you say that? When have I run away from such a boring and dull task like washing those stupid dishes?¡±


    In a deadpan voice, Feng Huixin answered, ¡°Plenty of times.¡±


    Feng Chunyi drooped, then began cajoling her husband in earnest, ¡°Ah-Xin, won¡¯t you take over for me this time? Please? I already know that you¡¯re not on call at the Offices of Judgment today. On the other hand, I have this new battalion that got merged into the main force that I really need to begin training soon. And I also have an appointment with Ai Li to talk about the next set of special tools she¡¯s releasing. I know how you love it when we use those tools in bed. I promise I¡¯ll get us some this time to test as well so that we can have more fun tonight. So please, won¡¯t you let me go?¡±


    At the mention of his wife¡¯s friend, the Deity of Romance Ai Li, and her specialized ¡®tools¡¯ that his wife liked to bring home, Feng Huixin felt his lips twitch as a faint blush crawled up his neck.


    Coughing lightly, he spoke a single, unbending word, ¡°No.¡±


    Standing up while still holding his wife by the waist, he marched towards the kitchen and deposited her there so that she could begin working.


    ¡°Ah-Xin, you¡¯re so heartless. So mean!¡± Feng Chunyi complained with puffed cheeks as she pouted prettily.


    Her hands, however, were dutifully washing dishes in the meantime. Of course, the fact that she cracked and broke most of them due to being unable to control her strength was irrelevant.


    Seeing his wife¡¯s wronged expression, Feng Huixin felt his heart melting. Unable to help himself, he went up to his wife to pepper her face with affectionate little kisses.


    Then with a sigh, he finally gave in and compromised, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do the dishes today. You can do them tomorrow.¡±


    Feng Chunyi immediately brightened, her pout disappearing.


    Jumping up, she clamped her mouth over her husband¡¯s and tangled their tongues in a short and intense kiss. Then quickly disengaging, she disappeared like the wind to do things that were more fun than washing dishes.


    For a moment, Feng Huixin just stood in the kitchen with a somewhat dazed look, then shook it off ruefully before walking towards the pile of dirty dishes to begin washing them.


    But unfortunately, despite his attempts at controlling himself, he still ended up breaking just as many dishes as his wife had before.


    With a sigh, Feng Huixin persevered.

 Chapter 90: Reinforced Bonds

    As the night grew long, Qinghe continued asking his father questions as Wei Xiang sat by his side.


    ¡°A while ago in the imperial palace of the Xing Long Empire, an Elder from Silver Mist told us that the reason the Order of Sentinels was established was directly linked to me. Grandmaster, do you know why she would say that?¡± Qinghe asked yet another question.


    Feng Huixin took some time to put his thoughts in order before he began speaking, ¡°When I first descended here, I was appalled by the lawlessness of this world, though that in itself was not enough to spur me into taking such a drastic measure like creating the Order. But when I thought that this was the world my son would fall into sometime in the future, I couldn¡¯t bear to let it stay like that.


    ¡°As futile as I know my hopes turned out to be, at that time, I didn¡¯t want you to suffer in such a dangerous world. That was why I worked as hard as I could to clean up this world and maintain order as I roamed the lands, hoping to find some small scrap of information about you. So truthfully, you really are the reason the Order of Sentinels came to be.¡±


    Both Qinghe and Wei Xiang felt surprised at hearing this.


    ¡°Master, why didn¡¯t you use the Sentinels¡¯ resources to look for him? It would have spared everyone a lot of pain and effort,¡± Wei Xiang spoke up.


    Looking as if he was considering how to answer his disciple, Feng Huixin finally said, ¡°It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t want to. But by the time the Order of Sentinels became established enough to be of use in that aspect, I had already made a lot of enemies in this world.


    ¡°To conduct an effective search for Qinghe, I would have had to reveal his existence to quite a few people. And if this information got leaked and my enemies found even the slightest hint that I had a son, I was afraid that what happened in the heavenly realm would occur once more and that he would be taken hostage to threaten me. I didn¡¯t want to risk that, and so I kept it to myself. Even now, despite the world being more or less at peace, I still have a formidable enemy who would stop at nothing to hurt me.¡±


    Wei Xiang frowned. ¡°Master, do you mean the leader of the Black Fang organization?¡±


    Feng Huixin gave a slight nod.


    Wei Xiang didn¡¯t ask anything more. If they kept going down that line of thought, he was afraid they would just start talking about Sentinel business again. Their time together right now was supposed to be for Qinghe and his master to bond by conversing. Wei Xiang did not want to jeopardize that.


    As if understanding this, Qinghe asked another question that diverted the topic. ¡°Grandmaster, there¡¯re a few more things I wanted to talk about. When I fell, I clearly remember that the air in this world felt very rough and unpleasant. I could feel that breathing it in was making me noticeably weaker. Do you think it was because of the difference in air quality between the heavenly realm and this world?


    ¡°And there are a few other things I don¡¯t understand. Why did I get so injured if I was still a deity at that time, and how could my cultivation be suppressed so easily by a low-level spirit suppressing collar? How did I get mistaken for a mortal if I was a deity? And how come you didn¡¯t notice that another deity had descended into this world?¡±


    As he fired off a barrage of questions, Qinghe¡¯s eyes began to gleam with the need to know. After finally meeting his father and finding that he could, and was willing, to answer every one of his doubts, Qinghe let his curiosity loose.


    Seeing those bright and inquisitive eyes looking at him expectantly, Feng Huixin couldn¡¯t help but think how Qinghe reminded him of when he was a child. It seemed that despite everything, his son still retained quite a few of his characteristics from when he was younger.


    Unable to deny that shining gaze, Feng Huixin began answering all the questions one by one in a measured tone, ¡°At the time you fell from the heavenly realm to this world, your deity-level cultivation that had still been growing into itself must have suffered a serious injury as you tore through the space between worlds without preparation. As such, your cultivation must not have had time to recover when it was sealed by the spirit suppressing collar while you had yet to recuperate from the fall.


    ¡°Regarding your question about the difference in air quality between the heavenly realm and this world, it is somewhat true. The heavenly realm is saturated with pure spiritual energy. As someone born there, you would have naturally gotten used to breathing it in and absorbing its power subconsciously. So when you first fell into this world, the lesser amount of spiritual energy, along with the presence of a mixture of negative energies, must have made you feel that the air was abrasive and uncomfortable. And without being able to absorb power from the air to supplement your own, you would have felt like you were becoming weaker.¡±


    Feng Huixin paused for a bit as he tried not to imagine all that his son would have thought and felt at that time.


    Then regaining his composure, he once again began speaking, his eyes without ripples and his voice patient as he went on to explain, ¡°As for why you got injured despite your status as a deity, it was because the impure air of the mortal world must have soaked into you, dissipating the divine essence in you and making you more vulnerable. This is also why you must have seemed like a mortal to the denizens of this world.


    ¡°And the reason why I failed to notice your arrival was because no sooner had you entered this world than your cultivation weakened due to injury from falling through the unstable spatial rip. This sequence of events happened too fast and too close together, so I hadn¡¯t had the chance to sense the arrival of a deity-level child. Also, though I might be somewhat powerful, my precision is only average, so my spirit sense is not accurate enough to have told me of any disturbances caused by your arrival while I was so far away from the area at that time. It¡¯s your mother who generally excels in that aspect.¡±


    Before his son could fire off another round of queries, Feng Huixin decided to address a few issues on his own.


    ¡°To answer any other questions you might have, I will tell you this: over the years you spent at that illegally run orphanage, the injury to your cultivation must have gotten healed on its own. Thus, when the collar was removed, your level had tried to shoot up to the deity stage. Thankfully, restrictions were applied on your soul in time, or else the presence of two deities on one plane would have caused this world to be torn apart.


    ¡°The spiritual capacity of this world is such that it can only contain the power of one deity. If two deities unleash their full strength at the same time, this world will break. That is why your falling into this plane while I was still in it was dangerous, especially so since you had just regained your powers and hence would have been inexperienced in controlling it.¡±


    Qinghe intently listened to his father recite this long string of information with a look of concentration.


    Coughing lightly at being the center of his son¡¯s focused attention like this, Feng Huixin asked, ¡°Do you have anything else you¡¯d like to know?¡±


    Immediately nodding, Qinghe spoke, ¡°Grandmaster, do I have any siblings?¡±


    Feng Huixin had to take a moment to adjust to the sudden change in subject before he could reply, ¡°No, you do not have any siblings. By the time you were conceived, your mother and I had already ascended. And deities have a very difficult time conceiving and carrying a child to term, so it is unlikely that you will ever gain a sibling.¡±


    Then pausing in thought, he added, ¡°But if you want a brother or sister, we can always adopt.¡±


    Hearing this, Qinghe seemed to be pondering over it seriously even as his lips curved in a playful smile. ¡°Or you could carry the child instead of my mother. I¡¯ve heard that there are ways for a man to carry his spouse¡¯s child. It¡¯s a somewhat complicated method that involves the couple melding their blood, spiritual energies, and other things, then putting it in the male¡¯s dantian. Of course, there are several other steps and procedures involved as well. But nevertheless, technically it is indeed possible for me to gain a blood-related sibling if you use this method. So Grandmaster, are you willing to give it a try?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Dumbfounded, Feng Huixin didn¡¯t even know how to reply to this.


    Seeming somewhat lost, he finally looked at his son¡¯s impish smile and said, ¡°¡­Qinghe, I¡¯m realizing that you really are very similar to your mother.¡±


    Unable to help himself at the abject helplessness he heard in his father¡¯s voice, Qinghe started laughing.


    Listening to this cheerful sound, both Wei Xiang and Feng Huixin looked at Qinghe with unhidden affection in their eyes.


    As Qinghe¡¯s laughter wound down, Wei Xiang asked him in a teasing voice, ¡°Love, by saying that, are you trying to hint to me that you want to carry my child in the future?¡±


    Hearing this unreasonable statement, Qinghe immediately burst out, ¡°Oi, Xiang! Who said that!¡±


    ¡°Oh? Isn¡¯t that what you meant?¡± Wei Xiang spoke while blinking innocently.


    ¡°Hmph! If I did that and ended up with a bulging belly, then I wouldn¡¯t be able to wander about as I want to while going around poking my nose into other people¡¯s secrets, now could I?¡±


    Chuckling, Wei Xiang observed, ¡°I see that my little lover is very self-aware. But don¡¯t worry, if you don¡¯t want to, then I will.¡±


    Qinghe looked at his beloved blankly. ¡°You will what?¡±


    ¡°If you want a child but don¡¯t want to carry it, then I¡¯ll just do it for you,¡± Wei Xiang replied with a nonchalant smirk.


    Feeling his thoughts screeching to a halt, Qinghe blurted out, ¡°¡­What?¡±


    In a patient tone that hid his mischief, Wei Xiang reiterated once again, ¡°I¡¯m saying that if we ever get the opportunity, I¡¯ll bear us cute little children.¡±


    Qinghe leaned back and looked down skeptically at his lover¡¯s flat, firm, and muscled abdomen that was currently hidden behind clothes, trying to imagine it swollen with a baby.


    ¡°¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t see it. He really couldn¡¯t see it.


    Watching from the side as the couple played around like this, Feng Huixin felt content in his heart, his joy reflecting in his eyes.


    It seemed that these two people that he cared about were really doing well together.


    For example, his disciple was usually majestic and indifferent, his presence imposing. But his face was now all wreathed in warm smiles and tender expressions as he teased his beloved, no sign of his usually sardonic wryness and indifference to be found.


    Likewise, Qinghe had also shed his distance and the pleasant mask he usually seemed to wear, his expression animated and more natural. His son had on such a happy smile, looking just like his mother when she was out cheerfully murdering people¨D  ehem, he meant having fun.


    Seeing how the youngsters were getting along well and how they seemed to be enjoying their life, Feng Huixin felt gladdened that the worries he had felt were unfounded.


    Because, in a way, both Qinghe and Wei Xiang usually seemed somewhat displaced, as if they did not belong in this world and were unable to fully integrate into it. They both stood apart from the people of this world, living alongside them, but standing separate from them as well.


    For Qinghe, it was because he truly wasn¡¯t of this world. Having been conceived and born in Heaven, even as a child, he was a deity through and through, unable to mix well among mortals.


    Wei Xiang, on the other hand, was from a different time altogether, his egg having stayed unhatched since ancient times. From the moment he had tumbled out of his egg, he must have already felt out of place.


    And yet, these two people, one from a different place and another from a different time, had somehow managed to find each other, making a home together and living a happy, fulfilling life.


    And seeing that his two sons, one by blood and the other by bond, were leading such content and joyful days, how could Feng Huixin not feel satisfied as well?


    ¡°Ah, I almost forgot!¡± Qinghe suddenly exclaimed.


    Leaning against his beloved¡¯s shoulder, he turned towards his father. ¡°Grandmaster, is it alright for someone who already ascended to come back down? I¡¯m not talking about a special case like yours, but more generally. I¡¯m just wondering if I would be allowed to come and visit the people I know down here in this world after I ascend.¡±


    Feng Huixin nodded and assured, ¡°Yes, you can. The heavenly court doesn¡¯t mind and even encourages deities, newly ascended or not, to go down and check on their loved ones occasionally until they pass away or ascend themselves.¡±


    Qinghe felt surprised. ¡°Is it really alright? In that case, won¡¯t most newly ascended deities just stay in their home worlds until their friends and family die? Are the deities of Heaven not worried about the impact that that many ascended deities congregating in the mortal world may cause?¡±


    Inwardly marveling at how his son seemed to be full of questions, Feng Huixin calmly answered, ¡°As long as the deities don¡¯t try to influence or interfere with the worlds too much¨Dlike setting up power bases or asking to be worshipped, for example¨Dthey are allowed to come and go as they please, though they are advised to keep their identity a secret.


    ¡°And even though the newly ascended deities might focus more on the mundane world at first, as their loved ones begin leaving the world one by one, they will slowly begin to integrate into the heavenly realm until they feel more at home there. It might take hundreds or thousands of years, but the time taken to transition doesn¡¯t matter in the large scheme of things as long as the deities gain closure on their lives before they ascended. As the years go on, they will eventually be left without ties to the mortal world.


    ¡°Though it might be a slow process, Heaven does prefer to be kind. After all, if it were inflexible and cold, who would want to spend all that effort to ascend?¡±


    Qinghe nodded, thinking that what his father said was reasonable.


    Feeling somewhat tired, he shifted to rest his head on Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulder as he suppressed a yawn, then continued asking his father even more questions. And without leaving a single one, Feng Huixin also unwearyingly answered them all.


    The night stretched longer as father and son chatted, with Wei Xiang occasionally pitching in to subtly help his lover and master get closer, though most of the time, he was content to stay at the side as a spectator and watch Qinghe and Feng Huixin reestablishing their familial bonds in their own way.


    Somewhere in the middle of Feng Huixin clarifying yet another doubt, Qinghe drifted off while listening to his father¡¯s steady and soothing voice.


    Hearing soft snores, Feng Huixin stopped speaking, looking at his sleeping son with surprise.


    Wei Xiang smiled as he whispered, not wanting to wake his little lover up, ¡°He¡¯s probably tired after having to expend some energy today in the tournament. But the very fact that he is able to fall asleep in your presence itself means that he has accepted you. Master, you can rest assured now.¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes slightly widened with the realization that his disciple was indeed right. For his son who had gone through various dangerous things and risky situations, he would definitely not fall asleep in front of someone he didn¡¯t trust. In this aspect as well, he was very like his mother.


    Repositioning Qinghe into his arms, Wei Xiang slowly stood up while carrying his beloved, being careful not to jostle him awake.


    ¡°Master, please excuse me. I¡¯ll go and lay Qinghe to bed.¡±


    Looking up at his third disciple, Feng Huixin solemnly spoke, ¡°Xiang-er, thank you for giving us time to talk and staying beside us all this time.¡±


    Hearing this, Wei Xiang showed a wry smile as he replied matter-of-factly, ¡°Master, the both of you are the people I care about the most. I would of course help you reconcile with each other.¡±


    Hearing Wei Xiang say this with an imperturbable tone, a rare impulse to tease his disciple came over Feng Huixin.


    With his usual expressionless face, he remarked, ¡°If your senior brother heard of this, he¡¯d be saddened that he wasn¡¯t included in the top two people you most care about.¡±


    Since Wei Xiang didn¡¯t want to scoff rudely right to his master¡¯s face, he deliberately turned his head away and replied, ¡°Who cares about that idiot senior brother of mine.¡±


    Not willing to discuss about Kong Min anymore, Wei Xiang walked to the bed, his steps slow and steady.


    Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes showed a smile as he watched Wei Xiang gently lying Qinghe on the bed. After removing his peacefully sleeping lover¡¯s outer robes, Wei Xiang carefully positioned him so that he would be comfortable, then covered him with a quilt.


    In a quiet tone, Feng Huixin spoke, ¡°Xiang-er, do you consider him your mate?¡±


    Wei Xiang silently walked back to the table and sat down opposite to his master. Then he simply answered, ¡°Yes, I do.¡±


    ¡°And does your beast not mind?¡± Feng Huixin couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    He didn¡¯t want his sons to end up separated and sad because of incompatibility, so he had to make sure. After all, Wei Xiang¡¯s beast instincts were a very distinct part of him. Even though he had learned to act more like a human than a spiritual beast, the effect that his heritage had on him was undeniable.


    ¡°Even if you like him, can your beast accept a mate with whom it cannot procreate?¡±


    But shaking his head easily, Wei Xiang put these worries to rest. ¡°Master, at this point, my beast is already more than enamored with him. It definitely accepts Qinghe as its mate.¡±


    Then smiling with amusement, he went on, ¡°It is actually quite satisfied that it now has a fellow predator to play and roll around with as it wants. My beast also respects Qinghe as its equal. It feels quite gleeful that it managed to capture the affections of such a sneaky and powerful predator. Rather than disliking him, I¡¯m afraid it likes him too much.¡±


    Hearing this, the corners of Feng Huixin¡¯s lips twitched as if trying to curl up. ¡°I see¡­ Then that¡¯s good.¡±


    After a while more of talking with his disciple, Feng Huixin finally got up and left to manage the Order.


    Once Wei Xiang sent his master off, he removed his outer clothes and laid down beside his little lover to also sleep.


    Outside, the moon slid across the sky as the night continued on, before a glimmer at the horizon heralded the arrival of dawn.


    The next morning, Qinghe and Wei Xiang woke up and went through their morning rituals as usual. Wei Xiang headed to the Sentinel headquarters to work while Qinghe spent the day continuously training a batch of junior disciples, including the twins, in weapons-based combat.


    By the time Qinghe finally felt that the juniors had learnt enough for one day, it was already evening.


    Keenly feeling the sweat and dust sticking to his skin, he couldn¡¯t help but wish for a warm bath. And so, Qinghe retrieved a large tub from his spatial storage, then set off to fill it with water before heating it up with a talisman. Once everything was ready, he happily got in.


    Qinghe leaned back relaxedly in the tub of warm water, his eyes closed and body loose as he wound down after a long day.


    The scene was like that of a tranquil painting, drawn with simple lines and colored in mild shades, yet exuding a relaxed and leisurely elegance that brimmed with quiet sensuality. Thin vapor rose slowly from the water, softening the picture further and lending it a dream-like quality.


    Qinghe¡¯s slick, dark hair seemed especially stark against the mild colors, glistening wetly and trailing down over a pale chest and firm back, like a waterfall of black flowing down in glossy strands. Clear rivulets of water slid over smooth and lustrous skin before plopping lightly onto the water surface.


    Steam misted over his enchanting features as he laid reposed in the tub, making his stunning face look infinitely more charming. The vapor beaded into crystalline droplets, causing his thick black lashes to glitter with moisture, the drops perched on it trembling as his eyelids eased open, revealing a pair of clear and calm eyes that shone like stars.


    The gentle sounds of rippling water sloshing placidly in the tub could be heard as the figure within shifted slightly.


    Lazily bending his head, Qinghe perused his own body with critical eyes as he wondered just what his Xiang liked about it.


    Qinghe felt mostly indifferent towards his own body and treated it as a tool that he used to accomplish things. And just like how tools must be properly maintained to keep functioning, so too did he take care of his health so that his body would remain in optimum condition and stay useful.


    But whenever Qinghe was with Wei Xiang, as he saw his beloved¡¯s gaze turning worshipful while his hands and eyes roamed over his skin, his Xiang¡¯s lips sliding over his flesh that was made sensitive by a lover¡¯s touch, Qinghe started feeling that his body might actually be somewhat beautiful.


    After all, something that made his lover show such a fascinated expression must definitely be very good, shouldn¡¯t it?


    As Qinghe pondered over this, he sensed someone approaching him quietly from behind, but he didn¡¯t turn to look.


    Soon, he heard the sounds of rustling as clothes were unfastened, and the soft shushing as they fell to the floor. Then the newly arrived person stepped closer and a pair of firm arms wrapped around Qinghe from behind, tugging him back so that his head rested on a warm and bare chest.


    Qinghe looked down to see that the arms looping around him were colored with a tint of honey that contrasted against his own pale white skin. Qinghe trailed his fingers lightly over those familiar arms, his eyes showing wonder.


    Then turning around, he tilted his head up just in time for his lover¡¯s lips to meet his in a gentle kiss.


    Without a word exchanged, Wei Xiang entered the large tub and extended a hand, and without a word spoken, Qinghe immediately lifted his bottom to accept his beloved¡¯s fingers into him.


    A few minutes of preparation later, Wei Xiang seated his little lover on his lap and entered him slowly.


    The couple softly groaned at the comfortable feeling of being fully connected once again. Though need burned under their skin, they did not immediately begin to move, just sitting there face to face and peering into each other¡¯s eyes with flushed cheeks.


    ¡°What were you thinking about just now?¡± Wei Xiang whispered in a low and intimate voice.


    ¡°¡­I was just wondering about something,¡± Qinghe replied softly.


    Smiling and nuzzling his lover, Wei Xiang prodded, ¡°Oh? Tell me.¡±


    Leaning back to escape the teasing, Qinghe rested an arm on the edge of the tub and raised his other hand, placing the fingertips over his own chest as he asked, ¡°Xiang, do you find this body pleasing?¡±


    Wei Xiang raised an eyebrow, but still dutifully responded, ¡°No matter what your body looks like, I would still find it very pleasing.¡±


    Qinghe pouted, unsatisfied by what he thought of as a placating answer.


    ¡°You¡¯re just saying that because you don¡¯t want me to get mad,¡± he complained.


    Tempted by his little lover¡¯s pout, Wei Xiang pulled him in for a kiss. Then raising his beloved up by his hips, Wei Xiang began slowly moving him up and down, making his hard member slide in and out of his little lover¡¯s tight passage.


    Clutching the edge of the tub, Qinghe momentarily forgot his dissatisfaction as breathy gasps and low moans were drawn out of him.


    But not wanting his Qinghe to misunderstand anything, Wei Xiang leaned into his beloved and explained in a hoarse whisper, ¡°No matter how your body looks, it¡¯s you, the person inhabiting it, that makes it attractive to me. I can¡¯t explain it properly, but if I had to¡­then I¡¯d say it¡¯s the way you curve your waist when you bend, the way your fingers play with your hair sometimes when you¡¯re thinking deeply about something, the emotions you display in those eyes, the way you curve your lips when you smile, the angle at which you tilt your chin¡­ All these little details that only you can make your body show are what make it pleasing to me. I only like this body because you are in it.¡±


    Qinghe had honestly not expected his Xiang to expound on this topic to this degree. Listening to his beloved¡¯s warm and pleasant voice whispering such sweet things softly into his ear, Qinghe felt his face flush further as his heart hummed with happiness.


    Breathlessly, Qinghe groused with a hint of playfulness, ¡°¡­You make it sound as if I¡¯m a ghost possessing another¡¯s body.¡±


    ¡°Love, you certainly possess my heart,¡± Wei Xiang replied smoothly with a chuckle.


    As his lover¡¯s thrusts became faster and harder, his passion winding impossibly tighter, Qinghe squeezed his eyes shut and painstakingly gasped out between pants, ¡°Xiang¡­you¡­ You¡¯re such a¡­sweet-talker¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang kissed Qinghe¡¯s closed eyelids, his lips then trailing down over his lover¡¯s cheeks as he murmured into the soft skin, ¡°Only for you, my beloved.¡±


    And the couple thus spent another sweet and gentle evening together.

 Chapter 91: Sentinel Headquarters

    The next day, Qinghe and Wei Xiang set out to the headquarters of the Order of Sentinels.


    As the son of the Sentinel Grandmaster who founded the Order, and also as the lover of Wei Xiang, who was the next leader of the Sentinels, Qinghe was now inexorably tied to the Order. As such, the Sentinels¡¯ enemies would now inevitably begin to target him as well.


    And the biggest enemy the Order currently had was undoubtedly the Black Fang criminal organization.


    Considering the fact that Qinghe had once destroyed a Black Fang base, and adding to that his connections to the Sentinels, it was only a matter of time before they came after him to exact their revenge. Therefore, Qinghe and Wei Xiang thought it was prudent for Qinghe to temporarily join forces with the Sentinels and help them rout out the Black Fang organization completely.


    To that effect, Qinghe was now walking with Wei Xiang towards the Sentinel headquarters, choosing to go by foot rather than using the shadows to learn the route.


    The headquarters was a cluster of evenly arranged buildings that was hidden within a dense and mostly unexplored jungle. Other than using the shadow realm, the only path by which one could arrive at the Order was a single, narrow, overgrown road. A well-maintained wooden bridge connected the end of this road to the gates at the entrance of the Sentinel headquarters.


    Under this wooden bridge flowed a stream of clear water that seemed to surround the entire Sentinel headquarters, which was comprised of the Order¡¯s offices at the front and the Sentinel compound at the rear. Needless to say, it was inadvisable for one to cross through the stream without using the bridge, since the stream was after all the Order¡¯s first line of defense. Who knew what all traps they would have placed within it?


    So Qinghe and Wei Xiang were currently traversing the bridge, with Qinghe looking around curiously.


    The railings on either side of the wooden bridge were made of large overlapping semicircles of transparent formations. The strings of characters and sigils that these formations were comprised of flashed and glimmered with a warm golden light. Unless one had a Sentinel¡¯s authority token or were accompanied by someone with an authority token, these formations would automatically lock down the entire length of the bridge and stop anyone from stepping even a single foot on it.


    On the other side, the buildings making up the Sentinel headquarters were surrounded by steep and smooth black walls with various invisible spiritual defenses erected over them. In the air above these walls, several large crystals hovered, ensconced in little bubbles of space that seemed removed from this world. Only something that was located in the same plane of existence as them could interfere or interact with these crystals, which meant that they were exceedingly secure and completely safe from attacks from this world. Qinghe guessed them to be components of some sort of a complex and ancient shielding formation.


    At the center of the stream running below the bridge, arranged right in the middle in a line parallel to the bank, was a row of metallic golden lotuses, the blooms evenly spaced and spanning the entire length of the stream. It was easy enough to guess that they were yet another form of defense.


    As Qinghe looked around, he found many other such things that protected the Sentinel headquarters. But no matter how well the Order was guarded, Qinghe couldn¡¯t help but think that the Sentinels¡¯ enemies would find other ways to harm them, for example, by using their loved ones and family.


    But then again, no matter how hard he tried, Qinghe realized that he actually couldn''t recall anyone ever using this sort of tactics against the Sentinels till now.


    So turning to the Wei Xiang beside him, Qinghe asked, ¡°Xiang, I¡¯m curious about something. Why have I never heard of a case where a Sentinel¡¯s family is kidnapped or held hostage to retaliate against the Order by criminal organizations? By now, the Sentinels must certainly have enough enemies who''d want to try that, won''t they?¡±


    Slowing down his pace, Wei Xiang turned to his beloved to answer. ¡°It''s not like no one has attempted it before, but Master seemed to have long since expected it, possibly because of how something similar happened to you before, and so he took appropriate precautions beforehand. He built an underground fortress to house all family and spouses of the Sentinels and to protect them from being abducted or harmed. Do you want to know where this fortress is?¡± Wei Xiang asked playfully, not at all hesitating to disclose a secret of such great import that other Sentinels would brave torture and die to guard.


    Qinghe shrugged and replied, ¡°You don''t have to tell me, I can already guess. If we go by geography and the availability of supplies and materials required for living, along with suitable natural conditions for a stable underground construction and the lack of other human inhabitation nearby¡­ hmm, you would also have to create secret passageways in case of emergency evacuations since not all family members would be able to use spiritual energy to activate transportation arrays. So the only place that can meet all these criteria is¡­the foot of the Blue Spear Mountains?¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled and praised, ¡°My little lover is so clever. Yes, it¡¯s at the base of the Blue Spear Mountains, or more accurately, under it.¡±


    Then sighing wryly, he continued, ¡°I thought that if I ever had a lover, I¡¯d hide them away there to keep them safe. Who would have known that I would be the one asking for your favor instead?¡±


    After all, if Qinghe wanted, he could easily keep avoiding the people sent for him by Black Fang for a long time. It wasn¡¯t that necessary for him to cooperate with the Sentinels. But the more time it took for the Sentinels to eradicate Black Fang, the more slippery they would become.


    Through Qinghe asking Jing Shui for the Golden Sun Sect¡¯s aid on behalf of the Sentinels, the fight against Black Fang was definitely proceeding faster, but it also made the criminal organization behave more reservedly, making it difficult to pin down its members.


    That was why Wei Xiang had asked Qinghe to lend his assistance this time. With the help of his intelligence and accumulated connections, Wei Xiang hoped his lover could lend a hand with this situation. And Qinghe had of course agreed, clearing his schedule and throwing his work to the twins once more so that he could accompany Wei Xiang to the Sentinel headquarters.


    Sighing again, Wei Xiang said, ¡°And I asked you to help even though I know that the last stage of the Hundred-Year Tournament is less than a week away. Qinghe, if it takes more than a week, you are free to leave. Master and I will handle the rest. And because you chose to do a favor to the Order this time, I will also agree to owe you one.¡±


    Qinghe smiled amusedly. ¡°Xiang, there¡¯s no need for all this. My favors to you are always freely given. You should know that.¡±


    Hearing this, Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes immediately glinted with wickedness. ¡°Then if I ask you for the favor of disrobing in front of me right now, will you do it?¡±


    His smile growing wider, Qinghe easily agreed, ¡°If you so wish.¡±


    Saying so, he lifted a hand and lightly pulled at his collar as if to immediately begin undressing. Wei Xiang¡¯s burning gaze snapped to those slender fingers, watching them as they lightly tugged at the collar, making the fabric rise to allow a glimpse underneath.


    A small slice of distinctly defined collarbones was exposed, its pale curve arching temptingly. As its warm hue was framed by the collar of the snowy white robes, the patch of revealed skin looked especially soft and tender, making one¡¯s hand itch for a touch, to caress it gently and follow the curving collarbone until it disappeared further into the robes, yearning to dip one¡¯s hand within and continue to stroke the satiny smooth skin¡­


    Wei Xiang¡¯s gaze intensified. He really, really wanted his lover to widen his collar and remove those robes completely so that he could let his eyes feast to his heart¡¯s content on his beloved¡¯s delectable body laid bare for him.


    Reading the naked want in his lover¡¯s gaze, Qinghe spoke in a teasing tone, ¡°I can take everything off if you want me to, but only if you do not mind my skin being exposed here for all to see.¡±


    Wei Xiang immediately remembered the location, his hand shooting out to halt his beloved¡¯s fingers that were still playing with the edge of the collar. Though there was no one else around them currently, it didn¡¯t mean that no one would pass this way.


    Chuckling lightly at his lover¡¯s reaction, Qinghe cocked a brow, his gaze expectant as if waiting for something.


    Wei Xiang sighed helplessly, his lips tugging up in a smile. ¡°Alright, I admit. I was at fault. I shouldn¡¯t have spoken carelessly.¡±


    Letting out a light laugh as his eyes danced with mirth, Qinghe let it go easily.


    For someone as situationally aware as his Xiang to make such a mistake, Qinghe wondered just how seductive his own appearance must seem to his beloved. He felt that this sensation of being found attractive was actually not bad. Just the thought of how enthralled his lover had looked made small bubbles of happiness rise within him.


    As the couple kept walking, each immersed in their own thoughts, they finally reached the end of the bridge, the entrance to the Order looming before them.


    Standing in front of these ebony gates and thinking of the people he would meet beyond it, Qinghe couldn¡¯t help but feel apprehensive. After all, the Sentinels could be considered Wei Xiang¡¯s family, so in a way, Qinghe felt that he was going to visit his in-laws.


    Taking a deep breath, Qinghe walked through the gates to the Order along with Wei Xiang and finally entered the headquarters.


    Past the gates, an expanse of flat and smooth grey stone stretched all the way from the entrance to a black-colored building in the distance that sprawled low on the ground. On its black roofs and equally as black walls, small gold decorations could be seen, seeming understated and tasteful as it lent the dark structure an air of majestic elegance.


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang soundlessly walked over to the building and entered.


    Inside, it was slightly darker than outdoors and strangely hushed, an atmosphere of staidness permeating throughout.


    The Sentinels walking in the halls and corridors¨Dall of them fully uniformed and equipped¨Dlooked composed and solemn as if pondering silently upon grave issues while they strode forward in a steady and measured pace. Every line of their being was stiffened with the sense of duty and uprightness, their bearing calmly confident and dignified.


    Each Sentinel they met on their way stopped what they were doing to click their heels together and bow crisply with cupped hands in salute while greeting respectfully, ¡°Senior Officer Wei.¡±


    But since Qinghe couldn¡¯t read minds, he did not know that in their hearts, all the Sentinels who saw them marveled at how this Feng Qinghe, who shockingly enough happened to be their Grandmaster¡¯s son, was also able to capture the attention of the Grandmaster¡¯s difficult-to-understand and sardonic third disciple.


    Wei Xiang could more or less guess these thoughts, his mouth quirking up in a half-smirk as he nodded in return to the Sentinels¡¯ greetings and kept walking.


    Passing through the building that contained the Order¡¯s offices, Wei Xiang led Qinghe to another set of simple and sturdy gates at the back, behind which laid the Sentinel compound. Not only was the compound where the Sentinels lived, but it was also the place where they usually trained and rested in between their shifts.


    As Qinghe entered the compound, he looked around to see that the expressions and postures of the Sentinels here were very relaxed and casual, their clothing in comfortable disarray and their movements less crisp.


    Some chatted and others sparred, the sound of teasing and laughter along with angry yells and cries echoing out constantly. The Sentinels¡¯ familiar interactions with each other in this place gave off a sense of strong brotherhood and warmth that seemed to have been kept hidden away under a veneer of strict competence while in the other building that housed the offices.


    To the left, there was a small, square-shaped, open-air training arena that was barely able to handle two people sparring at once. In it, men with their upper bodies bare fought each other with brick-like weights fastened to their shoulders, arms, stomachs, and legs.


    At the side, a slanted weapons rack offered all kinds of weapons to choose between, from various types of swords and knives, to clubs and maces, and even long bamboo sticks and staffs. The weapons all had their sharp edges blunted to avoid serious injury and their weights enhanced so that it would be more conducive to training.


    The clashes of the heavy weapons sent out dull clangs and clacks as the dueling men glared at each other with quick and assessing eyes. Their bodies moved fluidly and their strikes brimmed with focused power even as they constantly kept trying to pinpoint any gaps in their opponents'' defenses or any opening to attack.


    A group of Sentinels crowded around the little arena, a few still in their uniforms while the others were in nothing but a couple of layers of disheveled black robes. Some watched silently while the rest cheered and jeered exuberantly, the atmosphere bursting with liveliness and energy.


    Constant commentary on the fighting that was currently underway rang out¡ª


    ¡°To the left! The left, you bastard! If you hit his shoulder joint from this angle, it¡¯ll pop right¨D Ah, damn, he missed it!¡±


    ¡°Isn''t that set of moves from the Snake Flow technique that those mountain sages used against us the last time? Did this idiot end up learning yet another strange thing?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Senior Brother! Show him who he¡¯s messing with! Punch him square in the jaw¨D Yes, like that! Senior Brother, you look so handsome!¡±


    ¡°Xiao Lian, stop embarrassing him. If he loses focus and gets beat up, who will you blame?¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll shut it¨D Ah, Senior Brother, he¡¯s coming from the right! To the right! Fuck that bastard up!¡±


    ¡°Why do I even bother¡­¡±


    As the Sentinels noisily went on in this way, a surprised voice suddenly called out, ¡°Ah, Senior Officer Wei!¡±


    As soon as this sentence was uttered, a sudden silence claimed the place as every head, even the fighters¡¯, swiveled in the direction of the newly arrived Wei Xiang and Qinghe.


    Seeing the obvious fear and the need to flee flickering in most of the Sentinels¡¯ gazes as they landed on his lover, Qinghe didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry.


    A brave young man cleared his throat and spoke out, ¡°Officer Wei¡­ are you in a bad mood right now?¡±


    Because if he was, the Sentinels knew that Wei Xiang would either go and interrogate some of those vile and tight-lipped prisoners, or ask to spar with his fellow Sentinels and beat them into the ground until his displeasure was vented. So, just in case he truly was in a foul mood, the Sentinels stealthily prepared to make a run for it.


    But to their immense relief, Wei Xiang smiled happily and shook his head. Then he said, ¡°No, how could I be in a bad mood? I¡¯m naturally very content to see my dear fellow Sentinel brothers having such a good time.¡±


    A few of the Sentinels shivered at this overly cheerful tone while others rubbed the goosebumps that had risen on their arms. This uncharacteristic good cheer was so creepy! As usual, their senior officer¡¯s mood was completely unpredictable!


    Wei Xiang¡¯s smirk turned fuller with satisfaction at their fearful reactions while Qinghe shook his head at the side while chuckling softly. His lover¡¯s personality was really too weird.


    But hearing that quiet sound of amusement, glances immediately turned towards the person beside their senior officer as several voices began whispering at once.


    ¡°Is that the¡­?¡±


    ¡°Seems like it.¡±


    ¡°Woah, he looks better than I expected.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t expect that cantankerous Officer Wei to have the ability to get such a beauty. And he¡¯s the Grandmaster¡¯s son to boot!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I heard that that¡¯s who the Grandmaster has been searching for all this while.¡±


    ¡°I wonder what type of a person he is.¡±


    ¡°Well, since Officer Wei chose him¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s that Wei Xiang¡¯s partner after all.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, his personality must be equally as¡­problematic.¡±


    ¡°You said it.¡±


    Hearing these not-so-secret remarks, Wei Xiang¡¯s lips twitched.


    These rude bastards. Just wait until they were done here and he got his lover back to his sect, then he¡¯d come back for a very friendly sparring session and wipe the floor with those chattering faces.


    Seeing how Wei Xiang¡¯s smirk had become a full-blown grin, the chatting Sentinels got an ominous premonition and abruptly decided shut up. Wei Xiang might be one of the youngest Sentinels at only fourteen thousand years, but there was no way any Sentinel would consider crossing him.


    In the ensuing silence, Wei Xiang asked, ¡°Is there anything of import that I should know?¡±


    As if it was a signal, four Sentinels immediately stepped to the front, their backs straight and their expressions serious as they prepared to deliver their reports.


    Though Qinghe didn¡¯t recognize them, from all the things his lover had spoken about his work before, he deduced these four people to be Wei Xiang¡¯s lieutenants who were under his direct command.


    In a way, if it weren¡¯t for Wei Xiang¡¯s ability to competently handle the Order¡¯s affairs, Feng Huixin would not have had the time to roam about so freely in search of his son. And if not for Wei Xiang distributing some of his work between his lieutenants, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to run the entire Order of Sentinels in his master¡¯s absence all this time.


    Qinghe supposed that in a way, he did feel thankful towards these people for helping his lover and his father by sharing their burdens. That was why, he hoped that the Sentinels¨Despecially Wei Xiang¡¯s lieutenants¨Dwould be able to accept him.


    As these thoughts were swimming in Qinghe¡¯s mind, the four lieutenants had already started giving their reports as asked.


    crimson_carnation


    This novel is now being translated into Russian thanks to Lelat! You can find it in Ficbook here and at Rulate here.


    If you would prefer reading it in Russian, then you now have that option (?^ ¦Ø ^?)

 Chapter 92: The Four Lieutenants

    The first one to step forward to report was a tall man with a well-built body who moved with assurance and wild grace. He had a head of unruly dark brown hair that was put up in a loose bun and was held up with a hair stick that sat slightly askew. The sleeves of his uniform were pushed back and revealed his muscled forearms. The lines of his square jaw were defined, his lips quirked up in an open smile and his eyes burning with an intense sort of cheer.


    Matching his features with how Wei Xiang had described one of his lieutenants before, Qinghe guessed that this must be Qian Ming.


    In a low and pleasant voice, Qian Ming began his report, ¡°As requested, I took care of the infestation of Phantom Wights in the southeast. The area has been cleared and proper reparations for the damage have been offered to the nearby residential townships. Counseling appointments have already been set up for those who had confrontations with the beasts or had a negative impact on their mental health because of this issue. End of report.¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded once to show that he understood, then his gaze slid to the next person.


    This Sentinel was relatively slimmer than Qian Ming and had distinctive light-colored hair. He was the Sentinel who had accompanied Wei Xiang before while he was pursuing Jing Rui in the Liuxingyu Ruins. He also had the rare ability to ¡®taste¡¯ spiritual energy and trace it back to its source.


    Qinghe deduced from his light hair that he was Zhou Lang, the Sentinel who was in charge of cleaning up the whole imperial palace affair.


    With his eyes narrowed in a squint as he recalled the information he needed, Zhou Lang spoke in a mild and cultured voice, ¡°As you instructed, I have my men stationed in strategic points around the Valley of the Terrified Dead to monitor it from all angles. The former prince Jing Rui has not been spotted till now and there are no signs of disturbance in the barrier. However, there does seem to be an abnormal number of missing corpses in the nearby graveyards, though its connection to the valley remains uncertain. In regard to this, the demonic faction has provided a statement firmly denying their involvement with the disappearances of the bodies. End of report.¡±


    Wei Xiang frowned, then ordered, ¡°Utilize Kong Min¡¯s informatical unit and see if there is any correlation between the valley and the corpses. Investigate all recent and unusual occurrences and energy disturbances around the area. Plot the distribution and give me an estimate of the time when these corpses started disappearing. Use that pattern to find which areas were affected first. It will help us determine the origin, and there might be clues left there.¡±


    Zhou Lang nodded, ¡°As you command, Senior Officer Wei.¡±


    And with that, he turned around and left to dutifully implement Wei Xiang¡¯s orders.


    The two Sentinels who hadn¡¯t yet spoken stood close together and bore slight similarities. Qinghe guessed that they were the pair of half-brothers that his lover had told him about.


    The taller one was called Rue Xu and had long, straight black hair whose ends were tipped with a stark white. Rue Xu¡¯s eyes never seemed to meet anyone¡¯s and there was always a small frown tightening the middle of his brows, his expression seeming solemn and a little aloof. He had the rare ability to control light and was famed for his seamless illusions.


    On the other hand, Rue Xu¡¯s older half-brother, Hou Yu was a renowned fire-wielder and a reputed genius in coming up with new techniques to create and control flames of varying temperatures.


    Despite being older, Hou Yu was shorter than Rue Xu and came only up to his ear. Hou Yu¡¯s hair was slightly wavier than his brother¡¯s and tipped with a cool, sharp red at the ends. His expression was usually calm and mature, with a hint of na?vet¨¦ that didn¡¯t seem out of place on his young-looking face. His eyes were a very light brown, almost transparent, causing his black pupils to look eerily distinct in contrast.


    And from the time Qinghe had entered with Wei Xiang, those pair of eyes had been fixed on him with a queer, almost confrontational intensity.


    But despite continuously being stared at like this, Qinghe never felt any hostility from that gaze, so he had decided to let it be for now.


    Rue Xu was the first to speak, his eyes staying averted from Wei Xiang¡¯s as he said, ¡°We¡¯ve cooperated with the Queen of the Seas Hai Liang six times this past month and managed to capture the new fleet of pirates that have been trying to amass. A total of forty-two clashes with the hostiles took place in nine different locations at the seas and two different locations on land. There were no casualties, civilian or otherwise. The details have been placed on your desk for your perusal and assessment. End of report.¡±


    Now that his younger brother Rue Xu had finished talking, Hou Yu felt that it was his turn.


    Still keeping his eyes on Qinghe, Hou Yu began, ¡°The Cloud Castle has been spotted in the north. It is presumed that the Master of Skies is drifting towards the oceans after sixteen millennia over our land. We have cleared the path for the air folk and will keep vigilance to prevent interference until the Cloud Castle leaves the continent. End of Report.¡±


    Putting away the surprise these words evoked, Wei Xiang gave a short nod. ¡°Good, keep a respectful distance from the Castle¡¯s path and make sure not to disturb them.¡±


    Hou Yu reluctantly turned his head towards his senior officer and said a word of acknowledgment, ¡°Understood.¡±


    Then his gaze drifted back to lock on Qinghe again.


    Seeing this, Qinghe couldn¡¯t help but feel amused. Was he really that much more interesting than the movements of one of the Three Masters of the world?


    As for who these Three Masters were, it went like this:


    From the time this world was born, it was divided into three parts¨Dthe land, the oceans, and the skies.


    The Master of Land was the personification of all earth. The mountains and plains, deserts and forests, he could control them and ruled over them all.


    Some said that he lived in a hidden fissure deep inside the earth surrounded by rivers of magma. Others said he made his lair in the most dangerous depths of the Spirit Bewildering Forest. And yet some others spoke of how his abode was a crystal cave that lay deep in the heart of an unknown spiritual mountain. But no matter how many speculations abounded, the truth was that his location remained unknown.


    The Master of Oceans, on the other hand, was the personification of all water. All the myriad ponds and lakes, seas and oceans, belonged to him and were under his command.


    He resided in a lavish palace in the darkest waters beyond the reach of any humans or beasts. It was said that he was on friendly terms with the Pirate Queen Hai Liang since he found her personality curious and fascinating, and he even occasionally helped her in her quest of keeping the seas safe.


    The Master of Skies, as expected, kept watch over the skies that stretched over the entire world.


    She was renowned for her laziness and spent her days sleeping in her Cloud Castle, which drifted over the world as it pleased. With her power, she fashioned a new race called the air folk, whose only purpose was to ensure her comfort and do her work in her stead.


    Though these Three Masters all had a preferred physical form they usually appeared in, they were genderless for the most part. The number of times any of the three showed themselves in the world could be counted on one hand without even using up all the fingers. They were extremely reclusive, to the point where not only the mortals, but even most cultivators thought their existence to be a myth.


    But as the protectors of the inhabitants of this world, the Sentinels had long since kept their eyes on the Three Masters, for the fates of these mysterious beings were inexorably tied to the very world itself.


    And as long as the world existed, the Three Masters would exist along with it.


    That was why the movement of the Master of Skies was such a big deal to the Sentinels. And yet, Hou Yu easily put it aside and kept staring at Qinghe, puzzling him to no end.


    But Hou Yu wasn¡¯t the only one interested in the Grandmaster¡¯s long lost son and Wei Xiang¡¯s lover.


    Now that the lieutenants¡¯ reports had been duly given, the attention of all Sentinels also turned towards Qinghe as they peered at him curiously. Unperturbed, Qinghe also looked back at them with inquisitive eyes as he studied the people his lover worked with.


    But then, when his gaze fell over two particular Sentinels at the side, Qinghe¡¯s eyes widened imperceptibly.


    Why did the lines of their faces seem familiar? Where had he seen them before?


    Sensing his gaze, those two Sentinels who had been standing apart from the others at an awkward distance looked at Qinghe with guilt clearly displayed on their faces.


    With puzzlement, Qinghe asked them, ¡°Have we met before?¡±


    The two Sentinels suddenly found themselves pinned under the intent gazes of every person in the room and gulped nervously.


    One of them looked down as if unable to bear the weight of so many eyes while the other cleared his throat and answered meekly, ¡°If you are who we think you are, then, uh, yes, we did meet before. We were also there a-at the¡­orphanage.¡±


    Qinghe felt something squeezing in his chest all of a sudden, but he quickly regained control of his emotions.


    Since he had decided not to wear an appearance changing talisman while meeting his beloved¡¯s family today, he was in his original appearance that retained a noticeable similarity to his childhood self. So it was no surprise that these two people were able to recognize him. Adding on to that how his name would have become known to every Sentinel due to his association with their Grandmaster and Wei Xiang, being recognized was unavoidable.


    Clearing away these thoughts, Qinghe finally responded, ¡°I¡­see. So you joined the Sentinels. That¡¯s good.¡±


    The two Sentinels only looked even more awkward.


    The one who had spoken before started talking again, ¡°Yes, after you were taken away by that old man, the rest of us were quickly rescued from that place by the Sentinels. Because of that, the both of us admired them very much, so we wanted to join the Order. After years of training, we finally managed to officially gain the rank of an officer a couple of days ago.¡±


    Not knowing what to say to this, Qinghe only nodded. In a way, he felt that it was ironic, since he did finally remember where he had seen these two new Sentinels before.


    Back when he and Yan Lin had been bullied at the orphanage, it was these two and their gang who were at the forefront. For his past bullies to now greet him as Sentinels who upheld the law, what could it be called if not an irony?


    But all that was long ago, and what they did had been a result of the circumstances and their own youth. As children growing up in such an abusive environment, they wouldn¡¯t have known right from wrong, so Qinghe was prepared to forgive them and put the whole matter aside without bringing it up.


    However, to his surprise, one of the two Sentinels who hadn¡¯t spoken till now finally opened his mouth and said while offering a deep bow, ¡°We are sorry! Even if we were children, we shouldn¡¯t have done what we did back then. We shouldn¡¯t have beat up on you and Yan Lin. It was wrong and unnecessarily cruel. I hope you can forgive us. But if you can¡¯t accept this apology, then I understand. We truly¨D¡±


    But shaking his head, Qinghe interrupted him, ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anymore, I know. Please get up.¡±


    The bowing Sentinel slowly straightened. He and his companion looked anxiously at Qinghe as if waiting for his condemnation.


    The other Sentinels also looked on at this sudden dramatic turn of events with interest. How this little disciple handled this situation would tell them a lot about his personality. And since these Sentinels were all more or less trained on how to assess people, they could glean a lot from such an opportunity.


    With calm eyes and a pleasant smile, Qinghe spoke, ¡°I will not blame you for matters that have long passed and are now beyond our control. Whatever you did, it was the product of adverse circumstances and your own lack of maturity as a child. No one, except the wardens at the orphanage, is to blame for that. And now that you have taken positions among the ranks of an organization like the Order of Sentinels, you can help prevent other situations like ours from occurring. I have nothing but respect for your choice. But I do hope that you will deliver apologies with the same sincerity to Yan Lin as well. He suffered at that place far more than I did.¡±


    The two Sentinels could only stare at Qinghe uncomprehendingly.


    The Qinghe they had known at the orphanage had been a feisty little brat who was so good at fighting that it was frightening. He was scarily cold sometimes and very cunning¡ªso much so that they had seen even the wardens occasionally shooting him fearful expressions.


    As the only one who had ever managed to escape the orphanage countless times, only to be unfortunately captured again and again, Qinghe had more or less earned the admiration and respect of a lot of kids.


    And yet that fiery little boy had now grown to look as distant as the stars and as placid as a pool of still water. His temperament was exceedingly calm and composed, his words gracious and reasonable. He exuded elegance and a bone-deep grace that made him seem completely unlike how he had been back at the orphanage.


    This stark difference dumbfounded the two Sentinels, but they soon put aside their shock and bowed in gratitude. ¡°Thank you for forgiving us! We will definitely do as you say.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s smile remained tranquil as he nodded.


    Seeing this exchange, the Sentinels¡¯ expressions softened. They had expected this little disciple¡¯s personality to be as bad as Wei Xiang¡¯s, but it seemed that he was unexpectedly reasonable and forgiving, just like their own Grandmaster.


    He didn¡¯t at all seem petty or like the type of person who held deep grudges for the slightest grievances. His disposition also remained refined and polite even though he had to face people who he had all rights to hate and be angry with. Though they could sense some coldness, they could also feel traces of kindness in his words.


    The Sentinels felt their caution towards him melting and their impression of this little cultivator improving drastically. Despite his young age, he had handled the situation in such a mature way.


    And now that they looked at him, Qinghe¡¯s face was also very tender and young, seeming to have barely exited his teens. In consideration of his truly young age of thirty-six, which was in stark contrast to the Sentinels¡¯ own lives that spanned several thousands of years, the Sentinels couldn¡¯t help the burst of brotherly affection sprouting for this young man.


    Also considering how this person was their Senior Officer Wei¡¯s beloved and their Grandmaster¡¯s son, they finally decided to accept Qinghe as their younger brother, even beginning to feel somewhat protective towards him.


    Sensing the subtle change in his fellow Sentinels¡¯ attitudes, Wei Xiang raised a brow in amusement. If only they knew of his little lover¡¯s true personality, they would definitely not be so quick to soften towards him or so easily dismiss him as a potential threat.


    Spurred on by these new feelings of brotherhood, Qian Ming spoke up cheerfully, ¡°Little Brother, you really are very different from our bad-tempered senior officer! Why, if someone had wronged him, he would definitely have not let them off this easily! It¡¯s good that he has such an understanding partner to complement his terrible personality!¡±


    Qinghe felt his mouth twitch at this strange show of cordiality while Wei Xiang only smiled wider. Well, if one of his lieutenants had the energy to bad mouth him in front of his little lover, then he better have the energy to do the extra work that was soon going to be assigned to him as well.


    Oblivious to the pit he had dug for himself, Qian Ming went on, ¡°And you are also as magnanimous as our Grandmaster, truly the qualities of his son!¡±


    Saying so, Qian Ming unthinkingly reached out a hand to pat Qinghe¡¯s head.


    Qinghe stiffened, trying not to flinch as he attempted to mentally prepare himself to be touched by an unfamiliar person.


    But before Qian Ming could get any closer, Wei Xiang swiftly shot out his hand and held his lieutenant¡¯s wrist in an unrelenting grip.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch him,¡± Wei Xiang cautioned darkly.


    Though Qian Ming felt surprised, he didn¡¯t attempt to struggle in Wei Xiang¡¯s hold and just frowned disapprovingly. ¡°Now, now, Senior Officer Wei. You know just as much as I do that this sort of excessively possessive behavior is toxic in a relationship. Beast instincts or not, if you truly care for your lover, then you should nip this sort of conduct in the bud.¡±


    Hearing this, Qinghe felt faintly startled, but then understood.


    Due to the nature of their job, most Sentinels were trained in the profiling of various kinds of people, including criminals and victims. Thus, it was hardly surprising that they would know about abusive characteristics like overly possessive behavior even as they tried to stop them whenever they came across it.


    However, Wei Xiang simply snorted in reply to his lieutenant¡¯s chiding words and let go of Qian Ming¡¯s wrist as he explained, ¡°That wasn¡¯t why I stopped you. Qinghe doesn¡¯t like to be touched.¡±


    Though that was all he said, the Sentinels all understood immediately. If one was averse to touch, then it was either due to mysophobia, or the result of some past trauma. Either way, none of them would push after understanding this.


    With a chagrined look, Qian Ming rubbed the back of his head and spoke sincerely, ¡°Ah, then I offer my apologies, Little Brother. I didn¡¯t know.¡±


    Carefully hiding the relief he felt at not having to be touched, Qinghe shook his head and smiled gracefully, ¡°Please, there¡¯s no need for such formalities. You are after all my lover¡¯s family.¡±


    At the side, the Hou Yu who had been intently staring at Qinghe all this time almost couldn¡¯t help himself. This new little brother was really so adorable! His personality also seemed so soft and cute! He didn¡¯t want to take his eyes off of this lovable-looking person for even a second!


    But feeling aggrieved that he couldn¡¯t touch him, Hou Yu hid his itchy hands in his sleeves. If he accidentally did something this new little brother didn¡¯t like¨Dfor example, losing control over his fingers and squeezing those soft-looking cheeks¨Dthen he might get hated by this cute person, and Hou Yu couldn¡¯t have that!


    Wei Xiang looked at the intense gaze his fellow officer was shooting at his little lover and could only shake his head wryly. He could more or less guess what was going on behind that seemingly annoyed expression of his lieutenant.


    At the side, the grim-faced Rue Xu lifted a hand and patted his older half-brother¡¯s head in comfort, his eyes affectionate. He could also understand what Hou Yu was thinking about. But seeing how understanding and sensible their senior officer¡¯s lover seemed to be in spite of his youth, he couldn¡¯t blame his cuteness-loving older brother for showing such a reaction.


    On the other hand, Qinghe only felt that the strange gaze being directed at him had intensified and felt confused. Why was this Sentinel Hou so focused on him?


    Leaning down to peck his little lover on the forehead, Wei Xiang redirected Qinghe¡¯s attention and reminded, ¡°We should go and meet Master and decide on how to deal with Black Fang.¡±


    Recalling the reason he came here in the first place, Qinghe nodded. ¡°Do you know where he is now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he seems to be near the holding cells. Let¡¯s go and meet him now,¡± Wei Xiang said, then began heading back to the building that housed the offices while leading Qinghe along with him.


    Qian Ming, Rue Xu, and Hou Yu dutifully followed behind, along with a few other bored or curious Sentinels.


    After using a transportation array that was drawn onto the floor of a meticulously guarded room, the group was sent to an underground prison facility where criminals were kept in widely-spaced cells.


    Here in the prison, the entire ceiling gave off a faint glow, making the corridor stretching between the prison cells seem lit by bright and evenly diffused sunlight.


    When this light hit the walls just right, it reflected off of several tiny and complex sigils set into the white stone surface, setting them aglow. The floor, on the other hand, was a deep, dark black with faint wisps of gold languorously drifting through it.


    Qinghe guessed all these mystical sights to be just a small and visible part of the measures taken to prevent the criminals from escaping this underground prison.


    After going through the transportation array, the group of one cultivator and several Sentinels had appeared on a small raised platform at the end of the corridor. As they stepped down from it and discussed about where they should go to meet with the Grandmaster, the person in question himself rounded a corner and strode towards them.


    Following behind Feng Huixin was a cheery-looking Kong Min.


    ¡°Hello, what a crowd we have here!¡± Kong Min exclaimed happily in welcome before his sight landed on Qinghe. ¡°And Little Bro, you¡¯re here too? You¡¯re just in time! We were just thinking about new ways of extracting information from a Black Fang member we captured a while ago. Come and join us.¡±


    Qinghe couldn¡¯t help but feel amused. It seemed that just like how most in-laws invited their family member¡¯s spouse to dinner, his lover¡¯s senior brother was inviting him to take part in an interrogation.

 Chapter 93: A Familiar Prisoner

    ¡°Qinghe, how are you?¡± Feng Huixin asked his son with concern in his eyes.


    Shifting his attention from Kong Min, Qinghe turned to his father to offer a greeting. But though his first impulse was to bow, in the end, Qinghe managed to curb it.


    If his father truly cared for him, then bowing would only highlight their distance and seem like an insult. And if his father didn¡¯t truly care about him, then bowing would only be an insult to himself. However, by now, Qinghe was almost certain of his father¡¯s concern for him.


    With a small but genuine smile, Qinghe finally responded, ¡°Grandmaster, I am well, and I hope you are fine as well.¡±


    Feng Huixin nodded, affection warming his calm eyes. His strict staidness seemed to have noticeably softened, the heavy power hanging around him starting to unconsciously wrap around his son as if to protect him.


    At the side, Kong Min felt ignored and pouted playfully, ¡°Little Bro, where is my greeting?¡±


    With laughter dancing in his eyes, Qinghe spoke teasingly, ¡°Sentinel Kong, it¡¯s been a while since we last met. I hope you won¡¯t send any arrows my way this time.¡±


    Waving his hand, Kong Min gave a strained chuckle. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Little Bro, they were not completely mine anyway.¡±


    ¡°What were not yours? The arrows? But weren¡¯t they made with your spiritual force?¡± Qinghe asked, tilting his head confusedly.


    A strange expression flashed over Kong Min¡¯s face as he shook his head in answer. As various thoughts flickered in his mind, Kong Min lifted his hand and absentmindedly began rubbing the middle of his chest in a nervous tic.


    Seeing this, Feng Huixin spoke up from the side, ¡°Min-er, you used it again?¡±


    Already knowing the answer to this, Wei Xiang cast a meaningful glance at his senior brother.


    Kong Min coughed lightly to dissipate the strange tension that suddenly weighed the air as he shuffled his feet restlessly. ¡°I borrowed a bit from him the last time I met your son, and I also finished giving him the payment for it after that. Master, you don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    Feng Huixin nevertheless frowned lightly in concern.


    However, Qinghe looked at them both with puzzlement written on his face. ¡°Sentinel Kong, what did you borrow and from whom?¡±


    The way Kong Min spoke of it made Qinghe think that he had borrowed the power of those green arrows from someone, but¡­that sounded too strange, didn¡¯t it? At least, Qinghe didn¡¯t remember ever hearing of such a thing before.


    To his knowledge, unless two people were close and kept bodily contact, they couldn¡¯t pass power between them. Also, on that day when he first met and fought with Kong Min, the Sentinel had clearly not kept physical contact with anyone while forming and shooting out those arrows.


    Answering his inquisitive lover in his senior brother¡¯s stead, Wei Xiang spoke, ¡°The power of those arrows came from the Master of Land. He occasionally lends this senior brother of mine some of his power whenever he asks.¡±


    Hearing that one of the Three Masters of this world¨Despecially the mysterious Master of Land who held sway over all of the earth¨Doccasionally shared his power so easily when asked, Qinghe couldn¡¯t help but widen his eyes in shock.


    Meanwhile, Wei Xiang turned to Kong Min and reproached in a displeased tone, ¡°Why are you still borrowing from that bastard?¡±


    Looking away guiltily, Kong Min replied in a light voice, ¡°I only do it sometimes. Junior Brother, don¡¯t give me that disappointed look. You¡¯ll break my fragile little glass heart.¡±


    Wei Xiang remained unamused. ¡°Kong Min, stop fooling around. I thought we already decided that you won¡¯t keep contact with him¨D¡±


    Kong Min interrupted him with a dramatic roll of his eyes. ¡°Alright, alright, let¡¯s discuss this another time. He is a weird fellow but¡­despite everything, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s all that dangerous. Let¡¯s leave it be for now and trust that I know how to take care of myself, yes?¡±


    Wei Xiang looked at him with a complicated gaze, then sighed and shook his head. ¡°Very well. But if you feel threatened, you will come to us.¡±


    Sensing the care in his junior brother¡¯s voice, Kong Min¡¯s face split into a happy grin.


    Slapping Wei Xiang on the shoulder, Kong Min declared, ¡°Of course I will! With such a dependable Officer Wei at my side, why would I bear with any grievances?¡±


    Wei Xiang sighed heavily once more and massaged his forehead. Dealing with this senior brother of his was just so taxing.


    Seeing this scene, Qinghe felt amused. If he didn¡¯t know better, he would definitely mistake Wei Xiang to be the exasperated senior brother and Kong Min to be the troublesome junior brother.


    As if abruptly remembering something, Kong Min suddenly turned to Qinghe and exclaimed, ¡°Ah! I almost forgot! It¡¯s about that Black Fang member I said we were going to interrogate. Little Bro, I think you are already acquainted with him?¡±


    Qinghe blinked as he tried to recall how he could have become acquainted with someone from Black Fang, then his eyes cleared in realization. The only possibility was that this prisoner was the boss from the Black Fang base who had tortured him before and stabbed him with his sword.


    ¡°I suppose you could say that I have met him,¡± Qinghe finally replied.


    At the side, Wei Xiang narrowed his eyes as a slight smile bent his lips, but he didn¡¯t say anything.


    Feng Huixin didn¡¯t yet know that this prisoner was the one who had hurt his son, so he only looked once at Wei Xiang askance before turning around and saying, ¡°It¡¯s better if we start soon.¡±


    As Feng Huixin started walking, Qinghe and the Sentinels followed behind. They passed through several passages, all of which seemed to look the same, and also glimpsed several prisoner cells on the way, both empty and occupied.


    The space under the walls, floor, and ceiling of these cells, as well as the prison bars at the front, were lined with a generous amount of spirit-suppressing material, along with layers and layers of other spells and talismans stacked over it, all to prevent even the slightest chance of escape. But from the outside, none of these measures were visible.


    After a few minutes, the group finally arrived near a cell that had an entire corridor to itself.


    Through the thick and closely set vertical bars of the cell, they could see a figure inside. He wore disheveled black robes and sat cross-legged at a small distance from the black bars.


    Qinghe was at first surprised to sense that there was no spirit-suppressing material or any other form of spiritual defenses present in this cell, but then he understood why.


    The person inside the cell seemed to have had his soul sealed.


    Since the restrictions currently on his own soul had also been borne out of a Soul Sealing spell, Qinghe sensed it with particular clarity.


    And since the prisoner now had the spell cast on him, it meant that he couldn¡¯t use spiritual energy at all and that his strength was reduced to a mortal¡¯s, so just a regular secure cell would be enough to fully contain him.


    As the large group silently made their way towards him, the prisoner looked up blankly.


    His eyes curiously studied the predominantly black-clad crowd of Sentinels with a sneer. Since he had never before been visited by the Grandmaster, he didn¡¯t recognize Feng Huixin. But when he saw Wei Xiang, a flicker of recognition and fear sliced across the prisoner¡¯s eyes as his body let out an involuntary shudder.


    As he quickly retracted his gaze and looked away, his eyes landed on the only white-robed person in this sea of black who also just happened to be standing beside Wei Xiang.


    But unexpectedly, this was actually someone the prisoner had met before.


    Seeing that enchanting face and recalling that this was the person due to whom he had ended up being captured, a hint of vicious hate twisted the prisoner¡¯s face.


    Opening his mouth, he spoke in a roughened voice that rose and fell erratically. ¡°Oho, here comes the beauty I tortured the last time. I truly didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯d have the ability to land me in such a predicament. By the way, what did you give these Sentinels to allow you into such a restricted area? Let me guess, did you use that face to bewitch these serious officers and fuck your way in? Tell me, how many people did you need to ¡®convince¡¯ using that delectable-looking body of yours, hmm?¡±


    Wei Xiang immediately whipped his head towards the cell as the prisoner¡¯s hoarse laughter rang out wretchedly.


    Meanwhile, Qinghe remained unruffled in the face of such provoking, looking as sedate and unconcerned as ever. It was as if no amount of filthy words could reach him enough to even stain the very edge of his robes.


    At the side, Feng Huixin felt fury igniting within him that someone would dare talk to his beloved son in such a way, especially someone who seemed to have tortured him!


    But he was forced to tamp down his own rage due to uncertainty. Feng Huixin truly did not know enough about this grown-up version of his son to discern whether any interference at this point would be appreciated. But seeing Qinghe¡¯s calm expression, Feng Huixin reluctantly decided to stand down for now.


    Taking the cue from their Grandmaster, the other Sentinel¡¯s also decided not to act yet, though their expressions showed varying degrees of anger, the most noticeable being Hou Yu¡¯s wrathful expression. He really, really wanted to take away that cute person from this vile-mouthed prisoner! But seeing how everyone seemed to have decided to not butt in, he barely managed to control himself.


    Suddenly finding himself the focus of so many fierce glares, the prisoner let out a jittery laugh. More infuriating words began tumbling out of his mouth as if in a nervous reflex as he defiantly stared back at the person he feared the most, ¡°What, Sentinel Wei? I bet you had a go at him too like the rest of them, didn¡¯t you? So are you jealous now? Jealous that I saw more of your boy toy than you ever did? That¡¯s right! You would have only seen his skin till now, but I saw much farther into the depths of him! I cut him up and saw his muscles, veins, organs, and all the way down to those white, white bones! Everything about him is so pretty that I could hardly hold myself back from¨D¡±


    The prisoner abruptly cut himself off in the middle as he beheld Wei Xiang¡¯s furious appearance. His eyes had turned a brilliant gold as he began to stalk towards the cell, his expression promising violence.


    But before Wei Xiang took a couple of steps in that direction, the prisoner completely lost his nerve and began screeching, ¡°No, no, stay away, stay away! I¡¯ll kill myself if you come near me again, you monster, you inhuman beast! I-I¡­I¡¯ll swallow my tongue and choke on it! Don¡¯t you dare fucking get any closer!¡±


    But since the cells were equipped with spells that would prevent such self-harming behavior, this threat held no weight at all.


    And yet, Wei Xiang suddenly stopped, not because of the prisoner¡¯s words, but because he could feel his little lover¡¯s finger¡¯s lightly gripping the back of his robe as if asking him to stop. And so Wei Xiang halted, and with great effort, he pushed down all the rage boiling in him like torrid magma.


    Sensing his beloved¡¯s agreement to go no further, Qinghe also let go of the robe.


    Bringing his temper back under control, Wei Xiang slowly walked to the wall opposite to the cell and leaned back against it, his arms folded and his posture casual. His expression turned sharply amused, a corner of his mouth quirked up in a mocking half-smile. But with just a look, one could clearly feel the vast magnitude of the rampaging emotions hidden just under that seemingly uncaring fa?ade.


    On the other hand, with his eyes wide and his body trembling violently, the prisoner pressed his lips together and stared at Wei Xiang like helpless prey watching the movements of a vicious and hungry predator.


    Though he didn¡¯t know why his tormentor had suddenly changed his mind and backed away, the prisoner knew better than to provoke this Sentinel Wei any further.


    Seeing all this play out, though Qinghe felt warm at the open care his lover, father, and the Sentinels were showing him, he didn¡¯t feel much else. He neither hated nor liked this person who had once tortured him gleefully, but if the prisoner did not reveal the information the Sentinels sought from him, Qinghe was afraid that he would nevertheless have to hurt him.


    ¡°What have you been able to extract from him?¡± Qinghe asked his father.


    Feng Huixin seemed surprised at being addressed by his son, but he quickly replied, ¡°I haven¡¯t taken part in the interrogation till now, but he seems to be surprisingly tightlipped. We haven¡¯t been able to get much from him.¡±


    Then turning to Wei Xiang, Feng Huixin asked, ¡°Xiang-er, are there any new developments?¡±


    Qinghe blinked, feeling startled. So his lover had been the one in charge of interrogating this prisoner? Well, that at least explained his obvious terror while facing Wei Xiang.


    Of course, Qinghe didn¡¯t know that not only had Wei Xiang regularly delivered to this prisoner and his subordinates the ruthless punishment he¡¯d promised so long ago while standing among the ruins of the Black Fang base, he had also brought along the twins to witness it a few times as they¡¯d asked to back then.


    But Wei Xiang didn¡¯t intend to remind Qinghe of all that now.


    ¡°No, he didn¡¯t give up anything else of worth. It seems that conventional means won¡¯t work on this one,¡± Wei Xiang responded to his master with a shrug.


    Standing beside him, Qian Ming spoke up, ¡°Senior Officer Wei, if even someone as merciless and sadistic as you can¡¯t get much out of him, then I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll be useful to us. Can¡¯t we just throw this trash into the detention facility and let him rot his life away there?¡±


    With his usual frown, Rue Xu disagreed. Trying not to meet anyone¡¯s gaze, he refuted, ¡°He is the best lead we have to gain information on Black Fang right now. None of the others seem to know anything important. If there is a chance we can get anything at all from him, then we should at least give it another go.¡±


    Hou Yu pointedly nodded. Yes, someone who talked bad about that cute person needed to be hurt more!


    Wei Xiang showed a helpless smile, ¡°Even if you say that, there¡¯s nothing more I can do. It seems that this one is close enough to the leader of Black Fang that he has been trained in keeping his mouth shut when normal means of interrogation are used. But if we can find some unconventional means, he might open up.¡±


    Listening to all this, Qinghe showed a conflicted expression.


    Then firming his resolve, he finally interjected, ¡°I think I have a way of making him talk, but it will only be temporary. And I¡¯ll need to spend some time conversing with him beforehand to condition him appropriately for it.¡±


    Though the others all looked at Qinghe with curious eyes, Wei Xiang only looked worried.


    ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?¡±


    Smiling as usual, Qinghe reassured his lover, ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ll be the one getting hurt.¡±


    Qinghe then turned to his father. ¡°Grandmaster, may I?¡±


    Feng Huixin felt a little lost when faced with his son¡¯s clearly expectant look in this sort of circumstance.


    On one hand, he still saw Qinghe as his little son and was obviously averse to letting him do something like interrogating a prisoner. But on the other hand, he had to acknowledge that Qinghe had grown up to be a capable man of his own who had experienced a lot. Feng Huixin did not want to seem like he was being a controlling father or belittling his son¡¯s capability in this situation. In the end, he could only vow to himself that he would stop Qinghe if he noticed something going wrong.


    And so, after a while of contemplation, Feng Huixin finally nodded.


    Having gained the necessary approval, Qinghe turned and walked towards the cell and stopped a bit away from the bars.


    Within the cell, after having calmed down again, the prisoner showed an expression of open disdain towards this white-robed cultivator. In an attempt to frighten him, the prisoner spat, ¡°Do you think the Black Fang will let you get away so easily after what you did to one of our territories? Even if they haven¡¯t figured out that you were the one behind it, it won¡¯t be long before they find out and come hunting for you!¡±


    But these clearly threatening words did not elicit the fearful reaction he expected.


    With an unmoved expression, the white-clad cultivator only looked at him with an unfathomably deep gaze.


    ¡°I have no fear of your organization. They cannot do anything to me. But if I cooperate with the Sentinels, it will only be a matter of time before the entire Black Fang organization is brought to heel,¡± Qinghe responded in a deliberately cold and expressionless way.


    Growing incensed, the prisoner shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t think that we of the Black Fang are that easy to deal with!¡±


    Qinghe raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. ¡°¡®Black Fang¡¯ is really such an appropriate name for your organization. After all, what is a black fang if not just the rotten tooth of an animal? All we need to do is to pull it out by the root to halt the spread of decay.¡±


    The prisoner felt veins popping up on his forehead. How could this person keep infuriating him so?! Even when he had been torturing him back then, this white-robed cultivator had been this way! And how did he make the name of such a distinguished and feared criminal organization sound so ridiculous?! He wished he could just tear this cultivator part, or better yet, get to torture him for a few more rounds!


    In a voice that quivered with anger, the prisoner warned, ¡°You should be careful what you say. You think you¡¯re powerful because you have a few Sentinels to do your bidding? Ha! Do you know who I am? I¡¯m Jian Huan! I have the backing of the leader of the entire Black Fang, Yuan Sheng himself! And just in case you¡¯re ignorant enough to not know, let me enlighten you¡ªhe¡¯s an expert at tenth realm with two hundred thousand years of experience under his belt! Can any of your pet Sentinels compare?¡±


    Then randomly pointing at a certain Sentinel, the prisoner Jian Huan shouted, ¡°Can that pretty face compare? I bet he can¡¯t!¡±


    Qinghe felt like laughing, but he forced himself to maintain a cold and calm face. ¡°If you are speaking of him that way, then I presume you do not know who the person you are pointing your finger at is.¡±


    Jian Huan simply sneered, ¡°Whoever he is, he can¡¯t be stronger than my leader. Or what? Are you saying that you somehow managed to get a demigod to fuck you? Or better yet, the Grandmaster himself?! Don¡¯t be so conceited!¡±


    Both father and son looked at each other with almost the same expression of mild disgust showing in their eyes.


    The Kong Min who had been silent up till now suddenly burst out into raucous laughter.


    In a voice strained from still giggling, he said, ¡°Oh, this is too¡­really, so oblivious! You¡­Jian Huan, was it? How can you be a member of Black Fang and not even recognize the face of your enemy leader?¡±


    The prisoner looked confused for a second before the words sank in. His face abruptly paled. ¡°No¡­are you joking?¡±


    His laughter giving way to chuckles, Kong Min exclaimed with all due drama, ¡°Of course I¡¯m not joking! I would never! But the cute little righteous cultivator you accused of sleeping with that¨Dpardon me for saying this Master¨D¡¯pretty face¡¯, as you put it, is actually the Grandmaster¡¯s son. And guess what? The person you just pointed at is our one and only great Grandmaster himself!¡±


    Both Qinghe and Feng Huixin looked at Kong Min helplessly. Would it hurt him to not give them such a weird introduction?


    Jian Huan looked at Feng Huixin with terrified eyes.


    Then his gaze slid to Qinghe as he spoke incredulously, ¡°T-That¡­ If you¡¯re the Grandmaster¡¯s son...then wouldn¡¯t that mean that¡­you¡¯re a¡­deity? That¡¯s impossible!¡±


    Neither confirming nor denying it outright, Qinghe tilted his head as he asked evenly, ¡°What¡¯s so impossible about that?¡±


    ¡°You let me torture and stab you! Would you have let my sword near you if you had that much power and ability?!¡± Jian Huan screamed frantically as if to convince himself.


    Qinghe¡¯s face remained placid as he replied, ¡°Oh? And do you not remember what happened to your fake heavenly sword? I think it was called¡­Soul Sucker, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Soul Devourer!¡±


    Waving a hand dismissively, Qinghe continued, ¡°Whatever it was called, you do remember how it ended up, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Jian Huan recalled how his treasured sword had turned pure white after absorbing a bit of this cultivator¡¯s soul, then shattered as if unable to contain that much power. For even a fragment of his soul to contain that much raw energy¡­it was entirely possible for such a soul to be heavenly in origin.


    His face paling further until it look ghastly, Jian Huan looked at Qinghe with wide eyes. It couldn¡¯t be¡­that this person truly was a trueborn deity?!


    Answering the unvoiced question, Qinghe silently nodded.


    ¡°Then¡­how can you¡­ you were clearly so weak¡­¡± Jian Huan mumbled disconsolately.


    In a cold voice tinged with aloofness, Qinghe responded unconcernedly, ¡°Are you still unable to figure it out? I was only acting weak at that time, but I was always in control. Everything you did, I let you do. Everything that happened panned out exactly the way I planned.¡±


    Hearing this and seeing Qinghe¡¯s dispassionate appearance as he spoke of it, Jian Huan felt horror creeping into him as his mind churned disbelievingly.


    So even when he had this person completely trussed up and had his cultivation sealed so thoroughly, even though he had a building full of people from Black Fang to support him, some of whom were actual cultivators with decent levels, and even though he had been able to torture this cultivator and wound him so terribly with his sword, despite all of this, everything had still been under this man¡¯s control the entire time?!


    This was beyond terrifying!


    How could a man manipulate all those events and calculate everything to such an extent?!


    Seeing Jian Huan¡¯s expression beginning to twist with shock and fear, Qinghe sighed inwardly. The truth was hardly as he had painted it just now, but he couldn¡¯t let this prisoner know that.


    After all, the entire reason for Qinghe conversing like this with Jian Huan was to remove the impression he had of him as that of a powerless person, and to replace it with the notion that Qinghe was someone to be feared.


    And looking at Jian Huan¡¯s face, it seemed to have been successful.


    The reason why Qinghe had to do this was simple. It was so that during interrogation, the predominant emotion the prisoner would feel would be fear of him.


    This sort of fear would make him more frantic and help break down his mental walls. It would also act as a deterrent against lies or misdirection. And feeling fear like this during an interrogation would mean placing power over himself in the hands of the interrogator.


    So now that this conditioning had succeeded, it was time to finally begin interrogating the prisoner.

 Chapter 94: Cold Interrogation

    Qinghe turned to look at his father. ¡°Grandmaster, I would like to begin.¡±


    Hearing this, Feng Huixin paused, then he turned and nodded to one of the Sentinels.


    The female Sentinel immediately stepped forward with a strange and intricately cut circular key that was a third the size of a palm. She inserted half of the key into a hidden slot, and with a soundless click that was more felt than heard, a section of the black bars of the prison cell swung outward like a door.


    The Sentinels all watched the prisoner sitting within the cell with vigilance in case he tried to escape, but Jian Huan only kept looking at Qinghe with wide eyes and lips pursed so tightly that they turned white.


    As Qinghe stepped into the cell through the opening, the Sentinel with the key whispered with unhidden concern, ¡°Be careful, Little Brother.¡±


    Qinghe gave a small nod to her and continued inside. By the end of this interrogation, he doubted she or anyone would maintain this caring attitude towards him, but that was something to be seen later.


    The Sentinel closed the cell door behind Qinghe and reluctantly removed the key from its slot to once again lock the door securely.


    With eagle eyes, every person standing on the other side of the bars focused their attention into the cell. If there was even the slightest danger to Qinghe, they would act immediately.


    In their minds, Qinghe was someone who was soft to the point of being kind even to those who¡¯d harmed him, as was proved by his forgiving behavior before with the two new Sentinels who had bullied him in the orphanage. The Sentinels did not believe that such a Qinghe could be cruel or coldhearted enough to torture someone to gain information. They thought that he would probably converse with the prisoner and try to convince him with persuasive words that it would be in his best interests to give up everything he knew.


    As for why he needed to spend time talking to the prisoner before, it was obviously to gain a better understanding of his character!


    ¨Dor at least, this was what all the Sentinels who didn¡¯t know Qinghe¡¯s personality thought.


    However, Wei Xiang knew better. He knew how much his little lover could harden his heart and how much hurting someone else¨Dno matter how well-deserved or reasonable it was¨Dwould cause him pain and guilt.


    But realizing that doing this could help the Order, Qinghe had already weighed everything and made his decision, and Wei Xiang knew that he didn¡¯t have the right to take away Qinghe¡¯s choice from him. He could only make sure that he¡¯d be there for his beloved afterward to make him understand that this was something that had to be done and that it wasn¡¯t his fault.


    Even as all these thoughts flickered in the minds of the people standing outside the cell, inside the prison, however, Qinghe was just calmly standing in front of the squatting Jian Huan and looking at his jittery expression with an impassive gaze.


    The more Jian Huan peered back into those clear black eyes, the more he felt vulnerable and seen-through. Unable to bear it anymore, Jian Huan suddenly leapt up and dashed towards Qinghe, his fist aiming for his face and attempting to take him off-guard.


    Without even blinking, Qinghe caught the fist approaching him and twisted it with a jerk. Jian Huan had no choice but to go along with the motion and contort his body to prevent his arm from being twisted off its socket. Taking advantage of this opening, Qinghe lifted a leg and landed a carefully aimed kick to send the prisoner sprawling on the floor while making sure that Jian Huan wouldn¡¯t sustain any permanent damage from this.


    Since this was after all an Order sanctioned interrogation, Qinghe didn¡¯t want to use excessive force and cause more pain than he needed to. He would do this with as much clinical coldness and precision as he could.


    Lying on the floor with an aching body, Jian Huan felt humiliated. Due to the Soul Sealing spell causing him to lose his cultivation, even his abilities seemed to have taken a dive.


    But not wanting to give up yet, he quickly tried to stand up again so that he could attack Qinghe once more, but he did not get that chance.


    Qinghe had already raised his hand and materialized several compressed wind needles using his spiritual force, sending them shooting towards Jian Huan and having the infinitesimally thin spikes burrow into the prisoner¡¯s body through his pores.


    All Jian Huan sensed was an eerie prickling sensation over the skin of his entire body, the feeling extremely uncomfortable but not all that painful.


    After shuddering lightly to shake off the strange sensation, Jian Huan snorted derisively and began, ¡°Hah, did you think you could hurt me with a few puny pinpricks like this? It seems that you are greatly underestimating just how much I¨D¡±


    Mid-sentence, Jian Huan suddenly collapsed onto the floor and began twitching while groaning pitifully, a look of surprise and terror spreading on his face.


    The watching Sentinels all felt shocked. Just what exactly happened to reduce the previously energetic prisoner to this state, and so abruptly at that?


    With his hands clasped behind him, Qinghe just looked on at the scene of the prisoner¡¯s miserable condition with an icy face that was devoid of all emotion and lacking the slightest hint of humanity.


    The wind needles he had sent into Jian Huan just now had disintegrated in the prisoner¡¯s body and completely dissolved into him. The process of this wind energy diffusing into one¡¯s body usually tended to be very painful, hence Jian Huan¡¯s cries. By using this technique, Qinghe could now direct this wind and make it cause controlled damage in the prisoner¡¯s body upon his command.


    This was very similar to the method that he had used so long ago to take down the Behemoth in the hidden realm.


    Although Qinghe didn¡¯t like having to use such brutal means of torturing Jian Huan despite once having had the same pain inflicted on him by the other man, Qinghe was still determined to grit his teeth and do this.


    Because at present, extracting vital information to use against Black Fang was of the utmost importance.


    The Black Fang organization had already grown into a menace that was even now trying to actively pollute the current orderly society from within. Seeking to seed chaos and take advantage of it, the black market organization had a hand in many disreputable practices.


    They not only sold harmful drugs, dangerous artifacts that could cause mass destruction, demonic cultivation manuals that promoted cruelty, and banned poisons in the underground trading area, but they also sold slaves and ¡®pets¡¯ that were comprised of both adults and children, humans and beasts, along with any other creatures they could get their greedy hands on. They also tended to harvest organs of the living beings that they couldn¡¯t sell and put it up on the black market for sale, sometimes keeping these unfortunate souls alive to extract maximum profit from their bodies.


    The Black Fang sowed disorder and corruption while gleefully encouraging the vileness in a person¡¯s heart to flourish.


    They had hurt and killed many, stealing lives and livelihoods with wild abandon. They terrorized the common folk and sought to use blackmail and threats to manipulate those in high positions. And like a malignant tumor, they kept growing and spreading, getting increasingly difficult to completely rout out as more days passed.


    To create a world without justice where those with power trampled and walked over those without, and to profit off of such a world¡ªthis was their main objective.


    As such, the Order of Sentinels was naturally the biggest thorn in their eye. Conversely, the Order also thought of Black Fang as something that must be uprooted thoroughly to maintain peace.


    Therefore, to eliminate this threat to the people, Qinghe had chosen to bend his morals and interrogate this prisoner. After all, saving lives was much more important than accommodating his conscience.


    And so, hiding his inner conflict and distress, Qinghe began his methodical interrogation.


    First, he slowly gathered the wind he¡¯d already injected into Jian Huan¡¯s body to form little air bubbles in the bloodstream.


    His moans turning into screams, Jian Huan twisted on the floor. It felt like every blood vessel in his body was being pulled apart and on the verge of bursting all at once.


    This sensation that felt like shards of sharp-edged metal were making their way through his veins while cutting into his blood vessels from within pulled harsh and shrill cries out of him. The thin strands of sharp pain sliced through his entire body, leaving him no escape.


    Qinghe witnessed the wretched cries and hoarse screams of the writhing prisoner with calm eyes. A few minutes later, he added on the next layer of torment with perfect composure.


    Jian Huan felt the breath in his lungs slowly thickening and refusing to move. The air surrounding him also seemed to decline entering his nose. With desperation, Jian Huan kept trying to breathe in vain.


    Although he was free to pant and gasp for breath, none would enter his airways, causing him to begin slowly suffocating.


    Black spots swam in his darkening vision as he sensed his body growing laden. His head felt like it was being hammered from the inside, the throbbing pain agonizing.


    But no matter how much he struggled or thrashed, he couldn¡¯t gulp down any air at all. This feeling of desperate helplessness ate away at him, his hands clutching frantically at his throat as he was on the verge of losing consciousness.


    However, refusing to permit him this reprieve, Qinghe allowed a little air to enter the prisoner¡¯s lungs, just enough to keep him awake, but not enough to ease his torment.


    Like a dying fish that could never truly gain the relief of death, Jian Huan flopped around on the floor, remaining constantly on the verge of complete suffocation, the torment unimaginable.


    But Qinghe was not yet done.


    For the next step, he targeted the prisoner¡¯s nerve endings with his spiritual-force-coated wind. He did not outright destroy or damage them, but activated the pain receptors until all Jian Huan could feel was an all-encompassing pain.


    Every pore and cell in his body felt keen, piercing agony. This all-consuming pain was inescapable. It not only permeated his skin, but also his insides. Every part of him, even his tongue, the tissue in his mouth and throat, the inside of his eyelids and ears, his scalp and even his privates, all burst into excruciating, incomprehensible pain.


    On the verge of choking and unable to scream, Jian Huan shuddered and squirmed, his body twisting and straining as pitiful sounds spilled out of his open mouth in unintelligible whimpers. Tears trailed from the corners of his eyes and slipped down to mingle with his sweat.


    But despite having to bear witness to this suffering, Qinghe seemed unmoved as he continued on to add the next type of torment.


    Guiding the air in Jian Huan¡¯s body to his organs, Qinghe forced it to erratically expand and contract in large motions, stretching the walls of his innards to just below their limits, but never past it.


    A thin scream rang out as Jian Huan¡¯s fingers scrambled over his skin, scratching and digging into his own flesh as if to drill inside and pull out the source of pain as he rolled around and beat his body against the hard floor. But nothing helped, nothing lessened the agony, there was absolutely nothing he could do!


    And all this time, Qinghe only watched with his back to the bars, his hands clasped behind him as he stood straight and motionless.


    Though these various ways of using wind to torture were relatively easy to perform and did not consume much power, no one had ever actually thought of utilizing such methods before. This was because these techniques required extremely precise control over one¡¯s power, along with a very subtle mind to come up with these ideas in the first place. And these two skills were something Qinghe had in spades.


    For the Jian Huan who had grown immune to most types of tortures, this special and unconventional kind of torment was extremely excruciating and unmanageable since it targeted not only the body, but also the mind.


    Jian Huan had wanted to make this cold-faced cultivator fear him, but he was the one who ended up fearing the other man instead. This abrupt shift had what had thrown him off-balance in the beginning, and from then on, everything steadily slipped out of his control and into the grasp of this white-robed man.


    While Jian Huan slowly began breaking down due the agony relentlessly battering him from both within and without, his torturer simply looked on with a cold and utterly disinterested expression, as if all this horrible suffering he was going through didn¡¯t matter to him at all. He just stood there silent and unmoving, like a block of lifeless ice.


    This inhuman detachment caused Jian Huan to fear him like nothing else. For someone who felt so removed from everything like this, there was no way of finding their weakness or whittling them down with persuasion. There was no way to gain a foothold in such an unresponsive person.


    And even worse was this unending pain and misery, the sheer psychological torment of it all.


    Throughout this interrogation, Jian Huan was not restrained, there was nothing holding him down, and yet he couldn¡¯t even move enough to crawl, let alone escape. He had nothing to hold on to and reorient himself, nothing to alleviate his pain or grant him even a brief reprieve. No matter how much his hands scrabbled over his skin, they still couldn¡¯t reach the source of the agony in his body or pull it out. After all, the air playing around within him was not something he could capture even if he cut himself open and reached inside.


    The tortures inflicted on him also kept changing without warning and left him floundering as he desperately sought some rhythm to this madness. Different methods, each more painful and horrible than the previous, layered on top of one another to create new and fresh horrors, pushing him further and further towards the limits of what his mind could bear. Jian Huan didn¡¯t even know what to expect anymore, the reason in his mind slowly beginning to succumb to this chaotic whirlwind of utter misery and torment, along with the constant pain battering all his senses.


    Qinghe, when tortured by Jian Huan, had at least been familiar with all the classic procedures and had been able to mentally prepare himself. But Jian Huan lived in terror, not knowing which fresh combination of these horrible tortures would be inflicted upon him next.


    This situation felt so hopeless, and he was beyond helpless, reduced to a howling, screeching, unintelligent animal who simply sought an end to the all-encompassing, inescapable pain. The walls of his mind kept cracking and cracking, on the verge of giving away. There was nothing to center himself with, nothing to hold on to, no patch of his body left in his control or free from this horrendous pain.


    He couldn¡¯t go on anymore.


    Half an hour after Jian Huan¡¯s torture had started, Qinghe abruptly stopped.


    Jian Huan lay on the floor panting and sobbing as the pain gradually receded. His mind felt strangely blank and empty, his eyes staring widely at his torturer with terror.


    An indifferent voice cut through the air as Qinghe pronounced, ¡°You will now have a few minutes of respite before we begin again. If there is something you wish to say, you may do so now. We will continue your interrogation again shortly.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s tone sounded uninterested as if it was a given that they¡¯d be continuing, that it would in turn be extremely unusual if the prisoner actually spoke up right now. It was as if he was fully expecting to keep going forever, tormenting the prisoner for eternity just like this without tiring, just standing in the same place uncaringly as he watched on.


    This apathy and implied cruelty were like sharp and cold blades thrusting into Jian Huan''s soul, shattering what was left of his dignity.


    No, he didn¡¯t want it to continue! He couldn¡¯t bear any more of this!


    Parting his cracked lips, Jian Huan stuttered out in a very light whisper, ¡°N-No, p-please¡­ No more, I c-can¡¯t, I can¡¯t take any m-more! I-I¡¯ll tell you anything you want to hear, just p-please¡­p-please d-don¡¯t¡­hurt me¡­¡±


    Jian Huan collapsed as he began crying in earnest. He didn¡¯t care about his pride or dignity, he didn¡¯t care about the leader of Black Fang somehow finding him and killing him in gruesome ways, he didn¡¯t care about what he¡¯d have to face in the future. All he cared about right now was to somehow stop that horrible, terrifying pain from resuming! He would do anything to stop it from clamping onto him and consuming him again!


    But despite hearing these frenetic pleas, Qinghe looked on without a hint of expression on his beautiful face, complete disinterest being the only thing reflected in his dark eyes.


    Seeing that even this wasn¡¯t enough to move his tormentor, Jian Huan became desperate. His limbs had lost their strength due to his thrashing and writhing, so all he could do was crawl unsteadily on his hands and knees and approach that white-clad figure as he kept pleading.


    ¡°Please, I promise, I won¡¯t hold anything back, I¡¯ll really tell you everything I know, every single scrap of information I have. But if that¡¯s not enough, then¡­then I¡¯ll also promise to obey you, I¡¯ll do everything you want me to. J-Just please, don¡¯t give me more pain, just stop hurting me, please!¡±


    Inside his chest, Qinghe felt as if his heart was being crushed as he saw the man he¡¯d tortured reduced to such a wretched form. This was the direct result of what he did, this was entirely his doing. He had chosen to put this man through all that pain, and he had chosen to break him for his own purposes knowing full well that this would happen.


    After this, no matter what anyone else said or thought, Qinghe was very clear that one who would hate this side of him the most would still be himself.


    But just like he hadn¡¯t shown any of his inner turmoil during the entirety of this past half an hour, Qinghe also did not show any of it now, striving to maintain his icy and uncaring mask.


    On the other hand, still seeing no reaction from Qinghe, Jian Huan grew more frantic as he kept repeating the same things even as he tried to find other ways he could be helpful. He was terrified that if he was deemed not useful enough, then his tormentor would start torturing him again!


    By now, Jian Huan was already far past the point of rationality, the threat of pain having scrambled his thought processes. Every fiber of his being was focused on only one thing¨Davoiding more pain!


    But seeing the still unmoved Qinghe, Jian Huan felt his hope dimming as panic began taking its place. He clutched the edge of those pure white robes and unrestrainedly sobbed, ¡°I swear, I¡¯ll do anything! Just tell me what you want, and I¡¯ll do it without fail! Please, I''m begging you!¡±


    Sensing that the prisoner was reaching his limit, Qinghe figured it was time and finally opened his mouth, his tone utterly impassive, ¡°Very well.¡±


    Jian Huan froze, unable to believe that he was finally granted amnesty. His lips stretched wide on their own as a crazed laugh slipped out of him. Just two words, but hearing them meant he was spared! He really wouldn¡¯t have to suffer anymore!


    ¡°Listen to everything the Sentinels say and tell them everything they want to know,¡± Qinghe instructed.


    Like a chicken pecking rice, Jian Huan frantically nodded. He had meant what he said, he would do anything this person asked of him! Even if he told him to die, that was still more preferable than being tortured like that again!


    His work done, Qinghe finally turned back, only to see the Sentinels staring at him like they¡¯d seen a monster.


    Without even blinking at their reactions, Qinghe motioned for the female Sentinel who had opened the cell door before to come and let him out. Snapping out of her reverie, she hurried forward to open the cell door as Qinghe stepped through.


    ¡°He will tell you anything you need to know now. His obedience will not last longer than a couple of days, so I suggest you make the best use of his state before it wears off.¡±


    After saying this with a flat expression, Qinghe turned and walked away. Without being asked, Wei Xiang followed behind his lover with concern showing on his face.


    Qinghe didn¡¯t turn back to see what sort of look the Sentinels were casting at him now. He especially didn¡¯t want to see if his father¡¯s eyes held any disappointment or disgust at how merciless and inhuman his son had turned out to be.


    When he had offered to interrogate the prisoner, Qinghe had long since expected that his impression in the Sentinels¡¯ eyes would forever be changed. But he had done what needed to be done, and as long as his lover alone stayed by his side, he could ignore everything else.


    As long as Wei Xiang understood him, nothing else mattered.


    On the other hand, seeing the couple striding away, the Sentinels showed mixed and complex expressions.


    As they witnessed the prisoner being broken in such a methodical and calculated way, the Sentinels had all felt fierce chills crawling up and down their spines.


    Qinghe had so easily broken Jian Huan apart within just a half an hour of time without laying even a single hand on him. And he had done this by using such an expert mix of pain and psychological pressure, pushing the exact buttons that would make the man come undone, that the Sentinels couldn¡¯t help but feel their scalps tingle.


    Something like this would require extreme ruthlessness and a deep understanding of both the subject and the means of torture.


    Considering this, it could be assumed that when Qinghe had been kept captive while being tortured by Jian Huan, Qinghe had also been thoroughly studying the other man¡¯s behavioral patterns and personality in return and must have ended up perfectly comprehending it. Otherwise, how would Qinghe have known exactly which weaknesses to take advantage of to quickly and successfully break him like this?


    Such skill and capability was¡­really too scary.


    A heavy atmosphere descended over the Sentinels as they kept thinking over this.


    In this stifling silence, Hou Yu suddenly spoke up, his light-colored eyes still fixed in the direction Qinghe and Wei Xiang had left in. ¡°He¡¯s like a wild animal. He might scratch and bite, but he¡¯s still very cute. No one is allowed to be mean to him!¡±


    At this unexpected pronouncement, chuffs of incredulous laughter exploded all around and broke the thick tension.


    Pressing the back of his hand against his own mouth to stifle his chuckles, Rue Xu rubbed his elder brother¡¯s head. ¡°You are always so focused on the wrong things.¡±


    ¡°But cute people are very, very important!¡± Hou Yu refuted.


    Rue Xu could only helplessly pacify him. ¡°Yes, yes. Of course they are.¡±


    With Hou Yu unintentionally breaking the tension, the others also began chatting about Qinghe with casual ease.


    ¡°Ah, I guess we aren¡¯t any better than that little brother, we¡¯re a messed up bunch after all,¡± a Sentinel commented ruefully from the side.


    ¡°We just misjudged him. I thought I got a soft little brother I could protect, who knew that he¡¯d end up being a fearsome tiger instead?¡± another officer said while chortling.


    The female Sentinel from before shook her head as she remarked, ¡°What ¡®soft little brother¡¯? How many holes do you have in your head to believe that Wei Xiang¡¯s lover of all people would be soft?¡±


    The previous Sentinel retorted, ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s a vicious beast like our dear senior officer ah! Or rather, he might be a beast, but a relatively adorable one. You might get your face bitten off if you get too close, but it¡¯ll still be worth it. Sentinel Hou¡¯s eye for spotting the cute ones is as effective as ever!¡±


    Laughing loudly, Qian Ming stated, ¡°Well said! So what if he is talented in interrogation? It¡¯s obvious that he doesn¡¯t take pleasure in it like our sadistic Senior Officer Wei. That makes him a good man by my reckoning!¡±


    ¡°Officer Qian, are you sure you should be speaking about our senior officer like that out loud?¡± someone teased from the side. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid you¡¯d get saddled with more work again?¡±


    With a sheepish smile, Qian Ming scratched the back of his head as he admitted, ¡°Ah, crap. That really wouldn¡¯t be good.¡±


    ¡°You should have thought about that before you said anything!¡±


    And so the mood slowly improved as the Sentinels fell into their usual pattern of chatting and ribbing each other, teasing and shouting playfully.


    Standing beside Feng Huixin, Kong Min spoke, ¡°Master, see? Those idiots really are very open-minded and accepting, so you don¡¯t have to keep worrying that they won¡¯t like your son. And knowing his personality, I¡¯m sure that he¡¯ll be fine as long as he has his Wei Xiang beside him anyway.¡±


    With his usually blank expression, Feng Huixin looked over the group of cheerful Sentinels, his eyes showing barely discernible relief. What his disciple said indeed seemed to be the case.


    Though he had wanted to follow behind his son to comfort him and ease his mind, Feng Huixin also knew that Wei Xiang would do a much better job at it than him. Of course, he had never once entertained the idea of being dissatisfied with Qinghe due to his methods of interrogation. Qinghe was his son, and Feng Huixin loved him too much to be anything but supportive and sympathetic in these circumstances. After all, the wife he''d had to constantly deal with had been even more violent and ruthless than his son, and Qinghe was much more compassionate and empathic than his Chunyi too.


    Turning to his second disciple who was still looking at his master with well-hidden concern, Feng Huixin nodded and spoke, ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. It seems that I was just worrying needlessly.¡±


    With a carefree chuckle, Kong Min leaned his shoulder against the wall and said, ¡°They are all the brats you more or less raised here. How could they turn out to be anything less than decent and reasonable people? Besides, that junior brother of mine is so terrifying, how could they have the backbone to go against his wishes and not treat his lover with anything except the utmost respect and care?¡±


    With amusement lightening his gaze, Feng Huixin commented drily, ¡°You all seem to be very fond of speaking badly about your fellow brother.¡±


    ¡°Master, you know how much Wei Xiang goes around bullying everyone!¡± Kong Min couldn¡¯t help but complain with a wronged face.


    As the Sentinels talked and played around like this, they finally remembered that the interrogation was not yet completed.


    A few officers walked into the cell and began questioning the prisoner about Black Fang, and without holding anything back, Jian Huan told them everything they wanted to know and more.


    After they were done faithfully recording down all this information, the interrogation was finally deemed complete.

 Chapter 95: Finding Acceptance

    After the interrogation of the Black Fang member Jian Huan, Qinghe left everything to the Sentinels and aimlessly strode through the various corridors of the underground prison with Wei Xiang by his side.


    Though Wei Xiang felt confused at first, he finally understood the reason for his little lover¡¯s wandering.


    ¡°Qinghe, if you want to get out of here, then we need to use the transportation array we came through,¡± Wei Xiang kindly reminded.


    For security reasons, this prison was one of the few places that couldn¡¯t be accessed through the shadows. Exiting this underground prison required being accompanied by a Sentinel holding an authority token to activate the transportation array.


    Hearing his lover¡¯s reminder, Qinghe halted abruptly and nodded. His face remained expressionless as he used his memory to find the way back to that platform with the formation drawn on it. Without waiting, Qinghe and Wei Xiang used the transportation array and quickly made it back to the Sentinel headquarters.


    Knowing that his beloved was out of it, Wei Xiang gently steered him in the direction of a secluded porch at the back of a seldom used building in the Sentinel compound.


    A waist-high marble railing bordered the small space and several layers of slender vines hung from above to cover the porch from the outside, casting the interior in comfortable and cool shadows. The scent of moist earth and crushed leaves permeated the space, lending it a soothing ambiance.


    ¡°Qinghe, are you alright?¡± Wei Xiang immediately asked once they¡¯d made it inside.


    Lifting his head dazedly, Qinghe just looked at his lover. ¡°Me? Yes. Yes, of course I¡¯m alright.¡±


    Wei Xiang sighed and patted his lover¡¯s head comfortingly.


    With an uncertain smile pulling up the corners of his mouth, Qinghe asked, ¡°What was that for?¡±


    In a solemn tone, Wei Xiang stated, ¡°To use the techniques you used, it must be necessary for you to precisely know how much pain you are causing the subject and modulate it according to what is required.¡±


    Qinghe turned his head away and shifted uncomfortably. ¡°So what?¡±


    Wei Xiang spoke in a soft voice, ¡°Qinghe, I don¡¯t think you experimented on someone else to understand all this. You would never use it on anyone else that way.¡±


    ¡°I just tortured someone by precisely using it that way, you know?¡± Qinghe retorted with a hint of bitterness.


    He did not deserve to be spoken to with that understanding tone his lover was using. Someone who just did the things he did to another human being¡­how can he deserve such kindness?


    ¡°For a moment, let¡¯s just put aside what happened,¡± Wei Xiang said gently. ¡°Qinghe, tell the truth. Did you experiment on yourself to perfect the use of these techniques?¡±


    Qinghe flinched and lowered his head, curving his shoulders as if expecting to be scolded. In a low voice, he admitted hesitantly, ¡°¡­Yes. But that was a long time ago. I don¡¯t indulge in that sort of self-harming behavior now, I promise!¡±


    Wei Xiang felt his heart ache. He carefully gathered his pensive little lover into his arms and held him tightly. ¡°I know. I just wish I had found you sooner. I could have spared us both a lot of pain. I could have taken better care of you and made sure you knew how much you¡¯re worth.¡±


    Stiffening at those words, Qinghe refuted in an angry and self-reproaching tone, ¡°I don¡¯t deserve it. I don¡¯t deserve your understanding or kindness. Xiang, my biggest contribution today was only causing pain. I hurt someone so badly that they broke. I¡­I¡¯m not a good person and I don¡¯t deserve good things.¡±


    But Wei Xiang wasn¡¯t having it. ¡°I¡¯ve hurt and broken far more people than you¡ªhundreds of them in fact. Does it mean that I don¡¯t deserve good things either?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s head shot up. ¡°No! You¨C You deserve all the nice things in the world! Xiang, if you hurt people, it¡¯s only because you had a reason to!¡±


    With a raised eyebrow, Wei Xiang returned, ¡°Then didn¡¯t you also have a reason for doing what you did?¡±


    Qinghe blinked confusedly as if such simple logic escaped him.


    In a bemused tone, Wei Xiang said, ¡°Qinghe, what you did was out of necessity. If you didn¡¯t help us extract information from that man so that we can more quickly eradicate Black Fang, then who knows how many more people would die in the future? And even though he hurt you before, you still didn¡¯t seek revenge. You only interrogated him because there was a need for it and you didn¡¯t take any pleasure in it. Moreover, you even feel guilty for doing what you had to. If that¡¯s not being a good person, then I don¡¯t know what is.¡±


    A small frown tightened his forehead even as a blush crept up his cheeks. Being praised by his beloved was something Qinghe didn¡¯t think he could ever get used to. ¡°I do realize that it was necessary, but I¡­I just¡­¡±


    ¡°But it still bothers you that you hurt him,¡± Wei Xiang finished the sentence in his lover¡¯s stead.


    Letting out a deep breath, Qinghe nodded. ¡°Yes. Yes, it does.¡±


    Even now, the feeling of guiding his wind and purposefully hurting a vulnerable human being still stayed with him. It felt like his ears were still vibrating with those hoarse screams and desperate pleading. The sight of that wretchedly writhing and twisting body was still burned into his eyes. How could something like that not bother him?


    But what his lover told him next shocked him out of these thoughts.


    ¡°Then let me tell you something that might make you feel better about what you had to do,¡± Wei Xiang began with a sharp smile. ¡°A few weeks before, I traced along the connections of the smugglers you gave us to apprehend long ago¡ªthe same ones who tried to forcefully take away your junior brothers a while before they were rescued by your senior brother and joined your sect. I found out that the biggest buyer and backer of that smuggling group was the Black Fang organization. They were the ones who wanted to procure your juniors and guided the smugglers towards them.¡±


    The soft hesitation and guilt in Qinghe¡¯s eyes were instantly replaced with cold, hard anger.


    All of his junior brothers¡¯ suffering from back then was Black Fang¡¯s doing?!


    Thinking back to when they had met each other for the first time, Qinghe still remembered the emaciated and unkempt forms of the twins clutching tightly onto each other while looking at him with fear and distrust reflected in their wide eyes.


    He remembered all the times Fei Jin had cried because of the torment his brother had had to go through right in front of him, thinking how his twin would never speak again because of his injury. He remembered the cold ruthlessness growing deeper in Fei Yin¡¯s eyes as he learned to wield his spiritual artifact, determined to never be helpless enough to cause his brother distress ever again.


    He keenly recalled those countless days when their thin bodies snuggled under his blankets, shuddering as if in inexpressible terror as they clutched at him desperately like he was their last line of defense. Even knowing that those men who had relentlessly chased after them wouldn¡¯t be able to hurt them anymore, they still feared those smugglers¡¯ illusive shadows that had stayed behind in their young minds.


    If all that was Black Fang¡¯s fault¡­


    Qinghe might be able to ignore anyone wronging him, but he would absolutely not tolerate it if it was his loved ones who suffered!


    ¡°So, you see,¡± Wei Xiang said with his eyes glinting. ¡°By getting us information that brings us a few steps closer to annihilating Black Fang, you are also avenging those juniors.¡±


    Qinghe gave a short nod. ¡°You¡¯re right, knowing that does lessen my guilt. In fact, I think I could go for another fun round of interrogation in the prison.¡±


    Seeing him shedding his defeated and guilty look and growing spirited again, Wei Xiang chuckled happily. ¡°I don¡¯t think you can get anything else out of that prisoner, love.¡±


    ¡°I can still try,¡± Qinghe sneered.


    Wei Xiang hugged him closer and buried his face in his beloved¡¯s hair as he laughed. He really did like it the most when his little lover was his usual self.


    ¡°Alright, alright. I think it¡¯s time we convened with the others and go through the information they found from that prisoner. We should be able to put together a feasible plan to deal with Black Fang from that,¡± Wei Xiang diverted Qinghe¡¯s attention to the more important matter at hand.


    Hearing that he¡¯d have to meet the other Sentinels again, Qinghe fidgeted uneasily. ¡°Xiang¡­I-I don¡¯t think your brothers will like me anymore.¡±


    After the interrogation, he had clearly seen the horrified expressions they had looked at him with.


    Listening to his beloved¡¯s dejected tone, Wei Xiang¡¯s lips twitched with anger at his fellow officers. Those damned bastards! Did they have to so openly show their reaction like that? Now look at how they¡¯ve made his little lover sad!


    With narrowed eyes, Wei Xiang plotted about all the ways he could make his fellow Sentinels¡¯ life difficult in retaliation.


    ¡°X-Xiang? Will they be really disgusted with me? And the G-Grandmaster, too¡­will he h-hate me very much?¡±


    For obvious reasons, he didn¡¯t want his father to dislike him, but as for the Sentinels, Qinghe only wanted their approval because they were Wei Xiang¡¯s chosen family. Qinghe really wanted to get along with them and make them feel that he was someone they could gladly entrust their fellow brother to.


    And having known his lover for so long, Wei Xiang also understood the reasoning behind his words clearly.


    Shaking out of his thoughts with a sigh, Wei Xiang coaxed, ¡°Love, they¡¯ve done far worse things than what you did today. They were only a little shocked since you didn¡¯t seem like someone who could be so ruthless. But I can assure you that my brothers are not so shallow that they¡¯d fear you or dislike you just because of your competence in interrogation. And as for Master, he has already dedicated so many millennia searching for you. I doubt he¡¯d throw aside his beloved son just like that after finding him, and for such an irrational reason at that. Master is a very sensible and open-hearted person. And towards his son, he is bound to be especially soft. You have nothing to worry about on either account.¡±


    Reluctantly, Qinghe let himself hope.


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ve been gone long enough. They should¡¯ve had enough time to process the information they got from that prisoner. Let¡¯s go meet up with the others and you can ascertain their attitude towards you for yourself, alright?¡± Wei Xiang cajoled.


    Taking a deep breath, Qinghe nodded. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go then.¡±


    And so, after Wei Xiang used his telepathic connection to find out where the rest were gathered, the couple left the secluded porch and began making their way back to the front building where the Order¡¯s offices were located.


    As they were walking back, Wei Xiang suddenly asked with a worried frown, ¡°Qinghe, is something wrong with your stomach?¡±


    Qinghe blinked, his wandering mind snapping back to awareness. He realized that he had unconsciously begun to rub the area under his bellybutton, and when he concentrated, he understood why.


    ¡°It seems¡­that my core is aching,¡± Qinghe finally explained to his anxious lover.


    Wei Xiang abruptly halted, his concern growing into franticness.


    Seeing this, Qinghe also stopped and hurriedly explained, ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious. It¡¯s just that¡­I might have strained myself a bit during the interrogation, that¡¯s all. It isn¡¯t like this is the first time this has ever happened and I already know how to deal with this. I just need to stabilize my state a bit and it¡¯ll be fine. So, Xiang, you really don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    Reluctantly letting himself be reassured, Wei Xiang bent down to peck his little lover on the head. ¡°Alright then, but tell me if it ever gets to be too much. I don¡¯t want you to get hurt or damage your core just because you didn¡¯t want to ask for help.¡±


    Qinghe rolled his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s not that severe, it just aches a little bit. All I need to do is stabilize my cultivation, so stop worrying so much.¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled at how disgruntled his beloved sounded. With a mischievous smirk, he teased, ¡°Didn¡¯t that manual before say that that particular dual cultivation method can help stabilize cultivation? So should we dual cultivate then?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s face immediately lit up. ¡°Okay! But where should we do it? Ah, Xiang, do you have a private office or something? Maybe we should go there and dual cultivate.¡±


    Chuckling at his lover¡¯s enthusiasm, Wei Xiang sadly shook his head, ¡°Unfortunately, the others are still waiting for us. Maybe we can visit my office after we finish meeting with them.¡±


    His face falling, Qinghe pouted. How could his Xiang be so heartless as to drive up his expectations, only to act so unnecessarily reasonable now? This was unfair!


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes warmed as he saw his little lover¡¯s sullen face. Bending down, he lightly nipped at the curve of a pale ear, leaving behind a little pink mark. ¡°We can take as much time as we want for ourselves later, alright?¡±


    Qinghe felt his face heating as the mild sting from his ear spread soft waves of warmth across his skin.


    Deciding to retaliate, Qinghe turned and held Wei Xiang¡¯s jaw firmly with his fingers, and before Wei Xiang could do any more than widen his eyes, Qinghe tilted his head up and gently bit his lover¡¯s jaw before sucking on it.


    Leaning back, Qinghe admired the small red mark with a proud and satisfied smile.


    Then acting casual again, Qinghe replied, ¡°Okay, I guess I can wait a bit longer.¡±


    Saying so, Qinghe began walking again with cheer.


    However, seeing the little smug glint in his beloved¡¯s eyes, Wei Xiang refused to let it go so easily. ¡°Come here, you naughty imp. Do you think you can get away just like that?¡±


    And so, tugging his mischievous little lover close, Wei Xiang bent towards his throat to leave even more love marks¡­


    As they kept fooling around along the way like this, it took quite a while for the couple to finally make it to the Sentinel headquarters¡¯ conference room.


    The conference room was wide, simple, and spacious, with a long and low table set in the middle with several traditional floor cushions placed around it. The table was plain and without any ornamentation, the heavy wood so dark that it almost looked black while it¡¯s structure seemed sturdy enough to weather a hurricane.


    Presiding from the head of the table, Feng Huixin sat with his back straight and his bearing stately. On either side of the table were the other Sentinels, sitting with an equally prim posture even as they laughed and chatted freely amongst themselves.


    To Feng Huixin¡¯s right, Kong Min sat with a listless expression, while to the left, two consecutive seats were left free for Wei Xiang and Qinghe.


    As the couple finally entered the room, the merry chatter momentarily ceased as all heads immediately turned in their direction.


    Qinghe carefully and unobtrusively studied the Sentinels¡¯ reactions and saw that though their expressions bore hints of sheepishness and chagrin, they also seemed very welcoming in general.


    As for his father¡­Qinghe only sensed warmth, affection, and worry from him. It seemed that his sudden exit before had caused Feng Huixin to be concerned.


    Feeling guilty about making his father anxious, Qinghe sent him a quick smile as an apology. But before he could open his mouth to speak, Kong Min let out a loud and dramatic gasp.


    With an undercurrent of glee, he exclaimed, ¡°Junior Brother, how could you! You were gone for less than an hour and you already¡­ Tsk, you¡¯re such a ravenous beast!¡±


    Sure enough, he had noticed the bright little bite marks scattered over Qinghe¡¯s pale ear and neck, the trail seeming to lead further below into the collar of his clothes suggestively. Meanwhile, the marks Qinghe had left on Wei Xiang, other than the one on his jaw, were all cleverly hidden and unobvious, thus not drawing any attention.


    Now with Kong Min deliberately pointing it out, the others also began to notice the love bites on Qinghe, their expressions growing strange as they shot mock-disapproving looks at their senior officer.


    Seeing this farce, Wei Xiang¡¯s eyebrow twitched. Turning to the instigator, he spoke in a cutting tone, ¡°We did not do the things your filthy mind is imagining, Senior Brother. Please retrieve your mind from the gutter where it seems to have comfortably made its home. Airing it out might do wonders for your lacking intelligence.¡±


    Kong Min grinned, not at all minding his junior brother¡¯s vicious tongue as he began in an even more dramatic air than before, ¡°You want me to believe you didn¡¯t eat up your beloved ¡®little lover¡¯ the first chance you got? Ha! Who knows what all depraved things you did to our innocent Little Bro after taking him away from our eyes.¡± Shaking his head, he muttered disconsolately, ¡°Wei Xiang, you¡¯re truly a beast ah!¡±


    ¡°We really did not do anything. Nothing happened, so stop dramatizing it,¡± Wei Xiang got out through gritted teeth. This was really becoming ridiculous.


    Having been witnessing this exchange all this time, Feng Huixin coughed awkwardly from the side to hide his skepticism while the other Sentinels all narrowed their eyes to show their disbelief more openly.


    Looking at those hickeys and the way Qinghe¡¯s eyes looked slightly dazed while his cheeks were flushed pink, they could hardly believe that nothing had truly happened!


    Wei Xiang felt really wronged as those accusatory gazes shot his way with merriment barely hidden beneath them.


    Seeing all this from beside Wei Xiang, Qinghe suppressed a smile.


    Then lowering his eyelids demurely to hide the playful glint in his eyes, he accused in a soft voice, ¡°Xiang, what do you mean nothing happened? After doing all that, and making me do all those things¡­are you shirking responsibility now?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang was rendered both flabbergasted and speechless.


    Qinghe covered his face and turned away from his lover as if unable to bear the injustice while his shoulders shook in pretend sobs, but in truth, he was only hiding his laughter.


    Because his lover¡¯s surprised face was really too funny!


    As Qinghe took amusement from teasing his lover, the Sentinels also felt much the same.


    Seeing their usually bad-natured senior officer¡¯s rare bewildered expression, the Sentinels all wanted to cheer on their new little brother. They even felt their feelings of camaraderie towards Qinghe strengthen as they saw him happily messing with this person who had bullied his own fellow officers so much till now!


    After the passing of the initial shock brought on by his lover¡¯s sudden words, Wei Xiang could only shake his head with equal parts amusement and helplessness.


    Then in an unreadable tone, he asked his beloved, ¡°Oh? You want me to take responsibility, is that it?¡±


    Hearing the strange tone, Qinghe shifted the palms covering his face to take a sneaky peek from the corner of his eyes, only to see two hands quickly extending towards him. Before Qinghe could react, Wei Xiang wrapped his fingers around his little lover¡¯s wrists and pulled away those hands to reveal the smiling face underneath.


    ¡°Since it is the wish of my dear lover, I¡¯ll take responsibility in front of everyone immediately,¡± Wei Xiang declared in a solemn voice that belied the wicked smirk curling his lips.


    Just as Qinghe registered the words, Wei Xiang pulled him forward by his wrists and pressed his lips against his beloved¡¯s still smiling ones. Qinghe reflexively parted his lips and felt his lover¡¯s breath filling up his mouth just before a warm and flexible tongue thrust inside.


    The couple quickly forgot about teasing and being teased, wholeheartedly sinking into the intimacy of the kiss as they licked and lapped enthusiastically at the soft and moist inside of each other¡¯s mouths.


    Easily retrieving his wrists from Wei Xiang¡¯s hands, Qinghe immediately reached out, one hand curling behind his beloved¡¯s nape to pull him closer while the other arm wrapped around Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulders to keep his lover¡¯s body pressed against him firmly.


    Qinghe felt Wei Xiang¡¯s warm palms settling on his waist and squeezing slightly, his lover¡¯s thumbs tracing small circles over the sides of his stomach and sending a light shudder rippling through him. Even through the fabric of his robe, Qinghe could feel Wei Xiang¡¯s touch burning into his skin, turning it sensitive as it thirsted for those familiar hands to thoroughly explore his body once again.


    Feng Huixin turned his head away, too embarrassed to witness the scene of his two sons so openly making out. Several of the Sentinels also showed uncomfortable expressions as their poor single hearts were ruthlessly abused by this passionate display.


    Why did it feel like their Senior Officer Wei had now found another effective method of bullying them?! And Little Bro, how could you betray us like this and join the enemy¡¯s side?!


    But the couple, as usual, paid no attention to their unwilling audience¡¯s grievances, their world only consisting of the two of them.

 Chapter 96: Deciding on a Plan

    After messing around for a bit more and stuffing everyone with lethal amounts of dog food, Qinghe and Wei Xiang finally separated.


    Acting as if nothing unusual had happened, they calmly fixed their clothing and went over to sit down on their seats beside Feng Huixin with satisfied smiles and a happy glow suffusing their faces. Now that they¡¯d had their fill of playing around with each other, the couple looked like a pair of obedient students with their backs straight and their expressions attentive.


    Seeing that everyone had finally taken their seats, Feng Huixin quickly began, ¡°We will now discuss and prepare a plan for an expedition against the criminal organization Black Fang using the information we¡¯ve gathered up till now. The final goal is to completely eradicate the black market organization itself and apprehend its members, especially its leader Yuan Sheng.¡±


    Quickly getting into the mood with familiar ease, the Sentinels solemnly nodded their heads.


    Feng Huixin motioned to a cold-faced Sentinel and she began speaking without delay, ¡°As the one in charge of the archives, I¡¯ve collected and organized the most relevant pieces of information that can be used in this operation. We have details about a variety of hidden trade routes that Black Fang uses to transport illegal goods and distribute them to its clientele. We also have a list of this clientele, most of who are already on our observation list for suspicious activity.


    ¡°We have also collected the names of several slave traders and beast smugglers, along with hunters and trainers who capture and train both humans and beasts for specific clients on behalf of Black Fang. Alhough we also have an incomplete map of the Black Fang¡¯s headquarters outlining several hidden pathways in the building, even if we do manage to infiltrate it, it is impossible to approach and successfully apprehend their leader Yuan Sheng due to all the safeguards he has in place around him.


    ¡°There is also a list of several events, both social and otherwise, where their base accepts visitors from its ally factions and a few outsiders, but considering how almost all of our officers are known to the upper echelon of the organization, using it as a point of infiltration would be inadvisable. There are several more bits of information on this organization in our archives, but I¡¯ve determined these to be the most useful points and have thus summarized them.¡±


    Hearing all this, Qinghe couldn¡¯t help but feel impressed. If this was just a summarized fraction of the content that the Sentinels had collected until now, then the entirety of their information on Black Fang must truly be staggering.


    After digesting all this data, the Sentinels quickly began putting forth ideas.


    ¡°Hmm, maybe a well-timed raid would work? Is there any occasion in the near future where their base will be less guarded?¡± Qian Ming asked the female Sentinel.


    While Kong Min was in charge of obtaining information, it was this woman who was responsible for arranging and organizing them meticulously as the one presiding over the archives.


    Hearing Qian Ming¡¯s question, the Sentinel shook her head and explained, ¡°It will take a year at the least for their base to enter a period of vulnerability when they recruit new members and get busy with assigning them positions and trying to assimilate them into their ranks. We might have a window of a few weeks¡¯ worth at that time, but it¡¯s still far away.¡±


    Qian Ming nodded and frowned as he considered this in silence.


    ¡°Then how about laying an ambush on one of their smuggling routes? If there are any routes that pass by cliff sides, we can corner them against it and use a pincer formation on the ground and station some people with long-ranged weapons on top of the cliffs¡­¡± a Sentinel thoughtfully offered.


    But another retorted, ¡°That can take care of a few the subordinates but not the leader himself. It¡¯s just too bad that we can¡¯t use the shadow realm for this.¡±


    Hearing this, a Sentinel at the side shook his head regretfully and sighed. ¡°Yes, but what can we do? It was pure bad luck that time.¡±


    As the discussion went on, Qinghe turned to the Wei Xiang seated on his right and asked curiously, ¡°What do they mean? Why can¡¯t you use the shadows?¡±


    With a humorless smile, Wei Xiang answered, ¡°A few years back, we got word that the leader of Black Fang, Yuan Sheng, was planning a secret excursion. We prepared a very elaborate assassination plan where we would use the shadows to transport ourselves over and target him when he showed a chink in his defense at a particular expected time that we had meticulously calculated. The assassination almost succeeded, but ended up being foiled due to sheer bad luck. Ever since then, though Yuan Sheng did not completely figure out that we could access the shadow realm to transport ourselves, he still understood that we could somehow appear and disappear suddenly. And since that fellow is both cunning and cautious, he took measures against us unexpectedly appearing to take his life.¡±


    But hearing this, Qinghe¡¯s confusion only grew. ¡°How can someone take measures against that? If he doesn¡¯t even know that you can use the shadows, then how can he defend against it properly?¡±


    This time, Feng Huixin was the one who replied. ¡°Yuan Sheng has a Thousand Transportations array etched into his palm. No matter if he¡¯s awake or asleep, he always keeps himself ready to inject power into the array at the slightest of unusualness or unexpected occurrences in his vicinity. The second he senses a Sentinel appearing out of thin air, he will quickly activate the array and vanish. The nature of the Thousand Transportations array is such that it will take its caster to a thousand random points before depositing them in a pre-prepared safe point. This will confuse any attempts at tracking, whether by artifacts or by abilities, like Sentinel Zhou¡¯s skill of tracing spiritual energy, for example.¡±


    Qinghe nodded with a thoughtful expression. Now this was indeed troublesome. No wonder the Sentinels hadn¡¯t been able to capture Black Fang yet. Their leader was after all someone clever enough to have already prepared such measures against them.


    But still, there had to be a point of entry somewhere. Qinghe was confident that as long as he could figure out a way to wriggle past their initial defenses, he could somehow also figure out a way past the other hurdles.


    As for the problem of this Thousand Transportations array¡­he already had a few ideas about it. But he could consider them later according to the plan the Sentinels chose in the end.


    However, it seemed that the planning process wasn¡¯t going all too smoothly.


    Even after a while of throwing ideas back and forth, the Sentinels couldn¡¯t come to an agreement on which approach to use. As they fervently discussed the pros and cons of each suggestion in deep detail, none of these propositions appeared to hold up or seemed possible to implement.


    Sitting silently, Feng Huixin and Wei Xiang simply looked on as if such a scene was common, while Kong Min simply yawned at the side. Qinghe, however, felt very amused at witnessing this lively discussion. It reminded him of the sect hall back at the Heavenly Peak Sect when the Elders and the sect master tirelessly argued over yet another trivial issue. So surrounded by a similarly boisterous atmosphere, Qinghe couldn¡¯t help but smile fondly.


    Suddenly, a soft voice called out, ¡°Little Brother, do you have any suggestions?¡±


    The clamor slowly quietened as the Sentinels heard this question.


    Unexpectedly, the speaker was Hou Yu.


    Looking at those light and clear eyes that were focused intently on him, Qinghe smiled pleasantly and answered, ¡°Yes, I may have a few thoughts, though I do not know how feasible they are.¡±


    Putting his elbows on the table and leaning forward, Qian Ming spoke with vigor, ¡°Just tell us. Who knows, your ideas might just solve this issue!¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s smile turned wry. ¡°Then may I ask the Sentinel in charge of the archives about something?¡±


    The female Sentinel nodded.


    ¡°You mentioned that there were a few events coming up that would be held in the Black Fang headquarters and that the Sentinels cannot participate since they would be recognized. In addition, I¡¯m sure that they will also have preventive measures against people using things like appearance changing talismans, so the Sentinels cannot rely on them either. But would it help if I could infiltrate them instead?¡±


    The Sentinels all stared at Qinghe disbelievingly.


    The female Sentinel, however, seriously thought about it before replying, ¡°Yes, if you¡¯re sure that your face will not be recognized, then there is one event where you can participate and gain entry into their base. But you will have to satisfy a few criteria before you can be considered for this mission.¡±


    Qinghe remained unruffled as he responded, ¡°I see, that¡¯s understandable. I usually wear an appearance changing talisman whenever I appear officially along with my sect, so my true appearance should not be easily recognizable. As for the criteria, may I know what they are and how they correspond to this event?¡±


    Nodding, the female Sentinel began, ¡°Let me first explain the event in question. This can be loosely called a talent recruiting competition of sorts that Yuan Sheng hosts for his own amusement. The participants are all required to be exceptionally beautiful and talented cultivators. They will be pitted against each other and the victor is declared based on how pleasing and elegant their form while battling is to Yuan Sheng. The winner¡¯s reward is supposedly a position among one of Yuan Sheng¡¯s personal guards, but this position is mostly just a decoration. Yuan Sheng¡¯s true purpose is to have the winner be his bedmate. This competition is to simply filter through people to find someone who exactly suits his specific tastes.¡±


    Upon hearing this, most of the Sentinels¡¯ faces twisted with mockery and disgust.


    This was such a pretentious event, seemed to be held just so this bastard could take huge pleasure in seeing such talented beauties fighting for his favor while looking down his nose at them. Was so much fuss necessary just for finding a bed partner?


    But no matter the reason behind this competition, if Qinghe could qualify for it, then it would definitely be a convenient point of entry.


    Qinghe thought it over for a while before asking the female Sentinel, ¡°You spoke of certain criteria that I must meet before I can take part in this. May I know what they are?¡±


    Her fingers lightly tapping on the table, the Sentinel listed out, ¡°Firstly, you must be beautiful and powerful enough to qualify for participating in the competition. From what I¡¯ve gathered so far, you more than meet the standards for this. Secondly, you must be able to act in such a way and with such skill that not only does Yuan Sheng take notice of you, but that he also keeps his interest in you throughout the competition and chooses you in the end. Thirdly, you must be intelligent and think quickly so that you are not tripped up by any unexpected events. If you can satisfy all these conditions, then you will be qualified to take on this mission.¡±


    Qinghe wordlessly looked up at his lover with a question in his gaze, only to find Wei Xiang frowning fiercely.


    ¡°Qinghe, no. You can¡¯t take part in this,¡± Wei Xiang spoke firmly.


    Smiling, Qinghe instead asked, ¡°Xiang, first tell me, do you think I¡¯m eligible for undertaking this infiltration?¡±


    Wei Xiang sighed, but nodded truthfully. ¡°Of all of the people present here, you certainly satisfy all the necessary conditions the best. But Qinghe, you still shouldn¡¯t do this.¡±


    His smile remaining, Qinghe leaned against his beloved and rested his head on Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulder, his arm snaking around his lover¡¯s waist. ¡°Why do you think that?¡±


    Qinghe was very clear that his Xiang must have a very good reason for saying this, so he didn¡¯t feel angry or displeased in the least. If his beloved''s concerns truly held weight, then he would definitely take them into consideration.


    The tightness in Wei Xiang¡¯s expression softened slightly as he sensed his little lover¡¯s willingness to listen to his reasoning for refusing without getting furious.


    Taking a breath, he explained his worries, ¡°If you take part in this idiotic competition, then you will have to fight other people. Your core and the restrictions around your soul will get strained and you might not be able to do well in the third round of the Hundred-Year Tournament that¡¯s just a few days away. Also, if you truly do catch Yuan Sheng¡¯s eye, then he may try to talk to you in private and attempt to touch you. I don¡¯t want you to have to face something as unpleasant as that. There are also many other uncertain factors at play and I don¡¯t want you to risk yourself.¡±


    Qinghe calmly listened, his eyelids lowered in contemplation. After thinking for a moment, he finally responded, ¡°Xiang, though all your worries are valid, I don¡¯t think they are insurmountable hurdles. For example, as long as I prepare myself to be touched beforehand, it won¡¯t bother me all that much. And as for my core and restrictions¡­haven¡¯t we already found a way to stabilize them using dual cultivation?¡±


    Wei Xiang coughed at this unexpected answer while the listening Sentinels all looked at the couple with strange expressions.


    Not minding any of this, Qinghe went on, ¡°And as for those unexpected situations, I am confident in handling them. Since it seems that this Yuan Sheng is very cautious, he won¡¯t dare to act randomly. His obsession with his safety is a restriction that he has placed on himself. There are only so many ways he can come into contact with me while being certain of his own safety, and as long as I prepare for those specific situations, I will be fine.¡±


    The Sentinels all nodded their heads. This little brother¡¯s reasoning definitely made sense. He really had thought this through well.


    Even the Feng Huixin who had been silently worried for his son¡¯s safety felt somewhat reassured, although he was still reluctant to send Qinghe out on his own into enemy territory.


    However, even though Wei Xiang realized that he was worrying needlessly, the niggling doubt that something might go wrong still hounded him. This was his beloved¡¯s life they were talking about, he couldn¡¯t bear to take any chances with it. But despite his uncertainties, Wei Xiang also knew that Qinghe was far from helpless. His little lover was both powerful and cunning, and he was definitely capable of taking care of himself.


    So, pushing down his unreasonable thoughts of holding his beloved back for his own protection, Wei Xiang hesitantly nodded in agreement. He would not threaten his lover¡¯s autonomy and cage him in just because of a few unfounded worries.


    Qinghe read all these thoughts clearly on his Xiang¡¯s expression and felt his heart warming with gratitude and affection.


    With a charming smile blooming on his face, Qinghe raised a finger and traced Wei Xiang¡¯s jaw playfully. ¡°Even though I can do this on my own, having a certain Sentinel accompany me in my shadow will nevertheless be very reassuring.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes immediately widened with understanding.


    ¡°And I¡¯m sure this will ease the Grandmaster¡¯s worries as well,¡± Qinghe continued.


    From Wei Xiang¡¯s right, Feng Huixin nodded. ¡°Yes, if Xiang-er can accompany you through the shadows, then it will be very reassuring.¡±


    Qian Ming asked, ¡°But is that possible? Won¡¯t they somehow find out?¡±


    The female Sentinel from before spoke up, ¡°No, as long as Senior Officer Wei stays hidden throughout, I don¡¯t see how they can find him. After all, Yuan Sheng does not actually know that we can hide in the shadows. They should not have any means of detecting it. But the moment Senior Officer Wei exits the shadow realm, Yuan Sheng will flee, so this course of action should not be taken lightly.¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded. ¡°I know, I¡¯ll take care.¡±


    Then turning to Qinghe, he asked earnestly, ¡°Are you sure this is alright with you? Will I be a hindrance if I follow along like this?¡±


    Qinghe rubbed his cheek against where he was resting it on his lover¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Of course I¡¯m okay with it. Having you shadowing me will make it more fun for me too.¡±


    Tilting his head down to look into his beloved¡¯s eyes, Wei Xiang wrapped his arms around Qinghe and whispered softly, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Arching his neck so that he could reach his lover¡¯s cheek, Qinghe planted a gentle kiss, then said in a quiet voice, ¡°There¡¯s no need for thanks. If you¡¯re willing to make a concession for me, then it¡¯s only proper that I meet you halfway and compromise.¡±


    ¡°My beloved is so good to me. Such a good lover definitely deserves to be rewarded very thoroughly. So are you up for some dual cultivation, my love?¡± Wei Xiang murmured with a meaningful smile.


    Qinghe pressed himself closer to his beloved and whispered back, ¡°Of course. I remember a certain Sentinel Wei promising to take me to see his office. I do hope it has a latch to close the door. We are going to be busy for a while after all, and we wouldn¡¯t want to be disturbed, now would we?¡±


    Forced to witness this, the surrounding Sentinels felt their teeth ache. Was this couple still not done wounding their innocent hearts with such shameless public displays of affection?!


    On the other hand, Feng Huixin simply decided to ignore his sons¡¯ flirting from now on. As long as they were getting along well, it was good. After all, whenever he was with his wife in public, they hadn''t been any better either, though Feng Huixin could hardly be blamed for that.


    Clearing his throat, Kong Min suddenly interrupted the lovebirds. ¡°All that¡¯s well and good, but Little Bro, what will you do after you get into that competition? Even if you win and that bastard Yuan Sheng decides to spend some time alone with you, how will you kill him?¡±


    The female Sentinel in charge of the archives spoke up again, ¡°Yes, it isn¡¯t difficult to guess that anyone who is going to meet alone with Yuan Sheng will be thoroughly checked for weapons, artifacts, talismans, and the like. We also have information from the prisoner Jian Huan specifically stating that Yuan Sheng¡¯s personal bedroom, where he will most likely take the competition¡¯s winner afterward, is covered entirely with high-grade spirit-suppressing material. Unless one is at tenth realm, their cultivation will be useless. However, as someone in tenth realm himself, Yuan Sheng will still be able to use his abilities.¡±


    As for why Jian Huan would know about the specifics of Yuan Sheng¡¯s bedroom, no one felt the need to ask about it, since the reason was obvious enough.


    Sighing at their flirting being interrupted, Qinghe stretched his legs out under the table, then leaning lazily against Wei Xiang, he closed his eyes and made himself at home. Once he was comfortably settled, Qinghe slowly started speaking, ¡°I have a few ideas that might help in that regard. For one, no matter how much they search me, I doubt they will search inside my body. I should be able to hide a few items that way.¡±


    Hearing this, the Sentinels all showed uncomfortable expressions, some of them even flushing red from embarrassment as thoughts of how exactly he would do that intruded into their minds suddenly.


    Knowing what these idiot fellow officers of his were thinking, Wei Xiang shot them a nasty glare before asking Qinghe in a normal voice, ¡°What do you mean, love?¡±


    Not noticing this hidden exchange, Qinghe replied casually, ¡°I mean that if I cut open my body, there must be a few places where I can hide some small things. I¡¯ve never tried it before, but I wonder if I can remove some marrow and use the hollow cavity at the center of my bones to store certain items, or if I can squeeze things into the gap between my organs, or even use my stomach as a pouch to hold¨D¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Wei Xiang, Feng Huixin, and the Sentinels all shouted at once with horror, startling Qinghe into opening his eyes.


    Seeing their wide-eyed, aghast expressions, Qinghe begrudgingly conceded, ¡°¡­Alright then, we don¡¯t have to use this method.¡± Though he didn¡¯t know what need there was to get so noisy over this, if all of them felt so strongly, then he would of course listen to their opinion.


    Everyone sighed in relief that Qinghe had agreed to not mutilate himself in such a creative and brutal way. How he could talk of doing such a thing to himself so nonchalantly was beyond them.


    ¡°Ah¡­so that¡¯s what you meant when you talked about storing things in your body. You really had me thinking you meant something else, Little Bro,¡± Kong Min commented into the ensuing silence while laughing awkwardly.


    Qinghe blinked at his weird tone and asked with apparent confusion, ¡°Of course, what else did you think I meant?¡±


    But Kong Min shook his head, refusing to enlighten him.


    Seeing Qinghe¡¯s puzzlement, the Sentinels couldn¡¯t help but ponder. It seemed that their little brother was really too innocent. But realizing this only made their protective instincts towards him grow even stronger.


    Not knowing this, Qinghe closed his eyes once again and blissfully snuggled deeper into Wei Xiang¡¯s embrace, his expression content.

 Chapter 97: Preparing the Part

    ¡°Now that we¡¯ve decided on how to infiltrate the Black Fang headquarters, we need to think of how you should act so that you can capture Yuan Sheng¡¯s attention. Also, about how to assassinate him¡­¡± the female Sentinel trailed away, afraid that Qinghe would come up with yet another form of self-mutilation in answer.


    However, while remaining comfortably reposed against his lover and enfolded in his embrace, Qinghe simply waved a hand. ¡°I still have a few ideas about that. We¡¯ll discuss it later. For now, I would like to know this Yuan Sheng¡¯s preferences. What type of people does he usually choose?¡±


    The female officer in charge of the archives spoke again, ¡°Yuan Sheng has most commonly shown a liking for someone who is spoiled, flashy, and arrogant, but also insecure and easily subdued under his pressure. He is especially fond of people who worship him and show their obedience only to him. His preferred physical build is someone who is slender, slightly feminine, and has minimal musculature, but in special cases, he can also choose those who are slightly more muscled¡­¡±


    As the Sentinel went on and on about Yuan Sheng¡¯s various likes and dislikes, Qinghe attentively listened even as he laid limply against Wei Xiang.


    Once she was done relating everything, Qinghe nodded and said, ¡°I understand. I think some practice is now in order so that I can test my comprehension of the role I am to play. To that effect, can I request a few items to be prepared?¡±


    Qian Ming eagerly stood up. ¡°Just tell us what you need, Little Brother. I will go and fetch them for you quickly!¡±


    Straightening himself up, Qinghe retrieved some paper, an inkstone, and a brush from his spatial storage. Thankfully, the ink had already been ground when he¡¯d placed the inkstone in his storage space, so he quickly added the ink to the brush and began writing a list of what he needed.


    Using some wind to quickly and carefully dry the characters on the paper, Qinghe handed the list over to Qian Ming, who enthusiastically disappeared with it.


    Barely half an hour later, Qian Ming returned with all the items on the list packed neatly in boxes and offered them to Qinghe.


    Standing up and accepting them, Qinghe announced, ¡°I¡¯ll now go and prepare myself to play the part. If there are any discrepancies with how you think I should appear, then tell me and I¡¯ll adjust my character accordingly.¡±


    Not waiting for anyone¡¯s reply, Qinghe decisively turned and left the room to go and find someplace to change his clothes and put on the accessories.


    Left behind, the Sentinels waited patiently, feeling very curious and anticipating Qinghe¡¯s new look with shining eyes.


    Fifteen minutes later, the door to the conference room opened again, and the figure of a drastically changed young man walked in.


    Qinghe entered wearing a light peach and turquoise colored robe that made his beautiful features look youthful and fresh, smoothening his sharp edges and making him seem innocent and even younger.


    His lips were dyed a glossy red, his eyelids shaded with color while a light blush flushed his cheeks. His hair was put up in a complicated style and held up with a lustrous jade hair stick. An ornate headdress sat on his head, decorated with elaborately wrought ornaments set with bright corals and radiant pearls. He held a bright red folded fan, an emerald green tassel hanging from its end.


    Though he had the same face and figure as the Qinghe who had just left to change, the way he now walked and carried himself, along with his gestures and expressions, were all different enough to make him seem unrecognizable.


    Qinghe normally strode with a steady assuredness, yet with light-footed steps as if prepared to evade an attack or react suddenly to any situation at any second. His shoulders and spine were usually held straight, head facing forward and his posture radiating confidence and a relaxed elegance. His expression was either pleasant and warm or aloof and cold depending on the company.


    But the young man who had just walked in seemed inexperienced and without the maturity that normally shrouded Qinghe. His movements were graceful and frivolous, the expression on his painted face mildly disdainful and filled with arrogance. Yet there was something undeniably charming in the way his half-lidded eyes looked over the world with lofty pridefulness.


    As he walked, his hips swayed seductively as his feet stepped with the assurance that nothing would dare bar his way, lacking any vigilance at all. Unlike before when he held his arms loosely by his side to keep them ready to grab a weapon in case of danger, this newly arrived Qinghe kept his arms close to his body in a demure way, as if anything he wanted would be handed to him without him needing to stretch his hands out at all.


    Everything, from the way he bent his fingers to the angle between his neck and shoulders, had changed. It was a different type of poise and elegance than before, but it was just as tempting.


    There was no hint of the experienced cultivator in his current demeanor at all. He looked a hundred percent like a spoiled little aristocrat who was used to being pampered. This was the very personification of Yuan Sheng¡¯s preferences.


    The group of Sentinels, including Feng Huixin and Wei Xiang, all stared at this drastically changed young man with their eyes wide open in disbelief.


    The very picture of a disdainful young lord, Qinghe snorted, his chin tilting up haughtily. With a hand on his hip, he sneered ¡°Am I so beautiful that you have to stare this uncouthly? But I suppose you peasants are all like this, utterly lacking in any manners.¡±


    Even his voice and speech patterns had been altered.


    Witnessing the extent to which he had changed, the Sentinels could only gape, their eyes getting wider.


    Lightly and delicately tapping the edge of the folded fan against his jaw, Qinghe continued, ¡°Hmph, forget it. Even if you all fall in love with me, there¡¯s not a chance in a million of me even considering any of you, so don¡¯t even dream of it.¡±


    Faint choking noises could be heard as the group tried to reconcile the image of this conceited young lord with the well-mannered and cute little cultivator from before.


    They utterly failed.


    For all intents and purposes, the Qinghe from now and the Qinghe from before looked like two completely different people who just happened to share the same face and body.


    Suddenly dropping the act, Qinghe resumed his usual pleasant expression as he sat down near Wei Xiang again. ¡°So, how was it? Will this work?¡±


    Snapping out of the shock, multiple heads nodded enthusiastically.


    ¡°Little Brother, for a moment, I didn¡¯t even recognize you,¡± Qian Ming commented with an impressed look.


    Kong Min nodded and added, ¡°You could have convinced me that it was your less cuter twin or something.¡±


    Hou Yu frowned and shot a glare at Kong Min. Even while pretending to be someone else, that person was still cute! No one was allowed to say otherwise!


    Seeing the furious look on his elder brother¡¯s face, Rue Xu patted his head to appease him.


    ¡°Yes, I was unable to find fault with your portrayal of Yuan Sheng¡¯s ideal type as well,¡± the female Sentinel remarked.


    Qinghe simply smiled and accepted these praises as if it was only to be expected. He sprawled lazily against his lover again as he unfolded the fan and lightly waved it in front of him. From a rich and spoiled young lord, he suddenly seemed to turn into an indolent and classy young prince.


    ¡°Then I suppose there will be no objections to me participating in the competition while acting like this?¡±


    The room full of people all collectively shook their heads. There was no way they could object to such a perfect performance.


    Qian Ming suddenly frowned confusedly and asked, ¡°But Little Brother, why use that fan? It¡¯s clearly not your spiritual weapon. Though most wouldn¡¯t be able to tell, wouldn¡¯t it be better if you could use your actual spiritual artifact, since not many seem to have seen it before anyway?¡±


    ¡°That might be true, but mine would be too flashy. I¡¯d rather not use something so eye-catching and attract unneeded attention to it,¡± Qinghe answered.


    Hearing this, Kong Min perked up. ¡°Too flashy? Little Bro, now I want to see it!¡±


    The female Sentinel looked at Qinghe and spoke sedately, ¡°I would also like to evaluate its conspicuousness.¡±


    Feng Huixin simply looked at his son, his eyes displaying curiosity.


    At the side, Hou Yu stared at Qinghe with a pitiful expression. He also really wanted to see just what kind of weapon was worthy of this cute person!


    In the face of all these expectant gazes, Qinghe finally gave in with a helpless smile and summoned his spiritual artifact.


    Wind-based spiritual energy gathered in his palm and condensed into the form of a slender double-bladed sword that was almost as long as he was tall. The hilt in the middle was a gleaming silver, and the straight double-edged blades that extended from either side of the hilt were crystalline and clear. In the transparent depths of these blades, swirls of shimmering silver coiled and shifted mesmerizingly.


    The Sentinels¡¯ eyes reflected the pure glow emanated by the spiritual artifact, their faces showing awe. Rather than a weapon, this was more like a work of art.


    Qian Ming curiously spoke, ¡°It is truly a fascinatingly beautiful weapon, but Little Brother, wouldn¡¯t a double-bladed sword be unwieldy? I think such a weapon would be very difficult to fight with.¡±


    Qinghe shrugged lightly. ¡°Normally, that is true. Fighting with such a weapon means one can only use one side at a time while also having to pay attention to the other side to avoid injuring oneself. But once you learn it well enough to wield the blades at both ends seamlessly and at the same time, it makes an excellent melee weapon. All you have to do is to become accustomed to the length and positioning of the blades so that you know exactly where each of the ends is even when you have your eyes closed.¡±


    Qian Ming folded his arms and nodded with a thoughtful expression.


    ¡°Is this your usual weapon of choice?¡± Feng Huixin asked intently. For some reason, he didn¡¯t think such a weapon with an inflexible fighting style would suit his son.


    Shaking his head and smiling at his father¡¯s astuteness, Qinghe answered truthfully, ¡°No, my weapons of choice are slightly curved double swords. I fight best when I have a blade in each hand.¡±


    Feng Huixin nodded as if he had expected this.


    ¡°Well, I can understand why you would call this flashy. But if I remember right, according to the information I compiled on you, shouldn¡¯t you be able to mould your spiritual artifact into other shapes? Like¡­a fan, for example,¡± Kong Min said while peering at him inquisitively.


    Without even asking, Qinghe already knew that Wei Xiang hadn¡¯t been the one to tell him about this unique ability of his, which could only mean that Kong Min had found this out on his own. Qinghe couldn¡¯t help but feel appreciation for his skills.


    ¡°Yes, I can make it change its shape. But I¡¯m afraid it will only become even more eye-catching,¡± Qinghe warned.


    The Sentinels felt their curiosity piquing. Was such a thing as changing the shape of one¡¯s spiritual artifact even possible? And could this spiritual weapon even get any more flashier? Their Little Brother really was full of endless surprises!


    Deciding to satisfy their curiosity yet again, Qinghe injected his will into his spiritual weapon. The glow emitted by the double-bladed sword intensified until it was impossible to keep looking at the blinding light. When the glow finally subsided, in place of the weapon was a strikingly exquisite hand fan.


    The sticks making up the slats and guard of the fan were colored in a mysterious silvery-white that exuded a mother-of-pearl sheen, giving off a refined feeling and radiating a soft glow that calmed the mind and lulled one¡¯s heart into peace. The material of the leaf stretching between the slats was of a similar shimmery hue, but clear and transparent, like ethereal silk glimmering tranquilly with motes of soft colors sprinkled throughout its expanse. On this transparent surface, lazy wisps of silver mist curled and floated languidly, always in perpetual motion as they glided through the clear material.


    The hand fan looked unreal, more like a legendary artifact from Heaven¡¯s own treasury rather than the spiritual weapon of someone not even half a century of age.


    In the stunned silence, someone finally managed to choke out, ¡°¡­Yes, that would definitely be too eye-catching.¡±


    Having made his point across, Qinghe dismissed his spiritual artifact with a swish of his wrist, greatly disappointing those who had been staring entranced at it.


    At the side, Feng Huixin frowned. The appearance of this hand fan reminded him too much of the ambiance of the heavenly realm. Was there a connection between the two or was this just a coincidence?


    As Feng Huixin pondered in silence, the Sentinels began to chatter animatedly about everything that had happened today, from Qinghe¡¯s spiritual artifact to his help with creating a plan to finally bring down Black Fang. As they were all discussing about the infiltration in depth and ironing out the details thoroughly, Kong Min stayed apart from the discourse, looking thoughtful.


    Then casting a glance at Qinghe, Kong Min whispered to get his attention, ¡°Little Bro, look here.¡±


    Qinghe turned in the direction of the call, only to see Kong Min smirking meaningfully and motioning for Qinghe to step aside with him for a while, seemingly wanting to discuss something.


    After informing Wei Xiang that he was going to step outside for a bit, Qinghe got up and walked out of the noisy room with Kong Min, choosing a secluded corner to talk.


    ¡°What is it, Sentinel Kong?¡± Qinghe asked immediately.


    Kong Min lazily leaned against a wall with his hands folded behind his head. ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t be so stiff, Little Bro. I just wanted to give you some tips about selling your sex appeal to that scum leader of Black Fang.¡±


    Qinghe blinked as he repeated incredulously, ¡°Selling my what?¡± Did he just hear that right?


    Grinning, Kong Min reassured, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it. Just listen to what I have to say and decide on your own whether you want to implement it or not.¡±


    Reluctantly, Qinghe nodded in acquiescence. If this advice sounded too outlandish, then he could simply not use it.


    Seeing Qinghe agreeing, Kong Min¡¯s grin widened. ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s begin. To grab his attention, this is how you should act in the beginning¡­¡±


    And so, for the next twenty minutes, Qinghe was schooled in various different ways in which to capture the interest of Yuan Sheng according to his tastes, the outlined methods being suitable to use in various different situations. Qinghe diligently listened with widened eyes as Kong Min went into extreme detail, to the point of even explaining the psychology behind each option.


    In the conference room, after realizing that his little lover had been gone for a while, Wei Xiang finally got up and went in search of Qinghe. Since Qinghe and Kong Min had not gone that far, Wei Xiang quickly found his beloved standing alone in a corner with Kong Min nowhere in sight. As he neared his lover, however, Wei Xiang couldn¡¯t help but notice that Qinghe¡¯s expression seemed somewhat dazed.


    With a concerned frown pulling taut his brows, Wei Xiang silently put his arms around Qinghe and spoke, ¡°What did that idiot Kong Min want to talk about with you that took this long?¡±


    Hearing his lover¡¯s voice, Qinghe shook his head to clear it before slowly opening his mouth. ¡°Oh, he¡­taught me a lot of things pertaining to the mission.¡±


    But having seen how strange his beloved had looked before, Wei Xiang narrowed his eyes and prodded, ¡°What exactly did he teach you?¡±


    ¡°About how to seduce Yuan Sheng,¡± Qinghe truthfully answered.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    With an exceedingly blank expression, Wei Xiang cracked his knuckles as he turned around to leave.


    Tilting his head confusedly, Qinghe called out, ¡°Xiang? Where are you going?¡±


    Without stopping his steps, Wei Xiang replied in a cheerful tone, ¡°I¡¯m just going to find my senior brother to sincerely ¡®thank¡¯ him for teaching my lover how to seduce another man.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Qinghe hurried towards his lover and held him back even as he forced down his own amusement at this reaction. After a while of persuasion, Qinghe finally managed to dissuade Wei Xiang from going to search for Kong Min and ¡®thanking¡¯ him with his claws in his senior brother¡¯s gut.


    Wanting to calm his lover, Qinghe dragged Wei Xiang around, looking for someplace to rest together. He eventually came upon a wide pavilion overlooking a clear and placid pond bereft of any floating debris or vegetation. With shining eyes, Qinghe happily pulled Wei Xiang to sit down on the pavilion and gaze at the waters.


    Snuggling into his lover¡¯s warmth as they shared a wide seat, Qinghe sighed contentedly. Holding his little lover close and smelling the scent of mint on his skin, Wei Xiang felt his mood brighten as a small smile curled the corners of his lips.


    In a relaxed tone, Wei Xiang suddenly asked, ¡°Why did you choose a hand fan?¡±


    Shifting his head languorously, Qinghe hummed in question, ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°I mean for the role you will be playing while in that ridiculous competition,¡± Wei Xiang expanded.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Qinghe nodded in understanding. ¡°I just felt that something graceful like a fan would suit the character more. I suppose I could also use a musical instrument but¡­I¡¯m not very good at it.¡±


    Wei Xiang raised an eyebrow in surprise. ¡°Really? That¡¯s unexpected. I thought playing music would really suit you.¡±


    Though he hadn¡¯t seen any evidence to back it up, Wei Xiang couldn¡¯t help but feel that Qinghe would be talented at most forms of art, especially when it came to skill and expressiveness.


    Hearing the doubt in his beloved¡¯s voice, Qinghe laughed lightly and explained, ¡°It¡¯s not that the music I make doesn¡¯t sound pleasant or anything, it¡¯s just that I can¡¯t keep to the tune. The music I make always ends up changing according to my mood and what I feel like playing. But using musical instruments to display cultivation requires one to play very specific and precise tunes. It means that I can¡¯t just play however I like as I usually do. Music is the one thing where I cannot control my own desires from running amok while it discards logic.¡±


    Saying so, Qinghe let out another laugh, the sound pleasant, light, and free.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes warmed as he said softly, ¡°Yes, that seems very much like you.¡±


    Qinghe smiled happily at the indulgence and gentleness in his Xiang¡¯s voice.


    Then closing his eyes, Qinghe peacefully drifted off in his beloved¡¯s arms as the sound of rippling water lulled him to sleep.

 Chapter 98: Untimely Interruption

    Soon, the couple¡¯s quiet time on the pavilion was interrupted as Kong Min came to fetch them back to the conference room so that they could continue the discussion.


    By the time they walked back to the room, the last dregs of sleep clouding Qinghe¡¯s mind had dissipated.


    As soon as Qinghe sat down in his previous seat beside Wei Xiang, the female Sentinel in charge of the archives began, ¡°You said before that you had a way of assassinating Yuan Sheng despite his many safeguards, the Thousand Transportations array in his palm, and the high-level spirit-suppressing material lining the walls of his bedroom. May I ask what your plan is?¡±


    Carefully settling himself in his seat, Qinghe looked at the female Sentinel and nodded. ¡°Yes, I do have a way, but it is not so that I can assassinate the leader of Black Fang, but rather so that you can take him into custody. There¡¯s no need to shed blood unnecessarily.¡±


    The female Sentinel looked at Qinghe with a protesting expression. ¡°That sounds improbable.¡±


    Hearing Qinghe¡¯s words, Qian Ming also joined in, ¡°Little Brother, that Yuan Sheng is so crafty that killing him is more feasible when compared to capturing him.¡±


    Wei Xiang merely smiled at the side, his face displaying his confidence and faith in his beloved.


    Seeing this, Feng Huixin spoke, ¡°Qinghe, if you really have a way of taking Yuan Sheng into custody, then I would like to use it.¡±


    Qinghe blinked in surprise, then smiled. ¡°Yes, thank you, Grandmaster.¡±


    Then turning to the rest, he said, ¡°I do indeed have a plan. But I need the help of two other people to neutralize the opponent¡¯s defenses first. And once Yuan Sheng¡¯s defenses are down, the Sentinels can simply use the shadows to appear and arrest him. I will make sure that until you are in place to take him into custody, he will not resist.¡±


    Expressions of incredulity filled the room.


    The female Sentinel was the first to speak into this stunned silence. ¡°You said you needed the help of two other people. Who might you mean?¡±


    ¡°One of them is Sentinel Rue,¡± Qinghe answered directly.


    Hearing this, Rue Xu¡¯s always-present frown smoothened as his eyebrows shot up in surprise. ¡°Me?¡±


    From beside him, Hou Yu shot his younger brother a bitter glare. How lucky was his brother that he would be able to help that cute person!


    The female Sentinel prodded, ¡°And who is the second person?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s pleasant smile widened. ¡°The other person is the Sect Master of the Silver Moon Sect, Wu Xiao.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The clouds floating over the Silver Moon Sect were bathed in the rosy light of evening, the large puffs nudged along by the gentle wind. The crisp air shrouding the island had turned colder, thickened with the silvery mist that was beginning to roll in from the ocean.


    In the sect master¡¯s quarters, the curtains in the living room billowed inward, the windows opened wide to let in the fresh salty air, while the windows in the bedroom stayed closed to keep the evening chill from affecting the pair of lovers. Over the long, painted screen that bisected the spacious room, indistinct shadows wavered, entwined.


    On the bed that was situated on the other side of the screen, Wu Xiao and Jing Shui were busily immersed in passionate activities that were flavored with Wu Xiao¡¯s heavy tastes.


    After that first time, the couple had frolicked between the sheets together countless times till now, and gradually, Jing Shui had also more or less become fascinated with Wu Xiao''s tastes, happily submitting himself to be played with by his lover.


    This was one such time.


    Currently, Jing Shui was bent over on the bed, his body completely bare. His arms were folded behind his back, his wrists placed side-by-side horizontally and tied together. His knees were positioned far apart on the bed, his ankles fastened to the ends of a wooden bar with leather restraints to keep his legs spread wide open. A soft, velvety string was tied expertly over and around his straining member, cinched at the base below his balls, wrapped around the length of his shaft, and passing over the moist slit at the head.


    The little nubs on his chest were stretched until taut and complex-looking devices of metal and wood were clamped onto them, making the little pink points peeking out at the end look all the more pitiful and fragile in comparison. A thin chain connected these devices and small weights were hung from the links of this chain, swinging and pulling at those delicate buds every time Jing Shui moved even slightly.


    A blindfold made of soft black cloth covered his eyes, cutting off his vision completely while greatly heightening his sense of hearing and touch as a result. It made Jing Shui feel both vulnerable and excited, the feeling of being at his lover¡¯s mercy comforting and thrilling at the same time.


    With his body bent forward, Jing Shui gasped, his chest heaving up and down, causing the swinging weights on the chain to pull harder on his sensitive buds. Tears dampened the blindfold covering his eyes and trailed down from the edge of the black cloth, sliding over his cheeks flushed red from the constant stimulation.


    ¡°Ah-Shui, how is it? Do you want me to take it out?¡± Wu Xiao asked, his kind voice contrasting with his ruthless action of wrenching and rotating the object that was thrust deep into his beloved¡¯s bottom.


    Wu Xiao¡¯s eyes gleamed with pleasure at the sight Jing Shui¡¯s twisting form presented, gazing eagerly at all the tempting lurid details of their lovemaking till now¨Dhis beloved¡¯s smooth skin that was currently scattered with telltale pink marks, his arched back draped with sweat-dampened strands of silky black hair, his lover¡¯s entrance stretched wide to accommodate the object within, his Ah-Shui¡¯s hoarse voice pleading and sobbing piteously, ¡°Wu Xiao¡­ah¡­please¡­more¡­¡±


    Hearing this, Wu Xiao¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t help but soften even as his smile turned sharper.


    Gripping the flat base of the long, teardrop-shaped container that was currently seated snugly within his lover, Wu Xiao lightly pulled it outward. The wide bottom of the teardrop began emerging out of Jing Shui¡¯s straining entrance, bringing with it a small stream of liquid that began dripping from the quivering opening.


    Feeling the trickling wetness, Jing Shui tried to clench his inner muscles closed, but it was to no avail.


    ¡°Wu Xiao! W-What¡­¡±


    With a playful smirk, Wu Xiao suddenly plunged the object back in forcefully. Jing Shui¡¯s spine snapped straight as he let out a groan at the sensation of the long teardrop¡¯s blunt end forcibly parting the walls of his soft channel and pushing in.


    Jing Shui could feel more liquid pouring out of the blunt tip of the container and into him, filling his already stuffed passage and drenching his inner walls anew. With every movement, he could feel the heavy liquid sloshing in his belly, making him shift restlessly as he kept trying to adjust to the queer sensation.


    ¡°Ah¡­W-Wu Xiao¡­I-I¡­¡±


    With his eyes glinting brightly, Wu Xiao asked playfully, ¡°Hm? What is it, my beloved Ah-Shui? Do you want me to use some of my other instruments on you as well?¡±


    But Jing Shui could only moan loudly in answer as Wu Xiao¡¯s hands resumed playing with his body. Those slender and cool fingers lightly skimmed over his restrained shaft before his palm moved up and pressed against his heaving belly.


    ¡°How is it? Do you feel uncomfortable here?¡± Wu Xiao suddenly asked with concern.


    Jing Shui slowly shook his head, then elaborated painstakingly, ¡°I-It just...feels a bit¡­too full, b-but¡­I can¡­take it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, then that¡¯s good,¡± Wu Xiao murmured, pushing aside his beloved¡¯s hair as he bent his head down to kiss and suckle on the few patches of unmarked skin still left on his lover¡¯s smooth back. He could feel his Ah-Shui¡¯s muscles shift and strain under his lips as Jing Shui gasped and moaned again.


    ¡°Wu Xiao¡­p-please¡­I want¡­¡±


    Wu Xiao swept his tongue once over Jing Shui¡¯s straining spine before lifting his head and prodding. ¡°What do you want, my beloved?¡±


    Jing Shui felt his body trembling as Wu Xiao once again began toying with that thing stuffed into his passage, causing it to spill more liquid into him. But Jing Shui nevertheless tried to push out the words he wanted to say through gritted teeth, ¡°I-I want you¡­inside me¡­p-please, Wu Xiao¡­I can¡¯t¨Dah!¡±


    Listening to his Ah-Shui¡¯s pleas, Wu Xiao abruptly pulled out the teardrop-shaped container out of his lover¡¯s passage, causing Jing Shui to exclaim in surprise. A stream of thick liquid immediately began to pour out of the gaping opening, but Wu Xiao quickly pressed his own member against Jing Shui¡¯s entrance and pushed in, halting the flow of the liquid and trapping it inside once again.


    Bending over his lover, Wu Xiao whispered into Jing Shui¡¯s ear teasingly, ¡°Satisfied now?¡±


    Pressing his burning face into the bed, Jing Shui shuddered, trying to accustom himself to his beloved¡¯s girth. ¡°¡­Mn¡­y-yes¡­deeper,¡± he urged greedily in a low voice.


    And so, with a helpless and indulgent smile, Wu Xiao began to move. His hips thrust in and out in hard motions even as his hands roamed over his Ah-Shui¡¯s skin, rubbing and pinching, caressing and soothing endlessly.


    With his hands tied behind him, Jing Shui felt frustrated at his inability to touch his lover back even as his body writhed and thrashed around as if to somehow let out the frantic heat burning within him.


    Wu Xiao looped an arm around Jing Shui¡¯s shoulders and pulled his lover¡¯s warm body up against him, feeling how his Ah-Shui¡¯s bound hands were clenched into fists as they were pressed between them.


    As the need kept raging inside him, Jing Shui twisted his body so that he could tilt his head up and press his lips against Wu Xiao¡¯s, his hot tongue snaking out to lap enthusiastically at his beloved¡¯s mouth. Wu Xiao parted his lips and sucked that red tongue inside, letting his own tongue twine around it in a sensual caress.


    The movement of their lower halves slowed as the pair of lovers began to focus on enjoying the burning heat thrumming under their skin, shifting and arching against each other to feel their sweat-slickened bodies sliding against one another even as their mouths stayed fused, their lungs filled with the other¡¯s breath.


    As the heavy scent of lust in the air grew even thicker, the couple suddenly stopped, their expressions going wide-eyed with surprise.


    Just now, they¡¯d both heard the soft tap of someone landing on a windowsill in the living room. Thankfully, the screen separated the two rooms so that the lovers¡¯ intertwined bodies would not be visible to this unexpected visitor, but as lewdly joined together as they were on the bed, this single barrier didn¡¯t reassure the couple in the least.


    Just when Wu Xiao was contemplating whether or not this intruder was an enemy, a familiar and pleasant voice lightly called out, ¡°Sect Master Wu, are you here?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Wu Xiao wanted to sigh. He should have known that it would be that troublesome Feng Qinghe! And how had that brat even managed to get into his sect without him noticing?! As expected of that tricky fellow, he really had the skills of a sneaky spy!


    As Wu Xiao went on an angry tirade inside his mind, Jing Shui, on the other hand, felt like he would die of shame.


    His current position was extremely embarrassing to be found in, what with the way he was naked and trussed up, several implements attached to him, his eyes blindfolded, his entrance leaking liquid, and his lover still buried inside him.


    If his friend were to catch him looking like this¡­


    Jing Shui bent down and hid his head in the pillows like an ostrich burying its head in the sand, staying absolutely still and trying not to let even a single peep escape him in the hopes of not being found. He¡¯d rather die a horrible death than let his friend see him in this situation!


    On the other side of the screen, Qinghe looked in the direction of the bedroom with a confused frown. ¡°Sect Master Wu, are you busy?¡±


    Wu Xiao sighed, then with his member still buried inside his lover, he answered in an irritable voice, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m currently very busy. Xiao Feng, you can just show yourself out now.¡±


    Seeing how his lover was so casually talking while maintaining this position, Jing Shui¡¯s feeling of humiliation reached new heights, causing him to unconsciously clench his butt. Wu Xiao stifled a gasp at his beloved''s hot walls suddenly squeezing his shaft.


    Seeking to retaliate, Wu Xiao slowly began to slide his member in and out of his Ah-Shui, his actions completely noiseless. Being stimulated like this, Jing Shui could only helplessly shudder, his eyes squeezing out desperate tears as he frantically tried to swallow his cries lest his friend found out what was happening.


    Unfortunately, Qinghe remained unknowing of Jing Shui¡¯s woes as he began speaking again, ¡°But Sect Master Wu, I have something important to discuss. We don¡¯t have much time.¡±


    Jing Shui felt his body quivering with tension as it tried to bear the pleasure of his inner walls being relentlessly rubbed by his lover¡¯s thick member. He keenly felt the heavy liquid in his belly rippling gently in response to being disturbed by Wu Xiao¡¯s gentle thrusts.


    Jing Shui wished with all his might that his friend would just leave quickly. Having to stay silent while being tormented like this was too unbearable, and this situation itself was too embarrassing! How could he even meet Feng Qinghe¡¯s eyes after this?!


    ¡°Sect Master Wu?¡± Qinghe¡¯s befuddled voice came from beyond the screen.


    Through clenched teeth, Wu Xiao got out, ¡°Xiao Feng, would waiting a few more minutes kill you?¡±


    Meanwhile, Jing Shui kept shuddering unstoppably as the tip of Wu Xiao¡¯s finger lightly flicked the tops of the small pink buds peeking through the clamps on his chest. Jing Shui¡¯s fingers clenched tightly where they lay on his back and his toes dug deep into the sheets, every line of his body growing taut with strain.


    Qinghe¡¯s clear voice sounded again, ¡°So¡­you want a few more minutes? Fine by me, but at least tell me how long I have to wait.¡±


    Even as Qinghe talked, Wu Xiao¡¯s hand began relentlessly squeezing the heated length of Jing Shui¡¯s bound member, massaging it in rhythmic motions in accompaniment to his thrusts. Jing Shui bit a pillow and forced down his cries. He could feel the bursts of pleasure urging hot liquid to pour out through his shaft, only for the release to be mercilessly halted by the string tied at the base of his member. Tears unceasingly slid over his cheeks, washing his face with signs of his frustration as his body kept on trembling with silent sobs.


    In his mind, Jing Shui kept desperately praying to Qinghe¨DBrother Feng, please have mercy on your pitiable friend and just leave already!


    In a voice gone breathy from panting, Wu Xiao spoke, ¡°Just half an hour should be enough for me to finish and come out.¡±


    Finally receiving an answer, Qinghe replied cheerfully. ¡°Oh, okay! I¡¯ll wait outside then.¡±


    Almost immediately, both Jing Shui and Wu Xiao sensed Qinghe leaping out the window and leaving the room.


    With the source of the constant interruptions finally gone, the couple couldn¡¯t help letting out sighs of relief.


    Now that he didn¡¯t have to feel worried about being found out, Jing Shui began sobbing and whimpering openly, his body twisting in his restraints as he begged in desperation, ¡°Wu Xiao, p-please¡­hurry¡­i-it¡¯s too much! I c-can¡¯t¡­bear it anymore!¡±


    With a helpless smile, Wu Xiao clutched his lover close and whispered affectionately, ¡°I guess I tortured my Ah-Shui a bit too much today. Let me give you relief then.¡±


    Jing Shui¡¯s screams of pleasure soon resounded in the room as Wu Xiao made good on his promise.


    ¡­¡­


    Outside, Qinghe found a secluded and peaceful spot in the hydrangea garden and leaned against a wall, his expression as if he were pondering deeply on something.


    Suddenly tilting his head down to look at the shadow by his feet, Qinghe asked aloud, ¡°Xiang, did you see those weird things in their room just now?¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s amused voice sounded from the shadow, ¡°What weird things? Qinghe, love, did you forget that I can¡¯t spy using wind like you?¡±


    With puffed cheeks, Qinghe defended himself. ¡°Hey, I wasn¡¯t spying! I just forgot to retract my spirit sense. Anyway, I saw that Sect Master Wu was using a lot of strange things on Brother Jing. There were a couple of small, bizarre devices on his chest, and his eyes were blindfolded for some reason, and then there were those restraints that actually looked completely different from those used on criminals, also¨D¡±


    Wei Xiang hurriedly interrupted his clueless little lover, ¡°Qinghe, never, and I do mean never, mention what you saw today to your friend. With his thin skin, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll make your Brother Jing embarrassed enough that he¡¯ll wish for death.¡±


    Qinghe tilted his head confusedly, not understanding what there was to be embarrassed about. But since his beloved¡¯s voice sounded firm and urgent, he decided to agree. ¡°¡­Oh, okay. But Xiang, do you know what those things I told you just now about are?¡±


    After a lengthy pause, Wei Xiang finally admitted, ¡°Maybe.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s expression turned thoughtful. Then he hesitantly asked, ¡°Xiang, those things¡­do they hurt when you use them? If you put them on me, do you think I will like it?¡±


    Wei Xiang couldn¡¯t help but startle at this direct question. Just imagining his alluring little lover wearing those sorts of implements while tied up on their bed made Wei Xiang feel a nosebleed coming on.


    Not sensing his beloved¡¯s thoughts going astray, Qinghe curiously poked himself in the chest, causing one of his little buds to perk up and rub against the inside of his clothes. As his fingertip kept on prodding and nudging the sensitive nubbin, Qinghe continued with a confused frown, ¡°Xiang, having those things pinching in a place like this¡­do you think it might actually feel good?¡±


    Wei Xiang felt that his lover was testing his self-discipline again. He had to exert strict control over his thoughts to stop himself from exiting the shadow realm and pushing down his little lover right here, venting the insistent lust stirred up by his beloved¡¯s obliviously tempting words and actions.


    In a strangled-sounding voice, Wei Xiang finally managed to say, ¡°Qinghe, let¡¯s discuss this later. I will explain everything to you in detail when we are alone. I¡¯m afraid that this is not something we should be talking about outside like this.¡±


    Qinghe nodded and easily agreed. ¡°Alright then.¡±


    Just as Qinghe wanted to begin contemplating over this newfound knowledge, he spotted the figure of a satisfied-looking Wu Xiao heading their way.


    ¡°Ah, it seems like Sect Master Wu is done,¡± Qinghe observed. Then perking up, he spoke, ¡°Xiang, do you think I should directly ask him about all those things he put on Brother Jing?¡±


    ¡°No! Definitely not!¡± Wei Xiang burst out.


    Qinghe merely raised an eyebrow in reaction. ¡°Okay, okay, I won¡¯t ask him. But Xiang, why do I feel like you¡¯ve gotten more dramatic today? Are you learning your senior brother¡¯s bad habits?¡± Qinghe asked in a disapproving tone.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang truly didn¡¯t know what to say and could only stew in silence.


    After a while, Wu Xiao reached the place where Qinghe was leaning relaxedly against the wall with his arms folded and expression serene.


    ¡°So, Xiao Feng, what matter did you come to bother me about just now?¡± Wu Xiao directly got to the point.


    Qinghe hesitated, then offered sincerely, ¡°Sect Master Wu, if you truly think it¡¯s that much of a bother, then don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure that you get appropriate compensation for your help.¡±


    Wu Xiao rolled his eyes and sighed. ¡°Xiao Feng, did you forget? For how you helped my Ah-Shui with his family last time, I told you that whenever you need my help, you only have to ask. There is no need for you to give me anything in return. And while I do feel annoyed that you interrupted us in the middle, it hardly means that I¡¯m angry with you. Me feeling annoyed does not change the closeness of our relationship, understood? Now spill, what do you want?¡±


    Qinghe blinked and looked away, his mind feeling strangely out of balance at these words that were so casually spoken. And so, while still in a daze, Qinghe replied, ¡°Sect Master Wu, how good is your embroidery?¡±


    ¡°¡­Huh?!¡±


    Wu Xiao could only exclaim dumbfoundedly.


    Over the course of the next few hours, Qinghe explained what he wanted in detail and gave Wu Xiao an in-depth outline of the spell formation he needed him to craft. This outline had been drawn up with the help of Rue Xu and would serve as a base of understanding for Wu Xiao to create this unique spell.


    After receiving Wu Xiao¡¯s reluctant assurance that the formation would be ready within a couple of days, Qinghe and Wei Xiang took their leave of the Silver Moon Sect¡¯s grounds by using the shadows again.


    Two days later, Qinghe finally entered the competition held in Black Fang¡¯s territory, his contrived persona firmly in place.

 Chapter 99: An Intriguing Person

    As soon as the plan had been finalized, the Order of Sentinels used a contact they had in Black Fang and entered Qinghe into the competition as a distant relative of that person.


    When the day of the competition arrived, Qinghe was picked up by an unremarkable carriage in a pre-designated point and transported to the venue, where he was given a jade plate with the number sixteen etched into it. Later, the numbers of all the competitors would be put into a box and lots would be drawn to decide who paired up against whom.


    The venue where the competition was going to be held was a wide open field with spectator stands on either side packed with audience. Positioned in between the spectator stands and at the edge of the competition grounds was a tall tower-like structure with elaborate curved roofs. There was only a single room in the structure, located on the top-most level of this tower, and was reserved solely for the leader of Black Fang, Yuan Sheng, to view the competition from.


    In this meticulously protected room, Yuan Sheng currently sat on a luxuriously padded chair while resting his chin on the back of his hand. With piercing eyes, he surveyed the various beauties who¡¯d come to vie for his favor with an impassive and assessing gaze.


    There was a lot of talent this time, purportedly because of his organization¡¯s continued resistance against the Order. Many people from his ally faction, along with those who hoped to join him, had all sent the top beauties from their households, hoping that one of them would catch his eye and successfully bewitch him so that they could in turn keep Yuan Sheng under their control. But the leader of Black Fang was hardly such an easy man to scheme against.


    Towards these sorts of petty tricks, all Yuan Sheng felt was disdain. He might appreciate beauty, but he was hardly foolish enough to be blinded by it.


    As his mind wandered over the various plots and machinations at play, both within the organization and against the Order, Yuan Sheng¡¯s gaze swept over the competition venue absentmindedly. But as his eyes landed on a certain person, the stunning beauty dragged back Yuan Sheng¡¯s awareness, making him focus his gaze on that devastating face and figure.


    Standing on the field among the contestants was a dazzling young man in a peach and turquoise robe, clutching a red fan in his hand and standing apart from the rest with a superior expression.


    Unlike the other competitors who were either too submissive or too confident, this man¡¯s face showed a haughty pride, yet his eyes revealed a hard-to-catch vulnerability. Though his posture was straight and confident, his hands were held too close to his body, his fingers skimming up and down the side of the fan, giving away his nervousness. These subtle details that only a discerning eye could catch showed the fragility and defenselessness hidden underneath that arrogant fa?ade.


    Yuan Sheng couldn¡¯t help but sit up straighter, the indifference in his eyes finally giving way to interest.


    As he studied that beautiful face further, he couldn¡¯t help but notice that there were some coincidental similarities between this interesting little beauty and the Sentinel Grandmaster. But Yuan Sheng was already aware that the Grandmaster was someone who had ascended from a different world, so there were unlikely to be any of his relatives present here.


    Also, Yuan Sheng knew the Grandmaster¡¯s personality well. After all, he was his biggest obstacle to date, so he had made it his business to study him thoroughly. According to what Yuan Shen knew of him, that staid and boring person couldn¡¯t have gotten it up with some woman to give birth to a son or something. He was just that much of an abstinent celibate, so he was convinced that he didn¡¯t need to worry about this beauty being related to the Grandmaster.


    Since it was like that, Yuan Sheng couldn¡¯t help but get excited at the thought of bedding this person who looked so much like the enemy leader. Just how would he look when he was stripped bare and humiliated? How would he look when kneeling and begging for mercy? Making him submit while he bore that face would be really too entertaining!


    Thus, Yuan Sheng began studying this contestant more closely, his eyes eagerly assessing this beauty¡¯s body.


    The young man looked lightly-muscled and his movements seemed limber and graceful, but by the manner in which he held himself, it was obvious that he lacked experience. The only way to offset this disadvantage would be if he was powerful enough to make up for his inexperience.


    Thinking this, Yuan Sheng couldn¡¯t help but feel anticipation towards seeing this beauty¡¯s matches. He had already decided that if this young man was talented enough to make it to the end, then he would choose him as the winner. That is, if this person didn¡¯t turn out to be one of those people sent to bewitch and manipulate him or was someone who bore him ill will.


    Just as Yuan Sheng began fantasizing about having this new beauty, the person in question himself turned to look in his direction with a puzzled expression as if sensing someone¡¯s gaze.


    As their eyes met, Yuan Sheng felt an eager smile curling his lips. He couldn¡¯t wait for a chance of observing this delectable young man from up close while listening to his voice and seeing what expressions he would make in his presence.


    At the other end of Yuan Sheng¡¯s gaze, Qinghe swished open his fan and demurely covered the bottom half of his face as he lowered his head. All that was visible over the fan¡¯s edge were the tops of his lightly flushed cheeks and his clear eyes seeming to hide his bashfulness.


    Seeing this, Yuan Sheng licked his lips, his eyes growing deeper as he felt his desire stirring.


    Meanwhile, as he watched his little lover acting coy from the shadows, Wei Xiang didn¡¯t know if he should feel amused or jealous.


    And so, a whispering voice lightly floated up to Qinghe¡¯s ear and chided, ¡°Love, why are you biting your lip like that? Did you forget that your mouth is hidden behind the fan? There¡¯s no need to put in that much effort while acting for that scum.¡±


    However, not noticing the hint of jealousy in his lover¡¯s tone, Qinghe parted his lips and whispered back with aggravation, ¡°I¡¯m not acting, I just don¡¯t like how he¡¯s looking at me. It makes me feel nauseous. I¡¯m afraid that if I don¡¯t bite my lip, I¡¯ll throw up whatever is in my stomach.¡±


    Hearing this, Wei Xiang felt much better. In an amused tone, he reminded, ¡°Qinghe, you haven¡¯t eaten anything for the past few weeks, so I doubt you have anything in your stomach worth throwing up.¡±


    Striving to keep up his proud yet uncertain mask, Qinghe retorted, ¡°Xiang, did you forget the breakfast you fed me just a few hours ago?¡±


    Wei Xiang felt confused for a second before finally remembering. This morning, his little lover had taken great delight in swallowing him into his mouth, teasing and sucking him until he erupted, then gulping down every single drop of his release with glee.


    Realizing that this was what his lover called his ¡®breakfast¡¯, Wei Xiang felt speechless.


    ¡°Ah, why is he looking at me like that? Xiang, do you think I did anything wrong? Did he already figure out that I¡¯m acting?¡± Qinghe muttered behind the fan worriedly.


    Recovering his senses, Wei Xiang felt like sighing. ¡°No, love, he¡¯s looking at you like that because your acting is too much on the spot. That bastard Yuan Sheng is definitely lusting after you,¡± he said with dissatisfaction coloring his voice.


    Qinghe blinked confusedly. ¡°I¡­see. But Xiang, why do you sound so weird and grumpy?¡±


    After a pause, Wei Xiang replied straightforwardly, ¡°Having another person staring at my dear lover with obvious lust makes me jealous and angry. It¡¯s an unreasonable response on my part, so I¡¯ll handle it, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Qinghe couldn¡¯t help smiling softly as he declared, ¡°Xiang, no matter what, my soul will always remain bound to yours. We will always belong to each other, so you don¡¯t have to feel insecure, alright?¡±


    Wei Xiang felt the restlessness in his heart settle at these affectionate words said with such firm conviction. In a relatively calmer tone, he reassured, ¡°Thank you, I¡¯m alright now.¡±


    Closing his fan and lifting his head again, Qinghe maintained his character even as warmth spread in his chest. The very fact that his lover thought he was worth feeling jealous over made him strangely happy, though he didn¡¯t dare let it show on his face right now.


    Meanwhile, the other contestants around Qinghe had all formed groups of their own based on the relationship between their backers, their smiles wide and dripping poison and their eyes forming cheerful crescents while hiding daggers.


    The covert glances they shot towards the proud and lone figure amidst them were filled with competitive spirit. Just based on looks alone, this person clad in peach and turquoise would definitely be their biggest rival in gaining the favor of the leader of Black Fang. They could only hope that his fighting skills were nothing special.


    But when the competition finally began, these other competitors were all forced to see their hopes being thoroughly dashed into smithereens right in front of them.


    Qinghe¡¯s first match was against a young man who was much slimmer and shorter than him. The young man had large, glassy green eyes and bright azure markings on one side of his face made of hair-thin lines, the edges exact and defined.


    With a vicious expression, the young man flung out his pure white sleeves. Elegant curls of silvery smoke emerged from its depths, immediately shooting out in Qinghe¡¯s direction.


    With an arrogant expression that conveyed just how much he was looking down on his opponent, Qinghe opened his fan and waved it in a casual yet elegant arc. Wind blasted out from him and blew the smoke right back at its owner.


    The young man hurriedly stepped back to avoid getting a face full of his own corrosive vapor, an expression of anger twisting his delicate features. His fingers dipped into his sleeves in a quick motion before the young man took out a handful of amber colored pearls. Charging back at Qinghe, he began flicking the small pearls one by one towards his opponent.


    With a haughty snort of derision, Qinghe snapped his fan close and swung it fearlessly against the first of the pearls hurtling towards him. The edge of the closed fan seemed to be as sharp as a blade as it sliced the pearl cleanly in two, interrupting the activation of its spell and preempting any offensive effect it could have had.


    Leaping forward with his robes fluttering gracefully, Qinghe struck at the other pearls in quick succession to render them ineffective as well. Then flicking open his fan again, Qinghe sent out a gust of strong wind that tore through the arena and directly knocked his opponent to the ground.


    As the frail-looking young man landed roughly on the hard-packed earth, he immediately fainted on impact, instantly losing the match.


    Standing straight, Qinghe lifted his chin with a pleased look as he cast a brief glance at his downed opponent before turning on his heel and striding away. Then as if remembering something, he snuck a peek towards the tower looming over the competition grounds, coincidentally meeting the eyes of the man seated inside once again.


    Seeing the beauty he had been watching winning in such a spectacular way that displayed both his extraordinary bearing and his powerful mastery over the wind element, Yuan Sheng felt his interest in him deepening. His gaze as he looked at Qinghe this time was much more heated and expectant, his smile widening into a leer.


    Qinghe once again looked away while seeming to veil his blush behind his opened fan, but he was in fact hiding his grimace.


    He had never been one to pay attention to how others looked at him, but now that he had to see Yuan Sheng¡¯s expression, Qinghe felt as if something disgusting was squirming in his stomach. The other man¡¯s look reminded him too much about the way the men who¡¯d molested him at the orphanage had looked.


    ¡°Qinghe, if you don¡¯t want to continue, then we have to go no further,¡± Wei Xiang spoke worriedly after having caught his little lover¡¯s uncomfortable expression.


    But Qinghe shook his head. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just a little unpleasant, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Wei Xiang paused as if in thought, then said in an exceedingly gentle tone, ¡°Qinghe, no matter what that man might want or try to do, I will always be here. I won¡¯t let him touch you if you don¡¯t want him to. I will not let him do anything to you. You are safe, do you understand?¡±


    Hearing the exact reassurance he needed, Qinghe felt a rush of relief so intense that he almost broke character. Yes, what had he been worried about? He wasn¡¯t alone like he was back then. Now, with his Xiang here, no one could hurt him. There was no need to let past fears bog him down right now.


    And so, Qinghe entered the next round in an even more relaxed state of mind, deciding that it was finally time to implement a few of Kong Min¡¯s suggestions.


    Qinghe¡¯s opponent this time was a charming older woman, her hair a cascade of ebony ringlets and her dress a sleeveless silk robe that flowed over her form like water. While fighting, she was swift and ruthless in her attacks, sending out the invisible thread wound around her middle finger to cut down anything in her path.


    Evading the thread by using light steps and retaliating with the wind, Qinghe fought as if he were dancing, his movements elegant but also as if putting on an elaborate performance. His flamboyant and pleasing motions were unlike his usual decisive and efficient offensives from the second round of the Hundred-Year Tournament. But though these showy movements seemed natural, every little action was in fact carefully calculated and executed.


    Making it seem like his mind had suddenly wandered, Qinghe let his eyes drift over to the tower as if unable to help it. His body was angled as if to evade an attack, only for a part of his opponent''s thread to end up slicing open his clothes due to his absentmindedness. Of course, this was exactly as Qinghe had planned and one of the things Kong Min had instructed him to do before.


    Acting as if he were startled, Qinghe whipped his head back to face his opponent with embarrassed anger on his face, then opened his fan. Rather than sending out a directionless gale, he instead flung out an unceasing torrent of sharp wind blades.


    The woman tried to desperately block it, her hand whipping about quickly to make her thread slice the wind blades one by one, but there were just too many for her to contend with at once. She tried to dodge the wind blades, but still ended up incurring quite a few cuts in the process.


    Clutching an especially deep wound on her arm, the woman gritted her teeth. Streaks of red slipped from between her fingers as the thin yet deep slice bled copiously. That one attack had convinced the woman that she was no match for her opponent, and so she straightened and called out loudly, ¡°I concede!¡±


    The audience muttered dissatisfiedly, but the woman looked uncaring. She did not want to stubbornly push ahead only to end up with a permanent disability because of this, so she chose to cut her losses now itself and admit defeat. It was obvious that she didn¡¯t have a chance of winning anyway.


    And so, Qinghe was declared the winner once again.


    This time, though Qinghe stood just as haughtily as before, he cut quite a different picture.


    With the front of his clothes sliced, his robes were constantly threatening to fall open and slide down his shoulders, so Qinghe had to hold on to the edges of the tear with a hand. Even then, a small slice of his collarbone was visible, peeking through the edges of the cut temptingly. One of his opponent¡¯s earlier attacks had also managed to knock out his hair stick, causing his hair to come unbound and swing freely in the wind like a silken banner.


    While standing in the middle of the field in this enticing state, Qinghe once more peeked at the person in the tower before quickly looking away again, a shy and self-conscious blush spreading over his cheeks while the hand that was clutching his robe closed clenched even tighter over the fabric.


    Seeing this, Yuan Sheng felt that it had suddenly become very difficult to hold himself back. Raising a hand, he summoned one of the guards standing at a discreet distance and ordered, ¡°Bring me that contestant who just won. Tell him that I want to grant him an audience with me.¡±


    The guard nodded obediently before leaving to do as his leader bid.


    Yuan Sheng thought for a while, then called another guard over to command, ¡°Ask my lovely little Firebird to come over as well.¡±


    After all, his current lover had the right to know just who might replace him by the end of this competition.


    As Yuan Sheng waited, the guard he¡¯d sent to Qinghe finally reached him.


    ¡°Contestant Sixteen, the leader summons you to grant you the honor of an audience with him,¡± the guard barked.


    Qinghe furrowed his brows as if angry at the guard for his disrespect towards him. ¡°Very well, but let me change my clothes first. I can hardly make a good first impression in these tattered robes.¡±


    The guard showed an impatient expression as he urged, ¡°There is no need. The leader summoned you, so it¡¯s best not to keep him waiting. Just go over like this, I¡¯m sure the lord won¡¯t mind.¡±


    After all, the guard was very clear that it was because of these ripped clothes that his leader had considered calling for this contestant in the first place, so he couldn¡¯t have him changing out of it now.


    Qinghe of course knew this, but acting according to his role, he kept trying to make a fuss. ¡°How disrespectful you are! A mere guard dares to tell me what to do? Do you think you can speak on the leader¡¯s behalf like this?!¡±


    The impatience on the guard¡¯s face grew, but he still continued being polite while he kept on urging Qinghe to go up the tower.


    After a while of arguing, Qinghe acted as if his gaze was drawn towards the tower on its own again, his eyes meeting Yuan Sheng¡¯s. Seeing this, Yuan Sheng smiled and crooked a finger in a beckoning gesture.


    Qinghe immediately stopped arguing and began walking towards the tower with flushed cheeks, puzzling the harried guard to no end.


    Meanwhile inside the tower, Yuan Sheng¡¯s current lover slowly walked into the top floor and towards the only seat in the room, his eyes remaining closed and his displeasure at being woken in the middle of his nap obvious on his face.


    The feathered edges of his ears quivered as Zhuo Ye mapped out the room in his mind, his gait remaining steady and unhurried despite his closed eyes. His lightly curled red hair swayed side-to-side along with the seductive motion of his hips as he strode directly towards Yuan Sheng.


    When his lover reached his side, Yuan Sheng extended a hand and brushed his fingers over a soft and pale cheek. ¡°Here you are, Firebird. Do you want to see just what kind of person might take your place after today?¡±


    Without fearing consequences, the red-haired Zhuo Ye slapped away the fingers on his face irritably, then wiped the hand he¡¯d hit his lover with on Yuan Sheng¡¯s own clothes. ¡°Keep your perverted hand to yourself,¡± he admonished.


    Yuan Sheng showed a helpless and indulgent look, but there was no affection in his eyes, only amusement.


    ¡°You¡¯ll break my heart if you act like that, my pretty little Firebird,¡± he spoke, deliberately pitching his voice to sound wounded.


    However, Zhuo Ye only snorted and spoke conversationally, ¡°Who are you putting on this act for? We both know that you have no heart, you bastard.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Then what do I have?¡± Yuan Sheng asked curiously.


    Zhuo Ye replied mercilessly, ¡°Probably a lump of squirming worms that are just as slimy and disgusting as you.¡±


    Yuan Sheng burst out laughing.


    Just then, a guard announced, ¡°Contestant Sixteen is here, my lord.¡±


    As Yuan Sheng¡¯s gaze turned eagerly towards the entrance, Zhuo Ye¡¯s ears flicked once, gauging the new person who had just arrived.


    crimson_carnation

 Chapter 100: A Private Audience

    The first thing Qinghe saw after entering the room was the person seated in a throne-like chair in the middle and the red-haired young man standing beside him.


    Of course, Qinghe also perceived the presence of the guards hiding in the edges of the room, but he put them aside for now and studied the two most important-looking people.


    The person on the chair had a fit and muscled figure, sitting casually with one leg over the other and his chin supported on the back of a hand. His features could be considered pleasantly handsome, his expression seeming friendly yet distant. Small crow¡¯s feet creased the corners of his eyes and a widow¡¯s peak perched on the top of his high forehead, granting him an air of experience and maturity. And though his smile seemed charmingly devilish, his eyes gleamed with arrogance and laughter.


    He wore a detailed dark green robe that looked heavy and of very good quality. But from just a light touch of his spirit sense, Qinghe could easily perceive that the man¡¯s clothing was a very strong defensive article. Though it would not be able to bear very powerful offensives, it at least would give its wearer an edge if he were to be sneak-attacked, providing him with ample time to escape or muster a retaliation.


    Another detail worth noticing was that though one of his hands hung loosely from the armrest, the fingers of the other hand remained pressed against his palm. It could be presumed that it was in that hand where the Thousand Transportations array was etched and that the positioning of his fingers over his palm was so that he would be ready to activate the array in case of unforeseen circumstances.


    Even if he hadn¡¯t seen this, Qinghe could have still deduced easily enough that this was Yuan Sheng.


    His gaze moving on to the person standing beside Yuan Sheng, Qinghe noticed that he was slim and tall, with hip-length dark red hair and long-lashed eyes that were kept closed. The tips of his ears segued to feathers at the ends, the plumage colored in a bright golden orange. These feathers seemed to elongate the ears while arching upward, making them look like a smaller version of wings.


    The nails of this red-haired person also bore the telltale thickness and sharpness usually seen in half-blooded beasts like the twins, so Qinghe presumed that this person was also a half-blooded beast.


    However, before Qinghe could begin guessing at the identity of this red-haired person, Yuan Sheng noticed his interest and introduced, ¡°This is my lover, Zhuo Ye. I just call him Firebird. What is your name, my beauty?¡±


    Inwardly rolling his eyes, Qinghe demurely lowered his head and shielded the bottom half of his face with his fan again as he answered, ¡°This one is surnamed Feng, my lord.¡±


    Yuan Sheng leaned forward and looked at Qinghe with an intense gaze. ¡°I¡¯ll call you Ah-Feng, then. So, Ah-Feng, I quite like the clothes you are wearing right now.¡±


    Qinghe made his cheeks turn pink in reaction as he lowered his face further. But despite appearing submissive, his back remained straight as if trying hard to maintain his pride in spite of his disheveled appearance. His fan was opened to cover not only the bottom half of his face, but also to shield the view of his collarbones, while his other hand held closed the front of his ripped robe. His shoulders were curved inwards as if trying to retain the robe¡¯s edges and to stop them from slipping down further, this posture making him seem particularly vulnerable and pitiful.


    With his face turned away shyly, Qinghe replied, ¡°Pardon this one for his discomposed appearance, I hope it doesn¡¯t offend my lord.¡±


    Yuan Sheng chuckled happily. ¡°No, no. As I said, I really like it,¡± he spoke in a deep voice, his eyes roaming all over the body of the disheveled young man standing before him.


    This time, Qinghe didn¡¯t feel as terrible as he had before while subjected to Yuan Sheng¡¯s gaze. He calmly bore that intrusive feeling of being studied with lustful intent, safe in the knowledge that even now, Wei Xiang was watching out for him from the shadows.


    ¡°So tell me, Ah-Feng,¡± Yuan Sheng began even as his gaze remained fixed on that coyly hidden face. ¡°Why did you choose to enter this competition?¡±


    Inwardly apologizing to his lover while promising to make it up to him later, Qinghe used deliberately misleading words to hook Yuan Sheng as he replied, ¡°I wanted to compete so that I would have the chance to serve my lord with my body.¡±


    Having his ego stroked like this with such provocative words, Yuan Sheng couldn¡¯t hide the pleased light shining in his eyes. He looked up at his own lover, only to see Zhuo Ye peering at this young man named Feng with a curious and impressed expression.


    Sighing amusedly at his own lover¡¯s intention of ignoring him, Yuan Sheng turned back to the young man while smiling with licentious implication and spoke, ¡°If you want to serve me with your body that much, then why don¡¯t you show me your skills in that area now itself?¡±


    From beside him, Zhuo Ye muttered a disparaging ¡°Pervert.¡±


    Qinghe, on the other hand, only looked confused as he asked, ¡°Show you my skills? Do you mean¡­in fighting?¡±


    Yuan Sheng gave out a small laugh as he prodded, ¡°Did you forget about what is going to happen afterwards if you win?¡±


    He felt that everyone must know by now that he¡¯d take the winner to his bed after the competition. Surely this enchanting little beauty was aware of that as well?


    But Qinghe just shook his head with puzzlement as he said, ¡°My uncle only told me that I would be able to serve as your bodyguard after winning.¡±


    Raising his eyebrows with interest glittering in his eyes, Yuan Sheng urged, ¡°And? What else did he tell you?¡±


    With increased confusion, Qinghe tilted his head and spoke with an uncertain tone, ¡°He told me nothing else. ¡­Was there supposed to be more?¡±


    Hearing this, Yuan Sheng could barely hide his excitement as he reassured in a kind voice, ¡°No, of course not. I will wait for you to win and come serve me later.¡±


    However, various obscene scenarios immediately began playing in his mind at Qinghe¡¯s supposed ignorance.


    Yuan Sheng couldn¡¯t wait to see how this prideful beauty¡¯s face would turn white with shock later on when he learned of how he would have to accompany his leader to bed. He felt his anticipation rising at the thought of his future lover¡¯s pleading and pained look when he was pushed down and forcibly entered, his features later twisted with shame and humiliation after being thoroughly used in such a way, and the horror claiming his face when he finally realized that he would now have to submit himself like this to his leader on a regular basis. What other expressions would he show? Yuan Sheng couldn¡¯t help but look forward to it.


    Seeing the lust in the other man¡¯s gaze intensifying to a terrible degree, Qinghe had to struggle to maintain his arrogant yet bashful fa?ade without twisting his face in a disgusted sneer.


    Just in case any of his true emotions leaked out, Qinghe lifted his fan to hide more of his face, passing it off as increased shyness. But the motion made him unconsciously slacken his hold on the collar of his robes, causing a very thin line of his skin to become visible along the cut on his clothes.


    Yuan Sheng¡¯s gaze immediately focused on that little glimpse of bared skin, his hand unconsciously rising up to touch that temptingly smooth and soft-looking body.


    Qinghe stilled, pushing down all the disgust and revulsion he felt as he kept up his act perfectly. According to the personality he was portraying right now, he would definitely not flinch away from Yuan Sheng¡¯s hands.


    Meanwhile, even though his eyes were closed, Zhuo Ye still turned his head in Qinghe¡¯s direction, a dark red eyebrow rising up as if he noticed something. Extending a hand, he slapped down Yuan Sheng¡¯s eager fingers with a huff.


    ¡°Are you planning on molesting other people right in front of me now?¡± Zhuo Ye snapped with irritation.


    Yuan Sheng¡¯s eyes narrowed even as his smile stayed in place. ¡°My pretty Firebird, what is the meaning of this? I know for certain that you are not jealous that I¡¯m touching someone else, so why are you getting in the way?¡±


    Zhuo Ye remained unconcerned as he declared, ¡°Hmph, how can I let you touch such a pure person with your grubby hands and risk staining him with your filth?¡±


    Hiding his relief, Qinghe made his expression look complicated, as if not knowing whether to preen at the compliment or get furious that the person he so openly admired was getting insulted.


    However, Yuan Sheng only laughed. Clicking his tongue good-humoredly, he commented, ¡°Such hostility you have towards me.¡±


    ¡°Enough of you playing around. How much more will you make this poor young man stay here just so you can smear him with your disgusting gaze?¡± Zhuo Ye admonished.


    Sighing, Yuan Sheng admitted to himself it really would be better to send this beauty away for now, or else who knew what all he might be tempted into doing. And if he acted preemptively, wouldn¡¯t that just ruin the fun?


    ¡°It seems that my lover demands my attention. You can go for now, Ah-Feng. The next time we meet, it should be when you are declared as the winner,¡± Yuan Sheng tucked away his lust and spoke encouragingly.


    Qinghe nodded once, firm determination and anticipation in his eyes as he looked into Yuan Sheng¡¯s deep gaze as if bewitched against his will. Then turning his reddened face away, he quickly left the room and exited the tower.


    After walking for a while and finally finding a place where he was sure no one else could watch him, Qinghe let out a breath in relief and called out, ¡°Xiang, can you come out for a moment?¡±


    Wei Xiang felt surprised, but after meticulously hiding all traces of his presence, he emerged from the shadows. ¡°Love, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Looking up at his beloved through his lashes, Qinghe complained, ¡°Having to act like that in front of that person left a bad taste in my mouth. Xiang, won¡¯t you fix it for me?¡±


    Reading the implied meaning in those words, Wei Xiang couldn¡¯t help but smile as he bent down, pressing his lips against his little lover¡¯s soft ones that opened up in invitation.


    Truthfully, he had been gnashing his teeth the whole time he had to see Qinghe pretending to unintentionally seduce Yuan Sheng. But Wei Xiang wasn¡¯t unreasonable enough to ruin everything just because of his own jealousy, and so he had persevered.


    He silently watched his lover from the shadows with sharp eyes so that he would be able to catch even the tiniest hints of distress in his beloved¡¯s face. Wei Xiang wanted to take his Qinghe away from the presence of that dangerous person to protect him, but also so that he could have his lover to himself. He wanted to hold Qinghe close and show him how cherished and loved he was so that he could forget the unpleasantness of Yuan Sheng¡¯s gaze and only remember the heat of Wei Xiang¡¯s touch.


    So now that his beloved was asking him for a kiss, how could he hesitate?


    Sliding his tongue through his lover¡¯s parted lips, Wei Xiang thoroughly licked the inside of Qinghe¡¯s mouth. With a palm cupping the back of his beloved¡¯s head and the other hand resting on the small of his waist, Wei Xiang pressed his little lover into his body so that not even a thin piece of paper could fit between them.


    Qinghe raised his hands and held on to Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulders to steady himself as his beloved¡¯s hot tongue swept through every corner of his mouth, the scent of his lover filling his lungs and making him dizzy with the sudden rush of desire.


    The feel of his Xiang¡¯s firm body in his arms, his beloved¡¯s flexible tongue ruthlessly exploring his mouth, his lover¡¯s fingers beginning to steadily stroke his waist, the bond between their souls thrumming with passionate vigor, these sensations were all-pervading as they completely invaded his consciousness, leaving no gap and permitting no reprieve.


    When Wei Xiang finally stopped his sensual assault, Qinghe felt overwhelmed and week-kneed, lying limply in his lover¡¯s arms as he tried to regain his bearings. He hadn¡¯t thought that his lover¡¯s reaction towards today would be so¡­intense. It was unexpected, leaving him off-balance and breathless.


    Leaning back from his beloved¡¯s warm embrace, Qinghe stood on his own, albeit a bit unsteadily. Keeping hold of his little lover¡¯s arms to stabilize him, Wei Xiang teased in a low voice, ¡°Has the bad taste disappeared now, my love?¡±


    Qinghe blinked his dewy eyes and nodded once. His entire face was burning a bright pink, his expression looked adorably dazed as his chest heaved in short pants.


    Unable to help himself, Wei Xiang leaned down to press an affectionate kiss to his beloved¡¯s forehead before disappearing back into the shadows. He was afraid that if he stayed any longer, he would be tempted to find a secluded place to enjoy his little lover more thoroughly.


    After shaking off the pleasant haze brought on by Wei Xiang¡¯s kiss, Qinghe spent some time to center himself again before going to join the other contestants once more. After all, the competition was hardly over yet.


    Meanwhile in the tower room, Yuan Sheng pulled his lover close and asked, ¡°So, Firebird, how would you feel if that feisty yet obedient, prideful yet innocent young man took your place?¡±


    His closed eyelids twitching, Zhuo Ye pushed away Yuan Sheng¡¯s obnoxious face with an expression of distaste as he replied honestly, ¡°I¡¯d think it was good riddance to you.¡±


    Already used to these kinds of words, Yuan Sheng merely grinned. Neither he nor his lover held the slightest bit of warmth or affection for each other, and they both knew it. All they were doing now was playing around aimlessly with each other to pass the time and remain entertained.


    Sighing inwardly, Yuan Sheng thought how nice it would be if that beauty just now called Feng could really win this competition. It would be a nice change of pace if he could have an adorable little beauty for a change instead of this sour one.


    On the other hand, Zhuo Ye was inwardly scoffing at how Yuan Sheng had been pulled under what he saw with his eyes.


    Innocent? Obedient? The person who was just here was certainly none of those. But that young man had obviously grasped Yuan Sheng¡¯s weak points perfectly if he could deceive even the usually discerning leader of Black Fang to such a degree. This talent in acting deserved some praise.


    Considering this, Zhuo Ye couldn¡¯t help but feel impressed with that young man. He was even beginning to think about helping him with whatever scheme he was planning against this bastard lover of his¡­


    Not knowing Zhuo Ye¡¯s thoughts, Yuan Sheng took the chance of his lover being distracted to suddenly push him down on the floor. Feeling a pair of hands brusquely removing his clothing, Zhuo Ye only shot an exasperated expression in Yuan Sheng¡¯s direction.


    The silent guards standing inconspicuously at the edges of the room turned away their faces impassively at this familiar scene.


    Finished with undressing his lover and quickly undoing his own robes, Yuan Sheng took ahold of Zhuo Ye¡¯s delicate wrists and roughly pressed them into the hard floor.


    ¡°Firebird, you should be a good lover and satisfy all my needs before you leave your position, hmm?¡± he murmured by Zhuo Ye¡¯s feathered ear.


    Rolling his eyes under his closed eyelids, Zhuo Ye directed an unimpressed expression at this annoying brat.


    Seeing this, Yuan Sheng chuckled and cajoled, ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t give me that look. Do you remember how I rescued you from being torn apart and sold in parts in the black market? I even gave you an opportunity to fight for my favor in the previous competition and made you my lover when you won. For helping you so magnanimously, you owe me your life, so shouldn¡¯t you faithfully thank your benefactor with your body?¡±


    Zhuo Ye wanted to laugh. Saved him from a black market organization? Just who was this man kidding? It was Yuan Sheng¡¯s own Black Fang that had captured him and his siblings in the first place. As for letting him participate in that stupid competition and making him his lover, wasn¡¯t that just because this irritating bastard wanted to see his humiliated and undignified expression? It was too bad that Zhuo Ye was incapable of feeling either of those things. And what did he mean by his magnanimousness? All Yuan Sheng had cared about was entertaining himself!


    But in a way, it was the same for Zhuo Ye as well. He was hardly here because of his tender feelings or some other such bullshit. All he had wanted to do was play a little with this petulant brat, but he was already starting to get bored. In a way, it would be nice if that interesting young man from just now could take his place¡­


    Putting away all these thoughts, Zhuo Ye opened his legs of his own accord and cradled the familiar body of the man on top of him.


    However, his expression showed only boredom and disinterest at this situation. ¡°Why are you blabbering so much today? Just put your damn thing in already and quickly be done with it.¡±


    Hearing this, Yuan Sheng¡¯s lips twitched, his hold on Zhuo Ye¡¯s wrists tightening to the point where the skin around his grip started turning white from the lack of blood circulation.


    In a wronged tone, Yuan Sheng complained, ¡°My dear Firebird, could you at least pretend that you¡¯re being taken by force? Can¡¯t you resist or scream obscenities at me?¡±


    Yuan Sheng couldn¡¯t understand just what had made him choose this person of all people as his lover. Other than that body, Zhuo Ye had absolutely none of the traits that he wanted!


    Zhuo Ye sighed. Since he had been woken up in the middle of his nap to meet that young man, he was still very sleepy. But Zhuo Ye also knew that if he didn¡¯t indulge this brat every now and then, he¡¯d throw a tantrum that would end up being even more troublesome to deal with than a lack of sleep.


    And so, Zhuo Ye obliged unenthusiastically and began in a monotone, ¡°Ah. Stop. Don¡¯t touch me. You can¡¯t do this. You bastard. You beast. You absolutely vile, ugly, wretched creature that crawled out of a stinking pit of¨D¡± A yawn suddenly interrupted Zhuo Ye¡¯s supremely bored-sounding voice.


    Unable to bear this lackadaisical effort anymore, Yuan Sheng spoke out, ¡°Okay, stop. You¡¯ll make me cry at this rate, my Firebird.¡±


    If Zhuo Ye had his eyes open, they would be drooping by now while weighed down with drowsiness. ¡°You disturbed my sleep to call me out here, so what else did you expect?¡±


    Yuan Sheng¡¯s lips twitched again. Indeed, what else had he expected from his lover?


    But not wanting to let it go just like that, Yuan Sheng suddenly stood up while carrying Zhuo Ye in his arms, the both of them without a stitch of clothing on. A guard hurried to close the curtains on the large opening in the wall through which Yuan Sheng usually surveyed the competition grounds.


    Reaching the throne-like chair where he usually sat, Yuan Sheng placed Zhuo Ye on the seat with his knees resting apart and his front pressed into the chair¡¯s backrest. Pulling back his lover¡¯s hips, Yuan Sheng parted Zhuo Ye¡¯s buttocks and quickly thrust inside without ceremony.


    However, Zhuo Ye only sighed and settled himself more comfortably on the seat, his arms folded on the top of the chair¡¯s backrest and his cheek nestled on them. In this position, he could easily drift off to sleep and his bratty lover would never know until the end.


    His actions following his thoughts, Zhuo Ye thus decisively ignored the passionately working man who was currently taking pleasure from his body and peacefully fell asleep.


    After all, he would need to be fresh and ready to fight in the final round of the competition soon.


    crimson_carnation

 Chapter 101: Unpredictable Firebird

    After getting back from the meeting with Yuan Sheng, Qinghe changed his clothes and joined the other competitors. Soon, he continued taking part in more matches, and as expected, won them all beautifully.


    Currently, Qinghe was standing ready for the final match, which would be against Yuan Sheng¡¯s current lover and the winner of the previous competition, Zhuo Ye.


    The closed curtains on the top floor of the tower had long since opened again with Yuan Sheng watching the competition grounds with an anticipatory look.


    From the base of the tower, a figure in a long ocean blue robe walked towards the arena, his eyes closed and his feathered ears twitching. His strides were long and his gait was smooth, his dark red hair lightly swaying as his dress swung along with the rhythm of his steps.


    A few meters away from Qinghe, Zhuo Ye halted, the two outstanding men standing opposite to each other. Tension seemed to slowly thicken the air with the anticipation of violence.


    Then unexpectedly, Zhuo Ye¡¯s dark red lashes began faintly quivering as he slowly, carefully eased open his eyes, revealing a surprising sight.


    Zhuo Ye¡¯s eyeballs were a deep black that reflected no light, with a pair of pupil-less silver irises seeming to float in the darkness. It was eerie yet captivating, inciting a strange mix of fear and wonder in the hearts of all those who beheld this vivid contrast of shining silver upon all-consuming black.


    Qinghe tilted his head and studied his opponent. Though Zhuo Ye had his eyes open now, he still didn¡¯t seem to be able to see. So why did he open them in the first place?


    Sensing the hidden vigilance of the young man standing opposite to him, Zhuo Ye couldn¡¯t help but smile with amusement. Stretching out a hand, he summoned his spiritual weapon¡ªa radiant golden spear.


    In the tower, Yuan Sheng leaned forward suddenly, a rare expression of bewilderment on his face as he saw the weapon.


    The shaft of Zhuo Ye¡¯s spear was straight and slender, its color a gleaming light gold. On one end was a long and thin spearhead that looked like a sharpened and cut crimson gemstone, shining brilliantly in the sun and scattering reflected sparkles of light on the ground. This spearhead was cupped underneath by a base that was fashioned to look like a fully-bloomed blossom. In contrast, the other end of the spear was carved into a closed flower bud, its tip sharp and pointed like a spike.


    The moment this spear was revealed, several gasps of wonderment and recognition sounded from the avid connoisseurs of weapons who were present in the crowd. In excited voices, they began chattering among themselves¨D


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the celestial spear Huohua? How can it appear here?!¡±


    ¡°Wait, wasn¡¯t Huohua a spiritual artifact? Then doesn¡¯t it mean that its current wielder is¡­¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­ That person was thought to have long since vanished from our world.¡±


    ¡°But seeing his eyes¡­there¡¯s definitely a very high possibility that it¡¯s him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, without a doubt, that has to be the Unseeing Prince. I can¡¯t believe that he¡¯s been by the leader¡¯s side this whole time¡­¡±


    Qinghe narrowed his eyes as he heard these whispered conversations drifting over through the wind.


    For a spiritual artifact to actually gain a name and become famed like this, not only would its wielder have to be a legendary figure with a widespread and celebrated reputation, the weapon itself would also have to have distinctive and unique powers. However, by how the golden spear felt inert right now, it was clear that his opponent didn¡¯t wish to use it at its full might.


    But even if Zhuo Ye seemed to be very strong, the challenge of defeating him seeming so tempting, Qinghe knew his priorities, and they were not to win this battle but to fight in the most elegant and pleasing manner. Whether he lost or not was unimportant, he only had to perform to Yuan Sheng¡¯s liking.


    As if reading these thoughts, Zhuo Ye¡¯s smile widened. Gripping the spear in his hand tightly, he charged at Qinghe, immediately beginning the battle.


    But surprisingly enough, even as they both began exchanging blows in rapid succession, Qinghe strangely felt as if his opponent was helping him.


    Though Zhuo Ye¡¯s spear was powerful and struck quickly, it was always at an angle from which Qinghe could evade it with the utmost elegance. And although Qinghe had to increase the speed of his footwork and keep deflecting the spear with his open fan serving as a shield, his fighting form only looked even more graceful as if he were dancing, his movements fluid like water and his robes billowing behind him like clouds.


    Licks of fire suddenly coated the deep red gem that served as the spearhead of Zhuo Ye¡¯s spear, and when it passed by him, Qinghe could feel the streak of scorching heat it was leaving in its wake. He quickly used his wind and dissipated the heated air, only to feel the fire growing hotter, its temperature burning sharper.


    As this flaming spear swiftly and unerringly came for his chest all of a sudden, Qinghe quickly leapt back, flipping once in the air before landing stably on the ground. But surprisingly enough, Zhuo Ye did not follow to attack him, instead tilting his head and looking at Qinghe with a strange expression.


    By now, Qinghe had already detected that Zhuo Ye had no hostility towards him. He could also feel how powerful his opponent was, his level undoubtedly at tenth realm or above.


    As someone who was only at eighth realm, and moreover being restricted due to circumstances and being unable to use his full power or skills, Qinghe knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to put up proper resistance if Zhuo Ye truly went all out.


    And yet, the other man seemed to have no intention of doing so.


    What was his purpose? Why was he holding back this much, even going so far as to subtly help him?


    Just as Qinghe was busy wondering about all this, Zhuo Ye suddenly dismissed his spear and leapt towards him, the blue-clad figure shooting forward as if aiming to get into Qinghe¡¯s guard. Qinghe instinctively snapped his fan shut and brought it down like a blade, but the spiritual force coated fan stopped midair as if encountering an obstacle.


    A transparent orange-gold barrier had enclosed Zhuo Ye, sending sparks where the fan was struggling to cut through it.


    But rather than attacking or withdrawing as the situation demanded, Zhuo Ye instead clutched the front of Qinghe¡¯s robe and pulled him closer, his strange eyes wide and peering intently into Qinghe¡¯s.


    Qinghe froze at this unexpected situation.


    In a curious voice, Zhuo Ye asked, ¡°Who are you? Why are you pretending?¡±


    Despite being stared at by those unblinking eyes up close, Qinghe still maintained his mask and affected irritation. ¡°What do you mean? And why would I even bother pretending anything?¡±


    Zhuo Ye chuffed in laughter, his silver irises shining brightly over his black eyes. ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t waste your acting skills on me. I can¡¯t see your performance with my eyes to appreciate it anyway. However, I can see your mind, and it is so utterly calm and still, so clear and cold¡­it¡¯s very refreshing.¡±


    Qinghe felt his heart freeze. So that was why Zhuo Ye had opened his eyes before their battle. But thankfully, it looked like he was only able to see the state of his mind rather than being able to actually read it.


    Seeing that there was no use in pretending any longer, Qinghe discarded his annoyed and antagonistic tone, his voice settling into its usual composed manner even as he made sure that Yuan Sheng wouldn¡¯t be able to see any change in his expression from his position in the tower.


    ¡°Since you have not exposed me, there must be a reason. What do you want?¡±


    Zhuo Ye blinked in surprise at how calm this young man sounded, then smiled again as he replied, ¡°Nothing. I don¡¯t want anything from you at all. Even if you want to take my place, I won¡¯t interfere. I¡¯ve grown bored of playing with that rude brat anyway.¡±


    Qinghe narrowed his eyes. For someone to call that two hundred thousand years old Yuan Sheng as a brat and actually sound like they meant it¡­just how old was this Zhuo Ye?


    ¡°Are you not afraid what I will do to him after getting that close?¡± Qinghe prodded experimentally.


    ¡°Why should I care about him?¡± Zhuo Ye retorted with a grin, then crooned softly, ¡°I feel much more friendly towards you.¡±


    Then leaning closer into the crook of Qinghe¡¯s neck while taking care not to touch him, Zhuo Ye took in a deep breath as if filling his lungs with the younger man¡¯s scent.


    Before Qinghe could push him away, Zhuo Ye began again, ¡°I can smell the mark left by a dragon¨Dno, a dragon¡¯s descendent¨Don your body. It seems you¡¯ve been chosen by someone with the bloodline of true dragons to be their mate. As a descendant of the phoenix clan myself, how can I oppose the mate of a fellow beast of heavenly lineage?¡±


    Qinghe looked at Zhuo Ye with incredulousness. ¡°Is that why you¡¯ve been helping me all this time? And do you really not mind giving away your position just like that?¡±


    ¡°I have many reasons for helping you, but my most important reason is just to see what you¡¯re planning to do with that bastard.¡± Zhuo Ye chuckled amusedly, then continued, ¡°As for my position, didn¡¯t I tell you? I¡¯m already tired of it, so you¡¯re more than welcome to have it.¡±


    Then not waiting for Qinghe to say anything more, Zhuo Ye directly used his actions to prove his words.


    The thick barrier protecting Zhuo Ye suddenly seemed to give away under Qinghe¡¯s fan without warning, splintering into pieces and sending out a spray of golden shards flying into the air looking like dancing sparks over a flame.


    Zhuo Ye immediately leapt backward and landed a few meters away on light feet. Straightening, he stood tall and poised, with his hands clasped demurely in his sleeves and a small smile curving his lips.


    Then lowering his eyelids to close his eyes once again, Zhuo Ye sent a small formal bow towards Qinghe before turning around and leaving, clearly admitting his defeat.


    Qinghe could only stare blankly at that retreating back.


    This person was¡­really quite unpredictable.


    Meanwhile, now that the competition was finished, Yuan Sheng descended his tower and stood waiting for Zhuo Ye.


    As soon as he saw the red-haired beauty walking in his direction, he showed a playful grin with a hint of smugness in it. ¡°So in the end, despite your hidden and legendary identity, you still lost. My pretty Firebird, you must obviously have gone easy on him. Did you want to fulfill my wish of having Ah-Feng as my lover that badly?¡±


    Zhuo Ye directed an annoyed expression at that troublesome brat. ¡°I just wanted to get rid of you that badly,¡± he spat back.


    However, Zhuo Ye was very clear that though he might be on a higher level than that young man surnamed Feng, if they had both fought with no holds barred, he might not necessarily have won despite his higher cultivation. After all, that young man seemed to be a trueborn deity. Even without his divinity, he would still have been a very difficult opponent to contend with.


    Suddenly, Yuan Sheng interrupted Zhuo Ye¡¯s thoughts as he questioned with a wide smile and narrowed eyes, ¡°By the way, what were you whispering to each other near the end, Firebird?¡±


    Rolling his eyes under his closed eyelids, Zhuo Ye replied casually in a voice laden with boredom, ¡°I was just warning him that you have a rotten personality, a disappointingly small package, and that you are very terrible in bed. Too bad that your Ah-Feng adamantly kept refusing to believe me.¡±


    Zhuo Ye then sighed as if truly put out.


    Hearing this, Yuan Sheng burst out laughing. ¡°I¡¯m really going to miss you when you leave, my lovely Firebird.¡±


    Zhuo Ye nonchalantly returned, ¡°Too bad that I can¡¯t say the same about you. I still think you¡¯re terrible in bed.¡±


    Yuan Sheng kept chuckling for a while, then finally let out a sigh as he spoke, ¡°My pretty Firebird, my offer from that time when I took you in as my lover still stands. If you get down on your knees, thoroughly lick my feet and beg me earnestly, I¡¯ll really release all your brothers and sisters. They are still only children, you know?¡±


    But though his smile looked regretful when he said this, Yuan Sheng¡¯s eyes sparkled brightly at the thought of having a legendary figure like the Unseeing Prince doing such humiliating things in front of him.


    And after all this time, how could Zhuo Ye not see the anticipation in his former lover¡¯s face?


    Scoffing sharply, Zhuo Ye spoke with palpable disdain, ¡°My answer still remains the same¨DEat your own shit and choke on it, you bastard.¡±


    Having more or less expected this reply, Yuan Sheng only shook his head while muttering cheerfully, ¡°Ah, my dear Firebird, for all your fieriness, you¡¯re still so cold-hearted even towards your own little siblings.¡±


    But Zhuo Ye only smiled wryly.


    After all, even though his brothers and sisters who had gotten captured alongside him looked to be eight to twelve years old at most, all of them were in fact far older than him. And considering that age-wise, Zhuo Ye could rival the Sentinel Grandmaster himself, that was saying a lot.


    And moreover, just like Zhuo Ye had done back then, his brothers and sisters had also let themselves be captured only because they had all felt bored and wanted to see if the humans who caught them could offer something interesting. The last thing they needed right now was Zhuo Ye¡¯s interference or his help in getting free. His siblings were more than capable of getting themselves out when they grew tired of playing around.


    Shaking his head and clearing his thoughts, Zhuo Ye began walking again, passing by Yuan Sheng¡¯s smirking figure and striding further beyond without hesitation.


    With unreadable eyes, Yuan Sheng watched his former lover¡¯s straight back gaining more and more distance, then turned around and started walking in the opposite direction, towards the transportation array that would take him and his guards back to the Black Fang headquarters. Once there, he would meet with the competition¡¯s winner in his bedroom, then push down his new lover and entertain himself with that young flesh.


    As the distance between them increased, neither Zhuo Ye nor Yuan Sheng looked back even once, already knowing that they would never meet each other again.


    And yet, neither of them cared.


    ¡­¡­


    The wide hallway was lavishly decorated with various ornamental weapons and staggeringly expensive landscape paintings hanging on the ivory-colored walls. The long stretch of the floor below was laid with translucent green slabs of mildly shimmering stone that radiated faint traces of spiritual energy.


    Currently, two men were walking through this hallway, one stunningly beautiful and the other wearing drab and dark grey robes.


    ¡°Are you sure the leader asked me to meet in his bedroom? Did you really not get the message wrong?¡± Qinghe asked with thinly veiled disdain.


    His posture while walking was straight and regal while also bearing a trace of frivolity. He covered the lower half of his face with his fan, while the pair of clear eyes visible above the fan¡¯s edge showed nothing but condescension and haughtiness.


    Unclenching his jaw with effort, the grey-robed guard gritted out, ¡°Yes. This is definitely what my lord instructed me to tell you, Lord Feng.¡±


    Qinghe hmphed in contempt. ¡°You are only a mere guard, how am I to know whether or not you have enough intelligence to remember and convey the leader¡¯s instructions properly.¡±


    The guard ground his teeth together and clenched his fists. This person was so infuriating! He had been constantly insulting him from the moment he¡¯d first opened his mouth. The guard couldn¡¯t wait to get rid of this pretentious young man!


    Thankfully, before any heads could explode in anger, they soon reached their destination.


    It was an amber-colored wooden door, carved with intricate designs and guarded by a large group of more grey-clad men. A man on the left carried a heavy and lavish looking box, while several men on the right carried a few plainer wooden boxes.


    One of the men with a black and white beard spoke, ¡°Lord Feng, before you enter the leader¡¯s private space, we must ensure that you remove all your clothing and accessories for safety purposes. You may only wear what the leader has already prepared for you.¡±


    Saying so, the man gestured to the lavish box.


    Though he had expected such security measures, Qinghe still showed a displeased expression. ¡°What is the meaning of this? Is this how you treat one of the leader¡¯s future personal guards? Why must I remove my clothing and give away my things to some random brutes? Do you think I will just show my skin in front of you simply because you ask?! Get lost!¡±


    The bearded guard frowned. ¡°My lord, we mean no disrespect, but these are direct orders from the leader. We cannot disobey. As for your privacy, we will prepare some screens to let you change in peace. But before that, you have to leave behind all the outer layers of your clothing and your possessions in these boxes. They will be returned to you later, I promise.¡±


    With a sneer, Qinghe spat, ¡°Is a promise from a mere guard even worth anything? Hmph! But since these are the leader¡¯s orders, I will comply.¡±


    And so, Qinghe reluctantly handed over all his outer robes, shoes, his accessories, along with the various defensive and offensive artifacts, trinkets, and talismans that someone from a wealthy cultivator family would possess. All these items were carefully packed away in the simple wooden boxes and kept aside.


    ¡°Even your fan, my lord,¡± the bearded man urged.


    With a vicious glare, Qinghe gave it over as well. ¡°You better take good care of it. A single scratch on that fan and I will have all your worthless lives in exchange!¡±


    But though he railed unreasonably like this, Qinghe was in truth not all that bothered. After all, this fan was something he¡¯d just found lying around in his storage space. It did not mean much to him, but it was certainly useful in displaying his role¡¯s temper to full effect.


    The fan was thus carefully placed in one of the boxes and also set aside.


    Taking the more lavish box that contained new clothing, Qinghe stepped into an impromptu dressing room fashioned with three screens placed together and against the wall to form a square.


    The set of clothes in the box looked extremely luxurious, the inner robes thin and soft while the outer robe was a pure snowy white and embroidered with gleaming gold thread.


    Removing and neatly folding the single inner robe and the set of underclothes he had been permitted to keep on, Qinghe put on the provided underclothes, pair of pants, the layers of inner robes, and then the heavy yet comfortable outer robe. However, there were no accessories provided, so he could only shrug and leave it.


    When Qinghe stepped outside, stifled gasps and wide eyes greeted him.


    ¡°¡­He looks like an immortal or a god,¡± one of the guards muttered in awe.


    Hearing this, Qinghe sneered inwardly. That Yuan Sheng seemed to be exactly the kind of person who would raise someone to the altar as a god only so that he could take greater pleasure in bringing them down and desecrating them.


    Not showing his thoughts on his face, Qinghe only huffed. ¡°Just because I¡¯m beautiful, do you need to stare so ill-manneredly? Wipe your drool, you crude swine.¡±


    These harsh words immediately snapped the group of men out of their reverie and made them grumble, the spell of beauty immediately broken.


    Clearing his throat, the bearded man strode into the makeshift dressing room to collect Qinghe¡¯s clothing, going through it to make sure that Qinghe had really taken everything off.


    Then retrieving a large talisman that was covered entirely with neatly ordered symbols, the bearded guard spoke, ¡°My lord, I will now test you with this talisman to see if you have anything that can channel, store, or use spiritual energy on or in your body, except for your spiritual veins and the like, of course. If you are hiding anything or think you might have missed something, this would be the best time to take it out.¡±


    Qinghe rolled his eyes and stepped forward without hesitation.


    The bearded man waved the talisman around Qinghe, from the very top of his head to the very bottom of his uncovered heels, to even the tips of his fingers and toes. The talisman, however, remained inert, showing no reaction.


    Heaving a silent breath in relief, the bearded man put away the talisman and nodded. ¡°Very good, you may now proceed, Lord Feng.¡±


    Stiffening his spine, Qinghe impatiently strode towards the door, his hand just reaching to push it open when the guard¡¯s voice rang out again, ¡°Ah, stop. There¡¯s one more thing.¡±


    Qinghe froze, then turned around with irritation. ¡°Now what?¡±


    ¡°Your hair stick, my lord,¡± the bearded man reminded. ¡°In the hands of someone capable, even a blunt hair stick could be used as a weapon.¡±


    Qinghe looked into the other man¡¯s eyes as the bearded guard stared back with caution. Then, curling his lip in abject annoyance, Qinghe reached up and unceremoniously pulled out his hair stick and threw it at the guard, sending his elaborately arranged hair cascading down and draping over his shoulders.


    This disarrayed appearance provided a very sharp contrast when compared to his formal and opulent clothing.


    Realizing this, Qinghe frowned, hesitating. Then waving a hand, he hastily retrieved a simple black ribbon to tie up his hair before taking a deep breath. For now, this would do.


    Just as he once again walked over and stood in front of the amber-colored door, Qinghe felt the shadow under his feet suddenly becoming empty. He realized that Wei Xiang must have already gone back to the other Sentinels to put into effect the final stage of their plan.


    Without the comforting presence of his lover, Qinghe couldn¡¯t help the flutter of nervousness in his stomach.


    But forcing it down and removing all uncertainties, Qinghe finally pushed open the door and entered Yuan Sheng¡¯s bedroom.

 Chapter 102: The Winner’s Reward

    The first thing Qinghe felt upon entering the room was the oppressive weight of his cultivation being blocked by the spirit suppressing-material in the walls. Only, he had never felt this particular sensation this heavily before.


    As expected of high-grade spirit suppressing-material, it was really very suffocating.


    Pushing aside these thoughts, Qinghe took in the room with a quick glance.


    Unsurprisingly, Yuan Sheng¡¯s bedroom was large and very well-appointed, all the furniture obviously of high quality and made from the same amber-colored wood as the door. Taking up a large portion of the room was a wide and extremely plush-looking bed, with elaborately carved thick wooden posts on four sides supporting a sturdy wooden frame situated above that was embedded with hooks and clasps along with ropes and chains dangling from it.


    Currently, Yuan Sheng was sitting on a throne-like chair very similar to the one in the viewing tower while perusing a few papers that were on a nearby small desk.


    Looking up at Qinghe¡¯s entrance, he smiled with an indecipherable emotion. ¡°Ah-Feng, you¡¯re finally here.¡±


    Qinghe made a show of blushing and gulping in nervousness. ¡°Y-Yes, my lord, I¡¯m here.¡±


    He then acted as if wanting to raise his fan to hide behind it, only to realize that he didn¡¯t have it with him anymore. Qinghe blushed deeper, looking away in apparent embarrassment as Yuan Sheng began chuckling.


    ¡°Are you nervous, my beauty? Don¡¯t be,¡± Yuan Sheng soothed. ¡°From now onwards, you are going to protect me as my guard, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Qinghe jerkily nodded. ¡°Yes, I am.¡±


    Yuan Sheng smiled. ¡°And since you are always going to be by my side, you should get used to my presence already. Or am I really that scary?¡±


    Hearing the teasing question, Qinghe¡¯s eyelashes fluttered gently, his shoulders curving inwards as if he were attempting to hide himself without trying to be too obvious about it.


    Seeing this coy appearance that only ever seemed to be shown to him, the gaze Yuan Sheng was directing towards Qinghe darkened with desire.


    ¡°Ah-Feng, come here,¡± he suddenly called, his voice deep and alluring.


    Licking his lips anxiously, Qinghe carefully stepped forward and stood in front of Yuan Sheng. Flicking his gaze up once before lowering it again, he greeted softly, ¡°My lord.¡±


    With deep eyes and an expectant smile, Yuan Sheng ordered, ¡°Undress for me.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s head shot up, meeting Yuan Sheng¡¯s gaze with incredulousness and uncertainty. ¡°M-My lord?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me?¡± Yuan Sheng¡¯s voice remained unchanged except for the unmistakable thread of command underlying it.


    Qinghe¡¯s body trembled delicately, his face openly showing his confusion. ¡°I-I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    Even as his lips retained their smile, Yuan Sheng¡¯s gaze grew dangerous. Standing up, he extended a hand and grabbed ahold of Qinghe collar before brusquely pulling it open.


    Qinghe¡¯s trembling only increased, fear slowly beginning to seep into his expression as panic made his voice quiver, ¡°W-What are y-you¡­doing¡­?¡±


    Seeing this beauty in such a state, Yuan Sheng felt very satisfied. In a smug tone, he elucidated, ¡°Ah-Feng, didn¡¯t you know? The real reason behind me holding this competition is not just to gain another talented guard. I already have plenty of those after all.¡±


    Looking up with a layer of unshed tears in his limpid eyes, Qinghe asked, ¡°T-Then why¡­?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to choose a lover that suits my taste the best. All the competitors are simply there for me to pick from. How lucky for you that you ended up being chosen! Aren¡¯t you glad?¡±


    Slowly shaking his head as if in disbelief, Qinghe tried to step back, but due to his collar still being gripped in Yuan Sheng¡¯s hand, he was unable to take even a single step more.


    Yuan Sheng¡¯s smile widened. ¡°Now, now, Ah-Feng. Don¡¯t look at me like that, you¡¯ll hurt my feelings. Is the thought of having to sleep with me really so terrible?¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t¡­¡± Qinghe trailed off as if feeling choked, his shock too great to express or put into words.


    But though that¡¯s what he showed outwardly, on the inside, Qinghe was really itching to give this smug bastard a beating.


    All this drama that he was acting out was for one purpose only¨Dbuying time.


    Qinghe knew that even now, Wei Xiang was using the shadows to lead the other Sentinels at tenth realm into this room. Since none of the others except for Wei Xiang knew of the exact location of Yuan Sheng¡¯s bedroom, it was necessary for him to take the lead.


    As for the rest of the Sentinels, they must have already been in place for a while now, waiting for the telepathic signal indicating Yuan Sheng¡¯s capture so that they could flood the Black Fang¡¯s headquarters and round them all up without leaving a single one out.


    To that effect, the Sentinels had not only surrounded this building on all sides while still staying in the shadows to avoid prematurely alarming the enemy, but they had also infiltrated the headquarters using the incomplete map from before to get in using the hidden passageways. When they eventually received the signal, the entire building was sure to be completely filled and thoroughly blockaded by the Sentinels both inside and outside, not leaving a single gap to escape through as every Black Fang member was apprehended quickly.


    However, there was still some time left before all that would become possible.


    The most important thing right now was for Qinghe to wait until the spell formation he had already cast finished sinking into Yuan Sheng so that the Thousand Transportations array could be easily disabled by the Sentinels as soon as they arrived. And so, Qinghe tried to buy as much time with his acting as possible.


    But not knowing this, Yuan Sheng smiled with smugness and satisfaction, not realizing that he was already caught in Qinghe¡¯s trap, just waiting for the final piece to be set in place for his capture.


    ¡°Ah-Feng, be a good boy and submit to me. I promise that I won¡¯t make it too painful for you,¡± Yuan Sheng spoke with eyes gleaming with lust, then added, ¡°But do feel free to struggle and scream how much ever you want. I do enjoy some challenge in bed.¡±


    Qinghe barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes. Did this bastard really think he would just do as he was told? He¡¯d rather aim a roundhouse kick at the other man¡¯s head and crack open his skull like a coconut. But sadly, Qinghe knew that he couldn¡¯t just do what he wanted or show his true emotions outside.


    He just needed to buy a little more time, just a little more¡­


    And so he continued his pretense.


    ¡°M-My lord, y-you shouldn¡¯t do this!¡± Qinghe acted like he was trying to persuade him with a pleading expression.


    Yuan Sheng grinned, feeling charmed by the desperate look on that devastatingly beautiful face. But rather than letting go, he used his grip on Qinghe¡¯s collar to pull him closer, his other hand reaching up and holding the younger man¡¯s jaw in place as Yuan Sheng lowered his head, aiming to meet Qinghe¡¯s lips with his own.


    Not expecting this sudden turn of events, Qinghe¡¯s mind turned blank as his body reacted instinctively. His hand shot up as he drove the heel of his palm up at Yuan Sheng¡¯s nose, crunching his nose cartilage right into his skull.


    As soon as Yuan Sheng¡¯s grip on him slackened, Qinghe immediately leapt back to put some distance between them.


    Meanwhile, Yuan Sheng let out an involuntary shout at the sudden blast of pain on his face. The sharp agony was like an ice pick stabbing right through the middle of his face, bringing reflexive tears to his eyes.


    Yuan Sheng used his trembling fingers to carefully straighten the damaged nose bridge and reset his nose, the intense pain making him gasp out again. Almost instantaneously, his cultivation healed the damage to his nose, leaving behind nothing but two wet lines of red that had dripped down from his nostrils. Yuan Sheng wiped the back of his hand under his nose and held it up. Seeing the smudge of blood on it, his expression turned sharper, with hints of brutality swirling in his gaze.


    Until now, Qinghe had only used his fan and spiritual force while battling, which was very much in line with the character he was playing. But the move he had used just now was clearly that of a martial artist, and it had been performed with such familiar ease too.


    After he considered this, it only took Yuan Sheng a second to piece the truth together and understand that Qinghe had been pretending all along to win the competition and get close to him.


    In the meantime, although he knew that he¡¯d given himself away, Qinghe felt no regrets at all. After all, he had been reassured countless times by his lover, his father, and all the other Sentinels that if Yuan Sheng really tried to get handsy and do anything to him, then Qinghe needn¡¯t worry about ruining the plan, he should just focus on protecting himself and getting away from the situation.


    And so, for once, Qinghe decided to prioritize himself over his task and stopped pretending.


    ¡°I really did want to continue the act, but I guess it couldn¡¯t be helped,¡± Qinghe murmured to himself regretfully.


    Hearing this calmly uttered statement, Yuan Sheng looked at him with surprise.


    The current Qinghe was nothing like the person before. His face was expressionless and his eyes aloof and cold. He stood with his back straight, his bearing naturally confident and self-assured without a hint of pretension or doubt. An aura of regal tranquility shrouded him, making him seem distant and untouchable.


    Yuan Sheng narrowed his eyes. For such a person to be able to act such a role without giving himself away till now, he must truly be very talented in pretending.


    ¡°Who are you? What do you want?¡± Yuan Sheng asked in an inflectionless tone.


    Qinghe blinked. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you before? I am surnamed Feng. As for what I want¡­you don¡¯t need to know that yet.¡±


    Yuan Sheng barked out a small laugh in fury. ¡°Such arrogance! Do you understand the predicament you are currently in? I can clearly sense that you are only in eighth realm, so your cultivation must definitely be suppressed by the spirit-suppressing material in these walls. All your tools and weapons have also been confiscated. However, on the other hand, I can still use my cultivation and do whatever I want with you. Shouldn¡¯t you be afraid in this situation? Because no matter what schemes you¡¯ve come up with, you still can¡¯t do anything to me right now!¡±


    This was also why Yuan Sheng hadn¡¯t used the Thousand Transportations array despite finding out Qinghe¡¯s true colors. It was because he felt no threat from the young man at all. He might be cautious by nature, but he was no coward to resort to using the array when he felt so certain of his safety.


    But Qinghe merely smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t need to be able to do anything to you. That is not my job.¡±


    ¡°Then what is your job?¡± Yuan Sheng asked cautiously.


    Seeing Qinghe¡¯s lack of fear, he began to feel a premonition of dread weighing in his chest, warning him that he was in danger. And so, Yuan Sheng slowly curled the fingers of his left hand inwards, pressing them against his palm to begin transferring spiritual energy to the array etched on it.


    But just as he was about to start activating the Thousand Transportations array, he felt a slight sting on his wrist, followed by him immediately losing all sensation in his hand.


    Yuan Sheng startled, then tried to lift up his arm to see what was wrong with his hand. But his arm remained unmoving, feeling as if it was being tied to his body by something strong and invisible.


    Qinghe¡¯s light chuckle interrupted the thoughts of panic beginning to form in Yuan Sheng¡¯s mind.


    ¡°My job was just to buy some time, but it seems like there is no more need for that,¡± Qinghe said, then reached up to remove the inconspicuous black ribbon tying his hair.


    In a way, it truly was as Yuan Sheng had said. Once a person below tenth realm stepped into this room, they really couldn¡¯t do anything to him.


    That was why Qinghe had cast a pre-activation type formation talisman right before he entered the room.


    A while ago, when all his possessions had been taken away and the guards were finished testing him to see if he was carrying anything, Qinghe had finally been able to take out the talisman Wu Xiao had made without fear of it being confiscated or the formation on it detected. This talisman was in the form of a black ribbon, the symbols and characters having been meticulously stitched into the slender ribbon with black thread that perfectly blended in with the color and texture of the ribbon itself.


    When Qinghe had so nonchalantly tied up his hair using the ribbon, he had injected a trace amount of spiritual energy to activate it. Once the formation had been cast in this way, Wei Xiang had silently slipped away to bring the other tenth realm Sentinels while Qinghe had entered Yuan Sheng¡¯s bedroom.


    True to its nature, the pre-activation type talisman kept functioning despite the high-grade spirit-suppressing material in the room. And the formation talisman¡¯s true function was to cast an illusion targeted specifically at Yuan Sheng.


    The illusion had to be very subtle and undetectable, otherwise Yuan Sheng would grow alarmed and immediately escape using the Thousand Transportations array in his palm. This was also the reason why Qinghe didn¡¯t choose to use an attack or restraining type formation, choosing instead to use an imperceptible illusion to gradually distort Yuan Sheng¡¯s senses instead.


    This illusion formation was based on a special type of spell called the Mirage Domain. In this spell, a specific area was claimed as the caster¡¯s domain, with the caster then being able to show any type of illusions within this space without arousing the suspicion of the domain¡¯s inhabitants. But the biggest precondition was that the caster had to be a very talented light element wielder.


    And so, Qinghe had asked Rue Xu¡¯s help in understanding the theory and details behind how Mirage Domain worked, then took that information to Wu Xiao and had him craft a formation talisman with a similar result, but one whose effects were directed solely at Yuan Sheng. In this way, Qinghe could cast the spell later despite not being able to wield the light element himself by using the talisman.


    Afterward, for the formation¡¯s spell to slowly integrate the illusion into Yuan Sheng¡¯s senses and take full effect, Qinghe had needed to distract Yuan Sheng and buy some time, which he managed to accomplish using his dramatic acting.


    But now that there was no more need for the illusion itself, Qinghe unconcernedly untied the black ribbon, and gripping it in his hands, tore it into two.


    And along with it, the illusion in the room was torn apart as well.


    Yuan Sheng¡¯s eyes widened in abject disbelief.


    The bedroom that had seemed empty except for Qinghe and Yuan Sheng was now revealed to be full of Sentinels.


    Then, looking down frantically at his only avenue of escape, Yuan Sheng saw that his hand with the Thousand Transportations array etched into it had been sliced off cleanly at the wrist, leaving behind only a stump. The sting he had felt before must have been when his hand had been removed.


    Staring coldly at Yuan Sheng from the side and from among the neat line of Sentinels was Wei Xiang. A thin golden string hung from Wei Xiang¡¯s wrist guard, still slick with blood from when it had sliced through Yuan Sheng¡¯s wrist. More of the golden strings had already wrapped around Yuan Sheng completely from neck to ankles, leaving only the stump of his wrist, and capturing him completely in a gleaming gold cocoon.


    Standing beside Wei Xiang was Hou Yu, a small pile of black ash by his feet. The second Wei Xiang had removed Yuan Sheng¡¯s hand and pulled it over, Hou Yu had immediately incinerated it using his fire ability so that Yuan Sheng wouldn¡¯t try to somehow activate the array from afar.


    And so, in this way, while Yuan Sheng was under the effect of the illusion spell, everything had already been taken care of neatly.


    Unable to reconcile himself with this utter and easy defeat, Yuan Sheng gaped dazedly even as the veins in his face bulged. But just when he wanted to use his cultivation, he found that the pressure purposefully emitted by these Sentinels with similar or stronger levels than him rendered his own power useless, restraining it just like his physical body was being restrained.


    Just then, the door to the room opened and Feng Huixin strode in, dashing the last glimmer of hope in Yuan Sheng¡¯s heart. With a deity in the mix, he definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to get out of this!


    From the open door, it could be seen that outside, the group of Black Fang members who had been standing guard over the room were already trussed up and being taken into custody by a group of Sentinels. Orderly footsteps and barked commands rang out in the headquarters as a massive horde of black-clad officers sorted the entire place out.


    No matter how much Yuan Sheng wracked his brain to find a way out of this, he couldn¡¯t come up with anything at all.


    The Black Fang had truly reached its end so abruptly.


    Finally realizing this, helpless bitterness welled in Yuan Sheng¡¯s heart, but he already knew that he could do nothing to overturn this thorough defeat. Within a few years, all traces of Black Fang would be cleaned up by the Order of Sentinels, the entire organization meticulously uprooted.


    Not caring about the captured Yuan Sheng anymore, Qinghe casually walked behind him and towards the bed. He unceremoniously took off the clothes he was wearing, before carefully folding the set of elaborate robes and placing it neatly on the bed.


    ¡°Xiang, can you get me one of my sect robes?¡± Qinghe casually asked.


    Wei Xiang searched around and quickly produced a set of white robes and handed it over. ¡°Here you are, love.¡±


    Qinghe wordlessly accepted it and began to put it on with a sigh of relief. All the Sentinels except Wei Xiang looked away courteously, while Wei Xiang carefully studied his little lover¡¯s exposed body to see whether he was hurt anywhere.


    After changing, Qinghe nodded once to his father in a familiar greeting, then began striding towards the open door to leave. After all, his work was now done. He didn¡¯t want to end up being a hindrance to the Sentinels.


    But as Qinghe passed by him, Yuan Sheng suddenly caught sight of the sect emblem on the lower end of Qinghe¡¯s robe, stitched with distinctive indigo thread.


    Yuan Sheng¡¯s mind quickly put together the pieces as realization struck him. By process of elimination, there was only one person who this could be.


    In an incredulous voice, he called out, ¡°Ah-Feng, don¡¯t tell me¡­ Is your full name Feng Qinghe?!¡±


    Qinghe stopped and nodded. There was no need for him to hide his name after all.


    Meanwhile, Yuan Sheng was remembering about how he had just recently heard of a disciple from Heavenly Peak Sect who had not only become lovers with that dreadful Sentinel Wei, but had also exploded one of their bases, leading to all the Black Fang members within being taken into custody by the Order.


    The more Yuan Sheng had investigated, the more interesting things he had kept discovering about this Feng Qinghe. It made him want to capture that person badly and torture him for a few rounds as punishment, then forcefully make him join his organization. After all, such talented people were rare and could be a very valuable asset to him.


    But to think that all this time, that person had been right here in front of his eyes while thoroughly playing him for a fool¡­


    Yuan Sheng could only laugh bitterly.


    First that Zhuo Ye and now this Feng Qinghe¡ªit seemed that he truly had a good eye to pick out the most talented beauties to be his lovers! It was just too bad that they refused to stay within his grasp.


    With his laughter abruptly stopping as another thought occurred to him, Yuan Sheng asked, ¡°Say, this seems unlikely but¡­Ah-Feng, are you also somehow related to this despica¨D ehem, I mean the Grandmaster?¡±


    Yuan Sheng suddenly felt himself becoming the center of countless fierce gazes even as Feng Huixin stayed silent as if not hearing the aborted insult.


    Qinghe looked into Yuan Sheng¡¯s eyes expressionlessly for a moment before smiling. ¡°Yes, I am his son. What of it?¡±


    Though he had guessed at some connection between them, Yuan Sheng hadn¡¯t expected their relation to be this close.


    Chuckling humorlessly, Yuan Sheng turned to Feng Huixin. ¡°Is this why you kept your name hidden all this time? Because you didn¡¯t want your connection to your son to be known to me? It seems that the father is truly as cunning as his son!¡±


    But Feng Huixin only sighed as he answered honestly, ¡°I didn¡¯t know he was my son until recently. As for my name¡­I wasn¡¯t hiding it.¡±


    Yuan Sheng scoffed disbelievingly. ¡°Then how come no one knows it? I¡¯ve investigated you quite thoroughly, and I know for a fact that you never told your name to anyone!¡±


    Feng Huixin shrugged helplessly and said, ¡°That¡¯s because no one ever asked me before.¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡±


    With his frozen face making him look so strict along with his title as the most powerful being in this world, who would dare to just walk up to him and ask his name?!


    This sudden and unbelieving silence was broken when a Sentinel walked through the door, and after respectfully greeting Feng Huixin, he informed, ¡°Grandmaster, the preparations for taking in the leader of Black Fang into the special holding cell has been completed and all appropriate measures have been taken. The arrangements to begin the casting of the Soul Sealing spell have also been finished.¡±


    Feng Huixin nodded in acknowledgment and personally escorted an unwilling looking Yuan Sheng, with a few extra Sentinels tagging along just in case. Using the shadows, the group soon disappeared, presumably to the room in the Sentinel headquarters through which the underground prison could be accessed.


    As soon as Yuan Sheng was removed from the room, the severe and grave-looking Sentinels lost their stiffness and began chatting relaxedly. The atmosphere quickly turned lively and cheerful now that their biggest enemy was finally and successfully taken care of without a hitch.


    But before Wei Xiang could even start walking towards his little lover, he was intercepted by Zhou Lang to discuss a few things, since in Feng Huixin¡¯s absence, Wei Xiang was now the highest authority present. And so, Wei Xiang had to divert his attention to give out orders on how to deal with the captured headquarters and the Black Fang members within.


    Meanwhile, Qian Ming and Hou Yu, with the latter dragging along his younger brother Rue Xu, surrounded Qinghe and began conversing.


    The first to talk was Qian Ming. With a wide grin, he loudly praised, ¡°Little Brother, your idea really worked out so well! I am very impressed!¡±


    Shaking his head, Qinghe said modestly, ¡°Sentinel Rue and Sect Master Wu did the most crucial work. Without their cooperation, skill, and effort, the formation talisman would not have been created, and without the talisman, I could not have achieved this.¡±


    Hearing this, Rue Xu frowned, and with his gaze averted from everyone¡¯s as usual, he spoke in a mildly chiding tone, ¡°You give us too much credit. You were the one who came up with the idea of melding our skills like that in the first place. Little Brother, you¡¯ve certainly worked the hardest.¡±


    Not giving him a chance to refute, Hou Yu earnestly began with his light-colored eyes staring intently at Qinghe, ¡°Yes. Even if that Sect Master Wu were sitting right by Rue Xu¡¯s side in the conference room back then while we were planning, the both of them could not have come up with this idea on their own. You were the one who put it all together, so you should accept that you deserve the most praise.¡±


    At the side, Rue Xu also made a sound of agreement.


    Qinghe blinked at this fervent and sincerely spoken statement, then smiled at Hou Yu before finally nodding. ¡°Thank you, then I will humbly accept your words.¡±


    Hou Yu¡¯s gaze intensified as his hands clenched into fists by his side.


    How could this person be so cute?! He needed to hug him right now!


    After hesitating for a bit, Hou Yu finally gathered his courage and blurted, ¡°I want to hug you!¡±


    Qian Ming and Rue Xu turned to look at Hou Yu with wide eyes at this open proclamation. They¡¯d never thought he could muster up the resolve to say it out loud like this.


    Qinghe at first felt startled at this sudden declaration, then his expression turned confused. But having been given the chance to prepare himself mentally, he nevertheless opened his arms and invited with a smile, ¡°Then by all means, Sentinel Hou is free to have a hug.¡±


    Unexpectedly having received his permission, Hou Yu immediately dashed into Qinghe¡¯s embrace, one hand reaching up to stroke that head of soft, silky hair while the other looped behind a slender waist to hold that cute person close. With vigor, Hou Yu went up on his toes to squish his cheek against Qinghe¡¯s and rubbed them together enthusiastically. His joy was a palpable thing, gushing out of Hou Yu in delighted waves.


    With a face gone blank from surprise, Qinghe looked over Hou Yu¡¯s shoulder at the other Sentinels with a helpless look, only to be met with their warm smiles and affectionate gazes at their fellow brother finally fulfilling his dream of ¡®cuddling with that cute person¡¯, as he had constantly called it.


    Seeing their expressions, Qinghe felt his own heart growing warm as his eyes turned soft.


    Ah well, in a way, it was nice that he could make another person happy with such a simple thing like this.


    And thus, the offensive against Black Fang finally came to an end.

 Chapter 103: Caring for the Sick

    In the end, due to Wei Xiang¡¯s busy schedule, Qinghe was unable to see him until the next day.


    While helping his master with cleaning up the smaller Black Fang bases scattered throughout, Wei Xiang also had to bring along a few junior officers-in-training with him to help them gain some experience. During a raid on one of the Black Fang bases, Wei Xiang ended up having to take a poisonous needle to the arm to save one of these junior officers, eventually ending up sick due to the poisoning.


    Though it wasn¡¯t anything severe, Kong Min still decided to call for Qinghe to come and care for Wei Xiang anyway. After all, Kong Min wanted to give his Little Bro plenty of opportunity to take advantage of his junior brother. When else would that brat Wei Xiang lie down obediently like this?


    And so, Kong Min was now escorting a worried Qinghe down the halls of the Sentinel compound, passing through the corridors where the officers¡¯ living quarters were situated.


    After a few turns, they finally arrived at Wei Xiang¡¯s room.


    Opening the door, Kong Min quickly ushered Qinghe inside.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s room was square-shaped and not much bigger than Qinghe¡¯s own room back at the sect. And though everything in this room was overly neat and orderly, it also managed to retain a faint hint of warmth.


    On the wall adjacent to the entrance was a wide archway with its doors opened that led out to a small, enclosed backyard garden with a broad well made of white stone. However, though there was a sturdy metal bucket nearby, there was no pulley on top of the well, presumably because Wei Xiang usually used his golden strings to draw water instead.


    Inside the room and opposite to the entrance was a row of mounted swords, each sheathed sword placed on a carved wooden stand that was affixed to the wall.


    All the furniture in the room was carved out of rich dark brown wood, looking tasteful and refined. But from just a glance, it was clear that every piece was of very high-quality, appearing simple and solidly built with minimal decoration. There were no overt embellishments or signs of opulent luxury in the room, but it exuded a comfortable feel nevertheless.


    After barely sparing the room a glance, Qinghe rushed to the bed where Wei Xiang was currently lying down with his eyes closed.


    ¡°What happened to him? Why is he unconscious? Did he get the proper medicine administered to him in time?¡± Qinghe questioned Kong Min frantically.


    With his hands raised, Kong Min soothed, ¡°Now, now, he¡¯s only sleeping. Don¡¯t get so agitated, Little Bro. It isn¡¯t as bad as whatever you¡¯re imagining. He might have gotten poisoned, but for a strong spiritual beast like him, it isn¡¯t as fatal as it would have been for a human cultivator. In fact, all he has to do is rest for a few days and his body will burn it off on its own.¡±


    Qinghe sighed in relief, but though his worry had abated, he still didn¡¯t like seeing his Xiang like this.


    ¡°Sentinel Kong, what do you think I should do now? What can I do to help or to at least make Xiang feel more comfortable?¡± he asked with furrowed brows, his fingers anxiously twisting in his robes.


    But just as Kong Min was about to answer, Wei Xiang slid open his eyes unexpectedly.


    Catching sight of his senior brother by his bedside, he immediately snarled, ¡°Kong Min, you bastard, if you¡¯re here to give me more work, then you can just fuck off. Trying to take advantage of me just because you think I can¡¯t get up to beat your ass, you¡¯ve sure got guts!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Hearing such a vigorous outburst from someone who didn¡¯t even seem to be able to get out of bed, Qinghe felt complicated.


    Kong Min, however, only chuckled happily. ¡°See? My cute little junior brother is still so full of energy! So, Little Bro, you really don¡¯t have to keep worrying about this brat.¡±


    Realizing that his little lover was also here, Wei Xiang¡¯s expression immediately softened. Turning his head, he sent a reassuring smile at his beloved. ¡°Qinghe, why are you here?¡±


    Moving forward, Qinghe pressed the back of his hand against his lover¡¯s cheek and frowned. ¡°You seem feverish. Xiang, how do you feel? Do you need me to get something for you?¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes grew warmer. ¡°Love, I¡¯m fine. My body just feels a little weak and heavy, it¡¯ll pass in no time. But if my beautiful little lover wants to stay at my bedside and nurse me back to health, then I certainly have no objections.¡±


    Kong Min rolled his eyes and muttered, ¡°Do you have to be such a charmer even in your sickbed?¡±


    But when Wei Xiang sent him a cutting glare in response, Kong Min decided that he¡¯d pushed his junior brother far enough for today. ¡°Alright, alright, no need to look at me like that. I just wanted to give my Little Bro some advice before leaving you lovebirds to cuddle alone.¡±


    Qinghe asked curiously, ¡°What advice?¡±


    With a smirk, Kong Min began, ¡°Though it might take a few days for the poison to dissipate on its own, there is a way to greatly speed up the recovery. All my darling junior brother needs to do is exercise a little and sweat it out. Increased blood circulation and production of heat due to certain forms of exertion will certainly help hasten the process.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes narrowed in understanding of what his senior brother was implying while Qinghe only tilted his head confusedly. ¡°But isn¡¯t Xiang¡¯s body feeling weak right now? What type of exercises can he even do?¡±


    Kong Min wriggled his eyebrows suggestively while saying, ¡°The type that usually takes place at night and involves a lot of sweating and panting.¡±


    Qinghe widened his eyes in realization as a faint blush began crawling up his neck. So he had to¡­do that? Well, it certainly wasn¡¯t something he would mind.


    Seeing his expression, Kong Min laughed merrily and turned around to leave. Just as he reached the door, he looked back at Qinghe and encouraged cheerfully, ¡°Wring him out mercilessly, Little Bro! After all, it¡¯s for his own good!¡±


    Kong Min then left the room while still chuckling jauntily.


    Qinghe stared at the closed door, then turned to look at his lover. ¡°X-Xiang, do you¡­want to¡­.¡­you know.¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled. ¡°I¡¯m certainly strong enough to enjoy that. But what about you, love?¡±


    After a bit of hesitation, Qinghe took a deep breath nodded decisively. ¡°I¡¯ll do it. I want to do it.¡±


    ¡°Then come here,¡± Wei Xiang lifted a hand and beckoned.


    Now that he had decided, Qinghe quickly started undoing his clothing, shedding his belt and robes one by one as he slowly walked towards his lover. As he kept his eyes locked firmly on his beloved¡¯s, Qinghe felt anticipation fluttering in his belly. By the time he reached the bedside, he was completely bare, his face starting to flush with anticipation and his member beginning to rise due to the first stirrings of arousal.


    His own eyes growing darker with lust, Wei Xiang made to get up, but Qinghe bent and pushed down on Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulders.


    With a mischievous smile, Qinghe spoke, ¡°No. I¡¯ll do everything this time. Xiang, you should only lie down like a good patient and let your lover take care of you.¡±


    And so, Wei Xiang played along and laid himself back down on the bed. ¡°What about my clothes then?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll remove them,¡± Qinghe replied, then began to do just that.


    Wei Xiang was wearing only a single robe, not having had the strength to put on any more layers that morning. So completely unclothing him was a particularly quick affair.


    Once his lover was naked, Qinghe happily climbed on top with his knees on either side. Framing his beloved¡¯s face with his hands, Qinghe bent down and pressed their foreheads together, his eyes closed and brows scrunched in concentration.


    ¡°Your fever seems to have increased,¡± Qinghe observed worriedly.


    Chuffing lightly in laughter, Wei Xiang lifted his hands and smoothed them down over his little lover¡¯s sides. ¡°Increased temperature isn¡¯t bad for me, love. Though high temperatures like this can kill a human, for a wyvern, this is only a comfortable heat. My body is simply trying to burn out the poison, it¡¯s nothing to worry about. So don¡¯t hold back, alright?¡±


    Qinghe leaned back and blinked. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s lips pulled up in a smile as his eyes shone warmly. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    Hearing his beloved¡¯s firm assurance, Qinghe smiled back at Wei Xiang with a hint of slyness that almost made it look like a smirk. Bending down, Qinghe pressed their bodies together, reveling in the increased heat of his lover¡¯s skin burning into his own.


    Brushing his lips and teeth against Wei Xiang¡¯s ear, Qinghe whispered huskily, ¡°Then I¡¯ll take the lead today, you can just lie back and enjoy.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyebrows rose in mild surprise, but before he could open his mouth and say something, Qinghe¡¯s lips had already slid over his cheek and pressed over his mouth. However, before Wei Xiang could capture his tongue, Qinghe moved his lips downward again, tracing the firm line of his beloved¡¯s jaw while lightly sucking and trailing little kisses along the way.


    Letting out a breath, Wei Xiang closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of his desire being fanned higher by his little lover¡¯s familiar touch.


    Qinghe¡¯s lips slipped further down, his tongue flicking out to trace over the column of his beloved¡¯s throat, his lips pressing into the warm skin with the light nip of his teeth accompanying it. Then seeing that defined Adam¡¯s apple rolling up and down as Wei Xiang swallowed, Qinghe couldn¡¯t help but open his mouth to capture that little bulge between his lips, lightly biting, then sucking strongly to let a red mark blossom on the smooth skin of his lover¡¯s throat.


    From under him, Qinghe could feel Wei Xiang¡¯s chest rumble lightly with a groan as he shifted restlessly, but Qinghe used his body to unrelentingly pin his beloved in place as his lips continued their journey downward.


    As his tongue explored the hollow of his lover¡¯s throat, Qinghe let his fingertips trail over Wei Xiang¡¯s defined collarbones and shoulders, tracing their lines worshipfully in either direction before his palms slid down to brush over a firm chest.


    Leaning back, Qinghe looked at the little brown points standing up on his beloved¡¯s chest thoughtfully. Before, whenever he had been able to retain enough senses while in the haze of passion to run his hands over his lover and touch him in return, Qinghe had noticed that when his fingers brushed over those little points, Wei Xiang seemed to get especially stimulated. And so, realizing his beloved¡¯s increased sensitivity there, Qinghe gleefully decided to get to work.


    Just then, Wei Xiang opened his eyes only to see his lover¡¯s smile widening as if in some evil scheme, and then he grew captivated by the sight of Qinghe lightly licking his own thumb and forefinger, then reaching over to pinch an erect little nub.


    Wei Xiang hissed at the sensation while Qinghe bent his head down again and began playing with the other point using his teeth and tongue even as his hand pressed and rolled the first bud.


    Closing his eyes once more, Wei Xiang lifted a hand and cupped the back of his lover¡¯s head, unconsciously pressing down as if to urge him. Qinghe obediently opened his lips and sucked in the delicate nub before teasing it with his tongue.


    After thoroughly playing with the two little points to his heart¡¯s content, Qinghe continued moving down, over Wei Xiang¡¯s diaphragm and further below, using his mouth to relearn the shape and feel of his lover¡¯s well-defined abdominal muscles that clenched and rolled tightly under him as he passed them by. Then lightly dipping his tongue into Wei Xiang¡¯s bellybutton on the way, Qinghe dragged his lips even further downward.


    But just as Qinghe reached the root of Wei Xiang¡¯s member, he stopped.


    Sitting up again, he curiously studied his lover¡¯s hard length. Extending a hand, Qinghe wonderingly ran his fingers over Wei Xiang¡¯s erect and dripping shaft, his touch light and gentle.


    The straining organ was a darker shade of honey, unlike the rest of Wei Xiang¡¯s skin, and was even tinted with a hint of purplish red. The thick and powerful shaft was corded with bluish green ropes of blood vessels, and as he traced them with his fingertips, Qinghe could feel their strong throbbing under his touch. But despite its raw and violent appearance, this member had only ever been gentle as it had given him untold pleasure, and so, Qinghe was determined to be gentle with it in turn.


    But before that¡­


    Getting up, Qinghe turned to place his knees on either side of Wei Xiang¡¯s chest while he bent over his lover¡¯s shaft, his hand wrapping around that huge organ and holding it as he brought his mouth towards the swollen head.


    Lightly kissing the blunt tip, Qinghe spoke in a low voice, ¡°Xiang, I want you to start preparing me now.¡±


    Meanwhile, Wei Xiang was feeling even more unbearably aroused due to Qinghe¡¯s heated touches along with his little lover¡¯s entrance and member hovering so close to his face. So hearing Qinghe¡¯s request, Wei Xiang wasted no time in retrieving a bottle of oil and immediately started to prepare his beloved¡¯s opening. He intently watched as his own fingers breached that dusky pucker, then slid in and out in smooth and steady motions.


    After taking some time to adjust to the vivid sensations sparked by his beloved¡¯s intimate touch, Qinghe lowered his head and began working on Wei Xiang¡¯s member. He trailed his tongue over the sides, then kneaded the firm balls underneath with careful hands. And while he massaged the base of Wei Xiang¡¯s shaft with his slender fingers, his lips skimmed over the bulging veins teasingly.


    Panting and gritting his teeth, Wei Xiang strived to retain his senses despite the stimulation and continued preparing his beloved¡¯s entrance until he could fit three of his fingers inside. Unclenching his jaw, Wei Xiang then ordered, ¡°Qinghe¡­that¡¯s enough for now.¡±


    With a smile, Qinghe ran his tongue one last time over the little slit at the head, gathering the beaded droplets of white liquid into his mouth, then let go regretfully.


    Standing up on the bed and turning to face Wei Xiang again, Qinghe knelt down and began lowering himself onto his lover¡¯s member while holding the hard length steady with a hand.


    ¡°Take it slow, no need to hurry,¡± Wei Xiang said worriedly even as he had to force down his own insistent need while keeping his hips from arching up on their own.


    Qinghe couldn¡¯t help but smile warmly at his beloved¡¯s self-control. ¡°I¡¯m fine. You¡¯re the one who is sick and needs to take it slow.¡±


    Wei Xiang could only let out a strained chuckle in reply. As he felt his little lover¡¯s entrance swallowing him in oh-so-slowly while squeezing his shaft in between those tight and hot walls, the last thing Wei Xiang felt capable of was taking it slow.


    And yet, his hands remained tender as they lightly clasped each of Qinghe¡¯s knees settled on either side of him. Wei Xiang curled his fingers behind his beloved¡¯s legs while his thumbs traced small circles on his little lover¡¯s knees as if in comfort and encouragement.


    Soon, Qinghe managed to take in the entirely of Wei Xiang¡¯s length, but when he put his weight on his bottom at the end, he couldn¡¯t help but let out a slight gasp.


    ¡°Love, are you alright?¡± Wei Xiang asked softly with concern.


    While panting with flushed cheeks and dewy eyes, Qinghe nodded unsteadily. ¡°Mn¡­ It just¡­feels a bit¡­too deep.¡±


    Sighing in relief, Wei Xiang let his fingers lightly trail up along the back of Qinghe¡¯s taut thighs, his hands finally landing on his beloved¡¯s hips. Massaging steadily with firm fingers, Wei Xiang looked down at the place where they were joined, his eyes growing darker with unhidden need.


    In a deep voice, he remarked playfully, ¡°I¡¯m liking this view.¡±


    Realizing what his beloved meant, Qinghe blushed and felt the sudden urge to cover up the aforementioned ¡®view¡¯, which was utterly ridiculous considering how he had Wei Xiang¡¯s member snugly sheathed inside him right now. Since they were already doing such things, why should he get so flustered just because his lover was looking at his private parts with this kind of heated and intimate look?


    But no amount of rationalizing lessened Qinghe¡¯s embarrassment.


    As if not realizing his beloved¡¯s emotions, Wei Xiang reached down and traced the place where they were joined with a light touch, his fingertip careful yet thorough in its exploration.


    Qinghe lightly shuddered, then pulled away his lover¡¯s teasing finger and pressed it into the bed. ¡°Xiang, didn¡¯t I tell you? Just stay still and let me do it this time.¡±


    Wei Xiang let out a light laugh of satisfaction and obediently placed his hands by his sides.


    Resting his palms over his beloved¡¯s chest, Qinghe slowly began moving up and down. His breathing grew deeper and his eyes turned glazed as he raised and lowered his hips.


    Meanwhile, Qinghe¡¯s hands began to wander on their own, brushing over the stiff points on Wei Xiang¡¯s chest and caressing his lover¡¯s stomach, shoulders, biceps, collarbones¡­


    Unable to remain still, Wei Xiang extended his hands and began stroking Qinghe¡¯s shaft while his hips thrust up involuntarily in rhythmic jerks. This only seemed to fuel Qinghe¡¯s ardor as his hands roamed over his beloved¡¯s skin even more fervently.


    A strained expression claimed Wei Xiang¡¯s face as his little lover continued to tease him unrelentingly with his fingertips, trailing fire as those slender fingers mapped across his smooth skin. The muscles in Wei Xiang¡¯s arms and back stretched taut as he resisted the urge to grab and push Qinghe down, to part open his buttocks and thrust inside again, pounding until they were both drenched in the deluge of mindless pleasure.


    But all these thoughts immediately came to a screeching halt when he looked up to see the awe-inspiring image of his little lover on top of him.


    Qinghe rode astride Wei Xiang with his back straight, his movements decisive and smooth as he frowned lightly in concentration. He moved his body up and down purely by the strength of his legs, the muscles flexing with every movement as his unbound hair gracefully rose and fell as if it were weightless. Looking at this dignified picture, it seemed as if Qinghe was riding his prized warhorse to battle rather than having sex.


    Wei Xiang had never seen anything more arousing or alluring.


    Suddenly feeling the palm sliding over his member halting abruptly, Qinghe looked down, only to meet Wei Xiang¡¯s appreciative gaze that seemed to burn with intense passion and reverence.


    Feeling overwhelmed at being looked like that, Qinghe parted his lips and took in a shuddering breath, then unable to bear it, he bent down to join his lips with Wei Xiang¡¯s.


    As if a spark had been lit, the couple¡¯s motions grew frantic as their hands and lips pressed against each other more zealously. Their breaths and sweat mingled as sensual sounds expressing unbearable pleasure kept ringing out loudly and passionately.


    Qinghe clenched his teeth and forced himself to hold back his own orgasm, waiting for his lover to release first. And as if hearing his beloved¡¯s thoughts, Wei Xiang suddenly let out a hoarse shout and climaxed, shooting thick and hot liquid into his lover¡¯s tight passage. As soon as he felt Wei Xiang¡¯s release spilling into him, Qinghe groaned as he bent over and erupted as well, the slippery fluid spurting out of his shaft and staining both of their bellies.


    Once the pair of lovers finished, they felt their strengths leaving their limbs and could only lie limply on the bed, their chests heaving and eyes closed.


    ¡°Xiang¡­how are you?¡± Qinghe finally asked in a croak.


    After all, his beloved was sick right now. No matter what Kong Min had said, this much strenuous activity could not have been good for Wei Xiang¡¯s health.


    ¡°I can hear my bones creak when I try to move,¡± Wei Xiang answered with equal parts misery and amusement. ¡°But it seems like that useless senior brother of mine really came up with a creative reason this time for making us get together like this.¡±


    ¡°Eh?!¡± Qinghe exclaimed, his head popping up as he asked with evident surprise, ¡°Then having sex won¡¯t really make you get better?¡±


    Chuffing out a strained chuckle, Wei Xiang replied, ¡°Love, when has there ever been such a convenient and enjoyable cure to being poisoned?¡±


    With a dejected expression, Qinghe wrinkled his nose and agreed, ¡°You¡¯re right. Medicine is always bitter and tastes very bad! It¡¯s definitely not possible for it to be this fun.¡±


    Wei Xiang laughed with open affection on his face, his eyes sparkling with mirth. His little lover was really too cute. Although his senior brother had tried to deceive them into spending time together like this, Wei Xiang couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit grateful that he got to have his beloved by his side at this time.


    However, little did the couple know that Kong Min had, in truth, not been lying at all, and that because of his advice and urging, Wei Xiang¡¯s sickness would in fact make a swift and complete recovery within the day.


    But this was something they would only discover later.


    After a while more of resting, Qinghe slowly sat up. Thankfully, sore muscles were something his cultivation could heal in a matter of minutes.


    So dragging himself out of bed, Qinghe went to the well in the enclosed backyard garden and filled the bucket with some water by using his wind before returning to the bedside. Then retrieving a soft cloth from his storage space, he carefully began wiping down his sweaty lover while Wei Xiang obediently let himself be pampered like this for once. After that was done, Qinghe changed the sheets with Wei Xiang¡¯s cooperation, dressed him in a fresh robe, then tucked his sick lover under the quilt.


    Standing back up with a sigh, Qinghe next took out a bathtub from his spatial storage and filled it once again by using the wind to draw water from the well.


    He had cleaned up everything relating to the aftermath of their lovemaking except himself. And since Wei Xiang was currently bedridden, he couldn¡¯t exactly help him with it this time.


    So, after heating up the water using a talisman, Qinghe got into the tub to wash and clean his passage.


    But just before he began, Qinghe sensed a burning gaze settling on him and turned his head back, only to see Wei Xiang looking at him with intent expectation as if waiting for him to put on an erotic show.


    His eyes glinting with humor, Qinghe spoke in a teasing tone, ¡°You should look away.¡±


    Wei Xiang simply raised a brow. ¡°Why? I¡¯ve already seen everything there is to see, so what need is there for you to be shy now?¡±


    Tilting his chin up arrogantly, Qinghe declared in reply, ¡°I¡¯m just afraid that the sight of me attending to myself will turn out to be too tempting for you. In your condition, you can hardly afford to have a repeat performance.¡±


    Though Qinghe had only said it jokingly, Wei Xiang still nodded his head seriously as he admitted, ¡°Yes, that is true. You really are too tempting.¡±


    Qinghe then watched with amusement as Wei Xiang determinedly turned his head away as if to avoid being charmed by his lover¡¯s wiles.


    Shaking his head with a small smile, Qinghe then turned back and began cleaning himself up. Then getting out of the tub and putting it away again, he wiped himself dry and dressed himself in a loose robe.


    Wanting to check if there was any progress with his beloved¡¯s sickness, Qinghe walked to the bedside, then halted and looked down with a raised eyebrow. With his hands on his hips, he helplessly asked, ¡°Now, how did this happen?¡±


    Wei Xiang unabashedly looked down at his erection tenting the sheets over his lower half and shrugged nonchalantly. ¡°Though I didn¡¯t look, I couldn¡¯t help hearing you while you were in the tub, and I do have something called imagination to fill in the blanks, so this result was inevitable.¡±


    Qinghe laughed and shook his head. Then bending down, he drew aside the quilt covering his lover before quickly undoing and pushing open Wei Xiang¡¯s robe.


    In an enticing voice, Qinghe said, ¡°I guess there¡¯s no helping it then, so let me take care of it for you again.¡±


    Holding the once again stiffened member in one hand, Qinghe pushed down on Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulder with the other while bending to let their lips meet once again.


    And so, with so much of the ¡®cure¡¯ being administered to the patient by his caring lover, it was hardly a surprise that Wei Xiang¡¯s symptoms quickly receded within a few hours.

 Chapter 104: Everyday Training

    After the symptoms of the poisoning subsided, Wei Xiang once again stayed the night at Qinghe¡¯s room in the sect, the couple then waking up together the next morning in each other¡¯s embrace.


    Tomorrow, the third and final stage of the Hundred-Year Tournament would take place in the Battle Arena, but for now, it was just another normal day for Qinghe.


    After waking up and rolling around in the sheets with Wei Xiang for a while, Qinghe finished his morning ablutions, put on an appearance changing talisman before dressing neatly, then headed off towards the sect hall to assist his master with his paperwork as well as to help the Elders in charge make the necessary preparations for taking all the sect¡¯s disciples¡ªthe selected candidates to participate and the rest to watch¡ªto the third stage of the tournament tomorrow.


    Then, after being notified through a message, Qinghe had to leave the sect and head towards a mortal town to break up a fight between the disciples of Heavenly Peak Sect and Drifting Clouds Sect. He then brought home his sect¡¯s disciples and sent them off to the Elder in charge of discipline to accept their punishment while he sneakily went over to speak to the Elder in advance, requesting him to be lenient.


    Once that was done, Qinghe had to rush to deliver a time-sensitive package to the Golden Sun Sect, then meet with the sect master of Lightning Sky Sect to discuss about exchanging a batch of healing pills for the spiritual herbs Heavenly Peak Sect¡¯s disciple¡¯s had harvested recently. And by the time evening rolled around, Qinghe was busy with teaching a group of juniors a few basic moves while the twins helped to demonstrate whenever they were called.


    And so the day went on.


    All this while, Wei Xiang quietly trailed his lover from his shadow. Since he had been sick just yesterday, he was freed from his duties for another day to take time and recover his health, which he naturally planned to spend with his lover.


    At this moment, Wei Xiang was crouched on top of a weathered but well-maintained roof of one of the buildings that bordered the sect¡¯s training area.


    He peered down to look at his beloved with interest as Qinghe strolled around the large and wide training ground, his hands clasped behind him and his keen gaze assessing each of the juniors¡¯ form carefully as they practiced a few basic moves. Whenever a junior made a mistake, Qinghe would be there, smiling patiently and guiding them to correct themselves before resuming his rounds.


    But though Qinghe didn¡¯t notice what happened afterwards, from his high vantage point, Wei Xiang could clearly see how those junior disciples who were just advised would blush shyly and look at Qinghe¡¯s back with a worshipful gaze.


    With glinting eyes and a wide smirk, Wei Xiang continued to observe.


    ¡°Alright now, everyone stop. We¡¯ll next learn how to execute a basic slash,¡± Qinghe¡¯s voice called out, clear and firm.


    The attention of all the disciples immediately turned in his direction.


    Qinghe walked up to a weapon¡¯s rack at the side which held a variety of wooden practice blades. Picking up a worn wooden sword, he turned to the rows of juniors and demonstrated a simple diagonal slash, his posture remaining confident and steady as wind rushed outward due to the pure physical strength behind the move.


    The disciples all watched with excited expressions while wondering¡ªif they practiced enough, would they also look as heroic as their senior martial brother when executing that move?


    Seeing that the disciples were listening intently, Qinghe began explaining, ¡°It might look simple and easy, but to perform it with maximum efficiency, there are many details that you must pay attention to. For example, the bend of your elbow. If it¡¯s bent too much, you will lose some force behind the swing, but if you keep it too straight, it will become rigid and inflexible. Likewise, you must also pay attention to what all parts of your body to use while carrying out the move. For this basic slash, you use your dominant hand to wield the blade while the other hand helps to maintain balance, especially if the footing is unstable. And apart from the arm, you should not only use your shoulder, but you also need to rotate your waist and hip. And while your body is twisting, make sure to keep your feet flat and steady on the ground to maximize friction, understood?¡±


    Several heads bobbed up and down in answer.


    After imparting a few more instructions, Qinghe had them practice swinging their wooden blades for a while as he went around correcting their postures and their grips on the practice blades. Once he was satisfied that they¡¯d perfected it, he moved on to the next stage.


    ¡°Now that you know the basic slash, it¡¯s time to learn how to block such a move¡­¡±


    The training area rang with Qinghe¡¯s pleasant and confident voice as he began another round of explanations while the juniors all looked at him with admiration, their attentions focused on him as they tried to etch his every word into their minds with avid concentration.


    ¡°¡­but to gain a better understanding of how to block a slashing blade, I think a demonstration would be more informative,¡± Qinghe finally finished speaking, then looked at the twins.


    Taking the cue, the twins immediately charged at their senior brother without hesitation, each junior with a single wooden long knife in hand. After all, Fei Jin and Fei Yin were more than clear that their senior brother¡¯s level was too far above theirs to be caught off-guard by the suddenness of their attack.


    And sure enough, Qinghe easily evaded their joint offensive and leapt up before landing near the weapons rack, then picked up another wooden sword so that he¡¯d have a blade in each hand.


    Turning swiftly on their heels, the twins split up without having to exchange a word between them and flew in Qinghe¡¯s direction, aiming to come at him from opposite sides at once. Qinghe calmly met their blows with a sword each, parrying Fei Jin¡¯s frontal slash first before slipping away to evade Fei Yin¡¯s sneaky knife that cut from below.


    Throughout the demonstration, both the twins and Qinghe made sure to only use various forms of slashing and swinging to both attack and parry, moving swiftly yet taking care that the watching disciples would be able to follow their actions.


    From his perch on the roof, Wei Xiang observed his little lover¡¯s movements with appreciative eyes, marveling at his slippery technique of evading those pair of brats at once while using both his hands at the same time and with the same proficiency. Though Wei Xiang usually only saw Qinghe use his right hand for day to day activities, from the way he was fighting now, it was obvious that he must have taught himself to be ambidextrous.


    On the training ground, Qinghe finally twisted Fei Yin¡¯s wooden knife out of his hand with a smooth move, then dodging Fei Jin¡¯s tackle, he brought a sword down in a powerful blow that knocked Fei Jin¡¯s knife right out of his grip.


    In this way, the demonstration was finally completed under the fervent gazes of the junior disciples, who immediately began to cheer loudly at the conclusion of such a skilled and thrilling fight.


    But just when Fei Jin and Fei Yin picked up their practice weapons to put them back on the rack, a black shadow suddenly descended, seeming to take the twins¡¯ place as the opponent as it lunged down at Qinghe.


    With a nimble leap, Qinghe dodged the shadow and threw out a wooden sword in reflex, aiming to wound the other person in the shoulder. It was only after he flung out the weapon that he realized the identity of this sudden attacker.


    Sure enough, Wei Xiang lifted a hand and easily caught the practice sword that had been hurtling towards him, then grinned. ¡°Love, if you want help with a demonstration, I¡¯d be more than willing to cooperate.¡±


    Qinghe blinked in mild surprise at this abrupt offer, then seriously considered this option. Though he really didn¡¯t want to end up hurting his beloved, he was also very curious to match his skills against a trained Sentinel like Wei Xiang.


    So, after a bit of thought, Qinghe finally conceded, ¡°Alright, but limit your speed. Since this is a demonstration, try to make sure that everyone can catch the moves you¡¯re making.¡±


    Wei Xiang easily agreed, ¡°As you wish.¡±


    And so, turning towards the wide-eyed juniors, Qinghe instructed, ¡°Since Sentinel Wei is being kind enough to help us with a demonstration, make sure to watch carefully.¡±


    The disciples nodded excitedly. They¡¯d never seen a Sentinel fight out in the open before, but they knew that the Sentinels were all such impressive people, so shouldn¡¯t their skills also be top-notch? They really wanted to see a match between one of the most famous Sentinels, Wei Xiang, and the strongest disciple in their sect, Feng Qinghe!


    But not noticing the eager gazes of the disciples, Qinghe kept his attention focused solely on his lover, anticipation sparkling in his eyes. Unwilling to wait any longer, Qinghe nodded to Wei Xiang and said, ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡±


    Flashing a smile, Wei Xiang immediately shot forward.


    Qinghe held up his sword just in time to block a perfect textbook slash, then slipped to the side and twisted his body to dodge a couple of quick strikes. Before he could regain his bearings, Wei Xiang had already pressed into his guard, the tip of his wooden sword aimed at Qinghe¡¯s sternum.


    Deciding to increase his speed a bit, Qinghe turned sideways to slip out of the way of the sword and used the nearing Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulder to flip himself behind his lover, then turned midair to bring his wooden weapon down on Wei Xiang¡¯s exposed back. As if sensing his intention, Wei Xiang quickly used the practice sword to guard his spine, the sound of the two weapons impacting each other sending out a crisp clack.


    As soon as Qinghe landed on his feet, he was forced to leap backward again to avoid the powerful slash of Wei Xiang¡¯s sword. But not giving him the chance to escape that easily, Wei Xiang followed behind with another diagonal swing aiming for Qinghe¡¯s hip. Qinghe barely managed to bring up his wooden weapon in time to meet the offensive.


    The two figures thus spun and clashed, their practice swords striking against each other again and again in a flurry even as they firmly restrained themselves from attacking with the explosiveness and brutality of a true battle. After all, this was only a demonstrative duel, but even if it were not, neither Qinghe nor Wei Xiang would ever be able to bring themselves to truly go all out against the other. No matter what, they would never point their weapons at their beloved with bloodthirsty intent.


    On the other hand, the watching disciples were left in a state of awe as they strained their eyes to keep up with the quick exchange of moves. Even though the pair¡¯s movements appeared too fast, the juniors knew that their senior brother and that Sentinel Wei must actually feel like they were moving too slowly.


    The entire space was filled with the sounds of feet shifting over the ground, bodies rapidly whooshing through the air, clothes fluttering in the wind, the clacks and clatters of the wooden swords clashing, and the quiet gasps of wonder let slip by the enraptured disciples.


    However, after twenty more minutes of Qinghe gleefully indulging himself in a fight with his lover, he finally remembered that he still had a group of juniors to instruct.


    And so, with a regretful expression, he forced himself to stop fighting and halted his charging body. Without hesitation, Wei Xiang immediately followed suit and stopped as well.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough for now. Let¡¯s consider it a draw,¡± Qinghe said while panting lightly in controlled breaths, his brows dampened with a thin sheen of sweat.


    Similarly, Wei Xiang was also covered in a barely discernible layer of moisture that made his skin seem like it was cast in radiant gold as it reflected the warm evening light.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Wei Xiang agreed easily with a satisfied smile.


    Getting to fight with his little lover and being able to observe his lithe movements from up close was reward enough for him, so Wei Xiang truly didn¡¯t care who the winner or loser would end up being.


    With a sigh, Qinghe wiped his sweat and began to complain, ¡°Xiang, you already tire my body out every night as it is, did you have to do it during the daytime too?¡±


    The watching disciples: ¡°¡­¡±


    Not minding their audience, Wei Xiang let out a chuckle and walked up to his beloved. ¡°Yes, yes, I shouldn¡¯t have interrupted your training. But I don¡¯t regret getting to play with you like this.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, I don¡¯t regret it either, but you certainly could¡¯ve chosen a better time to propose a match,¡± Qinghe huffed.


    Choosing not to mention that Qinghe was the one who had made the final decision to spar with him at the end, Wei Xiang only nodded with a smile while admitting, ¡°Yes, it was definitely my fault, love. Now come here and let me dry your face.¡±


    Saying so, Wei Xiang retrieved a soft cloth and began wiping away the sweat on his little lover¡¯s face with careful and loving motions, his eyes warm and happy. Qinghe also obediently tilted his head up with closed eyes while trying to stay still, completely used to being taken care of by his beloved by now.


    At the side, the twins grumbled with bitterness at the couple¡¯s overt shamelessness again, while the other disciples all bit their lips with jealousy at how their beloved senior brother was allowing that Sentinel to pamper him.


    But though Wei Xiang noticed the envious glares being thrown at him, he only smiled placidly.


    Once Qinghe was sweat-free, he relegated his lover to a background character and resumed training the juniors with renewed vigor.


    However, after a little while of training, Qinghe finally had to call for a break. The exhausted disciples immediately plopped down onto the ground in a slump while huffing and puffing with red faces as if they''d barely managed to escape from being strangled.


    Just now, after seeing Qinghe fighting, most of these juniors had gone above and beyond during training in a bid to impress their senior martial brother and show him all that they had learnt. The result was that they¡¯d ended up tiring themselves out very quickly, causing Qinghe to take pity and allow them this brief reprieve.


    Wei Xiang watched over all this with a smile that could almost be called smug.


    Just then, a disciple shyly walked up to Qinghe and hesitantly tugged on his sleeve to get his attention.


    Turning his gaze away from the wooden swords he had quietly been inspecting for damage, Qinghe smiled and asked, ¡°Yes? Do you need help with something?¡±


    Being looked at directly like this by his idol, the young disciple flushed and stuttered, ¡°Ah¡­y-yes! Senior Brother Feng, I-I wanted to consult you about m-my cultivation. C-Can you give me some advice?¡±


    Putting down the practice swords back on the rack, Qinghe turned to the junior and nodded. ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll help you however I can. So what did you want to consult me about?¡±


    The disciple looked down and swallowed nervously. Then taking a deep breath, he tried to keep his voice steady as he replied, ¡°I would like to request Senior Brother to advice me about how to proceed with my cultivation. My attribute is of the rare mist element, but I don¡¯t know how to fight with it or put it to any good use, and no one I asked till now seems to know either. Does Senior Brother have any suggestions?¡±


    Qinghe lowered his brows in a considering look. ¡°Mist element, you say?¡±


    The disciple peeked up at his senior brother¡¯s handsome face and nodded carefully in reply. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I think I might indeed have a few ideas. But implementing them will require a lot of practice on your part,¡± Qinghe said as he tapped his chin absentmindedly.


    His eyes lighting up with hope, the disciple happily declared, ¡°As long as I can use my cultivation somehow, I don¡¯t care how hard I have to train!¡±


    Looking at the burning determination in the disciple¡¯s pair of wide eyes brimming with a child-like purity and vigor, Qinghe couldn¡¯t help but smile and nod encouragingly. ¡°Good, then allow me to help you craft a cultivation method tailored specifically for you.¡±


    The disciple stood straighter and beamed brightly. ¡°Yes! Thank you, Senior Brother Feng!¡±


    Then seeming to consider something, he asked, ¡°But what can I even do with the mist element?¡±


    Qinghe smiled and explained, ¡°The more simpler use would be to distort the surroundings and obstruct the view. In critical moments, this can confuse the enemy¡¯s sense of direction and even split them up if they happen to be in a group. However, one thing to always keep in mind is that mist is a just collection of tiny water droplets floating in the air, so using this knowledge, you can even implement a few relevant water-element based techniques. If you want to take it further, then after perfecting your control over your element, you might even be able to make the water droplets reflect and refract light in such a way that it creates illusions that won¡¯t lose to those of a light-element wielder.¡±


    The more the disciple heard, the wider his eyes became. It seemed that he had really been narrow-minded before to not see any of these possibilities. It was truly a good thing that he¡¯d come to consult Senior Brother Feng, otherwise none of these options would have occurred to him!


    Not knowing the impact his words were having on his junior, Qinghe continued with a thoughtful look, ¡°I remember seeing a few books in our sect¡¯s library that explain the manipulation of fine water particles with spiritual force. How about this? Let¡¯s go and get you some materials to read that would be useful in creating your own techniques, then we can discuss with a few Elders who specialize in the theoretical aspects of cultivation and ask their help with creating a cultivation method specifically for you, alright?¡±


    The little disciple vigorously nodded his head with shining eyes. ¡°Yes, if Senior Brother and the Elders don¡¯t mind sparing some time to guide me, then I would like that very much!¡±


    Qinghe smiled affectionately at the enthusiastic little junior disciple. Then turning to his lover, he finally spoke, ¡°Xiang, I¡¯ll be gone for a while with this little one, so can you train the other juniors for a bit instead?¡±


    Smiling widely, Wei Xiang easily agreed. ¡°Sure, you go and do what you need to. I¡¯ll take care of these ones very well.¡±


    Saying so, he looked over the tired disciples still slumped on the ground with a sharp and anticipatory look in his eyes.


    The junior disciples who had been paying attention to the happenings in this direction all this while suddenly felt a chill. Why did they get the feeling that they might not make it out of this Sentinel Wei¡¯s training alive? Senior Brother Feng, please don¡¯t leave us with this man!


    Not seeing all the pleading looks being cast his way, Qinghe led the little disciple and cheerfully walked towards the sect¡¯s library.


    Once his little lover¡¯s figure was out of sight, Wei Xiang turned back to look at the terrified little disciples and chuckled happily. With his hands on his hips, he commanded, ¡°Break time is over, my dear little chicks, so you better get your butts up immediately. We¡¯re going to have lots of fun training today.¡±


    The poor disciples quickly stood up while gulping. They could already tell that this wasn¡¯t going to be fun at all!


    And reality proved that their worries were quite valid.


    An hour later, Qinghe returned to the training grounds alone, having left that little disciple in the care of an Elder for today. Tomorrow, that disciple would come along with the rest of the juniors to spectate the matches and hopefully gain some insight about fighting with his own element.


    However, after his mind finished thinking about that disciple and his attention finally shifted to the training grounds before him, Qinghe could only stop and stare with shock at the scene playing in front of him right now.


    Currently, the juniors were running laps around the entirety of the huge training grounds with sizeable boulders on their backs that seemed almost as big as the disciples themselves. On top of that, they had brick-like weights tied to their upper arms, forearms, thighs, lower legs, shoulders, chests, backs, and stomachs. Adding to their already grueling circumstances, they were also balancing a bowl of water on their heads while running, presumably already having been instructed to not spill even a single drop throughout the exercise.


    As expected of this sort of unreasonably arduous training, the juniors were all in a pitiable state, their chests heaving and bodies drenched with sweat while they made miserable wheezing noises. But yet they still pressed on while shooting terrified looks at the Sentinel standing at the side, not daring to slow down or let the bowl on top of their heads tip even a little bit.


    Meanwhile, Wei Xiang merely watched this scene while casually leaning against a pillar of a bordering building, a small smile curving his lips and his eyes gleaming with amusement. Then sensing his beloved¡¯s arrival, Wei Xiang put away his smug expression and straightened up with an innocent look, knowing that his fun was about to come to an end.


    Sure enough, after shaking his head and sighing at the wretched state of the disciples, Qinghe called out to the juniors, ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough, please stop.¡±


    Turning their heads in the direction of this familiar voice and seeing the figure of their beloved senior brother, the disciples all immediately shed their various burdens and ran towards Qinghe with despairing expressions.


    ¡°Senior Brother! You¡¯re finally here!¡±


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother, my back hurts so much, I think it¡¯s broken!¡±


    ¡°Senior Brother Feng, your lover is so mean!¡±


    ¡°My entire body feels like it¡¯s going to fall apart¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, everything hurts!¡±


    ¡°¡­I think I might be dying¡­¡±


    A gaggle of juniors quickly surrounded Qinghe, each of their complaints more dramatic than the last as they tried to elicit maximum pity from their senior brother.


    Seeing this, Wei Xiang¡¯s brow twitched at their audacity while Qinghe looked at his juniors with open concern on his face.


    Shoving their way to the front, the twins pitifully tugged at Qinghe¡¯s sleeves and looked at him with wide and moist eyes that displayed a wronged expression.


    ¡°Senior Brother, it really hurts too much. Can you please give us a massage to make it feel better like you used to do before?¡± Fei Jin asked while blinking his teary eyes.


    ¡°Yes, it hurts so much¡­¡± Fei Yin also whispered sadly from beside his twin.


    Unable to bear their expressions, Qinghe nodded, ¡°Alright then, turn around and I¡¯ll start¨D¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, voices exploded with shouts of ¡°Senior Brother, me too!¡±, ¡°My body hurts as well!¡±, ¡°Senior Brother Feng, please give me a massage too!¡±


    Qinghe looked at the boisterously churning crowd of disciples with a helpless expression, then called out loudly, ¡°Alright, quieten down now! I¡¯ll teach everyone about which acupoints to press to decrease fatigue, increase blood circulation and ease sore muscles, so stand in a line and wait for me to come and instruct you one by one.¡±


    Within seconds, four neat rows of quiet and well-behaved disciples greeted Qinghe, each of them looking at him with eagerness apparent in their gazes.


    Seeing this, Qinghe felt glad that he was finally able to touch others now, albeit with a bit of advance mental preparation. This was definitely not something he could have done even a few months ago, so he was very pleased with his progress.


    And so, with a happy smile, Qinghe set off towards the first disciple in the right-most row to begin instructing.


    Standing at the side, Wei Xiang watched with narrowed eyes as his little lover went around and taught each disciple personally, his slender finger pointing to and lightly pressing certain points in demonstration.


    Every junior who was taught like this blushed red and looked up at their senior brother with worshipful eyes. They focused intently on every word Qinghe said and every gesture he made with rapt attention, not willing to miss a single thing.


    But being looked at directly by their senior brother¡¯s clear eyes like this while he personally interacted with them, most of them couldn¡¯t help but feel that all that torment that dreadful Sentinel Wei had put them through was worth it. After all, they now got to have their senior brother touch them with his gentle hands and hear him speak in his pleasant and warm voice from right beside them! They could even smell his cool and soothing scent from up close!


    Looking at how those juniors appeared as if they would ascend to heaven right now due to pure bliss, Wei Xiang felt displeased in his heart.


    From tomorrow onwards, he would be very busy dealing with matters relating to the remnants of Black Fang and might not have that much time to spend with his lover. And yet these little pipsqueaks were stealing away the attention of his beloved, preventing him and his little lover from spending time together.


    But even though Wei Xiang felt bitter about it, he still withheld himself from acting selfish and interrupting his beloved in the midst of his patient teaching.


    In this way, night soon fell and Qinghe finally finished personally instructing everyone. After sending all the junior disciples off, he asked the twins to put away the weapons rack and clear some other things from the training area. Stuffing everything into their storage space, Fei Jin and Fei Yin ran off to do as told.


    By the time Qinghe turned back to his lover, Wei Xiang¡¯s face had grown dark and stormy due to having been neglected so long.


    With a sigh, Qinghe walked up to where his beloved was still leaning against the pillar and entreated, ¡°Come now, Xiang, don¡¯t be mad. I wasn¡¯t ignoring you, I was just busy with teaching them how to¨D¡±


    Before he could finish speaking, Wei Xiang pulled Qinghe close and pushed him against the pillar he had just been leaning against.


    Bending down, Wei Xiang nipped his little lover¡¯s nose gently and complained in an aggrieved tone, ¡°Love, it¡¯s not fair that you have so much attention to spare your juniors but none for me.¡±


    Feeling that his mighty Sentinel lover had suddenly become cute, Qinghe couldn¡¯t help but smile indulgently and say, ¡°Yes, yes, it was my fault this time. I¡¯ll give you all the attention you want throughout the night, alright?¡±


    Seeming mollified, Wei Xiang bent down to nuzzle the crook of Qinghe¡¯s neck affectionately. ¡°If you do that, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be too exhausted tomorrow. How will you take part in the tournament then?¡±


    Shifting so that he could wrap his arms around his beloved, Qinghe leaned back against the pillar and batted his eyelashes coquettishly. ¡°Since that is the case, I can only beg my dear lover to be merciful and treat me gently tonight.¡±


    Hearing this, Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes grew heated as he swooped down for a kiss. Opening his mouth, Qinghe eagerly indulged his beloved, his hands starting to take liberties with Wei Xiang¡¯s still-clothed form.


    If his little lover''s hands continued to have their way like this, Wei Xiang was afraid he¡¯d lose what little control he had left, so he captured both of Qinghe wrists in a hand and held them far above to press them against the pillar. Wei Xiang¡¯s other hand slipped down to loosen Qinghe¡¯s belt, then snuck into his beloved¡¯s robes explore that familiar body with enthusiasm.


    Feeling the hot palm running over his skin and caressing his sensitive points with expertise, Qinghe had to lean back from the kiss and let out a shuddering breath. Wei Xiang unrelentingly began to brush his lips over his beloved¡¯s cheek and jaw while murmuring into his little lover¡¯s flushed ear.


    In the end, this was the scene that the twins inevitably stumbled into when they returned to report the completion of their tasks.


    In the quiet of the night, the wide-eyed twins could even hear the lewd things Wei Xiang was whispering lovingly to Qinghe, who didn¡¯t seem to mind the indecency at all.


    Feeling that both their eyes and ears were being sullied by this scene, the twins refused to stay here in the presence of this shameless couple any longer. And so, without saying anything to alert their seniors of their presence, the twins ran away with expressions that were both sour and flushed in shame.


    Uncaring that they¡¯d once again traumatized this pair of juniors, the couple quickly moved to Qinghe¡¯s room for several rounds of intense dual cultivation with the excuse of stabilizing Qinghe¡¯s cultivation for the tournament tomorrow.


    After the couple cleaned up and lied down side by side to sleep, Wei Xiang suddenly spoke, ¡°Love, I don¡¯t think Master or I can make it tomorrow for the tournament. I¡¯m sorry for doing this to you again.¡±


    Qinghe blinked his eyelids open to reveal his bright eyes and smiled at how his lover seemed even more distressed about it than he himself. ¡°It¡¯s alright, don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    But refusing to be reassured so easily, Wei Xiang held Qinghe closer and promised earnestly, ¡°We¡¯ll try to finish our work quickly tomorrow, then Master, I, and the other Sentinels will all come to watch sometime in the middle, at least. The others have been wanting to see you fight for a long time now.¡±


    Feeling warm at the thought of how he now seemed to have gained such a large family, Qinghe smiled softly. ¡°Alright then, you can all come and see when you get the time tomorrow.¡±


    Kissing his beloved¡¯s forehead tenderly, Wei Xiang teased, ¡°Then, for my tardiness tomorrow, let me make it up to you in advance in some other way. What would you like from me?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Qinghe murmured in thought before shooting upright suddenly. With gleaming eyes, he asked enthusiastically, ¡°Xiang, do you have wine? I want some now!¡±


    Seeing such an excited reaction, Wei Xiang could only helplessly nod his head. He really should have expected this.


    Then with a raised eyebrow, he commented dryly, ¡°But with how much you love wine, I thought you¡¯d have your own stash in your spatial storage.¡±


    Hearing this, Qinghe¡¯s whole person seemed to droop down in dejection as he said sadly, ¡°The twins snitched on me so Master forbade me from keeping alcohol in my storage space.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s lips twitched, his eyes shining with suppressed laughter. Then considering how the wine he had wasn¡¯t strong enough to give cultivators a hangover anyway, Wei Xiang took out a jar of mellow smelling wine and handed it over to his beloved just so he could see his little lover¡¯s expression brightening up in happiness, like a flower blooming right in front of his eyes.


    ¡°Xiang, thank you!¡± Qinghe exclaimed cheerily.


    Then, taking a large mouthful of the wine, he tilted his head and pressed his lips to his beloved¡¯s, leaving Wei Xiang no choice but to quickly open up and receive the smooth liquid into his mouth.


    In this way, the pair of lovers shared the wine through sweet alcohol-tinted kisses, their bodies swaying and pressing together in the night as sensual sounds of kissing rang out.


    After giving Wei Xiang a few sips worth, Qinghe greedily downed the rest of the wine, then promptly became drunk. As he sat on the bed with a dazed expression, Wei Xiang decided to leave for a bit to clear away the water in the bathtub they¡¯d used before.


    When he returned, he found a half-undressed Qinghe looking down with an intent frown. His legs were splayed on the bed childishly, his clothes disheveled and his belt undone. Of his hands, only the tips of his fingers peeked out from the loosened robe, tightly clutching the edge of the wide sleeves from within.


    ¡°Qinghe, love, are you alright?¡± Wei Xiang asked in a mild voice.


    His frown smoothening, Qinghe looked up and nodded tipsily, causing his gaping collar to slide down to his elbow on one side. Then as if remembering something, he looked down while lifting up his hands and carefully studied his sleeve.


    Not knowing what his beloved was up to, Wei Xiang decided to quietly watch for now even as a smile danced on his lips.


    Nodding as if satisfied with something, Qinghe looked up at Wei Xiang with a solemn expression and began flapping his sleeves, declaring proudly, ¡°Xiang, look, I have wings now! Does that mean I can be a wyvern like you too?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    For a second, Wei Xiang stood stunned.


    Then, seeing that hopeful expression, he felt his heart melting into a warm puddle and couldn¡¯t help himself from wordlessly rushing forward to hug his adorable little lover.


    Suddenly enveloped in his beloved¡¯s arms, Qinghe tilted his head confusedly and poked Wei Xiang¡¯s shaking shoulder. ¡°Xiang? Why aren¡¯t you answering?¡±


    But Wei Xiang was laughing so hard that he couldn¡¯t get a single word out.


    As the couple happily spent the night indulging in such antics, dawn soon broke over the horizon, ushering in the day when the third and final stage of the Hundred-Year Tournament would take place.


    crimson_carnation


    Mini Theater¨C


    When Wei Xiang has Qinghe pushed up against the pillar, he notices the twins out of the corner of his eyes and starts whispering deliberately¡ª


    Wei Xiang: Qinghe, I love you, and I love touching you.


    The Twins: (¡®???¡¯)


    Wei Xiang: I love being beside you, and I love being inside you.


    The Twins: (¡Ñ¿Ú¡Ñ)


    Wei Xiang: I love filling you with my release and being covered with yours in turn.


    The Twins: (?? ? ?? §¥ ?? ? ??)


    Wei Xiang: And I love¡ª


    The Twins: *Rapidly fleeing before the rest of their innocence is gone*


    Qinghe (laughing): Are you satisfied now?


    Wei Xiang (smugly): Yes.


    And thus, Wei Xiang finally managed to successfully vent his dissatisfaction at the twins for bringing up the whole massage thing which had then ended up taking so much of Qinghe''s time.

 Chapter 105: The Third Stage

    The next morning, the sky was overcast with gloomy grey clouds, making the daylight seem cool and subdued. The wind stirred restlessly and the air felt crisp with a slight bite. Such weather caused an ominous weight to press down on one¡¯s heart, rousing unease.


    Despite fooling around the entire night without getting a wink of sleep, both Wei Xiang and a now sober Qinghe greeted the day with fresh faces, uncaring of the sullen weather. As cultivators, sleep was mostly unnecessary to them anyway.


    After quickly getting ready, Wei Xiang set off to the Order while Qinghe joined the ranks of the disciples who would be taken to the ancient Battle Arena where the last stage of the Hundred-Year Tournament would be held.


    After all the disciples¡¯ sect tokens were verified, the transportation array that hadn¡¯t been used for the last hundred years was finally activated, sending the entire group consisting of the sect master, Elders, and disciples to the Heavenly Peak Sect¡¯s designated area in the Battle Arena.


    The Battle Arena was a large and flat plain that was surrounded on all sides by dark, overhanging cliffs. From a distance, it looked like a circular piece of land cupped in between the sharp, curving claws of an unfathomably gigantic beast. When this scenery was held against the stark and cloudy sky above, it was enough to give one chills as they felt the immense age and history of the place soaking into their bones, eliciting both awe and dread.


    Tall and wide pillars of varying heights extended from the ground of the arena, the top of each being smooth and flat, perfect to use for the battles of the third stage. The pillars themselves were white and made of a type of stone that inherently trapped all spiritual energy within its boundaries, which meant that no stray attacks would spill outside to the spectators or the other platforms.


    There were no audience stands or seats available in the arena. Once the third stage began, ten battles would commence simultaneously and take place at the same time. The various Elders and disciples would first choose a particular platform¡¯s battle to watch, then use their spiritual energy to cast spells or use any artifacts or weapons to fly up and view the match. In case of the junior disciples who were unable to do so, they would naturally be helped up by their seniors or Elders who would take this as an opportunity to impart important knowledge by explaining the concepts and techniques being applied in the battles.


    Currently, the various sects had all arrived at their respective assigned areas and were waiting for the third stage to start in an orderly manner while the disciples discussed among themselves in low and excited voices. Since even just watching the matches could be beneficial in learning new things, many disciples had even stepped out of their secluded cultivation to come and observe.


    Of course, this also included Chen Xiande.


    ¡°Junior Brother, are you prepared for today¡¯s matches?¡± he asked concernedly from beside Qinghe.


    Hearing this, Qinghe couldn¡¯t help but think back fondly at the memory of how he and Wei Xiang had ¡®prepared¡¯ yesterday night by stabilizing his cultivation using dual cultivation numerous times and in numerous different positions.


    With a smile, Qinghe put away those pleasant recollections for now and nodded towards Chen Xiande before replying, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve more or less prepared for today.¡±


    Then tilting his head, he prodded curiously, ¡°But Senior Brother, I don¡¯t see Sect Leader Hei with you. How is he?¡±


    His frown immediately vanishing at the mention of his beloved, Chen Xiande spoke, ¡°He¡¯s been busy coordinating with the Sentinels to take care of the Black Fang bases in his territory, and there also seems to be an issue about missing bodies from graves that appear to be the result of a very powerful demonic practitioner. So I made him stay back and take care of his work properly rather than running here to watch the matches with me. After all, if I let him, he¡¯ll use this as a chance to keep pushing away his work, so I had to put my foot down this time.¡±


    Qinghe couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at his senior brother¡¯s complaining but indulgent tone. ¡°I¡¯m glad that you seem to be doing well with your lover, Senior Brother.¡±


    Chen Xiande coughed lightly and nodded. ¡°Of course. You also seem to be doing well. But where¡¯s your Sentinel Wei?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll be here later after finishing his work along with the Grandmaster and the rest of the Sentinels,¡± Qinghe answered with an obviously happy expression.


    Infected by his cheer, Chen Xiande felt his own lips curving up. ¡°I see. That¡¯s very good then.¡±


    Just when Qinghe was about to ask after Chen Xiande¡¯s cultivation, the twins suddenly came running up to him. ¡°Senior Brother, they¡¯re asking all the chosen participants to go up to the front. The third stage is about to start!¡±


    Qinghe extended his hands to ruffle his junior brothers¡¯ hair. ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll go over. Thank you for telling me.¡±


    The twins beamed brightly.


    Then turning to Chen Xiande, Qinghe said his farewell and strode towards the front to join the other nineteen disciples who had made it past the first two stages of the tournament.


    In front of them were a row of Elders consisting of the same people who had watched over the first and second rounds, and it seemed that they would be presiding over this stage as well.


    The Elder in the middle stepped forward and began reciting the rules in his clear and sonorous voice.


    In the third stage, the contestants would battle using both their martial arts and spiritual energy. The use of spiritual artifacts and other sorts of weapons was permitted. However, talismans, amulets, elixirs, and other augmentation devices could not be used.


    At the beginning of the stage, each contestant would choose a small jade coin from among a plate of coins arranged with their face down. Half of the coins had a small design drawn on them and the other half were left blank.


    If a disciple chose one with a design, then they would occupy one of the platforms, and if they happened to select a blank one, then they would stay here on the ground. When the third stage started, the disciples on the ground will have to challenge one of the disciples on the platforms. If they lost, they had to get back down and choose another pillar to challenge, but if they won, they would assume ownership of the platform and have to defend it instead.


    If a disciple left the vertical confines of the platform or was defeated more than thrice, they would be disqualified. Once there were only the ten people on the platforms left, they would be assigned to fight each other based on their scores so far, and the best three would be selected as the final champions of the Hundred-Year Tournament.


    As the Elder finished reciting the rules, another Elder came over with the plate containing the jade coins, passing in front of the disciples and letting each of them choose one.


    After picking a random coin, Qinghe looked down to see that one side of it was etched with an intricate vermillion design. It seemed that he would start on one of the platforms then.


    Once the bell rang to signal everyone to get into their positions according to their selected coins, Qinghe quickly chose a platform and leapt up to land on it, with half of the contestants doing the same. After all ten platforms were thus occupied, the competitors on the ground chose a pillar according to the person they wanted to fight with and stood beside it. Since two people couldn¡¯t pick the same platform, there was a bit of disturbance until all the ten people on the ground had chosen one satisfactorily.


    The one who had selected Qinghe¡¯s pillar to challenge was a young man from the Golden Sun Sect. His frame was taller and leaner than Qinghe¡¯s, but where Qinghe¡¯s demeanor was pleasant and warm, his future opponent¡¯s bearing was somber and composed. His hair was sharply pulled back from his face to expose his austere features and a pair of half-lidded eyes that gave his expression an air of heaviness.


    The bell rang a second time, permitting the contestants on the ground to climb up and giving an opportunity for the audience to choose which disciples to watch.


    As soon as the toll of the bell sounded, the young man immediately ran up the long column and nimbly landed in front of Qinghe, his posture loose and relaxed. With keen eyes, he studied his opponent carefully even as Qinghe did the same.


    The two men thus stood opposite to each other on top of the high pillar, their figures stark and small against the oppressive vastness of the overcast sky, their snowy white robes and shining black hair fluttering freely in the wind. Keeping their hands loosely by their sides and their feet placed slightly apart in readiness, the two cultivators exuded a sense of assuredness and valiance even in stillness.


    Breaking the thick tension on the platform, the young man slowly bent his body in a deferential bow and spoke respectfully, ¡°You Lixing greets Martial Brother Feng. It is my honor to be able to learn from you this time.¡±


    With a smile, Qinghe bowed in return as he replied courteously, ¡°Martial Brother You is being polite. It is instead my good fortune to be able to stand opposite to you in battle.¡±


    After all, this You Lixing was not without fame himself. In a way, everyone who had made it to the third stage of the Hundred-Year Tournament were all well-known talents who were lifted up to the heavens by their sects in pride while the Elders of other sects all compared their own disciples with them, much to the disciples¡¯ aggravation.


    And so, it was no exaggeration to say that all the competitors in the third stage were the top-most powerful disciples in the current cultivational world. But their fame also meant that their opponents would already have heard of them and the extent of their power.


    This You Lixing, for example, had the ability to manipulate space, which was even rarer than being able to wield the light element. Though space manipulation was notorious for being risky and difficult, You Lixing had still managed to master it to an appreciable level and had made a name for himself as a result.


    As he pondered over all this, Qinghe could feel his anticipation rise at the thought of battling such an opponent. Hopefully, this You Lixing would put up a good fight.


    After everyone was finally in place, the bell rang for the third time, announcing the official beginning of the third stage of the Hundred-Year Tournament.


    Before the vibrations from the bell even had the chance to die down, You Lixing disappeared from place. But expecting this, Qinghe had already leapt away from his position as he flooded the platform with his spirit sense.


    Using his spiritual force to solidify the air under his feet, Qinghe stood midair, his casual bearing belying his vigilance.


    For a moment, nothing happened, his opponent seeming to have vanished completely.


    Then You Lixing used his space manipulation to suddenly appear beside Qinghe¡¯s feet and swept the blade of a thin sword towards his ankles.


    But the moment You Lixing exited his hiding space, he had already caused the air around him to be displaced. And since Qinghe had already filled the entire space with his spirit sense, he was instantaneously alerted to his opponent¡¯s whereabouts.


    And so, rather than cutting through Qinghe¡¯s ankles like he had expected, You Lixing¡¯s blade instead encountered a wind barrier shielding Qinghe¡¯s legs.


    Knowing that his location had been found, You Lixing immediately escaped back into hiding within the folds of space using his ability even as Qinghe tried to restrain him by hardening the wind around his opponent. But though the wind clung to him stubbornly, You Lixing still used his ability and managed to disappear while taking the clinging wind along with him. Immediately, Qinghe felt his control over the wind he¡¯d sent to surround his opponent disappear as well.


    However, despite this, Qinghe remained calm and continued to wait for the next chance.


    This time, You Lixing appeared from above, his blade slicing down towards Qinghe¡¯s shoulder.


    But unexpectedly, Qinghe simply looked up at him and smiled.


    The instant You Lixing had materialized above him, Qinghe had detected it and immediately compressed the air into spikes at a distance that was even higher than his opponent, making them fall silently so that they wouldn¡¯t be noticed.


    And so, the audience saw the breathtaking sight of a shower of silvery spikes descending like rain, falling faster than the plunge of that slender sword.


    Before his blade could get anywhere near Qinghe, You Lixing¡¯s body had already been struck by several of those wind spikes. And once they entered his body, the spikes did not proceed to go through, but rather dissolved into strings and wrapped around his innards, keeping him in place.


    If You Lixing tried to move or use his ability in this state, he would only cause damage to himself. If he disappeared into the folds of space, he would take along this compressed wind with him, pulling it forcibly out of Qinghe¡¯s control. But once the wind was out of Qinghe¡¯s control, it would lose its compression, inevitably making it explode outward and causing considerable damage inside him.


    Realizing this, You Lixing was frozen in place, afraid to even breathe, tremble, or wince at the pain of his body having been pierced.


    In this position, he couldn¡¯t use his ability to make Qinghe disappear either, since it would still cut his control over the wind and make it decompress explosively.


    Forcibly pushing down his unwillingness and helplessness, You Lixing did the only thing he could do.


    ¡°I admit defeat!¡± he cried out, trying to keep his voice even and calm.


    Hearing this, the supervising Elder immediately announced, ¡°Result for Pillar Four, Feng Qinghe versus You Lixing, Feng Qinghe wins!¡±


    Not having been able to see exactly what had happened, many of the viewers were still shocked. It had barely even been a couple of minutes, and yet Feng Qinghe had won so quickly. And without even using his spiritual artifact at that! Was the discrepancy between these two disciples¡¯ strengths really so large?


    Now that the battle was over, Qinghe commanded his wind to carefully put You Lixing down and made it withdraw from his body.


    Sighing in relief at finally getting out of such a nerve-wracking situation, You Lixing regained his composure once again. Though he had lost now, he was confident that he could win against most of the others and regain his standing.


    After quickly taking several healing and blood replenishing pills, he bowed towards Qinghe and spoke in a subdued tone, ¡°As expected, Martial Brother Feng is truly indomitable. I should have known that I had no chance of beating you.¡±


    With a light jump from where he had been standing midair, Qinghe also got down back on the platform and quickly bowed in return, ¡°No, it was Martial Brother You who graciously let me win this time. I sincerely look forward to our next match.¡±


    Straightening, You Lixing shot Qinghe a wry smile. ¡°Very well, then I shall train hard to not disappoint you next time.¡±


    With that, he jumped down the pillar to look for his next opponent.


    Left alone on the platform, Qinghe tucked his hands into his sleeves and smiled his usual pleasant smile, serenely waiting for the next challenger to come and entertain him.


    In this way, the third stage smoothly proceeded.


    As Qinghe took part in more and more matches, winning them all in unexpected and spectacular ways, the audience hanging around his platform also thickened, unblinkingly staring at his every move while he fought so that they wouldn¡¯t miss a detail.


    And of course, there were a few familiar faces among the audience as well.


    The twins were watching Qinghe while hovering in the air using their crackling blue wings, Fei Jin¡¯s made of lightning sparks and Fei Yin¡¯s formed of crystalline ice. Floating beside them and seated on a giant paper lotus were Liu Xue, Wu Xiao, Jing Shui, Chen Xiande, and a few junior disciples from a mix of several sects.


    ¡°He certainly looks like he¡¯s enjoying himself,¡± Wu Xiao commented dryly as he saw the hidden glee on Qinghe¡¯s face while he cleverly manipulated his current opponent into a corner. ¡°It seems that Xiao Feng really is a battle maniac, although a somewhat subdued one.¡±


    With a frown, Chen Xiande couldn¡¯t help but add, ¡°I¡¯d hardly say he¡¯s subdued about it. He just restrains himself too much.¡±


    Letting out a carefree laugh, Liu Xue remarked, ¡°If he has violent tendencies like that, then isn¡¯t it better if he kept them restrained? Just imagine how chaotic it would be if someone as cunning as Xiao He went around butchering everyone just for fun. I reckon even the Sentinels would have their hands full with catching this sneaky fellow if he ever ended up breaking the law.¡±


    ¡°Master, Feng Qinghe is too much of a good person to do that!¡± Jing Shui burst out in his friend¡¯s fervent defense.


    A host of sympathetic gazes landed on Jing Shui.


    With a sigh, Wu Xiao spoke, ¡°My Ah-Shui is still so pure even after all the impure things I do to him every night.¡±


    Hearing this, Jing Shui¡¯s face turned red as he began stuttering incoherently.


    Shaking her head, Liu Xue also said, ¡°My dear innocent disciple, when will you see your friend¡¯s true colors? This is all my junior brother¡¯s fault for raising you up to be such a na?ve young man. Tsk, tsk.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re throwing all the blame on me now? Elder Sister, are you saying you did not contribute to raising Ah-Shui at all?!¡± Wu Xiao shot back.


    ¡°Of course I didn¡¯t! He always kept running back to your sect the second he completed whatever tasks I gave him. So where would I have the time to get to raise him?!¡±


    ¡°Elder Sister, you¡¯re so shameless! You¡¯re actually admitting that you couldn¡¯t even manage to raise your own head disciple!¡±


    ¡°Xiao Xiao, you impudent brat! Isn¡¯t it your fault for bewitching my darling little disciple from the start?! How dare you blame me!¡±


    ¡°And did you forget just who it was who requested me to take care of him in the first place?¡±


    ¡°I only did that out of care and concern for my beloved disciple and not out of laziness like you seem to be implyi¨D¡±


    ¡°Shh!¡± the twins angrily shushed the pair of bickering martial siblings and admonished, ¡°You¡¯ll end up distracting Senior Brother at this rate!¡±


    And so, under the youngsters¡¯ twin glares full of reproach, the pair of well-known sect masters of two of the most prominent sects obediently shut up.


    Seeing this, Chen Xiande and a still flushed Jing Shui exchanged glances, looking at the identical expression of suppressed mirth on each other¡¯s faces, then wordlessly turned away to observe Qinghe¡¯s match to avoid the urge to burst out laughing at all the ridiculousness.


    Recognizing the look on his beloved¡¯s face, Wu Xiao narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to say something, but then his irises suddenly flashed an eerie silver as he snapped his head up towards the sky as if sensing something.


    Without wasting a second, Wu Xiao stood up to his full height as numerous silvery threads shot out of him in all directions. The tendrils of spiritual power sped towards the edges of the Battle Arena and curled to form complex sigils and characters that aimed to reinforce the arena¡¯s barrier.


    Noticing Wu Xiao¡¯s sudden actions, most of the audience, the invigilating Elders, and even the disciples in the midst of battle turned to look at him with confused or blank expressions.


    But as if realizing something, his fellow sect masters all immediately stood up with grave expressions, following Wu Xiao¡¯s gaze and looking at the sky with caution.


    After all, they knew the nature of Wu Xiao¡¯s ability well.


    Though he was unable to see into the different times and spaces that often, unlike the vague visions of the other seers of Silver Mist, Wu Xiao¡¯s precognition was able to give him accurate details about things that would happen in the very near future. It might happen a few seconds or a few minutes later, but it definitely would happen soon.


    And Wu Xiao¡¯s abrupt action of reinforcing the Battle Arena¡¯s barrier right now clearly indicated that danger was fast approaching, and so the sect masters increased their vigilance, waiting for whatever was about to happen.


    They didn¡¯t have to wait long.


    A loud bang resounded as a massive force of raw spiritual might struck at the Battle Arena. Shockwaves vibrated the air as the loud sound blasted through the entire area, disrupting space itself.


    The ancient arena¡¯s defensive barrier flared to life and obstructed the offensive power, flashing brightly as if in indignant rage, but the attacking energy only pressed harder, its resources seemingly unending and inexhaustible.


    The barrier strained and pressed on, but eventually started flickering under the continuing assault. Then unable to keep on bearing the incredible pressure, bright cracks began to form on its surface.


    This was when the silver sigils at the base of the barrier that Wu Xiao had just created activated with a flash, finally having gathered enough energy. Intricate symbols climbed up the sides of the failing barrier like curling vines and reinforced the cracking walls, revitalizing it in the nick of time.


    But surprisingly, as if sensing this, the attacking force only grew in power, pressing down with an even more intense weight, its momentum increasing several-fold.


    The newly reinforced barrier once again began to fracture, then shattered with a resounding snap. The shards of the broken barrier exploded outwards, making some of the younger disciples scream while clutching their heads as their ears bled.


    Due to the rebound of his spell being broken, Wu Xiao coughed out a mouthful of blood and swayed unsteadily, his face holding an expression of disbelief.


    ¡°Xiao Xiao, are you alright?!¡± Liu Xue asked anxiously as she supported her junior brother, but received no response.


    ¡°Wu Xiao! What¡¯s wrong? How much damage did the rebound cause you?¡± Jing Shui shouted, his face creased with worry.


    But shaking his head as if to clear it, Wu Xiao frowned up at the sky with a scowl. ¡°A deity?¡±


    Even though his voice wasn¡¯t loud, all the sect masters, along with several of the Elders and senior disciples, heard his incredulous utterance. Icy chills crawled up their spines as the meaning behind his words sunk in¨D


    They were currently being attacked by a deity.


    crimson_carnation

 Chapter 106: Sudden Besiegement

    ¡°Xiao Xiao, what do you mean by that? Are you saying that the one who broke the arena¡¯s barrier was a deity?¡± Liu Xue asked disbelievingly.


    After all, till now, the only deity in their world was thought to be the Sentinel Grandmaster, so suddenly coming across another one, and one who seemed to have hostile intent on top of that, was quite shocking.


    Wu Xiao nodded in response to his senior sister¡¯s question. ¡°Yes, that is exactly what I meant. The ancient barrier, layered on top with my reinforcement, should have been able to withstand even the pressure of a demigod. For it to break, it can only mean that a deity was behind this.¡±


    Just as Liu Xue was about to ask more, Jing Shui¡¯s voice cut in. ¡°Master, Wu Xiao, look at the cliff sides!¡±


    The two sect masters immediately redirected their attentions towards the sharp cliffs surrounding the arena. The others had also noticed that something strange was happening and turned to look.


    From between the cliffs, several blank-faced people slowly shambled forward, their eyes unseeing yet their gait remaining steady. Some of their robes seemed old to the point of being tattered and rotten, and yet a few others¡¯ seemed new to the point of looking crisp and starched, but all of their bodies were clean and whole, making them seem alive except for the waxy tint to their skin.


    Gathered near the center of their foreheads were fingernail sized uneven splotches of grey, the clear mark of a ghoul that was raised from the dead flesh of a human. A thin film of translucent green seemed to cover their dull eyes, a sign of them currently being under the control of a practitioner of demonic arts.


    Like ants, an unceasing stream of the ghouls began slowly and steadily pouring into the Battle Arena.


    After a moment of shock, alarmed shouts immediately rang out.


    ¡°Are those¡­people?! Why do they seem so strange?¡±


    ¡°T-They¡¯re not alive!¡±


    ¡°Ghouls! These are ghouls!¡±


    ¡°So many¡­ Where did they all even come from?¡±


    ¡°These ghouls, there¡¯s something wrong with them! They¡¯re emitting too much demonic energy!¡±


    ¡°There must be a strong demonic practitioner nearby!¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­ It¡¯s a demonic deity?!¡±


    Standing on the platform with his opponent, Qinghe frowned.


    Such a large number of these creatures couldn¡¯t have just appeared out of thin air, so there must have been some signs beforehand. For example, signs of missing bodies.


    Qinghe recalled that back when he¡¯d first entered the Sentinel headquarters, one of Wei Xing¡¯s lieutenants, Zhou Lang, had clearly said something about a large number of bodies disappearing from their graves. Then, just recently, Chen Xiande had told him as well about how Hei NingYu was also investigating this matter with the Sentinels.


    It only took Qinghe moments to put together these pieces. The simple conclusion would be that someone had purposefully stolen all those bodies to create these ghouls.


    But for what purpose?


    Shaking his head to clear all speculations, Qinghe decided to focus on the present situation.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop here. We should go and join our sects,¡± Qinghe advised the other person on the platform who he¡¯d just discontinued fighting with.


    With a nod, his opponent descended the pillar and quickly disappeared.


    Just as Qinghe was about to do the same, a strong wave of spiritual force suddenly pressed down on the arena, forcing most of the disciples and even some of the Elders to their knees. Power converged over in the skies, from the same direction as the previous attack that had broken the barrier.


    And then, all the gathered power condensed into a thin crescent, and like the decisive fall of an executioner¡¯s blade, shot down at a particular point in the arena in the form of a giant black arc.


    With horror, Qinghe realized that it was heading towards the place designated to the Heavenly Peak Sect. Several small groups of his sect¡¯s disciples had congregated there to take a break, along with a few Elders and the sect master.


    Just as the huge black arc of energy was about to hit the group of horror-struck disciples, Zhen YiLan leapt up and landed in front of them with a grim expression as immense power shot out of him.


    A giant chimerical lion made of fire immediately came into being, turning its massive head towards the sky defiantly as it roared in fury. Its mane bristled with waving licks of golden fire, its molten eyes sparking with dauntless rage. The hooves of a bison tipped its feet instead of paws and feathered wings extended from its back. Nine shining white horns crowned its head and glowed brightly.


    The arc of black energy hit the lion head-on and caused its form to waver as the two powers battled for dominance.


    The size of the clashing energies visibly grew smaller as they expended their strength in trying to triumph over the other. But the one who had sent the black arc was after all a deity, and it soon became apparent that the fiery lion could not hold on much longer.


    And yet, the faces of all those who looked at the sect master of Heavenly Peak Sect were tinged with open wonder and awe.


    The fact that Zhen YiLan, despite being at tenth realm, could stand against a deity¡¯s direct offensive for this long already spoke much about his strength. After all, the person considered to be the head of the entire righteous faction would have to be stronger than all the other sect masters to stand above them.


    After withstanding the might of the deity for so long, the light of the giant golden lion finally dimmed before its huge body burst into sparks. Since his elemental construct was broken apart so forcefully, Zhen YiLan ended up suffering severe internal injuries due to backlash.


    Having its obstruction disappear, the greatly weakened arc of power pushed forward and continued shooting in the direction of the Heavenly Peak Sect¡¯s designated area that had, by now, fortunately been cleared of all people thanks to Zhen YiLan buying time.


    The arc hit the bare ground and sent up a shower of rocks and dirt, but failed to injure anyone, causing everyone to let out a sigh of relief.


    Heaving out a heavy breath, Zhen YiLan was about to collapse when a pair of steady hands held him up.


    ¡°Master, are you alright?!¡± Chen Xiande called out in worry.


    As soon as he¡¯d seen where the deity¡¯s attack was headed, Chen Xiande had already set off in that direction as quickly as he could while carried in between the flying twins.


    Spitting out a torrent of blood to the side to avoid staining his white beard, Zhen YiLan nodded. ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯m fine. Xian-er, stay and help me protect the other disciples in case we are targeted again. Jin-er, Yin-er, you both go and see if you can help your second martial brother with something.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Fei Jin and Fei Yin replied and immediately sped off to search for Qinghe.


    Meanwhile, Chen Xiande had been searching frantically in his storage space and finally took out several high-level healing pills and held them out towards Zhen YiLan. ¡°Master, please take these. Your body has suffered a lot of damage, you should heal it quickly.¡±


    Zhen YiLan looked up at his head disciple with an inscrutable gaze.


    Just a few months ago, he had still been looking down on him thinking that this disciple of his was a disappointment. But after having seen him working so hard and reaching his current level so soon with his junior brother¡¯s help, Zhen YiLan had finally begun to doubt his own assessment.


    If he or the other Elders had helped Chen Xiande advance sooner, then how much greater would his level have been by now?


    These past few months, Zhen YiLan had started to pay more attention to his head disciple, and seeing this earnestly cultivating child rise up like this, seeing his tentative care and gentleness revealed between guarded words and sharp looks, Zhen YiLan couldn¡¯t help but think that his reticence and apparent unfriendly character was his fault. He should have spent some time with his other disciples as well rather than just leaving everything to his second disciple to manage. He should have personally taught his first disciple right from wrong rather than blaming him for being his father¡¯s son.


    If he had stayed by his side and taken proper care of him, would this child have turned out much happier and openly kind? Would he have not started hiding himself under barbed words and a perpetually sullen expression? Would he have taken better care of his junior brother rather than resorting to bullying due to his jealousy and loneliness?


    ¡°Master? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Chen Xiande asked the dazed old man. ¡°Please take the medicine soon or you¡¯ll risk worsening your injuries when you move.¡±


    Looking at the concern in his eldest disciple¡¯s face along with the confident set of his shoulders and his straight and unbending back, Zhen YiLan finally realized that the child he had once neglected had grown on his own into a dependable young man with a steady heart.


    Since that was the case¡­


    After carefully receiving the pills held out by his disciple, Zhen YiLan quickly swallowed them down and looked at Chen Xiande solemnly.


    ¡°Xian-er, in the future, Master will leave the sect to you. You must work hard to prepare yourself for taking that responsibility. Do you think you can do it?¡±


    Chen Xiande stared at his master with blank shock, then stuttered, ¡°M-Master, y-you really¡­ Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes, your Master is sure. I might not have contributed anything to your growth, and I might have even hindered you, but you became such a fine man on your own. Your master will feel reassured if I can leave the sect to you.¡±


    Saying so, Zhen YiLan lifted a hand to pat his disciple on his head affectionately. What care he hadn¡¯t given him before, he would give him from now on. He just hoped that it wasn¡¯t too late and that his disciple hadn¡¯t already grown to hate him.


    ¡°So, Xian-er, will you accept the position of being my successor?¡± Zhen YiLan asked with both hope and trepidation.


    Slowly coming out of the shock, Chen Xiande finally nodded his head frantically and exclaimed, ¡°Yes, Master! It would be my honor!¡±


    Seeing such an enthusiastic response, Zhen YiLan couldn¡¯t help but smile warmly.


    And seeing such a smile directed towards him, Chen Xiande felt as if he was dreaming.


    Just how many years, how many centuries, had he yearned for his master to show him the tiniest bit of affection? And now that it was happening, Chen Xiande could hardly believe it.


    ¡°In the future, your Master will teach you about the sect¡¯s affairs. Are you willing to learn from me?¡±


    Chen Xiande once again nodded fervently. ¡°Yes!¡±


    Zhen YiLan felt his heart easing. It seemed that his eldest disciple really didn¡¯t mind giving him a second chance to atone for his prior ignorant negligence. This time, he would make sure to do it right.


    Setting aside these thoughts for now, Zhen YiLan nodded and said, ¡°Good, now let us go and ascertain everyone¡¯s safety before we think of what steps to take next.¡±


    And so, the master and disciple pair set off towards where the rest of the sect had moved.


    In the meantime, in the sky over the arena, the grey clouds seemed to darken and grow thicker. Suddenly, a circular wave of diffused power spread from above, barely discernible when compared to the previous violent bursts as it washed over the Battle Arena.


    Seeming to have been spurred on by this as if receiving a signal, the lumbering ghouls in the cliffs abruptly sped forward and crossed the boundary of the Battle Arena. Like a violent wave crashing against the shore and churning up the sand, the horde of ghouls broke into the ranks of the cultivators and caused chaos.


    Though they had seemed inert before, right now, they were actively chasing disciples with their hands extended. Predictably, the disciples fled in terror, nimbly and easily evading the somewhat clumsy ghouls as they tried to find a reliable and powerful senior cultivator to crowd around.


    Meanwhile, Qinghe had already gotten down from the platform and was rushing towards where he sensed his master to be.


    Plucking a couple of swords from where they had been embedded into a pillar as if thrown, Qinghe coated them with spiritual force and swung them in wide yet precise arcs to slice off the heads or hack in half any ghouls that he came across. Since they were already dead and insentient, he had no qualms in ruthlessly cutting them down.


    The blades in his hand danced through the air, slicing through flesh and bone with swift exactness and efficient motions. The thick smell of old blood and the sour stench of ruptured intestines permeated the air around him as he hacked through the bodies of the ghouls, and yet his white robes stayed pristine, not a single drop of red having managed to stain it.


    All around Qinghe, the hectic whirlwind of battle raged as the disciples either fled away from or charged towards the ghouls.


    In this vast area of land spread out under the grey skies, rotten blood misted the air as torn off limbs with waxy skin flew around. People both dead and alive churned with uncontrolled frenzy, painting a picture of chaos and violence as far as one could see.


    Surprisingly, even though they took the initiative in chasing after the cultivators, the ghouls didn¡¯t offer much resistance at all even when attacked. However, since they currently outnumbered the cultivators a hundred to one due to their unceasing flow into the Battle Arena, their presence certainly served to be an unpleasant hindrance. But though the waves of demonic energy they emitted might make the junior disciples slightly sick, they didn¡¯t seem to be able to do anything else.


    As Qinghe swept through the hordes of ghouls while cutting a bloody swath, he kept collecting the weaker juniors and asked them to stick close behind him. Putting up a wind barrier around the people under his protection, he used both physical and spiritual attacks to dispatch the approaching ghouls.


    Many of the other senior disciples and Elders had begun to do the same. Some of them had even started setting up traps and formations to gather and annihilate the ghouls in large numbers. Yet the tide of incoming ghouls was endless. It seemed that unless they were cut off at the source, they would be unceasing.


    As his mind churned with thoughts while his body worked to cut down every ghoul in his path, Qinghe suddenly heard a piercing scream from a bit ahead.


    Increasing his speed and pushing through a dense swarm of ghouls, Qinghe saw a junior disciple from his sect struggling on the ground as a ghoul held his arm in place with its hands, its jaws unhinging and descending hungrily over the terrified young man.


    Vicious teeth chomped onto his forearm with a wet crunch as the junior disciple let out a shrill shriek in pain and horror.


    Gritting his teeth at the distance between them, Qinghe was nonetheless about to rush ahead when two quick blades flashed bright blue and sliced cleanly through the ghouls near the young disciple, reducing them to pieces.


    As the ghouls fell, two figures were revealed.


    The twins had arrived.


    Qinghe finally made it beside the young disciple even as he asked the twins, ¡°How are Master and Senior Brother?¡±


    Fei Jin quickly spoke to ease his worry, ¡°The both of them are fine. Eldest Martial Brother is taking care of Master now, so don¡¯t worry, Senior Brother!¡±


    At the side, Fei Yin also nodded reassuringly.


    Letting out a breath in relief, Qinghe said, ¡°Then that¡¯s good.¡±


    Redirecting his attention to the young disciple, Qinghe widened his eyes in recognition. This was the same junior who had the ability to wield the mist element and had asked for Qinghe''s help with using his cultivation just the day before during training.


    The wound on his arm where the ghoul had bitten him had turned a glistening black as if oozing tar. Black veins slowly crawled up from the wound as if indicating the spread of infection.


    Using his spirit sense to probe along the black veins, Qinghe quickly understood the situation. It seemed that the ghouls¡¯ bite could infect the spiritual pathways of a cultivator with demonic energy and cause it to spread through the victim¡¯s body. Even in the best case, this could lead to a loss of cultivation due to a corrupted core, but in the worst case, it could cause a torturous and agonizing death.


    Having such a painful wound on his arm, the junior was sobbing and trembling. Looking up at that familiar face of the kind senior he admired so much and who had so patiently guided him just yesterday, the junior disciple managed to gain some measure of composure as he called out, ¡°S-Senior B-Brother Feng? I-It hurts¡­can you p-please h-help¡­me?¡±


    The corners of Qinghe¡¯s eyes were pinched in distress. Since he didn¡¯t know enough about this sort of infection to administer appropriate medicine, he simply retrieved a handful of different types of cleansing and healing pills, feeding them all to the young disciple. But though this slowed the climb of those black veins, it still didn¡¯t halt it.


    Pressing his lips together, Qinghe finally had to come to a difficult conclusion.


    ¡°Jin-er, Yin-er, hold down his arm,¡± he commanded softly.


    ¡°Yes, Senior Brother.¡±


    Without hesitation or questions, the twins did as they were told, already guessing what was about to happen.


    The young disciple looked up with a confused and dazed expression. ¡°Senior Brother Feng, w-what are you¡­?¡±


    Qinghe braced himself and lightly patted the young man¡¯s head to offer comfort. In a gentle voice, he advised, ¡°It will be okay. Just bear with the pain for a bit.¡±


    And before the junior could understand what he meant, Qinghe retrieved a clean blade from his storage space and sliced down, cutting swiftly through the skin and sinew, flesh and bone, decisively hacking off the disciple¡¯s infected arm just below the shoulder.


    Blood sprayed out in spurts and dyed the edge of Qinghe¡¯s sleeve with a shocking scarlet. The junior disciple immediately screamed, his body arching and thrashing.


    Using his lightning ability, Fei Jin turned the severed and infected arm to ash while Fei Yin used his ice ability to freeze the stump over the junior¡¯s shoulder to decrease blood loss and desensitize the injury.


    The brutal agony abating somewhat, the disciple slumped down and began to weep, his chest and stomach heaving in heart-wrenching sobs.


    Qinghe quickly took out several more pills to heal the wound, speed regeneration, and to numb the pain completely. And even though his fingers were stained with the disciple¡¯s own blood when he held the pills to his lips, the junior disciple still trustingly opened his mouth even as he continued to cry at the agony.


    As he finished swallowing all the pills, the bleeding and pain slowly stopped and his pale white cheeks began flushing with restored blood. Finally able to think in the absence of pain, the disciple looked with wide eyes at the small stump extending from his shoulder.


    ¡°M-My arm¡­ Senior Brother, m-my arm! I-It¡¯s g-gone¡­¡±


    Carefully lifting up the junior disciple, Qinghe spoke in a soothing and calm voice, ¡°You are a cultivator. You can re-grow it later, so don¡¯t panic now, alright?¡±


    ¡°¡­O-Okay¡­¡± came the trembling reply.


    And then, with blank eyes, the young man clutched tightly at Qinghe with his remaining arm and pressed closer. Though Qinghe stiffened instinctively, he didn¡¯t push him away. Soon, the junior disciple drifted away into restless sleep due to shock and exhaustion, his eyes twitching under his closed eyelids.


    Walking back to where he had left the disciples he¡¯d been protecting, Qinghe was relieved to see that his wind barrier was still holding up and that no one seemed to have stepped outside its confines.


    As the disciples in the barrier looked with alarm at the one-armed disciple in his arms and the blood staining the edge of his sleeve, Qinghe smiled as pleasantly as usual and reassured. ¡°There was a matter that needed handling. It¡¯s alright now. I¡¯m sensing that someone has set up a large defensive barrier formation a bit further ahead, so we will now be heading there.¡±


    The disciples all nodded with relief.


    And so, the group set off, with Qinghe holding the junior disciple close with his hands as he used his sharp wind blades to swipe the way clear, while Fei Jin and Fei Yin used their spiritual artifacts to get rid of the ghouls at the sides and rear while rescuing anyone who needed help and adding them into the group of disciples in the wind barrier.


    Fei Jin¡¯s spiritual weapon was a straight dagger with a long and thin blade while Fei Yin¡¯s was almost exactly the same as his twin¡¯s, except for the blade being curved.


    With their expressions lacking any hesitation or mercy, the twins cut through every ghoul approaching their vicinity with swift and vicious moves.


    In this way, the group pressed forward and soon came across a giant bluish silver barrier that butted up against a cliff face.


    This was the large scale defensive formation that Wu Xiao, despite his injuries, had taken the time to carefully set up to shield the weaker junior disciples and the wounded cultivators. This formation was currently supported from the inside by four of the Silver Moon Sect¡¯s disciples who specialized in barriers as they stood positioned in the four cardinal directions.


    Within the barrier, there were several people from the Lightning Sky Sect¡ªincluding disciples, Elders, and even the sect master himself¡ªall busy with treating and administering medicine to the injured.


    Approaching the nearest Silver Moon Sect disciple who was holding up the barrier from within, Qinghe courteously bowed while carrying the one-armed junior securely within his arms.


    ¡°I am Feng Qinghe from Heavenly Peak Sect, here with a few injured and noncombatant disciples for treatment and shelter.¡±


    Giving a short nod, the silver-haired disciple created an opening in the barrier so that Qinghe could enter with his group.


    After everyone made it inside and the opening in the barrier drew close again, Qinghe dissolved his wind barrier and the disciples he had been protecting dispersed after thanking him profusely for his help.


    Qinghe and the twins then quickly strode towards where several rows of soft pallets with injured people were placed, guessing it to be where the medical personnel of the Lightning Sky Sect was treating the wounded.


    As Qinghe looked around for one of the disciples, a familiar voice called out to him with surprise, ¡°Brother Feng, is that an injured person in your arms?¡±


    Turning in the direction of the voice, Qinghe bowed and greeted, ¡°I am glad to see that you are well, Sister Lei. Yes, this is a disciple from my sect who had the misfortune of getting infected by a ghoul. I had to remove his arm to stop the spread of infection. May I trouble Sister Lei to watch over him and treat his wound?¡±


    With concern pulling down her brows, Lei Zihua accepted the junior disciple and placed him onto a nearby empty pallet. A group of younger disciples from the Lightning Sky Sect immediately converged around him, one taking his pulse, another opening a box containing an arrangement of silver needles, and yet another sending out their spirit sense to diagnose any problems.


    Seeing that her juniors were attending to the one-armed disciple well, Lei Zihua turned her attention to Qinghe, ¡°Brother Feng, what do you mean by him being infected by a ghoul? How is that possible?¡±


    Realizing that Lei Zihua didn¡¯t seem to know about it yet, Qinghe sighed in relief, since it meant that such cases were not yet common.


    But before he could begin explaining, Qinghe was interrupted.


    ¡°Yes, I also wish to know,¡± another voice chimed from the side. ¡°If there is such a risk, then I would like to take precautions in advance.¡±


    Qinghe and Lei Zihua turned to see that the speaker was a serious-faced An YaLing approaching them with several of his junior disciples from the Drifting Clouds Sect following behind.


    After nodding to him in greeting, Qinghe began, ¡°Very well then, let me recount what happened¡­¡±


    In a solemn tone, Qinghe thus began explaining everything he saw and the discovery he made while trying to treat his sect¡¯s junior disciple.


    The two head disciples silently listened to him, their expressions turning graver with every word. If people weren¡¯t made aware of this soon, then they would have a lot more righteous cultivators getting infected and either losing their cultivation or dying in suffering.


    From An YaLing¡¯s side, his junior brother Li Yingzi, clad in a dark blue robe with a pearly white flute dangling from his waist, spoke up, ¡°Senior Brother, it would be better if we can ask one of the others in our sect who practice voice enhancement to broadcast this message. It would be troublesome if people got infected due to ignorance.¡±


    Hearing this sensible suggestion, An YaLing nodded at his junior brother and praised with an elegant smile, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s a great idea. We should spread this information to as many people as possible.¡±


    And so, a young man from the Drifting Clouds Sect was tasked with broadcasting this message, his clear voice soon ringing throughout the Battle Arena.


    ¡°All cultivators, please pay attention. Take heed to not get bitten by the ghouls. It has been revealed that their bites inject demonic energy into spiritual pathways and cause the spread of infection around the wound. This may lead to a loss of cultivation or even death if not treated in time. However, if you do happen to get afflicted with a bite wound, please make haste to the defensive encampment situated by the northeastern cliffs for medical treatment. I repeat: All cultivators, please pay attention¡­¡±


    This message was thus repeated several times to make sure that the information was etched firmly into the minds of all the fighting cultivators.


    Meanwhile, Qinghe and the twins exited the defensive barrier and began cutting down the ghouls again as they steadily made their way to where Qinghe sensed the rest of his sect was gathered.


    But just as they made it halfway through, they felt a sudden rush of power wash over them. Every cultivator who could afford to shift their attention turned their heads in the same direction.


    From the clouds in the darkening sky, a black streak suddenly descended like a smear of ink, quick to the point of being nothing but a blur. It landed on a ledge on one of the cliff faces, high enough that most cultivators could make out its details with their sharp vision.


    It was a gigantic black dragon and a person clad in stark black.


    Against the dark grey rock face, the large dragon looked like a long and lusterless black shadow, its form coiled protectively around the black-clad man, hiding most of his features.


    Though the sight of an actual dragon shocked quite a few cultivators, what they felt at seeing this rare being was not awe, but dread and fright. The scarred dragon with its dull scales and keen eyes looked more menacing than majestic, causing many a people¡¯s hearts to palpitate with fear.


    Cradled within the coils of the black dragon, the demonic deity waved a hand, and as if taking the place of the ancient broken barrier, a thicker layer of demonic energy quickly formed a bubble over the entire Battle Arena to trap everyone inside.


    Suddenly, the heavy and power-saturated voice of the demonic deity issued out, rolling throughout the Battle Arena as he called, ¡°Which one of you is called Feng Qinghe? Come on out! I¡¯ve been asked by a mutual acquaintance to take care of you.¡±

 Chapter 107: Retaliatory Tactics

    Hearing the deity call out for him, Qinghe began walking towards the cliffs without a change in his expression.


    But before he could take more than a few steps, the twins leapt forward and clutched each of his arms. ¡°Senior Brother, don¡¯t! That person obviously doesn¡¯t bear any goodwill towards you!¡±


    Hearing the barely-hidden anxiousness in those words, Qinghe sighed. ¡°I know, but even if he¡¯s a deity, I¡¯m still confident that I won¡¯t be completely powerless against him. Jin-er, Yin-er, go to where Master and Senior Brother are and help them protect the others. I can take care of myself.¡±


    The twins wordlessly shook their heads, their fingers only holding on to him more tightly.


    Qinghe sighed once again, then firming his expression, he commanded, ¡°Fei Jin, Fei Yin, let go of me at once!¡±


    The twins immediately released their hold on him with miserable expressions.


    Softening his tone and patting his junior brothers¡¯ bowed heads, he spoke, ¡°I won¡¯t take any unnecessary chances with my life, do you believe me?¡±


    Fei Jin and Fei Yin sullenly nodded.


    ¡°Then go and help the others.¡±


    The twins hesitated, but still obeyed their senior brother¡¯s instruction and left, their hearts heavy with worry.


    Qinghe let out a breath, then calmly continued forward.


    From his position on the ledge, the deity could see a white-clad figure steadily making his way towards him and guessed that he was the one called Feng Qinghe.


    Just as his lips began to curl up at the corners, the deity sensed a strong gaze with killing intent directed towards him. Flicking a finger, he deflected a bright white crescent of energy that had been heading towards his location, only for more crescents to shoot in his direction.


    ¡°How annoying. Lord Zheng, would you mind engaging them for me?¡± the deity asked his dragon companion.


    With obvious unwillingness, the dragon shifted restlessly.


    As if understanding its misgivings, the deity reassured in a soothing voice, ¡°I will be fine. There aren¡¯t any cultivators even at the demigod stage here, much less a deity. I can handle all these people combined quite easily.¡±


    Reluctantly convinced, the dragon uncoiled itself from around its beloved and shot down towards the cultivator who had been sending out attack after attack all this time.


    Seeing the giant black dragon gliding down towards her on its massive leathery wings, Liu Xue only grinned sharply. ¡°You bastards, how dare you make my Xiao Xiao get hurt! And now you¡¯re even targeting Xiao He! Come and let me give you a proper beating!¡±


    The dragon shot an annoyed look at the fierce little cultivator, who immediately clutched her spiritual weapon tight and charged forward to attack.


    Liu Xue¡¯s weapon was shaped like a large, semi-circular saw, with a thin arc-shaped blade stretched between the tips of a straight handle. One side of this flat blade was serrated with sharp teeth, while the handle of the weapon was a smooth gold, its ends extending into thumb-sized spikes.


    As Liu Xue focused her spiritual force on the serrated outer curve of the blade, its edge began to glow a bright white. With a wave of her hand, she sent several luminous arcs shooting towards the dragon, whose dull scales seemed to deflect all attacks.


    The scales of a dragon also doubled as its armor and were not that easy to breach. It would take a lot of concentrated power to make even a single scale crack.


    And yet, Liu Xue pressed on unrelentingly.


    Sighing helplessly at their sect master¡¯s recklessness, Jing Shui and several other senior disciples from the Golden Sun Sect also joined Liu Xue in her offensive against the dragon, causing a chain of explosions to soon sound out with thundering booms.


    In the meantime, Lu Feiyu led a few senior disciples from the Drifting Clouds Sect and reached the edge of the new barrier of demonic energy that the deity had cast. Though it would be nigh impossible to break it, it should be feasible to at least make a small hole through its surface.


    ¡°Those of the offensive arts, surround and defend us from the ghouls. Those of the musical arts, get your instruments ready,¡± Lu Feiyu commanded.


    The disciples who could use their abilities to attack and defend directly formed a circle to shield the others from the rampant ghouls.


    On the other hand, after taking out their various musical instruments, the disciples who cultivated with music awaited their sect master¡¯s instructions with intent expressions.


    With a warm smile and a graceful posture, Lu Feiyu spoke to them, ¡°Please prepare to play the eighth section of the score to the ¡®Echo of Stars¡¯ in the destruction phase, and don¡¯t forget to synchronize with each other to attain convergence at the same point on the barrier.¡±


    A chorus of ¡°Yes, Sect Master¡±s sounded in reply.


    Nodding, Lu Feiyu instructed, ¡°Good, then please begin.¡±


    Standing or sitting with poise, the disciples closed their eyes and gently ran their fingers over their instruments, suffusing them from the inside out with their spiritual energy.


    And then, as one, melodies slowly drifted out as the disciples began playing their instruments.


    The delicate strings of silvery notes floated up hesitantly before slowly entwining with one another. The scattered melody gradually came together and began to resonate in synchronicity, mixing with and empowering one another as they combined to form a powerful tune that progressively gained momentum and rushed forward like an unstoppable wave.


    The air grew dense and distorted as the musical notes charged with spiritual power made the space around them tremble. The vibrations of the various melodies danced together like twisting tornadoes and began to converge on a small point on the deity¡¯s barrier.


    And so, as a result, a small piece of the barrier, smaller than the palm of a hand, slowly crumbled with a shudder under the onslaught of the disciples¡¯ music, forming a brief gap.


    Reaching up to puck a pure white feather from his headdress, Lu Feiyu sent it flying through the small gap with a twitch of his wrist, the feather shooting out a mere fraction of a moment before the barrier completely closed again.


    Lu Feiyu heaved a silent sigh in relief. His message would hopefully reach the Sentinels in time so that the Sentinel Grandmaster could be notified of their situation. Since they were being besieged by a deity, only another deity would stand a chance.


    By this time, the other disciples had long since begun mounting their own offensives to clear out the pesky ghouls.


    Under the instruction of An YaLing, the remaining senior disciples from the Drifting Clouds Sect joined forces to play together in such a way that the power of their melodies amplified each other, pulling the meandering ghouls towards them and causing them to still as if in a trance.


    Meanwhile, An YaLing wielded a long and thin white ribbon, with an evenly-spaced row of small silver bells stitched across the entire length of one of its edges.


    With an elegant swish, An YaLing whipped the ribbon in an arc, making the small bells chime in a single, clear tone that sent gentle ripples through his surroundings. The noise in the vicinity seemed to have abruptly become muted, the vibrating air held in place by some great force as a heavy, crushing pressure seemed to emanate from the slender stretch of ribbon.


    The ghouls that stood entranced by the disciples¡¯ music immediately clutched their heads and groaned. One by one, they collapsed to the ground and lay unmoving as bloody mush began leaking thickly from their ears.


    At a fair distance from this scene, Li Yingzi sat perched at the edge of one of the white pillars where the third stage¡¯s battle had taken place.


    He had separated from his senior brother¡¯s side to cover more ground a while ago, and now sat with the mouthpiece of his bone pearl flute pressed to his lips, his long fingers dancing elegantly over the finger holes of his vertically held instrument.


    The eerie dirge-like melody produced by the flute was weighed with mourning as it slowly wound through the ghouls milling underneath. As with all dead things, the ghouls were also unable to resist the lure of this heartfelt tune played by this strange creature who seemed like a cross between a human and an unearthly being.


    But Li Yingzi¡¯s goal was not to capture the ghouls¡¯ attention.


    As he kept on playing his melody, the atmosphere on top of the pillar gradually turned strangely still and blurry as the world of the living and dead superimposed over each other. A thick miasma of yin energy spread outwards like a blooming flower, pulling in both ghouls and ghosts alike.


    As the sound of his flute continued, indistinct apparitions slowly materialized in the air around him, their translucent forms fluttering despite the lack of wind. They threw back their heads and laughed in joy, their ghostly figures whirling in dance as if to express their excitement.


    His eyes brightening at this scene, Li Yingzi brought down the flute from his lips and smiled. ¡°Did you all enjoy today¡¯s performance?¡±


    The wraithlike ghosts nodded their heads with gusto.


    His smile widening affectionately, Li Yingzi asked, ¡°Then if I make a request, will you please consider fulfilling it?¡±


    Once again, the ghosts immediately nodded, their expression still filled with simple, child-like joy.


    In a soft voice, Li Yingzi spoke, ¡°I would like it if you could take possession of as many of those empty shells running around as you can. Once you succeed in possessing them, I hope you will listen to my instructions and bring them to where I ask so that we can dispose of those shells. They are being controlled by an entity that uses demonic energy, but for those of the other world like you, it wouldn¡¯t pose much of a hindrance, would it?¡±


    The ghosts nodded yet again as their smiles stretched wide on their faces, almost splitting their cheeks into two, the edges of their lips reaching their ears. As their cheeks were pushed up due to their smiles, their hollow eyes that were comparable to deep abyssal pits formed gleeful crescents on their faces.


    This seemed like it would such a fun game! And it had been such a long time since any of them had had any fun! The Netherworld was boring, so playing with and helping this kind little ghostly being was definitely something they wanted to do!


    And so, with their eerie giggles and laughter fading in and out, the unearthly apparitions swooped down and took possession of a ghoul each. Then, according to Li Yingzi¡¯s directions, the ghosts piloted the ghouls so that they could easily be slaughtered by a group of waiting cultivators.


    And then, once they were released from the confines of the dead flesh, the ghosts rose up then plunged down again to take control of more ghouls, repeating this cycle continuously.


    The cultivators standing ready to take care of these ghouls felt goosebumps at the sight of these ghosts whooshing here and there, their disturbing laughter causing chills to creep up their spines. But the cultivators also couldn¡¯t help but admit that this really was a very quick and convenient method to reduce the number of ghouls infesting the arena.


    And so, they continued to swing their weapons to decimate the helpless ghouls being brought to stand under their blades by the helpful ghosts.


    Meanwhile, in another part of the Battle Arena, disciples from the Silver Moon Sect, Golden Sun Sect, and Heavenly Peak Sect cooperated to bait, trap, and destroy large groups of ghouls at once.


    The disciples of the Silver Moon Sect drew huge trap formations on the ground while the disciples from Heavenly Peak Sect waited nearby. In the interim, the swiftest disciples from the Golden Sun Sect gathered great numbers of ghouls and herded them towards the formation. Once the ghouls were trapped inside the boundary of the formation, the disciples from the Heavenly Peak Sect would unleash all forms of offensives and decimate the entire gathering of ghouls at once.


    Using this strategy, large patches of the arena had already been cleared completely of ghouls, leading to more safe areas with defensive barriers to sprout like mushrooms after a downpour.


    Throughout all this, the Elders of the various sects stood guard at the border of the arena at first to make sure that no ghouls spilled outside and made their way to any mortal settlements.


    But after the demonic deity set up his barrier to prevent anything inside the Battle Arena from getting out, the Elders discussed amongst themselves and took a page from Qinghe¡¯s book, letting the disciples hone their skills against the ghouls while watching eagle-eyed from both inside the barrier encampments and outside in the battlefield. The second a disciple got bitten or otherwise seriously hurt, an Elder would rush to take them to the medical facility in the nearest encampment for treatment.


    In this way, the Elders focused completely on minimizing the casualties of this battle while the disciples slowly gained ground against the ghouls.


    Due to these various efforts in retaliating against the flood of ghouls, it was obvious that the tide of this battle was slowly changing, and as long as the deity did not interfere, the cultivators would definitely win.


    But even if all the ghouls were to be wiped out, the deity would still have enough power to take on the entire cultivation world on his own.


    However, since it was impossible for anyone here to stand a chance against him, the only thing that could be done in this situation was for someone to engage the deity and keep him busy while help arrived in the form of the Sentinels and the Grandmaster.


    But seemingly uncaring of everything, the deity continued to indifferently stand on the ledge at the cliff face, waiting silently.


    From where he was standing, he gazed intently at the white-clad figure making its way towards him. His eyes roved over the young man¡¯s face to detect any resemblance to that person he held dear, but there wasn¡¯t much similarity.


    His gaze flicking down to the young disciple¡¯s chest, the deity¡¯s eyes narrowed in thought. If that appearance changing talisman were to be removed, would the young man¡¯s features match that person¡¯s then?


    Meanwhile, Qinghe calmly pressed forward, eliminating as many ghouls as he could on his way towards the deity. By now, he had realized that the deity also seemed to have noticed him, waiting patiently for Qinghe to reach him.


    Suddenly thinking of something, Qinghe took the time to retrieve one of his little messenger fishes and asked it to deliver a message to Jing Shui. After sending the fish off, Qinghe continued on his way, his swords at and chopping down at as many ghouls as he could.


    Another twenty minutes later, Qinghe finally reached the base of the cliff, under the ledge where the deity was standing.


    As he tilted his head up, he could see the deity also looking down, their gazes colliding midair. The deity¡¯s expression at seeing him, however, seemed somewhat complicated.


    Walking to the edge, the deity stepped off the ledge and leapt down, swirls of darkness flaring behind him like a cape of smoke before he landed lightly in front of Qinghe, only a few meters separating them. The smoky tendrils of black then curled around him again, pressed tight against his robes.


    With curious eyes, Qinghe studied the other man carefully.


    The demonic deity had facial features that could be considered only a bit above average, but still exuded a strange magnetic pull due to its exotic charm. His eyes were a dark grey framed with thick lashes, the edges of his eyelids lined with a deep black. His dark red lips were slightly wide, as if they were used to smiling often, but their corners were currently tilted down.


    His long hair was pulled back loosely and tied with a cord of leather, looking neat despite the lack of care put into it. Adorning each of his ears was a single, square-cut gem, its color a clear, gleaming amber that almost appeared to glow. However, the gem on the left ear was cracked straight through, yet the deity seemed unmindful of its damage as he continued to wear it.


    The most remarkable things, nevertheless, were his clothes. Though they had looked to be pitch black from a distance, Qinghe couldn¡¯t help but notice that when the deity had jumped down, they had seemed to be the same dark grey as his irises. Yet, after he landed, the tendrils of darkness had wrapped back around him, turning his robes into the color of the darkest of nights. Even now, faint smoky vapors seemed to extend from the back and shoulders of his outer robe, trailing behind him spookily.


    Slowly blinking his long-lashed eyes, the deity tilted his head and spoke, ¡°Are you the one named Feng Qinghe?¡±


    His voice was quiet and mellow, giving off a pleasant sense of warmth and comfort. There was no overt hostility or guardedness in his expression or tone.


    Though Qinghe maintained his vigilant against this person, he still answered politely, ¡°Yes, that is my name, although I cannot guarantee that I am the only one named as such.¡±


    The deity calmly nodded. ¡°Yes, that is true. Then let me ask you another question to confirm your identity. What are your parents¡¯ names?¡±


    Qinghe frowned warily. ¡°I do not feel comfortable with divulging that information to someone who might mean them harm, so I will have to hold back on answering that question.¡±


    A look of displeasure and fierceness claimed the deity¡¯s face as his eyebrows twitched, yet he did not do anything except to say, ¡°I¡­see. That is understandable.¡±


    Wanting to divert his attention and keep him conversing peacefully for as long as possible, Qinghe quickly spoke, ¡°May I also ask you something? You stated a while ago that you had been asked by a mutual acquaintance to take care of me. I would like to know who you meant and what their request was.¡±


    With a strange smile, the demonic deity replied, ¡°I do not know who that man was. He died too soon for me to ask him much, you see. But he did seem to hold a lot of grudge against you, so my guess would be that¡­he wanted revenge?¡±


    ¡°¡­Can you please be more specific about this person¡¯s identity?¡± Qinghe nudged.


    The deity looked thoughtful. ¡°Hmm¡­ He did seem to wear fancy clothes and appeared to have escaped from pursuers of some sort. He appeared quite terrified of the valley where I was staying before and did not look to be very brave. Does any of this help?¡±


    Qinghe felt that this situation was really too surreal. Here he was having a polite chat with a mysterious demonic deity while behind him, chaos abounded as cultivators fought against the horde of ghouls and a large black dragon. All he and the deity needed were a couple of chairs to sit on and a table with a tea set in between them to complete the ridiculousness of this scene.


    Pushing those thoughts away, Qinghe nodded to the deity. ¡°Yes, I think I do know who you mean.¡±


    From the small amount of information the deity had just provided, Qinghe was able to guess that the person he meant was Jing Rui, who was said to have escaped into the Valley of the Terrified Dead while being chased by the Sentinels.


    But another thing the deity¡¯s words revealed was that he, possibly along with his dragon companion as well, had been hiding in the valley before.


    The deity¡¯s contemplative voice suddenly intruded into Qinghe¡¯s thoughts. ¡°I keep feeling that I recognize the scent of your soul, but sealed as I was in that valley for so long, I couldn¡¯t possibly have met you recently. Did we meet before then? But you don¡¯t seem all that old either. Feng Qinghe, how long ago were you born into this world?¡±


    Qinghe blinked, then honestly replied, ¡°I¡¯m thirty-six, but I entered this world when I was five. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Then, thirty years ago¡­¡± Muttering to himself, the deity squinted his eyes as if remembering something, then barked out a laugh. ¡°So it was you! I remember you! Or rather, I remember the scent of your soul, so pure and cold, like a star made of clear, crystalline ice. It was your fall from Heaven all those years ago that disrupted my seal and awakened me from my slumber, so I suppose I have you to thank for my freedom.¡±


    With his eyes widened in shock, Qinghe looked at the deity.


    He suddenly recalled his conversation with Elder Yue a while ago in the Silver Moon Sect.


    ¡®Your fall thirty years ago set in motion the awakening of something that Heaven wills to sleep. But you aren¡¯t the one who set it free, so you do not bear the responsibility.¡¯


    ¡®I¡­see. Then may I ask what this awakening will bring to the world?¡¯


    ¡®It brings battle and the battle heads your way. The outcome is yet uncertain. But one thing I can tell is that your life and death rests solely on Heaven¡¯s acceptance of your soul. Ah, and such a beautiful soul you have, such a pure one. I suppose it is only to be expected of a heavenly soul.¡¯


    ¡®Heavenly soul?¡¯


    ¡®Yes. You have a very good chance of being chosen by the Throne, but it is still uncertain. Heaven is after all quite an unpredictable existence.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t understand.¡¯


    ¡®You don¡¯t have to understand it for now. What should happen will happen. If you do what you must, this world and everything living in it can be saved. If not¡­ this world will simply cease to exist, consumed by him for power.¡¯


    ¡®Consumed by whom?¡¯


    ¡®The black one¡¯s companion, of course. Ah, those two poor, lonely beings, so much do they hunger. All he wants is to meet his beloved person again and ask ¡®Why?¡¯.¡¯


    Remembering what Elder Yue had foretold, Qinghe felt complex emotions swirling inside of him.


    If the ¡®black one¡¯ meant the dragon, then did it mean that it was this deity who actually wanted to consume this world? And who exactly was that ¡®beloved person¡¯ of his that Elder Yue had spoken of?


    Opening his mouth, Qinghe forced himself to ask, ¡°You¡­ Who are you? What is your purpose in doing all this?¡±


    The deity looked at him strangely, but with a smile full of meaning, he still chose to helpfully answer, ¡°My name is Xie Xingye, and my objective is to devour this world and every being in it so that I can gain enough energy to climb through to the heavens again and meet the person I hold very dear. But since there are so many cultivators in this world who might oppose me and make things difficult, I thought I¡¯d create a few ghouls and weaken them.


    ¡°However, I have to admit, I did not expect this level of cohesiveness from you all. If this were my world, all the cultivators¡ªwhether they tread the righteous or demonic path¡ªwould have been fighting amongst themselves and stabbing each other in the back to take advantage of the chaotic situation. And yet you all have been working together splendidly and are well on your way of clearing out my ghouls. It is truly commendable.


    ¡°But make no mistake, this is not enough to stop me. I will definitely consume this world and use it to break down the barriers of Heaven to enter it again.¡±


    Hearing this, Qinghe¡¯s expression hardened.


    No matter what this deity wanted with this world, as long as they had the Grandmaster standing up for them, it would not be so easy for him to do as he wanted. But Qinghe wasn¡¯t foolish enough to reveal their trump card this quickly and without reason.


    Taking a breath, he finally spoke, ¡°Very well then, but do not expect us to go down that easily. If you try to swallow us, we will make sure to give you as terrible a stomachache as we can.¡±


    The deity named Xie Xingye merely chuckled. ¡°I do not expect you to go down without any resistance. But tell me, why does it feel like all this while we¡¯ve been talking, you¡¯ve been trying to stall for time?¡±


    Qinghe sighed. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to prepare everything in advance.¡±


    ¡°Prepare for what?¡± Xie Xingye asked curiously.


    But rather than answering him, Qinghe asked another question of his own. ¡°If I don¡¯t keep stalling you, what would you do?¡±


    With a humorless smile, Xie Xingye replied honestly, ¡°Since the ghouls aren¡¯t working, I would naturally have to step in personally to eradicate all you pesky righteous path cultivators.¡±


    Qinghe nodded wryly. ¡°I thought so, that is why I have chosen to delay you as much as possible.¡±


    Just as he said this, tall geysers of water erupted in a wide circle around them like frothy pillars, pulled out from deep underground by a powerful water ability user. The geysers bent inwards and converged at the center, the water evenly distributing to form a giant water dome with Qinghe and Xie Xingye inside it.


    Jing Shui had finally arrived, and as per Qinghe¡¯s instruction in the message, he immediately initiated the most powerful water-based containment spell in his repertoire¡ªthe Water Prison.


    With a smile, Qinghe summoned his spiritual artifact, the double-bladed sword, and turned to face the deity.


    ¡°Now that the preparations appear to be complete, may I ask you to accompany me for a while?¡±


    Saying so, Qinghe immediately charged forward, his blades at the ready.


    At this time, the feather with the message that Lu Feiyu had sent hadn¡¯t even managed to travel half the distance towards Feng Huixin.

 Chapter 108: Fighting the Deity

    The shadowy tendrils that had been coiled around the demonic deity Xie Xingye immediately sprung up and shielded the deity from Qinghe¡¯s sudden strike.


    The double-bladed sword clashed against the solidified wall of darkness, but no matter how much of his power he sunk into his spiritual weapon, Qinghe couldn¡¯t break through. It seemed that this was the difference in the level of power between a deity and someone in eighth realm. This disparity seemed nigh insurmountable by sheer skill or strategies alone.


    From behind Xie Xingye, several thick and rough-looking vine-like black appendages extended out, then abruptly shot towards Qinghe in concert.


    Qinghe leapt up and tried to slice away a dark vine, only to find that he once again couldn¡¯t cut through it. His power was simply insufficient.


    Understanding this, Qinghe¡¯s expression turned grim even as he focused on dodging the black vines. As expected, keeping a deity occupied for long was still difficult for him due to his cultivation being in a lower realm.


    In that case, there was still that one thing he could do to gain a little edge¡­


    While that bold idea flashed in Qinghe¡¯s mind, outside the Water Prison, Jing Shui was frowning hard in concentration.


    His eyes seemed unfocused as he stood in place with a blank expression. His spiritual artifact, the golden fan, hovered in the air in front of him, fully open. Large amounts of spiritual energy flowed out of Jing Shui and into the fan before being distilled into the spiritual force required to cast and uphold the Water Prison.


    Since this dome of water would have to be able to contain the stray attacks of a deity level being, Jing Shui had to focus completely on keeping the structure stabilized at all times while quickly regenerating any patches of water that were damaged when Xie Xingye''s black vines knocked against the inside of the dome with force.


    A few minutes after Jing Shui set up his Water Prison, Wu Xiao silently arrived at his beloved¡¯s side and drew a protective formation around them to keep the dwindling population of ghouls away.


    Now that he had helped cast so many defensive barriers, Wu Xiao also had to constantly expend his spiritual energy to keep them up and running. Thankfully, his sect¡¯s disciples helped shoulder the burden from within the barriers, and so Wu Xiao had the time to come and accompany his lover.


    His arms tenderly encircling his Ah-Shui from the rear, Wu Xiao took a deep breath and tried not to grimace at the throbbing pain of his internal injuries.


    At a distance from them, Zhen YiLan had joined Liu Xue in fighting against the black dragon, aiming to keep it engaged so that it won¡¯t be able to join the deity while he was being stalled by Qinghe.


    Once Zhen YiLan arrived, the disciples of the Golden Sun Sect were all sent away to aid in exterminating the ghouls or to get medical attention, since most of them were bloody and beaten, unable to stand up against the powerful dragon for long.


    After ascertaining that the ghouls would soon be wiped out by the other disciples, Chen Xiande, along with the twins, also joined Zhen YiLan to keep the dragon in place. Though they really wanted to help Qinghe more directly, they also didn¡¯t want to disrupt whatever plans he had. All they could do was cast an occasional glance at the two battling figures inside the transparent water dome.


    But what they saw through the curtain of water did not bode well for Qinghe.


    Inside the giant dome, Qinghe was indeed not having an easy time. He had to simultaneously evade the attacks of those dark vines while also splitting his attention to keep track of Xie Xingye himself to make sure he wouldn¡¯t suddenly charge at him.


    But despite all this, Qinghe remained calm and collected. After all, he was only testing the waters now. He would patiently bide his time until he saw an opening.


    And Qinghe¡¯s chance came soon enough.


    As one of the dark vines broke through yet another of his wind barriers, it whipped across Qinghe, tearing the front of his robe and the edges of his sleeves as he brought his hands up to protect his face.


    Setting up another wind barrier around himself, Qinghe lowered his arms and looked down at the bloodstained front of his robe with dismay.


    Several slices, some shallow and some deep, were scattered on his robe, their edges stained a telltale dark red.


    Qinghe wondered if he could manage to get enough time to pop a blood replenishing pill before he toppled over due to blood loss, or if he could somehow change his robes before they grew tattered enough to just slide off him in ribbons.


    However, unexpectedly, the dark vines that had been hammering his barrier all this time abruptly halted.


    Raising his head, Qinghe saw an expression of shock and disbelief spreading over Xie Xingye¡¯s face.


    ¡°Feng Qinghe¡­ So it was that Feng after all¡­¡± he muttered to himself.


    Though his reaction puzzled Qinghe, he did not give up this small window of opportunity


    Suddenly putting on an explosive burst of speed, Qinghe rushed up to the stunned deity and slashed at his chest.


    Rather than using his vines, Xie Xingye instinctively brought up his arm to shield himself. But unlike with the vines, Qinghe¡¯s spiritual weapon easily managed to slice clean through his arm.


    Trailing a spray of blood, the severed arm flew off to the side, leaving behind a stump that ended just below the elbow.


    Grunting in pain, Xie Xingye staggered back. His arm quickly regenerated at a visible rate as newly formed bone began pushing out while reddish muscles and bluish veins started wrapping around it.


    Leaping back to put some distance between them, Qinghe placed the palm of his hand against his chest, feeling the ripped fabric of his robe that had gone soggy with blood under his hand.


    With a small smile, Qinghe injected some power into his chest, his face whitening at the new wash of pain beginning to spread from within.


    A delicate and intricate formation slowly came to life under Qinghe¡¯s palm, spanning the entirety of his chest. After flashing once with bright silver, the formation slowly began to fade from outwards in, dissolving, and eventually disappearing.


    Qinghe felt a searing blast of agony immediately burst inside his chest and dropped down to one knee.


    Outside the water dome, Wu Xiao¡¯s back snapped straight in shock, his expression ghastly.


    ¡°That Xiao Feng¡­ what did he just do!?¡± he spoke aloud in alarm.


    Just now, he had felt the familiar connection he had with Qinghe¡¯s restrictions as its caster wavering and beginning to weaken. The constant stream of energy he had been spending to maintain the Soul Sealing spell on Qinghe¡¯s soul had suddenly rushed back into him, causing Wu Xiao to stagger at the sudden lightening of a burden he had been bearing for more than two decades.


    This could only mean one thing¨D


    Qinghe had used the key spell and had unraveled the restrictions around his soul.


    With the restrictions removed, Qinghe¡¯s level instantly began soaring, unheeding of his body¡¯s capacity. His core protested at the pressure grinding over it due to this abrupt influx of power.


    Gritting his teeth, Qinghe forcibly bore this all-consuming pain that felt as if every fiber of his being was splintering apart into miniscule pieces.


    As moment after moment slowly ground along, the agony finally subsided. He immediately became aware of the bright rush of power flooding his body, overflowing through his spiritual pathways and pushing his cultivation to break through level after level in swift flashes.


    Quickly gathering his bearings, Qinghe forced his cultivation to stop just as it reached the realm of demigod. Any more and he would be restricted by the rules of this world. After all, he still remembered how his father had told him that if two deities unleashed their power at once, the world would be torn apart, so it would be prudent to restrain his level to that of a demigod.


    When Qinghe finally opened his eyes, he saw that Xie Xingye was still standing at the same place, his arm already having regenerated while his face remained frozen in a mask of shock.


    Seeing that Qinghe¡¯s gaze had focused on him, Xie Xingye snapped out of it enough to speak, ¡°You, why do you look so much like her? It can¡¯t be¡­are you Chunyi and her husband¡¯s son?!¡±


    Straightening up from the ground, Qinghe blinked in realization and looked down.


    Sure enough, the most recent slash had torn into the part of his chest where he had plastered the appearance changing talisman under his clothes. Was that why the deity had halted in shock before? Because he recognized his facial features?


    Interrupting this thoughtful silence, Xie Xingye burst out again, ¡°Tell me! Feng Qinghe, are you Chunyi¡¯s son?!¡±


    Qinghe slowly nodded. Since it seemed that the deity had already figured it out on his own, he saw no reason to hide it. ¡°Yes, I do remember being told that my mother¡¯s name was Feng Chunyi, though I do not know how much I resemble her.¡±


    Hearing this, Xie Xingye barked out a hoarse laugh as he observed, ¡°By the way you speak, it seems like you haven¡¯t met your parents yet after falling down to this plane. How about this¨DBecause you are Chunyi¡¯s son, I am willing to let you go if you decide to leave this world and go elsewhere. I might even let you take a few of your loved ones along with you. So won¡¯t you stop this meaningless fight with me and save yourself? I would hate to hurt Chunyi¡¯s son, but I will still not hesitate to do so if you keep standing in my way.¡±


    Qinghe did not even have to think about it before he answered, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I will have to decline your generosity.¡±


    Xie Xingye¡¯s smile turned rueful. ¡°It seems that you¡¯ve inherited your father¡¯s sense of justice. A pity.¡±


    After that, there were no more words left to be spoken.


    The dark vines shot at Qinghe all at once even as Xie Xingye summoned a simple double-edged saber with a black hilt and charged towards him.


    Qinghe quickly infused his spiritual artifact with his will, splitting it into two and molding it until it turned into a pair of identical, single-edged swords with curved blades.


    Now that his level had increased to that of a demigod, Qinghe had a lot more spiritual energy at his command, though it also meant putting more undue strain on his core.


    But right now, he couldn¡¯t afford to keep holding himself back anymore. Against the might of a deity, even giving it his all might not be enough.


    With grim determination, Qinghe swept aside the vines with a powerful blast of wind and sped forward.


    The two sides collided and waves of raw energy burst outward, battering the inside of the Water Prison and almost bringing it down.


    The golden fan floating in front of Jing Shui trembled as if about to break.


    Thankfully, Wu Xiao was able to send out his silver threads of spiritual power to reinforce the water dome in time, silver sigils and symbols layering over the transparent hemisphere of water like swirls of intricate embroidery.


    Inside the Water Prison, Qinghe and Xie Xingye battled, the clashes of their powers making the sky tremble and the earth shake.


    Wielding his dual swords while accompanied by his spiritually charged wind, Qinghe fought against Xie Xingye and held his ground this time.


    Sometimes his swords slithered into Xie Xingye¡¯s guard like snakes, sometimes they struck swift and hard like lightning. They whispered intangibly like the wind before slamming apart the opponent¡¯s defense like a sledgehammer.


    Qinghe¡¯s style was inconsistent yet fluid, always changing, adapting, ever unpredictable like the direction of the wind.


    His footwork was lighter than air, his toes barely touching the ground as he leapt and dodged, swerved and ducked, constantly in motion and slippery like an eel, always evading capture with the most elegant yet efficient moves, floating between those grasping black vines like smoke, untouchable.


    Like a storm of blades, Qinghe sliced at Xie Xingye again and again, never giving him an opening to retaliate, leveraging his speed and precision against the not-as-skilled saber of his opponent.


    From what he¡¯d understood till now, Qinghe deduced that Xie Xingye must have been sealed in the Valley of the Terrified Dead a long time ago. This seal had only started to get undone thirty years ago due to the large-scale spiritual fluctuation caused due to Qinghe¡¯s fall, which was also when Xie Xingye had said that he had begun to awaken.


    Which meant that until then, Xie Xingye must have been in a dormant state with his powers restrained.


    Since this was the first time he seemed to have ventured out soon after he was able to escape the confines of the valley, Xie Xingye¡¯s state would be at its worst. Though this would have been the best chance to take him out, all the sects and their disciples were currently unprepared and lacked the coordination or a strategy strong enough to make it work. Qinghe could only delay it, pushing his skills to the maximum to give time for the Grandmaster and his Sentinels to arrive and take over.


    As focused on the battle as he was, Qinghe couldn''t even afford to redirect the small amount of concentration required to make his emotions show on his face. His expression grew flat, his eyes glinting with icy sharpness, no warmth or mildness to be seen in his features.


    As he kept fighting, Qinghe¡¯s spiritual senses were expanded to the maximum as he manipulated his spiritual force, directing it to clash against the deity¡¯s smoky vines that had begun to struggle against the Water Prison in an attempt to break out and attack the people outside.


    On top of that, Qinghe¡¯s mind was constantly calculating, using both intelligence and instinct to observe the slight shifts in the deity¡¯s attention, the little unconscious twitches of muscle and the small movement of his eyes, compiling them all into information that would help him predict where the deity would strike next, be it physically or with his spiritual power.


    Meanwhile, the other disciples who were fighting outside the Water Prison felt insuppressible amazement in their hearts.


    After all, the person Qinghe had so dauntlessly taken on in a fight was a deity who¡¯d once ascended! Not to mention the disciples, even an Elder or a sect master would at most only be able to exchange a few blows with a deity. And here this Feng Qinghe was in fact lasting so long and actually putting up a decent fight!


    It was simply unbelievable!


    And just looking at how calm he was being, the respect they already had for Qinghe bloomed into awe.


    If they weren¡¯t still busy with eliminating the remaining ghouls, they would all sure as hell be crowding around to watch with their eyes wide with wonder and their jaws stuck to the ground. It was simply a shame to miss this level of fighting!


    With renewed vigor, the gathered disciples continued to hack into the ghouls.


    Compared to a deity, what were these powerless ghouls? They could easily take care of these things and show that demonic deity the might of the righteous cultivators!


    Thus, with their fighting spirit rekindled, the disciples fought harder.


    On the other hand, things were not as glorious or easy for Qinghe as the watching disciples thought.


    Even as he continued to battle, Qinghe knew that he couldn¡¯t win purely by spiritual or physical might alone against a deity who had once ascended, but he could use his mind and the precision he was so good at to make up for the gap.


    But despite all this, his physical strength, which hadn''t yet had a chance to increase due to the sudden rise in his realm, was already failing.


    His body grew weaker with every blow and parry, his cultivation core struggling to keep up with the frantic outflow of spiritual energy as his meridians strained to constantly channel the massive amount of power Qinghe was circulating through them. His demands of his body were too high and his physical strength couldn¡¯t be sustained.


    He was slowly, painfully falling apart.


    His core sent out waves of blunt agony. Blood churned in his stomach as it tried to force its way up to his lips. It felt like his bones were melting, every nerve ending sparking sharply with unfathomable pain. It was as if someone was pulling out his veins and blood vessels, reaching inside to crush his organs one by one, slowly, torturously. The excruciating agony was enough to dull one¡¯s consciousness and blur one¡¯s sight, but Qinghe still persevered.


    Stopping now was not an option. He could only push himself past his limits and protect his own life at least at the cost of his core and physical health. It was not just his life that depended on it, the sects would fall too if he couldn¡¯t hold on until his father and his lover arrived to take over this battle against this demonic deity called Xie Xingye.


    But even so, Qinghe desperately needed to rest his breaking body soon.


    He was not willing to continue in this condition and risk it. His life was after all treasured by many people apart from him now, and he couldn''t bear to disappoint them by disregarding himself to this degree.


    And so, with a flick of his wrist, Qinghe took out a stack of talismans and flung it in front of him. The talismans floated up and swiftly arranged themselves into a neat barricade in the air, the characters glowing as they activated.


    The blows and slashes of spiritual power the deity kept hurling his way, along with the offensives of the black vines, were temporarily blocked by the talismans. Qinghe finally let out a strained breath in relief.


    The wall of paper would barely hold on for a few moments, but Qinghe really needed these few moments to rest his body that had been pushed far beyond its limits.


    Holding the back of his hand against his too-pale lips, Qinghe tried to dampen the violence of the coughs that shuddered through him. Every cough that was pulled out of him seemed to rip through his organs as it came out, tearing at his already fragile innards. Turning to the side, he spat out a stream of blood that erupted inside his chest due to his incessant coughing.


    Having been keeping an eye on Qinghe all this time, Chen Xiande and the twins grew pale at witnessing his weakened state.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just watch, go and assist your martial brother!¡± Zhen YiLan barked from the side.


    The twins didn¡¯t need to be told twice as they dashed towards the gleaming dome of water.


    Chen Xiande hesitated a bit, looking at his master with worry.


    Huffing, Liu Xue reassured him from the side, ¡°I''ll make sure your precious master keeps breathing, so hurry and go. It doesn¡¯t look like Xiao He can last much longer.¡±


    And so, Chen Xiande also set out, running swiftly towards his junior brother.


    Seeing that these disciples were heading towards Xie Xingye to gang up against him, the black dragon roared and jumped up to begin flying in their direction.


    But before it could even unfurl its wings fully, Liu Xue leapt up and brought down the serrated edge of her semicircular saw onto the extended neck of the dragon.


    With a loud clang, several of the hardy scales cracked as the dragon was pushed back down into the ground.


    Taking this opportunity, Zhen YiLan swallowed the pain brought by his remaining injuries and summoned another fire construct.


    A large, thick insect with long spider-like legs, its body covered in golden flames, appeared above the black dragon. Giant orangish wings shaped like that of a dragonfly fluttered delicately on the insect¡¯s back as a row of white spikes ran down the spine of its segmented golden carapace.


    It''s intricate wings abruptly stilling, the chimerical insect dropped right down onto the dragon¡¯s back, its spindly needle-thin legs piercing through the delicate membrane of the black dragon¡¯s wings, pinning it in place.


    The dragon groaned at the stabbing pain tearing through the sensitive nerve endings in its wings.


    Not letting go of this chance to take advantage of her immobilized opponent, Liu Xue struck the side of the dragon¡¯s neck again and again, the serrated edge of her spiritual weapon carving grooves into the thick and tough scales.


    Restrained and occupied in this way, the dragon let out a mournful roar at being unable to aid the demonic deity as it thrashed and struggled in place helplessly.


    Meanwhile, the twins reached the Water Prison and the Jing Shui who was standing just outside it.


    Knowing that they wouldn¡¯t be able to enter the dome unless Jing Shui lowered it, the twins hurriedly called, ¡°Senior Brother Jing, take down the Water Prison! Otherwise we won¡¯t be able to get to Senior Brother in time!¡±


    But Jing Shui remained unresponsive, his face still blank, all his focus concentrated entirely on maintaining the dome of water with no attention to spare to comprehend what was going on around him.


    Seeing this, Wu Xiao decided to intervene.


    He lifted his arms and gently held his Ah-Shui¡¯s face between his hands, then using his fingers¡­he ruthlessly pinched and pulled at those soft cheeks.


    ¡°Ah-Shui, snap out of it right now and stop looking like a fish sleeping with its eyes open!¡±


    The twins, ¡°¡­¡±


    Though they were glad that they weren¡¯t fed more dog food from their seniors, they still didn¡¯t know how to react to this weirdness.


    Feeling the sting in his cheeks and the familiar voice yelling something infuriating near his ear, Jing Shui immediately lost his concentration, causing the Water Prison to waver.


    ¡°Wu Xiao, you bastard! What the hell do you think you¨D¡±


    ¡°Ah-Shui,¡± Wu Xiao called out to redirect his lover¡¯s attention. ¡°Xiao Feng can¡¯t hold in there much longer. You need to lower the Water Prison and let people in to help.¡±


    Jing Shui blinked in surprise, then seeing that Qinghe¡¯s situation was indeed not good, he hurriedly lowered the water he was using to make up the dome and let it sink back into the ground.


    With a snap, the hovering golden fan shut itself before dissolving into light.


    Unwilling to wait any longer, the twins hurriedly rushed towards Qinghe.


    Jing Shui wanted to see if he could help his friend too, but first¡­


    ¡°Wu Xiao, just when are you going to let go of my cheeks?¡± Jing Shui asked his lover in a toneless voice.


    ¡°Hm? Oh sorry,¡± Wu Xiao apologized, then reluctantly let go of those soft cheeks. It wasn¡¯t his fault that they felt so good in his hands!


    His eyes darkening, Jing Shui barely managed to stop himself from saying something sarcastic, then he sighed exasperatedly. ¡°Wu Xiao, you stay here and rest. Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t notice how bad your condition is. If you let yourself get hurt anymore, then don¡¯t think I will ever let you sleep near me again!¡±


    With this effective threat made, Jing Shui also finally set off in Qinghe¡¯s direction, leaving behind a softly smiling Wu Xiao who could only shake his head at his beloved¡¯s way of showing care.


    Just then, the wall of talismans that Qinghe had set up to defend himself finally shattered.

 Chapter 109: Breaking the Limit

    Xie Xingye was so focused on how his opponent seemed to be at his limit that he didn¡¯t even notice that the Water Prison had lowered.


    Seeing Qinghe''s wall of defensive talismans finally bursting apart, the burnt pieces of paper powerlessly fluttering in the air, Xie Xingye smiled.


    This Feng Qinghe was more skilled and resourceful than he''d imagined, putting up a fight against him for so long. He should''ve expected this of his Chunyi''s son.


    However, no matter how clever he was, it was obvious that he wouldn''t be able to hold on forever with his recently risen cultivation that had not yet had the time to even stabilize. And now that he had finally reached the limit of what he could do in his condition, how could Xie Xingye not take advantage of it?


    And so, hefting up his saber, he imbued it with his spiritual force and sliced the air, sending out a black arc of power hurtling at Qinghe.


    Looking up from where he was crouched on the ground, his legs gone too weak from blood loss to support him, Qinghe grit his teeth and mobilized his own spiritual force for defense. He had already had to dissolve his spiritual artifact since he was unable to keep feeding it his energy.


    Due to the constant strain on it, his core was in horrible agony right now. If he spent even an iota more of his spiritual energy, he was sure that his core would break. But preserving his life was far more important, and so Qinghe prepared to do whatever he had to.


    But before he could do anything rash, a pair of familiar backs stationed themselves in front of him, gripping tightly onto their respective spiritual weapons as if ready to slaughter everything in their way.


    Waving their daggers, they sent out a pair of glowing arcs of their own, one charged with ice-based energy and the other crackling with lightning currents.


    As the huge black arc collided with the pair of smaller, it was pushed off-course and slammed to the side, cracking the ground where it fell and sending out a cloud of dust.


    Looking at how those familiar figures stood in from of him protectively, Qinghe felt both happy and anxious.


    ¡°Jin-er, Yin-er, what are you doing here?¡± Qinghe called out, his voice hoarse and weak.


    ¡°Senior Brother, you¡¯re not in fighting condition anymore. You should retreat,¡± Fei Jin spoke, with Fei Yin nodding in support.


    Qinghe let out a strained chuckle. He didn¡¯t even have the physical energy to get up right now, where would he find the strength to run?


    ¡°Feng Qinghe, you really are so bothersome. Look at the state you are in. Why aren¡¯t you taking any medicine yet?¡± Jing Shui¡¯s admonishing voice came from behind.


    Turning his head, Qinghe widened his eyes at the unexpected arrival of his friend, but still answered truthfully, ¡°If I use even a small pittance of spiritual energy right now, even if it was to sense and retrieve something from my spatial storage, I¡¯m afraid my cultivation core will crack.¡±


    Seeing how his friend had been pushed to this condition, Jing Shui pressed his lips together in anger, his brows tight as he glared at the demonic deity who only looked on at them with sharp amusement and a smile of realization as if something interesting had just occurred to him.


    With an hmph of disdain, Jing Shui chose to disregard him for now. After all, it was more important to treat his injured friend so that he''d still be alive enough to listen to his scoldings afterward when all was said and done.


    Bending down, Jing Shui quickly rummaged in his storage space and brought out several high-level pills that were the best of what his sect had to offer.


    Unreservedly handing out the whole bunch to Qinghe, Jing Shui commanded fiercely, ¡°Swallow all of them!¡±


    The corners of Qinghe¡¯s lips twitched, wanting to curve up in a smile, but he controlled himself and dutifully began consuming the pills.


    Qinghe felt the familiar warmth produced by healing pills quickly spread through him, but though his physical injuries were beginning to recover, the jagged pain in his core did not subside in the least.


    ¡°Are these the people who are dear to you?¡± Xie Xingye¡¯s voice suddenly sliced through to reach them.


    Hearing the meaning behind those words, Qinghe felt like the healing warmth in his entire body was replaced with a rush of icy dread.


    ¡°If I leverage their lives in favor of your retreat, would you accept my previous conditions? Or should I start killing them one by one until you agree?¡± Xie Xingye asked curiously.


    Qinghe clenched his hands into fists. This was why he had chosen to do this alone! He did not want his loved ones to get hurt because of him!


    Gritting his teeth and pouring some strength into his voice, Qinghe replied, ¡°I will not allow you to touch them. You do not get to threaten me by using their lives.¡±


    Tilting his head, Xie Xingye only smiled wider, the sword in his hand swinging out carelessly to send several more arcs at once.


    But this time, Qinghe remained unperturbed, because he could already sense help coming.


    Sure enough, just as the black arcs were about to reach them, a sturdy wall of earth abruptly burst out of the ground to rise in front of the group as a shield.


    A series of booms sounded out as the arcs struck the wall of earth, causing it to crack and waver, but not fall.


    Every single person witnessing this scene was shocked.


    To be able to bear the direct attacks of a deity and still stay standing, just how strong must that wall of earth be? And just how strong was the person who had created such a shield?!


    Standing beside Qinghe, Chen Xiande heaved heavy breaths due to his frantic sprint. Thankfully, despite his speed that was much slower than that of the twins, he was able to make it in time.


    In a firm voice, Chen Xiande began giving out orders, ¡°Fei Jin, Fei Yin, clear all errant ghouls from our surroundings. Brother Jing, please take care of my junior brother and try to heal him as much as possible so that he can at least walk to one of the medical encampments while being supported. In the meantime, I will try to delay the demonic deity to the best of my ability.¡±


    The twins immediately sped away to do as told. After all, in his condition, if Qinghe was bitten even once by a ghoul, he might just die due to the infection. They would not allow something so preventable to happen.


    Jing Shui also nodded and began taking out more and more powerful pills from his storage space, relentlessly making Qinghe gulp down every one of them.


    And as he had said, Chen Xiande put in his all to maintain the wall of earth, constantly mending any cracks and reinforcing all weakened points as the deity''s arcs of energy continued to explode one after another onto it.


    Sitting on the ground with a body full of aches, Qinghe felt chagrined at his own uselessness. But just as he was thinking of what exactly he could do to help in his current condition, the sound of explosions suddenly halted.


    Qinghe whipped his head up to peer above the edge of the earth wall, only to see a smiling Xie Xingye leaping up to his previous perch on the ledge that was situated high up on the cliff face.


    Qinghe narrowed his eyes suspiciously. What was this demonic deity planning now?


    But before he could think further, he felt an unnatural draft of wind and looked further up, his gaze climbing to the overcast sky.


    Overhead, superimposed over the grey cloud cover and floating just under the inside of Xie Xingye¡¯s barrier, was the silhouette of the black dragon. There were ragged tears in its wings as if it had carelessly ripped out something that had been pierced through its membranes.


    In the distance, a wounded Liu Xue and Zhen YiLan rushed towards them, their cautious gazes fixed on the dragon.


    Liu Xue¡¯s arm hung limp and bloody, a side of her face covered in more blood, the skin ragged and torn. But Zhen YiLan fared even worse, as his internal injuries had become aggravated and multiplied due to yet another of his chimerical constructs being broken.


    But no matter how much they hurried, it didn¡¯t seem like they would be able to help against the dragon in their condition or even make it in time.


    Silently hovering in the sky with its snout pointing below right at where Qinghe and his group were situated, the black dragon abruptly dived, then opened its mouth, flickers of flame visible in its throat, on the verge of spilling down towards the clueless group on the ground.


    Unfortunately, Qinghe was the only one who had noticed this yet.


    In that fraction of a second before the flames came their way, many things went through Qinghe¡¯s mind, but what he knew for sure was that if he didn¡¯t do something, then not only he, but also the people near to him would undoubtedly die.


    It seemed that there was no other way left after all¡­


    Sighing, Qinghe let his body go limp, leaning into the startled Jing Shui beside him who was still clutching a fistful of colorful pills, ready to shove them into his friend''s mouth.


    Disregarding the state of his body, Qinghe cleared his mind and drew on the well of his spiritual energy, rapidly condensing it into potent spiritual force.


    Then, finally, unheeding of his protesting core, Qinghe let his power explode out.


    Just as the black dragon spat a stream of bright hot flame in their direction, a powerful blast of compressed wind swept up, knocking into the dragon to fling it away even as it extinguished the fire. The rush of spiritually charged wind then continued upward until it struck the inside of the deity¡¯s barrier, sending out ripples of vibrations across it before dissipating after a long time.


    Meanwhile, with the horrible feeling of something deep within him bursting into jagged shards of unbearable pain¨D


    Qinghe¡¯s core cracked.


    A ragged wave of energy tried to shoot out of the break in his core, but Qinghe forcefully held it in so as to not injure the people around him, but this only deepened the fissure as bursts of pain flooded his senses.


    Curling his trembling arms around his stomach, Qinghe collapsed, barely able to retain consciousness as the agony washed over him.


    Even though he had expected it, even though he had braced for it¡­this was still too much to bear.


    As his thoughts turned blurry in the haze of the miserable pain, Qinghe recalled that the last time his core was in trouble, Wei Xiang had arrived in the nick of time to help him. That had been the first time they had met face to face. And now, Qinghe couldn¡¯t help but wish that his lover would somehow get to him this time too.


    While random thoughts floated in his mind, as if from a distance, Qinghe heard the muffled and worried voice of his senior brother as well as the part furious part anxious shouts of his friend as he kept calling his name. Even the twins seemed to have returned, frantically begging him to say something in reply to their cries.


    The sounds bounced around and resonated in his head, leaving behind strange echoes as they faded. His senses seemed dull and blunted as if by cotton, his spiritual awareness feeling just out of reach. His body felt numb and almost completely paralyzed, making him unable to properly move as he wished.


    Even as Qinghe was trapped in this way in his own body while being worried over by the people close to him, far above the group, the dragon had finally managed to stabilize itself in the air and was shooting towards them again. Its giant maw gaped open as it kindled fire in its throat once more, wanting to burn everyone and everything going against Xie Xingye to ashes.


    Just then, Qinghe¡¯s dazed and half-lidded eyes flicked to a particular direction as he sensed his soul bond singing.


    In the distance, a flood of black shadows appeared out of thin air and sped towards the Battle Arena, like a wave of dark smoke swiftly rushing forward unheeding of everything in its path.


    A moment later, a large concussion of sound reverberated through the entirety of the barrier that Xie Xingye had put up, before the whole dome of demonic energy splintered apart and melted away within mere seconds, unable to stand against the overwhelming might of that single blow.


    The black dragon was startled into snapping its mouth closed, while Xie Xingye clutched his head and chest as the backlash hit him full force.


    With a snarl, he looked up. Just who was this who could break the barrier that he, a deity, had cast?!


    As the final traces of the barrier dissipated, a figure was revealed to be standing in the sky, with the gloomy clouds as his backdrop, his hair and clothes stirred by the high winds, and a long whip in each hand.


    Feng Huixin had finally arrived, opening up the way for his Sentinels.


    Not wasting his master¡¯s efforts, Wei Xiang didn¡¯t even pause as he rushed to his beloved¡¯s side. Around him, his fellow officers sped forward at full sprint and immediately began their offensive on the remnant ghouls.


    It was a good thing that Wei Xiang and the other Sentinels had already been on their way to the Battle Arena because of Wei Xiang¡¯s unease. His soul bond had kept twanging in alarm, prompting him to wrap his work quickly to hurry to his little lover.


    Just as they were about to begin heading towards the arena, they had received Lu Feiyu''s feather with a message detailing the circumstances, which had at least prepared the Sentinels for what they would be facing so that they could quickly adjust and respond to the situation promptly when they arrived.


    After that, unwilling to waste a moment longer, the Sentinels had immediately set off.


    Even though they used the shadows to transport themselves at maximum speed, with having to channel so many powerful people with heavy cultivation bases through it at once, even the shadow realm had been unable to handle it, the entire space shaking as if threatening to collapse.


    But Wei Xiang and Feng Huixin had nevertheless pushed on, not willing to delay a single second more, only exiting the shadow realm just outside the deity''s barrier when the realm itself had been on the verge of complete collapse.


    And now that he was finally here, Wei Xiang did not care about appearances as he shot towards Qinghe, his eyes darkening as he drew near enough to see his lover¡¯s state.


    The potency of the power exuding from Qinghe had thickened as if he had gained a few levels at once, but also seemed tattered and thready, it¡¯s flow inconsistent and somewhat unstable. What was even more shocking was that the restrictions of the Soul Sealing spell had completely disappeared, revealing the beautiful soul underneath.


    For a second, Wei Xiang could only stare enraptured at the pure and clear orb that glowed silver, faint wisps mesmerizingly floating within.


    Qinghe¡¯s soul was so cold and calm, peaceful and quiet. Just catching a glimpse of it was enough to soothe all tension and turn even the heaviest of burdens weightless. It exuded the tranquility of still waters, so clear and pure that one would fear even the thought of touching something so unsullied. It would be the greatest of pleasures to just keep one''s eyes fixed on it for eternity, slowly letting it draw one in, submerging into the serenity of its inexpressible beauty¡­


    Shaking his head and blinking his eyes in a bid force himself to snap out of his bewitched haze, Wei Xiang pressed forward faster.


    After crossing the entire length of the arena, Wei Xiang was just about to reach Qinghe when he sensed the heat of another draconic being¡¯s fire.


    Looking up, he saw that a large and scarred black dragon with dulled scales and vicious eyes was circling around Qinghe and his group. He saw the dragon¡¯s snout turning towards and pointing at his beloved. He saw the dragon¡¯s throat contract as its lips pulled back, its giant mouth starting to open, and Wei Xiang already knew what it was about to do.


    The suppressed worry and apprehension in Wei Xiang¡¯s chest turned into pure blistering rage.


    He did not care about the time and place, and neither did he care about the people present or the consequences of his actions. All he cared about was protecting his beloved mate with everything he had!


    And so, Wei Xiang transformed into his true form.


    His body turned to bright golden light that stretched and molded itself, and when the light sheathing him scattered, a magnificent golden wyvern was revealed.


    Its long body was limber and powerful, yet thinner than that of the black dragon. Unlike the oppressive fierceness of the scarred dragon, the newly appeared wyvern exuded an innate majesty and had a dignified bearing.


    The mirror-like golden scales each looked polished and shone with splendorous luster. The lines of its slender snout were extremely elegant, leading up to flare into a fan-like crest at the top of the head. Ten horns smoothly curved up and back from the forehead, slightly curling inwards at the tips. The pair of bright golden eyes, glowing like two compressed suns, had thin, black slits slicing through the middle, its gaze carrying with it a stark sharpness and startling intelligence.


    Large golden wings extended out of its back, with a wingspan almost triple the length of the wyvern itself. The translucent membrane stretched in between was a pale white-gold with a pearly sheen. A line of short, shimmering black fur extended from the back of its head, tapering as it approached the tail. Below its limber and scaled body, the wyvern had four powerful limbs, each tipped with five black claws that shone like polished obsidian curving from the end of each digit, four of them facing front and one facing back.


    Though it looked very similar to the dragon, the wyvern¡¯s overall shape was undeniably different, its build more streamlined for speed and flexible maneuverability while it thrummed with raw power and vitality.


    Shooting forward in a golden blur, its wings held parallel to the ground, the wyvern swiftly reached its mate¡¯s side and enfolded Qinghe and his group within its golden wings just as the black dragon once again shot a stream of powerful flame in their direction.


    The blaze enveloped the wyvern completely in a ball of fire, orange and yellow dancing and rolling over each other, burning as if with inexpressible fury and rage. But when the flames eventually died down, the wyvern was revealed to be completely undamaged, not even a speck of soot marring those gleaming scales.


    Seeing that it was yet again thwarted, and by a hybrid youngster of its own race at that, the black dragon roared in challenge, the air vibrating with its anger.


    Lifting his head up, Wei Xiang let rip a thunderous roar in response. How dare that dragon target his beloved!


    Unhinging his own jaws wider, Wei Xiang shot a stream of brilliant white flame in return to express his fury. The pillar of white fire hit the black dragon sideways, smoldering over its scales and slowly burning through, almost reaching the vulnerable flesh underneath.


    Letting out a surprised cry tinged with alarm at how this flame was actually able to burn through its scales, the flying dragon swerved out the way of the wyvern''s white-colored fire in a bid to escape.


    But Wei Xiang controlled the direction of his flame, making it chase that dratted dragon who had tried to hurt his little lover. And it wasn¡¯t until the black dragon flew all the way across the entire Battle Arena to hide behind the cliffs that Wei Xiang finally ceased his offensive.


    Now that the black dragon was chased far enough that it wouldn¡¯t cause them any more trouble for a while, Wei Xiang assumed his human form once again and rushed to hold his wounded beloved.


    Meanwhile, after witnessing the well-known Sentinel Wei turning into a wyvern, the surrounding cultivators could only gape, stunned with disbelief.


    And as for the fire that he had let out just now, many of the scholarly Elders recognized it as the god-level whitefire that only royal descendants of the divine beasts of the true dragon clan could produce.


    Just what was the identity of this Sentinel Wei?!


    Outside the Battle Arena, the black dragon also had the same question. The appearance of this being with the blood of both true dragons and lower realm serpents resembled that of the black dragon¡¯s former master, the dragon queen. The whitefire only confirmed the link between that ancient dragon queen and this hybrid dragon.


    Could it be that this young hybrid was related by blood to his queen? Was he¡­a direct descendant, or even more improbably, her son?!


    As realizations and revelations abounded about Wei Xiang¡¯s identity, a different sort of revelation was taking place between the deity and Feng Huixin.


    ¡°Demonic Deity Xie Xingye, you are breaking heavenly law by venturing out of your area of confinement. I will ask you to kindly return to it,¡± Feng Huixin spoke coldly from where he was standing midair.


    Looking up, Xie Xingye snarled through gritted teeth, ¡°Deity of Judgment Feng Huixin, what are you doing in this realm?¡±


    Then recalling something, he looked around hopefully, ¡°Is Chunyi here as well.¡±


    Feng Huixin frowned. ¡°I ask that you not speak about my wife with such familiarity. And no, she is still in the heavenly realm.¡±


    That brief flicker of hope immediately drowning in disappointment, Xie Xingye felt his shoulders droop before his eyes ignited with fury again.


    ¡°Why should I not talk about Chunyi with familiarity?! I¡¯ve known her long before you even met her! What right do you have to dictate whether or not I am allowed to speak familiarly about her?!¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s gaze turned colder. ¡°I do not know how you came to be acquainted with my wife, but my wife has lost a few portions of her memory and does not remember you. She does not wish to rekindle whatever relationship you had with her. I advise you to give up on her and accept your punishment with grace.¡±


    Xie Xingye¡¯s body trembled with rage and hurt. Chunyi did not want to rekindle their relationship¡­? Then was she going to break her promise with him?!


    His hand slowly rose up to trace the familiar lines of the cracked gem on his left ear. This crack itself was the physical proof that Chunyi did indeed care about him.


    He still remembered how, that day when one of their sect¡¯s Elders had tried to punish Xie Xingye with a whip, Chunyi had unexpectedly stood in front of him, taking the strike with her own body. In the end, the lash had only cut through a corner of his cheek and this earring, breaking the gem in the process. But seeing even that little bit of harm come to him had obviously made Chunyi feel endless self-reproach, though she hid it well.


    And yet, now, she was going to abandon him just like that?


    No. These were just the words of Chunyi¡¯s husband. Until she herself told him that she did not want him in her life¡­


    ¡°Feng Huixin, I will not give up! You say she doesn¡¯t remember me, so how can she choose to not want me! I will not let go of her so easily!¡± Xie Xingye declared.


    Feng Huixin felt his patience nearing its end at how the other man kept persistently pursuing the matter of his wife. On top of that, he also seemed to have harmed his son. That was something he could not forgive!


    ¡°Xie Xingye, did you forget why you were cast down and sealed in a lower realm? It was because when my wife refused to acknowledge you when you pursued her, you went berserk and were on the verge of a qi deviation. You could have killed many deities and destroyed many lower worlds in the ensuing explosion. You are dangerous and unstable and refuse to accept help, so the only choice was to lock you away in slumber to preserve lives. I do not know how you came to be set free, but you will be sealed again.¡±


    Saying so, Feng Huixin was just about to raise one of his whips when Xie Xingye let out a delighted laugh. ¡°You don''t know how I gained my freedom, you say? Ha! Why don''t you ask your son Feng Qinghe then! It was because you carelessly let your child fall to this world that I started awakening in the first place!¡±


    Feng Huixin only felt slight surprise at these words along with a hint of discontent at the implication. But by now, the other cultivators had already eradicated the ghouls due to the swift efficiency of the Sentinels working along with them. And so, as they had begun listening intently to the two deities, they felt as shocked as if a lightning bolt had struck them.


    Feng Qinghe was the Sentinel Grandmaster¡¯s son?!


    ¡°And one more thing,¡± Xie Xingye sneered at Feng Huixin. ¡°You seem to be misunderstanding the relationship between me and Chunyi. I am not attracted to her romantically. She is my elder sister by bond, and I have more of a right to stay by her side than you!¡±


    With this, Xie Xingye leapt toward Feng Huixin, not even allowing the other deity to digest this revelation as his saber slashed upward, his power flowing out of him in great waves to saturate his strike.


    Since this world was only able to contain the might of one deity, Xie Xingye knew that if he struck at full power now, then his opponent would only be able to use a fraction of his strength if he wanted to stay under the upper limit of what this world could bear.


    And so, he attacked Feng Huixin without holding back.


    On the other hand, though Feng Huixin was surprised at how he had misunderstood the nature of Xie Xingye¡¯s obsession towards his wife, he felt no anxiousness at being unable to use his power. Even without being able to exert his full spiritual might, he could still make do with his physical strength alone.


    And so, Feng Huixin  lifted the golden whip in his right hand and struck down, carving through the air in a devastatingly powerful arc.


    And under his whip, the earth tore.

 Chapter 110: What Comes After

    Feng Huixin¡¯s spiritual artifact, a pair of whips, was well-known and highly regarded even in Heaven¡ªso much so that the Heavenly Emperor himself had given the whips their names.


    The one he held in his right hand was the golden whip called Order. It was thin and flat, it¡¯s long lash like a flexible double-edged blade. When wielded by Feng Huixin, Order was able to slice off an entire mountain range with a single strike.


    The one held in his left hand was the black whip called Punishment. This was the whip he used the least and the one that elicited the most fear when brought out. The whip called Punishment was covered with sharp black hooks that could strip the flesh and shred the bones of a person, then dig into the ground under their minced body to carve an abyss into the earth itself, all with a single lash.


    But Feng Huixin did not feel that the current situation was dire enough for him to use Punishment.


    And so, lifting the golden whip Order in his right hand, he struck down using only his physical strength.


    Xie Xingye¡¯s pupils shrunk as he felt a vast torrent of wind slice in his direction, smashing apart the attack he had just mustered, before the wave of wind slammed into him with unimaginable weight. He felt his organs liquefy and his bones beginning to disintegrate into powder under this dreadful pressure. He hurriedly shielded himself using his power even as he was forcefully flung downwards due to the blow.


    From an outsider¡¯s perspective, all the other cultivators saw was Feng Huixin¡¯s whip whistling through the air, causing space to distort and sending a blast of wind speeding down towards the demonic deity before the demonic deity seemed to suddenly disappear.


    Instantaneously, a large boom thundered, sending out shockwaves that caused the earth to rumble and quake violently as a shower of dust and rocks flew up as if to touch the sky. The wave of wind had cleaved through the land and easily pushed apart the hard earth, splitting through the ancient Battle Arena itself as it sliced a narrow and deep valley right below where the demonic deity had been.


    Deep inside this newly created valley, Xie Xingye barely managed to get up.


    He¡¯d had just enough time to draw over the dark vines to shield one half of his body before Feng Huixin''s blow struck him down. And in the other half of his body that he hadn''t had the chance to defend, his arm had been ripped away, while a chunk of his chest and torso had been torn right through. Even though his divinity was rapidly healing this damage, Xie Xingye still knew that he had vastly underestimated his opponent.


    After all, Feng Huixin wasn¡¯t known as the strongest deity for nothing.


    For just his physical attack that didn''t contain even a trace of spiritual energy to bear this much overwhelming power was not something Xie Xingye could have expected. But now that it had come to this, he admitted that it was better to retreat for now.


    As if reading his thoughts, the black dragon suddenly flew up from behind a nearby cliff and dived down into the valley. Xie Xingye leapt up onto the dragon¡¯s back in a smooth motion as the dragon soared up again, speeding off into the distance to escape.


    Feng Huixin looked downward towards Wei Xiang and spoke, ¡°Xiang-er, take command. I will track and pursue.¡±


    Since Wei Xiang still had Qinghe in his arms, he only inclined his head respectfully and replied, ¡°Yes, Master.¡±


    Reassured, Feng Huixin set off to give chase to Xie Xingye.


    The entire confrontation between the two deities, from when the Sentinels had arrived up till now, had barely taken a couple of minutes, the abrupt conclusion leaving the watching cultivators bewildered.


    Not caring about them, Wei Xiang called out loud for his lieutenants, ¡°Zhou Lang, Rue Xu, Qian Ming, Hou Yu, come here.¡±


    The four Sentinels immediately presented themselves with a deep bow as they greeted as one, ¡°Senior Officer Wei.¡±


    Wei Xiang ordered, ¡°Employ the clean-up protocol for wartime. Divide the area into quadrants. Each of you will take charge of one area. Split the Sentinel force between yourself and report to me if you encounter any difficulties.¡±


    Bowing again while cupping their fists in salute, the four lieutenants responded, ¡°Yes, Senior Officer Wei!¡±


    Then, after casting worried glances at Qinghe, they dispersed to implement their senior officer¡¯s commands with a grim set to their shoulders.


    At the side, Jing Shui, Chen Xiande, and the twins had their eyes fixed on Qinghe, apprehension visible in their expressions.


    The twins looked like they wanted to tear into something in anger, but also like they would start crying at any moment as their mournful gazes remained silently fixed on their senior brother.


    And as for Jing Shui and Chen Xiande, though they had heard one shocking thing after another, first about this Sentinel Wei not being a human and then about Feng Qinghe being the Grandmaster''s son, the thing that occupied their mind the most was still Qinghe''s condition.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him? His injuries have all healed by now, so why isn¡¯t he waking up?¡± Jing Shui asked anxiously.


    Due to a mix of his raised cultivation and Jing Shui constantly feeding him pills, Qinghe¡¯s physical wounds had almost completely healed at a rapid rate. And yet he remained unmoving and unresponsive. It was obvious that something else was wrong with him.


    Not attempting to hide the gold in his eyes or the talons tipping his fingers, Wei Xiang frowned and replied in a deeper voice than usual, ¡°His core is damaged, and his strength, as well as his spiritual energy, is completely exhausted. His condition is unstable, so his body has shut down to recuperate.¡±


    ¡°Then we need to get him back to the sect quickly and have someone from the Lightning Sky Sect take a look at him,¡± Chen Xiande said with a grave look.


    The twins immediately piped in, ¡°Brother Wei, can¡¯t you use the shadows and transport Senior Brother home directly?¡±


    After all, when the Sentinels had arrived, many cultivators had already seen them popping out of the shadows, so the secret was already out in the open.


    But hearing the twins¡¯ suggestion, Wei Xiang shook his head. ¡°Because we all Sentinels used the shadow realm at once, it is currently very unsteady. It would be inadvisable to use it until it has stabilized on its own, however, it will take at least another day or so before it can accept at most a couple of people without issue.¡±


    Then, looking down at his little lover¡¯s pale face, Wei Xiang continued, ¡°Nevertheless, we still have other means of transportation.¡±


    ¡°But I heard that the transportation arrays in the arena all seemed to have been disabled stealthily by the demonic deity just before he sent those ghouls,¡± Jing Shui informed with a frown.


    Wei Xiang showed a thin smile. ¡°There are still other ways.¡±


    Saying so, he unfurled his huge golden wings.


    Seeing this, the twins also quickly summoned and extended their wings of ice and lightning, preparing to take flight.


    After exchanging a look between them, Jing Shui and Chen Xiande took out their own methods of transport, and the group of six thus quickly took to the skies.


    The other cultivators in the arena also began dispersing, taking care of their respective sects and cleaning up the mess.


    Thus, the first offensive of the demonic deity Xie Xingye finally came to an end.


    ¡­¡­


    An hour later at the Heavenly Peak Sect, Qinghe¡¯s room that once seemed spacious was now completely crammed with people, most of whom were famous and distinguished personages in the cultivation world.


    Qinghe laid silent and motionless on the bed while still in the same ripped and bloodstained robes. His face seemed too pale and bloodless, contrasting starkly with the dark shadows under his eyes. As he lay like this, his features seemed all too fragile, like an exquisitely made paper construct that would fall apart with a puff of wind. Even the rise and fall of his chest was barely noticeable as if he would stop breathing at any moment.


    By the bedside, sitting on a plain wooden stool, the sect master of the Lightning Sky Sect held Qinghe wrist, inspecting his condition with wrinkled brows and a solemn face. Beside him stood his head disciple Lei Zihua, acting as her master¡¯s assistant.


    Crowded around them were Wei Xiang, Feng Huixin, Fei Jin and Fei Yin, Chen Xiande, Jing Shui, Wu Xiao, and Zhen YiLan, with Liu Xue and Lu Feiyu left behind to take care of the aftermath in the Battle Arena in the other sect masters'' absence. Each of the people present looked worried and remorseful to varying degrees, blaming themselves for not doing more or feeling angry at that demonic deity and the black dragon for pushing Qinghe this far.


    As for why Feng Huixin was here, it was because Xie Xingye and his black dragon had unfortunately managed to escape his pursuit, and so he had quickly returned to check up on his son.


    Just then, the sect master of Lightning Sky Sect, Fu Cangyun, placed Qinghe¡¯s wrist back down, his frown becoming more apparent as he thought over the results of his examination.


    With an anxious expression, Zhen YiLan quickly asked, ¡°Sect Master Fu, how is Qing-er?¡±


    Rather than answering him directly, Fu Cangyun questioned in return, ¡°Between Sect Master Zhen and the Grandmaster, under whose guidance was Feng Qinghe most of the time? Especially, till a few months ago.¡±


    Since one was Qinghe¡¯s master and the other his father, in the end, Fu Cangyun wasn¡¯t all too sure who he spent the most time with.


    Frowning, Feng Huixin looked at Zhen YiLan just as the white-haired man spoke up, ¡°He is under my charge even now. I did not know of his connection to the Grandmaster, and I daresay that Qing-er himself must not have discovered it until very recently. Why do you ask, Sect Master Fu?¡±


    With a complicated expression, Fu Cangyun spoke, ¡°Sect Master Zhen, I think I should let you know that your disciple seems to bear many indications of being tortured multiple times. There are signs of most of his bones having been broken before they were allowed to naturally mend again. Many of his bones even seemed to have been pulverized completely before regenerating. There are also layered hints that suggest that his limbs had been completely removed¡ªboth partially and completely, sometimes cut away precisely and sometimes ripped off brutally¡ªbefore being allowed to grow back on their own. And this seems to have happened multiple times as well. There are still many other signs that will take too long to read, but just know that he has a lot of scar tissue buildup inside of him, suggesting that he must have suffered a lot indeed.


    ¡°On top of that, his spiritual pathways have also accrued damage as an indication of his spiritual flow being suppressed along with his cultivation. His core is also worn and seems to have been in constant danger of cracking. To put it simply, I¡¯m amazed that your disciple was able to survive and continue to cultivate with a sane mind.¡±


    Zhen YiLan was beyond shocked and devastated upon hearing all this, his hands fisted and trembling by his side. However, though the others also showed distressed and pained expression at what Fu Cangyun said, they¡¯d more or less already understood that it might be this way.


    Seeing Zhen YiLan¡¯s look of severe self-reproach, Fu Cangyun softened his voice and added, ¡°Sect Master Zhen, I have known you for long, and so I know that you would not have condoned your disciple¡¯s self-destructive tendencies if you had been aware. I can only advise that you take better care of him. Also, there are no new signs of injury after until a few months ago. He must have stopped being reckless then. I suggest you encourage whatever might have brought about this change in his attitude.¡±


    But everyone already knew that the biggest change that occurred to Qinghe a few months ago was¡­


    Several heads immediately turned in Wei Xiang¡¯s direction in response, while Wei Xiang only looked wry. ¡°Rest assured, I will continue to take care of him.¡±


    After nodding to his disciple, Feng Huixin turned to Fu Cangyun and asked, ¡°Sect Master Fu, what can be done for my son now?¡±


    Stroking his triangular steel-grey beard in thought, Fu Cangyun spoke, ¡°His physical injuries have completely healed, but his cracked core and lack of spiritual energy are putting too much burden on him. The cracked core is not something we can immediately deal with, I will have to spend a few days to collect the materials and refine the appropriate pills for that. But for now, he should at least get an infusion of wind-based spiritual energy soon. Are there any experienced wielders of wind here?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Feng Huixin said as he silently stepped forward.


    Fu Cangyun blinked, just remembering that the Grandmaster was indeed a wind-wielder.


    Nodding, he stepped to the side and instructed, ¡°Then please do it very gradually and try not to send too much energy at once.¡±


    Feng Huixin made a sound of affirmation and strode closer to his son. Then carefully taking Qinghe¡¯s wrist in his hand, Feng Huixin sent a thread of his spiritual energy into him, trying to be as gentle as possible.


    A silent hush fell over the room as everyone waited with bated breath to see if there would be any improvement in Qinghe¡¯s condition.


    After a few minutes, Qinghe¡¯s eyelashes indeed began to tremble, showing that he was about to wake.


    Knowing that his son didn¡¯t like being touched, Feng Huixin quickly let go of Qinghe¡¯s hand.


    The first thing Qinghe noticed when his consciousness flared to awareness was the dull throbbing in his stomach that felt like a hammer was smashing repeatedly at his dantian from the inside. The pain came and went in waves, unceasing and relentless.


    When he finally cracked his bleary eyes open, he noticed the crowd of faces peering at him worriedly.


    Habitually stuffing down all discomfort and putting up his pleasant expression and smile, Qinghe spoke, ¡°Hello, I see that I have a lot of guests. May I ask what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    At the side, Wei Xiang pressed his lips together, his brows drawing down.


    These past few months, he had become increasingly attuned to deducing what his beloved was feeling, learning which combination of the scents he exuded meant which emotion, like fear, distrust, anger, joy etc.


    And now, Wei Xiang felt his nose being assailed by the strong scent of pain and distress.


    Yet Qinghe outwardly looked as calm and collected as always, not giving away a single hint of his progressively increasing misery or his feeling of panic at being surrounded by so many people while he was at his most vulnerable.


    Not willing to see this, Wei Xiang bent forward and enveloped a startled Qinghe in his arms, hiding him from the crowd of people as he turned and growled, ¡°Leave for now.¡±


    Fu Cangyun simply nodded and left with Lei Zihua, already understanding that Wei Xiang had sensed something from Qinghe that warranted such a response.


    Feng Huixin hesitated, but trusting in his disciple, he chose to silently walk out of the room.


    Next were the twins. Guessing that Wei Xiang''s beast must have scented something, they also quickly left after throwing a "Get well soon, Senior Brother!" at Qinghe.


    Knowing that Qinghe must be feeling overwhelmed, Wu Xiao dragged Jing Shui and strode out the door after giving Qinghe a nod in greeting.


    Zhen YiLan hesitated, then simply bowed towards Wei Xiang and said solemnly, ¡°I will leave my second disciple in your care then, Sentinel Wei.¡± Then he also left the room, with a still anxious looking Chen Xiande following him out.


    At last, the room was empty and quiet, leaving only the couple.


    Letting out a shuddering breath, Qinghe finally dropped his smile as his face scrunched in pain. His arms curved around his stomach as he let his body lean limply in Wei Xiang¡¯s arms, not wanting to keep up the pretense anymore.


    ¡°Love, are you alright?¡± Wei Xiang asked while smoothing his hand down his little lover¡¯s back.


    Qinghe made as if to nod out of habit, then stopped and quickly shook his head. ¡°Xiang, my core¡­it hurts¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang felt his heart ache at his inability to help his lover ease his pain. ¡°Sect Master Fu has said that he¡¯ll work on your medicine. It will be ready in a few days. Can you hold on?¡±


    Qinghe jerkily nodded. Bearing pain was something he didn¡¯t mind doing, and this wasn¡¯t the worst pain he¡¯d had to bear till now anyway.


    Then hesitating, Qinghe said, ¡°We might not have time for Sect Master Fu to make those pills. I don¡¯t think that deity will wait that long before he comes up with a new plan. We should take this time to preemptively attack him when he¡¯s at a low.¡±


    With a helpless expression, Wei Xiang could only sigh. ¡°Qinghe¡­you are in no condition to worry about that now.¡±


    The edges of Qinghe¡¯s mouth tightened, turning white due to a new wash of pain, but he still pressed on, ¡°I know, I know. But¡­ I have to do this. Before I start planning about what to do next, I will need Sect Master Wu to weave new bindings, but this time on my core.¡±


    ¡°Qinghe!¡± Wei Xiang admonished. ¡°You have to rest now. Don¡¯t think about what comes after.¡±


    Hearing his beloved''s tone, Qinghe suddenly shrunk his shoulders and bent his head. In a small voice, he asked, ¡°Xiang¡­are you very angry? Are you mad that I got hurt again?¡±


    Sighing, Wei Xiang patted his lover tenderly on the head, then asked in return, ¡°Did you feel like there was any other choice that could have ended with a better result for you?¡±


    Seriously thinking about it, Qinghe could only shrug. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe if I had the time to think more rather than getting surprised by the suddenness of it all, then I might have been able to find some other way to keep the deity occupied that would ensure everyone¡¯s safety, however, I¡¯m still not too sure about that. But at that time, though I didn¡¯t really want to get hurt, I also felt like I didn¡¯t have any other choice. I can only say that I tried my best to protect my life as much as possible.¡±


    After explaining his thoughts clearly, Qinghe peeked up to see his lover¡¯s reaction.


    Wei Xiang didn¡¯t look angry, only slightly sad. ¡°I realize that you did the best you could with what you had to stall for our arrival, so I¡¯m not mad at you for that. I just wish you didn¡¯t have to get hurt like this. I¡¯m frustrated at my inability to always protect you, that¡¯s all.¡±


    For some reason, hearing the quiet self-reprobation in Wei Xiang¡¯s tone made Qinghe feel guiltier than his beloved being angry at him or more visibly upset.


    ¡°Xiang, I-I¡¯m sorry¡­ But I might have to get hurt a bit more by the time this is done¡­¡± Qinghe trailed away with his eyes lowered, his trembling fingers curling into his robe and gripping them tightly in trepidation.


    For a few moments, there was only silence. And then Wei Xiang¡¯s inflectionless voice floated down from above, ¡°Why?¡±


    Qinghe bit his lip, the pain in his stomach pushed to the back of his mind for now. ¡°Since my core is already cracked¡­I would be the most suitable person to take on this role. It¡¯ll be most efficient if I¡­was the one to¡­do it¡­¡±


    Feeling unable to continue as he sensed his lover¡¯s anger rising, Qinghe slowly stopped talking.


    Wei Xiang finally spoke, his voice a quiet whisper filled with complex emotions, ¡°Why do you always have to put yourself through so much like this?¡±


    Qinghe didn¡¯t know how to answer.


    Letting go of his stomach, he slowly raised his hands to clutch at Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulders, his head leaning forward to rest on his beloved¡¯s chest.


    In a weary voice, he replied, ¡°Xiang, I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t really want to hurt either. But I feel like I need to do this, that I would regret it if I didn¡¯t. And though I might sound conceited for saying this, the truth is that I don¡¯t trust anyone else to do this better than me. And I might not deserve to ask you this, but Xiang, can you please support my decision this time? I¡­I really need it now.¡±


    Wei Xiang let out a breath. Maybe he was being too rigid in trying to make sure his beloved wouldn¡¯t get hurt, but he didn¡¯t think it was all that unreasonable. But hearing the dull and lifeless tone in his little lover¡¯s voice, feeling him unconsciously curling around his stomach as if in reaction to the pain in his core while he was pressed against his body, Wei Xiang didn¡¯t want to burden him with his expectations.


    Closing his eyes, Wei Xiang thought carefully about what he wanted to do.


    ¡°Qinghe,¡± he called softly after a while. ¡°Tell me truthfully, whatever you¡¯re planning, will you come out of it alive?¡±


    Qinghe froze.


    Then leaning back, he looked into Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes earnestly. ¡°Technically, there is a possibility of me dying.¡±


    Just as Wei Xiang began gritting his teeth, his eyes lighting up with fury and desperate despair, Qinghe raised his hands to cup his lover¡¯s face between his palms, continuing in a steady voice, ¡°But I won¡¯t. I¡¯ve already thought it through. Even if I should by all rights die, I will still be saved. Do you know why?¡±


    With difficulty, Wei Xiang unclenched his jaws and asked, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because Heaven won¡¯t let me. I feel like I¡¯m important to it for some reason. I don¡¯t know what this heavenly soul is, but I know that it seems to play a significant part in whatever plan Heaven has for me. After honing me for so many years, I doubt it¡¯ll let me go that easily.¡±


    Hearing this, Wei Xiang frowned, unconvinced. ¡°Is that guess something you can trust your life to?¡±


    Qinghe chuckled. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure of it. Even if it weren''t the case, even if I die, Xiang, you won¡¯t be alone. You will follow me and we will reincarnate somewhere else together because of our soul bond. We¡¯ll possibly end up in one of those other worlds that the people of Silver Mist have so much fun spying on. No matter what happens, we won¡¯t have to be apart.¡±


    Wei Xiang sighed, his heart lightening for some reason. Though he wanted to stay stubbornly unconvinced, he could feel an insuppressible joy sprouting within him at the reminder of how even death couldn¡¯t come between them, and at how his little lover seemed so delighted at the prospect of always reincarnating beside him.


    However, Wei Xiang had to admit¡­


    ¡°I would still you rather not die at all.¡±


    Solemnly nodding, Qinghe agreed. ¡°Yes, me neither. I will do my best to not die.¡±


    Seeing his confidence, Wei Xiang started believing in it a little as well.


    But still not fully convinced, he asked with a bit of hesitation, ¡°What if something goes wrong? We can¡¯t afford any mistakes.¡±


    Qinghe just waved his hand. ¡°I¡¯ll not be the only one there. I¡¯m confident that you and the others can make things go the way I want it to.¡±


    Then, with a sharp grin, he declared, ¡°I was unprepared the first time, but this time I will make sure to keep the whole battlefield under my control.¡±


    Wei Xiang could only shake his head at this, his lips involuntarily curling up with a wry smile.


    Maybe, for once, he really should believe that everything would be alright.


    Bending down, he placed a chaste kiss on his little lover¡¯s forehead. ¡°Alright then, tell me how I can help.¡±


    Qinghe nodded seriously and said, ¡°Then you can help by dual cultivating together with me to stabilize my health.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s lips twitched as he bopped his opportunistic lover on his little nose. ¡°Nice try, but you¡¯re in no condition for that now, love.¡±


    Qinghe sighed at how his beloved was being so unnecessarily reasonable. ¡°Fine, fine. Then for now, help me ask the Grandmaster to arrange a large scale conference with the most important people of all the major sects and some of the minor sects with the best resources. We all need to discuss this matter together and start delegating tasks. But before the conference, I need to get my core at least temporarily patched up. It really is too inconvenient otherwise. Patching it up properly could also help reduce the direness of the aftermath once this whole thing is over.¡±


    Nodding, Wei Xiang assured, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it. Until we go to meet Sect Master Wu to discuss about your core, you better stay here and get some rest. In the meantime, I¡¯ll talk with Master about setting up that conference.¡±


    Smiling, Qinghe nodded. Obediently letting go of Wei Xiang and lying down on the bed, Qinghe let out an exhausted breath.


    Now that they¡¯d finished discussing all that, he keenly felt the throb of his core again. And thinking of how much more excruciating temporarily patching his core was going to be, Qinghe felt faint fear stirring inside him, the sensation both unfamiliar and unwelcome.


    Recalling how it had felt that first time so long ago when Wu Xiao had cast the Soul Sealing spell on him, Qinghe instinctively turned to his side and drew up his knees as if trying to protect himself. It had really felt very terrible that time, and patching his core would only feel worse.


    Sitting at the edge of the bed, Wei Xiang couldn¡¯t help but get worried as he saw his beloved¡¯s complexion worsening.


    But just as he was pondering on how to best comfort his lover, he felt a small tug on his robes and looked down, only to see Qinghe¡¯s fingers delicately pulling the hem of his sleeve.


    Looking up with wide eyes, Qinghe spoke in a beseeching voice, ¡°Xiang, can you please come and lie down with me for a while? I¡¯ll sleep better that way.¡±


    As long as his lover stayed beside him, Qinghe knew that his fears of the future would stay away.


    And so, after Wei Xiang shed his outer robes and lied down on the bed, Qinghe snuggled close into his beloved¡¯s soothing warmth and finally felt peaceful sleep descending on him.


    Whatever came after this, he and his Xiang would deal with it together.

 Chapter 111: Receiving Support

    Once Qinghe fell deep asleep, Wei Xiang carefully got up from the bed and transported himself to the Order to take care of a few things relating to the aftermath of Xie Xingye¡¯s attack on the Battle Arena. After that, he talked with his master and managed to convince Feng Huixin to call for a cultivation-world-wide conference as Qinghe had asked him to.


    Once that was done, Wei Xiang was waylaid by his subordinates and had to spend quite a while to convince his lieutenants¡ªespecially the teary Hou Yu¡ªthat Qinghe was more or less fine and that he was not on his deathbed as they feared.


    It was only after all this that he could finally make it back to his little lover¡¯s side.


    Meanwhile, after Qinghe woke up from his restful sleep, he had been patiently waiting for his beloved to return from the Sentinel headquarters. And as soon as Wei Xiang came back, Qinghe promptly dragged him off to the Silver Moon Sect so that he could ask Wu Xiao to cast a spell to hold his core together.


    However, Wu Xiao was less than thrilled about Qinghe¡¯s request.


    ¡°Xiao Feng, are you sure about this?¡± Wu Xiao asked for the fourteenth time.


    And just like the last thirteen times, Qinghe nodded with conviction. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    Seeing the determined look in his eyes, Wu Xiao could only sigh and relent. ¡°Very well then. Unlike last time with the Soul Sealing spell, you are an adult who knows what will happen, so I will not refuse. But you do know that it will be exceedingly painful? Do you still want to go through with this?¡±


    Qinghe hesitated, but still nodded in the end. ¡°I¡¯ve thought this through, and having my core temporarily patched would make many things more convenient for me.¡±


    Chuckling humorlessly, Wu Xiao shook his head. Then his expression turning grave, he cautioned, ¡°Xiao Feng, I can do this, but it will mean that you cannot use your cultivation at all. If you do, then the cracks in your core will multiply. Based on the situation, your core might even shatter completely. You will have to start cultivating from the beginning then, and with damaged spiritual pathways at that. I hope you are well aware of all the consequences of worsening your condition.¡±


    Nodding once again, Qinghe reassured with a smile, ¡°Thank you for worrying for me, Sect Master Wu, but I am fully aware of what I¡¯m asking you to do.¡±


    Massaging his temples at this stubborn youngster¡¯s insistence, Wu Xiao could only agree to it in the end.


    And so, after sending a message to Jing Shui explaining that he¡¯d be gone for a while, Wu Xiao led Qinghe and his silent Sentinel lover towards one of the more secluded rooms in the sect¡¯s main building. Since they didn¡¯t have any sound-proof rooms, this would have to do for now.


    The room was medium-sized and had undecorated grey floors, walls, and ceilings. A set of equally grey stone counters ran along the walls, holding various things, from dusty books and strange copper apparatuses to glass balls and thriving potted plants. A few wooden chairs were haphazardly scattered near these stone counters, looking worn but still functional.


    Wu Xiao dragged one of these heavy chairs and placed it in the middle of the room. ¡°Xiao Feng, come and sit here. And I also want to warn you that I¡¯ll have to tie down your hands and feet so that you don¡¯t move during the process due to the pain. Are you able to cooperate?¡±


    Pushing down his unease, Qinghe merely smiled. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Sect Master Wu. I can ask Xiang to restrain me.¡±


    Nodding, Wu Xiao motioned to the chair. ¡°Sit down and get as comfortable as you can then. And I would appreciate it if you could undo your clothes to make it easier for me. I can sense that your robes have protection charms stitched into them, and the spells might hinder me while I work.¡±


    Qinghe pressed his lips together and nodded in assent even as his gaze stayed fixed on the chair, his body unmoving.


    Then suddenly turning to his lover, Qinghe pulled Wei Xiang to the chair and pushed him down onto it. With a raised eyebrow, Wei Xiang sat down obediently.


    ¡°Do you want to sit on my lap?¡± he asked with a trace of amusement.


    Qinghe gave a tight nod, but remained standing.


    Deciding to help him out, Wei Xiang reached out his arms and began undoing his little lover¡¯s belt, lightly pushing apart the lapels until a slice of smooth skin was exposed, stretching down to his lower belly and the edge of his pants.


    Then holding his arms wide as if for an embrace, Wei Xiang coaxed his beloved in a gentle tone, ¡°Love, come and sit down.¡±


    Stepping forward, Qinghe gingerly sat down on Wei Xiang¡¯s firm thighs, feeling his lover¡¯s strong arms closing over his upper arms and abdomen as his familiar scent enveloped him. Resting his forearms on the armrest and gripping the length of wood tightly with his fingers, Qinghe tried to loosen his rigid body.


    Swallowing nervously, he looked up at Wu Xiao and finally spoke, ¡°Sect Master Wu, you may begin.¡±


    Nodding, Wu Xiao approached the seated Qinghe, but just as he was about to extend his hand, the door to the room suddenly banged open. With worried expressions and furious scowls, Jing Shui, Chen Xiande, and the twins strode in.


    Wu Xiao simply smiled as if having long since expected them.


    Seeing this, Qinghe immediately realized that when Wu Xiao had sent that message to Jing Shui, he must have revealed Qinghe¡¯s request. And Jing Shui would have then contacted Chen Xiande and the twins to mobilize them before the entire group marched in here to offer moral support.


    ¡°Feng Qinghe, what are you doing sneaking around like this?¡± Jing Shui shouted the second he spotted Qinghe. ¡°You should have told us about what you wanted to do so that we could be here beside you. Or is it that you enjoy causing everyone so much worry? Or what, do you think we don¡¯t care?!¡±


    Seeing that he seemed to have made his friend angry due to his inadvertently inconsiderate behavior, Qinghe hurriedly spoke with a sheepish expression, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You¡¯re right, I should have told you.¡±


    Seeing his friend immediately showing a look of contrition and acknowledging his wrongs without arguing, Jing Shui simply hmphed in acceptation of the apology.


    ¡°Senior Brother, why did you call Brother Wei but not us?¡± the twins asked with teary eyes.


    Qinghe felt the rock of guilt in his chest growing heavier.


    Chen Xiande added another dose of remorse to it as he admonished, ¡°Junior Brother, you vanished without telling anybody. The people in the sect were all very worried. Even Master was frantically running around searching for you, afraid that with your injured core, you might not be able to protect yourself in case of danger.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s head drooped down. He had honestly not thought about it that way.


    Wounded or not, before now, he was always used to coming and going from the sect as he wished, seldom having to notify anyone of his arrival or departure. But now that he couldn¡¯t use his cultivation without worsening the fracture in his core, it was obvious that people would be worried about him if he disappeared.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I wasn¡¯t thinking,¡± Qinghe honestly repented.


    Chen Xiande narrowed his eyes, then nodded. ¡°It¡¯s good that you understand. Don¡¯t worry, I already notified Master of your location and asked him not to be anxious since I¡¯ll be accompanying you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you, Senior Brother,¡± Qinghe courteously replied.


    However, he was lamenting in his heart that if this were the Chen Xiande from before, he would not have been as authoritative when scolding his errant junior brother while also being capable enough to elicit maximum guilt like this.


    At the side, Wei Xiang simply acted like a chair and watched the proceedings quietly, humor lightening his gaze.


    Though he had wanted to remind his little lover to inform his sect before leaving, Qinghe hadn¡¯t given him the time to do so before dragging him here with an obvious look of both impatience and trepidation clouding his gaze, making Wei Xiang reluctant to bring it up.


    And later, when Wu Xiao was sneakily whispering the message he was going to send to Jing Shui, Wei Xiang had been able to hear it due to his sharp beast senses and had thus known that this would happen, but had purposefully chosen to not tell his little lover.


    After all, if Qinghe had known, he would have been stewing in guilt that he was bothering his dear ones for the convenience of gaining moral support. But this way, he didn¡¯t have time to dwell on that and could only accept their help since they were already here of their own accord.


    And witnessing this situation playing out, Wei Xiang was convinced that he had made the right decision.


    In the meantime, seeing that he was truly repentant, the newly-arrived group of four finally let Qinghe off.


    Turning to his lover, Jing Shui asked, ¡°Wu Xiao, is there any way we can help with this?¡±


    Wu Xiao tilted his head in thought, then nodded. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, then can you hold him down?¡±


    Truthfully, there was no need to ask them to do this, since a length of rope, a restraining talisman, or Wei Xiang¡¯s strings would do just fine too. But since the four were already here and wanted to support Qinghe, Wu Xiao simply thought that this would be the best method to let them feel like they were helping. And having his beloved people so close, Qinghe might also feel more at ease as he went through the grueling process of temporarily patching his core.


    ¡°Junior Brother, is this alright with you?¡± Chen Xiande asked with a frown. After all, he already knew that Qinghe disliked touch.


    Qinghe jerkily nodded. By now, his tolerance towards being touched by the people he loved had already grown to a great degree.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind but¡­are you all sure you want to do this?¡± Qinghe asked hesitantly. Then looking away, he said in a quiet voice, ¡°This isn¡¯t going to be pretty, you know.¡±


    Jing Shui huffed and retorted, ¡°If I wanted to see something pretty, I¡¯d just look in the mirror. Or even better, I¡¯d just look at Wu Xiao.¡±


    Hearing this unexpected statement, Qinghe let out a startled laugh.


    Wu Xiao batted his eyelashes exaggeratedly. ¡°Did I hear that right? Did my Ah-Shui just call me pretty?¡±


    With a blush, Jing Shui snapped, ¡°Y-You shut up and just concentrate on what you have to do!¡±


    ¡°Of course I will. But hearing my beautiful beloved complement me so generously like this, how can my poor little heart take it? I might just swoon in joy~¡±


    ¡°Wu Xiao! J-Just f-forget I s-said anything!¡± Jing Shui stuttered out.


    As the couple kept bickering, Qinghe smiled with helpless affection. With his loved ones so close by his side like this, showing their concern for him and wishing to support him with their presence, Qinghe realized that his apprehension had already decreased by a lot.


    Just then, Chen Xiande walked up to him and solemnly spoke, his voice firm and sincere, ¡°Junior Brother, even though none of us want to see you in pain, we still want to be here for you. You should know that you don¡¯t have to bear everything alone. You now have your Sentinel Wei by your side, and you also have us. Don¡¯t forget.¡±


    Hearing him say this, Qinghe blinked his stinging eyes dazedly, then lowered his head to hide his expression as he nodded. Then in a quiet whisper, he said, ¡°I understand. Thank you, Senior Brother.¡±


    After regaining some of his composure, Qinghe also looked up and told the room at large, ¡°Thank you for being here for me.¡±


    Stopping their arguing, Wu Xiao and Jing Shui looked at Qinghe with warmth in their eyes. The twins smiled back widely, while Chen Xiande merely nodded, hiding his awkwardness behind a cough.


    Now that Qinghe¡¯s mood had somewhat stabilized, Wu Xiao thought it would be better to start soon.


    ¡°Then I think it¡¯s time to begin now. Everyone, please choose one of Xiao Feng¡¯s limbs to hold down. Sentinel Wei, please hold on tightly to his torso,¡± he began instructing.


    Qinghe unconsciously stiffened.


    His arms staying securely wrapped around his little lover¡¯s chest, Wei Xiang placed his lips by Qinghe¡¯s ear and whispered, ¡°It¡¯s alright, relax.¡±


    Inexplicably, Qinghe felt his body automatically loosening up in a preconditioned response as his ears lightly flushed. After all, the voice and tone Wei Xiang just used were the same ones he employed while they were in bed.


    Every time they made love, as his Xiang slowly entered him after preparation, as Qinghe strained and struggled to accept his lover inside his tight passage, his eyes squeezing shut and his lips trembling as he let out soft cries¡­ Wei Xiang would hold him close and often whisper to him just like this, asking him to relax and loosen his body while reassuring him that everything was fine in his steady and kind voice.


    So how could Qinghe not react after being spoken to in the same tone?


    While Qinghe was still blushing, lost in the haze of those pleasant recollections, four pairs of hands had already clamped down on his wrists and ankles. Chen Xiande and Jing Shui pressed down on each of Qinghe¡¯s wrists while the twins held his ankles in place, almost hugging his legs.


    Feeling all his limbs being restrained like this, a vague feeling of alarm tried to rise in his chest, but Qinghe ruthlessly stomped it down. He loved and trusted these people, and he knew without a doubt that they would never hurt him or take advantage of him when he was this defenseless. Also, his Xiang was right here. Nothing would happen.


    After he managed to calm himself down, Qinghe slowly unclenched his fists and let out a deep breath. Then looking up, he spoke, ¡°Sect Master Wu, I¡¯m ready. Please begin.¡±


    Wu Xiao nodded, then crouched down for a more stable posture before reaching forward again. And this time, there were no interruptions.


    When Qinghe felt a cool fingertip lightly touching him just below his navel, he instinctively flinched back into Wei Xiang due to his anxiety and expectation of pain. But Wei Xiang held him firmly in place, not allowing him to move much.


    Under his arms, Wei Xiang felt Qinghe¡¯s chest beginning to heave faster as his breaths sped up in the onset of panic. He felt his little lover¡¯s heart pounding against the walls of his chest as if trying to flee.


    Tamping down his own anguish and pain at having to witness this, Wei Xiang quietly kept whispering soothing reassurances, eventually succeeding in calming Qinghe down again.


    Wu Xiao¡¯s expression was serious as he hid his distress and began slowly inserting his silvery threads of power into Qinghe¡¯s stomach, reaching deeper inside to curve around his cracked core.


    Qinghe felt a vague prickling sensation at first that slowly grew into an uncomfortable ache, then into a piercing pain. However, he was easily able to bear it without much change in his expression.


    But then, when Wu Xiao started actually knitting together his threads around Qinghe¡¯s core, forming the first layer of the spell with careful gentleness, Qinghe felt the already piercing agony deepening to an unfathomable degree.


    His body shuddered once as he attempted to swallow down his pained groans, his Adam¡¯s apple bobbing up and down. His hands fisted as the torment kept mounting, his spine stretching taut while his jaws clenched tightly together, refusing to let a single sound of pain escape.


    Seeing Qinghe trying to suppress himself even now, the others felt as though their own hearts were being pierced by needles. They wished he would openly express himself and let them share his torment even a little. They could not bear to see him suffering like this in silence.


    Unaware of the others¡¯ thoughts, Qinghe rested back against Wei Xiang silently, his eyes squeezed shut and his body as stiff as a rock. Not willing to see his little lover remaining like this, Wei Xiang decided he¡¯d had enough.


    Through the thick cloud of pain filling his head, Qinghe heard Wei Xiang¡¯s voice instructing him, ¡°Qinghe, love, please don¡¯t hold it all in. If screaming and struggling can let out even a small bit of your pain and make you feel better by even a little, then don¡¯t mind us and just do it.¡±


    As the meaning slowly filtered into his mind, Qinghe considered the suggestion hazily. Then deciding that his beloved was right after all, Qinghe finally decided to let it all flow out.


    And so, as if something inside him had finally broken apart, Qinghe screamed.


    It was very unlike his usual smooth voice or elegant tone, there was no refinement or finesse in it. It was a simple sound of pure, raw agony and emotion, trying to convey an inexpressible amount of torment.


    As Qinghe let out heart-wrenchingly raw and guttural cries, his body beginning to twist and writhe, he turned his head back and rested it on Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulder reflexively as if trying to hide himself.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s expression twisted with pain of a different sort as his arms tightened around his lover, holding his struggling body in place.


    As he pressed Qinghe¡¯s squirming wrist firmly into the armrest of the chair, Chen Xiande¡¯s face went pale from just imagining the sheer pain his junior brother must be going through. After all, even when he had been tortured brutally in the Black Fang base so long ago, he had still been able to maintain his composure perfectly. For such a strong person to let out these sorts of unbearable screams, just how much agony must he be in?


    Jing Shui looked away with red-rimmed eyes, trying to blink away the tears constantly threatening to fall. As his hands held down Qinghe¡¯s other wrist, his fingers trembled slightly. He would give anything to make this more bearable for his friend right now. For the Feng Qinghe who had already suffered so much in the past to go through this torture, it was simply too cruel.


    Fei Jin and Fei Yin, on the other hand, made no attempts to hide the tears rolling down their cheeks, their faces expressionless as they stared intently at their senior brother¡¯s twisting expression, their eyes filled with inexpressible anguish. It was as if they were etching this moment into their hearts and souls, willing to never forget all that their beloved brother had to go through, silently accompanying him in sharing this pain and misery.


    But the one who suffered the most while remaining silent was of course Wei Xiang.


    He wished he could take away his beloved¡¯s pain, he wished he could take it into himself and suffer in his lover¡¯s stead. He wished he could go back in time and save his lover so that his core wouldn¡¯t have cracked in the first place.


    Holding down his Qinghe¡¯s body as he struggled and thrashed in absolute agony, hearing his screams as he was tormented from within, smelling the pain, horror, and desperation emanating from his skin¡­it was too much. His beast howled and clawed within him, wanting to take away its beloved mate from all this pain and hurt. But Wei Xiang was forced to hold down his twisting lover. He had to make him bear this, and it tore him up more than he could ever express.


    Meanwhile, Qinghe sobbed and wailed unrestrainedly.


    This was too unbearable, the pain too much, slowly grinding down his thick mental barriers and eroding even his strong ability to endure. He wanted to shout and plead with them to stop hurting him, to show him mercy.


    Please, let me go. I don¡¯t want this. Please, Xiang, it hurts so much. Please, stop¡­


    But these words remained trapped in his throat.


    After all, though he wanted to beg them for relief from the pain, Qinghe knew that he would not find it. So he swallowed down his miserable pleas and wordlessly screamed instead.


    Because no matter what, he had no choice but to bear this¡­he had to!


    The screams of excruciating agony shredded his throat as they ripped out of him, ringing throughout the room and resounding loudly. Even as his throat bled, his body that had already been strengthened due to being soaked in spiritual energy all these years kept healing any damages to his tissues, letting his cries ring out unimpeded.


    And so, it went on and on.


    In the end, though this day may eventually come to a close, all those who were present in the room would forever feel these heartbreakingly desperate cries echoing in their hearts for the rest of their lives.


    ¨DAnd it would be so also for Feng Huixin.


    Outside the closed door of the room, a white-faced Feng Huixin stood frozen in place. Each scream was like a spike of agony being driven through him.


    The hand that he had extended to push open the door stopped just short of touching it.


    He did not feel like he had the right to intrude in his son¡¯s time of vulnerability.


    As much as he wanted to be there to support and stand with Qinghe, he did not think he would be welcome. Right now, his son was staying among people he trusted and cared for the most, and so he felt free to express himself and cry out. But if Feng Huixin, the man who he still didn¡¯t feel comfortable calling ¡®father¡¯, joined him at this time, then what comfort Qinghe had been able to find would be nullified by his unwanted presence¡ªor at least that was what Feng Huixin thought.


    Lowering his extended arm, Feng Huixin fisted his hands, his eyes turning more and more haunted as his son¡¯s screams bled through the door, ceaselessly echoing in his mind.


    From beside him, Kong Min observed all this with worry.


    Though what Qinghe was going through sounded horrible and devastating, Kong Min was sure that with a little time, whatever scars it created could be healed. After all, his Little Bro was more resilient and tough than most people thought.


    But his master wouldn¡¯t necessarily be able to think about this rationally right now.


    After some thought, Kong Ming finally spoke, ¡°Master, it seems like Wei Xiang is already keeping your son company and giving him the support he needs. If you want to help them, then I think it would be more useful if we could go back to headquarters and take care of the aftermath while arranging that conference Wei Xiang talked about.¡±


    Hesitantly, Feng Huixin nodded. What his disciple said made sense. He could do more good if he could make sure that all those little details were handled so that his sons wouldn¡¯t be burdened with them at this time.


    And so, Feng Huixin turned around and left with laden feet and a heavy heart, wishing there would come a time when he could join his son in his joys and sorrows.


    A half an hour later, the screams finally stopped, leaving the room feeling empty and hollow.


    After exhausting his strength, Qinghe fell unconscious while still being held by Wei Xiang.


    Wu Xiao had finally finished carefully weaving several layers of intricate spells to form a tight shell around Qinghe¡¯s core so that not only would its condition not worsen, but the persistent pain of having a cracked core would also not keep plaguing him. He would be able to function normally, except for being unable to use his cultivation. But even without the shell of spells, it would have been highly inadvisable for Qinghe to keep using his cultivation anyway.


    After everything was finished, Jing Shui led a drained Wu Xiao to return to his room while Chen Xiande took the twins back to the Heavenly Peak Sect to report to their master. On their way out, they all asked Wei Xiang to notify them if anything changed with Qinghe¡¯s condition, to which Wei Xiang agreed.


    Lifting his little lover up, Wei Xiang used the now-stabilized shadow realm that could still channel only a few people at a time, and transported them both back to Qinghe¡¯s room.


    After lying his beloved down on his bed and covering him up with a quilt, a wan and tired-looking Wei Xiang sat by the bedside with bloodshot eyes, staring unwaveringly at Qinghe¡¯s face.


    The day slowly segued to night, with Qinghe still remaining unmoving.


    When the moon reached its peak, the figure on the bed finally stirred.


    This time when Qinghe opened his eyes, he was thankful that there was only his Xiang by his side. The pain in his stomach had also abated a lot, leaving him feeling especially buoyant and free.


    Decisively burying the memory of the agony he had felt just prior to losing consciousness deep into his mind, Qinghe stretched and yawned before asking in a hoarse voice, ¡°Xiang, how long did I stay asleep?¡±


    Wei Xiang only stared blankly. Then without a word, he pulled Qinghe into a hug.


    ¡°Do you feel alright?¡± he asked with unhidden anxiousness.


    Qinghe was startled at first, but then understood. His lover was still trapped in the memory of when he was having his core patched.


    Patting Wei Xiang¡¯s back comfortingly, Qinghe smiled. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine. Maybe it was because there were so many people willing to stay by my side and act as my support, but it does not feel mentally taxing at all.¡±


    Then burying his face into the crook of his beloved¡¯s shoulder, Qinghe added softly, ¡°Xiang, thank you for being with me.¡±


    Wei Xiang let out a deep breath in relief.


    All this time, he¡¯d been afraid that Qinghe would fear him. He had after all been holding him immobile as his little lover had struggled and screamed like that. Wei Xiang had expected it to leave a psychological shadow in his beloved¡¯s mind, making him instinctively feel afraid of him.


    But seeing that it wasn¡¯t the case, seeing that Qinghe had already bounced back to normalcy, Wei Xiang felt that he could breathe easy at last.


    Feeling his lover¡¯s body finally relaxing in his arms, Qinghe smiled wider.


    ¡°Xiang, now that that¡¯s done, don¡¯t you think we should do a little dual cultivation to help me recover sooner?¡± he asked in the most innocent voice he could muster.


    Wei Xiang''s lips twitched at how his beloved kept thinking of such things even at this time, but he still enthusiastically pressed down his eager little lover. Then using careful actions and delicate touches, Wei Xiang directly sought affirmation from his beloved''s body that everything was truly alright.


    The couple thus thoroughly enjoyed each other while the moon serenely slid across the night sky.


    Afterwards, they both cleaned themselves and the room up before getting dressed in their sleeping robes. Now knowing that his lover had delicious wine stored in his storage space, Qinghe greedily exhorted more of it from Wei Xiang before happily proceeding to get drunk.


    Wanting to bury the echoes of his beloved¡¯s screams still ringing in his mind under the memories of much happier moments, Wei Xiang also very generously indulged his little lover this time.


    And so, after downing a few bottles, Qinghe very seriously put forth while in a drunken stupor, ¡°Xiang, I want to snuggle in a different bed.¡±


    Nodding solemnly as he hid all traces of laughter, Wei Xiang asked, ¡°Which bed does my little lover want to snuggle in?¡±


    Qinghe titled his head, his brows scrunching in thought as he pondered this question with due gravity.


    ¡°Hmm¡­that one, the one in your compound¡­I don¡¯t know what it looks like¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang couldn¡¯t help the affectionate smile that slipped over his lips. ¡°Then let¡¯s go there tomorrow, alright?¡±


    But Qinghe very firmly shook his head before declaring petulantly, ¡°No! We¡¯re going now!¡±


    And so, with puffed cheeks and a little pout, Qinghe dragged Wei Xiang with him, making him use the shadows so that they could quickly get to the Sentinel compound.


    As Qinghe thus pulled his lover along through the corridors of the Sentinels¡¯ living quarters on the noble quest to find a very particular bed in which he wanted to cuddle, Wei Xiang looked out through the windows at the beautiful night sky and smiled with contentment.

 Chapter 112: On a Midnight Visit

    Feng Huixin was having a bizarre dream. He thought that this dream might just be real.


    The dreamscape was nothing but flowing clouds lit by the golden glow of sunlight. He hovered among the gilded clouds amorphously. Vague shapes took form and dissolved around him, white vapor swirling endlessly in lazy curls.


    A majestic voice suddenly boomed in this space.


    ¡°Deity of Judgment Feng Huixin, what is your situation and when shall you return to the heavens with your son?¡±


    Faced with this familiar voice that he hadn¡¯t heard since he descended, Feng Huixin gave a mental bow out of respect and replied, ¡°Your Majesty, I have found my son, but he might not yet be willing to leave this world and his loved ones here to depart for the heavens with me. I ask for your patience.¡±


    Feng Huixin also wanted to take this chance to report to the Heavenly Emperor that the path to Heaven seemed to be blocked from his side and relay the problem with the demonic deity¡­ but the words refused to come out as if held back by a great force.


    Recognizing this as interference from Heaven itself, Feng Huixin was forced to just sigh and give up for now.


    After hearing Feng Huixin¡¯s words, a heavy exhalation filled with unfathomable weight stirred the clouds, gently blowing them back. ¡°Then try and make haste to return. The situation here might turn dire otherwise.¡±


    Immediately sharpening his attention, Feng Huixin asked with alarm. ¡°What do you mean, Your Majesty? An enemy attack? Civil unrest? Or have the Qilin finally returned?¡±


    Another great sigh, heavier than the last, gusted over the clouds as the Heavenly Emperor explained,  ¡°None of those, it¡¯s your wife.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Feng Huixin felt that he should¡¯ve expected this.


    ¡°She has been causing a ruckus at the heavenly court every day, demanding that I send her to wherever her child and husband are. She first made her men sign a petition to push forward her request, but when that failed to work, she began threatening to misuse her authority as the general of the heavenly armies to organize a revolt and take over as the new Heavenly Empress.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    If the current Heavenly Emperor did not have such a good temper, Feng Huixin knew that his wife would have been slapped with several accounts of treason by now.


    In a chagrined tone, Feng Huixin spoke, ¡°I apologize for my wife¡¯s conduct. Your Majesty, may I ask you to please inform her that our son and I are well and that we will hopefully be able to return soon with my son¡¯s partner, who has been as another son to me all this while.¡±


    There was a moment of silence as the Heavenly Emperor digested this. ¡°I will convey your words. Perhaps this will stall her for some time.¡±


    But both of them knew that with Feng Chunyi¡¯s temperament, it was unlikely.


    This time, both Feng Huixin and the Heavenly Emperor sighed out a breath at the same time.


    In a weary voice, the Heavenly Emperor finally said, ¡°I hope that hearing mention of her future son-in-law will keep her occupied for a while. Stay well, Feng Huixin.¡±


    With that, the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s presence receded.


    The clouds immediately lost their rosy golden tint and began turning a gloomy grey. The biting chill of cold fog pierced into Feng Huixin¡¯s formless spirit as his surroundings started to darken.


    Cold laughter and sharp words began to sound as if from a distance, the vague sounds both familiar and unwelcome. Feng Huixin recalled that these were the voices of his family who had treated him so harshly before.


    The clouds flowing around him turned black and thickened into acrid smoke, the indistinct voices from before screaming shrilly as if in miserable pain. The stench of charred flesh wafted ever so slightly in the air that had begun to burn with dry heat. Sounds of people crying and screeching, along with mad, hysterical laughter and shouts of anger, floated over with the arid wind.


    Memories and impressions mixed in Feng Huixin¡¯s mind as the nightmare slowly took root in the absence of the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s presence, sinking its claws into him as his consciousness slowly slipped deeper into sleep¡­


    Knock, knock!


    The sound of someone rapping loudly on his door dragged Feng Huixin back into wakefulness, the stuffy feeling brought to him by his nightmare slowly dissipating along with the winds that had begun to stir in the room due to his unrestful sleep.


    Blinking his eyes to clear the last wisps of drowsiness, Feng Huixin sat up and called, ¡°Enter.¡±


    He had already determined the identities of the ones currently behind the door with his spirit sense and felt more than a little puzzled and anxious at their presence here.


    Hearing Feng Huixin¡¯s permission to enter, Qinghe brusquely pushed open the door and unsteadily walked in, his hand tightly clutching Wei Xiang¡¯s as he pulled his lover along.


    In a dignified voice, Qinghe loudly proclaimed, ¡°Grandmaster, I¡¯m here to cuddle in your bed!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Meeting his master¡¯s utterly baffled gaze, Wei Xiang could only shrug and say, ¡°He¡¯s drunk.¡±


    Showing an expression of understanding, Feng Huixin solemnly nodded. ¡°Very well then, I¡¯ll give my room to you both tonight.¡±


    But as he made to get up, Qinghe huffed dissatisfiedly and refused with vehemence, ¡°No! Then it won¡¯t be your bed anymore!¡±


    Feng Huixin could only look helplessly at his third disciple once again, hoping he could translate his son¡¯s words for him.


    With his eyes shining with laughter, Wei Xiang explained, ¡°He wants us to lie down together, isn¡¯t that right, love?¡±


    Qinghe nodded emphatically, his cheeks pink with inebriation and puffed up cutely. ¡°Yes, together!¡±


    Feng Huixin felt his heart clench tightly. He very badly wanted to squeeze his adorable little son¡¯s cheeks, but curled his itchy fingers into fists instead as he coughed lightly. ¡°Very well, then you may get on the bed.¡±


    Qinghe nodded happily and dragged Wei Xiang to the bed. But as he made to climb up, Wei Xiang stopped him and reminded, ¡°Qinghe, you¡¯re not wearing shoes. Your feet must have gotten dusty while you wandered outside, remember? You can¡¯t get on the bed like this.¡±


    As for the dusty footprints already decorating the room¡¯s otherwise immaculate floor, Wei Xiang was helpless to do anything about them now.


    Halting at hearing his lover¡¯s reminder, Qinghe looked up at Wei Xiang with watery eyes. ¡°Then¡­we can¡¯t cuddle together?¡±


    Both Wei Xiang and Feng Huixin felt as if their hearts had been struck.


    ¡°Of course we can, love. Just sit on the bed and keep your feet down. I¡¯ll help you clean them up,¡± Wei Xiang hurriedly offered. If those clear tears brimming in his little lover¡¯s eyes actually fell, then the damage to his heart would be devastating!


    His mood immediately brightening, Qinghe smiled cheerfully and plopped his butt onto the edge of the bed, dangling his feet down as he waved them in the air.


    Crouching down in front of his expectant lover, Wei Xiang retrieved a cloth and a basin of warm water from his storage space. Then wetting the cloth, he carefully wiped away the thin layer of dust covering the bottom of his beloved¡¯s feet.


    Once Wei Xiang was done, Qinghe quickly climbed up the rest of the way and laid down in the middle of the bed, clearly staking his claim on that particular spot with a smug expression.


    Both Wei Xiang and Feng Huixin could only look on affectionately at his face that shone with unhidden, childish glee.


    Cleaning up his own feet in a similar way, Wei Xiang put away the cloth and the basin of water, then joined Qinghe on the bed, lying down sideways due to the lack of space.


    Qinghe then looked up at Feng Huixin. Now that even his Xiang had joined him, shouldn¡¯t his father do the same?


    And so, raising a hand and strongly tugging at Feng Huixin¡¯s robe, Qinghe ordered, ¡°Grandmaster, you also lie down!¡±


    Feng Huixin felt wry at how his son still didn¡¯t call him father despite his drunkenness. But the very fact that he was here asking to spend time together meant that he had at least lowered his defenses against him.


    As Qinghe kept tugging at his sleeve, Feng Huixin felt that his robe would either tear or slide off of him at this rate. So placating his son with a soft ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯m coming,¡± Feng Huixin finally saved his poor robe from his son¡¯s clutches and lied down on Qinghe¡¯s other side.


    But three fully-grown people squished in a single, medium-sized bed was bound to be uncomfortable.


    Sensing this, Qinghe turned his body to the side with his back facing Wei Xiang, allowing for a little more room.


    Then frowning, Qinghe demanded, ¡°Xiang, your hands.¡±


    With an indulgent smile, Wei Xiang looped his arms over and under Qinghe, enveloping him from behind as he usually did when they slept in this position.


    Qinghe¡¯s frown eased at this familiar and comforting sensation. With a sigh of contentment, he leaned his body back into Wei Xiang¡¯s even as he pressed his cheek into his father¡¯s bosom that was right in front of him.


    Feng Huixin froze, just now remembering his son¡¯s aversion to touch. But seeing how Qinghe hadn¡¯t seemed to mind how he had to squeeze together with him when Feng Huixin had first lied down, added with how easily his son was touching him now¡­ could it be that he actually didn¡¯t mind his touch due to him being his father?


    Though it felt too good to be true, Feng Huixin still reached his hand up and patted his son¡¯s round head experimentally and with caution, hoping that he would accept his touch. Feeling a warm palm carefully rubbing his head, Qinghe only made a hum of pleasure rather than flinching back or pushing him away as he¡¯d expected.


    And so, with more confidence, Feng Huixin pressed closer to his son, stroking Qinghe¡¯s hair rhythmically with gentle motions.


    Qinghe melted into the bed comfortably, an expression of bliss on his face.


    He basked in his beloved¡¯s familiar and loving presence shrouding him from the back while his father¡¯s steady and soothing existence lulled him into relaxing further from the front. Feeling the secure warmth of his lover¡¯s arms around him and his father¡¯s hand affectionately patting his head, Qinghe drowsily thought that this was what heaven should feel like.


    If he were a cat, he¡¯d surely be purring to show his satisfaction by now.


    Pushing up his eyelids that had already gone too heavy, Qinghe mumbled in an aggrieved tone, ¡°Why am I not a cat?¡±


    Then not waiting for an answer, he drifted off to sleep, his expression relaxing into one of tranquility.


    Feng Huixin¡¯s hand paused on his son¡¯s head as he and Wei Xiang exchanged an amused look over the sleeping Qinghe.


    The sound of his even and quiet breaths sounded softly in the room as a peaceful hush descended inside, filling the dark space with a sense of gentle calm.


    Feng Huixin raised an arm and placed it over and around both Qinghe and Wei Xiang as much as he could reach. This sense of contentment was not something he had ever thought he could feel outside of the home he¡¯d made with his wife, and then, later with his son. But these two boys filled his heart so much and helped him tide over these years without his Chunyi. Thoughts of finding Qinghe and spending time raising Wei Xiang were what had kept him going all this time along with his sense of responsibility towards the Sentinels.


    And so, sunken in quiet comfort while poignant and warm thoughts filled his mind, Feng Huixin spent the night in the company of his dear sons.


    A few peaceful hours later, dawn broke over the horizon.


    Birds chirped their simple melodies to herald the arrival of a new day. The sky stretched smooth and bright with only a few puffs of clouds drifting lazily.


    When Qinghe finally woke, the first thing he saw was a close view of his father¡¯s profile. His cheek seemed to be resting just under Feng Huixin¡¯s chin, the front of his body lying along his father¡¯s as his back was pressed tightly against his lover¡¯s.


    For a moment, Qinghe¡¯s mind felt blank. And then the memories of last night slowly start filtering in, the cozy scenes misted over by the merry haze of drunkenness.


    Truthfully, Qinghe was not all that surprised that he had sought out his father like this to fulfill his drunken self¡¯s strange idea of a bonding session. After all, though he had grown fond of his father after their few interactions together, he still didn¡¯t quite know how to show or express it outright. He still felt too strange at the thought of calling him aloud as ¡®Father¡¯, but in his heart, Feng Huixin was already beginning to be accepted as family.


    And so, after getting inebriated, his drunken self¡¯s solution must have been to share a family bonding session using one of his favorite things¨Dcuddling.


    Qinghe didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or sigh as he realized all this, but decided to put these thoughts aside for now.


    Slowly sorting out his recollections, Qinghe blinked and lifted his head. He narrowed his eyes in a squint as his skull ached from within in a slow and heavy throb.


    Now that his cultivation was unavailable to heal the aftereffects of drinking, Qinghe was finally getting a taste of the consequences of indulging in too much wine. And though it wasn¡¯t as bad as a full-out hangover, it was still very uncomfortable.


    Letting out a weary sigh, Qinghe dropped his head back onto his father¡¯s chest and shut his eyes.


    Above him, the corners of Feng Huixin¡¯s mouth softened as if about to smile. He ran his palm over his son¡¯s back gently in soothing comfort.


    As Qinghe luxuriated in this feeling of parental affection while struggling to ignore his pounding temples, a deep and mellow chuckle sounded from behind him as Wei Xiang offered, ¡°Shall I give you some medicine to treat your headache?¡±


    His head popping up while his eyes remained bleary, Qinghe nodded eagerly, then winced as the motion deepened the pain in his head.


    A few moments later, a hand extended from behind him, pressing a smooth round pill to his lips. Qinghe unceremoniously opened his mouth to gulp it down.


    ¡°Is it very painful?¡± Feng Huixin asked worriedly from in front of him, his hands rising up to begin gently massaging his son¡¯s forehead.


    Due to a mixture of his father¡¯s ministrations and the pill his lover gave him, Qinghe felt his headache quickly receding. His brows relaxed in comfort as he sighed happily, his head snuggling under his father¡¯s chin again.


    It was truly very nice to wake up with this pair of helpful Sentinels who also happened to be family. And how many people could actually claim to have woken up while sandwiched between the two most powerful Sentinels in the Order?


    As he fuzzily pondered like this, Qinghe¡¯s mind slowly began misting over with sleep once more. Since he was not in his sect in any case, Qinghe blurrily rationalized that no one would be expecting him to rise early and do stuff anyway¡­


    ¡°Qinghe, love, did you forget that we have to attend that discussion you asked Master to plan?¡±


    With a protesting groan, Qinghe tried to bury his face deeper into the crook of his father¡¯s neck, firmly ignoring the voice of reason that was his lover.


    ¡°Now, now, love. Don¡¯t be lazy. Get up and get ready,¡± Wei Xiang cheerfully began chattering, his hand reaching down and tickling Qinghe¡¯s sides mercilessly.


    Feng Huixin felt his son¡¯s body beginning to shudder and squirm as he tried to suppress his laughter. As if not wanting to let go of the sweet promise of sleep, Qinghe still clutched tightly onto Feng Huixin¡¯s robes.


    But under the unyielding offensive of his beloved¡¯s fingers, Qinghe didn¡¯t manage to hold out very long.


    ¡°Alright, alright, stop! I¡¯m getting up, I promise!¡± Qinghe finally squeezed out as he desperately tried to not squeal undignifiedly with laughter.


    With a jovial expression, Wei Xiang finally let go.


    Leaning back from his father and unsteadily sitting up after regaining his composure, Qinghe playfully complained, ¡°Grandmaster, your disciple is such a bully!¡±


    With warmth filling his eyes, Feng Huixin spoke, ¡°Is he now? What do you think we should do about it?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes brightened with a sly light, ¡°Maybe we can¨D¡±


    Wei Xiang immediately pressed his palm over his mischievous little lover¡¯s lips. ¡°Tattling now, are we? I think some punishment is in order.¡±


    His eyes widening as he realized what his beloved meant, Qinghe immediately began pleading for leniency as soon as the hand covering his mouth was lowered. ¡°Xiang, I wasn¡¯t¨D!¡±


    But Wei Xiang¡¯s fingers descended on his sides again, unrelenting in their attack.


    Qinghe unrestrainedly laughed, his body wriggling around on the bed and messing up the sheets.


    Getting up from the bed to begin readying himself, Feng Huixin watched the scene with joy overflowing in his heart. Seeing his sons playing with each other so harmoniously with such large smiles on their faces and happiness in their eyes, how could he not feel elated?


    After fooling around like this for a while, Qinghe and Wei Xiang finally began to bid their farewell, not willing to impose on Feng Huixin any longer.


    With an earnest expression, Qinghe apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for disturbing you during the night, Grandmaster.¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s gaze softened as he carefully pulled Qinghe¡¯s head down and kissed his forehead, his actions now barely holding any hesitation. ¡°You are my sons. You are welcome to come over at any time.¡±


    Qinghe beamed brightly and nodded.


    After that, Wei Xiang used the shadows to transport them into Qinghe¡¯s room, where they rushed to bathe and get ready to attend the conference held with the highest powers of the cultivation world.


    Since the disciples at the Battle Arena had already seen him without his appearance changing talisman, Qinghe decided to forgo it from now on.


    Soon, he and Wei Xiang stepped out of the room fresh and ready.


    The couple walked through the corridors of Heavenly Peak sect, heading to meet up with Zhen YiLan and Chen Xiande so that they could go to the conference together.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s expression was uncaring and sharply sardonic as usual while Qinghe''s ethereally beautiful face was frozen and expressionless, without the usual mask of amiability present. But in stark disparity of their aloofness, the couple¡¯s interlaced fingers lightly swung between them in a simple gesture conveying warm affection and solidarity.


    As they passed through the crowds of disciples hurrying about, a host of widened eyes and flushed cheeks greeted them on their way. Yet not a single disciple approached the couple, somehow feeling that their once familiar senior brother had now become a distant existence they shouldn¡¯t dare try to touch carelessly.


    Just then, hurried footsteps sounded as a junior ran up to Qinghe, and not minding his cold appearance, the junior bowed deeply. ¡°Senior Brother Feng, I¡¯m glad you are well. Thank you so much for helping me before!¡±


    Qinghe blinked and shifted his gaze to the disciple¡¯s shoulder, realizing that this was the same junior with the mist element who he¡¯d helped with his cultivation before, and whose arm he¡¯d had to cut off when it became infected by a ghoul in the Battle Arena.


    The disciple¡¯s arm stump was now enveloped in a loose sack made of breathable cloth that would allow proper ventilation to his wound while keeping out dust and dirt. The sack was cinched just above his shoulder, clearly showing the outline of his regenerating arm. Within the week, his arm would be as good as new again.


    Feeling relieved that everything was going alright with the disciple, Qinghe spoke, ¡°Alright, raise your head. I only helped you as a senior should. There is no need to thank me like this.¡±


    The junior disciple straightened up and looked at Qinghe with a worshipful expression, his cheeks blushing cutely as his wide and clear eyes slid to the side as if unable to meet Qinghe¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°It is because of Senior Brother Feng¡¯s timely intervention and decision to remove my infected arm that I was able to live at all. If I do not thank you now, I will forever feel regretful!¡±


    Hearing his exaggerated tone, Qinghe couldn¡¯t help but show a soft smile.


    Seeing this, all the watching disciples were immediately stunned witless, unable to do anything but stare enraptured.


    Unlike the bright smile Qinghe had usually worn before, what he showed now was merely a slight curve of his lips. But this small smile, combined with the warmth in his eyes, was like the morning light filtering through a layer of lacy frost, setting it aglow with a soft gold radiance.


    It was breathtaking.


    Seeing how the mouth of the young disciple in front of them was gaping open, Wei Xiang chuckled and pulled Qinghe with him to continue walking along the corridor while teasing, ¡°Look at you, seducing your juniors right in front of me. How will you take responsibility if they all end up falling in love with you?¡±


    Qinghe laughed cheerfully, causing many a passing disciple to either run into a wall, a pillar, or stumble over nothing but air.


    With a teasing smile of his own, Qinghe replied in a playfully arrogant voice, ¡°Well, who can blame them for their good taste? After all, as someone who you think is worthy to stand by your side, I must naturally be a very good catch.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes softened. ¡°Oh? Then why don¡¯t you come here and let me evaluate how much of a good catch you are?¡±


    After being pulled close to a familiar body, Qinghe felt his beloved¡¯s obnoxious fingers taking liberties with his waist, caressing and squeezing in broad daylight.


    ¡°X-Xiang¡­¡± Qinghe protested half-heartedly, his gaze already growing heated.


    Pulling his little lover closer, Wei Xiang leaned down brushed his lips against Qinghe¡¯s flushing cheek. ¡°Hmm, what is it, love?¡±


    But Qinghe¡¯s own arms had begun to wrap around his beloved¡¯s body, his palms exploring that firm back through the layers of clothes.


    Forgetting what they were talking about, the pair of lovers pressed their bodies closer together even as they kept walking, their hands moving over each other¡¯s clothes with even more passion, the distance between their parted lips slowly lessening until they could taste one another¡¯s breaths¡­


    ¡°Are you two done traumatizing the juniors yet? If so, then maybe we can get moving soon.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s head jerked up at the interruption, suddenly realizing that while walking and flirting intimately, they¡¯d somehow already reached the place where his senior brother and master were waiting.


    Stepping away from his beloved¡¯s tempting clutches with a blush, Qinghe nodded. ¡°Yes, yes, we should get going.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s burning gaze was still fixed on his little lover, his arm winding around a slender waist to pull his beloved close enough to plant a small peck on his forehead. Then letting go, he also nodded in readiness.


    And thus, the group of four used a transportation array to travel to the site of the conference.

 Chapter 113: Before the Discussion

    The venue where the conference was about to be held was a large, prehistoric building left behind by the ones who were here even before the ancients.


    The style of the building was a strange mishmash of various elements and cultural influences that nonetheless looked pleasant when put together.


    The building was rectangular and wide, reaching several stories high. The topmost story seemed as tall as the rest of the building put together and was where the conference would be held. The reddish roofs of the building were curved up at the corners, and running along its edges was a line of intricate metallic lattice with lustrous gems set into it. The doorways were all wide with foldable doors, while more intricate latticework covered the large and round windows.


    After using the transportation array in the Heavenly Peak Sect, the group of four was directly deposited in an empty and high-ceilinged room in this building where the other end of the transportation array was situated. Once they had ascertained that they had reached their destination, Qinghe, Wei Xiang, Zhen YiLan, and Chen Xiande walked out of the room and into a wide corridor stretching right outside the doorway.


    One side of the entire length of the corridor was open to the elements, letting the people inside enjoy the cheerful blue skies and the fresh morning breeze of the outdoors.


    As the four people strolled through the corridor with measured steps, Qinghe and Wei Xiang kept whispering to each other, chuckling and playing around even as they somehow managed to maintain their aura of noble dignity.


    Shaking his head at his junior brother and his lover, Chen Xiande spoke to Zhen YiLan quietly, ¡°Master, let¡¯s leave them both to catch up at their own pace for now and make haste towards where the others are gathered for the conference. As the sect master and head disciple of our sect, we cannot afford to be late.¡±


    Looking back at his second disciple with a thoughtful gaze, Zhen YiLan nodded. Since his Qing-er was having fun, they should just leave him be. And hearing his first disciple¡¯s words, rather than misunderstanding his intentions like he would have before, Zhen YiLan understood that his Xian-er also in truth wanted to let his junior brother enjoy himself as much as he wanted.


    And so, Zhen YiLan and Chen Xiande sped up their steps, decisively leaving the couple behind so that the pair of lovers could play and flirt to their heart¡¯s content.


    Not missing this chance of having this empty corridor all to themselves, Wei Xiang immediately pulled Qinghe close and pressed their lips together, suckling gently, then extending his tongue to slowly lick at the seam of his little lover¡¯s mouth.


    Surrendering to the sudden passion of his beloved, Qinghe parted his lips and allowed his lover to invade his mouth, letting his Xiang caress and explore the sensitive tissue inside with his moist and flexible tongue.


    But just as Qinghe began to swipe his own tongue over his lover¡¯s, his body growing soft as he started rubbing it sensually over his beloved¡¯s firm one, Wei Xiang abruptly let go while simultaneously stepping back.


    Standing unsteadily on his own, Qinghe looked at his lover dazedly, his cheeks flushed and his glistening lips still parted, not understanding why his beloved had stopped all of a sudden.


    With an innocent look that belied his smirk, Wei Xiang said, ¡°Now, now, let¡¯s not get too carried away. I can hear people coming, so let¡¯s save this for after the conference, alright?¡±


    As Qinghe blinked his eyes, the fog in his gaze slowly cleared, turning into something sharper, a corner of his lips unexpectedly twisting up as if in a snarl.


    ¡°Alright my ass! Wei Xiang, do you think you can get away that easily after riling me up?¡± Qinghe spoke heatedly.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes widened, but before he could say anything, he found his back being pushed against the wall as a familiar hand wound behind the nape of his neck to pull his head down.


    Qinghe lightly bit the still-smirking lips of his beloved before slowly licking over it. Then aggressively thrusting his tongue into his lover¡¯s mouth, he began claiming ground, putting into action what he¡¯d learnt so far from his beloved as he enthusiastically took charge.


    Wei Xiang hummed in pleasure, his palm cupping the back of his little lover¡¯s head to press his mouth tighter against his. Another arm wound around Qinghe¡¯s waist and pulled him as close as physically possible before the errant hand wandered downward, kneading Qinghe butt.


    The rising signs of their arousals were pressed together through the layers of their clothes, beginning to push and rub against each other rhythmically even as their lips and tongues were engaged in a sensual battle.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s need burned brighter and brighter, but just as he was about to ignore the circumstances to begin undoing his little lover¡¯s clothing, the slender body in his embrace suddenly slipped out of his arms.


    Mischievous laughter sounded in a voice still tinged with desire as Qinghe teased, ¡°Now, now, my dear Xiang, let¡¯s not get too carried away. Didn¡¯t you say that you heard people coming? So let¡¯s save this for after the conference, alright?¡±


    Hearing his own words returned to him like this, Wei Xiang¡¯s thoughts became complicated. As expected of his Qinghe, he should have known that retribution would soon befall him after the way he¡¯d teased his impish little lover.


    But Wei Xiang was hardly reconciled to taking this lying down.


    And so, before Qinghe knew what happened, his world turned upside down as Wei Xiang simply hefted him over a shoulder, an arm securely wrapped around his beloved¡¯s butt as his expression turned fierce with barely-suppressed lust.


    Qinghe showed a rare shocked expression at this unexpected move, then began laughing delightedly. As long as he got what he wanted in the end, he would count this as mission successful!


    Around the corner and a few ways away, Jing Shui, Wu Xiao, and Liu Xue were walking with graceful poise.


    Jing Shui had a large, rolled up scroll in his arms, which contained the most detailed and up-to-date map of their world that would be suitable to be used for strategizing in the conference. Walking by his side were Wu Xiao and Liu Xue, both of whose injuries had healed completely by now.


    As the three thus sedately made their way forward, they witnessed the shocking sight of a black-garbed Sentinel suddenly rushing around the corner with a white-robed figure carried over a shoulder.


    Recognizing the identities of the two people, the group of three blinked incredulously as they froze in their tracks.


    Qinghe¡¯s merry chuckles rang out in the corridor while Wei Xiang¡¯s face radiated sexual tension, a corner of his lip slightly reddened seemingly due to a gentle bite. And as if uncaring of his position, Qinghe was resting his elbow on Wei Xiang¡¯s back while supporting his chin with a palm. The other arm dangled lazily down, occasionally roving over his beloved¡¯s firm muscles with appreciation as they bulged and rolled while Wei Xiang walked.


    As Qinghe caught sight of the trio gaping at them from the side, he raised a hand and happily waved at them in greeting.


    Wu Xiao quickly broke out of his shock and cheerfully waved back with an understanding grin. He hardly even needed to think to realize that everything must be going according to that sly Xiao Feng¡¯s expectations.


    Lowering his arm, Qinghe continued to brazenly grope his beloved¡¯s firm butt. Hmm, this felt so nice¡­


    Through gritted teeth, Wei Xiang forced out, ¡°Qinghe, kindly retrieve your hand from my backside.¡± He was barely able to control himself as it was!


    Qinghe giggled, playfully squeezing the aforementioned backside before he stated cheerily, ¡°No.¡±


    The hand holding Qinghe¡¯s butt suddenly gave him a little pinch as Wei Xiang warned in a growl, ¡°Behave.¡±


    Renewed laughter rang out from Qinghe again as he and his lover disappeared around another corner, leaving behind Jing Shui and Liu Xue to watch aghast while Wu Xiao merely smiled amusedly.


    With pink cheeks and an awkward cough, the thin-skinned Jing Shui muttered disconsolately, ¡°Shameless, truly too shameless¡­¡±


    Grinning at his adorable lover, Wu Xiao lifted a long lock of his Ah-Shui¡¯s hair and delicately kissed its tip, making Jing Shui blush harder.


    Leaning closer, Wu Xiao spoke in a deep voice, ¡°But Ah-Shui, I thought you liked it when couples behave shamelessly. Or at least, you seemed to enjoy it whenever we act shameless¡­throughout the entire night, without pausing in between and trying out different things until your voice gives out, unable to even ask for more¡­ Isn¡¯t that so?¡±


    Jing Shui¡¯s face was redder than blood, almost emitting steam through his ears as he heard his lover¡¯s brazen words. ¡°W-W-Wu Xiao! W-What are you e-even saying in f-front of my master!¡±


    With a quiet chuckle, Wu Xiao leaned his head over to nuzzle his lover¡¯s flushed cheek while murmuring huskily into his ear, ¡°Then are you saying that if she weren¡¯t here, you wouldn¡¯t mind my words? Hmm, my Ah-Shui is becoming naughty~¡±


    Hearing Wu Xiao speaking with a slightly rough voice that seemed to caress him from top to bottom, Jing Shui couldn¡¯t help but feel like his body was melting.


    ¡°W-Wu Xiao¡­¡± he called softly, his eyelashes lowering over dazed eyes as one of his arms let go of the map and pulled his lover¡¯s head up so that they were face to face. Jing Shui leaned closer, his mouth wandering over Wu Xiao¡¯s cool cheek of its own accord before meeting a pair of silky lips.


    Seeing her junior brother and little disciple making out so openly, Liu Xue shook her head and started walking towards the conference room on her own so that she wouldn¡¯t be seen together with this unabashedly flirting couple.


    Then thinking back to how another unabashedly flirting couple had just passed through, Liu Xue couldn¡¯t help but wonder whether shamelessness was contagious.


    Meanwhile, as he still happily dangled from his lover¡¯s shoulder, Qinghe reminded Wei Xiang in a merry voice, ¡°Xiang, did you forget that your ability to travel through shadows is already known? So why not simply use that to get back to the sect faster?¡±


    Wei Xiang halted, suddenly recalling that it was indeed the case.


    And so, the pair of lovers immediately vanished into the shadows, returning to Qinghe¡¯s room to quickly discard their clothes and continue where they left off in a so much more intimate and intensely passionate way.


    By the time they were done quickly rolling around on the bed, before cleaning up, redressing, and using the shadows to transport themselves back again, half an hour had already passed.


    With peaceful expressions and satisfied smiles, they finally strode to the topmost floor and entered the room where the conference was just about to start.


    The room was gigantic and spacious, it¡¯s dark roof several hundred meters above.


    Directly opposite to the wide opened entrance with its door folded to the side was a huge rectangular wall covered in metallic golden reliefs. These reliefs were in the shape of large, swirling designs. Cradled at the centers of the largest designs were colorful gemstones in vivid green, blue, and red, sparkling brightly as if newly cut. The gems ranged from the size of a baby¡¯s head to an adult¡¯s fist, but none smaller than that. As a whole, the entire wall looked like an ocean of swirling golden waters with colorful and gleaming stars floating between the waves.


    A few meters near the walls of the room ran a neat row of slender pillars whose length extended from the floor to the invisible ceiling above. As if reinforcing these extremely tall structures, wider glass orbs in various colors were fixed into the middle of the pillars at regular intervals, their translucent shells shining while holding within them what seemed to be shifting puffs of glowing clouds.


    At the very center of the room was a long, rectangular table that almost touched the walls at the far left and right, leaving barely a meter from its edges. Its surface consisted of a huge slab of smooth black marble. This tabletop was supported from beneath by another type of stone that was carved realistically to look like a dense mass of large and thick vines extending from the floor, their slender tips sometimes even curling up over the edge of the table. The stone that made up these vines was a dark bluish color with big splotches of turquoise and green blending into it.


    The entire room was windowless, but was lit up completely by the evenly diffused light that was emitted by the colorful orbs that the pillars seemed to pass through. And high above, just below the edge of the ceiling, the openings of several round ventilation shafts were situated in a line on the walls. Inside these shafts, the prehistoric spells that were left behind continued to labor tirelessly to keep the air circulating and fresh.


    Apart from these strange physical quirks of this place, there was also a heavy ambiance permeating throughout.


    It was as if everything in the room¡ªfrom the walls and floors, to the pillars and the table¡ªhad soaked in the voices of kings and emperors, sages and immortals, as they held momentous discussions regarding matters of state or about the fate of the world itself. The weight of age, of the passage of countless years, seemed to hang from every brick and beam, making even the air seem reverent and solemn.


    In this room, legends were born and histories were made, truly a place worthy of hosting the gathering of the entire cultivation world this time.


    When compared to the usual sight of the buildings that the cultivators saw, this was definitely an unforgettable experience.


    Inside the room, on the far left side of the table, Feng Huixin stood with Kong Min. In front of them, the map that had previously been held by Jing Shui was now spread open on the black marble.


    On the far right of the table, Hei NingYu stood alone, lazily leaning against the wall with closed eyes, his expression blank except for when his gaze occasionally wandered over to meet the eyes of his little sheep. Then he¡¯d promptly discard his dignified aloofness and mouth things like ¡®Little Sheep, wanna fuck?¡¯ or ¡®Xiande, let¡¯s ditch and make out¡¯, all of which Chen Xiande studiously ignored with a stoic expression and reddened ears.


    Standing on either side of the long table were the sect masters and renowned Elders of various sects, with their head disciples or favored ones standing a step behind them respectfully.


    Directly to the left of Feng Huixin stood Liu Xue, then Wu Xiao, with Lu Feiyu after him. Behind their respective masters and standing slightly to the side were Jing Shui and An YaLing.


    At Feng Huixin¡¯s right were Zhen YiLan and Fu Cangyun, with Chen Xiande and Lei Zihua occupying an appropriate position behind their masters.


    The other spaces in the table were all taken by the sect masters and Elders of various well-known mid- and low-tier sects, with their head disciples standing behind them deferentially.


    Restless murmurs and subdued chatter rang low in the room, seeming to echo strangely in the giant space, their voices floating above and bouncing off the stone and metal walls.


    Suddenly, two figures darkened the doorway of the room. As they strode inside with steady steps, the folding door closed shut behind them to signal that everyone who was expected was done arriving.


    The entrance of these two people caused many a scrutinizing gaze to fall upon them immediately. After all, one of them was Feng Qinghe, the cultivator who was witnessed to have been able to engage a deity in a fight and hold his own against him after his realm mysteriously rose up to that of a demigod. On top of that, not only was it discovered that he had been hiding his enchanting features behind appearance changing talismans all this while, he was also just recently revealed to be the son of the Sentinel Grandmaster himself, and the one whom the Grandmaster was rumored to have been searching for all along.


    And as for the other, who in the cultivation world didn¡¯t yet know that he was this Feng Qinghe¡¯s lover? And as the Grandmaster¡¯s third disciple and the future leader of the Order of Sentinels, the Sentinel Wei Xiang would have certainly made a great match with Feng Qinghe indeed, except¡­


    He was a heavenly wyvern.


    And though the name of the heavenly wyverns was not that well-known by the younger generation, they were still very well remembered by the older generation as ruthless killers who¡¯d slaughtered countless innocents, decimated many sects, and devoured innumerable beasts.


    The entire cultivation and mortal world had been so very thankful when they found out that that blasted race of vicious reptilian beasts had been completely wiped out. And yet, here they saw that there was one still left, having been living among them all this while.


    Realizing this, many of the Elders and sect masters hadn¡¯t been able to help feeling horrified.


    Among them was an Elder from a mid-tier sect who immediately voiced his protest in a cultured tone, ¡°Now that we know that Sentinel Wei is one of the heavenly wyverns, I can¡¯t say I¡¯m reassured by his presence here.¡±


    In the silent room, this statement rang especially prominent and loud.


    Halting mid-step as he heard this, Qinghe turned to look at the speaker.


    The Elder who had just spoken wore a plain white robe that seemed to be made of the coarse cloth of the common folk, his entire person remaining unadorned. His wrinkled hands were modestly clasped in front of him as he stood tall and straight. His hair was a greyish white that was fastened in a bun at the top of his head with a simple hair stick before continuing to spill down his back. His beard was equally as long, flowing down his front and visibly extending further below the table.


    As soon as this Elder spoke, another quickly agreed with a nod while saying in a raspy voice, ¡°We all know how those wyverns were as they cut a swath through the land, murdering and slaughtering all in their way. Who knows when Sentinel Wei will lose his reason and do the same?¡±


    The speaker this time was a hunched over bald cultivator who seemed to be the sect master of a low-tier sect. He had a short, black, and frazzled beard covering his mouth and chin. The detailed tattoo of a thin wooden branch started from beneath his left collar and reached upward, over his neck, jaw, cheek, passing beside the ear, and finally spreading into smaller branches on his bald head. Little red blossoms and buds decorated the branches on his smooth pate, their details meticulously drawn.


    Though it seemed as if this bald sect master was speaking to the white-haired Elder, his voice had been loud enough for everyone to hear his words clearly.


    At the side, another Elder of a mid-tier sect rubbed his black goatee and frowned. With one hand behind his back, he stood with a valiant and overbearing posture, his aura declaring loud and wide that he was a martial artist.


    In a deep voice, he also joined in as he opined, ¡°You all raise valid points and I would like to add another¨DHow will we know whether or not this Sentinel Wei is a part of a greater number of wyverns hiding in the dark, waiting to make their comeback?¡±


    Then turning his disapproving gaze to Feng Huixin, he advised self-righteously, ¡°Grandmaster, you shouldn¡¯t let your nepotism cloud your reason. Please stay unbiased and denounce this beast as your disciple.¡±


    Watching all this play out, Wei Xiang simply cast them an amused glance, but remained silent as if completely unbothered.


    On the other hand, deep rage blazed in Feng Huixin¡¯s gaze. How could he bear to hear such words about someone he held dear as his own son?


    But before Feng Huixin could articulate his fury, Qinghe¡¯s calm voice cut into the heavy atmosphere, ¡°How ironic of the venerated Elder to say that the Grandmaster is showing nepotism. I think it¡¯s you revered seniors who are biased.¡±


    Narrowing his eyes at the pleasantly smiling figure of the young cultivator, the Elder with the goatee responded in a harsh voice, ¡°Feng Qinghe, what did you just say?!¡±


    Unperturbed, Qinghe continued from before, ¡°Why haven¡¯t any of the esteemed seniors considered the reason behind the Grandmaster¡¯s choice? Such narrow-mindedness in this current day and age is unseemly.¡±


    The bald sect master and the Elder with the goatee puffed up in anger while the white-haired Elder who¡¯d first spoken only frowned.


    Scowling fiercely, the bald sect master retorted, ¡°Then pray tell, why should we not fear that Sentinel Wei will start killing people left and right just like the rest of his clan? What sets him apart from those other bloodthirsty beasts?¡±


    Huffing in agreement, the Elder with the goatee also weighed in, ¡°Feng Qinghe, aren¡¯t you also biased? Just because he is your lover, you go against your own kind?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s smile dropped as his gaze grew sharp and cutting. ¡°There is no ¡®my kind¡¯ and ¡®his kind¡¯. Wei Xiang is a good person who has risked himself countless times for the sake of the people of this world. Are you going to ignore his achievements so easily just because he isn¡¯t human like you? That¡¯s bigoted and the height of idiocy. I hope that the esteemed seniors won¡¯t stoop to using such faulty reasoning and baseless slander to disregard someone¡¯s hard-earned accomplishments just like that.¡±


    The Elder with the goatee felt his face going red with rage as his veins bulged like fat worms under his skin. In his fury, all he could do was yell, ¡°You¨D! Impudent, too impudent!¡±


    Suddenly, the reasonable-sounding voice of the white-haired Elder cut in, ¡°Disciple Feng, your lover might be like this now, but what makes you think he won¡¯t turn against us later? You must admit that there¡¯s a reason we fear the heavenly wyverns.¡±


    Qinghe face remained expressionless as he replied in a clear and cold voice, ¡°I understand your doubts, but I assure you that they are unfounded. There is no way Wei Xiang will follow down the twisted path of his kin. After all, he was the one who decimated the entire population of heavenly wyverns in the first place.¡±


    A stunned silence suddenly descended over the entire room at this unexpected revelation. All the rebuttals in the three people¡¯s throats had to be swallowed down after hearing this.


    ¡°T-That¡­that¡¯s¡­¡± the bald Elder stuttered disbelievingly.


    But not giving these people the time to spout any more nonsense, Qinghe interjected firmly as he began explaining, ¡°Wei Xiang was the youngest wyvern, barely four hundred at that time. Even the next youngest wyvern was at least seven thousand years older than him. And yet Wei Xiang was the strongest of them all, someone who was to one day be crowned as the Sovereign of his race, but he was also the most sheltered and restricted one in the entire clan.¡±


    Of course, before telling everyone this, Qinghe had already received his Xiang¡¯s permission through an exchanged glance. And so, he decided to enlighten these pompous cultivators.


    In a more heated tone, Qinghe went on, ¡°After finally learning of the atrocities committed by his clan¡¯s people, Wei Xiang took it upon himself to personally kill each and every one of his own kind. Do you think it would have been easy? Do you think he didn¡¯t feel miserable having to bear the weight of murdering the entirety of his own clan? The very people he was born and raised amongst? Can you even imagine how something that horrifying must have felt like?!¡±


    Qinghe voice progressively rose, his tone filled with icy anger and blistering rage as it continued to lash at them.


    ¡°And yet you have the gall to accuse him as being the same as those murderous beasts. What the fuck do you know? How dare you trivialize everything he did for this world since then just because he is of a race different from yours? Is this the progressiveness perpetuated by the current society? Are you all not ashamed of yourselves?¡±


    Hearing these words, not only the three seniors, but even the others who¡¯d had the attitude of watching a good show, or those who¡¯d had doubts about Wei Xiang, all of them bowed their heads in shame.


    Even if Wei Xiang had lived among the wyverns, it was ten thousand years ago. His behavior since then had been exceedingly upright, upholding the law as expected of a Sentinel without any flaws.


    Thinking back on this and finally realizing that they had been taken in by superficial aspects like his race or the actions of his clan that obviously weren¡¯t his own, the two Elders and one sect master finally felt remorse.


    Once he understood his mistake, the white-haired Elder immediately offered a sincere bow towards Wei Xiang. ¡°Sentinel Wei, your lover is right. We have wronged you with our words just now. Please accept this apology on behalf of us all.¡±


    Though the bald sect master and the Elder with the goatee still had on unwilling expressions, they didn¡¯t refute the white-haired Elder¡¯s words of contrition in their stead.


    Meanwhile, Wei Xiang was smoothing his palms over the shoulders of his beloved who seemed to have gotten puffed up in anger, still trying to calm the rage burning coldly in his little lover¡¯s eyes.


    Wei Xiang felt exceedingly warm and gratified at his beloved¡¯s fervent defense on his behalf and hadn¡¯t been able to help smiling softly all this time.


    After all, he didn''t care one whit about what the rest of the world thought of him. The only opinions he cared about were that of his Master, his fellow Sentinels, and of course, his dear little lover.


    And so, barely casting a glance at these seniors, Wei Xiang said, ¡°There is no need for apology. I did not do any of those things just so it would be acknowledged by you.¡±


    As he was, neither their scorn nor their gratitude had the ability to move him.


    But hearing what he said, the three seniors only felt even more guilty due to Wei Xiang''s casual attitude towards their insulting words, feeling as if they themselves had been too petty in comparison.


    Seeing how everything turned out, Feng Huixin felt very satisfied and impressed by the way his son had handled the entire affair, so he decided to not let everyone dwell over it too much and to quickly move on from this topic. After all, who knew what all fingers would begin pointing at his sons again?


    And so, in his quiet and commanding voice, Feng Huixin spoke to the gathering at large, ¡°Now that your suspicions have been addressed, I¡¯m guessing no one will oppose Xiang-er joining in?¡±


    No one dared to speak, only nodding to show that they had no problem with it.


    Resuming their way forward, Qinghe and Wei Xiang quietly walked over to where Feng Huixin was standing, taking a place on either side of him as he spoke, ¡°Since there are no more objections, let us now begin the discussion on how to deal with the demonic deity Xie Xingye.¡±

 Chapter 114: Start of Conference

    The gazes of everyone in the room were focused on the head of the table as they waited for Feng Huixin to begin the discussion.


    Once he was sure that he had everyone¡¯s undivided attention, Feng Huixin started by explaining the situation first, ¡°After running towards the coast, the deity Xie Xingye has now made base in a large castle by the oceanside that is situated within the Forest of Echoes. It has been confirmed that the castle itself is a very well-preserved extension of the Liuxingyu Ruins and may have many layers of traps within. However, the network of underground tunnels connecting the castle to the site of the main ruins seems to have completely collapsed and sealed itself long ago, so it is unlikely to be useful, both for us to enter and for the deity Xie Xingye to escape through. Meanwhile, groups of ghouls have been spotted roaming near the vicinity of the Forest of Echoes and spreading outward. For now, they pose no threat, but they might soon reach human settlements.¡±


    As Feng Huixin spoke, on his left, Wei Xiang stood leisurely, his hands held loosely by his sides as his eyes flicked over the room with an unfathomable gaze.


    On his right, Qinghe stood with his palms laid flat on the table, his head bowed over the map spread in front of him. Since this was the most detailed, accurate, and comprehensive map of the current world, Qinghe didn¡¯t want to miss this chance to completely memorize it.


    After Feng Huixin finished talking, an Elder at the side respectfully spoke, ¡°I realize I might be deviating from the topic at hand, but may I ask the Grandmaster why you were unable to apprehend this demonic deity after pursuing him after the battle at the arena? With your power and skill, it surely must not have been such a difficult task.¡±


    Not minding the question, Feng Huixin unperturbedly replied, ¡°The demonic deity Xie Xingye and his dragon companion took advantage of the small lead they had and fled directly towards the castle in the Forest of Echoes. As I am unfamiliar with the terrain there, it took me a while to break free and reach the castle, but the castle itself is surrounded by a rebounding type barrier.¡±


    The Forest of Echoes was not a forest of trees and vegetation as one would assume, and it was most known for confounding and confusing everyone who stepped foot into it regardless of their level. A dragon might have some resistance towards this forest''s inherent enchantment due to the inherent nature of its species and might thus fly over it unimpeded, but Feng Huixin was a human deity. It was inevitable that he would be caught up in it. The fact that he could get out of it on his own itself was surprising to many.


    As for the rebounding type barrier, it was a complex shielding construction that had the property to not only protect the area enclosed within it, but to also reflect any offensive thrown at it back to its assailer.


    Hearing Feng Huixin¡¯s account, the sect master of a mid-tier sect contemplatively spoke up, ¡°Pardon me for asking, Grandmaster, but could you not have overloaded the barrier with spiritual energy to break it apart forcefully?¡±


    But Feng Huixin shook his head. ¡°There is a deep crack below the earth''s surface in that region, running deep under the castle and the Forest of Echoes and continuing further into the ocean. The barrier around the castle itself is ancient in origin, the threshold of its power seeming to be very high. If I had overpowered the barrier and caused it to break apart, the resulting concussion of power would have split open the underground crack, causing a major earthquake that would have swallowed several townships located a few kilometers away from the area, not to mention the additional impact it may have due to the crack''s widening within the ocean.¡±


    Everyone pondered in silence. It was good that the Grandmaster had taken everything into account and not attacked rashly. At least a giant tragedy had been prevented. But the location of this castle was indeed very troublesome.


    Gradually, the cultivators started discussing among themselves, analyzing the situation carefully and proposing what they thought were feasible ways to capture or kill the demonic deity and his black dragon. The room soon began bustling with noise as countless voices spoke over each other in a bid to express their opinions, creating a chaotic and lively cacophony.


    However, even if someone presented an idea, there would be several more trying to counter or refute it. Tensions and frustrations thus rose as their options seemed to keep getting more and more limited. This lead to the topic getting diverted several times as increasingly outlandish propositions were put forth.


    ¡°Eh?! You want to wake the ancient ancestors?! Utterly ridiculous!¡± a female voice firmly stated.


    ¡°But those ancient cultivators who are still in seclusion would definitely be a force to reckon with! Would that demonic deity even stand a chance against us then?!¡± a male voice refuted.


    Agreeing to this statement, yet another person spoke up, ¡°Yes, yes, no matter what, that deity was clearly witnessed to have said that he wanted to devour this world. We shouldn¡¯t hesitate to use all the cards in our repository in such a situation!¡±


    But many others spoke out to oppose this idea.


    ¡°No, this is too risky! Have you forgotten what the world was like when the ancients roamed these lands? Borne of such a tumultuous time, I¡¯m afraid that the ancients¡ªwhether they were of the righteous or demonic path¡ªwere all very morally depraved.¡±


    ¡°Yes, waking those cultivators shouldn¡¯t even be our last resort. Just leave those demigods to their seclusion.¡±


    ¡°I also agree very strongly. Our world doesn¡¯t need more upheaval right now¡­¡±


    More and more cultivators began adding in their opinions, speaking against waking these ancients.


    These ancient cultivators that were being spoken of were all mostly at demigod level, having been cultivating in seclusion till now, unmindful of the passing of thousands of millennia as they kept trying to ascend to the realm of deities.


    And it was no wonder that a lot of people were against disturbing them, since after all, these ancients had walked the earth even before the Great War so many millennia ago. Their views were thus warped as a result of a more close-minded time period. And as a product of their time, these ancient cultivators thought nothing of life and felt that they were justified in trampling upon the weak just because they were strong.


    Those of that time had also strongly opposed anyone who didn¡¯t conform to strict traditional values that propagated outdated views like how women were inferior and that people of the same genders shouldn¡¯t lie together, while also disdaining the intermingling of different cultures and their customs.


    All in all, keeping in mind their close-minded values and lacking morals while coupled with their power to impose their own views indiscriminately, the ancients¡¯ presence would only place a burden on the current world.


    But even if these ancients ended up agreeing to help, one couldn¡¯t guarantee that they wouldn¡¯t turn around and stab someone in the back for their treasures while taking advantage of the confusion of battle. Such things had after all been quite common in their era.


    On top of that, after everything was over, these demigod-level cultivators might incite chaos by going around and recruiting people to build a power base, then interfere in current matters and tip the balance maintained between the existing organizations.


    And it need not be mentioned how, due to their power, the ancients might feel entitled to go around and destroy cities, countries, or entire sects, just to take revenge for some small slight or to acquire their resources and artifacts.


    To put it simply, waking them would not be worth it. These ancients were just as troublesome and calamitous as a disastrously large horde of rampaging high-level demonic beasts, and far more difficult to handle.


    But despite all this, some cultivators still felt that asking the ancients¡¯ help would be the best alternative.


    ¡°You all keep refusing to wake the ancients, but as far as I can see, this is certainly the best option!¡±


    ¡°Even though waking them all might not be advisable, we can at least gain the help of one or two.¡±


    ¡°Yes, all these theories about what they might do are well and good, but we will not know what will come of it unless we try¡­¡±


    It was only after these words were spoken that someone realized¡ªthey could indeed know the result before trying!


    Turning to Wu Xiao, an Elder asked, ¡°Sect Master Wu, where is Elder Yue? Her insight about the future would be of much help to all of us right now.¡±


    Until now, Wu Xiao had been content to just stand at the side, messing with his Ah-Shui and generally behaving like none of this concerned him.


    But now that he was directly asked, he turned his expression grave and spoke seriously, ¡°My master is of a very old generation that is almost on par with the ancients themselves. How could we, the cultivators of this generation, bother our elders, who have already seen their fair share of what could have been world-destroying calamities, and dealt with them all on their own? We do not lack in power or experience, and we have several prominent names and learned minds gathered here. I have no doubt that we can solve this matter amongst ourselves!¡±


    The cultivators who heard this all nodded with vigor. Yes, why would they need those ancients or the older generation to bear this burden on their behalf? Their generation was no less glorious than those of the past!


    However, what they did not know was that everything Wu Xiao just spouted was pure bullshit he¡¯d come up with on the spot. The truth was that his master had simply not wanted to come to this ¡®event with the most boring and tedious old fogeys¡¯, as she¡¯d called it. And so, Wu Xiao had had to improvise and divert all their attentions. Thankfully, he had succeeded.


    Then remembering something else his master had told him, Wu Xiao took out a small purple marble with a tiny white flower bud encased inside.


    Holding it up, he recalled casually, ¡°Master did remind me to use this marble to convey her vision of what would happen if the ancients were awakened.¡±


    Almost all heads snapped to him at once, their gazes focusing on the small marble. Some of the disciples who didn¡¯t yet know about Elder Yue¡¯s ability to see the future looked confused, but still turned their heads to see what Wu Xiao meant.


    Seeing that he had everyone¡¯s attentions, Wu Xiao imbued a bit of his spiritual energy into it, and the little white flower inside glowed a pure, bright silver.


    A recording of Elder Yue¡¯s impatient voice immediately sounded from within, ¡°Since I know that some old bastards will want to go and wake up even more older bastards against all common sense just because they don¡¯t have the brainpower to think up a proper plan, I decided to just go and have a look at the future to tell you all how stupid this is.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Every person who had been clamoring to wake the ancients felt as if they were brutally stung by Elder Yue¡¯s words.


    Uncaring of them, Elder Yue¡¯s voice went on, ¡°Here¡¯s the result of what I saw would happen if you wake up the ancients¡ªthe world will still get gobbled down by the black one¡¯s companion. To no one¡¯s surprise, the ancients will not work together with us and will instead try to take advantage of our situation and sabotage our offensive against the unsealed deity. Needless to say, after he takes advantage of our internal problems, the unsealed deity will win and devour the world. That¡¯s it, that¡¯s what I saw. Do you lot have any more stupid questions? If you do, then swallow them down and don¡¯t speak them out loud. You¡¯ll end up lowering the intelligence of everyone around you.¡±


    With that, the marble finished conveying Elder Yue¡¯s message and expended its energy, slowly turning to fine dust and falling down.


    Utter silence reigned in the room for a while as they digested this, but at least everyone here had enough sense to not contest Elder Yue¡¯s prediction. From now on, there would be no more calls to wake the ancients.


    In this echoing silence, Feng Huixin¡¯s calm voice rang out, ¡°Since we have that settled, let us move on.¡±


    None of those present objected, several even nodding their heads eagerly to get past this.


    Now that everyone had finished stating their opinion and debating to their heart¡¯s content, Feng Huixin knew that they would be more receptive. So he immediately began, ¡°First, we have to gather information on our adversary and act accordingly.¡±


    The cultivators gave another round of thoughtful nods. This was indeed true. Most of what they knew about the deity came from what they heard on the Battle Arena that day and a few other pieces of information collected on their own behind the scenes. But the more information they had on their foe, the better they could plan against him.


    Seeing their agreeing expressions, Feng Huixin next turned to his son to ask, ¡°Qinghe, you are the one who exchanged the most blows with him. You should have been able to gauge his strengths and weaknesses. What were you able to make out?¡±


    All attention promptly focused on Qinghe, who simply straightened from the bent posture he had been viewing the map from as he answered evenly, ¡°Yes, I did notice a few things about the demonic deity while we were battling. For example, he might be a deity, but he isn¡¯t at full power. And though his ability to use those vines might be strong, his precision and control are not as good. His swordsmanship and martial arts skills are also only average. It is obvious that these aspects were not the focus of his cultivation, and thus not honed to maximum effect.


    ¡°Another thing that is clear is that he is inexperienced in commanding. His method of using the ghouls as he did without any proper strategy is very telling, and he is sure to have many more of those creatures reserved to overwhelm us with later. But though he seems to have the numbers advantage due to the ghouls, it isn¡¯t an insurmountable hurdle. As long as we can disable the deity and his dragon companion, we have a very good chance of clearing the ghouls and winning with minimum losses.¡±


    Though they didn¡¯t know how they could just disable this demonic deity who had already ascended and a member of the true dragon race along with him, most of the cultivators present still nodded their heads. What this Feng Qinghe had observed and deduced were all reasonable and would be very useful.


    After a bit of hesitation, a sect master spoke up nervously from the side, ¡°I mean no disrespect, but¡­can¡¯t the Grandmaster just duel this deity then? The Grandmaster is clearly stronger than our enemy. He could easily take care of this whole affair on his own. He also seems to have a grudge against this demonic deity, so maybe we should just leave it to him.¡±


    Some of the others frowned at him at this blatant act of bringing up the Grandmaster¡¯s personal business and using it to shove all the responsibility to one person. The rest, however, looked at Feng Huixin with an expectant gaze waiting for an answer.


    Seeing this, Feng Huixin enlightened them, ¡°Leaving my personal association with the demonic deity out, there is a reason I cannot do this alone. A world of this level can only contain the full power of one deity. If I use my power, the deity Xie Xingye will also use his. If this world becomes burdened with the clashing powers of two deities, it will be torn apart and crushed into pieces. I could also battle him using only my physical strength, but that might end up opening the crack in the land below the castle and causing a large catastrophe in turn. Luring the deity Xie Xingye to another place will also not be possible, it would seem too obvious and might spook him into fleeing again.¡±


    The people listened intently and grew silent. All these were valid points. They shouldn''t expect just one person to do everything in this situation anyway, even if he was a powerful deity.


    Suddenly remembering this fact, a certain Elder spoke up, ¡°Grandmaster, I need to ask, but is there any way we can expect help from the heavens? After all, this Xie Xingye is a demonic deity that Heaven sealed inside our world, so it¡¯s not like the present situation does not involve them at all.¡±


    Realizing that there was indeed such a way, a few people¡¯s faces lit up with hope. ¡°Yes, yes, they could just send a few more deities and take away the demonic deity to seal him someplace else.¡±


    However, Feng Huixin replied with his brows furrowed lightly, ¡°Even if the heavenly court was to receive my message and send somebody, they would face the same constraints as me unless they come specifically prepared. But putting that aside, I did try to relay the current circumstances to the Heavenly Emperor, but I was unable to do so. The single-use array I should have been able to use to return to the heavenly realm also does not seem to work. That avenue is closed to us.¡±


    Hearing this, many shoulders drooped. Why did it feel like Heaven was purposefully abandoning them?


    At this point, what other option was there left to try?


    They couldn¡¯t all just haphazardly rush up into the castle where the deity and his dragon were staying and start attacking all at once. They would need a well thought out plan that considered various things. But since it had been a very long time since their world had faced such danger, they didn¡¯t know just how to go about fixing this.


    Truthfully, it wasn¡¯t like they were all incompetents who couldn¡¯t handle this situation at all. The sect masters were even very well-versed and experienced in assuming leadership. But managing a single sect was very different from managing the forces of the entire cultivation world.


    To stand at the helm of this, they would have to coordinate between various factions while not offending any of them. They would have to have valuable connections and a strong backing to make everything smoother. They would also have to be someone whom everyone considered as trustworthy and respectable.


    There were a lot of little details they would have to pay attention to while also shouldering the responsibility of this monumental task. The sheer pressure they would be under would slowly grind down on their nerves, leeching away their willpower and unbalancing the steadiness of their heart. And so, the person who would lead them should be someone who was able to bear this sort of pressure.


    Obviously, none of the Elders or sect masters could claim to fulfill all these criteria or that they would be able to handle this great responsibility.


    A stifling silence filled the room, thickening the air with ponderous thoughts and unspoken worries.


    It was at this time that Feng Huixin suddenly spoke up, ¡°Qinghe, can we hand over the strategizing to you?¡±


    Qinghe blinked at his father with wide eyes. ¡°Me?!¡±


    An Elder immediately spoke up with a dissatisfied frown, ¡°Grandmaster, he might be your son, but you can¡¯t just hand everything over to him like this out of favoritism.¡±


    Feng Huixin looked at the Elder calmly. ¡°Using the word ¡®favoritism¡¯ here is inappropriate. After all, what I am giving my son is not some gift, but the heavy burden of leadership. If I weren¡¯t sure that he was up to the task, I wouldn¡¯t do this.¡±


    Hearing his father¡¯s quiet confidence in him, Qinghe couldn¡¯t help but feel moved.


    Understanding that he must have offended the Grandmaster, the Elder tried to disagree more politely, ¡°But still¡­ Pardon me for saying this, but you are after all more experienced than a mere disciple who is not even half a century of age. Considering how you have successfully established and lead the Order of Sentinels so far, I¡¯m sure that you will guide us better.¡±


    Pressing his lips together, Feng Huixin shook his head in refutation. ¡°My experience with the Order is not compatible with this task. I am used to leading highly trained officers who all have strict discipline and obey orders unconditionally. But the cultivators from the sects are not like that. I have never cultivated at a sect and am not very familiar with how to lead people with such varied styles of combat. However, I have faith that my son can.¡±


    His heart warming further, Qinghe resolved himself to not disappoint his father.


    Taking a deep breath, Qinghe finally spoke, ¡°Since the Grandmaster has chosen to place his trust in me, I will agree to take on this responsibility. I will lead for now and provide instructions to resolve the current predicament. And by the end of this discussion, if anyone thinks that I¡¯m not up to the task, then I will step down and let you choose whoever you think is more capable. Do the Elders and sect masters agree?¡±


    After some hesitation, everyone contemplatively agreed.


    After all, since none of them wanted this responsibility anyway, they wouldn¡¯t lose much by giving this disciple the chance. And they all more or less knew about Feng Qinghe¡¯s intelligence and had seen his ability firsthand when he went against the demonic deity, and combined with the Grandmaster¡¯s obvious faith in his son, they decided to give him a chance to prove himself.


    Seeing the unanimous agreement reflected in all their faces, Qinghe nodded once.


    Now that he had been given this opportunity, he wouldn¡¯t have to manipulate things in the background to implement his plans. He could state them out in the open and directly assign tasks to relevant people and make them carry it out.


    But before that, they needed to analyze the enemy and see what type of path would be most appropriate.


    Qinghe closed his eyes for a moment and quickly went over the battle with Xie Xingye in his mind once more.


    Then opening his eyes again, he began, ¡°For fighting against our enemy this time, we do not need any fancy or convoluted tactics. We should focus on stabilizing and amplifying our defenses first. Guarding against simple and blunt attacks should suffice. The opposing force does not have an advisor or strategist to rely on. He is alone. This is another thing to our advantage.¡±


    Everyone nodded in accordance with this analysis.


    Seeing that no one had any questions or objections to his words, Qinghe continued steadily, ¡°We should first collect information about the distribution of enemy forces, the direction they¡¯re headed in, and the layout of their base. Once we get an accurate grasp of the situation, I will begin assigning tasks. As the circumstances change, I will adjust my instructions accordingly. If anyone has a better alternative to anything I suggest, please speak up and state your reasons clearly. If it is logical, then I will amend my decision as required.¡±


    As they heard Feng Qinghe¡¯s unwavering voice and confident disposition, the Elders and sect masters slowly started believing in him.


    It seemed that he really knew what he was doing, his assessment of the situation precise and his commands decisive. He had also opened up a channel for open debate and communication so that anyone who wanted to could take part in the decision-making process and address their concerns.


    Nodding his head at this disciple¡¯s levelheadedness and ability to see everything clearly, a sect master at the side nonetheless asked, ¡°All the things you said seem very reasonable. But are you sure you know how to defeat this demonic deity?¡±


    Qinghe smiled reassuringly. Then tilting his head with a strange light in his eyes, he explained, ¡°Controlling a war is not much different from controlling a conversation. They both work on the same principles, you see. You use words or weapons to close in on the other side and corner them in between walls made of reason and logic, and sometimes whole or twisted truths. And then you leave them only one route of escape, which will inevitably lead them to the outcome we want, be it their surrender, defeat, or complete destruction.¡±


    Icy shivers ran down the backs of the people in the room as they heard this.


    Seeing the self-assured look and sly smile on Qinghe¡¯s face, the Elders and sect masters all had only one thought¨DThey really shouldn¡¯t have underestimated this youngster!

 Chapter 115: Counterattack Strategy

    Having gained the acceptance of the gathered sect masters and Elders, Qinghe began constructing the strategy.


    Turning to Feng Huixin, he asked, ¡°Grandmaster, have the Sentinels discovered anything in their scouting missions so far?¡±


    Hearing his son¡¯s query, Feng Huixin called on Kong Min to answer, ¡°Min-er, what have you found?¡±


    As the head of the informatical group in the Order, Kong Min would after all be the one who knew the most about whatever information had been collected so far.


    With his hip still leaning against the table and his arms crossed, Kong Min answered, ¡°The fact that the Castle of Echoes¡ªthe place where the deity has currently set up camp¡ªis a part of the Liuxingyu Ruins makes it problematic to scout properly. That entire place has traps upon complicated traps set out around it and many complex formations littering the entire area. It makes it difficult for the reconnaissance team to enter and gain a proper understanding of the castle¡¯s layout. However, with the help of Master¡¯s knowledge gleaned from when he was trapped and managed to get out from the Forest of Echoes, along with our own experience in there, we found a simple method to navigate the forest¡¯s enchantment.¡±


    Qinghe thoughtfully nodded. That would indeed be very helpful when they finally mounted their offensive against the deity Xie Xingye. And since he had also been worrying about how to successfully get through the Forest of Echoes, after hearing that the Sentinels had already found a way, he felt his burden lessen by a little.


    But even if that particular issue was taken care of, apart from that, there were still quite a few other things he had to carefully consider.


    With a small frown, Qinghe tilted his head down and carefully studied the map laid out on the table, his eyes flicking here and there, over the dense settlements, the positions of the sects, the coastline and the oceans¡­


    Various thoughts and tactics slowly came together in his mind.


    Lifting his head up again, Qinghe began, ¡°I will now start assigning tasks, so please listen carefully. If you feel that you would be unable to accomplish the tasks allotted to you or that you might need help, please feel free to speak up. Staying silent due to pride may cause many lives from your sect to be lost if you take on more than you can chew. Give it careful thought before you agree to accept the task.¡±


    Hearing this being said by a young disciple, many of the older cultivators felt uncomfortable, but they could also not refute the logic in Qinghe¡¯s words, so they reluctantly nodded in acquiescence.


    ¡°Then I will now begin giving out instructions,¡± Qinghe declared.


    ¡°I would like the Sentinels to continue policing as usual and maintaining order while lending me a few reconnaissance teams. Four teams will pair up with disciples of the Silver Moon Sect who are especially skilled in sensing and breaking apart formations, particularly the ancient spells surrounding the Castle of Echoes. These four groups will target the castle from four different directions and break in. Their objective will be to clear away as many traps as possible while surveying the basic layout of the castle and creating a map. They must make sure to use the shadows or spells of invisibility as much as they can and avoid being detected at all costs.


    ¡°Apart from these four groups, the rest of the reconnaissance teams are to study the distributions of ghouls that are meandering over our lands aimlessly and plot their path to predict where they are heading, then block them. Try to herd them away from any human settlements and destroy as many as possible.¡±


    With a serious expression, Kong Min nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±


    Wu Xiao also gave a short nod. ¡°I will select and send over the disciples to Sentinel Kong after this conference is over.¡±


    Seeing that there would be no problems on their end, Qinghe moved on to dispense the next set of instructions. Turning to Zhen YiLan, Qinghe spoke, ¡°Master, I would like our sect to send out patrol teams to tightly guard the boundaries of the towns nearest to the Forest of Echoes. If any ghouls enter their sight, they are to eliminate them immediately. We do not know how they will react when they see any mortals, but we cannot take any chances. If a mortal gets infected by demonic energy due to being bitten by a ghoul, their fate will be far worse than a cultivator¡¯s in the same situation.¡±


    Though his face showed a complicated expression at his Qing-er ordering him so calmly, Zhen YiLan still nodded. ¡°It will be done.¡±


    Qinghe sent his master a small smile of gratitude before turning to Fu Cangyun. ¡°Sect Master Fu, may I request that the Lightning Sky Sect be responsible as field medics during the battle? It would also be better if the juniors, along with a few seniors and Elders, could stay back in case of emergencies. Please prepare the necessary amounts of pills and medicine we will need in advance to treat those infected by ghoul bites.¡±


    Without a change in expression, Fu Cangyun simply said, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Turning to Lu Feiyu next, Qinghe spoke, ¡°During the final battle, I would like the Drifting Clouds Sect to secure escape routes so that the severely wounded can be carried out for treatment and rest during the fight. I will leave the choosing of the disciples to Sect Master Lu, but please do retain a select few to aid in the main battle force itself.¡±


    Lu Feiyu nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Understood, I¡¯ll see that it¡¯s done.¡±


    Satisfied with his response, Qinghe then turned to Liu Xue. ¡°Sect Master Liu, along with joining the main force, can I leave the task of providing armaments, artifacts, and other necessary tools required during this battle to your sect as well?¡±


    Liu Xue simply raised an eyebrow, a sly glint in her eyes.


    Understanding, Qinghe added with a chuckle, ¡°You will be suitably compensated, of course.¡±


    With a grin, Liu Xue immediately nodded. ¡°Since you¡¯re buying in bulk, I will even give you a discount. But Xiao He, can your sect afford to pay for it all?¡±


    At the side, Zhen YiLan also showed a worried expression. After all, the goods sold by the Golden Sun Sect were all of very high quality, which naturally meant that they were extremely expensive. And since large quantities of these expensive goods would have to be purchased all at once, it would be an understatement even if one were to say that the resultant price could bankrupt several wealthy sects under its cumulative weight.


    But with a placid smile, Qinghe easily replied, ¡°I will naturally not burden my master with these expenses. I have had many dealings with Master Kai to date and he owes me several favors. I¡¯m sure he¡¯d be more than happy to pay to clear a few of them.¡±


    Many people looked at Qinghe with wide and disbelieving eyes.


    Just how did this youngster get that famed merchant Master Kai to owe him so many favors?! This Feng Qinghe was truly a wily one!


    Not minding their strange expressions, now that the matter of payment was settled, Qinghe continued instructing, ¡°After these preparations are complete and everything is ready, we will march through the Forest of Echoes and reach the castle where the demonic deity Xie Xingye and his dragon have made their lair. Our main fighting force will consist of martially-inclined disciples from Heavenly Peak Sect and Golden Sun Sect, along with certain disciples from Drifting Cloud Sect who can use their ability in an offensive capacity. If any of the other sects have disciples who are willing to risk their lives in this battle or to guard mortal settlements against the wandering ghouls, then may they provide their names and the nature of their ability to their respective sect masters, who are then requested to bring this list to me so that I can factor everything in.¡±


    Heads nodded all around the table as everyone agreed to his words. They were glad that the weaker or more meek disciples of their sects wouldn¡¯t be forced to fight just to make up numbers. Giving the disciples the choice to voluntarily fight in the battle or take up guard duty over the townships was very fair.


    Letting out a breath, Qinghe paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts before continuing, ¡°Meanwhile, during the battle at the Castle of Echoes, I would like to ask Sect Master Wu and Brother Jing to cooperate like last time at the Battle Arena and maintain a barrier around the entire castle to make sure that neither the ghouls nor the deity and his dragon will escape, either over the land, through the skies, or into the ocean.¡±


    Wu Xiao and Jing Shui shared a look, then turning to Qinghe, they resolutely nodded as one.


    Seeing them easily agree, Qinghe felt relieved that no matter what, at least their opponents wouldn¡¯t be able to flee this time and extend this battle.


    Reassured that this would be handled, Qinghe had just opened his mouth to issue some more instructions when an Elder suddenly spoke up, ¡°Excuse me, but what about the oceans bordering the Castle of Echoes? Since the ghouls originate from the castle, wouldn¡¯t they also wander towards the shore, and by extension, the oceans?¡±


    Not minding the interruption, Qinghe easily agreed with a pleasant smile, ¡°Yes, they will. That is why, while the Sentinels handle cleaning the ghouls on land, I thought to request the Pirate Queen Hai Liang to station her vessels near the shore to make sure that none of the ghouls escape through the ocean.¡±


    With a doubtful look, the Elder asked, ¡°But will she agree?¡±


    Nodding, Qinghe answered, ¡°Yes, she also owes me many favors and would surely be delighted to get this opportunity to reduce them by a few.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    This time, even the people closest to Qinghe looked at him disbelievingly.


    How could this pair of powerful husband and wife both owe this man? Just what had he done to gain so many favors out of the renowned merchant Mater Kai who could rival the Golden Sun Sect in matters of trade, and the Queen of the Seas Hai Liang who was already considered a legendary figure known and feared by all?!


    However, while standing at the side, Wei Xiang simply looked on with a wry and knowing smile.


    He remembered how, back when they were in the receiving room of the imperial palace of the Xing Long Empire, his little lover had fed him oranges before plotting about gaining favors from both Master Kai and Hai Liang by using their game of chasing and being chased to his advantage.


    Qinghe would agree to provide Master Kai a place to hide in for at least a month before giving up his location to Hai Liang exactly after that month was over. Neither of the sides knew of their spouse¡¯s arrangement with Qinghe and both kept owing him favors every month in this way.


    Thinking back to his beloved¡¯s cunning, Wei Xiang felt both impressed and helpless.


    Just then, a sect master spoke up with a question, ¡°What I do not understand is, why must we guard against the ghouls going into the oceans in the first place? Rather than stopping them, we should actually just herd all the ghouls and push them into the waters. Just let them all drown together, I say!¡±


    A host of disparaging glares landed on this sect master, immediately shutting him up.


    Coughing lightly to disperse the terse atmosphere, Qinghe explained patiently, ¡°Since ghouls are essentially made from dead bodies, they will float in water like most corpses would. And since ghouls wouldn¡¯t need to breathe, even if they were to be submerged in water, it would pose no hindrance to them.¡±


    The sect master reddened in embarrassment after hearing this, but still continued to insist, ¡°Even if it were so, where the ghouls float away to after leaving our lands is not our concern. I still stand by my suggestion to push them all into the ocean and let them drift away from our shores on their own.¡±


    Some looked at this sect master with a hint of dissatisfaction while a few looked like they were considering this option.


    At the side, Wu Xiao snorted disdainfully. ¡°Oh? And what about the fishing boats they might encounter along the way? What if they float back around to another shore on our continent and start attacking innocents? Or are you saying that you can protect each and every single shore on these lands? Not to mention the catastrophe we would be to blame for if the ghouls floated to and began infesting any of the islands surrounding our continent. Eradicating them completely would be near to impossible then.¡±


    The sect master finally shut up, unable to say anything in return.


    Qinghe let out a sigh silently that this issue finally seemed to be resolved.


    Then turning to Hei NingYu, he began, ¡°Sect Leader Hei, about the dark arts faction¨D¡±


    Hei NingYu interjected, ¡°I will be the only one taking part in the representation of the entire dark arts faction.¡±


    Qinghe paused, then nodded in understanding.


    After all, Hei NingYu¡¯s sole objective in becoming the demonic faction¡¯s sect leader was to suppress them and prevent them from wantonly wreaking havoc. He naturally would not want to bring them along when dealing with something as crucial as this discussion or the battle with the demonic deity later.


    Also, the demonic faction was not a loyal lot. They might as well just take this opportunity to kill off their sect leader and earn his position or try to stealthily harvest the souls of the other cultivators while they were busy battling. And when compared to the righteous cultivators towards whom they held a bit of dissatisfaction, they would naturally feel more favorably towards a deity who followed the demonic path like them, so it would be difficult to be certain that they wouldn¡¯t just switch sides halfway through.


    And so, it would definitely be better to keep the demonic cultivators off the battlefield this time.


    With a considering look, Qinghe finally spoke, ¡°Then Sect Leader Hei, may I ask you to use your ability and wrench away control of a portion of the ghouls from the demonic deity?¡±


    Standing behind Zhen YiLan, Chen Xiande¡¯s eyes widened. How did his junior brother know about his beloved¡¯s ability?


    But Hei NingYu looked unsurprised. He had long since figured out that with his talent to ferret out secrets, Qinghe would¡¯ve long since found out about his Enchantment.


    In a carefree voice, Hei NingYu easily agreed, ¡°Yes, I can take control of a few thousand ghouls at least.¡±


    Qinghe nodded in satisfaction. But before he could proceed to say something else, Chen Xiande suddenly spoke out, ¡°Junior Brother, while NingYu is using his ability, I would like to stay with him.¡±


    Qinghe paused. Then with a quiet gaze, he looked at his senior brother. ¡°Do you feel that it is necessary?¡±


    Chen Xiande met his gaze with firm eyes and nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    In the beginning, the biggest reason he had rushed to cultivate and strengthen his ability was so that he could protect this junior brother of his who seemed to not know how to take care of himself, treating his own wellbeing without seriousness. And then, Chen Xiande had begun to train harder so that he could also protect Hei NingYu whenever he became vulnerable while using his ability.


    But now that his junior brother had both his Sentinel Wei and the Grandmaster to take care of him, Chen Xiande could rest assured and pour the entire focus of his protection into keeping his lover safe.


    Even now, Chen Xiande still couldn¡¯t forget the sight of what he saw that time, when he dreamt of his beloved¡¯s memories.


    He remembered the sight of Hei NingYu chained and weak, he remembered the sight of him being ripped apart by beasts, he remembered the emptiness in his eyes when he killed his own master¡­


    No, Chen Xiande didn¡¯t want his beloved to be alone anymore, especially when he would be so vulnerable while using his Enchantment. Hei NingYu might be powerful enough right now to not need his protection, but Chen Xiande was determined to stay by his side anyway.


    Guessing his little sheep¡¯s thoughts, Hei NingYu¡¯s expression softened with affection and warmth.


    At the head of the table, Qinghe studied Chen Xiande¡¯s steady expression, then spoke with a small smile, ¡°Since Senior Brother deems it necessary, you may do so. Assist Sect Leader Hei well then.¡±


    In the presence of so many people, both Chen Xiande and Qinghe had taken care not to reveal Hei NingYu¡¯s weakness, just tacitly understanding the situation between themselves.


    Seeing that his junior brother agreed while also not giving away the side-effects of Hei NingYu¡¯s ability before everyone, Chen Xiande sent Qinghe a nod filled with gratitude.


    Now that that was decided, Qinghe figured that it was finally time to explain the main core of his plan.


    Turning to the room at large, Qinghe began, ¡°Since we have addressed almost everything that needs to be addressed, we will now move on to discussing the plan to let the Grandmaster seal the demonic deity Xie Xingye and suppress his black dragon companion.¡±


    Many people showed startled expressions. He meant to only seal and not kill the demonic deity?


    ¡°Why would you let him live?¡± asked an Elder. ¡°He is someone who is legitimately trying to devour an entire world. What right does he have to live?!¡±


    Qinghe faced him with a composed expression, his eyes holding a calm weight that someone of his age should not have had. ¡°We are cultivators who follow the righteous path, while he is a deity who ascended using the demonic path. Our morals are obviously meant to be stronger than his. Just because he wants to kill us all does not mean that we have to reciprocate that much brutality. Blood must never be shed thoughtlessly. After all, each life is so precious and maintained with so much hard work, ending it carelessly is a sin.¡±


    While the other cultivators nodded thoughtfully at these deep and meaningful words, Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes remained fixed on Qinghe, his heart feeling stunned.


    His son¡­so he still remembered what he had taught him so long ago?


    Qinghe didn¡¯t notice his father¡¯s strangeness and simply continued from where he¡¯d left off earlier, ¡°The plan is nothing complicated, but it will require some preparation from our part, especially from Sect Master Wu.¡±


    Wu Xiao looked at Qinghe curiously. ¡°What is it that you need?¡±


    ¡°I need you to draw up a formation with certain specifications. I even have a diagram plan for it,¡± Qinghe explained. Then turning to Wei Xiang, he asked, ¡°Xiang, give me that scroll with the brown and blue cover.¡±


    Wei Xiang cocked an eyebrow, ¡°I have at least four such ones that you gave me for safekeeping just this week.¡±


    The scroll-hoarding Qinghe scrunched his brows, then brightened. ¡°It¡¯s the one whose pattern I said looked like round little fishes.¡±


    With an expression of understanding, Wei Xiang wordlessly retrieved a scroll from his spatial storage and placed it into his little lover¡¯s extended palm.


    Relegated to the sidelines, the others could only wordlessly watch them both act like a married couple without comment.


    After giving it a cursory glance to see that it was indeed what he had meant, Qinghe threw the scroll towards Wu Xiao with a twitch of his wrist.


    Wu Xiao lifted a hand to catch it, and after removing its cloth cover, quickly opened the scroll to read through its contents.


    As he read on, his brows drew together more and more.


    ¡°Xiao Feng, something like this¡­ I¡¯m afraid that it will require a staggering amount of power.¡±


    Qinghe remained unperturbed as he asked evenly, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m aware. But is it possible?¡±


    Wu Xiao rolled the scroll back up and carefully drew the cloth cover over it again. Then looking up, he nodded once. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s definitely possible, though I am in disbelief that something like this even exists. Where did you find it?¡±


    Waving his hand dismissively, Qinghe merely said, ¡°I traded for it with certain people who did not know its value. Let¡¯s not speak about that.¡±


    And so, Wu Xiao prudently decided to leave it be. He did not want to know what all shady dealings this sneaky Xiao Feng had gotten up to behind everyone''s backs to get his hands on this scroll.


    ¡°But what is in that scroll?¡± Jing Shui suddenly questioned, unable to restrain his curiosity anymore.


    Wu Xiao only shook his head wryly in response while Qinghe smiled and answered, ¡°Inside the scroll is the explanation on how to construct a formation that can trap and completely incapacitate the spiritual powers of everyone within its confines, no matter their realm of power. Its spiritual nullification is absolute and not even talismans or artifacts will work inside its boundaries.¡±


    Surprised gazes were immediately directed towards the scroll lying inconspicuously on the table in front of Wu Xiao.


    If it contained details on how to build a formation that could trap even a deity like that, then it must at least be of heavenly grade!

 Chapter 116: The Only Choice

    Tearing their eyes away from the scroll resting on the table, someone raised another issue.


    ¡°But what will happen once this formation is activated around the deity?¡± a sect master asked from the side in puzzlement. ¡°The Grandmaster cannot cast the spell to seal this demonic deity from outside the formation, the spiritual interference would be too big. But the Grandmaster himself also cannot enter the formation lest his own powers get nullified.¡±


    The disciple standing behind this sect master also questioned, ¡°I would also like to know, how will the formation be drawn around the deity in the first place? I doubt he¡¯ll stand still and let us paint sigils around him.¡±


    The others also looked at Qinghe, waiting for his answer. After all, these were all reasonable questions.


    Qinghe kept smiling as usual and replied, ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. The deity will not stand in place quietly to allow the formation to enclose him, which is why I will keep the deity occupied while the formation is quickly drawn around us by a group of disciples from the Silver Moon Sect. Once the formation is up, we will need several very strong power sources to keep it running. The more power we are able to feed the formation, the more securely the deity Xie Xingye will be trapped. As for how this power will be added to it, I suppose Sect Master Wu can explain it better.¡±


    Wu Xiao nodded from the side and began speaking, ¡°The formation can have anywhere from four to sixteen nodal points through which energy can be injected into it¡­¡±


    Pausing, Wu Xiao suddenly remembered what a disciple of Silver Mist had said to him before while he¡¯d brought the others to visit his master.


    ¡®Sect Master, it¡¯s all eight directions. You have to remember it ah. Using eight points makes it the most stable.¡¯


    And so, Wu Xiao said with sudden decisiveness, ¡°Eight points. The formation should have eight points, one each for the north, east, south, west, northwest, northeast, southwest, and southeast directions. This will offer it the most stability.¡±


    Also recalling that disciple¡¯s words and feeling that it made sense, Qinghe nodded in agreement, ¡°Then we will need eight of the most powerful people among those present to temporarily stop their battle, step into these eight points, and feed energy into the formation once it¡¯s drawn.¡±


    Then lifting his hand to count with his fingers, Qinghe began, ¡°I suppose the people to be chosen for this would be the Grandmaster, Sect Leader Hei, all the Sect Masters of the Five Great Sects, and¡­¡±


    ¡°Xiang-er as well,¡± Feng Huixin added. ¡°Apart from me and Sect Leader Hei, he is the most powerful person here. He is already half a step into the demigod realm, but refuses to breakthrough.¡±


    Hearing the slight tinge of exasperation in his master¡¯s voice, Wei Xiang smiled wryly.


    Qinghe blinked at them, then nodded. ¡°Very well, so it shall be then. These eight people will wait for the formation to be drawn while I¡¯m distracting the deity.¡±


    The aforementioned eight people nodded in acknowledgment.


    ¡°But why must you be the one to engage the deity?¡± Chen Xiande asked with obvious dissatisfaction.


    Not many of the cultivators present might know about this, but his junior brother¡¯s core was after all damaged. And after getting it tightly patched up, he would be unable to use his cultivation at all. There would be plenty of other people who could fight that deity instead.


    Detecting the worry in his senior brother¡¯s gaze despite his annoyed tone, Qinghe¡¯s smile turned warm. ¡°Senior Brother, though I understand your concerns, there are two reasons why it has to be me.


    ¡°Firstly, after the formation goes up, everyone within it will be unable to use their cultivation, which means that the person staying inside with the deity will have to match their martial arts skills against the deity and be able to survive. Though the deity¡¯s skills are not the best, that is only when compared to the higher leveled martial arts cultivators of our world. However, when it comes to pure martial arts, I am confident in my ability to go against him and hold my own. I have also fought against him before, which means that I am also the one who is best prepared to engage him in battle.


    ¡°As for the second reason, it is also the answer to the question this esteemed sect master just put forth,¡± Qinghe spoke while turning to face the sect master who had asked how the Grandmaster would seal the deity without going into the formation and getting his own cultivation nullified.


    All this while, the sect master had actually thought that Qinghe had just ignored his question because he didn¡¯t know how to answer. Not wanting to make it difficult for the youngster who was already shouldering such a burden that none of the others dared to, the sect master had been quietly breaking his head to find a solution to it. That was why he was more than surprised when Qinghe himself brought up his question again on his own.


    Did this young man really have an answer to it?


    As if hearing his skepticism, Qinghe began speaking, ¡°The Grandmaster will indeed be unable to seal the deity from outside the formation, and even more so if he entered within. This is why I will need the effects of the formation to be halted when I send a signal. Once the effects of the formation are suddenly lifted, the deity will naturally suspect the Grandmaster to use this small window of opportunity before the deity has gathered his full power to attempt to seal him. Anticipating this, he will be on guard against the person he considers the biggest threat. And so, when the deity has his entire attention focused on the Grandmaster, I will get into his guard and incapacitate him for a few short seconds. The Grandmaster can then take this time to completely seal the deity.¡±


    Though many of the cultivators nodded while carefully pondering over this plan, the people who already knew of Qinghe¡¯s condition only looked at him with disapproving and confused gazes.


    Jing Shui frowned and finally spoke up, ¡°As you are now, how are you going to incapacitate the deity? For that matter, how are you going to fight him before his cultivation is nullified? Feng Qinghe, you shouldn¡¯t be this reckless with your own life.¡±


    The other cultivators looked at them askance, but couldn¡¯t deduce much from those words since Jing Shui had deliberately not given away the condition of Qinghe¡¯s core.


    Seeing the concern and fear masking as anger in his friend¡¯s face, Qinghe could only smile helplessly and reassure him. ¡°Brother Jing, please do not worry. Unlike last time, I will go prepared with several strong defensive artifacts to ward off the deity¡¯s attacks at least for a few minutes. And as for how I¡¯ll incapacitate him¡­¡±


    Qinghe shrugged and said simply, ¡°I¡¯ll self-destruct my core.¡±


    Stunned silence resounded after these words were so casually spoken.


    Unheeding of the entire room gone quiet, Qinghe continued, ¡°The spiritual energy released due to the destruction of a cultivation core is one of the most potent and violent energies possible to be produced. If I concentrate the entire output of this ensuing spiritual explosion onto the deity Xie Xingye, his spiritual pathways will incur vast damage. However, as a deity, the speed of his regeneration will be too quick, so it will only take him a few moments to heal before he can muster an attack, but those few moments should be enough for the Grandmaster to seal the deity.¡±


    Another thing he didn''t add was that since his core was already cracked, it would be much fairer for him to break it the rest of the way for this plan rather than asking someone with a whole and healthy core to blow theirs up instead.


    Meanwhile, after hearing his indifferently spoken words, even as most people were still staring at him in shock, Wu Xiao suddenly slammed his palm against the table and shouted, ¡°Feng Qinghe! Don¡¯t you dare!¡±


    Qinghe blinked at this rare expression of Wu Xiao¡¯s fury. ¡°Sect Master Wu, what¨D¡±


    ¡°I did not patch you up just so you can screw yourself over again! Do you know the consequences of doing something like that?!¡±


    Letting out a deep breath, Qinghe nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fully aware of the risks. Rest assured that I have taken it into account and feel confident that I can face whatever the end result is. Anyway, when have you ever known me to take a loss that easily?¡±


    Hearing this, Wu Xiao felt like he had nothing more to say to this disobedient brat who refused to listen to his elders. After calming down a bit, Wu Xiao couldn¡¯t help but feel that as crafty as this Feng Qinghe was, he would surely have his own reasons to be this certain. But this recklessness still made him spitting mad!


    From beside Qinghe, Feng Huixin suddenly spoke in a conflicted voice, ¡°Qinghe, you¡­¡± But unable to put his churning thoughts into words, he trailed away.


    He had just found his son and started spending time together. They had just begun to bond as family again. Would he lose him so soon? Even with the fate of the world in balance, would he truly be able to just stand aside and give up his son?


    Breaking into these thoughts with a gentle tone, Qinghe said, ¡°Grandmaster, even if you don¡¯t trust in me, at least trust in Heaven. You should have noticed it by now too, yes?¡±


    Feng Huixin froze, then nodded stiffly. How could he not have noticed all the subtle clues till now that showed that Heaven was interfering in his son¡¯s life for some reason?


    From Qinghe¡¯s fall into this world that somehow ended up waking a demonic deity who seemed to have some connection with his family, to all the torments and hurdles in between that had honed him into who he was now, and to the present where he was preparing to fight against that same demonic deity he had awakened¡­ there were too many inexplicable coincidences to be believable.


    Heaven also seemed to constantly impede Feng Huixin whenever he tried to protect his son from these occurrences, be it when he tried to find his son or when he was trying to report the current circumstances to the Heavenly Emperor. Feng Huixin could at least be sure that the Heavenly Emperor didn¡¯t seem to know of this, which meant that Heaven itself was behind everything.


    But what he couldn¡¯t understand was¡­ Why? Why was it focusing so much of its attention on his son?


    As if reading his thoughts, Qinghe spoke, ¡°Whatever reason Heaven may have, I am very sure that it is not done with me yet. It will not let me die or waste away. Grandmaster, can you trust in my decision?¡±


    Feng Huixin hesitated, then looked to his other side at Wei Xiang.


    Shaking his head, Wei Xiang answered the silent question in his master¡¯s gaze. ¡°I do not know the basis of his confidence, but the fact that he is confident itself is enough for me. He might not treat his own life with as much care as I would like, but he will not play with mine, of that I am sure.¡±


    Qinghe hmphed. ¡°Of course I wouldn¡¯t. I¡¯m reasonably certain that this¡¯ll work.¡±


    Then looking up at the people closest to him, Qinghe resolutely assured, ¡°Since I have a soul bond with Xiang, I will definitely not take risks with his life. Even if you don¡¯t believe me, you should be able to believe in that at least, shouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    With thoughtful expressions, everyone, even Wu Xiao, nodded as if convinced.


    For some reason, Qinghe felt wronged after seeing this. Was he really so untrustworthy when his own safety was concerned? Would they only believe him when his Xiang¡¯s safety was also in the picture?!


    Wei Xiang amusedly looked at his little lover''s expression, making him seem like he would puff up with pouted cheeks at any moment.


    ¡°But Xiao He, I still don¡¯t understand,¡± Liu Xue suddenly asked, ¡°After the formation is lifted, why do you have to distract the deity in the first place? Why not spare your core and just let the Grandmaster directly use his spiritual power to capture him? After all, that Xie Xingye wouldn¡¯t be able to gather enough of his power by that point that it would clash with the Grandmaster''s power and cause this world to collapse, would it?¡±


    Feng Huixin gave a light sigh and directly responded to the question in his son''s stead, ¡°It¡¯s because my son must have noticed that I am unable to be that precise. My spiritual pathways are too wide and used to channeling too much power at once. Just like how it was at the Battle Arena, if I use my power, the environment will be significantly impacted and damaged, which would lead to that crack in the land under the castle that I mentioned before to widen and swallow the entire surrounding areas, including all the human settlements nearby.¡±


    Qinghe shrugged and admitted, ¡°Yes, I thought it might be the case.¡±


    Liu Xue frowned. ¡°Then rather than using spiritual power to attack or restrain him, Grandmaster, can you directly seal the deity the second the formation is lifted and ceases to interfere with the casting?¡±


    Feng Huixin shook his head. ¡°The sealing spell has delicate foundations. It would be best if there¡¯s the least amount of resistance possible from the subject on who the spell is being cast on. So even if the deity Xie Xingye is not at full power at the moment when I''m trying to seal him, as long as he fights back with even just a little bit of his powers, the casting could be destabilized.¡±


    Liu Xue pressed her lips together. It seemed that there really was no other choice.


    Qinghe smiled as he also said, ¡°As you can see, this is the only choice we have at the moment. If anyone is able to come up with something better, then I would be glad to hear it.¡±


    But no matter how much they thought, the others couldn''t find another way that addressed all the points like Qinghe''s plan did.


    Expecting this, Qinghe nodded and declared, ¡°Then this is the plan we will follow.¡±


    This time, although their expressions were reluctant, no one raised any objections.


    As for the rest of the sect masters and Elders who had stayed out of the discussion between Qinghe¡¯s group, they were simply not close enough to this Feng Qinghe to think about how shattering his core would affect him. After all, seeing his intelligence and confidence till now, surely he would make sure to not put himself in too big of a disadvantage?


    Now that the core tactics of what should be done for the next few days had been discussed, Qinghe straightened his back and faced the entire length of the long table before announcing clearly so that everyone could hear, ¡°We all know what to do now, and everyone has been given their tasks. We will use the rest of this day to begin work on each of our assigned duties. Tomorrow morning, we will meet again to discuss what else has to be done and what other details are left to iron out. And so, this conference is dispersed for today.¡±


    Thus, the discussion finally came to an end.


    The folding door to the room opened again and let the afternoon sunlight pour in, dissipating the weighty feeling of the room a bit.


    The cultivators milled around for a while, some going to greet the group of people standing at the head of the table, some chatting about the day¡¯s events with solemn and serious faces. Eventually, they all slowly began heading towards the entrance in groups.


    Chen Xiande left first with Zhen YiLan and met in between with Hei NingYu to talk about a few things as they walked away. Lu Feiyu also took his head disciple An YaLing to politely and gracefully bid goodbye to everyone before heading out the doorway, with Fu Cangyun and Lei Zihua following after them with their usual grave and strict expressions. After discussing a few more things with Qinghe, Jing Shui, Wu Xiao, and Liu Xue also left after packing up the map on the table under Qinghe¡¯s envious gaze.


    When only Qinghe, Wei Xiang, and Feng Huixin were left, Feng Huixin carefully pulled his son close in a hug and said seriously, ¡°You did well today.¡± Then after nodding once to Wei Xiang, he also walked out of the room, leaving the couple alone.


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang looked at each other, their gazes deep. Without a word exchanged, they extended a hand towards the other at the same time, their palms meeting and pressing together as their fingers entwined. Then the two figures disappeared, having already dissolved into the shadows to head home.


    With its solemnity now lightened by the sunrays flooding in, the large room that was finally free of all its occupants was silent and peaceful once more.


    ¡­¡­


    The second Qinghe appeared back into his room, he discarded his pants and robes in a heap, undid his hair, and slumped down onto the bed while grumbling, ¡°I hate clothes.¡±


    With an indulgent smile, Wei Xiang also stripped himself and lay beside his beloved, pulling his little lover close and pressing their bare bodies against each other.


    Qinghe basked in the comfortable warmth of his beloved¡¯s skin and sighed with pleasure. But soon, he noticed something wrong. Wei Xiang¡¯s heart was beating too fast, and its rhythm was different from when he was aroused or excited.


    With a small frown, Qinghe listened more closely and blinked in surprise.


    ¡°Xiang, you¡­ Why are you afraid?¡±


    Wei Xiang felt startled at first, then smiled wryly.


    Holding his lover tighter and smelling his soothing scent, Wei Xiang finally answered, his voice even and deep, ¡°My instincts warn me that I might end up being separated from you by the end of this.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes blinked up at him with wide eyes.


    But taking a deep breath, Wei Xiang continued, ¡°Qinghe, I trust in you, but I don¡¯t like how much trust you¡¯re placing in Heaven. I thought I could hide it, but who would have known that you¡¯d even memorized the pattern of my heartbeat?¡±


    He truly felt helpless at how less he could hide from his little lover the more familiar they became with each other.


    Qinghe looked away and puffed his cheeks slightly. ¡°I didn¡¯t do it consciously. I just end up memorizing certain familiar patterns.¡±


    Wei Xiang laughed and slid his hand down to squeeze his beloved¡¯s butt. ¡°Yes, I noticed this habit of yours. That¡¯s how I was able to guess how you knew what I was feeling.¡±


    Shifting in Wei Xiang¡¯s embrace to pull away that obnoxiously tempting hand still kneading his backside, Qinghe tried to find the words to reassure his beloved that he wasn¡¯t going to leave him just like that.


    After a stretch of silence, Qinghe finally spoke, ¡°Xiang, do you distrust Heaven because of¡­the things that happened to me?¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes narrowed as he nodded in answer.


    Qinghe sighed and leaned back a little. Looking straight into Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes, he said, ¡°But even though I can guess that most of what I suffered was because of Heaven¡¯s direction, I don¡¯t really blame it. I even feel a little grateful towards it. It was because of Heaven interfering with the transportation array that the Grandmaster entered this world at the wrong time, leading to him establishing the Order of Sentinels that has saved numerous lives since then.


    ¡°And it was because of me entering that orphanage due to the lack of the Grandmaster¡¯s timely protection that Yan Lin managed to live. Without me there to protect him, he would have been starved or beaten to death many times over, and Master would have never found that place and notified the Sentinels. All those kids would have stayed trapped in there and possibly died in that orphanage while being horribly abused all the while.¡±


    Wei Xiang frowned, but was unable to say anything in return.


    Qinghe continued, ¡°I know that there are several other events where it seemed like I was being pushed into unfavorable circumstances. But Xiang, if you look closer, then it¡¯s easy enough to see that except for my time at the orphanage, which I do not regret now, I have never suffered any irreparable damage because of Heaven¡¯s meddling. I was even able to gain a few things that I otherwise might not have. Every time Heaven pushes me onto a dangerous path, it also makes sure to give me a lot more in return. This is its pattern, and following it, this conflict with the deity will also be the same.¡±


    With his eyebrows raised, Wei Xiang looked at Qinghe with surprise. ¡°Oh? You analyzed even that sort of pattern?¡±


    Qinghe cheerfully nodded. ¡°Of course I did. Anyway, despite everything, Heaven should be a fair existence, it will not make this unreasonably difficult for me. Also, it seems somewhat cautious in its actions against me. It has taken care not to cross my bottom line by hurting the people I care about. For that, at least, I can excuse it.¡±


    Wei Xiang could only give up with a sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t always understand how you think, but I suppose you really do put a lot of thought into your decisions. Yes, I think I understand the basis of your trust now.¡±


    With both of their lives on the line, of course his beloved would have considered everything before deciding on such a drastic option like exploding his own core.


    Smiling widely, Qinghe stuck close to his lover again. ¡°See? Things are not as bad as you think, so you shouldn¡¯t feel afraid that we¡¯ll be separated. I won¡¯t leave your side that easily. Even if I do, we¡¯ll always find a way to be together again.¡±


    Wei Xiang felt an inexpressible sense of comfort at hearing these words. He purposefully pushed aside his doubts and decided to enjoy the time he had with his beloved now.


    Turning his body to press his little lover under him, Wei Xiang supported himself on his elbows and teased, ¡°Oh? Are you sure you won¡¯t leave me even if someone better comes along to steal you away? After all, my little lover didn¡¯t have much experience with other people before he agreed to be with me. And now that everyone has had a chance to see your true face, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have droves of suitors swarming around you.¡±


    Lifting his hands to lock them behind Wei Xiang¡¯s neck, Qinghe chuckled. ¡°No matter how many people come, my Xiang will always be my only choice, now and forever. Shouldn¡¯t you already know that by now?¡±


    Hearing this, Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes darkened, his heart beginning to beat faster, but for a different reason this time. He leaned his head down to press his lips against another pair of smiling ones, his hand beginning to run over warm and smooth skin.


    The couple embraced each other and soon began a sensual, loving exploration of familiar territory.


    And so, free of worries for now, another passionate night was happily spent together.

 Chapter 117: Mutual Exchange

    After a few more days of morning conferences, one by one, all the preparations were completed and everything was finally declared ready.


    Tomorrow, everyone who was willing to take part in the battle against the demonic deity Xie Xingye would set off on an expedition to cross the Forest of Echoes and head to the castle where he and his black dragon had made their base.


    But for now, as if to compensate for the direness of whatever might happen later, Qinghe and Wei Xiang were engaged in nighttime activities that were even more passionate than usual.


    The bed in their room creaked and groaned loudly as two sweaty bodies moved together. The sound of loud breathing and short pants mixed with deep groans and helpless moans.


    Qinghe buried his head into the pillows, his eyes squeezed tightly closed as tears dripped down to mingle with sweat. His hands fisted into the sheets while his toes curled, his body trembling as it bowed upward with overwhelming pleasure.


    ¡°A-Ah¡­Xiang¡­f-faster¡­please¡­¡± he pleaded in a strained voice.


    ¡°As you wish,¡± Wei Xiang murmured huskily, then obediently increased the tempo of his thrusts as per his little lover¡¯s request.


    His hand that was holding onto the smooth hip of his beloved increased its grip slightly as he drove his member in and out of the slickened channel in powerful motions. As the tight heat of his lover gripped and rubbed over his shaft, Wei Xiang aimed his hard member to hit the same sensitive spot hidden deep inside the soft passage, exerting exactly the right amount of pressure each time.


    ¡°Ah! X-Xiang!¡± Qinghe¡¯s voice sounded strangled as he desperately called out.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m here,¡± Wei Xiang reassured softly, his voice slightly hoarse.


    Then looping an arm around his beloved¡¯s waist, he pulled his little lover towards him even as he thrust upward, causing Qinghe to gasp sharply as he was forced to straighten in the face of this sudden and swift penetration that echoed deep in his gut.


    Not waiting for his beloved to recover, Wei Xiang reached the other hand over to his lover¡¯s front and lightly kneaded the already swollen and tender pink nubs, making Qinghe twist restlessly, his chest heaving harder. His sweaty brows drew down over closed eyes as his reddened lips parted to gulp in air desperately.


    Gathering his scrambled senses by sheer will, Qinghe lifted a quivering hand and pulled at Wei Xiang¡¯s wrist, redirecting his beloved¡¯s skilled fingers down from his chest, past his belly, and further below to a certain stiff and dripping organ.


    He then demanded in a strained whisper, ¡°Xiang¡­touch me¡­here.¡±


    Hearing this, a sly and playful light flashed in Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes. He abruptly stopped his thrusts and shifted back to sit on the bed, pulling a startled Qinghe along so that he suddenly felt his lover¡¯s thick member pushing in further as he fell back onto Wei Xiang¡¯s lap.


    ¡°Ah¨D!¡±


    Qinghe let out a choked scream, his body twisting at the queer sensation of something forcing itself this deep into him. One of Wei Xiang¡¯s arms wrapped around his abdomen to hold him firmly in place as the warm and strong fingers of another hand encircled his shaft and began sliding up and down steadily to fulfill his beloved''s request.


    Unused to this series of sudden changes, Qinghe tried to close his legs instinctively, but felt Wei Xiang lightly nip his ear as he ordered, ¡°No, keep them open.¡±


    Qinghe froze, then slowly parted his knees again, allowing his beloved easier access.


    ¡°Good,¡± Wei Xiang praised in his low voice, then rewarded him by increasing the pace of his hand.


    More thick fluid dripped down from the slit at the head of Qinghe shaft as he drowned in the pleasure brought on by the friction. His body loosened and relaxed back against his lover¡¯s well-toned one, his hands lifting to rest on Wei Xiang¡¯s arms.


    Qinghe felt his breathing growing increasingly harsher as a heavy heat flowed through him, thickening and deepening, feeling like it was sinking into his bones. As if sensing this, the hand moving over his member also quickened as it squeezed him with slightly more pressure to increase the friction.


    His head falling back, Qinghe uninhibitedly let sounds of pleasure slip through from his gasping lips. The fingers he¡¯d placed on his lover¡¯s arms clenched as he felt the heat winding tighter, gathering at the base of his spine.


    And then the climax crashed through him suddenly, pulling a thin scream out of him as his spine snapped straight, his muscles growing taut. White liquid gushed out of his shaft, pearly and translucent as it flowed over his beloved¡¯s honey-toned hand.


    Wei Xiang held the stiff and trembling body of his lover tightly in his arms as his hand kept on with its ministrations, milking his beloved¡¯s member dry and drawing out everything he had to give. He could feel Qinghe¡¯s passage squeeze and release his own shaft tightly where it was still enclosed within those warm inner walls.


    After a few more moments, the orgasm slowly receded and Qinghe finally slumped down, his body exhausted even as his mind floated on a cloud of bliss.


    ¡°Love, are you alright?¡± Wei Xiang¡¯s concerned voice sounded right by his ear.


    After taking a few more breaths to find his voice and clear his mind, Qinghe nodded and spoke, ¡°Xiang, you¡­you still haven¡¯t¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s arms around Qinghe tightened. ¡°Yes, but can you go on?¡±


    Qinghe slowly nodded.


    Disentangling himself from Wei Xiang¡¯s arms and lifting his languid body off of his lover¡¯s still hard member, Qinghe lied down on the bed on his back, bending his knees upward and parting his legs to expose his dusky pink entrance that was still glistening faintly with moisture.


    His eyes gleaming with unconcealed invitation, Qinghe lifted up the corners of his moistened lips in a tempting smile. In a voice gone hoarse from the sounds he¡¯d let out before, he enticed playfully, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, I can still take it. So why don¡¯t we continue like this?¡±


    And how could Wei Xiang resist such a tempting offer?


    Wei Xiang thus unhesitatingly pounced on his little lover again and the two bodies entangled once more as deep groans mixed with the creaking of the swaying bed.


    Fingers slid over slick skin and mouths sucked at each other with ravenous hunger. The room was filled with the sound of flesh slapping against flesh, of something thick and hard slamming in and out of something moist and soft, the rhythm growing increasingly more frantic as a pair of voices called out to each other with deepening and heightening frenzy.


    Soon, Wei Xiang let out a gruff shout and emptied himself into his welcoming little lover as the couple wrapped their arms around each other, their bodies pressed tightly together as if trying to meld into one.


    A few moments after he was done, Wei Xiang slowly slid out of Qinghe, then dropped down onto the bed beside his beloved to regain his breath. After resting for a while, the couple began the familiar cleaning ritual as Wei Xiang carefully took care of the release he¡¯d left inside his lover¡¯s body.


    But unlike how it had been till now, Wei Xiang noticed that Qinghe¡¯s opening was even more painful-looking than usual, the edges swollen thickly into a reddish hue.


    Pressing his lips together in distress, Wei Xiang deduced that it was the effect of the strengthening of Qinghe body slowly wearing off due to the lack of spiritual circulation these past few days. If this went on, within a few years, Qinghe would turn mortal and start to age, eventually dying.


    Wei Xiang decisively pushed out these thoughts and got to work.


    After he carefully cleaned his little lover up with tender fingers and the both of them comfortably settled back on the bed, Wei Xiang flipped Qinghe over onto his stomach and studied the damage to the reddened entrance more closely.


    Brushing his thumb ever so gently on the swollen and slightly expanded ring of flesh, Wei Xiang asked softly, ¡°Love, does it hurt a lot?¡±


    Qinghe turned his head back to look at his worried lover and replied, ¡°Only a little. Xiang, I don¡¯t mind it, so don¡¯t worry too much.¡±


    But Wei Xiang''s concern didn''t abate one bit, his gaze holding distress and remorse at his own unrestrained actions that had ended up causing his lover to be hurt like this.


    Seeing that his beloved still looked troubled over even this much discomfort to him, Qinghe sighed and bashfully compromised. With blushing cheeks, he suggested in a timid whisper, ¡°Xiang, if it bothers you, t-then you can¡­h-heal it with your mouth.¡±


    Surprised, Wei Xiang looked up with raised eyebrows at this unexpected permission, his eyes darkening at the sight of such an enticingly shy Qinghe.


    Putting away his melancholy, Wei Xiang''s expression melted into a smirk as he teased, "Since my little lover is so generously allowing it, I naturally shouldn''t waste this opportunity."


    Qinghe¡¯s mouth twitched. But just when he was about to reply to this smug comment, he felt a pair of strong hands settling on each of his buttocks and pulling them apart. Without warning, warm breath fanned over his sensitive entrance before a hot mouth settled over it.


    A soft shudder rippled up along Qinghe¡¯s spine at the strange and pleasurable sensations this evoked. With a sigh, he settled down into the bed comfortably as the little bit of unease stirred up by the unfamiliarity of this act soon subsided into a gentle heat.


    Wei Xiang carefully placed a full mouthed kiss on his little lover¡¯s puckered entrance, complete with sucking lips and an invading tongue. His hands lightly kneaded the two elastic mounds on either side and felt the muscles under his palms bunching and flexing.


    As he forced his slippery tongue into the tightly pursed opening and skillfully pressed onward, he felt his beloved¡¯s taut inner walls clamping down as if stubbornly resisting the invasion. Pushing in deeper unrelentingly, Wei Xiang steered his flexible tongue to slip in between the wrinkles and folds of the twitching passage, leaving no nook or cranny unexplored.


    Qinghe felt his body soften and arch backward. His face flushed with renewed desire as he unconsciously parted his legs to lie down more stably and give his lover¡¯s mouth better access. His hands clenched fistfuls of the sheets under him as he shifted restlessly.


    The flexible tongue moving inside his over-sensitized passage was smooth and slick as it spread healing warmth wherever it went. This warmth combining with his own arousal made Qinghe feel helpless as he rode the gentle waves of pleasure washing through him.


    Even though his body tried to twist and writhe to express the feelings evoked by this tender sort of torment, Wei Xiang¡¯s hands on his buttocks remained firm and unyielding, not allowing his hips any movement.


    The intense heat and the urgency of his need slowly climbed higher and higher with each expert swipe of that moist tongue, until these unbearable sensations finally reached the peak, exploding within him to send a wave of ecstasy spreading throughout his body in heavy pulses.


    Qinghe moaned and shuddered, white liquid spurting over his belly and the sheets once again. His body clenched tight as his fingers and toes dug into the bed as if trying to desperately hold on to his senses. And yet, the bold and slippery tongue still continued to play inside him, pushing him on and on with its firm pressure against his inner walls, sliding and stroking his spasming passage relentlessly.


    It was only after the trembling of Qinghe¡¯s body stopped that Wei Xiang finally lifted his head. His hands still massaging the round globes of flesh, Wei Xiang inquired concernedly, ¡°Love, how is it?¡±


    Qinghe was slumped bonelessly on the bed, not a shred of strength remaining in his wrung out body. In a rough voice, he replied, ¡°It was surprisingly nice. I really didn''t expect your tongue to feel so good there.¡±


    Wei Xiang let out a satisfied chuckle before saying, ¡°I was actually asking if you still felt any of the pain or discomfort from before, but I guess your words are answer enough.¡±


    Qinghe merely let out a hum in response. Then, after struggling with his heavy body for a bit, Qinghe finally managed to flip himself over onto his back with a bit of concentrated effort. But looking down at his release-stained belly that was in need of cleaning, he sighed desolately. His arms felt too heavy to lift, his freshly sated body felt too relaxed and languid to be disturbed.


    And so, Qinghe sent his beloved a beseeching look, hoping he could take on this monumental task instead.


    Letting out a chuff of laughter, Wei Xiang wordlessly obliged, cleaning everything up again.


    Soon, the pair of lovers were once more cuddling happily on the now neat and clean bed. But though both of them were tired, neither of them slept, their eyes staying open as they silently studied each other¡¯s faces.


    In this content silence, Wei Xiang spoke softly, ¡°Qinghe, do you know how two spiritual beasts finally accept each other as mates?¡±


    Qinghe blinked lazily and answered with smiling eyes. ¡°By mating?¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled and tapped his little lover on the nose. ¡°It¡¯s not quite that simple, love. Sex is something that¡¯s done casually, but accepting each other as mates is more similar to the bond of human marriage.¡±


    Shifting closer to his beloved, Qinghe laughed quietly. ¡°I might not know a lot of things that are specific to wyverns or dragons, but I did make sure to study the general customs and habits of half- and full-blooded beasts. After all, I needed to know them so that I could raise the twins properly. So I do in fact know about this.¡±


    Wei Xiang felt wry. Of course his little lover would have studied such basics.


    His expression turning grave, Wei Xiang asked, ¡°Then I suppose you know how accepting each other as mates works?¡±


    Qinghe nodded. ¡°They exchange parts of themselves with each other. At first, I actually thought it meant they would cut off a finger or pop out an eye to present to their mate or something. But apparently it only means that the beasts exchange things like hair, scales, or even fangs with each other to symbolize their mating.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s mouth twitched at Qinghe¡¯s gruesome expectations of self-mutilation, but he was almost used to it by now.


    Letting out a breath, Wei Xiang nodded. ¡°Yes, exchanging a part of their bodies like that signifies trust, since in ancient times, such body parts could be used to cast very specific and powerful curses if one were so inclined.¡±


    After all, there were no laws against things like that back then. And unlike now, there were no law-enforcing agencies like the Order of Sentinels either.


    A thoughtful silence gently descended on the room and they pondered over those times long past and how much better the world had grown to become now.


    In this comfortable silence, Wei Xiang extended an arm and gently took Qinghe¡¯s hand in his own, his voice solemn as he asked, ¡°Qinghe, I want to accept you as my mate. Will you accept me as yours?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes widened. Not only was his Xiang suddenly proposing the spiritual beast equivalent of marriage to him, but he was also doing it while they were both lying on the bed stark naked.


    And yet¡­Qinghe couldn¡¯t help the flutter of wild joy that burst in his chest.


    His lips curving up into a smile, Qinghe nodded with bright eyes. ¡°Yes, of course I will.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s face softened, his hand pulling on Qinghe¡¯s and bringing him closer, their lips heading towards each other and melding together without a word spoken.


    After a few minutes, the couple finally separated, their faces flushed and eyes remaining locked.


    In a husky voice, Wei Xiang asked, ¡°Qinghe, if I give you a part of me, will you accept it?¡±


    Qinghe blinked and spoke confusedly, ¡°But Xiang, I already received a part of you. We¡¯ve already exchanged parts of each other.¡±


    Without thinking, Wei Xiang frowned and asked, ¡°When? What did we exchange?¡±


    ¡°Every night, don¡¯t we exchange a lot of fluids?¡± Qinghe spoke as if it was obvious.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang didn¡¯t know how to respond to that.


    Letting out a sigh, he finally spoke, ¡°In a very literal sense, I suppose that is true, but the fluids don¡¯t stay with us, do they?¡±


    Qinghe thought it over and nodded. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right. So are you going to give me something that I can keep?¡±


    Excitement glowed in Qinghe¡¯s gaze at the thought of always having a part of his beloved to remember him by even when they had to be apart, like when they were working, for example.


    Wei Xiang smiled at his little lover¡¯s obvious enthusiasm. ¡°Yes, though it¡¯s something you¡¯ve already seen many times before. But I also think that it is the most appropriate thing to give you.¡±


    Saying so, Wei Xiang sat up on the bed, with Qinghe also curiously following suit.


    Standing up to position himself by the bedside, Wei Xiang crooked a finger at his little lover. ¡°Qinghe, come here to the edge of the bed.¡±


    Qinghe easily obliged, sitting at the bed¡¯s edge and leaving his legs hanging over the side.


    Wei Xiang immediately knelt, his fingers holding a fair ankle and lifting it up.


    Automatically adjusting his balance, Qinghe called out, ¡°Xiang, what are you doing?¡±


    But Wei Xiang only smiled.


    From under the skin of his bare arm, a thin, golden string pushed out, the skin around the extending string hardening with a delicate layer of translucent scales over it. The string slowly reached Qinghe''s left leg and wrapped itself around the smooth ankle several times.


    Qinghe looked on puzzled. ¡°Xiang¡­this, is this the part of you that you wanted to give me?¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded. ¡°These golden strings that I usually use are not my spiritual artifact, and neither are they weapons made of metal. They are instead made of different parts of me. I forged them with a mixture of my blood, bones, talons, fangs, even pieces of my eggshell. They were bound together using my condensed spiritual force and the scales I shed, which is where they derive their color from. I smelted them into these strings by using my whitefire. It took me a lot of years to perfect them into their current form.¡±


    Looking up, Wei Xiang declared with a warm smile and gentle eyes, ¡°They contain almost every part of me, and so I want to give them to you as well. Apart from loving you with my body and binding my soul to yours, this is the best way I can share myself with you.¡±


    Qinghe felt his eyes grow hot, his throat feeling strangely dry.


    Wei Xiang looked down and touched the string he¡¯d just wound around Qinghe¡¯s ankle into several loops, the end of the golden thread still connected to his arm. At Wei Xiang¡¯s touch, the strings on Qinghe¡¯s ankle slowly seemed to meld together, fusing into a single band of bright gold.


    Once he was satisfied with his work, Wei Xiang clenched his jaw and finally cut the link. The string extending from his arm disconnected from the anklet and was absorbed back under his skin, leaving behind only a seamlessly smooth band on Qinghe''s ankle. The patch of hardened skin and scales on Wei Xiang¡¯s arm also returned to normal.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s face slowly tightened into a grimace, the corners of his eyes pinching at the resultant pain. Letting out a deep, shuddering breath, he bowed his head as if trying to recover from some great blow.


    As Wei Xiang struggled thus to deal with the consequences of the disconnection, a pair of warm palms suddenly cupped his face from above and lifted his head, soft lips pressing into his forehead in silent comfort.


    Wei Xiang closed his eyes and drew support from his little lover¡¯s touch, the sting of severing and giving away a part of himself slowly fading away.


    Looking at how his beloved¡¯s expression was slowly relaxing, Qinghe¡¯s worry also subsided.


    ¡°Xiang, thank you,¡± he said with deep sincerity and affection in his voice.


    He had seen his lover extending out those strings many times, but he had never seen him completely cutting them off from him like this. And it was no wonder, since they were after all a part of him. Severing them was bound to be very painful, like hacking off one¡¯s own limb, but with a much deeper effect.


    And yet, Wei Xiang had done it for him, to let him know that he wanted to spend forever with him. Even though they were already bound soul to soul, having a physical representation of their bond like this was also very meaningful and satisfying. It fulfilled some deep need in him and offered irrefutable proof that he was claimed as his beloved¡¯s mate.


    After gathering his bearings, Wei Xiang slowly got up and straightened. His voice and posture seeming to have returned to usual, he spoke teasingly, ¡°Well, now that I gave you a part of me, when are you going to reciprocate?¡±


    His eyes still shining with happiness and warmth, Qinghe raised an eyebrow and said easily, ¡°If you want to, I can do it right now.¡±


    Wei Xiang blinked in surprise at this prompt response as Qinghe stood up to stride up to a cabinet at the side.


    As Qinghe walked, the presence of the band on his ankle felt smooth and warm. Its edges were completely rounded and the anklet did not impede the flexing of his calf muscles at all. It was also flat and thin enough that it would easily fit into his boots without getting stuck.


    Feeling exceedingly conscious of this new accessory, Qinghe reached the cupboard and opened it, searching around for a while before closing the cabinet again. With a proud smile, he approached his lover with something held in his hand behind him.


    Wei Xiang peered at him curiously. ¡°Love, what do you have for me? And when did you prepare it?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s smile widened as he said, ¡°Well, since I already knew how spiritual beasts accepted their mates, I naturally prepared in advance a while ago. I was just waiting for the right moment to give it to you, but you ended up bringing up the subject first. Oh well, at least we both have similar lines of thought in this regard.¡±


    With that, Qinghe pulled Wei Xiang¡¯s left arm towards him and slipped his beloved¡¯s hand through what looked like a transparent bangle with a line of delicate red and silver details encased inside.


    Wei Xiang lifted an eyebrow, but decided to patiently wait for his little lover to finish whatever he was doing.


    Qinghe slid the ¡®bangle¡¯ all the way up until it was fixed high on Wei Xiang¡¯s upper arm. Then taking a step back, he admired his handiwork happily.


    ¡°Is this¡­an armband?¡± Wei Xiang asked with hints of puzzlement.


    At a glance, it was obvious that this band was crafted exquisitely, though the materials it was made of remained a mystery. From the place where it was pressed against his skin, Wei Xiang could sense the armband exuding faint waves of soothing coolness and a barely discernible scent of mint, both refreshing and calming.


    Nodding, Qinghe explained, ¡°It¡¯s made of crystallized spiritual force I harvested directly from my core back when it was still undamaged. The dark red designs inside are drawn with my blood, and the silver ones are formed from my life force. Making it exhausted me for a few weeks, you know?¡±


    Wei Xiang blinked uncomprehendingly. ¡°Qinghe, you¡­you actually used your life force? You could have harmed your soul or reduced your lifespan!¡±


    Qinghe only smiled. ¡°I know, but even that much risk is not enough for me to express how precious you are to me, but I hope you¡¯ll make do with this.¡±


    Wei Xiang didn¡¯t know how to reply to this.


    Even if Qinghe had never given him anything in return, Wei Xiang would still have been content enough that his beloved had at least accepted the part of him that he had presented. But Wei Xiang had never expected that his little lover would already have his share of this mutual exchange prepared, ready to claim him as his mate like this in return. And the thing Qinghe had prepared for him was such a valuable thing too.


    Though Wei Xiang had never wanted his beloved to risk himself like this, seeing that his Qinghe had tried so hard to show him his devotion, how could he not feel deeply touched? How could his heart not melt at this sign of deep affection from his lover?


    ¡°So, Xiang,¡± Qinghe suddenly called, his eyes glinting with expectation. ¡°Does this mean we¡¯re married now?¡±


    Shaking his head to regain his equilibrium, Wei Xiang let out a low laugh, his voice slightly hoarse with suppressed emotions. ¡°Not yet. We¡¯ve completed the spiritual beast¡¯s version of marriage vows, but we¡¯ve yet to complete the human version. Let¡¯s wait until your mother can also join us before we do it, alright?¡±


    Qinghe tilted his head in thought, then nodded. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll wait till then. But for now¡­¡±


    His eyes sparkling, Qinghe jumped onto his lover¡¯s still naked body and rubbed his own bare skin against him.


    ¡°¡­Why don¡¯t we go for another round with our pair of new accessories?¡±


    And so, his gaze turning warm as his mouth curved up, Wei Xiang lifted his laughing little lover and made for the bed once more.


    crimson_carnation


    Mini Theater¨C


    Wei Xiang: Love, I was actually expecting you to give me something gruesome like a severed body part, but thankfully you had something like this prepared.


    Qinghe: Well, if I hadn''t been saving that armband for you beforehand, I really would have given you a physical part of my body.


    Wei Xiang: ...Just for curiosity''s sake, what would you have given me?


    Qinghe: Hmm, let''s see. It would have probably been a waist pendant carved out of my bone. I would of course use spells to preserve it so it doesn''t rot. Ah, but if I extracted a bone like that today, the wound might not heal in time for tomorrow''s battle. In that case, it would have to be a bone I wouldn''t need all that much like a rib or¨D


    Wei Xiang: E-Enough. I understand.


    Qinghe: Ah, Xiang, could it be that you actually wanted me to give you my bone? Wait, I''ll carve some out for you right now...


    Wei Xiang: No! No, there''s really no need! Love, why don''t you put that blade down and come here. We can go another round if you want.


    And so, Qinghe''s plans of self-mutilation in the name of love were halted by a desperate Wei Xiang who had to use his own body to distract his little lover~

 Chapter 118: Forest of Echoes

    As dawn broke over the sky the next morning, it finally brought with it the much awaited day when the cultivators from the various factions would march through the Forest of Echoes and mount their offensive against the demonic deity.


    However, on this particular morning, Qinghe discovered that due to a night full of exertion, his body was sore all over, aching from head to foot and feeling like it was heavier than a house full of bricks.


    Thankfully, he had a considerate and helpful lover who fed him a host of healing pills. But even then, Qinghe had to wait dozens of minutes for his cultivation-deprived body to absorb the pills and finally show its effects and ease all discomfort.


    Stretching his body, Qinghe grumbled in his heart that at least for this, he had to find a way to permanently fix his cultivation core and regain his ability to circulate spiritual energy.


    After the couple got up and finished their morning ablutions, Qinghe and Wei Xiang combed each other¡¯s hair and were in the process of finally putting on their clothes when knocking sounded on the door.


    The couple paused in their actions.


    Qinghe¡¯s eyebrows rose in surprise while Wei Xiang¡¯s expression showed a look of recognition as he smelled the familiar scent of the person on the other side of the door.


    Not minding his or his lover¡¯s state of undress, Wei Xiang directly walked up and opened the door, then invited courteously, ¡°Master, please come in. Is something the matter?¡±


    Sure enough, Feng Huixin entered the room through the open doorway and nodded. ¡°Yes, I came here to give Qinghe something that could be useful when fighting against the demonic deity.¡±


    Saying so, he looked at his son, then blinked. It was only then that Feng Huixin realized that both Qinghe and Wei Xiang were only partially dressed.


    Coming out of his startlement, he quickly noticed the band on Qinghe¡¯s ankle that shone with a familiar shade of gold, as well as the transparent armband on Wei Xiang¡¯s upper arm that held clear traces of wind-based spiritual force.


    Just like how Qinghe had endeavored to learn about the culture and customs of spiritual beasts to raise the twins better, Feng Huixin had also done the same for the sake of raising Wei Xiang. And so, it only took him a moment to realize that Qinghe and Wei Xiang must have affirmed their bond in the way of spiritual beasts.


    After a moment of pause, Feng Huixin quietly accepted this fact and moved on to the reason he¡¯d come here in the first place. He retrieved a large wooden box that looked simply made and walked towards Qinghe, solemnly handing it over.


    Receiving the box with a curious expression, Qinghe opened it.


    Inside were a full set of clothes and a pair of long, sheathed blades.


    In a serious voice, Feng Huixin explained, ¡°The robes and the other wearables are mine and of heavenly design. They have very high defensive ability and can protect you against the strikes of even a deity like Xie Xingye. The swords are a part of my collection and are the most similar in build and weight distribution to the weapons I¡¯ve heard that you preferred. I know that you have defensive artifacts and weapons of your own, but I still want to offer you the best that I currently have. Of course, you are free to reject them and I won¡¯t mind. My only priority is to make sure that you¡¯ll be as safe as possible.¡±


    Qinghe looked at his father blankly, then looked back down at the open box in his hands. His chest slowly filled with warmth at the care and concern his father showed him, but Qinghe was unable to express the depth of what he felt through his expressions.


    Taking a deep breath, he set down the box carefully on the bed beside him, then took out its contents one by one and inspected them with gentle fingers.


    Then lifting his head, Qinghe smiled and spoke, ¡°They¡¯re definitely of much better quality than what I have and will be very helpful. Thank you, Grandmaster.¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s gaze warmed. ¡°If it can be of use to you, then I¡¯m glad.¡±


    Qinghe nodded, his smile slowly brightening.


    The things his father had given him were indeed of very good quality and seemed to be of heavenly make unlike the things Qinghe had previously thought to use. So without much ado, Qinghe removed the robes he had just been putting on and started dressing in the set of clothes Feng Huixin had just given him.


    By now, Wei Xiang had already finished putting on his Sentinel garb and was looking with appreciative eyes at his lover¡¯s smooth and efficient motions while dressing himself.


    From the side, Feng Huixin inquired, ¡°Does it fit alright? Is it uncomfortable anywhere?¡±


    Finished with tying off his belt, Qinghe straightened and adjusted his clothes a bit before replying. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s easy to move in and seems fitting to wear for a fight.¡±


    Feng Huixin let out a breath in relief and nodded while Wei Xiang had to suppress his urge to pounce on his little lover with great difficulty.


    If the Qinghe in his usual robes looked like a warm and pure white flower, then the current Qinghe looked like a sharp and cold blade unsheathed.


    Qinghe¡¯s outer robe was sleeveless, its color an ethereal, silvery blue-grey that showed a black sheen when the light struck it just right. The short flaps at the shoulders and the collar of his outer robe were covered in rich silver embroidery, the thread bright and gleaming, with the belt being of the same shade.


    Meanwhile, his inner robe had visible full-length black sleeves that extended all the way down his arm and cinched under a pair of silver wrist guards. His pants were of the same dark shade while his black boots had a thin line of silver running along the base and top edges, more intricate embroidery in silver thread decorating the back of the heels.


    A pair of identical black leather sheaths hung from both sides of his hips, simply shaped steel colored hilts peeking from it at the ends.


    The entire ensemble enhanced the sharpness of his features and gave him an air of cutting ruthlessness, showcasing the cold beauty of his face and lacking the softening effect that his white sect robes usually had.


    Wei Xiang swallowed to ease his dry throat and forcefully put away his rising desire. No matter how much he wanted to imagine his little lover riding him while in that outfit, his countenance stark and sharp while his moistened passage was ever so soft and welcoming as it squeezed his member tightly¡­ no, now was not the time for it. He¡¯d have plenty of chances to realize his fantasies later.


    And so, pushing away those thoughts, Wei Xiang nodded and merely said, ¡°It looks very good on you.¡±


    Not knowing about the things running in his beloved¡¯s head, Qinghe smiled simply at Wei Xiang with shining eyes. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    At the side, Feng Huixin watched his sons¡¯ harmonious interactions happily.


    Then suddenly remembering a certain issue, he spoke, ¡°Qinghe, there''s something important that I have to discuss with you.¡±


    Qinghe turned his attention to his father, and upon seeing the seriousness of his expression, he nodded at him to continue.


    Taking a breath, Feng Huixin asked, ¡°After the battle, after you¡­shatter your core, how are you planning to fix it again?¡±


    Blinking, Qinghe honestly answered, ¡°I already talked to Sect Master Fu about this. He said that he knew a couple of recipes to pills that could aid in putting one¡¯s broken core back together. I requested him to gather the ingredients for it and refine those pills for me. He agreed.¡±


    Feng Huixin nodded thoughtfully. Then letting out a sigh, he said, ¡°While there is that method, I¡¯m afraid that if your injuries end up being too severe or if your body suffers too much of a shock because of the sudden destruction of your core, you might¡­you might really die.¡±


    Hearing this, both Qinghe and Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes widened.


    Feng Huixin continued, ¡°If it¡¯s as we think, if Heaven is truly the one blocking me from contacting the other deities to force you onto this path, then once the deity Xie Xingye is sealed again and your task is done, Heaven should open for me once more. In that case, I want you to come with me to the heavenly realm so that you can quickly be healed without complications. I do not want to take any chances with your life.¡±


    Understanding what these words implied, Qinghe stiffened, then looked up at his lover¡¯s face.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s expression was twisted into a mixture of reluctance and intense worry. Since he was born in this mortal world and was still in tenth realm, he would be unable to go with his lover and master. He would have to stay behind while they left for a place he wouldn¡¯t be able to reach unless he resumed seriously cultivating again and ascended to the level of a deity.


    Just the thought of not being able to see his little lover, being unable to hold him in his arms and hug him tight, not hearing his voice or seeing his smile¡­ it was enough to drive Wei Xiang mad.


    But if the alternative was losing him completely, then he didn¡¯t even need to think to make his choice.


    Taking in a deep breath, Wei Xiang regained his outward calm. Then turning to his concerned-looking master, he bowed and spoke with gravity, ¡°If it truly seems like Qinghe¡¯s life is in danger, then I¡¯ll entrust him to Master to take care. If taking him to the heavenly realm is what¡¯s needed to save his life, then so be it.¡±


    Feng Huixin looked at his third disciple with deep eyes and nodded. ¡°Yes, I will take care of it, though I hope it won¡¯t come to that.¡±


    After all, Feng Huixin didn''t want to separate his sons or see them sad like this either.


    Straightening, Wei Xiang showed a melancholy smile as he replied, ¡°So do I.¡±


    Then both Feng Huixin and Wei Xiang turned to Qinghe to hear his opinion.


    Qinghe seemed conflicted as he looked at Wei Xiang¡¯s seemingly placid expression.


    With a wry and helpless smile, Wei Xiang remarked, ¡°Love, don¡¯t look like that. Even if you had to go to the heavenly realm to recuperate, it doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯ll be permanently separated. Once you recover, you can come back down, or maybe I¡¯ll ascend instead. Don¡¯t you remember what you yourself said just a few nights ago?¡±


    ¡®You shouldn¡¯t feel afraid that we¡¯ll be separated. I won¡¯t leave your side that easily. Even if I do, we¡¯ll always find a way to be together again.¡¯


    Remembering what he¡¯d said at that time, Qinghe bit his lower lip, his expression hesitant. Then he slowly nodded. Yes, even if they ended up having to stay apart for a while, they still had plenty of ways to find their way back to each other.


    Seeing Qinghe¡¯s expression relenting, Wei Xiang smiled warmly and walked up to hug his little lover. Pecking Qinghe once on the top his head, Wei Xiang finally said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, everything will be alright.¡±


    Taking a deep, shuddering breath and letting it out, Qinghe nodded more firmly. ¡°Yes, it¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    Wei Xiang cupped his beloved¡¯s cheek and gently stroked it with his thumb as if savoring the sensation and imprinting it into his mind, his eyes holding deep tenderness.


    Then retrieving his hand, he stepped back and said, ¡°We should get going now and meet up with the others.¡±


    Both Qinghe and Feng Huixin nodded, and deliberately pushing this matter to the back of their minds, the three soon stepped out of the room to head towards the transportation array.


    As Qinghe closed the door to his room behind him, he couldn¡¯t help but feel that the next time he set foot inside this place, his circumstances would have drastically changed. But feeling the light weight of the anklet his lover had given him, whatever disquiet Qinghe felt dissipated.


    No matter what happened, he and his Xiang would definitely find each other.


    And so, putting the last hints of his unease out of his mind, Qinghe joined his lover and father, and the three soon set off to the border of the Forest of Echoes to meet with the others.


    The Forest of Echoes was not a true forest in the actual sense of the word, but in fact a place of battle between cultivators that ended up being riddled with the aftereffects.


    The boundary of the Forest of Echoes was an irregular zigzag, with normal brown earth on the outside and roughly layered sheets of translucent glass-like material on the inside.


    Within its borders, huge and transparent geode-shaped pillars of crystalline ice thrust up from the ground, their heights and widths double that of a fully-grown adult¡¯s. Encased inside a few of the large pillars were strange monsters and unearthly creatures, some seemingly dead or asleep while others seemed very much alive, their limbs and eyes occasionally twitching.


    Apart from these strange ice crystals, large, upright slabs of mirrors were also scattered in between. Their edges were frosted with lacy rime and their surfaces reflected distorted sceneries that were tinged with an eerie air. Sometimes, flashes of black and white flittered past in these reflections in swift blurs.


    Gathered just outside the border of the forest were a group of cultivators, each of their backs straight and expressions grave. Some of the senior disciples who had chosen to take part in this expedition to gain experience and face the thrill of battle had excitement flickering in their gazes, though they also knew well enough to curb it and act with caution.


    As all these cultivators stood waiting near the border while occasionally casting distrustful glances at the strange landscape nearby, they finally saw three figures walking towards them in the distance. Several of the cultivators immediately turned in their direction, expressions pensive.


    But as the three people neared and finally came into proper view, the waiting cultivators felt their eyes widen in surprise.


    Why did it seem like this Feng Qinghe¡¯s temperament had gone through a huge transformation just because of a change in his style of clothing?


    Not caring about the startled gazes directed towards him, Qinghe immediately asked, ¡°Is everyone ready? And are there any problems that need to be addressed before we set out?¡±


    Snapping out of it, the Elders and sect masters who each held charge of their respective sects shook their heads.


    Qinghe nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Then before we begin crossing the Forest of Echoes, I will give out instructions on what we¡¯ll do once we reach the castle.¡±


    Turning to the disciples of the Silver Moon Sect, he spoke, ¡°The ones proficient in barriers should stay outside and support Brother Jing¡¯s Water Prison along with Sect Master Wu.¡±


    A few of the cultivators nodded.


    Then shifting his attention to his sect, Qinghe began, ¡°When we enter the castle, cultivators from the Heavenly Peak Sect will pair up with the rest of the Silver Moon Sect¡¯s disciples to form the frontlines. While the people of the Silver Moon Sect sense and disable any remaining spells and traps, the people of Heavenly Peak Sect will guard them against any activated traps and cut down the ghouls. Your highest priority is to guard each other and the cultivators of Silver Moon Sect while they are working.¡±


    The Elders nodded their heads in acceptation while the disciple bowed respectfully with a ¡°Yes, Martial Brother Feng!¡±


    But inside their hearts, all the cultivators couldn¡¯t help but remark at how Feng Qinghe¡¯s aura seemed to have changed just because of a change in his manner of attire.


    When Qinghe usually issued tasks, his voice guided them gently yet firmly, making them feel as if he was approachable and dependable. But when the current Qinghe gave out commands, his presence felt imposing and authoritative, his words carrying with them an indelible weight.


    Hearing his steady and commanding voice, even the sect masters at the side felt the pressure to bow and agree to his orders. Seeing him like this, his similarity to the Grandmaster was truly undeniable!


    Not knowing these thoughts, Qinghe continued issuing out orders, and after a few more things were straightened out, the cultivators at last stepped over the border to the Forest of Echoes and set off to cross it.


    As the large group moved through the crystals thrusting out of the ground and the strange sheets of mirrors, their eyes flicked around with caution and their senses stayed sharpened to a high degree. They sent out their spiritual awareness to flood between the strange structures to assess any potential danger while the creature encased inside the crystalline ice shifted restlessly as if sensing their presence.


    The entire space inside the forest was hushed and quiet without even a single draft of breeze blowing through, while the air felt thin and dry, seeming difficult to draw into one¡¯s lungs. And despite the huge crystals of ice spread throughout the area, the temperature here didn¡¯t seem noticeably cool at all.


    In this strangely still silence, there sounded an occasional series of ¡®ping¡¯s like the ring of clear chimes. It would echo around the area and seem to vibrate through the air strangely, making anyone who heard it feel dizzy and nauseous, their sense of direction blurring.


    But thankfully, the group of cultivators currently making their way through were mostly of high levels, and were thus able to withstand the enchantment of these chimes with minimal discomfort.


    Leading the group was Kong Min, a large arrow of cerulean light floating in front of him and pointing to the direction of the castle. This was the same spell that the Sentinels had used to track Jing Rui the last time, and with a few modifications, it was now being used to traverse the Forest of Echoes.


    As they passed through the bizarre landscape, the cultivators walked with silent footsteps, daring not to make a single noise as their caution was increased to the maximum. After all, the Forest of Echoes was most known for its enchantment that befuddled the senses of those traversing through, so none of them felt like they could afford to lose their bearing in this place for even a single moment.


    But despite their care, the forest still cast its enchantment on them.


    And so, suddenly, the cultivators found their surroundings blurring and twisting into unclear shapes. The weakest of the cultivators swayed as heavy vertigo hit them, their companions having to hold them up to prevent them from collapsing.


    Meanwhile, as someone who was currently unable to use spiritual energy at all, Qinghe was hit the worst. And yet, his feet remained firmly planted on the glassy ground, his back straight. Only his dazed and unfocused eyes gave away that he was affected at all. After all, if he showed his weakness here and let the others doubt his strength, then wouldn¡¯t they stop listening to him so obediently?


    Also understanding this, Wei Xiang lightly placed a hand around his little lover¡¯s waist, seeming to just be holding him casually while he was in fact doing his best to support him without making it obvious.


    A few moments later, the Forest of Echoes settled around them once again, their dizzy spell subsiding and their vision clearing once more.


    But when the cultivators looked around, they found that they weren¡¯t at all in the same place where they¡¯d been just a few moments ago.


    It was unclear whether it was they who had moved or it was the surrounding that had shifted, but the positions of the crystals and mirrors, along with the type of creatures encased within the ice, all seemed to have changed. Even the sun in the sky was in a different position from before.


    Seeing this, surprised murmurs immediately began to sound.


    ¡°How did we end up here¡­¡±


    ¡°Are there transportation arrays hidden under all this glass on the ground?¡±


    ¡°But transportation arrays have never made me feel this dizzy or uncomfortable before, so it can¡¯t be that simple.¡±


    ¡°If we keep moving places like this randomly, it¡¯ll be difficult to reach the Castle of Echoes in time.¡±


    ¡°Is it even possible to navigate this place?¡±


    However, despite these uneasy whispers, most people still remained calm.


    In an even voice, Qinghe called, ¡°Sentinel Kong, how is the tracking spell?¡±


    As he continued to feed his spiritual energy to the cerulean arrow floating before him, Kong Min replied casually, ¡°It¡¯s still functioning properly, so finding our way to the castle should be no problem at all.¡±


    Hearing this, many people let out sighs of relief. They could only feel exceedingly thankful that the Sentinels had managed to find a way to use their tracking spell to unerringly lead the way without being affected by the forest''s enchantment. It was truly good that they''d come fully prepared, or who knew if all of them would ever be able to get out of here?


    And so, the group set out once again, keeping even more vigilance about them as they walked. During this time, they faced the enchantment twice more before being left in peace.


    However, as they pressed on forward, they noticed that the whitish glass-like ground under them was gradually turning into a darker shade of grey. When they finally neared the boundary between the Forest of Echoes and the castle, the ground beneath them had already become pitch-black. For that matter, it was not only the forest¡¯s ground, but also the land around the castle and the castle itself that was burned into a deep black.


    In front of the group of cultivators, the Castle of Echoes now loomed like a large shadow of a dead building. Its walls, roofs, and every other visible part of it, was scorched into a very even ebony color, making it difficult to distinguish its precise details even in the bright morning light.


    The castle felt strangely out of place when viewed against the background of the light and sunny skies, a gloomy sense of abandonment and forbidding ominousness shrouding the dark building. Some parts of the castle had already crumbled into ash and charcoal, obviously having been burnt through, while other parts remained stubbornly standing till now without any sign of being about to collapse.


    Qinghe carefully studied the layout around the castle, then turned back to order, ¡°The noncombatant medical personnel of Lightning Sky Sect will stay outside and set up camps. Take care not to accidentally enter the boundaries of the Forest of Echoes. And as discussed before, the cultivators from the Drifting Clouds Sect will guard the entrances and exits while coordinating with the non-leading Elders to protect and rescue anyone who needs help. If they are injured, you will bring them out to get treatment. Brother Jing and Sect Master Wu, along with the barrier team from the Silver Moon Sect, will erect and enforce the Water Prison only around the castle and not include the medical camps to keep them out of the battle. Are there any questions?¡±


    Everyone shook their heads.


    Qinghe nodded before finally saying, ¡°Then please keep in mind your instructions and do not risk your life unnecessarily. Help each other and stay safe. That is all.¡±


    The cultivators nodded with a weighty solemnity, accepting this command wholeheartedly.


    After everything was thus decided, the group of cultivators finally stepped out of the Forest of Echoes and walked towards the huge scorched castle in front of them.

 Chapter 119: The Battle Begins

    The inside of the Castle of Echoes was pitch black and strangely silent. Still bodies filled the space, unmoving and lifeless.


    Suddenly, the tall black doors of the colossal castle slowly began to swing inward to reveal the large group of cultivators standing outside the arched doorway, all with grim faces, vigilant eyes, and battle-ready postures.


    The large doors creaked and groaned as the space between them widened, the noise of their opening like the sound of a beast in miserable pain. Slipping in from between the doors, beams of sunlight from the outside spilled into the unlit castle, starkly illuminating the motes of dust in its way and casting a melancholy glow on the vague shapes waiting within the dark confines of the front hall.


    And inside, the entire open space was packed completely with neat rows of ghouls.


    In this huge front hall, the ghouls stood shoulder-to-shoulder, seemingly inert with their arms dangling limply and their heads bowed as if in virtuous prayer.


    On the farthest end from the doorway and leading up from this crowded hall was a large, wide staircase that split into two halfway and disappeared into the upper floors on either side. It was unclear whether more ghouls would descend through this staircase. However, at a glance, it could be seen that just in this front hall alone, there were several hundreds of thousands of the creatures, so if any more were to arrive later from upstairs, it could get difficult to handle.


    Realizing that the enemy¡¯s numbers were larger than expected, the cultivators¡¯ faces grew grim.


    Not waiting any longer, the group of cultivators from the Silver Moon Sect and Heavenly Peak Sect, who were instructed to team up to remove the remaining traps and engage the ghouls, immediately swept forward.


    After giving them a few moments to gain the lead, the rest of the cultivators also charged into the hall, their bodies flowing forward towards the ghouls in a wave, cutting them down and spreading throughout the lower level of the castle to root out any hidden threats.


    The previous hushed silence of the large front hall quickly dissolved into a chaotic cacophony as the ghouls also sensed the presence of the cultivators and pounced towards them, their fingers reaching forward.


    While the heat of battle began to boil inside, on the outside of the blackened castle, the medical teams from the Lightning Sky Sect were busily setting up camps and arranging stretchers and beds for the injured who would start coming in soon.


    Meanwhile, Wu Xiao gave out instruction to arrange the disciples from his sect at the appropriate places around the castle so that they could better support the barrier.


    Once everything and everyone was in place, Jing Shui rested back into the embrace of his lover, both of them remaining standing, then took a deep breath. Then summoning his spiritual artifact, he drew large quantities of water from the nearby ocean, making it rise in the form of a transparent sheet that gleamed wetly. Jing Shui then began to laboriously shape the water into a hemispherical shell around the castle, imbuing the entire dome heavily with his spiritual force.


    Once that was done, Wu Xiao bent down lightly and whispered, ¡°Ah-Shui, well done.¡±


    Jing Shui closed his eyes and nodded. ¡°Now it¡¯s your turn.¡±


    With a smile, Wu Xiao sent out his silver tendrils of power to form intricate sigils over the transparent dome that glistened brightly under the morning sun. Standing just outside the boundaries of the newly constructed barrier, the stationed disciples of the Silver Moon Sect also began reinforcing their respective sections of the Water Prison.


    And so, with the barrier now firmly in place, nothing would escape the castle easily.


    Meanwhile, Qinghe, Wei Xiang, Feng Huixin, the twins, Chen Xiande, Hei NingYu, and all the sect masters of the Five Great Sects except Wu Xiao, stood at the castle¡¯s large doorway, surveying the scene both inside and outside.


    With her lips tilting up in a smile at the carnage, Liu Xue spoke, ¡°It seems that everything is proceeding as planned for now. Xiao He, do you have any more commands to give before I start having some fun of my own?¡±


    Qinghe gave a short nod. ¡°The people who will be feeding power to the formation later should limit their movements to beside the staircase. That way, when the deity comes down and starts battling me, you can stay nearby and quickly take your places as soon as the drawing of the formation is completed. Other than that, you are free to do as you wish.¡±


    Hearing this, Liu Xue¡¯s smile blossomed into a bloodthirsty grin. Summoning her spiritual artifact, she immediately dived into the fray without waiting, the serrated blade of the semicircular saw flashing in the dull light as it dug into the flesh of the insentient ghouls.


    Deciding to also start moving, Fu Cangyun simply cast a disinterested gaze at the blood and gore strewn battlefield. Then pulling out an invisibility talisman from his sleeves to paste on his chest, he directly began heading towards the staircase to wait beside it. After all, he was a healer, not a warrior. There was no way he was going to take some brutish weapon and start making a bloody mess like the others.


    But for some reason, as Fu Cangyun passed through the combat zone, all the ghouls in his wake abruptly stiffened and started toppling over, greenish foam dripping from their mouth as their eyeballs rolled up in their sockets.


    Seeing this, Lu Feiyu shook his head with an elegant smile. ¡°A healer who¡¯s also an alchemist is truly a force to reckon with. I wonder which combination of poisons Sect Master Fu used this time for it to have such a swift effect on the ghouls.¡±


    Qinghe automatically answered, ¡°It¡¯s a mixture of powdered leaves of the necrophagous vine, ground petals of the nine bones flower, dried wings of the horned silverfly, venom of the six¨Cfinned gallowfishes, and marrow eroding toxins extracted from the thorns of the snowstar blossoms.¡±


    Lu Feiyu shot a wide-eyed look at Qinghe, then with a delicate cough, he remarked with amusement, ¡°My, so many poisoners amongst us today. Feng Qinghe, you truly are a confounding existence.¡±


    Then with a shake of his head and a wave of his sleeves, he stepped towards the churning battlefield as he said, ¡°I suppose I should start adding in my contributions too.¡±


    And so, plucking several snowy white feathers from his headdress, Lu Feiyu imbued them with a bit of his spiritual power and sent them flying. The feathers immediately turned stiff, their edges glinting sharply as they gracefully whirled and danced around the indolently walking figure of Lu Feiyu, like a shower of leaves floating and swirling in the wind. However, if any ghouls dared cross his path, it would instantly be shredded into ribbons by the viciously sharp feathers, no bit of bone or hair remaining intact.


    And thus surrounded by a whirlwind of blood, Lu Feiyu glided forward with elegant steps, his peaceful smile unchanging.


    Back at the doorway, Zhen YiLan sighed forlornly.


    In the beginning, witnessing how his second disciple had to shoulder such a large burden of leadership had really hurt his heart, but seeing that his Qing-er was actually able to manage such a monumental responsibility this well, Zhen YiLan finally realized that he had been underestimating his disciple all this while.


    Turning to Qinghe, Zhen YiLan abruptly spoke aloud the thoughts he had kept suppressed till now, ¡°Qing-er, your Master has wronged you. I should have seen when you were in pain and how you were hurting yourself to vent it. I should have kept a better eye on you and not let you harm yourself this much. I should have taken more care of you and lessened your burden rather than adding to it. Qing-er, I¡­ as a Master, I have failed you.¡±


    Qinghe listened to all this with open shock on his face. Faced with such a contrite and distressed Zhen YiLan all of a sudden, he felt unable to react. The twins and Chen Xiande standing beside him also showed startled expressions.


    In his uncertainty, Qinghe instinctively reached out a hand, and Wei Xiang enfolded it within his own. Closing his eyes, Qinghe took a breath, the warmth of his beloved¡¯s palm steadying his mind.


    Opening his eyes again, Qinghe finally spoke, his tone gentle, ¡°Master, what you just said isn¡¯t true at all. How could you have wronged me? It was after all you who saved me from that place in the beginning. That in itself is a favor I feel that I would be unable to ever repay, even if I were to use my entire life.


    ¡°But on top of that, you even let me stay at the sect, sealed my soul to protect my life, you fed and sheltered me, and whenever I felt lost and uncertain in those first few years, you truly were there for me. When I started cultivating, you guided me and gave me everything I would need to develop myself. And for the longest time, the only family I thought I had was the one you gave me. So how can you say that you failed as my Master?¡±


    Zhen YiLan felt tears gathering in his eyes, his fluffy eyebrows quivering as his beard shook. ¡°Qing-er, do you truly not blame me?¡±


    Qinghe blinked and shook his head. ¡°Why would I? You gave me more of your care and affection than I ever expected. If anything, I feel grateful that you are my Master.¡±


    Hearing such words, Zhen YiLan felt the heavy regret he had nursed in his heart lightening even as he bowed his head as if unable to bear the weight of his disciple¡¯s sincere words.


    Sighing softly, Qinghe let go of his lover¡¯s hand and stepped closer to his master, carefully wrapping his arms around him in a hug.


    He had already heard from Wei Xiang about how Fu Cangyun had revealed to Zhen YiLan about his past wounds and self-harming behavior. Keeping that in mind, he could easily guess that his master had these self-blaming thoughts stewing in his mind since then.


    Meanwhile, Zhen YiLan suppressed his undignified tears and held on tightly to this dear disciple of his.


    A few minutes later, Zhen YiLan regained his bearings and voluntarily let go. Stepping back, he pronounced in a stately tone with red rimmed eyes, ¡°Since my Qing-er is doing his best, as his master, I must naturally support your plan and make this as easy for you as possible.¡±


    Qinghe smiled. ¡°Then, Master, please destroy as many ghouls as you can before taking your place in the formation once it¡¯s done.¡±


    Zhen YiLan gave a firm nod, then turned and strode into the battlefield. Soon, large and glowing chimerical constructs blazed to life, rampaging through hordes of ghouls and decimating their numbers steadily.


    Seeing that everyone was beginning to get into positions one by one, Hei NingYu said, ¡°I guess it¡¯s time for us to begin working too, Little Sheep.¡±


    Chen Xiande let out a breath and nodded, extending his hand and holding his lover¡¯s.


    Turning to look at Qinghe, he cautioned, ¡°Junior Brother, you have to take care today. Don¡¯t go around acting like you¡¯re invincible.¡± Then turning to the twins, he said, ¡°Fei Jin, Fei Yin, you both stay with him for a bit and make sure your second martial brother doesn¡¯t do anything to get himself hurt, though I¡¯m sure that Sentinel Wei and the Grandmaster won¡¯t let that happen.¡± Then shooting Qinghe a dark look, Chen Xiande continued, ¡°But with Feng Qinghe, the more people there are to make sure he doesn¡¯t get into trouble, the more reassured I¡¯ll feel.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s brow twitched. Was he some sort of an insensible little bratty kid to warrant so much caution?!


    But to Qinghe¡¯s indignity, the twins, his lover, and even his father, all nodded solemnly as if what Chen Xiande said made complete sense.


    Witnessing this, Qinghe could only sulk in silence.


    Chen Xiande saw his junior brother glaring at blank space with puffed cheeks and couldn¡¯t help smiling with affectionate amusement. Then turning away, he dragged Hei NingYu with him and stepped into the chaotic front hall of the castle, searching for a suitable place for his beloved to rest while he cast his Enchantment.


    Seeing his senior brother and his lover¡¯s back growing farther, Qinghe disconsolately mumbled under his breath, ¡°I¡¯m not that reckless.¡±


    The twins looked away as if withholding their comment while Feng Huixin simply coughed to hide his disbelief.


    But before Qinghe could pout more at this injustice, Wei Xiang skillfully redirected his attention. ¡°Qinghe, shouldn¡¯t we also get going and join the battle? And since you don¡¯t need spiritual energy to destroy these ghouls, you should easily be able to cut through them even in your current state.¡±


    At the mention of fighting, Qinghe¡¯s eyes immediately brightened. Easily putting the previous matter out of his mind, he pulled his lover and walked further into the castle after prodding his junior brothers and father to also hurry up.


    With helpless smiles, Fei Jin, Fei Yin, and Feng Huixin quickly joined up with an eager Qinghe, diving into the battlefield at last.


    By now, the foul reek of rotten blood and decaying innards had already spread throughout the vast space of the castle¡¯s front hall, the fetid stench of a brutal battle floating up to the dark and expansive ceiling stretching high above, black and unreachable like a starless sky.


    The previous gloom of the hall was considerably lightened by the various floating formations and arrays littering the air, some small and some large, all glowing in various brilliant hues, constructed intricately and woven delicately by masters of the craft. As the arrays and formations activated one by one, light flashed, thunder cracked, earth split, and winds whipped the enemy forces, decimating the ghouls with swift ease. Meanwhile, as spiritual forces and powerful weapons constantly sent out strikes and slashes, sharp crackles and loud booms sounded in quick succession, lifting up dust and carving through the ranks of ghouls.


    In between these noises, strands of melodies borne out of various instruments wound through the battlefield, some delicate and light, like a flower petal tracing down the side of a cheek as it slowly floated down, and yet others were brutal and fierce, forceful like the thrust and wrench of a sword, plunging in and cleaving through bodies softened by decay.


    Blood spurted and sprayed upward, dying the air in red for a mere moment before splattering the walls and falling onto the black floor, mixing with severed limbs and torn out organs as the steel-edged heels of the cultivators¡¯ boots and the bare feet of the ghouls stomped and stirred them, smearing the thick paste over the floor.


    And through the thick of it, Qinghe charged, flanked by the twins on either side with Wei Xiang and Feng Huixin bringing up the rear.


    With the fingers of each of his hand wrapping around the hilt of the blades strapped to their respective sides, Qinghe drew his swords with abject glee and eagerness. The silvery blades slid out smoothly, feeling like an extension of his limbs, a perfect fit.


    Sensing the presence of a person without spiritual energy, a ghoul turned in Qinghe¡¯s direction and eagerly rushed towards him. His lips stretching into a wide smile, Qinghe swung a sword, its blade carving through the air in a silver arc and slicing precisely through the vertebrae of the ghoul¡¯s neck, cleanly cutting off the head.


    As blood shot up from the stump of the neck while the ghoul¡¯s decapitated body toppled powerlessly, Qinghe turned to Feng Huixin and grinned with open delight. ¡°Grandmaster, the blades you chose for me are truly perfect!¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s brows twitched. Now more than any other time, his son reminded him strongly of his murder-happy wife.


    Not noticing his father¡¯s reaction, Qinghe turned back to dive into the battlefield and began his cheerful slaughter. Even without spiritual energy circulating through him, his body still retained quite a bit of strength, and paired with his dexterous motions, martial arts training, and the keen sharpness of his heaven-made blades, Qinghe cleaved through flesh and bone like they were nothing but air.


    The hilts of his swords seem to twirl over and around his fingers lightly as the wickedly sharp blades whirled in deadly circles, their edges slipping into the ghouls¡¯ bodies with ease and slicing through to reduce them into bloody chunks.


    In the meantime, the twins stayed on either side of him and slightly to the back, their daggers gleaming blue with reflected light and slashing with vicious exactness. They worked in accord with their senior brother¡¯s actions, the three of their bodies moving with a cohesive fluidness.


    Sometimes, when he had to face a large clump of ghouls blocking his way, Qinghe would merely disable the ones nearby and push them to the side while continuing onwards, letting the twins cut the immobilized ghouls apart with their blades trailing glowing streaks in the air. And so, wherever these three martial brothers went, they would leave heaps of hacked corpses piled up on either side behind them.


    Walking behind these three with sedate steps and guarding their backs, Wei Xiang simply released the golden strings from under his vambraces and used them to whip around and pass through the ghouls, cutting them cleanly into bits without lifting a finger.


    On the other hand, afraid that he¡¯d cause too much damage if he took out his whips, Feng Huixin pulled on a pair of black gloves and simply crushed the heads of any ghouls that approached him in passing.


    And so, the battle raged on, with the cultivators using their strength and Qinghe¡¯s many pre-prepared plans to gain an advantage against the overwhelming numbers of the ghouls.


    But just as the tide of battle began turning in the cultivators¡¯ favor, a scalding stream of fire suddenly shot towards Qinghe from above the staircase, rippling and distorting the air around it with its heat.


    However, with a flip of his hand, Feng Huixin instantaneously erected a shield around them to absorb the flames.


    Alerted by this fire, Qinghe quickly looked up, the ghouls in front of him already charred due to them being in the flame¡¯s way.


    Standing on top of the staircase with an unfathomable expression was Xie Xingye, his deep gaze locked on Qinghe¡¯s group.


    Barely managing to fit into the tight space near Xie Xingye, the large black dragon was curled protectively around its beloved, its jaws just snapping shut after it determined that it couldn¡¯t get to Qinghe that easily. Its gaze held smoldering fury as it glared at Qinghe and Feng Huixin, still remembering that it was because of these both that Xie Xingye had sustained that much damage previously.


    Just like last time near the cliffs of the Battle Arena, Qinghe lifted his head, his gaze meeting Xie Xingye¡¯s complex one.


    His eyes narrowing, Qinghe turned back to ask, ¡°Xiang, can I leave that black dragon to you?¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded in acknowledgment, his eyes glinting with a dangerous light. He still remembered that it was because of that dragon and its fire that his little lover had ended up using his spiritual energy in such an unstable state, leading to the cracking of his core. And so, he was determined to extract suitable payment from that blasted black dragon¡¯s thick hide.


    Not knowing Wei Xiang¡¯s spiteful thoughts, Qinghe felt reassured at being able to leave that troublesome being to his beloved.


    Then looking at Feng Huixin, Qinghe spoke, ¡°Grandmaster, I would like you to stay near the staircase, but not interfere. Otherwise we might end up spooking the demonic deity into fleeing again.¡±


    Feng Huixin nodded, a small, worried frown on his brow.


    Turning to the twins, Qinghe instructed, ¡°Jin-er, Yin-er, can I count on you both to collaborate with the people around the staircase to clear out the ghouls near it? I would prefer not having to guard against them when I¡¯m fighting the deity.¡±


    The twins immediately replied with a staunch, ¡°Yes, Senior Brother! Leave it to us!¡±


    Qinghe smiled and turned to face the staircase again, his hands beginning to move automatically to once more begin chopping up the creatures beginning to flood his path after stepping over the charred remains of their comrades.


    Standing at the very top of the staircase, Xie Xingye looked at the nearing Qinghe with eyes filled with complex emotions of regret, melancholy, and firm determination.


    Seeing Qinghe''s face that held such resemblance to his mother, Xie Xingye couldn¡¯t help but reminisce about his beloved sister Chunyi and the wretched and beautiful time they spent together.


    And as Xie Xingye''s mind wandered, the chaotic sounds and sights of battle slowly receded, his vision filled instead with the glittering stars sprinkled over the night sky of another world as he relived the memories of a time long past¡­


    crimson_carnation

 Chapter 120: Time Long Past

    ¡°Chunyi, what is that?¡±


    A young boy and a slightly older girl sat on the roof of a building, observing the vast night sky above with peaceful eyes. The younger boy was pointing up at a shooting star as he asked the older girl this, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.


    The girl looked at him with a wide and mischievous grin as she made up another ridiculous explanation. ¡°That is a god who was just kicked out of Heaven for being lazy.¡±


    With wide eyes shining with a worshipful light, the boy said wonderingly, ¡°Really? Chunyi, you know everything, don¡¯t you?¡±


    The corner of the girl¡¯s mouth twitched as if in disbelief. Then pinching the little boy¡¯s cheeks and stretching them, she scolded, ¡°You silly brat, you can¡¯t just go around believing everything anyone tells you!¡±


    But the boy laughed, an unfettered sound brimming with joy.


    With an amused huff, the girl let go and the boy rubbed his cheeks marked by red fingerprints, his lips still stretched with a happy smile.


    Her gaze softening imperceptibly, the girl wrapped an arm around the little boy¡¯s shoulders and pulled him close, letting him rest his head on her shoulder. ¡°Ah-Ye, you''re such an idiot. I guess I¡¯ll just have to keep you with me and take care of you then.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± The little boy smiled brightly and hugged the girl close.


    And until many years later, the young girl really did take care of this brother she¡¯d impulsively adopted as her own despite not having a home or family to support even herself.


    ¡­¡­


    Before she started her life on the streets, Hua Chunyi had once been a part of a caravan that acted as a mobile brothel. This caravan of pleasure houses moved from city to city and offered its services to anyone who could pay, catering to people of all tastes, no matter how unusual or disgusting.


    At the tender age of five, the innocent little girl was made to serve her first customer as she cried desperately for her mother, who only watched impassively from the side as her only daughter was being brutally violated by a man four decades older.


    At the young age of eleven, there was not even a single trace of innocence or childishness in Hua Chunyi¡¯s expression. Her wide smile had grown to become reminiscent to that of a mad beast, her eyes shockingly sharp and glinting with vicious intelligence.


    One day, after carefully arranging various things in place over the course of the previous few months, Hua Chunyi set fire to the entire caravan and escaped into the city they had just stopped at, her hand clutching but a single rusted knife for protection. Running into the streets, she hid among the vagabonds to escape any pursuit until the decimated caravan left the city.


    From then on, Hua Chunyi lived peacefully in the streets.


    If anyone thought her helpless and tried to touch her with lustful intent, she would happily use her rusted blade to chop off their arm. Meanwhile, she skillfully stole food from the wealthy vendors and kept herself satisfactorily fed. Though living in the streets was not easy, Hua Chunyi still took to it like a fish to water.


    One day, as she was wandering the streets leisurely and pondering on how to assuage her boredom, she came upon a lavishly dressed eight-year-old boy being beaten up for stealing from a fruit vendor. On a whim, she rescued the kid, curious to hear why he had tried to steal food when he obviously looked so richly dressed.


    It turned out that this little kid named Xie Xingye, who was indeed from a wealthy household, had very firmly announced to his family that if he was to marry in the future, he would only marry a man. His family had grown furious at his open proclamation of homosexuality and had tried to dissuade him, all to no avail. Xie Xingye remained stubbornly persistent despite his young age, and his family had ended up throwing him out after declaring him a disgrace.


    They thought that their sheltered son who had never had to face hardships before would soon come crying to their door once again, begging to be taken in and agreeing to leave behind his preference for males. But no matter what, Xie Xingye had resolved to live his life the way he wanted and not marry anyone he couldn¡¯t love. He would rather starve and be beaten up on the streets while living freely rather than going back to being so constricted as he had been in his house.


    Hearing this, Hua Chunyi burst out laughing. As funny as she thought this little kid in front of her was, she couldn¡¯t help but admire his self-awareness and stubbornness even at this young age.


    By this time, Xie Xingye had also realized that this older sister who had just saved him was far more experienced and successful in the art of street-living, and so he was determined to hug her thigh. As for his dignity as a young master, what even was that? Would it let him marry a man or live well on the streets?


    And so, the young boy begged and pleaded for Hua Chunyi to take him in.


    After reassuring herself that this kid was only interested in males and would never look at her in the same way as her caravan¡¯s ¡®clients¡¯, Hua Chunyi finally relented and accepted Xie Xingye as her little brother, agreeing to protect him and feed him in return for his absolute loyalty to her.


    And so, the two children became siblings by bond.


    From then onwards, Hua Chunyi stole both of their shares of food every day and made sure that no one would bully Xie Xingye. She encouraged him to proudly state his views and sexual orientation, telling him that if anyone dared to try and shut him up, she would gladly beat some sense into them.


    Realizing that Xie Xingye¡¯s high quality clothes would attract too much attention, Hua Chunyi sold them off and bought him a few sets of simpler clothing. But rather than spending the rest on herself, she used the extra money to buy Xie Xingye a pair of simple yet sturdy amber colored earrings, each comprised of a large stone that gleamed brightly. Hua Chunyi claimed that this was so that she could recognize him more easily in a crowd, but Xie Xingye rather thought that it might be because this new older sister of his just wanted to pamper him somehow.


    As he thus spent his days with Hua Chunyi, Xie Xingye deeply felt both the joys and sufferings that life had to offer. But despite the uncertainties of living on the streets, every day was more fulfilling than he could have imagined.


    Be it running away from child traffickers, evading or fighting back against perverts who tried to get their claws on them, huddling together to keep warm and dry under a thrown away blanket when it rained, roasting plump rats that Hua Chunyi deemed healthy enough to eat, climbing over walls and trees to sneakily pluck fruits from a wealthy merchant¡¯s orchard, splashing and playing in the lake when the days got too hot, or simply spending the night quietly watching the stars from the highest roof in the city¨DXie Xingye treasured all these experiences equally, no matter how grueling or fun they were, as long as it was something he did together with his beloved sister Chunyi.


    In this way, a couple of years passed.


    One day, a few elegant and white-robed cultivators came to the city, announcing that they were here to test children and see if they had the ability to cultivate.


    Since getting chosen by a cultivation sect to be their disciple would guarantee that they would at least have a roof over their heads and warm food in their bellies, Hua Chunyi and Xie Xingye decided that it wouldn¡¯t hurt to try and thus went over to let themselves be tested.


    The result was that both of them were discovered to have good aptitudes, especially Hua Chunyi, who could wield the wood element and seemed to have very high comprehension skills.


    And so, without much fuss, the two children were inducted into a righteous sect and began cultivating. Within a few years, they formed their cultivation cores and became well-known in their sect.


    But throughout this time, Hua Chunyi and Xie Xingye were hardly what one would call model disciples. Whenever Hua Chunyi chose to make trouble, either by standing up for herself or her brother, or just inciting mayhem to entertain herself, Xie Xingye would always faithfully follow her. No matter how much they were lectured or punished, nothing changed, and Hua Chunyi continued on her merry, troublemaking ways, her junior brother in tow.


    Today was one such time.


    On this night, the town near the sect was celebrating a festival, the atmosphere full of bustling cheer and lively smiles. The townspeople were each dressed in vibrant clothes, laughing joyfully as they walked with a spring in their step.


    The various food stalls lining the streets outside were lit until they glowed golden, making it seem as if streams of light were flowing between the buildings. Occasionally, brightly lit lanterns floated up in clusters of luminous dots, flying high until they seemed to become one with the stars in the sky.


    And against this starry sky, two silhouettes could be seen leaping nimbly from building to building, their toes barely touching the roofs as they sped forward.


    ¡°Chunyi, was all this really necessary?¡± Xie Xingye exasperatedly asked the woman leaping in front of him even as he hurried to keep pace with her.


    With a melodious laugh, Hua Chunyi turned towards her brother. ¡°What necessary unnecessary? Ah-Ye, didn¡¯t we have fun? That¡¯s what¡¯s important!¡±


    Xie Xingye shook his head with a helpless smile. ¡°But why did we have to go through all this trouble just to steal a basket of chicken drumsticks from a street vendor? Chunyi, I really don¡¯t understand you even after all this time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m too special for little Ah-Ye to understand~¡± she teased playfully.


    Rolling his eyes, Xie Xingye muttered under his breath, ¡°Yes, yes, you¡¯re so special in the head that some people would call you insane.¡±


    Hearing her brother¡¯s grumbles, Hua Chunyi was far from offended. Instead, she threw back her head and laughed, the sound free and exuberant, her eyes shining brightly with reflected light and her white teeth gleaming.


    Looking at her, Xie Xingye couldn¡¯t help but marvel.


    His sister was so beautiful and intelligent, with such a sparkling personality that shimmered with vitality. Any person who she deemed lucky enough to spend her life with would be beyond fortunate.


    But if there was truly someone extraordinary enough to catch his Chunyi¡¯s eye, then would Xie Xingye seem too dull by comparison? Would his company then be unwanted?


    Thinking so, Xie Xingye couldn¡¯t help but sink back into the worries that had been plaguing him for the past few months.


    His entire world till now had only consisted of this sister of his, his focus always gravitating towards her as if pulled in by the whirlwind of energy that was Hua Chunyi¡¯s unique character. They had spent so much time together and weathered so many hurdles. They always stayed together and supported each other, banding against the rest of this world filled with unreasonable cruelties and hidden dangers.


    But if one day his Chunyi chose to leave his side and push him away in favor of someone else, what would Xie Xingye live for?


    Without his Chunyi, who would elbow him in the middle of hallways to show him handsome men for him to admire? Who would keep trying to teach him swordsmanship despite his lack of talent in that area? Who would tell him he was stupid when he sobbed pathetically about all his unrequited loves? Who would pat him on the back and earnestly say that he was worthy of the best man in the world? Who would he gossip with about the latest happenings in the sect? With whom would he make fun of all those uptight Elders and their pedantic rules? Who would he share his smiles and laughter with?


    For Xie Xingye, no one could replace Hua Chunyi. Chunyi was his beloved sister, her presence already an indelible part of his life. Just the thought of her one day leaving him behind¡­


    No, he couldn¡¯t bear it.


    Just as Xie Xingye¡¯s thoughts were on the verge of beginning to spiral downwards, Hua Chunyi suddenly spoke, ¡°This seems like a suitable place. We¡¯re getting down here, Ah-Ye!¡±


    And then the figure of his sister vanished from before his eyes.


    Xie Xingye immediately halted, looking down to see that Hua Chunyi was standing in the empty space beside what seemed to be a small courtyard on whose roof he was currently standing.


    Also jumping down, Xie Xingye only needed to send a brief sweep of his spiritual senses to realize that this building was empty, its occupants presumably off to celebrate the festival outside.


    ¡°Why did we stop here?¡± Xie Xingye asked confusedly. ¡°We should get back to the sect as soon as possible before those old fogeys hound us for staying out past curfew again.¡±


    Hua Chunyi simply laughed. ¡°The worst they¡¯ll do is whack us a bit. Why are you so worried?¡±


    Xie Xingye sighed as he complained, ¡°They¡¯ll hold back when they hit you because of your talent in cultivation and your ¡®delicate female body¡¯, as that Elders¡¯ pet put it the last time, but I¡¯ll get whacked full force, my dear sister.¡±


    Then batting his eyelashes exaggeratedly and pouting pitifully, Xie Xingye asked, ¡°Can you bear to see me get hurt like that?¡±


    Hua Chunyi burst out into giggles. ¡°Stop making that face, it looks ridiculous.¡±


    Xie Xingye added some more embellishment to his expression, widening his eyes until they were bulging as he stuck out his lower lip further, causing the Hua Chunyi who was already easily prone to laughter to double over while clutching her stomach.


    ¡°No, no! Stop!¡± she yelped.


    After tormenting his senior sister a bit more until tears were streaming from her eyes, Xie Xingye finally relented and let his expression return to normal.


    Once her uncontrollable bout of laughter finally subsided, she asked surprisedly while wiping tears from her eyes, ¡°Ah-Ye, where did you even learn to make that face?!¡±


    Smiling smugly, he replied, ¡°I saw that Elder Shu¡¯s head disciple¨Dthat woman called Gu or Yu or something¨Dmaking this expression at her master to try and act pitiful. That Elder Shu even fell for it, but I thought it looked very funny.¡±


    Chuckling, Hua Chunyi tsked, ¡°You¡¯re learning so many bad habits in that sect, dear brother mine.¡±


    Xie Xingye lightly stuck out his tongue. ¡°You are far more of a bad influence on me than any of those people from the sect.¡±


    ¡°Eh, that is true,¡± Hua Chunyi easily admitted with a tilt of her head, her lips still stretched in a wide, lively smile.


    Seeing this, Xie Xingye felt himself smiling warmly in return, his gaze softening.


    Looking at his sister clad in white, he couldn¡¯t help but think that such a plain and blank color really didn¡¯t suit his Chunyi¡¯s high-spirited personality. She should be clothed in rich and vibrant hues, as bright and vivacious as herself.


    Meanwhile, walking nearer to the edge of the small courtyard, Hua Chunyi unceremoniously plopped down onto the porch, leaning into a red-colored pillar beside her and gazing up at the star-studded night sky speckled with the occasional flock of lanterns floating by.


    Xie Xingye also went over to sit down at a small distance from his sister. Then taking out the freshly-made basketful of fried chicken drumsticks that they¡¯d just stolen and absconded with, he placed it between them and asked, ¡°What do we do with this now?¡±


    Arching an eyebrow at her brother, Hua Chunyi said matter-of-factly, ¡°You¡¯ll finish the entire basket, of course. Or are you going to waste it?¡±


    Xie Xingye¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Chunyi, if you aren¡¯t going to eat it, then why steal it in the first place?¡±


    After all, as a former street urchin, Xie Xingye knew the value of food and was very reluctant to waste it.


    The humor in her eyes suddenly turning into something sharp and deadly, Hua Chunyi spoke, ¡°Do you want to know why I stole it? It¡¯s because I hate the person who was selling them. The old man who runs that stall was the one who beat you up so badly that one time when he caught you stealing. He stomped on your legs and broke them so that you couldn¡¯t run away, then tried to beat you to death, all over a couple of chicken drumsticks.¡±


    Hearing this, Xie Xingye only blinked blankly. These sort of occurrences had hardly been rare during their time on the streets, so he couldn¡¯t be bothered to remember each and every single person who¡¯d hurt him badly.


    ¡°That was a long time ago. Chunyi, what need do we have to remember those things?¡± Xie Xingye asked with a frown.


    The color in her gaze deepening, Hua Chunyi answered darkly, ¡°Ah-Ye, I cannot forget them. I remember each and every single person who wronged you while you were under my watch. And one by one, I will slowly, methodically destroy them. For now, I already set several things in motion so that that old man¡¯s business will get discredited and ruined soon. I have many more plans that will ensure that he will suffer his entire life. I could just beat him to death in return for what he did, but that will be too easy a death for him and too troublesome a cleanup for us. But don¡¯t worry, without fail, he will pay miserably for daring to hurt you!¡±


    Xie Xingye just stared at the fierce expression on his sister¡¯s face, not knowing how to respond. His heart felt both warm and cold at the lengths his Chunyi was willing to go to avenge him.


    Smiling softly, Xie Xingye finally said, ¡°Chunyi, I don¡¯t care about those people, and I don¡¯t want you to waste so much of your energy on them either. As long as you don¡¯t abandon me in the future, I will be the happiest I can be.¡±


    Then his smile turning teasing, Xie Xingye continued, ¡°Of course, if I could get a husband someday, I¡¯ll be even happier.¡±


    But for once, Hua Chunyi didn¡¯t use this topic to begin bantering playfully with her brother. Instead, she asked confusedly, ¡°Ah-Ye, what makes you think I¡¯d abandon you in the future?¡±


    Xie Xingye¡¯s smile dimmed as he shifted his gaze away. ¡°Well, if you ever found someone you love and wanted to spend your whole life with them, then wouldn¡¯t I just be a bother? If you wanted to start a family of your own with a spouse and children¡­ then won¡¯t I be a hindrance to you?¡±


    Hua Chunyi simply rolled her eyes and waved a hand as if to easily dismiss her brother¡¯s worries. ¡°So what? Though I can¡¯t see myself being willing to get hitched to some bastard, even if I did start a family, what makes you think you won¡¯t be welcome to join it? You are my brother by bond, and if I ever get a brat of my own, he or she will call you uncle. No matter what, you will always be my family.¡±


    Then narrowing her eyes threateningly, she continued, ¡°Or do you think I¡¯m some heartless bitch who¡¯ll just abandon her own brother? Is that why you¡¯re doubting me?¡±


    Xie Xingye hurriedly shook his head, unable to help the wide smile from stretching over his face. If his Chunyi said that she wouldn¡¯t abandon him for her family, then she definitely meant it!


    Thus reassured, Xie Xingye finally put this matter out of his mind.


    After Xie Xingye ate a couple of the greasy drumsticks, he gave away the basket with the rest to a few homeless kids while keeping just one for himself to munch on the way. Then the pair of brother and sister finally made their way to their sect, sneaking in as usual.


    But this time, they found four disciplinary Elders waiting for them on the other side of the sect¡¯s high boundary wall, grim and reprobating expressions on their bearded faces.


    ¡°Disciple Hua! Disciple Xie! Once again you have broken the curfew! I hope you are ready to take your punishment!¡± yelled an Elder as soon as he saw them.


    Sighing in his mind, Xie Xingye at least pretended to show a chagrined expression on the outside. But Hua Chunyi didn¡¯t bother to cover up her eye roll as she replied, ¡°What if I said I wasn¡¯t ready? Are you lot going to just pack up your lectures and leave? Ha! You all are just as ridiculous and hypocritical as usual!¡±


    The Elders¡¯ beards quivered with rage as their faces twitched.


    Unable to bear this girl disrespecting them at every turn, a bald Elder finally snapped. Pointing at Hua Chunyi, he screamed hysterically, ¡°Disciple Hua, is that how you talk to your Elders?! You filthy slut, do you think we don¡¯t know why you¡¯ve been sneaking out?! Calling him your brother, then taking him out to fuck, you¡¯re nothing but a¨D¡±


    Suddenly, a greasy, half-eaten drumstick landed right in the middle of the bald Elder¡¯s face, interrupting his tirade.


    Everyone froze.


    Then slowly, deliberately, the chicken drumstick slid down from the Elder¡¯s face while smearing an unsightly streak of thick oil over the front of his pristine white robes, then it finally fell onto the ground with a splat.


    Stunned silence reigned over the entire area.


    Beside Hua Chunyi, Xie Xingye stood with his hand extended, bits of grease still on his fingers and an expression of cold fury on his face.


    Into the silence, Xie Xingye spoke darkly, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare speak about my sister like that with your disgusting mouth, you stupid old geezer. Or do you want that rotten tongue of yours wrenched out with a pair of rusted tongs?¡±


    The remaining three Elders could only stare at him with wide eyes while the bald elder trembled with inexpressible fury. He lifted a hand to furiously wipe off the thick smear of oil imprinted on his face by the impact of the chicken drumstick, then lowered his head to look at the streak of orangish-brown grease drawn down the front of his snowy robes when the drumstick fell.


    Lifting his head up, the bald Elder fixed a deadly glare saturated with ill-intent at the person who had caused such indignity to him.


    ¡°Xie Xingye, prepare yourself!¡± he roared in rage.


    Then with a flick of his wrist, the Elder took out a thick whip and charged at Xie Xingye with his face contorted with ferocious fury.


    Xie Xingye pressed his lips together. He already knew that he wasn¡¯t powerful enough to stand against this Elder, so Xie Xingye chose to just calmly stand his ground, neither fleeing nor flinching in the face of this threat.


    But just before the approaching whip struck at him, Xie Xingye felt another body pushing him down to the ground and covering him.


    Falling on his backside and automatically supporting himself on his palms, Xie Xingye sat on the ground and looked up with shocked eyes to see his sister covering him.


    With horror, he saw her body jerk forward sharply as the whip whistled and lashed at her back.


    Uncaring that the person who was receiving his blows was someone else, the bald elder continued to work his whip relentlessly to vent his anger, the sounds of whistling wind overlapping with each other as fabric and flesh tore and blood flowed down from the back of the slender young woman.


    And yet, even as strike after strike tore her back open, Hua Chunyi¡¯s face was still stretched with a wide grin, her eyes black as the night, swirling with a vicious madness born of pain and fury.


    Meanwhile, no matter how much Xie Xingye tried to get up and pull his sister behind him, Hua Chunyi did not budge. Her level was above his, so it was impossible for Xie Xingye to match against her even in physical strength, but he still kept trying while pleading.


    ¡°Chunyi, Chunyi! Stop, this is enough! Don¡¯t do this, don¡¯t let yourself get hurt like this for me! Please, stop this, Chunyi!¡±


    But Hua Chunyi silently bore the lashes until her strength gave out. With so much blood lost, she couldn¡¯t help but lose her balance, and when the whip struck next, she fell down onto Xie Xingye.


    Without Hua Chunyi¡¯s body covering him completely, the whip sliced open a corner of Xie Xingye¡¯s cheek before continuing on to fall upon the amber stone of his earring, cracking it in the middle. But Xie Xingye remained uncaring of the blast of pain spreading over the side of his face, all his attention focused entirely on his Chunyi.


    Their sect did not provide its disciples with anything like healing pills, artifacts, talismans, or weapons. And without anything to use except the wooden practice swords given to everyone, Xie Xingye knew that he and his sister wouldn¡¯t fare too well against these Elders who were dead set on teaching them a harsh lesson, uncaring of whether these two disciples would survive it.


    And so, gathering his collapsed sister into his arms, Xie Xingye made the decision to flee for now and quickly ran towards the sect¡¯s wall, aiming to leap over it and escape.


    But the four Elders immediately gave chase behind him, the bald Elder with the greasy robe in the lead, the bloodstained whip in his hand having been put away for now.


    Xie Xingye clutched his sister closer and gritted his teeth, speeding up as much as he could.


    In his arms, Hua Chunyi¡¯s eyelashes trembled, her cultivation having healed her just enough to let her regain consciousness even as blood streamed from the deep lacerations on her back.


    As her eyes slid open, the first thing she noticed was the deep gash on her brother¡¯s cheek that had been sliced open by the last strike of the whip.


    Her eyes narrowing, Hua Chunyi flicked her gaze to the side to see the four bearded men chasing and gaining on them, the corners of her lips rising into a silent snarl.


    Since they dared hurt her brother, she would make them pay for it with their lives!

 Chapter 121: Time Spent Apart

    Even as she was being carried in the arms of her fleeing brother, Hua Chunyi kept her burning gaze focused on the people chasing them, her expression filled with murderous intent.


    Lifting her hand, Hua Chunyi summoned the wooden practice sword the sect allowed the disciples to carry, then filled it to the brim with her wood-based spiritual force. She forced its shape to mold to her will and made it grow thick thumb-sized wooden thorns throughout the surface of its blade.


    Just then, Xie Xingye looked at his wide-awake sister with surprise. ¡°Chunyi, what are you doing?¡±


    Her expression morphing into fierce anger, Hua Chunyi snarled, ¡°I¡¯m going to fucking kill those bastards!¡±


    Because they hurt her brother! Those bastards actually hurt her precious brother! Even though she had tried to protect him¡­even though she always tried so hard to protect him¡­why did they still end up hurting him?!


    Xie Xingye felt alarmed and worried at his sister¡¯s suddenly intense expression. But before he could say something in response, Hua Chunyi had already slipped out of his arms to stand on her own.


    Seeing this, Xie Xingye had no choice but to stop running and stand beside his sister in solidarity, anxiously looking at the nearing Elders. He didn¡¯t mind anything happening to him, but his Chunyi had already gotten so injured on his behalf, he couldn¡¯t bear to let her get any more wounded.


    But not paying any mind to her younger brother¡¯s worries, Hua Chunyi stabbed the ground in front of her with the point of her wooden sword. The thorns she¡¯d just summoned out from the blade of the sword slowly detached from the wood and fell down. Then gradually, the thorns seemed to get absorbed into the earth, no sign of them visible anymore.


    Xie Xingye wanted to ask his sister just what she was planning, but the Elders were almost upon them by now.


    With neither a weapon to fight with nor any talisman or instrument to imbue his spiritual power into, Xie Xingye did not know how he could face against the Elders, but Hua Chunyi had already considered this matter.


    Not waiting for the Elders to target her brother, she gritted her teeth against the pain stabbing deep in her back and showed a wide smile brimming with insanity.


    Lifting the wooden sword, she leapt up as quick as the flutter of a dragonfly¡¯s wing, landing behind an Elder and stabbing the practice blade violently into his back, aiming for his heart. Since the edges had already been sharpened after being molded by her ability and coated with her spiritual force, the sword easily slid through flesh and bone, piercing out through the Elder¡¯s chest.


    With a stunned expression, the Elder looked down, not yet having understood where that female disciple had disappeared off to from right in front of his eyes or how he had ended up suddenly being pierced through from the back. Before he could put these two things together, the light faded out of his eyes and his lifeless body toppled down.


    The other three Elders stared at Hua Chunyi with shock before quickly putting up hemispherical barriers around themselves, not willing to let this dangerous female near them. They still felt fear and disbelief at how easily she had killed the Elder. After all, though he wasn¡¯t proficient in fighting, he was still a revered Elder of their sect!


    All this time, this Hua Chunyi had never shown any talent in combat, always content to just sneak around with her brother and shoot off her mouth. However, since she still continued to make strides with her cultivation, she had mostly been left to her own devices till now.


    But it was only now that the Elders realized that this Disciple Hua had been hiding her strength all along, not only from her peers, but from the entire sect as well!


    With shaken hearts, the three surviving Elders looked at Hua Chunyi with vigilance. Even though they were safely ensconced within each of their barriers, they still felt waves of danger battering their senses.


    This woman was not to be underestimated!


    Meanwhile, with her head cocked to the side, Hua Chunyi merely kept smiling broadly, her eyes wide with something akin to excitement.


    Then suddenly pushing off the ground, she leapt at the bald Elder¡¯s barrier, her wooden sword slashing at it brutally.


    The bald Elder flinched back, his body beginning to lightly tremble in trepidation.


    But despite the spiritual force coating it, Hua Chunyi¡¯s wooden sword did not even manage to make a dent on the Elder¡¯s barrier. And it was no wonder, since he was already on his guard against her, and his high-level cultivation wasn¡¯t merely for show.


    However, Hua Chunyi remained unrelenting, the blade of her practice sword slicing repeatedly and unerringly in the exact same place over and over again, madly and without pause.


    Soon, under her continued efforts, a thin white line appeared on the previously transparent barrier.


    The bald Elder frantically fed more energy into his barrier to patch it up, but Hua Chunyi merely cackled with delight as she kept on with her offensive, unmindful of the three pairs of horrified eyes fixed on her.


    Meanwhile, unknown to the transfixed Elders, the wooden thorns that Hua Chunyi had ejected from her sword before had successfully managed to burrow through the earth and under their shields as per her directions. And now that the Elders all had their attentions fixed on the woman madly hacking at the barrier, the thorns that had stealthily managed to infiltrate into the confines of the three Elders'' barriers slowly gathered behind the Elders inconspicuously and grew upward, forming into sharp-tipped wooden vines.


    When everything was in place, Hua Chunyi finally stopped her meaningless attacks and grinned wider. In an eerily cheerful voice, she spoke, ¡°This is what you get for hurting my brother.¡±


    And then, before the Elders could understand what she meant, the wooden vines exploded towards their unprotected backs, piercing through their bodies and skewering their hearts.


    The three Elders showed expressions of horror, their lips trembling and eyes peeled back.


    Even though they thought they were safe behind their barriers, this woman had still found a way to take them by surprise and attack them!


    As their lives slowly drained away, the Elders¡¯ bodies slumped down, falling onto the ground as the wooden vines withdrew from their still chests and into the ground once again. And so, the four Elders now laid limply on the ground, pierced almost identically from behind through their hearts, their lifeless bodies beginning to cool.


    Now that she had completed what she¡¯d set out to do, Hua Chunyi¡¯s injured and tired body at last gave out, and Xie Xingye barely managed to make it in time to catch his sister.


    Xie Xingye swept an unfathomable gaze over the four dead Elders. Then setting down his once again unconscious sister to comfortably rest against a tree, he walked over to the Elders to take all their valuable possessions, especially any medicine that might be useful to his Chunyi. After throwing all his findings into his low level spatial storage, he took his sister and finally scaled the wall to escape.


    And he knew that they would never be able to set foot inside the sect again.


    Soon after, Xie Xingye managed to secure a small cottage for them to stay in and nursed Hua Chunyi back to health by using the medicine he¡¯d stolen from the Elders. Once Hua Chunyi regained her health, the pair of siblings began thinking of what to do from now on.


    It was at this time that they were invited to join a demonic sect.


    And since they were already being hunted down by the righteous faction right now due to the four Elders¡¯ murder, Xie Xingye and Hua Chunyi agreed, thinking it the safest option.


    As for the matter of morals, when had anyone in the cultivation world had any?


    The righteous faction just hid their cruelties behind pompous sounding words while the demonic faction displayed it openly, so neither of the two siblings thought much about switching sides.


    As Hua Chunyi and Xie Xingye thus started to cultivate according to the demonic path, it was soon discovered that Xie Xingye had a very high aptitude for it while Hua Chunyi was unsuitable for this type of cultivation. Not minding it, Hua Chunyi simply continued cultivating the righteous way she¡¯d been taught even as she stayed in the demonic faction, while Xie Xingye began learning more and more advanced dark arts.


    As Xie Xingye grew in power, he began using dark colored vines of his own in mimicry of his sister after receiving her guidance. He learned basic necromancy and the art of devouring life to increase one¡¯s own power, taught to him by the sect master of the demonic sect himself.


    And eventually, Xie Xingye also began sleeping with this sect master to boost his own power using basic dual cultivation. But towards losing his virginity this way, Xie Xingye felt no loss or sadness. He had long since become disillusioned towards his childhood dream of falling in love with and marrying a man he cared for. Now, as long as something was useful, whether it was his cultivation talent or the appeal of his own body, he was determined to use it to the fullest. The demonic faction was also far more open-minded about sexual matters, and Xie Xingye took part in many group events and orgies to successfully raise his power even further.


    Meanwhile, Hua Chunyi didn¡¯t lag behind either, raising her level just as steadily as before using the righteous faction¡¯s method. But despite her different cultivation technique, her ruthlessness, cunning, charm, and brutal way of fighting made her seem more a part of the demonic faction that Xie Xingye with his dark vines.


    In the end, both Hua Chunyi and Xie Xingye flourished in their own way under the care of the demonic faction, still maintaining their bond strongly and living their days peacefully.


    But as they were wont to do, their peaceful days eventually came to an end once again.


    This night, Xie Xingye was in the room he shared with his sister, carefully going through a few scrolls that the sect master had given him to practice with.


    Suddenly, there was a quiet tap, and Xie Xingye immediately turned to see a familiar silhouette standing in the window, with the clear starry sky as the backdrop.


    Perched on the windowsill, Hua Chunyi looked at her brother with a deep, almost melancholy look in her eyes.


    Xie Xingye immediately put away the scrolls and stood up from the desk. Walking up to where his sister still stood in the window, he asked worriedly, ¡°Chunyi? Is something wrong? Why do you look sad?¡±


    Hua Chunyi sighed, then smiled a small smile. Reaching out, she brushed her fingertips against her brother¡¯s cheek as if memorizing the shape of his face.


    ¡°Ah-Ye, I¡­ I¡¯ve decided to leave this place.¡±


    Xie Xingye blinked, then nodded. ¡°Alright then, since you feel that it¡¯s necessary, we¡¯ll leave the demonic faction right now. But if we have a few more minutes to pack, then I can at least take the sect master¡¯s scrolls with us. I bet they¡¯d sell high on the black market.¡±


    But Hua Chunyi shook her head. ¡°No, you¡¯re staying here. I will be the only one leaving.¡±


    Xie Xingye froze. ¡°Chunyi, w-what are you¡­?¡±


    ¡°Ah-Ye, I did something that will make these people target me from now on. I don¡¯t want to pull you in and make you live your life on the run just because of me. You just stay here and learn as much as you can. I can run better if I¡¯m alone anyway,¡± Hua Chunyi spoke with a rare solemn expression.


    But despite hearing all this, Xie Xingye was still unable to come out of his shock.


    His face turning pale, he finally managed to ask, ¡°¡­Why?¡±


    Hua Chunyi sighed, ¡°I killed the sect master. Actually, I even made his underground torture chamber cave in. Any minute now, the entire main hall of the sect is going to colla¨D¡±


    Interrupting her in a timely manner, a sudden rumble abruptly shook the ground, as if a family of giants was rolling and shaking underneath the land. Following it, the loud roars of a massive building slowly, ponderously crashing down sounded out in the distance.


    Hua Chunyi showed a guilty expression. ¡°Ah, shit, I didn¡¯t expect it to fall so quickly¡­¡±


    Ignoring the sounds of alarm beginning to sound outside, Xie Xingye shook his head and asked, ¡°Chunyi, you¡­did you just say that you killed the sect master? Why? What did that bastard do?¡±


    For a moment, Hua Chunyi looked at her brother with wide eyes, then brushed it off easily with a chuckle. ¡°It¡¯s nothing you need to worry about. I just did it on an impulse because he pissed me off. You know how my temper gets.¡±


    Unconvinced, Xie Xingye pressed, ¡°You just indicated that you were in his underground torture chamber, didn¡¯t you? What were you doing there? Don¡¯t tell me¡­that bastard, did he actually¡­¡±


    As various scenarios went through his mind, Xie Xingye¡¯s expression grew more and more thunderous.


    Till now, they¡¯d been no dearth of people chasing after his Chunyi, drawn in by her charm, power, and unique personality, most of them trying to force themselves on her after they were refused. Of course, these people always came away without a limb or two, and in some cases, without their head as well.


    But if someone as powerful as their sect master tried to force himself on her, even his Chunyi might not be able to deal with him that easily. Then did that mean¡­


    Meanwhile, seeing that her misdirection was only causing more worry for her brother, Hua Chunyi sighed and finally decided to not hold anything back as she confessed, ¡°No, the sect master just wanted to kill me. He¡­he was jealous of me because of you.¡±


    Xie Xingye blinked uncomprehendingly.


    Hua Chunyi continued, ¡°After hearing that we weren¡¯t related by blood, he became furious at me for spending so much time with you. He suspected that we might have deep romantic feelings towards each other, so he wanted to torture me and then kill me so that I wouldn¡¯t stand in his way of ¡®claiming my Xingye for myself¡¯, as he put it.¡±


    Opening his mouth and closing it again, Xie Xingye felt that he didn''t know what to stay. His relationship with the sect master had purely been a mutually beneficial one, and it was the sect master who had asked it to be that way from the very beginning. But now, why did it seem as if he had some great obsession with him?


    Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Xie Xingye put the sect master out of his mind and focused on his sister instead. ¡°I don¡¯t care about what happened to him, I only care about you. Chunyi, I understand that you want to escape before they find out that it was you who killed him, but I still don¡¯t want to let you go alone.¡±


    Hua Chunyi simply said, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°But Chunyi¨D¡±


    ¡°I said no!¡± Hua Chunyi remained uncompromising. ¡°You will stay here and cultivate. If you can grow powerful enough to make sure that no one can hurt you anymore, then you can come find me. Right now, they won¡¯t suspect you. You have talent that they need, so though they might keep a very close eye on you to see if you are keeping in contact with me, they won¡¯t make it too difficult for you. As long as you are here, you can live a somewhat secure life at least. With me, you can only live like a hunted rat.¡±


    Gritting his teeth, Xie Xingye returned, ¡°I don¡¯t care what kind of life I¡¯m living as long as I¡¯m with you. Chunyi, please, don¡¯t leave me! I can¡¯t¨D¡±


    Hua Chunyi suddenly looped an arm around her brother and pulled him close. Leaning down, she placed a light kiss on his forehead.


    Xie Xingye snapped his mouth shut, stunned. His Chunyi had never once shown such an open sign of affection before. For her to do so now¡­was she really preparing to leave him behind?


    ¡°Ah-Ye, my decision is final. If I try seriously, even you won¡¯t be able to find me, so don¡¯t even attempt to follow me,¡± Hua Chunyi spoke with determination. Then her expression turning soft at her brother¡¯s miserable expression, she continued, ¡°It¡¯s not like we won¡¯t meet each other again. This is only temporary. I hate to stay apart too, so I¡¯ll just lead both the demonic and righteous factions on a merry chase and quickly take care of them all. Then we can continue to stay together, alright?¡±


    By now Xie Xingye had begun to tremble, silent tears dripping down his face. He finally understood¨Dhe couldn¡¯t stay with his sister. They had to separate. Because if he went with her, he¡¯d only drag her down. Without having him to take care of, his Chunyi would easily be able to evade capture and resolve the situation on her own.


    And so, gulping down all his objections and selfish requests, Xie Xingye finally nodded, even though his heart felt like it was being crushed and turned to pulp in his chest.


    But if he had known at that time about what would happen later, then would he have made a different decision? Would he still have held on to her?


    But unknowing of what the future had in store for them, the pair of siblings reluctantly parted for now, their hearts heavy with inexpressible sorrow.


    And so, Hua Chunyi became a criminal on the run, wanted by the righteous faction for the death of the four Elders and the demonic faction for the death of one of their sect masters.


    Meanwhile, though a lot of eyes constantly kept watch for any communication between him and his sister, Xie Xingye was mostly left alone to keep going as before.


    Remembering what his sister said, Xie Xingye trained and cultivated as hard as he could, taking shortcuts that he¡¯d once considered despicable and low, just so that he could quickly increase his strength. All of this was only so that he could soon become a power of his own who could shield his sister and keep her safe, so that his presence beside his Chunyi wouldn¡¯t end up becoming a burden on her.


    But just as he reached the tenth realm, Xie Xingye heard news that Hua Chunyi had had an accident, that she''d fallen off a cliff¨Dor rather, jumped off a cliff to spite her pursuers¨Dand went mad as a result of a head injury.


    After she decimated the entire crowd of righteous and demonic cultivators who had been chasing her, getting grievously injured in the process, she was seemingly rescued by a famed and extremely powerful demigod level lone cultivator called Feng Huixin, taken away to his abode in the mountains to heal and recuperate.


    Though Xie Xingye wanted to heave a sigh of relief that someone was at least taking care of his Chunyi, he also couldn¡¯t help but get anxious now that his sister was in the hands of someone he didn¡¯t know and couldn''t find no matter how much he searched.


    And so, Xie Xingye pushed himself to rise even more in power, not caring about the means and methods as he desperately tried to climb higher. Knowing that he was nearing a breakthrough, he entered secluded cultivation and poured his entire focus into preparing for it.


    Within a few years, he successfully reached the level of demigod, the highest realm able to be achieved in this world.


    But it was only after he exited his seclusion that he came to know that his sister had ended up falling in love and marrying that demigod level cultivator Feng Huixin. Then after being chased around by and decimating the Feng household, the husband and wife had gone into hiding.


    Xie Xingye didn¡¯t understand why his sister didn¡¯t come and get him now that she was at least free of her pursuers from the righteous and demonic factions, but he still earnestly searched for her, not knowing that due to her fall from the cliff before, his beloved Chunyi had already forgotten most of her memories, including those of the person she used to call her brother.


    Centuries passed as Xie Xingye desperately searched for his sister¡¯s whereabouts. He needed to know that she was okay, he needed to know whether her promise of not pushing him away in lieu of her family still held true. He needed to be reassured that Hua Chunyi still considered him as her brother.


    But before he could find her to ascertain all this, he received news that Feng Huixin and his wife had ascended into the heavenly realm together.


    However, rather than losing hope, Xie Xingye refocused his attention on his cultivation, pouring in his all once again so that he could ascend as well. But the path to ascension was especially difficult for demonic cultivators, yet Xie Xingye refused to give up.


    And so, millennia later, Xie Xingye finally succeeded.


    But even after entering Heaven and asking around, Xie Xingye couldn¡¯t find any deity by the name of Hua Chunyi. But when he inquired about Feng Huixin¡¯s wife, he was told that her name was Feng Chunyi instead.


    What Xie Xingye didn¡¯t know was that after losing her memories, Hua Chunyi had forgotten even her own name. She just recalled that she was called Chunyi after seeing it sewn into a pouch that had actually been made by Xie Xingye for her. Then later, due to hearing someone mention her full name in passing, she recalled that her surname was Hua.


    But the ¡®Hua¡¯ in her surname was something all the people in her caravan had carried, denoting the ¡®flower¡¯ in ¡®flower house¡¯, that is, a reminder that they were a part of a brothel.


    And despite losing her memories, though she did not remember why, Hua Chunyi still understood that she hated her surname. Since she was wooing Feng Huixin at that time anyway, she happily changed her surname to Feng instead, using it to endlessly tease her beloved.


    But for the Xie Xingye who heard that his beloved sister had changed her name after meeting her now-husband, he only felt confused and distressed.


    Did that Feng Huixin force her to do that so that she would be branded by his name? Or did his Chunyi want to throw Xie Xingye off her trail? But neither option seemed all that probable, so Xie Xingye could only put this matter out of his mind to think about later.


    Now that he knew where to find his sister, all Xie Xingye could think of was their eventual happy reunion.


    However, just as he began heading out of the demonic deities¡¯ territory to set out towards where his sister and her husband had made their home, Xie Xingye ran into misfortune.


    A few of the older demonic deities decided to gang up on him in an attempt to steal his cultivation core, wanting to use it to boost their own power. And since Xie Xingye was a young deity in comparison, they figured that he would be the easiest one to target.


    Knowing this, Xie Xingye could only put his plans on hold and flee.


    After being hunted for a while and wounded, Xie Xingye ended up finally taking refuge in a large cave.


    And it was here that he met the black dragon, who decided to let this demonic deity take shelter in his cave.


    For the next while, Xie Xingye stayed in the cave to heal from his injuries and hide from his pursuers. And so, he ended up spending time with the large and scarred black dragon that had now morphed into an equally as scarred large man.


    Due to a few of his scars that cut through his throat, this dragon called Zheng Xuan was unable to speak for long and used only a few words at a time when he did choose to speak. And for some reason, Xie Xingye felt more and more drawn towards this dragon as he shared the cave with him.


    He learned that Zheng Xuan was ancient and had once served as his dragon queen¡¯s guard. But after some mishap in a lower realm, the dragon queen sent away all of her most loyal guards out of the territory of the true dragon clan so that they would not be implicated along with her. She instead chose to rule while willingly allowing herself to be constricted by her court advisors in return for their promise to not go after the ones she cared for.


    Towards this queen, Zheng Xuan only seemed to have endless loyalty and respect. But after his queen had passed away, Zheng Xuan did not have anything left to do, so he spent all his time in this cave, waiting to see if some new purpose to his life would emerge.


    After hearing all this told to him, Xie Xingye in turn recited his own story and the reason he ascended. He poured out his fears of how his sister might shun him and his hopes of a future where he would be included into his sister¡¯s family.


    Zheng Xuan patiently heard him out and silently offered comfort.


    After this, they grew closer and closer, eventually deciding to become lovers.


    A while later, the demonic deities came in search of Xie Xingye, but ended up being scared away by Zheng Xuan instead. Feeling freed now that his pursuers had given up on him, Xie Xingye wanted to finally meet up with and introduce Zheng Xuan to his Chunyi. And after he was done catching up with his sister, Xie Xingye eagerly stated that he would spend his first night with his new lover after that.


    And so, Xie Xingye and Zheng Xuan set off to the Feng residence, the house of the Deity of Judgment Feng Huixin and the Heavenly General Feng Chunyi.


    But nothing went as Xie Xingye planned.


    Feng Chunyi did not remember her past and only treated Xie Xingye as a stranger. But the more desperately Xie Xingye tried to get closer to her, the more cautious she became and the more alarmed Feng Huixin grew, thinking that this stranger was fanatically pursuing her.


    And so, Feng Huixin finally confronted Xie Xingye and asked him to stop harassing his wife. Hearing this, Xie Xingye grew beyond furious, misunderstanding that Feng Huixin was the one who had somehow made his sister ignore him all this while. Xie Xingye immediately tried to use his vines to push him away and continue talking to his sister.


    However, thinking that he meant to attack her husband, Feng Chunyi leapt forward to block him and started going on the offensive.


    Xie Xingye was beyond stunned at being attacked by his beloved sister.


    He couldn¡¯t bear this. He couldn¡¯t bear to see his sister defend someone else over him. He couldn¡¯t bear to see that vicious expression of hers directed at him. He couldn¡¯t bear to see his Chunyi acting as if she didn¡¯t remember him.


    Had he been such an insignificant part of her life that she couldn¡¯t even be bothered to remember his name? In the end, did her promise of so long ago mean nothing to her?


    As Xie Xingye just stood in a daze without minding the blows raining on him, Zheng Xuan came forward to protect him with his own body, taking severe damage in the process.


    Feng Huixin quickly restrained his wife so that she wouldn¡¯t hurt them when they weren¡¯t even putting up a fight, but the harm was already done.


    Xie Xingye finally came to a realization¨D


    His Chunyi, his dear beloved sister, had really, truly abandoned him.


    This was when Xie Xingye drowned into the hopeless confines of his heart demon that almost ended up in a qi deviation, his all-consuming despair making him unwilling to escape its grasp or let anyone help him out.


    After all, if he left his wretched inner world, he would have to face what waited for him outside, he would have to face the cruel, wretched truth that would break him.


    Meanwhile, the deities of the heavenly court decided to seal him in a lower world until he was able to come out of his heart demon on his own and stabilize himself, since no one else could help him with it from the outside.


    Unexpectedly, Zheng Xuan snuck in while the seal was being placed to accompany his beloved, not wanting Xie Xingye to be alone.


    His beloved''s sister and the world itself might have abandoned him, but Zheng Xuan wanted Xie Xingye to know that he was still there, that he at least would never let him go.


    And many millennia later, when Xie Xingye finally woke up in the darkness disoriented and vulnerable, Zheng Xuan had still been there, his familiar presence the only stable thing that Xie Xingye could hold on to.


    Since he had been feeding his beloved with his own spiritual energy all this while in an attempt to make his presence known and to also slowly erode the sealing spell, Zheng Xuan was now weakened to the point of being unable to even transform into his human form.


    And so, after awakening, Xie Xingye stayed in the Valley of the Terrified Dead with Zheng Xuan to gather their strengths and to secretively prepare the army of ghouls.


    Xie Xingye remembered what the demonic sect¡¯s sect master had once taught him¡ªthe art of devouring life to gain power. And so, he prepared to devour this world and gain enough power so that he could forcibly enter Heaven again.


    Then he could face his Chunyi once again and ask¨D


    Why? Why did you abandon me? Why did you forget me? Why did you aim your weapon at me?


    Were we not siblings in all but blood? Were we not each other¡¯s only pillars of support? Were we not supposed to be welcomed into each other¡¯s family?


    So Chunyi¡­why?


    And to ask this question, Xie Xingye didn¡¯t mind destroying this world.


    With his ghouls, he had set out from the Valley of the Terrified Dead and to the Battle Arena to do just that when he encountered his Chunyi''s son, and later, her husband.


    From Feng Huixin, Xie Xingye heard that rather than just forgetting him due to disinterest, his Chunyi had actually forgotten entire bits of her past, presumably due to her head injury at that time in their world when she jumped off a cliff.


    Hearing this, Xie Xingye¡¯s hope was rekindled. If he could meet his Chunyi again and help her recall their memories together somehow, then would she treat him like she had before?


    As for her child and husband, Xie Xingye was sure that as a highly regarded deity, Feng Huixin would be able to open the gates of Heaven at will and take his son to escape to safety. Even if something happened to them, they shouldn¡¯t die that easily. Even if his sister ended up being angry with him later, Xie Xingye didn¡¯t mind. As long as she was willing to talk to him again and acknowledge his existence, he would let her beat him up or even kill him.


    And so, after escaping the Battle Arena with Zheng Xuan, Xie Xingye waited in the Castle of Echoes, wanting the cultivators to come on their own and battle his ghouls. And after they were weakened, he could easily wipe them out.


    Because of the deep crack running under this castle, Xie Xingye knew that Feng Huixin would also not be able to act as he wanted or use his powers like last time at the Battle Arena. Therefore, Xie Xingye hypothesized that if he and his beloved, the black dragon Zheng Xuan, joined forces, then they would more or less be able to suppress him.


    And as for Feng Qinghe, with his cracked core, what could he do?


    Now, standing on top of the staircase while looking at his Chunyi''s son and seeing the similarities in their features, Xie Xingye felt complex emotions arise in him. Seeing the young man smile so happily as he cut through the hordes of ghouls, it really reminded him of his Chunyi.


    But even then, Xie Xingye would still not hesitate to do what needed to be done if it meant getting one step closer to his goal.


    And so, Xie Xingye finally descended the staircase, his gaze fixed on Feng Qinghe.

 Chapter 122: Their Own Struggles

    In the giant front hall of the Castle of Echoes, the battle raged on.


    Qinghe methodically cut his way through the ghouls, aiming to meet the demonic deity Xie Xingye as he descended the staircase. And once he began engaging him in a fight, Wei Xiang would also target his companion, the black dragon, and keep it occupied.


    While Qinghe was thus pushing forward, the others were busy fulfilling the tasks he¡¯d given them, each facing their own struggles.


    Quite a bit away from the staircase and somewhere near the center of the battlefield, Chen Xiande and Hei NingYu had finally decided on the most appropriate place for Hei NingYu to cast his Enchantment from.


    Standing by the area they¡¯d chosen, Chen Xiande finally summoned his spiritual artifact, and an unpolished wooden shield materialized in front of him. Its edges were sharp and gilded with gleaming bronze, more of the metal forming a layer of designs over the front of the raw wood, the details simple yet intricate. A large, uncut yellow-green stone was set into the middle of the shield, its shape round and the depths of the gem seeming to give off a faint yet steady radiance. On the whole, the shield exuded a primitive elegance, containing a careful balance of both refinement and an untamed wildness.


    Using this spiritual artifact, Chen Xiande focused his power and made a large section of the scorched wooden floor in front of him break apart, its edges curling upward and throwing off the ghouls atop it to reveal the black earth beneath the castle. As someone who could wield the earth element, Chen Xiande could also control wood and metal to a small degree, but most of his expertise of course lay with the earth element itself.


    Soon, Chen Xiande finished peeling away the wooden floor to uncover around a hundred meters of the dark earth underneath. Gathering his power, he then imbued his spiritual force into the large patch of exposed ground and forced the earth at the center to rise, then shaped and molded it according to his will. Once it had formed into what he wanted, Chen Xiande ceded his control over it and let out a breath.


    Standing beside his lover and having been watching him all this time with interest, Hei NingYu asked with bemusement, ¡°Little Sheep, is that a¡­chair?¡±


    Indeed, what Chen Xiande had just now labored to create out of the earth was a comfortable and plush looking chair with a high back, wide seat, and curved armrests. And though it still looked hard due to being formed out of molded earth, its shape was clearly made to specifically conform to Hei NingYu¡¯s body, aiming to give him maximum comfort.


    Chen Xiande seriously nodded and spoke, ¡°Yes. I want you to sit as comfortably as possible when you¡¯re using your ability.¡±


    Hearing that it was out of consideration for him, Hei NingYu felt warm in his chest. Except for his little sheep, who else would show such care for his comfort in the middle of a raging battlefield?


    Smiling as he thought this, Hei NingYu followed his lover as Chen Xiande promptly began heading towards the newly made earthen chair. After reaching it, he immediately made Hei NingYu sit on it.


    Once his beloved was comfortably seated, Chen Xiande then used his shield to focus his power on the ground below once more.


    Slowly, large petals of earth detached from the ground in an even circle around the couple, rising up from the tip inwards even as their base remained firmly attached to the ground. Each of the petals was taller than the length of five men on top of each other and shaped like that of a plump lotus''s.


    The earthen petals slowly rose and curled up to form a gigantic flower with the chair with Hei NingYu in the middle, then continued to close in further, furling around the patch of ground around the couple to form a tight bud enclosing them.


    This large flower bud of earth would now act as a strong shield, protecting those inside from the ghouls and any stray or deflected attacks that may head their way.


    Inside this bud, Hei NingYu looked at the dark and quiet confines of the shield and casually remarked, ¡°It feels like we¡¯re inside a big egg. Hopefully it won¡¯t hatch too soon.¡±


    The corners of Chen Xiande¡¯s lips twitched up in an amused smile despite himself. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t break that easily.¡±


    Then taking out a campfire talisman, Chen Xiande fed it some spiritual energy. A ball of bright golden flame soon lit up the inside of the small space.


    Sticking it to the inside of the flower bud¡¯s wall, Chen Xiande said, ¡°At least it isn¡¯t completely dark now, and you also have a comfortable chair to sit on. So NingYu, you can rest assured and just stay here.¡±


    Saying so, Chen Xiande began striding towards the junction between two petals that had already begun to shift as if about to part to let him through.


    He NingYu asked in a strangely quiet voice, ¡°Xiande? Where are you going?¡±


    Not noticing anything wrong, Chen Xiande simply answered, ¡°I¡¯ll stay outside this shield and make sure that the ghouls don¡¯t damage it. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just a precaution. They won¡¯t really be able to get in anyway, but I still don¡¯t want to take chances.¡±


    After Chen Xiande explained, he began walking towards the small gap that had just been created between the two petals.


    Watching that straight back slowly striding away from him, Hei NingYu felt something inside him clench in dread.


    As he kept walking forward, Chen Xiande suddenly fell something pulling on his robe. Looking back, he saw that Hei NingYu¡¯s arm was stretched out, his fingers holding on to the white fabric. Hei NingYu himself was looking down at his own extended hand with a blank expression as if it had reached out to clutch at his beloved without him knowing.


    In a puzzled voice, Chen Xiande called, ¡°NingYu? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    For a short moment, Hei NingYu¡¯s hand on the cloth clenched, then he casually let go of his lover¡¯s robe as he sat back on the chair and put on his usual playful smile. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just wanted to ask if my little sheep wasn¡¯t going to give me a sweet goodbye kiss~¡±


    However, Chen Xiande frowned, unconvinced. His instincts told him that something was definitely wrong with his beloved. And after puzzling it over for a few moments, something clicked in his mind as he finally realized¨D


    Was Hei NingYu afraid to be left alone?


    Chen Xiande¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief, but it wasn¡¯t that much of a leap in logic.


    After all, Hei NingYu had been shut in alone with the darkness for a long time before because of his master. And even after that, from the time he had freed himself from his master to until recently, Hei NingYu had borne the entire weight of managing and suppressing the demonic faction on his own. Even if he''d had any companions or confidants he''d deemed trustworthy, they must have either died, abandoned him, or betrayed him, leaving him alone as he had been when Chen Xiande had found him.


    According to Hei NingYu¡¯s own confessions once, Chen Xiande knew that until Hei NingYu met and fell in love with him, he had never depended on anyone¡¯s presence. But now, except for the rare occasions when Chen Xiande left for sect matters, he spent the rest of his time with Hei NingYu, be it while he was training or Hei NingYu was working. After getting used to his presence and understanding that he wouldn¡¯t leave him, Hei NingYu must have finally felt not so lonely anymore.


    And then Chen Xiande was about to walk away, leaving him alone in this dark, cramped space that was so similar to that lightless room Hei NingYu¡¯s master had chained him in, leaving him to use his ability and lay vulnerable like an abandoned doll on that chair.


    Seeing Chen Xiande striding away and leaving him behind, how must Hei NingYu have felt?


    Thinking all this, Chen Xiande¡¯s heart hurt as if it was being squeezed by a vice.


    Chen Xiande knew all too well what it felt like to live one¡¯s life isolated and cut off from human warmth, but Hei NingYu had lived in those circumstances for far longer than him. Compared to his beloved¡¯s hundreds of thousands of years, what was his own three hundred years of solitude?


    Realizing all this, there was no way Chen Xiande could walk away anymore.


    And so, closing the gap in the shield that he¡¯d planned on exiting through, Chen Xiande strode back to a befuddled Hei NingYu and sat on his lap sideways, his feet hanging over the armrest while he hugged his lover¡¯s head to his bosom.


    As he felt his lover¡¯s heartbeat through where his head was pressed against his beloved¡¯s chest, Hei NingYu only felt confused. Trying to keep up his cheerful teasing, he asked again, ¡°Little Sheep, does this mean you¡¯re going to give me that goodbye kiss now?¡±


    ¡°There is no need for a goodbye kiss,¡± Chen Xiande replied. The leaning down to press his lips to his beloved¡¯s temple, he explained softly, ¡°I changed my mind. I don¡¯t want to leave you alone here after all. If something happens, I can just reinforce this earth shield while staying inside.¡±


    Though Hei NingYu didn¡¯t quite understand what had brought about this sudden change in his lover¡¯s plans, he still felt grateful.


    Carefully hiding his relief, he smiled and happily hugged his beloved close. ¡°Oh? Is my little Xiande so loath to part with me? Am I that irresistibly charming?¡±


    Chen Xiande solemnly answered, ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. That¡¯s why I chose to stay behind.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Not knowing what to say for once, Hei NingYu wondered why he suddenly felt as if he was the one being teased.


    Seeing his lover¡¯s speechless expression, Chen Xiande smiled amusedly. Then lifting a hand to cup his beloved¡¯s cheek, he said in a warm voice, ¡°NingYu, when you use your ability this time, I hope you can be at ease. I¡¯ll be here and I¡¯ll protect you from everything. I won¡¯t let anyone hurt you, alright?¡±


    Hei NingYu looked up at the sincere and determined expression on Chen Xiande¡¯s face with a deep gaze, a rare look of vulnerability in his eyes. But he hid it quickly as he looked away and nodded. Yes, with his little sheep by his side, he had nothing to fear or worry about. As long as he had his beloved by his side, his steady and caring presence keeping him company, what was there for him to hesitate about?


    And so, clearing his mind, Hei NingYu finally settled in to begin casting his Enchantment, with Chen Xiande keeping him company on his lap.


    Resting back on the chair and letting it support his full weight, Hei NingYu let his body go loose as he kindled his ability and opened his senses. A sea of minds immediately appeared before him, some bright and vivid, shifting with colors as thoughts and sensations circulated in their brains, while others were dull and grey, representing the dead minds of the ghouls.


    His lips curving into a smile, Hei NingYu directed his ability towards them.


    Outside, the battling cultivators suddenly witnessed a strange sight.


    From that large flower bud of earth that had formed in the middle of the battlefield, pulses of energy languidly spread outwards, washing throughout the front hall of the castle in gentle, beguiling waves.


    When hit by these waves, the ghouls paused whatever they were doing and stood still, lightly shuddering. Their eyes closed as they swayed in place, seemingly listening intently to something only they could hear.


    On the staircase, Xie Xingye abruptly paused as a dull ache began throbbing in his head. He could feel his control over several thousands of his ghouls gradually yet steadily sliding away from his grasp.


    Though Xie Xingye fought to hold on to the blank minds of those ghouls, the one he was struggling against seemed to have some sort of an ability specifically geared towards controlling minds. When compared to Xie Xingye¡¯s learnt technique, an inborn ability in this area would obviously be more powerful.


    With a grimace, Xie Xingye finally chose to let go of those ghouls, since if he kept grappling with this other person who seemed to have an affinity for this, his own mind could incur damage. If this other person managed to forcefully wrench away his control over the ghouls, then Xie Xingye¡¯s mind might even suffer a severe and debilitating injury that could then be taken advantage of by his enemies.


    And so, keeping all this in mind, Xie Xingye had no choice but to allow his control over these ghouls to be taken away by Hei NingYu.


    As a result, the thousands of ghouls around the giant earthen bud immediately showed marked changes. The grey splotches gathered near the center of these ghouls¡¯ foreheads immediately darkened to a deep black, indicating that the control of the one they were now under was far deeper than the one before.


    Once the minds of these ghouls were firmly in his grasp, Hei NingYu made them target and fight against the ghouls that were still under Xie Xingye¡¯s control, greatly lessening the burden of the fighting cultivators.


    Meanwhile, the disciples of the various sects had combined forces. Once they gained some breathing space due to Hei NingYu''s contribution, they quickly put up traps and formations to capture and annihilate the ghouls, just as they had done in the Battle Arena. But this time, their ideas had been adjusted and reinforced by Qinghe¡¯s strategies beforehand to be far more efficient than the last time. And due to prior practice, the disciples worked together seamlessly and with far more cohesion, minimizing their errors as they steadily began reducing the ghouls¡¯ numbers.


    At the same time, outside the castle, Jing Shui was tirelessly holding up the huge Water Prison, with Wu Xiao and the Silver Moon Sect¡¯s disciples offering support.


    Many ghouls had already exited the castle after getting agitated by the presence of the cultivators within. They were now crowded against the inside of the barrier, beating against its transparent walls as if trying to break it down and go outside.


    Because of this, whenever the cultivators of the Drifting Clouds Sect wanted to bring out the wounded, they would first have to clear the ghouls in a particular section temporarily so that that part of the barrier could be opened without worry. But a few minutes after the cultivators deposited the wounded into the Lightning Sky Sect¡¯s care and returned, the ghouls would have already started swarming at the just-cleared patch of area once again.


    Though the assault of the ghouls on the inside of the barrier would not threaten its stability by much, having to hold the dome of water up against this for prolonged periods of time naturally wore down on Jing Shui. And so, he had Wu Xiao feed him pills to keep up his spiritual strength so that he could keep sustaining the barrier.


    Just as Wu Xiao fed his Ah-Shui another pill, he suddenly sensed a disturbance behind him.


    Turning back, he saw that the cultivators of Lightning Sky Sect, who were treating the wounded outside the barrier, were looking with wariness and alarm at a group of dark-clothed people who seemed to have just exited the Forest of Echoes.


    Wu Xiao narrowed his eyes. He could clearly perceive the demonic energy around this group, denoting that they were a part of the dark arts faction.


    Why were they here?


    With alertness, Wu Xiao carefully surveyed the new arrivals.


    The demonic cultivators all wore dark clothing and held various types of weapons, ranging from the standard knives and swords to the not-so-standard farming scythes and wooden poles. As they stood there in front of the boundary of the Forest of Echoes, their postures were irreverent as a sly glint flashed in some of their eyes, while a few others had their lips quirked up in a crafty and smug smile.


    At the lead of this crowd of mid-level demonic cultivators was a robust man carrying a broadsword, looking ready to slice in half anyone or anything standing in his way. He wore a plain and heavy black coat over his blue robes and had on worn leather shoes that were pointed at the tips. Long and polished bits of metal dangled from his ears and a necklace strung with jangling metal charms hung from his neck.


    Looking around with a frown, he demanded, ¡°Who¡¯s in charge of this place? Ask them to take down this barrier and allow us entry into that castle at once!¡±


    Wu Xiao sighed, then slowly let go of his lover who had his entire effort concentrated solely on holding up the barrier, not noticing the disturbance due to his focused daze.


    After asking a few nearby Lightning Sky Sect disciples to take over the job of feeding spiritual energy replenishing pills to his beloved, Wu Xiao leisurely walked towards the group of demonic cultivators who were making a ruckus.


    Looking straight at the cultivator in the lead, Wu Xiao spoke crisply, ¡°I am the one with the highest authority here, and I refuse to lower the barrier until I hear a proper reason. So quickly state your business if you have any.¡±


    The leader of the group looked faintly miffed at the irreverent way Wu Xiao spoke to him, but still replied, ¡°We are here to assist our Sect Leader Hei. You might not know this, but using his ability leaves him vulnerable. We are only here to protect him when he¡¯s weak.¡±


    A few demonic cultivators nodded their heads behind him, looking as if they were earnestly here to help Hei NingYu.


    Seeing this, Wu Xiao smiled, his eyes glittering with a cold light. ¡°Oh, then how come you didn¡¯t arrive with your Sect Leader? And why did Sect Leader Hei never mention you or ask me in advance to allow a group of people such as yourselves to pass inside?¡±


    The leader glared at Wu Xiao. His gaze then briefly flicked to the long stretch of silver hair on the head of the other man. Realizing his identity, the leader directly addressed him, ¡°Sect Master Wu, I hope you are not trying to plot against our faction¡¯s Sect Leader by hindering us from giving him our aid.¡±


    Wu Xiao rolled his eyes. If he let these people in, he was afraid they would try to ¡®aid¡¯ their Sect Leader to death and then fight over his position. Did these people really think he was stupid enough to not realize this?


    In an unnoticeably snarky tone, Wu Xiao enlightened him, ¡°Well then, I have good news for you. Your Sect Leader Hei already has someone he trusts watching over him, so there is no need for you all to be here. You can go back now.¡±


    His implication was clear¡ªthe Sect Leader Hei they all claimed to be here to protect had specifically chosen not to trust them and had brought someone else with him instead.


    Understanding this, the leader of the group scowled harshly, his gaze finally stripped of all trappings of civility as he dropped his pretense. ¡°What if I say we won¡¯t go back? Will you send us back yourself then? Or what, do you have the backbone or the ability to go against all of us? Can you take us all on?¡±


    ¡°If that is what you wish for, then yes,¡± Wu Xiao replied with an unconcerned smirk.


    Baring his teeth in a snarl, the leader spat, ¡°Then come and show me what you¡¯ve got first!¡±


    And so, as the other demonic cultivators simply watched as if looking forward to enjoying a show, their leader charged at Wu Xiao like a mad bull, swinging his sword and aiming for the kill.


    A tranquil smile spread over Wu Xiao¡¯s face as his half-lidded eyes flashed an eerie silver.


    Before the swing of the blade even reached him, Wu Xiao had already sidestepped it, his hands casually held behind his back and his smile unfading.


    Growling at missing his opponent, the leader turned and continued to swing and slash, stab and slice at Wu Xiao again and again. But like the elusive mist, Wu Xiao always managed to slip away at the last moment. His feet stepped nimbly on the blackened ground as he led his opponent here and there, gradually circling around the group of demonic cultivators without making it obvious while the clueless leader chased after him, his broadsword wildly cutting at him as his expression grew twisted with increasing fury.


    All the while, Wu Xiao¡¯s eyes remained a gleaming silver as he used his ability freely. He might only be able to see a few moments into the future, but that was more than enough for him to have his fun leading his opponent around like this.


    Though Wu Xiao would like nothing more than to use his silvery threads of spiritual power to quickly craft a formation and take care of this group of demonic cultivators, all the threads he was able to muster were already busy supporting his Ah-Shui¡¯s Water Prison. And so, he could only use a more creative way to fight this time.


    And his way of fighting was not merely to run around and evade his opponent like this.


    Once he¡¯d carefully led his opponent around on a merry dance around the group of demonic cultivators who were still spectating the fight without any intention to participate, Wu Xiao abruptly stopped and stepped a certain distance away.


    ¡°I guess that should do it,¡± he murmured to himself in satisfaction.


    Not knowing about whatever Wu Xiao was planning, the leader of the group charged towards him with gusto as he saw his opponent finally standing still for once.


    But as the leader neared him, Wu Xiao extended a hand without any change in his expression and easily gripped the wrist that was holding the broadsword. With a simple twist, Wu Xiao broke his opponent¡¯s wrist, causing the other man to howl at the pain.


    Before the leader could even think of retaliating, he felt a boot firmly land on his stomach and push him back with brutal force, causing him to fly up and crash right into the watching group of demonic cultivators who had already lost their smug smiles, realizing that this Sect Master Wu was not as easy to contend with as they¡¯d thought.


    However, before the demonic cultivators could react to this revelation, the ground around them suddenly lit up in a circle of silver lines and runes with the group in the middle. A heavy force of gravity suddenly weighed down on them, pulling every single demonic cultivator in the formation down to their hands and knees as they struggled to stay up.


    Suddenly trapped like this, the demonic cultivators froze with confusion and fear. Just when had this Sect Master Wu had the chance to draw this complicated formation enclosing them?! How did he do this?!


    But looking closely, they saw that the lines of the formation in actuality were formed entirely of¡­boot prints?


    They could only look at it with befuddled speechlessness.


    With a cheery expression and an airy tone, Wu Xiao decided to take pity on them and explained, ¡°If you¡¯re curious to know how this formation came to be drawn, then let me tell you that your leader who was fighting with me very considerately helped me by drawing half of it himself.¡±


    As the others turned to him with questions in their gazes, the leader could only look at Wu Xiao with wide eyes, not understanding what he meant.


    Wu Xiao continued in his light voice, ¡°While we fought, I made sure that every step of our feet and every drag and scuff of our boots fell exactly in the right place. I used my precognition to understand how you¡¯d react to my movements and kept evading in a way that I knew would make you step in the places I wanted you to. All this was so that, in the process of our battle, the sigils and characters necessary for this formation would end up being drawn on the ground around your group, just waiting for me to activate it and trap you all.¡±


    The demonic cultivators, and even the righteous cultivators from the Lightning Sky Sect at the side who were taking care of the wounded, along with those from the Drifting Clouds who were transporting the injured here, and the injured cultivators themselves from a variety of different sects, all looked at Wu Xiao with a strange mixture of disbelief and shock.


    Seeing this, Wu Xiao smiled at them amicably. ¡°Come now, there¡¯s no need to look so startled. As a sect master of one of the Five Great Sects, how could I not be able to take care of even a small group of mid-level demonic cultivators like this while holding up my beloved¡¯s Water Prison?¡±


    The eyes staring at him only widened as they realized: Yes, he was even supporting Jing Shui¡¯s Water Prison on the side! That in itself should be draining a lot of his power, so where did he get the energy to cook up this sneaky strategy?!


    However, the disciples of Silver Moon Sect only shook their heads. They, more than anyone, knew how sharp and resourceful their sect master was. It was only in front of his lover that he turned into a grinning fool.


    Meanwhile, now that the group of demonic cultivators was inescapably trapped in the formation without a chance of getting out, Wu Xiao just left them there and happily sauntered back over to his beloved Ah-Shui and hugged him from behind once again, resuming his duty of feeding his lover his spirit replenishing pills as the trapped demonic cultivators watched on balefully.


    If their sect leader found out that they¡¯d come here to make trouble, the group of demonic cultivators were afraid that he¡¯d show them some very special treatment in their faction¡¯s punishment room that they wouldn¡¯t be able to forget throughout their very long life. Damn, they really should have thought this through better!


    In the meantime, inside the castle, Qinghe had already reached the base of the staircase and was waiting for a grim looking Xie Xingye to finish descending so that he could finally put his plan in motion.

 Chapter 123: Formation Circle

    The front hall of the castle was steeped in the chaos of battle, with the cultivators slowly and steadily gaining the advantage.


    Booms and cracks resounded loudly, underscored by the noise of flesh tearing and limp bodies thumping onto the ground. The hordes of ghouls dressed in burial robes were mixed with the white-robed cultivators, the contrast striking and making it easier to differentiate between the two factions as they churned and clashed with each other.


    At the very back of the castle¡¯s front hall, the base of the broad staircase stayed strangely clear of the battle.


    The twins, after conscripting the aid of a few other disciples like An YaLing and Li Yingzi, endeavored to keep the area free of ghouls as per their senior brother¡¯s orders.


    Taking a page from Hei NingYu¡¯s book, after Li Yingzi summoned ghosts and made them possess a group of ghouls, he asked them to fight with the other ghouls and help keep the area around the staircase clear.


    Currently, on the edge of this clear space, Qinghe stood with Wei Xiang and Feng Huixin on either side of him as he calmly looked up at the unhurriedly descending Xie Xingye.


    Wei Xiang stood silently beside his little lover, his gaze assessing the black dragon that was staring warily at him from the top of the staircase. When Qinghe engaged the deity, Wei Xiang would draw away the attention of his black dragon companion to make sure that he wouldn¡¯t interfere like the last time.


    On Qinghe¡¯s other side, Feng Huixin looked at his son with distress and fear, though none of his emotions showed on the surface.


    With hesitation, Feng Huixin softly asked, ¡°Qinghe, are you absolutely sure that you want to do this?¡±


    Qinghe turned to look at his father and smiled. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    Seeing his son¡¯s warm yet unyielding expression, Feng Huixin felt helpless.


    Qinghe continued, ¡°And Grandmaster, there¡¯s one thing I¡¯d like to ask of you. While sealing the demonic deity Xie Xingye, rather than sealing him into this place, could you instead seal him so that he¡¯s more¡­portable?¡±


    Feng Huixin blinked. ¡°You¡­want to move him someplace else?¡±


    Qinghe nodded. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve already heard about how he claimed to be my mother¡¯s brother by bond, and I feel like we should believe him in this. That is why I want to take him to Heaven with us and give him a chance at meeting my mother and resolving this issue. Since he¡¯s already come out of his qi deviation on his own and seems to have stabilized himself, he isn¡¯t as much of a danger as he was before, is he?¡±


    Hearing this, Feng Huixin pondered for a moment, then nodded. ¡°I understand. I will do as you wish.¡±


    Then with a heavy sigh, Feng Huixin observed regretfully, ¡°If Heaven weren¡¯t very blatantly indicating that it will not open its gates to us until you defeat the deity Xie Xingye, then we could have even resolved this issue with simple negotiation. If I had been able to offer him the chance to enter Heaven, then he might not have had to resort to this.¡±


    But Qinghe shook his head in response to this conjecture, his smile wry. ¡°I might want to help this Xie Xingye because of his relation to my mother, but that does not mean that I am blind to his lack of morals. He will not believe in us as much as he believes in his own ability. All the lives in this world that he would be destroying due to his plan do not matter to him. What he does care about is the certainty that as long as he devours this world, he can forcibly open the gates to the heavenly realm and meet my mother. Compared to his confidence in that method, he will only find our assurances flimsy and untrustworthy.¡±


    Seeing his son so calmly analyzing the mentality of this demonic deity, Feng Huixin felt a little rueful. When had his dear son learnt to be so mature? When had that mischievous child grown up enough to think such weighty thoughts?


    Feng Huixin still clearly remembered the mischievous and chubby-cheeked little boy who would keep pulling at the hem of his clothes while running around his feet, trying to trip Feng Huixin up when he was carrying food that the little Qinghe was not allowed to have. He remembered his naughty son suddenly jumping off from high places while yelling ¡®Father, catch me!¡¯, his little face showing complete faith that Feng Huixin would fulfill his expectations.


    And until that time when he failed to keep his son from falling down from Heaven, Feng Huixin had never once broken that trust.


    This one failure would haunt Feng Huixin forever, and so, he couldn¡¯t help but feel even more unreasonably protective of his son, wanting him to never attempt anything that had the chance of bringing him even the slightest bit of danger, no matter how necessary or important he thought it was.


    Due to this, Feng Huixin really wanted to dissuade Qinghe from this drastic course of action, but just like all the other times this thought occurred to him, Feng Huixin pushed it away forcibly.


    Because he knew that he couldn¡¯t tie Qinghe down like this, he couldn¡¯t let his fears get the better of him and end up smothering his son. Moreover, if he were in his son¡¯s place, he knew that he himself would have made the same choice, so he did not feel like he had the right to hypocritically speak against his son¡¯s well thought out decision.


    And so, with a sigh, Feng Huixin finally said, ¡°Very well, then. For now, let¡¯s put aside those what-ifs. I will do as you asked and try to take the demonic deity Xie Xingye with us when the gates of Heaven open for me again. Until then, do whatever you think needs to be done without hurting yourself unnecessarily. And Qinghe, whatever happens next, I will take full responsibility, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    Qinghe blinked at him, startled. Each time his father supported him in some way without even being asked, Qinghe couldn¡¯t help but feel surprised anew. The lengths this person kept going for him was truly not something he could have expected.


    And till now, Qinghe had also noticed all the smaller ways his father had tried to stay considerate towards him.


    For example, Feng Huixin always attempted to reduce his presence and not interrupt Qinghe and Wei Xiang when they were interacting. And he did his best to not interfere in Qinghe¡¯s decisions, just accepting them as valid rather than contesting it based on his own opinions. He tried to give Qinghe enough space and time to slowly let him get accustomed to his presence, even though after waiting for so long to be reunited with his son, Feng Huixin must want to actively take part in his life more than anything.


    Considering all this, how could Qinghe not feel moved by his father¡¯s understated ways of showing affection towards him?


    Thinking about this, Qinghe realized that by now, he had already fully accepted Feng Huixin.


    Meanwhile, Feng Huixin looked up to see that Xie Xingye had already made it down the staircase. Remembering what Qinghe had said about his presence potentially spooking away the demonic deity, Feng Huixin decided to move farther away.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave you to do what you have to. But Qinghe, if you need anything from me, anything at all, don¡¯t hesitate to ask,¡± Feng Huixin solemnly told his son, then turned around to walk away.


    Suddenly, a pair of slender arms hugged Feng Huixin from behind. A soft and clear voice lightly whispered, ¡°Thank you, Father.¡± And then the arms were gone as Qinghe swiftly turned to walk towards the waiting demonic deity.


    Feng Huixin stood stunned in place, his expression showing hints of frozen shock.


    Had his precious son¡­just called him Father? Had he finally acknowledged him?


    But before he could ask Qinghe, he was already gone.


    Stepping into the cleared circle around the base of the staircase, Qinghe walked until he stood only a couple of meters away from Xie Xingye.


    He could already sense the disciples of the Silver Moon Sect stealthily beginning to draw the formation around them, each of the disciples in charge of a particular section. But due to the chaos of battle just outside the cleared space as well as the cultivators of other sects covering their figures and protecting them, their actions went completely unnoticed.


    In the circle of clear space, Qinghe and Xie Xingye studied each other, Qinghe with curiosity and Xie Xingye with caution.


    ¡°After injuring your core the last time, I didn¡¯t expect you to still have the fortitude to face off against me, especially when there are so many other people you could pass this burden off to,¡± Xie Xingye casually commented.


    Qinghe smiled, a hint of sardonic sharpness in his gaze. ¡°This is something I have to do.¡±


    Hearing the strange tone with which Qinghe said this, Xie Xingye frowned. Was someone forcing this young one to take on this responsibility?


    Shaking his head and pushing away this thought, Xie Xingye reminded himself to not care so much about his opponent¡¯s circumstances. Empathy towards one¡¯s enemy was a weakness that would be exploited. After the life he¡¯d experienced, he was more than clear on this point.


    In a probing tone, Xie Xingye remarked, ¡°Choosing to fight against someone that you know is of a higher level, especially when you yourself are in such a condition, I see that you really do take after your mother a lot. Or do you have some tricks up your sleeve that you are planning to use against me? Are you stalling for time like before again?¡±


    Qinghe smiled ruefully. ¡°Are you asking that based on your understanding of me or your understanding of my mother? And since you seem to understand my mother a lot and consider her as your sister by bond¡­doesn¡¯t that mean that you should consider me your nephew and be lenient towards me?¡±


    Xie Xingye narrowed his eyes. ¡°Are you trying to use my bond with your mother in your favor? Hmph, it seems you¡¯re just as crafty as Chunyi, Feng Qinghe.¡±


    Qinghe grinned unabashedly, not at all minding the accusation.


    But seeing this expression, it struck Xie Xingye anew just how much this son of his Chunyi¡¯s resembled her, especially right now.


    Shaking it off, Xie Xingye gritted his teeth and snarled, ¡°Enough playing around. Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know that you¡¯re up to something. I feel disinclined to let you keep stalling for time again.¡±


    And so, not wanting to keep conversing anymore, Xie Xingye shot towards Qinghe, his dark vines reaching for him.


    Qinghe merely smiled. He really had been stalling for time once again, hoping he wouldn¡¯t have to fight Xie Xingye when his powers were still unsuppressed by the formation. But oh well, he hadn¡¯t actually expected to be able to stall him this long as it was, so he¡¯d consider it a success.


    Lifting up the gore-stained swords in his hands, Qinghe swept them towards the rapidly approaching vines. Unlike the last time, these heaven-made swords easily cut through the black vines, surprising Xie Xingye enough to make him falter.


    Qinghe, however, had already become familiar with the lethally sharp edges of his blades. He couldn¡¯t help but feel immensely thankful towards his father for giving him these even as he ruthlessly cut his way towards Xie Xingye, trying to take advantage of his momentary shock as he struck with a sword.


    Xie Xingye immediately came to awareness and summoned his black-hilted saber to meet the swoop of Qinghe¡¯s blade. Then as he exchanged blows with him, Xie Xingye quickly made the dark vines stealthily attack Qinghe from behind.


    But though the dark vines impacted Qinghe¡¯s back, Qinghe felt nothing more than mild bruising, much less being pierced through as Xie Xingye had expected. After all, Qinghe¡¯s current clothes had been given to him by his father and were of heavenly make as well, easily able to withstand a few attacks of the black vines.


    Xie Xingye clenched his jaws, his gaze sharpening. It seemed that this young man had come prepared this time. Even with his lack of cultivation, defeating him wouldn¡¯t be as easy as he¡¯d thought.


    Meanwhile, though Xie Xingye hadn¡¯t yet noticed the suspicious scurrying of the Silver Moon Sect¡¯s disciples, from his high vantage point at the top of the staircase, the black dragon had begun to realize that the silver-haired cultivators were up to something.


    His eyes narrowing, the black dragon Zheng Xuan was just about to send some flames their way when he sensed danger approaching him rapidly.


    Snarling, Zheng Xuan quickly used his powerful limbs to jump up into the higher level of the castle, disappearing from the view of the front hall. In the place where the black dragon had just been standing, white flames burst and burned silently, sending out waves of scorching heat. It seemed that Zheng Xuan had avoided being caught up in this fire in the nick of time.


    Suddenly, from the wavering shadows cast by these piercingly bright flames, a giant golden wyvern slowly emerged.


    ¡°You have good instincts,¡± Wei Xing spoke with a deep voice. ¡°But they won¡¯t be enough for me to let you ruin my dear little lover¡¯s strategy. So why don¡¯t you be a good host and stay here to give me some company?¡±


    Zheng Xuan growled, his lips peeled away from his teeth as his chest vibrated with fury. Since this brat was blocking his path down the staircase, he couldn¡¯t even warn his beloved about those silver-haired cultivators in some way. He felt frantic as he thought of all the things these people might be planning to do to Xie Xingye, feeling urgency bubbling within him.


    No matter what, he had to get this brat out of the way soon so that he could protect his beloved!


    Seeing the aggression gathering in his opponent¡¯s eyes, Wei Xiang grinned, showing his pearly white teeth that were each sharp enough to shred both flesh and bone with ease. ¡°And we still have to settle the account of you hurting my Qinghe last time. But don¡¯t worry, after I''m done extracting every bit of payment you owe me, I''ll leave you alive enough so that we can have a little heart-to-heart between us.¡±


    Not waiting for Zheng Xuan to react, Wei Xiang charged towards the black dragon, pushing his opponent further up into the higher floor, his claws aiming for those black wings. Zheng Xuan barely avoided having the sensitive membranes of his wings shredded as he flew even further up into the far more spacious upper floor. Opening his jaws, Zheng Xuan aimed a stream of fire at Wei Xiang, but the golden wyvern simply closed his eyes and let the hot fire wash over him, utterly unaffected.


    Taking this chance, Zheng Xuan tried to barrel past the golden wyvern and down the stairs, wanting to reach his beloved soon. But as soon as the flames cleared, Wei Xiang opened his eyes and spat out his own stream of whitefire, halting the black dragon in his tracks and forcing him to retreat.


    Zheng Xuan growled threateningly, then charged at the golden wyvern blocking the route.


    And so, the two draconic beings battled, each fueled by their desire to protect their own beloved.


    As the roar of fire, the booms of destroyed structures, and the thuds of large bodies striking each other sounded overhead, Qinghe and Xie Xingye were barely able to spare a few moments to worry about their lovers as they clashed with each other.


    As one after another the black vines persistently targeted him, Qinghe swept his swords and kept slicing at them. In the meantime, he also had to evade Xie Xingye¡¯s saber, looking out for its blade as it sneakily thrust at him now and then from between the vines.


    Just as he finally pushed Xie Xingye away with a blow and managed to clear some space for himself by chopping down the newest tangle of vines beginning to surround him, Qinghe suddenly glimpsed the figure of a white-robed disciple standing at the edge of the cleared area. The disciple had his silver hair held up in a ponytail and was waving a hand at Qinghe as if to get his attention even as he kept quiet so as to not startle him too abruptly.


    Seeing him and comprehending his message, Qinghe''s brows relaxed with relief. He gave a short, unnoticeable nod in the disciple''s direction, and understanding him, the silver-haired disciple turned and melted back into the bustle of battle.


    Seeking to use the moment of reprieve he had managed to carve out for himself, Qinghe quickly took out several healing and strengthening pills from his sleeves and swallowed them.


    These pills were produced and provided to him by the sect master of Lightning Sky Sect, Fu Cangyun himself. They had a faster rate of absorption into one¡¯s body as well as more powerful effects. However, since they needed too many rare items to refine, these stronger versions of the pills were seldom given out. But due to circumstances, Fu Cangyun had generously given Qinghe a few of them to use.


    After taking the pills, Qinghe felt his wounds rapidly healing as his physical strength grew to several times to that of his usual level. Now that he was in optimal condition, he took out a small white marble from his sleeves and crushed it.


    A single, pure note reverberated through the air, signaling that the formation was now ready.


    ¡°You¡­ What are you planning!?¡± Xie Xingye exclaimed in alarm as he saw his opponent¡¯s strange actions.


    Qinghe smiled playfully as he replied, ¡°Now, now, no need to be so impatient, Uncle Xie. You¡¯ll see soon enough.¡±


    Hearing Qinghe¡¯s address, Xie Xingye¡¯s caution and vigilance suddenly faltered. He could recall with crisp clarity what his Chunyi had said so long ago as if she were speaking it into his ear right now:


    ¡®You are my brother by bond, and if I ever get a brat of my own, he or she will call you uncle. No matter what, you will always be my family.¡¯


    As Xie Xingye¡¯s attention was thus diverted, powerful people slowly began taking their places around the cleared area and in their respective spots on the formation.


    The first was Feng Huixin, who had been waiting nearby just for this opportunity. Even as he took his spot in the formation, his gaze still seemed deep and complicated while staying fixed on his son. Then determination firmed his expression as he focused on the task at hand and carefully let his power flow into the sigils under him.


    Next was the Fu Cangyun who had been waiting by the staircase while occasionally releasing poisonous powders into the air to take several groups of ghouls out of commission at once. With steady steps, he slid into his spot without a fuss and began sending his spiritual energy down into the formation.


    Then came Lu Feiyu, taking his place with a graceful swish of his robes. The feathers that he recalled perched on his head and formed into an elegant headdress once again, their color an unmarred white and their edges clean despite cutting into so many ghouls. In a quiet rush, he infused the part of the formation under him with his power.


    Having leapt up from somewhere, Liu Xue landed on her section of the formation, her robes stained with an inordinately large amount of blood and bits of flesh. Her semicircular saw was practically caked in gore, with a string of slimy grey intestines still tangled in it. With a beaming and refreshed looking expression, she nonchalantly disentangled her weapon from the coils of intestines and threw them to the side before doing her part and sending her spiritual energy into the formation.


    Next came Zhen YiLan, stepping into his section of the giant formation with a noble stateliness, his expression weighty. The large fire constructs that had been battling the ghouls throughout the battlefield slowly dissolved into light as he poured his power into the sigils under him, not holding anything back and giving his all in a bid to support his beloved second disciple.


    Running in from the outside on swift legs, with his white robes flaring behind him and his silver hair trailing a shining blur in his wake, Wu Xiao made haste and quickly claimed his place. Not willing to drag this any longer and leave his Ah-Shui alone for more time than necessary, he immediately began channeling his power into this familiar formation that he had painstakingly put together with the help of Qinghe¡¯s scroll.


    Now, there were only two more places left to be filled.


    A few moments later, Hei NingYu silently arrived to stand on his spot. Just now, he had asked the cultivators around the flower bud shaped earth shield to cut apart the ghouls whose minds he had grabbed using his ability. Then once those ghouls had been destroyed, he had let go of his control over them and had just now managed to throw off the stupor brought on to him due to his Enchantment. After that, Hei NingYu had made his way here to take his place as quickly as he could. And now, sending his power rushing downwards, he let out a sigh of relief at having made it in time.


    And yet, the last spot remained empty.


    All the people who had taken their places till now had done so smoothly and within moments, not giving Xie Xingye much time to react. But now that he could make out that he was being encircled by the greatest powers of this world, he couldn¡¯t help but start feeling apprehensive.


    But before he could attempt to flee, Qinghe quickly used his increased strength and struck towards Xie Xingye, forcing the demonic deity to become entangled with him in battle once again.


    And thus, keeping his opponent occupied so that he couldn¡¯t think of escaping, Qinghe tried to buy time for his beloved to quickly take his place.


    Meanwhile, upstairs, Wei Xiang and the black dragon were still busy with their own battle.

 Chapter 124: The Final Stand

    The level above the battlefield in the castle¡ªthe place where the staircase from the front hall led to¨Dwas a huge open space several stories high.


    Large, thick pillars supported the faraway ceiling, some of the columns having grown crooked by now or already crumbled into rubble. And since this seemed to be where the fire that had burned most of the castle had originated from, the entire level was swathed in a thick, gloomy black, the acrid and dry scent of smoke seeming to still linger in the stagnant air.


    Currently, two beings were shooting through this still air on swift wings, one of them a black dragon and the other a gold wyvern.


    The space in this level was large enough to let Zheng Xuan and Wei Xiang fly freely to some degree as they maneuvered around the pillars and fought fiercely, exchanging their flames now and then or trying to fight using their teeth, claws, and even tails.


    Due to his inherent dark color, Zheng Xuan had an easier time blending into the just-as-black surroundings. But undeterred, Wei Xiang still followed closely on his tail, refusing to let the black dragon sneak away towards the staircase and down to where the demonic deity was in the process of being trapped by Qinghe and the others.


    On the other hand, as the only non-dark entity in this entire space of black, Wei Xiang seemed to shine an especially brilliant gold, the brightness of his scales undimmed by the all-consuming black around him as he sliced through the air and clashed again and again with the black dragon in aerial combat.


    After a few more rounds of intense battle, Wei Xiang finally managed to pin his opponent to the coal-black floor with his limbs, his wings pressing down on Zheng Xuan¡¯s giant leathery ones to restrict their motion. Both of them had several wounds on their bodies, their sharp teeth and claws stained with each other¡¯s blood.


    Below Wei Xiang, Zheng Xuan thrashed and roared furiously. He had inarguably sustained more wounds than the golden wyvern since he had unthinkingly kept rushing towards the opening that led to the staircase, his predictable actions giving Wei Xiang a lot of methods to use against him.


    Zheng Xuan wanted more than anything to go and shield his beloved with his own tougher body, but here he was, lying helpless.


    Though the one Zheng Xuan was fighting against was his former master¡¯s¡ªthe noble dragon queen¡¯s¡ªson, and even though he wouldn¡¯t have wanted to hurt him if given another choice, for Xie Xingye, there was no taboo Zheng Xuan wouldn¡¯t break and no line he wouldn¡¯t cross.


    Right now, all that filled his mind was that he had to get free and protect Xie Xingye! He had to guard his future mate from harm at any cost!


    Understanding Zheng Xuan¡¯s frenzy, Wei Xiang spoke in a strained voice, ¡°Old man, calm down! We¡¯re not trying to kill and eat your deity. My little lover is not as insensibly savage as you to shed someone¡¯s blood without thought. As long as you let my master seal your deity as per Qinghe¡¯s plan, you can accompany that deity and enter the heavenly gates. He will be given fair treatment, and if he is determined to not be a threat anymore, he might even be unsealed and get the chance to meet the person he is seeking. Because of his bond with my lover¡¯s mother, my little lover is willing to fulfill your deity¡¯s wish. Do you understand?¡±


    As the words filtered through the haze of his urgency, Zheng Xuan¡¯s struggles slowly stopped. His slitted inky black pupils contracted as if in surprise, fixed intently on Wei Xiang¡¯s earnest and exasperated expression.


    The black dragon opened his massive jaws, and rather than spitting flames at him as Wei Xiang had expected, Zheng Xuan laboriously forced out a strained word, ¡°¡­Why?¡±


    Hearing the extremely gravelly and mangled voice of the older being, Wei Xiang blinked in surprise. ¡°Huh, so you can talk.¡±


    Then thinking about the dragon¡¯s question, he finally spoke, ¡°I¡¯m supposing you want to ask me why we are going through such great lengths to help the enemies who not only want our lives, but the lives of everyone in the entire world as well?¡±


    Zheng Xuan nodded, his eyes focusing sharply on the golden wyvern¡¯s face to catch his every reaction.


    However, Wei Xiang could only shrug helplessly as he replied, ¡°If we want to talk about the reason why my beloved does the things he does, then not even Heaven might know. It might be because my little lover has a hidden scheme that needs your goodwill, but it can also just be his empathy making him sympathize with you. No matter the reason, he has chosen to help you in a way that does not harm his conscience or anyone else, so what do you have to be worried about?¡±


    Then grinning sharply, Wei Xiang confessed, ¡°But truthfully, if it were up to me, I¡¯d have killed you and scattered your pieces all over some wretched and cursed place for trying to hurt my little lover, of that you can be sure.¡±


    Hearing this, Zheng Xuan lightly growled, but he couldn¡¯t deny that the young wyvern¡¯s stance was something he could very much understanding. But the fact that the golden wyvern wasn¡¯t killing him when he had the chance proved more than anything that he and his lover truly did not seek bloodshed.


    Zheng Xuan carefully contemplated for a few minutes, weighing the youngster¡¯s words against his own beliefs.


    As things stood now, he clearly couldn¡¯t win against this young one while he remained worried and distracted due to Xie Xingye¡¯s plight. But could he really trust his beloved''s wellbeing to these people who could be considered to be his and his beloved''s enemies?


    Wei Xiang sighed. ¡°Stop being so hesitant. Zheng Xuan, captain of the dragon queen¡¯s guard, I know of you. I¡¯ve read records of you written in my mother¡¯s hand that she left for her future hatchlings in the dimension she made. She wanted us to know about and be grateful to every single dragon that helped her with laying our eggs while she was in that place. Though I did not know my own identity as her son while I read those records, I remember what was written in them very clearly. I remember reading that you stood guard over her escape route and let not even a single of her enemies pass. I know that she was beyond grateful to you and your unwavering loyalty. As her son, I swear on your queen¡¯s name that I¡¯m not trying to trick you. Believe me.¡±


    Zheng Xuan blinked up his eyes in abject surprise.


    His queen hadn¡¯t forgotten his service? And she had even made sure that her offspring would remember him?


    As complex emotions battled with each other inside of him, Zheng Xuan finally forced out, ¡°Which one¡­was your egg?¡±


    Wei Xiang took a moment to understand what he meant before chuckling, ¡°The one with bright-gold swirls on a darker gold shell.¡±


    Zheng Xuan closed his eyes as he let out a heavy breath.


    Even now, he could clearly recall the memory of his queen¡¯s eminent features softening into a small smile as she pointed her golden tail at an equally as golden egg.


    ¡°Lord Zheng, see this one? It reminds us of our own egg. Our royal mother had once shown us our eggshell, and it was almost the same as this child¡¯s. Only, ours was a lighter gold. Do you think this one shall take after us in temperament?¡±


    And then she¡¯d chuckled in her low and mellow voice, her eyes holding a rare warmth and her expression affectionate. Her love for her as of yet unhatched children shone through, both tender and blinding.


    But soon after, she had to leave all her painstakingly laid eggs and return to the dragon clan, resuming her duties as its Sovereign despite not having fully recovered from her childbirth. She had sent all of her most trusted and valued people out of the true dragon clan¡¯s territory, not wanting them to end up under the court¡¯s control.


    In Zheng Xuan¡¯s mind, his queen was a regal, powerful, intelligent, and noble personage unparalleled by any other Sovereign of their race. She never shirked responsibility and always carried out her duties with unquestionable competence, but she also treated each of her people with integrity and humanity. Her strong character and unimpeachable morals had drawn in even the most difficult-to-impress people, making them give her their absolute loyalty and dedication.


    And till the end, when she died in battle, she had firmly upheld her beliefs and remained a staunch protector of her people, sacrificing her own life for theirs without the slightest of hesitation.


    It was with this same determination that she had traded her own autonomy after laying her eggs in return for Zheng Xuan and his fellow guards¡¯ freedom and lives. If not for her, then the dragon court that had managed to capture them would have executed them for their ¡®contribution to their queen¡¯s betrayal in a lower realm with a man of non-approved lineage¡¯, as they had called her love affair and eventual mating.


    But though the guards were spared due to their queen''s actions, this also meant that her children would never know her, that she would never have the chance to hold her babies and coo at them affectionately. She would never get to spoil them and play with them, or spend time teaching them about the world and its little wonders. She would never be able to see them grow up as she looked on with pride in her eyes. Their queen had given it all up, willing to take all the blame, just so that Zheng Xuan and his fellow guards would be able to live on freely.


    And now, as he recalled all this while faced with his queen¡¯s son, Zhen Xuan felt his heart unintentionally soften.


    This was his queen¡¯s child, his little prince. If he had inherited even a fraction of his mother¡¯s integrity, then he would keep his word. And since he had already shown through his actions that he would not harm them unreasonably, Zheng Xuan finally, reluctantly, let his reservations go.


    Wei Xiang suddenly felt the rigid dragon under him grow limp as if in acceptance. Then opening his mouth, Zheng Xuan finally said, ¡°Very well. But¡­take care of him.¡±


    His brows rising in surprise that his persuasion actually worked this easily, Wei Xiang nodded. ¡°We won¡¯t kill your deity or permanently maim him, so don¡¯t worry. Anything else we do to him is purely for self defense, so don¡¯t blame us for it.¡±


    Zheng Xuan¡¯s face twitched. How did his queen¡¯s brat turn out so obnoxious?!


    But Wei Xiang didn¡¯t care about the black dragon¡¯s grievances as he quickly let go of Zheng Xuan and stood up, turning back to his human form as he made for the staircase.


    At the base of the staircase and within the not yet activated formation, Qinghe still fought Xie Xingye, the strengthening pills he¡¯d consumed before giving him more edge to work with as he struck hard and fast.


    Xie Xingye tried to push away this sticky youngster and flee the encirclement, but Qinghe always managed to hinder him in the nick of time. It made Xie Xingye feel more and more of a sense of crisis, heightening his frustration and desperation as he began to uninhibitedly lash out. But since he was still using his powers to maintain the giant army of dwindling ghouls, Xie Xingye could only spare so much of his energy to fight.


    Meanwhile, Qinghe¡¯s defensive robes had already lost their luster as they bore more and more abuse in his stead. His hands were chafed and bleeding from how many strong blows he had to weather with his swords as he kept them moving continuously. Though his muscles had grown stronger, this constant battle still wore down on his body.


    Just when he was busy deflecting a blow of Xie Xingye¡¯s sword and cutting apart a group of vines trying to wrap around him, Qinghe suddenly felt something strike him from behind.


    With the strained sound of ripping fabric, his overtaxed outer robe abruptly tore under this stealthy vine¡¯s assault, its defenses finally exhausted.


    As if encouraged by this, the vine began flailing and slicing at Qinghe¡¯s back with more gusto, trying to cut through his dark inner robes as well so that it could finally get to his vulnerable flesh underneath.


    Qinghe gritted his teeth and finished cleaving through the black vines that had been blocking his way, but Xie Xingye had already begun thrusting his sword at him, aiming to pierce through his chest. Qinghe tried to quickly move to the side, but felt more of the rough vines suddenly wrapping around his ankles and climbing up his legs.


    With a start, Qinghe realized that the last bit of his ability to perceive changes in his surroundings using the keen senses he¡¯d honed due to all these years of cultivating had finally faded away, leaving him unable to detect it when these vines crept near him.


    His feet thus held in place, Qinghe was unable to move to avoid the vine trying to rip into his back or the sword coming at him from the front. He could only use the flat side of one of his own swords to push aside and redirect the momentum of the blade aiming for his chest. But taking this time, the vine at the back finally succeeded in tearing through.


    Without his robes¡¯ defensive abilities or his own cultivation to protect him right now, if that vine stabbed through his back, Qinghe knew that there was a good chance he would die, or at least be very grievously injured.


    Also realizing this, Xie Xingye''s eyes showed a moment of hesitation before he firmed his resolve, then he quickly sent the command for the vine to strike and pierce through this youngster''s unprotected back and rip out his heart in the process¨D


    ¨Dbut nothing happened.


    Xie Xingye frowned uncomprehendingly while the tight expression Qinghe wore till now suddenly melted into a smile.


    The black vines wrapped around his legs and the one aiming at his back had all suddenly stiffened, then began dissolving away into dark smoke.


    Turning his head, Qinghe saw that as expected, the final blank place on the formation had been finally filled by Wei Xiang, completing the spell and rendering all spiritual energy within the circle null.


    Xie Xingye finally noticed the glowing white lines of the activated formation, and his face went white. He could feel his connection with the ghouls abruptly being cut while his entire body felt heavier and more cumbersome than he was used to it being. It was almost as if¡­he couldn¡¯t use his cultivation at all.


    Glaring at Qinghe, he snarled, ¡°What did you do?!¡±


    Now freed from the vines that had been restraining him, Qinghe slowly straightened and rotated his wrists in a leisurely motion to relax them a bit. Without the vines to get in his way, this would now be a battle of pure martial arts skills, and despite his worse physical condition, he was confident that he wouldn¡¯t lose.


    With a smile, he replied, ¡°Uncle Xie, now that we¡¯re in an even playing field, why don¡¯t we continue where we left off?¡±


    Xie Xingye¡¯s expression turned black. Though his opponent must be physically drained by now, why did he look so confident and at ease?


    However, not giving him the time to think any further, Qinghe directly struck with his swords, forcing Xie Xingye to immediately go on the defensive.


    But as he struggled to guard himself against flurry after rapid flurry of blows, Xie Xingye soon realized with widened eyes that his opponent was not as weak or exhausted as he had imagined.


    Indeed, Qinghe had been shoring up most of his strength just for this moment.


    And so, as he unrestrainedly used his strengthened muscles and swung his sword with both cunning and might, each of his strikes brought with it the crushing pressure of a mountain lifted high up and dropped onto the ground, exploding into a massive shower of debris with an earthshaking rumble.


    Unlike his slippery and elegant style before, Qinghe wielded his dual blades with an unrestrained savageness this time, his blows powerful and decisive, his slices precise and steady. His arms swung constantly with efficient coordination, striking again and again without leaving a moment¡¯s gap for retaliation. And with his feet held apart and his footing stable, he easily deflected or absorbed any blows that Xie Xingye managed to send his way.


    The rhythmic clash of weapons was like the beating of an ancient heart, violent and primal. The mad dance of battle itself was like a flash of fire igniting Qinghe¡¯s bloodstream, capable of burning him to ash from within if he didn¡¯t let it out through his blades as they carved through the air.


    There was nothing holding him back now. He didn¡¯t have to just restrain his opponent or divert his attention anymore, he didn¡¯t have to keep concentrating on making sure that none of the deity¡¯s blows would fly out into the ranks of the battling cultivators and hurt them. He could let himself go and freely indulge himself in matching his skills against that of a deity trained in another world.


    And so, fighting with renewed energy, Qinghe dominated the fight like a vengeful war god, his eyes burning with fierce excitement as he pushed forward. His blades reflected light and danced through the air in a wild rhythm, clashing against Xie Xingye¡¯s saber with deafening sounds, the vibrations of the violent blows reverberating through their weapons and sinking into their bones.


    However, even as Xie Xingye continued to try and match Qinghe¡¯s rhythm, he felt himself slowly being pushed back under the unrelenting attacks that fell upon him like rain, their power whipping over him like a wrathful storm filled with the primal rage of nature itself.


    But Xie Xingye unrelentingly kept going on, all his attention focused on his opponent as he did his best to utilize every move his sister had taught him and every advice she¡¯d ever given him.


    As Xie Xingye¡¯s concentration was thus completely focused on his opponent¡¯s blades and his movements, Qinghe suddenly yelled out, ¡°Father, do it now!¡±


    Xie Xingye¡¯s attention immediately snapped to Feng Huixin in alarm as the formation was suddenly deactivated.


    What was that bastard husband of his Chunyi¡¯s planning now? Was he going to try and cast the sealing spell on him despite these uncertain conditions? As if he¡¯d let him do that so easily!


    And so, Xie Xingye quickly began gathering his own power to retaliate, his entire attention focused on Feng Huixin.


    But before he had mustered even one-tenth of his strength, he suddenly felt a pair of strong arms wrapping around him as a slender body hugged him close.


    Qinghe looked up at a startled Xie Xingye with a grin despite the pain beginning to churn in his dantian, ripping him up from the inside out. In a playful whisper, he said, ¡°Uncle Xie, let¡¯s break together, shall we?¡±


    And before Xie Xingye could react, Qinghe forced his core to eject a large amount of spiritual energy, making it rip through the shell of spells that Wu Xiao had woven over it. The level of his cultivation that he¡¯d barely managed to halt at demigod the last time now flew up to that of a deity in an instant.


    But before his realm could be consolidated, his core began creaking in abject agony, unable to bear so much power tearing through it at once.


    And so, just as Qinghe finished bracing for it, his core exploded, unbridled energy shredding its way out of his dantian.


    A bright burst of power blasted outward in a shockwave of energy, pure and utterly uncontrollable. Qinghe gritted his teeth and labored to concentrate all this power on the man he was clutching onto.


    Meanwhile, Xie Xingye merely had an instant to widen his eyes in reaction to Qinghe¡¯s words, and before they could fully register in his mind, he already felt Qinghe¡¯s hands tightening on his clothes as inexpressible pain tore through his belly.


    Qinghe almost collapsed onto Xie Xingye, who was too stunned by the sudden agony to do anything. His face whitened as he felt the excruciating feeling of his spiritual pathways unraveling and his core straining due to the blast of power the brat in his arms had sent into him.


    And so, for an instant, Xie Xingye was utterly unable to mobilize his spiritual energy at all as a ragged wave of torment swept throughout his entire spiritual self.


    But before his deity level cultivation could patch up the monumental damage, Feng Huixin leapt towards them, disentangling his barely conscious son and letting Wei Xiang take care of him while he quickly began casting the sealing spell.


    Feng Huixin¡¯s mellow voice rang out with the weight of authority, ¡°The Deity of Judgment beseeches the Throne, bind this being and let him defy justice no more.¡±


    A faint wisp of a voice floated into Feng Huixin¡¯s mind as it responded, <Eh, isn¡¯t this my future host? Well, since it¡¯s you, I¡¯ll let you forego those troublesome procedures this time~>


    As the voice faded away from a startled Feng Huixin¡¯s consciousness, the space around Xie Xingye stretched out thin and fragile tendrils towards him, their tips delicately brushing over his skin as if tasting his energy. Once they assessed him, the tendrils of stretched space quickly wrapped around the demonic deity as if sensing the urgency to neutralize this threat.


    Before all the damage to his spiritual self could be healed, Xie Xingye felt his whole body freeze up and fall to the side, his consciousness receding before he could understand the situation.


    And thus, within a few moments of Qinghe self-detonating his core, Xie Xingye was finally, successfully, sealed.


    Seeing this, the entire front hall full of cultivators let out shuddering breaths in inexpressible relief.


    The ghouls had long since dropped down lifelessly after the formation cut off Xie Xingye¡¯s connection to them, leaving their bodies littered on the ground.


    Exhausted from this ordeal, the cultivators either took themselves out to the healing camp set up by the Lightning Sky Sect or plopped down wherever they were standing, too tired to move. Some of them still held expressions of disbelief on their faces while others already started smiling with triumph.


    This battle was finally over! They had won against the demonic deity!


    Feng Huixin also felt as if an immense burden had been lifted from his shoulders. Now all that was left was to heal his son.


    But just then, Wei Xiang lifted his face from where it had been buried in the crook of his little lover¡¯s neck. With his face gone white and bloodless from shock, he whispered to Feng Huixin, ¡°M-Master, he¡¯s¡­ Qinghe¡¯s not breathing.¡±


    Hearing this, the five sect masters, Hei NingYu, and Feng Huixin all looked stunned. Then they quickly rushed towards the Qinghe still held in Wei Xiang¡¯s arms, worry and apprehension written large on their faces.


    Fu Cangyun immediately took Qinghe¡¯s wrist in his hand to assess his condition. But letting go within moments, he closed his eyes and lowered his head solemnly. In an instant, he seemed to have aged several years.


    ¡°Sect Master Fu, what¡¯s wrong with my son?!¡± Feng Huixin asked in a rare frantic tone. His eyes burned with more intensity than any time before, his usual blank expression nowhere to be found in the face of such a situation.


    Already guessing the answer, Zhen YiLan started trembling, his expression aghast. His precious second disciple, his Qing-er¡­ How was this possible? How could something like this happen to him so suddenly!? His Qing-er¡­ This¡­no, he couldn¡¯t accept this¡­


    Wu Xiao felt his chest suddenly aching as he understood. Due to the shock of his core shattering, Xiao Feng must have¡­ Wu Xiao pressed his lips tightly together as he glared at Qinghe with blame-filled eyes that looked suspiciously watery. He had told this brat not to endanger himself recklessly! Why didn¡¯t he listen!? His shoulders curving inwards, Wu Xiao let his face twist into a mask of open grief. Ah, his Ah-Shui would be so angry at him for not protecting his friend.


    Liu Xue still looked disbelieving. After all, how could that cunning and strong Xiao He she knew just¡­ No, it couldn¡¯t be true¡­


    Lu Feiyu bent his head and pressed the back of his hand against his lips as if to stop himself from letting out any undignified sounds. His eyes grew red-rimmed. Though he and Qinghe never acted like they knew each other, their paths had already crossed quite a few times. How could that little boy with haunted eyes he¡¯d once seen hiding alone in a corner of Heavenly Peak Sect, someone who¡¯d grown up into such a powerful and shrewd existence, end up like this?


    At the side, Hei NingYu stared at Qinghe¡¯s pale face that remained unmoving to the point of seeming like an illusion, something fragile that would dissipate at any moment. His hands clenched into fists inside his sleeves as his mind rapidly went through the numerous demonic cultivation techniques he knew, trying to see if there was something about reviving the dead or at least making a recently departed soul inhabit a new body. His frenzied thoughts surprised even him, but he decisively continued thinking, searching for any way to negate this situation.


    Soon, the twins and Chen Xiande also joined the crowd of people around Qinghe with puzzled frowns, with Jing Shui still outside and just beginning to deactivate the Water Prison.


    Not caring about the growing number of people around them, Feng Huixin grabbed Fu Cangyun¡¯s shoulder, his expression stark as he asked again, ¡°Sect Master Fu, please answer me. My son¡­is he really¡­¡±


    But he couldn¡¯t get the words out.


    Sighing heavily, Fu Cangyun nodded. ¡°I''m afraid that per my examination, Feng Qinghe is truly dead. His life essence is already beginning to dissipate.¡±


    Hearing this, Chen Xiande¡¯s eyes widened in understanding as he slowly began shaking his head subconsciously. ¡°No, no, you must be mistaken. It can¡¯t¡­ He can¡¯t¡­ He isn¡¯t the type to just¡­ Feng Qinghe won¡¯t d-die this e-easily¨D¡±


    As his voice trailed off due to his throat choking up with unshed tears, Hei NingYu silently walked to his side and held him tightly. Chen Xiande buried his face into the crook of his beloved''s shoulder, his body beginning to shudder with quiet sobs.


    The twins clutched at each other, their intent gazes only fixed on their beloved senior brother¡¯s face. It seemed as if nothing else existed in their world. A slow madness bloomed in their dark eyes that were filled with indescribable depths and inexpressible emotions.


    But before it could get far, Wei Xiang¡¯s voice suddenly spoke, ¡°No, this isn¡¯t right. If Qinghe truly¡­died, then I wouldn¡¯t be alive. We have a soul bond, so he shouldn¡¯t be able to leave me behind like this.¡±


    Hearing this, surprised and hopeful expressions filled the faces around them.


    ¡°Then why does he have no breath? What¡¯s happening?¡± Lu Feiyu quickly asked.


    Feng Huixin¡¯s face turned grim with realization as he replied, ¡°It seems that Heaven is interfering.¡±


    Lying still in his lover¡¯s arms, Qinghe¡¯s body remained lifeless and unresponsive, his face relaxed as if in peaceful slumber.

 Chapter 125: The Heavenly Throne

    A few minutes ago, Qinghe had gritted his teeth and shattered his own cultivation core, struggling through the ragged waves of pain and focusing the energy of the blast on the demonic deity he was holding onto.


    Even as he managed to stun Xie Xingye and deal acute damage to him as planned, Qinghe felt himself suddenly weakening, his consciousness turning dimmer as his body slackened on its own.


    Thankfully, he felt his father¡¯s hands quickly wresting him away from a stunned Xie Xingye and gently handing him over to be cradled in his Xiang¡¯s careful arms. Trusting that his father would take care of everything from now on, Qinghe decided to settle in comfortably in his beloved¡¯s embrace and rest his miserably tired and wounded body for now.


    But rather than regaining his strength, Qinghe could feel his vitality beginning to rapidly drain.


    Like withered leaves being carried away by the rushing stream, unable to resist for they had not the strength, he felt his life swiftly slipping away. His weakened body felt laden and numb, and he could perceive the temperature of his body beginning to drop as if all warmth and vigor were being sucked away by the looming shadow of impending death.


    Qinghe felt his soul dimming, the final vestiges of light struggling to keep him alive despite the futility.


    He realized that he really was dying.


    And yet, even as he felt the soft darkness enfolding his mind and taking him away, Qinghe remained calm, his composure unshaken. He knew that this wouldn¡¯t be the end of him.


    Sure enough, after what felt like a blissful eternity, Qinghe felt himself awakening again.


    His existence felt too weightless to be corporeal, and he could feel nothing supporting his body from below at all.


    Curious to see his situation, Qinghe opened his eyes and was greeted with a field of black.


    Looking down, Qinghe saw that his body seemed to have become strangely translucent, nothing but a vague projection of his shape. Floating inside his body, right in the middle of his diaphragm, was a glowing orb with the diameter of a completely spread palm. It was clear and beautiful, with silvery wisps swirling inside it mesmerizingly.


    Was this his soul?


    Qinghe lifted a hand wonderingly and tried to touch his own soul, but his hand stopped right at the border of his transparent self, where his skin should be. Qinghe quickly realized that though he looked transparent, his hand would still be unable to pass through himself.


    With a sigh, he diverted his attention to his surroundings.


    At a distance under his hovering feet, there were several wide streams of bright glowing dots slowly making their way in one direction. As he surveyed this black space, he saw that these streams of dots seemed to cover the entire area below him, some side-by-side and some layered over each other. But most of these streams never touched at all, and even those that did barely brushed against one another.


    As he lifted his head, Qinghe saw soft rays of pulsing light far above him, shifting and flowing in mesmerizing whirls, then blending together to form new colors that he had never seen before.


    And this was how he knew for sure that he wasn¡¯t dreaming.


    Because a human mind would never be able to imagine new colors on its own, and so Qinghe realized that what he was seeing now had to be real.


    ¡°You came to that realization awfully fast. It always helps to have an intelligent person as the host,¡± spoke a young and clear sounding voice suddenly.


    Qinghe snapped his head in the direction of the newly arrived being who had just spoken.


    Having appeared out of nowhere and floating in front of him was a peculiar child.


    His skin was a creamy white, with reflections of slivery light seeming to constantly dance on the smooth surface. His hair reached his waist and was a pure black that blended with the darkness of this space. Tiny flecks of brilliant stars that gave out sharp radiance glittered in his hair. His eyes were wide and limpid, his irises breathtaking as the colors within them seemed to shift and change with every small movement, never truly remaining the same.


    As the child hovered a few paces away from Qinghe, his hands were playfully clasped behind his back while his striking and young face was split in a cheerful grin, his eyes shining with merriment.


    Qinghe looked at this child with vigilance, because he sensed neither life nor death from him.


    What was he?


    But then again, considering what had happened to him just now, there was only one being that would show up in front of him like this. Then could he be¡­?


    Interrupting his speculations, the child began to talk, his voice youthful and lively, ¡°So, tell me, Feng Qinghe. Do you know what all these cute little dots flowing down below us are?¡±


    Qinghe blinked, then voiced his guess, ¡°Are they¡­souls?¡±


    The little boy laughed happily as he nodded. ¡°Yes! They are souls! Each of those streams of dots is a different world under my jurisdiction, and all those dots are the souls in that world.¡±


    Then the open amusement on his face turning into something much sharper, the child suddenly asked, ¡°They all look really tiny and insignificant from up here, don¡¯t they?¡±


    Retaining his cautiousness, Qinghe replied noncommittally, ¡°I suppose they do.¡±


    The child¡¯s smile spread impossibly wider. ¡°So tell me, do you not want to own them and make all these vulnerable souls yours? You can control them and use their lives however you want. Does it not excite you?¡±


    But Qinghe only frowned as he refuted, ¡°It¡¯s impossible.¡±


    The young boy¡¯s eyes deepened as he asked curiously, ¡°What¡¯s impossible?¡±


    ¡°In the large scheme of things, nothing can ever belong to anyone. So it would be impossible for me to own these souls as you proposed,¡± Qinghe explained simply.


    With wide and surprised eyes, the child looked at him uncomprehendingly.


    Qinghe tried to find the words to explain. ¡°Even if I pick up something as insignificant as a grain of sand from the ground and claim it for myself, even if I hide it on me so that it can never be lost, when I eventually die, it will still return to the world. I might claim it, but as my time comes, I will turn to dust just like all things ultimately do, and then that grain of sand will cease to be mine. Just like that, no matter what I claim for myself right now, be it this body or these souls, none of them will ever truly belong to me.¡±


    Though he wasn¡¯t sure if he got his point across with his words, Qinghe still maintained his unwavering expression.


    After hearing all this, the child narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°Oh? Since you say that nothing can ever belong to anyone, what about that dear lover of yours? Does he not belong to you as well?¡±


    But Qinghe answered simply, ¡°Wei Xiang is not mine, he is a part of me.¡±


    After all, their souls had already very firmly bonded, and their minds had melded numerous times too as they shared their consciousness with each other every time they dual cultivated. They had exchanged parts of each other and had firmly entrenched their existence into their lover. To say that they were now two parts of a whole would not be an exaggeration, for neither of them could live their life entirely apart from the other anymore.


    But even if all this weren''t the case, Qinghe still wouldn''t claim his Xiang as if he were one of his belongings. He and his lover might occasionally say that the other person was theirs, but it was not in the sense of them being a possession, but rather as someone they felt responsible towards, a beloved person to take care of and who would take care of them in return. For them, their lover was not theirs to possess, but theirs to cherish.


    Even without the soul bond, they would still share their time, their bodies, and their entire lives with one another. In that sense, it was truly as if they were a part of each other.


    As all these thoughts flashed in Qinghe¡¯s mind, the sharpness abruptly left the strange young boy¡¯s face, turning to delight.


    Childish laughter rang out loudly as he exclaimed, ¡°Good, very good!¡±


    Seeing this, Qinghe¡¯s expression turned complicated. Just what was he getting so happy about? What was his objective? Was this child really what he thought he was?


    And as the young boy¡¯s sounds of mirth finally faded, Qinghe decided to directly ask this question out loud, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Though he had a guess, he still wanted to confirm it.


    Wiping away tears of laughter from the corner of his eyes, the child turned to Qinghe and spoke, ¡°Me? In this realm, I am called the Throne of Heaven. I am the Throne whose roots dig deep into the essence of existence itself.¡±


    And then, though a wide smile still stretched his lips, the child asked in a weighty tone full of meaning, ¡°The question is, Feng Qinghe, who will you be? Who do you want to become?¡±


    The entirety of the black space suddenly seemed to freeze as if waiting for the answer to be spoken into it. The flow of the souls within the various streams grew still, the little dots floating in place as if afraid to move and risk missing the reply.


    Qinghe merely tilted his head. ¡°I will always be me. I wish to be nothing else.¡±


    The Throne of Heaven with the form of a child chuckled, the sound much more mature than his appearance warranted. ¡°Then that is enough. For me¡­that is enough.¡±


    Floating nearer to a cautious Qinghe, the child wrapped his thin arms around his abdomen and looked up, his half-lidded eyes glinting with anticipation. ¡°Feng Qinghe, if it¡¯s you, then I don¡¯t mind giving myself up. Will you take control of me then?¡±


    Qinghe felt goosebumps rising all over his incorporeal body as he heard these huskily whispered words.


    What type of intentionally misleading tone was this Throne using with the body of a child?!


    Raising a finger, Qinghe flicked the clinging little boy on the forehead with enough force that he flew back a couple of paces. With his palms covering the stinging area, the child looked at Qinghe with blank eyes widened in shock, a trace of bewilderment in his expression.


    In a disgruntled tone, Qinghe complained, ¡°What¡¯s with those words? I¡¯m not sick enough to be interested in children that way and I already have a lover.¡±


    The little boy¡¯s gaze turned complex, then realizing something, he burst out laughing again. ¡°Feng Qinghe, did you just tease me?¡±


    In a fit of childishness, Qinghe stuck out his tongue at him before saying, ¡°After all the ways you twisted my life and all the things you put me through, did you really think I would agree to your whims so easily?¡±


    Because Qinghe was sure that by that weird declaration just now, when the child asked him if he would take control of him, the Throne was actually conveying something very important to him.


    He was telling him that he wanted Qinghe to be the one to claim and guide him. The Throne was asking Qinghe to be his Heavenly Emperor.


    But as much as Qinghe had been tormented by Heaven¡¯s Throne, how could he just agree to it so easily without enacting some petty payback from it?


    The young boy heatedly defended himself, ¡°But all that was necessary! Some things, you had to experience yourself to understand. And though I admit that I did manipulate certain situations a teeny tiny bit to go the way they did, I still didn¡¯t control your actions. In the end, all the decisions have always been yours.¡±


    In its heart, the Throne couldn¡¯t help but feel aggrieved. Weren¡¯t these tactics the same as what this fellow before him used to ¡®educate¡¯ his juniors and fellow cultivators? How come he was being accused like this just because he¡¯d used it to a slightly more extreme degree?


    Though Qinghe had also of course noticed this similarity, he decisively pushed it aside and maintained his righteous attitude and continued to look at the child with a disapproving expression.


    Sighing, the young boy smiled somewhat helplessly. ¡°Alright, then what do you want me to do so that you accept becoming my host in the future.¡±


    ¡°By ¡®host¡¯, do you mean the Heavenly Emperor?¡±


    The Throne of Heaven nodded. ¡°I am the Throne, so I need an Emperor to claim me, only then can I be of use. So, Feng Qinghe, I have already decided to choose you. Will you be the Heavenly Emperor in the future?¡±


    However, with the air of a senior speaking to his junior, Qinghe replied, ¡°It depends on your behavior from now on. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a rush, so I will take my time to assess your performance and then make my decision. If you behave well, then maybe I¡¯ll consider becoming the Heavenly Emperor.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The young boy¡¯s eyebrow twitched in disbelief, not just at this casual attitude towards something as monumental as becoming the Heavenly Emperor, but also at the way this young man barely three and a half decades of age was treating him, the Throne of Heaven that has existed since the beginning of time, as if he were a child!


    Turning his face away, he muttered bitterly under his breath, ¡°¡­This bastard¡­ Shouldn¡¯t have chosen a child form to greet someone like him¡­and here I thought being cute would put down his guard¡­should have known he had a heart harder than a chunk of frozen stone¡­¡±


    Qinghe kept smiling pleasantly as he asked, ¡°What did you say?¡±


    The child pressed his lips together, then quickly replied, ¡°Nothing!¡±


    Then rolling his eyes, the young boy gave in with a sigh, ¡°Fine. Have it your way then. Take your time to decide if you want to do this. You have until the end of the term of the current Heavenly Emperor.¡±


    Qinghe easily nodded. Truthfully, he didn¡¯t think he¡¯d need that long to decide, but rather than saying it out loud, he chose to keep it to himself and mess with this child for a while more.


    Thus decided, Qinghe had just begun considering asking the Throne to send him back now before he remembered something. ¡°Say, Xiao Tian, what does it mean to have a heavenly soul?¡±


    Since this was a point that had been brought up a few times before, Qinghe wanted to know just what exactly it meant.


    The child felt his lips twitch in incredulity at the strange name, but he still replied, ¡°I suppose no one¡¯s told you this yet. Fine, I¡¯ll be generous and explain it to you since I¡¯m a good Throne who¡¯s on his best behavior.¡±


    Qinghe simply raised an eyebrow as if asking him to get on with it.


    The Throne of Heaven, who had now been named Xiao Tian by his future host, sighed and grumbled in his heart, but quickly got to the point.


    ¡°Heaven consists of three parts, and these three existences make it a whole. First is the insentient realm itself, along with its various elements and all its inherent energy. The second is me, the one who takes care of and supports this realm along with the smaller realms under it. And the third is the Heavenly Emperor, who is my host and takes care of the various beings in all these realms.¡±


    Qinghe showed a thoughtful expression as he nodded in understanding. So there was the heavenly realm itself, the one who took care of all the realms, and the one who took care of all the living beings in these realms.


    Xiao Tian continued, ¡°Except for me, the other two parts of Heaven will always end up changing. For example, the Heavenly Emperor is not a post held by one person for eternity. Similarly, the topography and energy distribution of the realm itself changes, albeit at a glacially slow pace. Another thing that changes is the soul of the heavenly realm.¡±


    Blinking in surprise, Qinghe asked, ¡°The realm has a soul?¡±


    Nodding, Xiao Tian explained, ¡°Yes, the heavenly realm might be insentient, but it is very much a living being and has a clear, mighty, and magnificent soul. Occasionally, the pieces of its soul detach from it to become whole souls of their own, entering the cycle of reincarnation. These souls are the purest fragments of the heavenly realm¡¯s soul, and they are very, very rare.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes narrowed as he realized where this was going.


    Seeing this, Xiao Tian grinned and nodded. ¡°Yep, it¡¯s as you guessed. The souls formed directly from the heavenly realm¡¯s soul itself are called heavenly souls. They are strange, powerful, and mysterious¡ªeven I don¡¯t know everything about them. But every heavenly soul that ever entered the cycle of reincarnation and gained sentience serves at least once as the Heavenly Emperor. It is not a strict rule, but because of their excellence, I can¡¯t help but choose them for this position. They are all too suitable for ruling, though each have their own quirks while they do so. There is even a legend that states that every time a heavenly soul reigns on the Throne, all of Heaven and its realms will enter a long era of flourishing and prosperity.¡±


    With his brows furrowed, Qinghe considered all this silently.


    It seemed that almost every major event in his life that had a hand in shaping him into who he was, had been because of his heavenly soul.


    Without it, would he have caught the Heavenly Throne¡¯s eyes? Would Xiao Tian have then separated him from his parents and set him into the clutches of the orphanage¡¯s wardens? Would he have had the fortune of being rescued from there right on time by the sect master of the most prominent sect in this world so coincidentally? Would he have had a chance to become Zhen YiLan¡¯s disciple and be given access to almost unlimited resources to better his cultivation and gain so much knowledge and training? And then there were all the little incidents that had contributed to him becoming the Feng Qinghe he was now.


    Without his heavenly soul, would he have become someone else?


    But no matter what he¡¯d had to go through, Qinghe very much liked himself as he was. Even if he¡¯d had to bear so much torment, he still did not regret it if it meant he would be the person he was now.


    After pondering all this for a while, Qinghe finally looked up again and said simply, ¡°Alright, I understand. And now that we¡¯ve discussed everything we need to, send me back.¡±


    Xiao Tian once again felt incredulous. Was that all his future host had to say after learning such an important thing about his own soul?!


    But in the end, he could only acquiesce, ¡°Tch. Alright, alright, I know you don¡¯t want to worry your people.¡±


    Qinghe nodded in agreement. After all, he didn¡¯t know how long his body had stayed dead in his world. Though he was confident that Xiao Tian would make sure that it didn¡¯t have any extra problems when he sent his soul back, Qinghe still felt worried at how his lover and others would feel at having to see him dead like that for that much time.


    Not wanting to dally, the Throne immediately waved a hand to send him off.


    As Qinghe felt his soul being pulled towards the direction of a particular stream of glowing dots, he suddenly turned to the child and said, ¡°Xiao Tian, even if I do choose to become your host in the future, let me confirm one thing¨Dyou will not belong to me. I will not impose my will on you. If we have to work together, then so be it, but you will still retain your autonomy.¡±


    Xiao Tian showed a shocked expression at this sudden statement.


    But by then, Qinghe had already let his soul fly away to his world.


    As his consciousness faded again, he heard the Heavenly Throne murmuring lovingly in his ear, ¡°Ah, it seems that I was right to choose you after all. Feng Qinghe, you please me greatly.¡±


    And then Qinghe felt his soul being shoved back into his body with force, his senses jarred and confused as they abruptly awakened.


    The first thing Qinghe perceived after finally returning to his body was the pair of firm arms enfolding him, along with the comfortably familiar scent of warm metal and woodsmoke filling his nose.


    Opening his lips, Qinghe spoke, ¡°Xiang, I¡¯m here.¡±


    In response, he immediately heard Wei Xiang¡¯s heart thudding faster inside his lover¡¯s chest against which his face was currently pressed.


    ¡°Q-Qinghe?¡± Wei Xing finally got out.


    Hearing the trembling and uncertainty in his beloved¡¯s voice, Qinghe eased open his eyes worriedly, only to be greeted with a dense mass of teary, grief-wrought faces whose expressions quickly morphed into stunned amazement.


    ¡°¡­¡± What was wrong with all these people? Were the casualties for the battle this time really so high that all these prominent personages had all been reduced to this state?


    Before Qinghe could understand what was happening, two pair of arms suddenly and enthusiastically wrapped around him tightly while the voices of the twins wailed loudly in his ears, ¡°S-Senior Brother! You¡¯re alive! W-We thought you l-left us all alone!¡±


    The others snapped out of their daze and suddenly pounced onto the newly revived Qinghe, not giving him a chance to recover before bombarding him with hugs and pats and a chaotic stream of words.


    ¡°Feng Qinghe! You better never pull such a trick again!¡± yelled a teary Jing Shui who¡¯d just arrived from the outside after taking down the Water Prison.


    ¡°Xiao Feng, this is why I told you to take care of yourself better!¡± Wu Xiao added from the side.


    ¡°Junior Brother, you are not allowed to do something this risky ever again!¡± Chen Xiande almost snarled in warning, his eyes swollen red due to his tears before.


    ¡°Ah, Qing-er! Your Master thought I failed you again! I¡¯m so happy!¡± Zhen YiLan spoke in a quavering voice, his face crinkled as if he would begin crying at any moment.


    ¡°Xiao He! It¡¯s good that you didn¡¯t die!¡± Liu Xue unrestrainedly shouted.


    ¡°At least I won¡¯t have to do something illegal now,¡± Hei NingYu lightly remarked, his voice somewhat thick.


    ¡°Hmm, your pulse is strong. Good, good,¡± Fu Cangyun repeatedly nodded to himself, his hand holding Qinghe¡¯s wrist.


    ¡°Bastard, you almost made me lose my elegant dignity in front of everyone,¡± Lu Feiyu complained half-heartedly from the side.


    Suddenly being drowned under the weight of so many bodies pressing down on him as their voices rang out one after another, Qinghe felt dizzy and disoriented.


    Just then, the dormant pain in his abdomen flared to life, feeling as if a host of vicious knives had just exploded inside his dantian. Qinghe sucked in a sharp breath. It seemed that Xiao Tian had decided to grant him yet another ''important experience'' by not healing his shattered core when he returned his soul to this body. Tch, that child was so uncute and petty!


    Meanwhile, attuned as he was to his little lover''s every move, Wei Xiang immediately heard his sound of distress.


    "Enough, you''re hurting him!" he snapped at the others.


    Everyone suddenly retreated, afraid that they¡¯d kill Qinghe with their enthusiasm after he¡¯d just managed to come alive again.


    Qinghe weakly waved a hand, ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just my core. It hurts a bit, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Hearing this, Feng Huixin finally spoke up in a quiet voice, his eyes red-rimmed and his voice hoarse, ¡°Qinghe, I think it''s time we finally fixed it once and for all.¡±


    As he said this, Feng Huixin carefully tucked away the rush of relief and happiness that had been thundering through him at seeing his son alive and awake. Though he had guessed that Heaven wouldn¡¯t abandon Qinghe, the shock of seeing his son lifeless and pale had still shaken him too much.


    But he was fine now, his son was fine, and to make sure that he remained that way, he had to quickly take him to the heavenly realm and fix his shattered core.


    Understanding his father¡¯s thoughts, Qinghe silently nodded.


    Seeing this exchange, Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes grew deep with several layers of indescribable emotions, colliding and churning together frantically. But he knew what he had to do. No matter how unwilling he was to part from his most precious beloved, he would still do so if it meant guaranteeing that his little lover could be free of pain and healthy again.


    And so, Wei Xiang bent his head and placed a light kiss on Qinghe¡¯s forehead in farewell.


    Feeling the warmth of his beloved¡¯s skin under lips and seeing life in his face again¡­this would have to be enough.


    Meanwhile, Qinghe¡¯s solemn gaze was fixed on his lover, hungrily etching every detail into his memory. Who knew when he¡¯d see him again?


    ¡°Xiang,¡± Qinghe called softly when he¡¯d finally had his fill.


    Wei Xiang looked at his beloved face with a warm smile, his eyes hiding a sense of loss. ¡°What is it, love?¡±


    All the noise around them grew hushed as the pair of lovers stared into each other¡¯s eyes as if drinking in the thoughts and emotions swirling in the other¡¯s gaze.


    Opening his mouth, Qinghe spoke, ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I made you worried, but I¡¯m alright now. Even if we part, it¡¯s only temporary. We¡¯ve already talked about this, remember? No matter what, we¡¯ll always find our way to each other, so don¡¯t be sad, okay?¡±


    Lifting a hand, Qinghe placed it lightly on Wei Xiang¡¯s cheek, the weight of his palm warm and comforting.


    Wei Xiang buried his head into the crook of his little lover¡¯s shoulder as he let his face twist with abject unwillingness and anguish in the hidden safety of this familiar place. He filled his lungs with the scent of his beloved, letting it sink into him and soothe his nerves. After a moment, Wei Xiang lifted his head again, his face devoid of any sorrow and only showing a steady determination.


    ¡°Love, you should also stop worrying about me. You¡¯re the injured one here. You go with Master and get your treatment. I¡¯ll take care of the aftermath here. When I see you again, you better be whole and hearty, or we¡¯ll never be able to celebrate our reunion properly in bed.¡±


    Qinghe''s eyes immediately brightened. Yes, if he got well, then his Xiang could be more unrestrained without fearing hurting his cultivation-deprived body, and they could have so much more fun together!


    Seeing all this written plain as day on his lover¡¯s face, Wei Xiang couldn¡¯t help but smile softly.


    Extending out his arms¡ªand by extension, the Qinghe held in them¡ªWei Xiang looked at Feng Huixin. ¡°Master, I¡¯ll leave him in your care now.¡±


    Feng Huixin nodded seriously as he accepted the weight of his son. ¡°I¡¯ll take good care of him, don¡¯t worry. And Xiang-er, I¡¯ll leave the Sentinels to your charge from now on.¡±


    Wei Xiang swallowed thickly, then nodded. He hadn¡¯t thought that the time for him to assume leadership of the Order of Sentinels would come so soon or under such circumstances, but he still accepted the responsibility with due solemnity.


    While resting in his father''s arms, Qinghe looked at the others¡¯ worried faces as they still crowded around him in a circle and smiled teasingly. ¡°Don¡¯t think you all are rid of me so easily. I¡¯ll definitely get well soon and come back.¡±


    Hearing what Qinghe and Wei Xiang had been saying till now, the others were also able to more or less guess that Qinghe was going to ascend to the heavenly realm along with his father to heal his core. But hearing his playful reassurance, they all nodded with helpless smiles.


    Now that everything that had to be said was said, it was finally time for Qinghe and Feng Huixin to set off.


    Not willing to keep being a burden, Qinghe spoke, ¡°Father, I can stand on my own now. You can set me down.¡±


    Feng Huixin looked at him for a moment, then reluctantly set his son down. As much as he wanted to hold him close and pamper him, Feng Huixin still chose to respect his son¡¯s wishes.


    Then retrieving a delicately wrought square formation made out of gleaming metal, Feng Huixin lightly threw it down to the black floor.


    ¡°May the gates of Heaven open and grant us entrance.¡±


    The metal formation glowed in response, then spun slowly even as it expanded and melted into the dark floor, forming a large formation glowing with a strong white. Rays of light rose up from the lines of the formation, extending upwards until it reached the far above ceiling.


    Feng Huixin picked up the sealed and unconscious Xie Xingye and brought him to the formation, while the black dragon Zheng Xuan also cautiously descended the staircase and headed towards them. But though he attracted the attention of the other cultivators who gaped at his sudden and seemingly non-threatening appearance, Zheng Xuan easily ignored them, his dark gaze fixed solely on Xie Xingye and filled with worry as he joined Feng Huixin, barely fitting into the formation¡¯s confines. Carefully stepping into the formation after him, Qinghe was the last to enter.


    Now that all who needed to had taken their place beside him, Feng Huixin fully activated the formation, and the glowing lines flashed brightly, blinding everyone and forcing them to close their eyes.


    When the watching cultivators were finally able to open them again, the group of four had already vanished along with the formation, transported to their destination without issues.


    Left behind, Wei Xiang kept his eyes locked on the dissipating formation, wishing more than anything that he could go along with his master and little lover.


    crimson_carnation


    After this story is completed, I will start posting extras whenever I manage to finish one. I will try to put out a new extra at least once a week, but some of them might get really lengthy, and since I will also be attempting a few unrelated short stories in between, I can''t promise a fixed schedule after the end of the main story.


    Thank you all for coming this far with me (?? ? ??)

 Chapter 126: Reunion at Last

    The first thing Qinghe noticed about the heavenly realm was the air.


    It was so much cleaner and purer than anything he had ever felt before, and it was also saturated with large quantities of spiritual energy. And though Qinghe couldn¡¯t take in or circulate this energy currently, he could still sense it, and it gave him a pleasant and vaguely familiar feeling of comfort.


    The place he had appeared in¡ªalong with Feng Huixin, an unconscious and sealed Xie Xingye, and the black dragon Zheng Xuan¡ªwas on top of a large transportation formation, its intricate lines inlaid with metal on a smooth platform of sand-colored stone. Its surface was covered with a smattering of creeping vines and weeds at the border, along with a few stray dried leaves.


    Large, healthy, and flourishing trees towered around this huge formation, their leaves a lush and verdant green. Bird calls rang out, the tweeting and chirping ringing sweetly as the rustling of foliage sounded in accompaniment. A wide, unpaved path led from this formation and meandered towards a large house in the distance.


    Feng Huixin drunk in this familiar scenery for a moment, his gaze showing nostalgia as memories filled him.


    Then hearing the black dragon shifting impatiently at the side, Feng Huixin broke out of his reverie and turned to his son, ¡°Qinghe, can you wait here for a few minutes? I need head over to the Offices of Judgment and let them take care of the deity Xie Xingye and his dragon companion for now. I¡¯ll come back soon.¡±


    Qinghe blinked and nodded in understanding. He already knew that the Offices of Judgment that his father just mentioned was Heaven¡¯s equivalent of the Order of Sentinels, and as the one named the Deity of Judgment, Feng Huixin was their appointed leader.


    Turning to the black dragon, Qinghe earnestly said, ¡°Thank you for agreeing to Xiang¡¯s proposal and giving me a chance. Since your beloved did try to kill a whole world of people, he¡¯ll have to be processed by my father¡¯s people first. But he won¡¯t be wronged, and if my mother agrees, he can meet and discuss with her about her memories afterwards.¡±


    As for the black dragon, since he was not a human deity, and despite everything, was still under the protection of the dragon court, it would take a while for his crimes to be judged and suitable punishment to be delivered due to his aiding and abetting in Xie Xingye''s plot to devour an entire world. But the current regime of dragons was especially lenient towards their own, so he might not face any charges at all unless the heavenly court itself decided to get involved.


    Meanwhile, Zheng Xuan looked at the sincere expression on the face of that wyvern brat''s mate as he tried to reassure him, and felt both helpless and amused. Was this the person his beloved had tried to treat as his enemy all this while? He detected no animosity or hatred from him at all!


    Then thinking about what this little cultivator had said just now, Zheng Xuan could only sigh.


    In a way, though he did not want Xie Xingye to go through any of this, Zheng Xuan also knew that unless his beloved let himself be judged and made amends, he would not be able to move forward in this realm.


    Heaven was a fair existence, and since most of the damage wrought by Xie Xingye in the lower world had been mitigated by Qinghe and the others, Xie Xingye was unlikely to receive too heavy a sentence. But if he had ended up managing to devour the lower world as he had planned to, then Xie Xingye¡¯s punishment would have been very harsh and cruel, fitting the crime of taking so many lives. And so, Zheng Xuan was already grateful towards these people for giving his beloved another way to enter Heaven again.


    At that time, since that had seemed like the only way for Xie Xingye to attain what he wanted, Zheng Xuan had also given his beloved his full support even as he had been wracking his brain to come up with a way out in case of Heaven pursuing them if they succeeded. But after hearing from his queen''s son that there was another way for Xie Xingye to meet with that sister of his without having to destroy a world and attracting Heaven''s full wrath, Zheng Xuan had felt relieved. And so, he was already grateful towards these people for giving his beloved another way to enter Heaven again with minimum repercussions.


    Once his beloved was finished serving his sentence, he could roam out in the open without having to constantly run and hide from the law. And while Xie Xingye underwent his punishment, Zheng Xuan was determined to stay beside his beloved to support him as much as he could.


    And as for the case of Xie Xingye being unhappy with the decisions Zheng Xuan was making for him¡­ Zheng Xuan could only resolve himself to explain his reasoning later and hope his beloved would understand. And from what he knew, as long as Xie Xingye got to meet with his sister at the end, he wouldn¡¯t be too angry about the rest.


    After staying silent for a long while as he pondered over all this, Zheng Xuan let out a weary sigh.


    Then looking at the little cultivator still peering up at him with a serious expression, he softened his expression and forced out a few words, "Thank you¡­for thinking about him."


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes widened, then he beamed happily. ¡°Well, he is as good as an uncle to me, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    The black dragon Zheng Xuan, who had once hated this person called Feng Qinghe for getting in his beloved¡¯s way, despising him enough to try and kill him with his flames numerous times, now felt his hard heart warming towards him. This child¡­was actually a bit adorable.


    ¡°If you are ready, then shall we depart?¡± Feng Huixin asked the dragon.


    Zheng Xuan nodded in agreement.


    And so, carrying Xie Xingye over one shoulder, Feng Huixin quickly used the shadows and transported them all to the main building of the Offices of Judgment, shocking the working officers there with his abrupt return after three decades.


    Meanwhile, Qinghe simply sighed and walked to the edge of the platform, finding a good sized boulder to perch upon while waiting for his father''s return.


    Looking in the direction of the house in the distance that was sitting at the end of the path connecting it to the formation platform, Qinghe guessed it to be the Feng residence. But though he could simply stride into it and relax more comfortably, he didn¡¯t want to meet his mother for what seemed like the first time on his own without his father by his side.


    Sighing once again, Qinghe crossed his legs atop the boulder and began to meditate, trying to clear his mind and ignoring the jagged pain in his stomach.


    Less than an hour later, Feng Huixin quickly returned, worried about leaving his son alone.


    Perceiving his father¡¯s arrival, Qinghe opened his eyes again and stood up. ¡°Father, are we going to the Feng residence to meet my mother now?¡±


    Detecting the slight nervousness in his son¡¯s voice, Feng Huixin patted Qinghe¡¯s shoulder comfortingly. ¡°Yes, we are. I¡¯m sure that your mother missed you a lot, so don¡¯t be surprised if she hugs you the second you come into her line of sight.¡±


    Qinghe nodded, preparing himself mentally to accept his mother¡¯s touches.


    The two people then set out on the pathway stretching from the sand-colored platform, walking steadily towards the Feng household.


    Reaching it a few minutes later, they had just entered the large iron gates when the door to the house suddenly opened, followed by a woman hurrying out.


    ¡°Ah-Xin? Is that you?¡±


    The woman¡¯s voice as she spoke was pleasant and clear, carrying through crisply.


    Her face was oval with a daintily pointed chin, her features delicate yet expressive as they showed her open disbelief and hope upon sensing her husband after such a long time. Though her stature seemed somewhat small, she nevertheless moved energetically and with an ease and lightness to her step that suggested her expertise in martial arts.


    The second she saw her husband, the uncertainty in Feng Chunyi¡¯s face disappeared as she rushed forward to jump into Feng Huixin¡¯s embrace, her arms clamping tightly around his waist.


    ¡°Ah-Xin! You¡¯re finally back! I missed you so much!¡± she exclaimed, her emotions of happiness and relief gushing out unhidden, the very picture of a loving wife who¡¯d been yearning to see her husband desperately.


    Feng Huixin¡¯s expression softened in the face of his wife¡¯s obvious eagerness and affection. But just when he was about to open his mouth to reply, his body suddenly went stiff with surprise.


    Her hands having crept down, Feng Chunyi squeezed her husband¡¯s backside as she observed perceptively, ¡°Ah-Xin, why does your ass feel like it lost some meat?¡±


    The innocent Qinghe who was forced to witness his mother¡¯s shamelessness: ¡°¡­¡±


    Coughing to alleviate his embarrassment, Feng Huixin quickly redirected his wife¡¯s attention, ¡°Chunyi, I brought back our son.¡±


    Feng Chunyi froze, a hint of fear flashing in her eyes.


    She knew that by now her little Qinghe would have already grown up into a man, looking at things more clearly than when he was a child. And now that her son had matured, how would he look at her? Would his affection and respect for his mother already have turned to disgust after he understood what type of a person she was?


    Just then, thinking to prepare his wife in advance, Feng Huixin bent down to whisper to her, ¡°And Chunyi, our son also seems to have lost his memories of the time before his fall, so please keep that in mind.¡±


    Her apprehension forgotten, Feng Chunyi showed a shocked expression as she excitedly whispered back to her husband, ¡°That brat! He¡¯s just like me!¡±


    Hearing this, Feng Huixin¡¯s brows twitched. While it was true that his wife had also lost her memories due to a fall, albeit from a cliff, but was this still the attitude a person would have at being told that their child lost all memories relating to them?!


    But then again, Feng Huixin felt that he should¡¯ve long since gotten used to his wife¡¯s strangeness by now.


    Meanwhile, Feng Chunyi carefully tilted her head to the side and peeked out from behind Feng Huixin''s shoulder to take a look at her grown up son¡­


    ¡­and suddenly, her eyes brightened, all her reservations vanishing.


    Letting go of her husband, Feng Chunyi zoomed towards her startled son and began circling him, her fingers holding her chin in contemplation.


    Her little Qinghe had grown up to be such a fine young man, his disposition particularly steady and calm. That expressionless face was especially like her husband, but his little movements and the way he carried himself definitely reminded her of herself. And from what she could see of the distribution of his muscles, he also seemed to favor agility type martial arts just like her.


    Feng Chunyi also recognized the robes her son was wearing as belonging to her husband. These robes had good defensive capability and had been a gift from some high-ranking person. But looking at its faded appearance now and the tear on the back, it was clear that whatever danger her son had faced had been beyond these robes¡¯ ability to handle. And yet, despite this and all the injuries she sensed that her son had sustained, he didn¡¯t show the slightest hint of weakness or uncertainty, his posture remaining ready for battle without making his guardedness too obvious.


    And rather than feeling wronged that her son was instinctively guarding against her, Feng Chunyi only felt pleased. Since her Qinghe didn¡¯t remember her, there¡¯d be something wrong with his head if he didn¡¯t keep at least a bit of his defenses up against someone he was currently unfamiliar with. After all, that was how she¡¯d taught him to be! And seeing him subconsciously following her teachings while also politely standing in place to let her scrutinize him, Feng Chunyi could only applaud her son¡¯s attitude.


    Though she didn¡¯t know what all had gone into shaping her little Qinghe into the person he was now, Feng Chunyi still couldn¡¯t help but feel that every part of him was absolutely flawless.


    Finally stopping in front of Qinghe with her hands on her waist and her chest puffed out proudly, Feng Chunyi declared, ¡°As expected of me! Look how perfect our son turned out!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Feng Huixin looked at his wife with grievance as she claimed all the credit for their son. After all, he had been involved in making him too!


    Seeing all this play out, Qinghe really didn¡¯t know how to react.


    In the end, he chose to simply smile and say, ¡°Hello, Mother. I have returned. I apologize for the worry I must have caused you.¡±


    As she saw her son¡¯s cold face melt into a small smile that was directed at her, Feng Chunyi felt like her heart would explode.


    Lunging onto Qinghe, Feng Chunyi squeezed him in a tight hug. ¡°Ah, so well-mannered and still so cute! It seems you really take after me!¡±


    Hearing this, Feng Huixin was rendered speechless.


    Who are you saying is well-mannered, my dearest wife? You, with titles like the Chaos-Bringing God, the Omen of Destruction, the Deity of War, and one of the most unreasonable deities known to ever inhabit the heavenly realm? Can you really claim to be well-mannered when people call you with all those names?!


    While Feng Huixin was filled with even more grievances, Qinghe was simply luxuriating in the warmth of his mother¡¯s embrace. The scent of dew-dampened mint that she exuded stirred his memory with its familiarity. Towards this person, Qinghe felt a remembered sense of deep-seated respect and worship. It seemed that his childhood self had greatly looked up to his mother.


    Lifting a hand, Feng Chunyi pulled her son¡¯s head down by the nape of his neck and planted two affectionate little kisses on his cheeks. But rather than letting go once she was done, her hand on her son¡¯s nape only tightened.


    Straightening again, Qinghe looked at her with confusion. ¡°Mother?¡±


    Feng Chunyi¡¯s brows suddenly furrowed as she finally let go. ¡°Qinghe, your nape is tense. Are you in pain?¡±


    Qinghe widened his eyes in surprise at her astuteness. He honestly replied, ¡°Yes. Due to certain circumstances, I had to shatter my core. It hurts a bit because of that, but that¡¯s all.¡±


    Hearing this, Feng Huixin immediately suggested, ¡°Then we better not wait and get it fixed soon. I¡¯ll ask the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s permission to reserve the healing pool for your use.¡±


    But Qinghe wearily shook his head. ¡°If it¡¯s possible, I would like to get some rest before that so that whatever healing procedure I¡¯ll have to undergo won¡¯t put too much strain on my body.¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s worry only increased as he reassured, ¡°Using the healing pool will be completely painless and not be strenuous at all. Are you sure you want to wait till later?¡±


    Qinghe nodded.


    Seeing her son¡¯s slightly wan face, Feng Chunyi asked seriously, ¡°Qinghe, are you able to bear the pain till tomorrow?¡±


    Though the question surprised him, Qinghe still answered, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s not a problem.¡±


    Letting out a breath, Feng Chunyi nodded and instructed, ¡°Then change your clothes and sleep in your room till tomorrow morning. You can heal your core after that.¡±


    Qinghe smiled at her with gratitude. ¡°Yes, thank you, Mother.¡±


    He was afraid that his mother would be unlike his father as she seemed to be in many other ways and that she would stubbornly push him to get his core immediately healed. But thankfully, she seemed to understand that he was already beyond exhausted by now.


    And so, after swallowing a few dozens of healing pills given to him by his concerned parents, Qinghe followed them into the Feng residence, his eyes already growing heavy due to tiredness.


    What he was able to make out of the house through the haze of sleepiness seemed warm and vaguely familiar just like everything else he¡¯d seen after coming here. And as he walked through the hallways of the house, his vigilance instinctually lowered in this place as if knowing without a doubt that he would be safe here.


    The family of three finally stopped in front of a door with an elaborate silver tiger inlaid into the wood. Rather than looking fearsome, the beast looked wise and majestic as its eyes seemed to stare at them with an incisive gaze.


    ¡°Qinghe, this used to be your room before. It¡¯s big enough that you should be able to stay here even now,¡± Feng Chunyi spoke.


    Nodding, Qinghe pushed open the door and stepped inside, followed by his parents.


    Entering the room, Feng Huixin suddenly paused in his steps. ¡°T-That¡­ Chunyi, did you¡­replace the bed?¡±


    Qinghe was also curiously studying the strange bed.


    It was large and seemed to be very solid and sturdy. Extending from its four corners were four carved posters, supporting a wooden frame above that was fitted with hooks. As if to demonstrate its purpose, chains with shackles at the end dangled from these hooks.


    Huffing proudly, Feng Chunyi explained, ¡°Since the Heavenly Emperor already told me that our son has a lover he might bring with him, I naturally prepared an appropriate bed for them! Well, whenever Qinghe¡¯s lover ascends, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll both love to use it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Feng Huixin could only sigh and massage his temple.


    However, Qinghe just tilted his head and asked, ¡°Why does this bed look so strange? It seems just like the one that Black Fang¡¯s leader Yuan Sheng had. And why are there chains hanging from those hooks? Is this some sort of an interrogation device?¡±


    Facing her clueless son, Feng Chunyi just gaped. How come her son was still so innocent?!


    Coughing lightly, Feng Huixin spoke, ¡°Qinghe, ask Xiang-er about this later, he will explain.¡±


    Qinghe still looked puzzled, but seriously nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll ask him then. Father, can I have some of your spare clothes? I¡¯d like to change into something more comfortable and sleep.¡±


    Nodding, Feng Huixin quickly rummaged in his storage space. Finding a loose robe, he gave it to Qinghe, knowing that it was the type in which his son usually preferred to sleep in. Then he took out another set of clothes so that Qinghe could wear them tomorrow after he woke up.


    Not minding his parents¡¯ presence, Qinghe quickly changed into the much more comfortable robe that his father just gave him, then headed straight towards the bed.


    But realizing that his parents were also following behind him for some reason, Qinghe turned back to look at them with evident confusion. ¡°¡­Mother? Father? Are you also¡­getting on the bed with me?¡±


    Feng Chunyi firmly nodded. ¡°Yes, we¡¯re going to lie down with you. Who knows whether our little Qinghe will run off to be mischievous again and get kidnapped? We can¡¯t have that now, can we?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s mouth twitched. Why did it feel like his mother would never let him live that down? Though sneaking away and getting kidnapped that time had indeed resulted in his falling, he had only been a child back then! Surely his mother didn¡¯t think that he¡¯d repeat the same thing when he was already this old?!


    Not seeing his son''s aggrieved expression, Feng Huixin earnestly added, ¡°Qinghe, just let us lie down with you for today. It¡¯s been such a long time since we¡¯ve stayed together like this as a family.¡±


    Hearing this, Qinghe finally nodded and acquiesced.


    He¡¯d thought that since his mother and father had seen each other after so long, they would be very eager to spend time alone together. But for them to forego that and choose to stay with him instead showed how much they feared somehow losing him once again.


    Understanding that, how could he refuse them?


    And so, the family of three lied down together with Qinghe snuggled in the middle, his parents¡¯ arms draped over him from either side. Feeling their care and protectiveness, along with their affection and love towards him, Qinghe felt as if he was drowning in a sweet and light warmth that was glowing softly from within him.


    As his mother¡¯s and father¡¯s comforting and reassuring presence soothed his mind into peaceful sleep, Qinghe¡¯s only regret was that he couldn¡¯t share this warmth with his beloved Xiang¡­


    The next day, Feng Huixin got permission from the Heavenly Emperor for Qinghe to use the Lotus Nectar Pond, also called the healing pool, which could heal anything except death.


    And so, Qinghe entered the healing pool and slept to fix his broken core.


    But much to everyone¡¯s worry, though all the damage to his body¡ªboth physical and spiritual¡ªhad completely healed, Qinghe still didn¡¯t awaken from his peaceful slumber.


    In this way, years passed.


    ¡­¡­


    In the mortal realm, Wei Xiang looked up at the bright afternoon sky stretching above him expressionlessly, feeling nothing stirring inside him despite the cheerful blue reflected in his eyes.


    As his gaze remained fixed upward, Wei Xiang habitually raised his right hand to trace the line of the armband on his upper left arm, feeling its shape and smoothness through the cloth.


    It had already been three years since he and Qinghe had parted.


    During this time, Wei Xiang had worked hard with his cultivation and had steadily risen up to the peak of demigod level. He¡¯d taken charge of the Order of Sentinels and upheld the law in his master¡¯s stead.


    After requesting the Heavenly Emperor to permanently connect the heavenly realm to this world through the Feng residence¡¯s transportation array, Feng Huixin had also visited Wei Xiang and the Order several times till now, making the transition of power smoother.


    And every time, he had the same news for his third disciple¨D


    Qinghe hadn¡¯t woken up.


    Wei Xiang felt endlessly worried and wished more than anything to go to his lover and hold him again, to somehow wake him up and see him smile, to spend their time together while filling their days with joy and nights with passion¡­


    But for now, Wei Xiang was unable to do any of that, and it weighed on him until the entire inside of chest felt as if it were being crushed.


    Thinking of his Qinghe lying in that pool unmoving, just like he had been that day after the battle at the Castle of Echoes, still and lifeless, his body feeling light and empty, made feelings of panic thrum wildly inside him.


    And yet, as he was now, he could do nothing about it.


    Though this thought made him feel like his insides were being wrenched with raw agony, Wei Xiang¡¯s face still remained impassive. After all, he had long since grown used to this pain.


    Meanwhile, at the side, Kong Min watched his junior brother gaze at the boundless blue sky not as if it was a sign of freedom, but rather as if it were the roof of his cage. And trapped as he was in this world until he could ascend, maybe that was indeed the case for Wei Xiang.


    These past few years, Kong Min had watched his previously sardonic yet lively junior brother turn grim and austere, worrying every one of his fellow officers due to this sudden change.


    It was especially apparent since after getting together with his little lover, Wei Xiang had seemed to be having a lot more fun each day, his smiles less cutting and more happy. And now, while separated from his Qinghe, the stark difference in Wei Xiang¡¯s attitude showed just how deeply his lover¡¯s extended absence was hitting him.


    Wei Xiang no longer smiled, and even if he did, it was grim and without humor. And unlike before, he had even stopped beating up the other officers in the guise of training as he used to do whenever he was in a bad mood. Instead, he just sat and worked at his desk or patrolled random faraway towns.


    And now, as he was standing near the edge of the pavilion that overlooked clear waters, Wei Xiang¡¯s back looked especially lonely and despondent, an air of melancholy stamped onto this image.


    Seeing this, Kong Min felt his own heart ache, but unless there was some way for him to bring his junior brother¡¯s little lover back to him, he knew that there was nothing he could do.


    Just as Kong Min wracked his brain to find some way to cheer up his junior brother, a loud boom of thunder echoed from overhead, making even the earth tremor with its power.


    Kong Min looked up at the sky with surprise and saw thick, dark clouds congealing in the middle of the otherwise bright blue sky.


    What was happening?


    On the other hand, as Wei Xiang felt a heavy pressure being directed towards him from those clouds, his eyes immediately shone brightly. It was finally here!


    Looking back at his senior brother, Wei Xiang quickly spoke, ¡°I¡¯ll have to go someplace else to avoid the headquarters getting damaged. Kong Min, take care of my work for me.¡±


    Kong Min looked at him blankly, then back up at the thick layer of clouds that were slowly covering the sky like black ink dissolving into clear water. Thick flashes of pure white lightning arced between the clouds, followed by the roar and clap of thunder.


    It couldn¡¯t be¡­


    Seeing his senior brother¡¯s astonished expression, Wei Xiang smiled happily and nodded, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the lightning tribulation heralding my ascension.¡±


    And then, as the crash of thunder grew louder and louder while the clouds grew thick enough to turn the world darker, Wei Xiang transformed into a golden wyvern and flew away, pulling the tribulation clouds and lightning along with him to a deserted and uninhabited place to undergo his tribulation without fear of damaging any human settlements.


    Left behind, Kong Min looked at the departing figure of his junior brother with a relieved smile, his mind replaying Wei Xiang¡¯s joyful expression.


    It seemed that his junior brother would finally be able to break out of his cage now.


    ¡­¡­


    An endless ocean of soft blue stretched above the heavenly realm, pure and clear.


    Below, there was a large, square pool constructed entirely with white marble, wide and shallow stairs leading into it from all four sides.


    This pool was filled with a light bluish green liquid, its surface covered with a smattering of placidly floating white lotuses and their round leaves. Thick green stalks thrust out of the waters here and there, supporting more leaves, lotus buds, and seedpods.


    As the gentle breeze blew over the cool water while lightly rippling the dense liquid, the lotus stalks waved and bobbed gracefully as if in polite greeting. And as the wind also stirred the plump lotuses, the elegant blooms lightly rotated in the water and swayed mesmerizingly.


    Cupped within the pearly white petals of these fully bloomed lotuses was a bright golden light. This soft, warm light slowly welled within the blooms and spilled out in the form of sparkling grains of golden luminescence, floating down onto the water and gently dissolving into the bluish green liquid. These golden specks of light were the grains formed out of the heavenly pearl lotuses¡¯ nectar, condensed into potent granules that spilled into and infused the water in the pool with the extremely strong ability to heal.


    Lying in the middle of this pool of lotuses was a young man, sleeping while submerged in the peaceful depths of these bluish green waters.


    His hands were resting on his belly, his eyes closed and eyebrows relaxed. His pale skin and lightly shifting robes seemed to be of the same hue as the marble floor of the pool while seen through the layer of light colored liquid. The black strands of his hair floated around him, like streaks of silken black spreading outward. An air of calm serenity and tranquility was draped over him, as if he were an existence removed from time itself.


    Suddenly, the young man¡¯s eyelashes trembled, then lifted up to reveal a pair of dazed eyes.


    As he recalled his memories, the befuddlement in those eyes cleared. The young man then slowly rose up to stand in the knee-high pool. The thick bluish green waters cascaded down from his body as he stood upright, the liquid clinging onto him as if loathe to part.


    Raising a hand, the young man slowly placed it on his diaphragm as a smile bent his lips.


    Qinghe could very clearly feel his soul bond singing.


    His Xiang was finally here!


    Just now, sensing his lover¡¯s proximity was what had spurred the sleeping Qinghe to waken in the first place. And not willing to dally for too long, Qinghe began wading through the pool to get to the edge, then slowly climbed the steps.


    Feeling the weight of his soaked clothes and the ticklishness of his dripping hair plastered to his face, Qinghe paused for a moment and summoned the wind.


    Now that his core had completely healed, the wind effortlessly answered his call and whirled around him, drying his clothes and hair completely within seconds.


    Qinghe gave out a light shiver at the resultant feeling of coldness, but curiously enough, he felt that the golden band around his ankle was comfortingly warm.


    Dispersing the wind, Qinghe stretched his body and marveled at how light it felt now. His spiritual circulation also seemed much smoother, the action of calling wind much easier. He supposed that this newfound efficiency was a result of his divinity settling in, along with the complete healing of all his previous wounds and the layers of sequelae he¡¯d built up over the years. This healing pool was truly very useful.


    Adjusting his disheveled appearance to something more proper, Qinghe continued his way forward with steady steps.


    Following the pull of his soul bond, Qinghe exited the cleared surroundings of the healing pool and entered the bustling part of the city, ignoring everything around him as he continued to walk further to the city¡¯s edge.


    Leaping up, he perched stably on the border wall and looked down.


    Below and at a distance from the city¡¯s walls, a low and giant platform was situated, surrounded by a crowd of curious deities.


    Twelve pillars circled the edge of this platform, each with a magnificent statue of a legendary beast perched atop it. Standing at the center of the platform was a tall, arched doorway. But rather than a door, what stretched within its confines was a strange prismatic surface that reflected light in various hues, shifting and blending together endlessly.


    And standing in front of this strange archway was Wei Xiang.


    Feng Huixin and Feng Chunyi stood beside him in welcome, with Feng Huixin worriedly asking about his health after his tribulation while Feng Chunyi assessed her son-in-law with inquisitive eyes that soon turned approving.


    But Wei Xiang¡¯s expression remained steady despite his recent ascension and meeting his strange mother-in-law for the first time. Neither apprehension nor joyful pride was visible on his expression, earning him the respect of the watching deities.


    Such a person with a calm and stable deportment despite finally having ascended was truly worthy of being the Deity of Judgment¡¯s disciple!


    Meanwhile, Wei Xiang battled his soul-deep weariness, consoling himself with the thought of being able to see his little lover soon, even if he would still be sleeping in that healing pool.


    But even though he hadn¡¯t yet gone to see his beloved, Wei Xiang marveled at how, just by entering the heavenly realm, it already felt as if his Qinghe was nearby, just outside this crowd of deities, watching him with those clear eyes as he prepared to call out to him at any moment¨D


    ¡°Xiang!¡±


    Wei Xiang blinked. But before he could figure out whether that shout was real or was just a result of his own wishful imagination, a heavy body crashed into him, clamping its arms around him tightly.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes widened in shock as he froze.


    He could distinctly feel warm breath fanning over his ear and sense the vibrations of steady heartbeats against his chest. He could hear the rush of blood through veins and smell the familiar scent of mint from the person hugging him.


    This¡­was this really Qinghe?


    Leaning back, Qinghe looked up at his Xiang¡¯s befuddled expression and chuckled. In a playful tone, he teased, ¡°Xiang, you¡¯re already here! Did you miss me so much that you ascended so soon?¡±


    Seeing the familiar smile on that beautiful face along with that mischievous twinkle in those liquid eyes, Wei Xiang finally believed that his little lover had indeed woken up and had really come to find him.


    In a slightly thick voice, Wei Xiang chided, ¡°Qinghe, you imp. Do you realize that it¡¯s already been three years since you left me?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes widened. Three years?! But it only felt like he¡¯d entered the healing pool a few hours ago!


    Wei Xiang pulled his beloved close again and whispered, ¡°But now that you¡¯re awake and I¡¯m here, it¡¯s okay. Everything¡¯s finally okay now.¡±


    Hearing this, Qinghe felt his expression softening. For his Xiang to sound so distraught, he must have missed him very much all this time.


    But they were together now, they¡¯d unerringly found their way to each other again. And this time, they¡¯d hold on to their beloved tightly and never let go.


    As this thought filled his mind, Qinghe lifted his head at the same time Wei Xiang bent his, their lips meeting in the middle and clamping over one another.


    And so, they finally found their home.


    crimson_carnation

 Chapter 127: A Family Together

    After finally finding their way to each other after a long time, Qinghe and Wei Xiang forgot the rest of the world as they passionately locked lips and embraced the other tightly.


    Uncaring of the people watching, the pair of reunited lovers freely expressed their longing and affection towards each other, enclosed in their own little world consisting only of their beloved.


    Qinghe felt his senses filled completely with the presence of his Xiang. All he could feel under his hands were the muscles shifting beneath his beloved¡¯s clothed body, all he could smell was his lover¡¯s familiar scent, all he could taste was his Xiang¡¯s mouth, and all he could hear was the sound of his beloved¡¯s murmurs of pleasure.


    He keenly felt Wei Xiang¡¯s warm lips branding their heat into his own as his lover¡¯s flexible tongue relentlessly filled his mouth with its long licks and sensual caresses, his beloved¡¯s insatiable hunger apparent as he devoured him with his mouth and hands, their bodies pressed inseparably closer.


    As the couple was thus indulging in each other fully, a clear voice suddenly sounded from close beside them, ¡°Eh, your kissing technique is not bad.¡±


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang abruptly pulled apart and stared at Feng Chunyi¡¯s grinning face.


    His expression distorting into helplessness, Qinghe complained, ¡°Mother, you interrupted us!¡±


    Wei Xiang could only shake his head as he tried to regain his breath.


    Feng Chunyi replied with disgruntlement, ¡°You didn¡¯t even tell your own parents that you were awake before jumping onto your lover, so why should I be polite? Hmph!¡±


    Qinghe rolled his eyes while Feng Huixin stepped up to be the peacemaker, ¡°Now, now, Chunyi. They¡¯ve just seen each other after a long time, so don¡¯t begrudge them their time together.¡±


    Puffing her cheeks, Feng Chunyi glared at her betraying husband who¡¯d decided to take their son and son-in-law¡¯s side.


    On the other hand, deciding that he wouldn¡¯t be able to enjoy his Xiang in peace in this place, Qinghe began dragging Wei Xiang by the hand. ¡°Xiang, it¡¯s so noisy here. Come, I¡¯ll take you to my house and we can spend the rest of the day in my room without a certain person interrupting us.¡±


    The ¡®certain person¡¯ Feng Chunyi felt her mouth twitch. This brat!


    But holding his wife close so that she wouldn¡¯t do anything to disturb his sons¡¯ reunion, Feng Huixin soothed, ¡°Chunyi, just leave them to enjoy each other¡¯s company. Meanwhile, how about we spend this day by ourselves doing something you like?¡±


    Feng Chunyi¡¯s eyes brightened as she immediately proposed, ¡°Then let¡¯s go and drink some wine! The first one who gets drunk will lose and have to wash dishes for this entire week!¡±


    Feng Huixin stiffened, then sighed and gave in with a nod. ¡°Very well, let¡¯s do that then.¡±


    And so, the Feng Huixin who got easily intoxicated heroically sacrificed himself to let his sons have their blissful time together.


    ¡­¡­


    After dragging Wei Xiang with him, Qinghe used his wind to quickly fly the both of them to the Feng residence, barging into his home and speeding directly towards his room.


    All the while, Wei Xiang could only follow along as he smiled indulgently at his lover¡¯s eagerness.


    Reaching his room, Qinghe pulled Wei Xiang inside, firmly locked the door, and headed directly to the bed. Then finally letting go of his lover¡¯s hand, Qinghe began undressing impatiently before plopping naked onto the bed.


    But when he looked up expectantly, he saw that Wei Xiang was only staring at him with unfathomably deep eyes, his expression blank.


    Qinghe felt puzzled for a moment before realization dawned.


    With a soft smile, Qinghe took Wei Xiang¡¯s hand and placed the palm on his skin, right over his heart, so that his lover could feel it beating wildly.


    In a soothing voice, Qinghe spoke, ¡°See? I¡¯m real, I¡¯m here. This is truly happening.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s face lightly jerked as he heard this. His little lover seemed to have seen right through his uncertainties.


    Feeling the warmth of his beloved¡¯s bared skin and the rapid flutter of heartbeat thudding inside that chest, Wei Xiang finally let himself hope that this was not just a dream that would once again end tragically. His Qinghe was really here in front of him, awake, alive, and waiting for him to also undress so that they could reaffirm their bond through their bodies.


    Seeing it slowly sinking into his beloved, Qinghe continued teasingly, ¡°You¡¯re still not coming over? Don¡¯t tell me that after so long, you even forgot how to¨D¡±


    Wei Xiang quickly pounced, not letting his impish little lover finish the sentence. Removing his clothes swiftly, Wei Xiang pushed down on a laughing Qinghe and pressed little kisses over that smiling mouth.


    Wanting to sate his own need, Qinghe raised his hands to explore the firm body of his beloved that seemed to have gained slightly more height and muscle, his hands roving over the smooth skin as he luxuriated in the familiar warmth.


    His eyes already growing dazed, Qinghe looked up at Wei Xiang and suddenly asked, "Xiang, why does it seem like you got bigger?"


    Wei Xiang chuffed out an amused breath as he retorted, ¡°Maybe you¡¯re the one who shrunk while I was gone.¡±


    Qinghe childishly stuck out his tongue in retaliation, only for Wei Xiang to take this opportunity to swoop down and suck that little tongue into his own mouth. Qinghe let out an incoherent sound of surprise, then began to moan softly as he happily gave in to the kiss.


    As their mouths remained melded, the lovers¡¯ hands eagerly slid on each other¡¯s skin, trailing over the locations of the sensitive points they¡¯d learnt during previous couplings and igniting the slow burn of arousal until it grew into a blazing, raging inferno.


    Leaning back to regain his breath, Wei Xiang quickly retrieved a small bottle of oil to pour over his finger before he carefully pressed it into his little lover¡¯s entrance.


    Qinghe panted breathlessly as he eagerly pulled up his legs and tried to relax himself. He wanted the preparation to be over with as quickly as possible so that he could feel his beloved¡¯s hard member driving itself deep inside him, stretching him to the limit and filling him up completely. But no matter how much he tried to force his inner muscles to loosen, they still seemed to clamp too tightly onto the intruding fingertip.


    Wei Xiang smiled as he remarked huskily, ¡°It seems that in the three years we spent apart, your sweet little ass grew to be tighter than when you were a virgin.¡±


    Qinghe blushed brightly as he chided, ¡°Xiang!¡±


    But despite his protest, Qinghe felt his desire inexplicably growing in the face of those blunt words.


    Sensing the thickening scent of his beloved¡¯s arousal, Wei Xiang grinned wider as he kept pushing his slickened finger further in steadily into the warm and soft confines of his little lover.


    In a playful voice, he said deliberately, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, love, by the end of the day, I¡¯ll make sure to train this tight little hole so that it can fully take me in again.¡±


    Hearing such words, Qinghe reddened even more, biting his lower lip as his lowered eyelashes quivered.


    Not willing to squander this chance to play with his blushing beloved, even as Wei Xiang kept thrusting his finger in deeper, he moved his other hand to caress the soft skin of one of his little lover¡¯s buttocks before squeezing the elastic mound.


    His palm still cupping his beloved¡¯s backside while a thumb lightly rubbed the skin, Wei Xiang murmured in a husky voice, his appreciation unhidden, ¡°Qinghe, love, do you know? If a flower petal were to fall down and trace along the softness of your buttocks, even it would feel ashamed of its own coarseness in comparison.¡±


    Qinghe swallowed thickly, feeling that his throat had gone dry. A sweet warmth seemed to bloom in his chest as he heard his lover¡¯s earnest voice.


    Unable to take all this teasing anymore, Qinghe turned his head away in both bashfulness and abject embarrassment. ¡°X-Xiang, e-enough!¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled. ¡°And now you sound like your Brother Jing.¡±


    Qinghe glared at his lover and parted his lips as if to retort, but his expression soon melted into one of increased arousal as he felt another long finger pushing its way inside him, rubbing over the sensitized walls of his passage with experienced motions.


    Shifting restlessly, Qinghe groaned. ¡°Ah, Xiang¡­nh¡­quick¡­¡±


    His expression growing heated, Wei Xiang tried his best to be gentle even as he resisted his beloved¡¯s pleas to hurry it up. With as tight as his lover¡¯s passage had gotten due to these long years of being unused, Wei Xiang didn¡¯t want to risk accidentally hurting him if he rushed and went in with incomplete preparation.


    But unwilling to keep going at such a slow pace, Qinghe writhed and complained in a husky whisper as Wei Xiang added in a third finger, stretching the tight passage wide open and letting it get accustomed to the girth.


    Only when Wei Xiang was absolutely sure that his beloved could take him in without hurting did he withdraw his fingers. Then positioning himself over Qinghe¡¯s opening, Wei Xiang entered his little lover, slowly, carefully, and tenderly pushing inside his beloved as if he were claiming sacred ground.


    Qinghe gasped and whimpered as he felt the familiar shape of his lover¡¯s large organ pressing into him firmly, yet gently, as if afraid to cause him the slightest of hurt or discomfort. Relaxing into the sheets, Qinghe closed his eyes and lifted his legs to cross his ankles behind his lover¡¯s neck, enjoying the feel of the measured friction as Wei Xiang¡¯s shaft pushed into his tight passage carefully, forcing open his inner walls as it invaded deep inside.


    Once Wei Xiang was fully seated within his beloved, the couple took a moment to savor this feeling of their bodies being completely joined after so long.


    And then Wei Xiang slowly started to move, gradually withdrawing before sinking back in. Qinghe arched back and tilted his hips to take his lover in more smoothly. All the while, he groaned and panted, and sometimes groused vocally.


    ¡°¡­Xiang¡­mn¡­too slow¡­why aren¡¯t you¡­hnn¡­going¡­faster?¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled and bent down to place a kiss on Qinghe¡¯s nose. In a deep voice and affectionate tone, he returned, ¡°Oh? Are you saying that you aren¡¯t enjoying this?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Uh¡­that¡¯s not¡­ahh¡­¡±


    Qinghe panted and shifted restlessly, unable to reply as he tried to adjust. Due to Wei Xiang bending down while Qinghe¡¯s ankles still remained crossed behind his beloved¡¯s neck, Qinghe was almost bent in half at the waist. And though he was flexible enough that this didn¡¯t bother him, in this position, Qinghe felt that his Xiang¡¯s member was pushing in too deep as his walls squeezed that thick shaft too tightly.


    Seeing the little frown on his beloved¡¯s brows, Wei Xiang asked concernedly, ¡°What is it, love? Does it hurt?¡±


    Qinghe shook his head and hoarsely complained, ¡°...mn¡­deep¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh? You want me to go deeper?¡± Wei Xiang asked, then pushed his hips forward abruptly.


    ¡°A-Ah!¡±


    His back arching as he yelped, Qinghe lifted his hands and gripped his lover¡¯s shoulders, trying to regain his sense of stability. ¡°X-Xiang¡­you¡­¡±


    ¡°Was it not deep enough?¡± Wei Xiang teased even as a hand slowly massaged his beloved¡¯s hip soothingly.


    Qinghe groaned thickly, then pulled his lover down to bite his jaw before sucking on it strongly as if in retribution to the teasing.


    Wei Xiang eyes darkened in response, the simmering heat inside him reaching a boil as he felt the slight sting of the small bite and the spreading warmth resulting from his beloved¡¯s suction.


    Leaning back with a red mark on his jaw, Wei Xiang gripped his little lover¡¯s hips and suddenly sped up the movement of his lower body, driving in and out of the slick passage in rapid and powerful motions.


    Shuddering at this sudden burst of pleasurable friction dragging over his sensitive inner walls, Qinghe loosened his ankles from behind Wei Xiang¡¯s neck, his heels pressing down lightly on his lover¡¯s shoulders instead as he tried to lift his hips and offer the best angle for his beloved to plunge into.


    As wave after wave of intense heat relentlessly washed over him, his body squirmed and twisted in the sheets helplessly. Qinghe reached up to clutch the vertical bars in the bed¡¯s headboard, tremblingly bracing his body to receive the hard thrusts pounding relentlessly into his soft channel.


    While gasping and groaning his beloved¡¯s name, Qinghe made his inner muscles squeeze and release the thick member moving inside him in rhythmic motions to grant his Xiang the most pleasure. Faced with this stimulation, Wei Xiang almost went out of his mind at the sensation of his little lover¡¯s passage loosening in welcome as he thrust in and clamping down on his shaft as if loathe to part when he withdrew.


    His hips moved faster and faster as the sound of flesh slapping against flesh grew louder and increased in fervency.


    Feeling that this was not enough, Wei Xiang suddenly pulled Qinghe towards him by his hips. Surprised, Qinghe¡¯s fingers automatically tightened their grip on the bars overhead, causing his body to be stretched taut between the headboard and his lover.


    His eyes unfocused and his expression dazed, Qinghe asked in a befuddled voice, ¡°Uhn¡­X-Xiang¡­what are you¡­¡±


    As if in answer, Wei Xiang bent down and lightly nipped, then strongly sucked one of the pink buds standing stiff on his little lover¡¯s heaving chest.


    Qinghe melted into the sheets at the raw sensations spreading from those sensitive little bundles of nerves. His hands loosened, then slowly lowered from the headboard as he clutched at his beloved¡¯s head, his slender white fingers sinking into Wei Xiang¡¯s silken black hair.


    Wei Xiang devotedly worshipped the two perky buds with his mouth, enjoying the strangled sounds of pleasure it evoked from his little lover and the helpless shifting of his beloved¡¯s body under him even as Wei Xiang kept up the frantic and punishing rhythm of his thrusts.


    Qinghe felt like he was drowning in the deluge of this all-consuming pleasure without any hope of surfacing from its depths. He desperately gasped for breath and tried to find his senses before simply giving up and letting himself sink deeper.


    As his lover¡¯s mouth on his chest, his hands on his hips, and his organ buried inside him continued to ruthlessly and thoroughly torment him, pushing him deeper and deeper into the depths of absolute, mindless pleasure, Qinghe finally let himself go over that familiar edge, letting the sensations overflow as he stiffened and shuddered with a long, drawn-out groan.


    As white liquid spurted out from Qinghe¡¯s straining shaft to spatter his stomach and chest, Wei Xiang felt his beloved¡¯s passage squeezing him tightly before spasming around his member as if in urgent invitation for him to spill himself inside these soft and warm confines.


    And so, with a growl, Wei Xiang gave in, letting his own climax wash over him as he emptied himself into his beloved.


    Spent and breathless, Qinghe laid slumped on the bed, feeling his lover¡¯s member jerking and releasing thick, scalding liquid inside his tender passage, drenching and filling it with heat.


    As Wei Xiang finally finished, he kept his hold on his beloved, bent over and panting hard as he tried to recover his breath. Then slowly disengaging, he rested beside Qinghe on the bed and pulled his little lover close, his palm moving up and down over his beloved¡¯s sweaty back lovingly.


    Qinghe happily snuggled into his lover¡¯s warmth, relishing the careful and comforting touch of those familiar hands.


    In a hoarse voice, Qinghe spoke, ¡°Xiang, if I remember right, I think there¡¯s a stream of some sort in the forest surrounding the house. Given that the entire forest belongs to the Feng household anyway and since Mother and Father probably won¡¯t return to the residence for a while, nobody should interrupt us if we wash up there.¡±


    Wei Xiang frowned thoughtfully, then nodded. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go there to take a bath and clean you up.¡±


    Qinghe smiled widely and lifted his arms, wordlessly asking his lover to carry him there.


    With an amused and affectionate chuckle, Wei Xiang carefully picked his beloved up before heading out the house, much like how he¡¯d carried his little lover to the stream in Qinghe¡¯s backyard at the Heavenly Peak Sect after their first time together.


    Listening for the sound of flowing water and heading in that direction, Wei Xiang easily navigated the vegetation and quickly arrived at the stream.


    His eyes brightening, Qinghe immediately said, ¡°Yes, this is it. This is the one I vaguely remember playing with Father in, especially the part that¡¯s further downstream and cutting through a plain. I think there are even fishes there.¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled warmly at the excited expression on his little lover¡¯s face.


    But as both of them soon entered the crystalline waters to begin washing, Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes widened in shock.


    ¡°This¡­ Is this stream made of pure spiritual water?¡±


    Hearing this, Qinghe tilted his head in question. He felt like he¡¯d vaguely heard about spiritual water before, something about how even a drop of it was a very valuable and sought after treasure since it was good for nourishing the spirit and advancing cultivation. But because he was already a deity and his beloved had also ascended, Qinghe didn¡¯t think this spiritual water would be of much use to either of them. Unless¡­


    Perking up, Qinghe asked with sparkling eyes, ¡°Does this spiritual water taste good?¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s mouth twitched. Then with a smirk, he replied, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard that it does indeed taste good, but if you¡¯re that curious, why don¡¯t you find out for yourself?¡±


    Saying so, Wei Xiang immediately pushed the unsuspecting Qinghe into the stream.


    Clear water splashed up high into the air as large ripples bloomed on the stream¡¯s surface, with Wei Xiang chuckling happily in amusement as he watched from the side. But before he could laugh for long, a drenched Qinghe rose up from the water with a vengeful grin and threw himself at his lover, tackling Wei Xiang into the stream.


    A bigger, louder splash of water rose up and fell back down, distorting the stream¡¯s surface further. Under the water level, Qinghe and Wei Xiang held their breaths and playfully grappled with each other for a while before being forced to surface because of the lack of air.


    There was a moment of calm as Qinghe and Wei Xiang stood still in the stream, their chests heaving as they caught their breath.


    Their lips still stretched with a smile, the couple looked sideways at each other, two pair of eyes glittering with playfulness meeting one another¡¯s gaze¡­


    And then, as if their thoughts connected at the same time, the pair of lovers suddenly began splashing each other with the cool water, sending the clear droplets flying like flecks of glitter scattered in the air. If one of them tried to laughingly escape, the other would quickly chase them down and try to dunk their lover into the water. The surface of the stream sloshed and churned chaotically as low chuckles and cheerful giggles sounded out loudly.


    After a few more minutes of playing in the water like this, the pair of lovers finally stopped while gasping for breath, their soaked hair plastered to their faces and naked bodies.


    Now that they¡¯d had their fill of fun, Wei Xiang quickly helped Qinghe clear his passage by drawing out the release still left inside. Then having a quick wash, the pair of lovers spread a cloth on the stream bank and cuddled close, their feet waving in the clear and cool water.


    As the couple sat there, with Wei Xiang¡¯s hand resting on Qinghe¡¯s waist, the warm skin of his little lover¡¯s body pressed into his side, the contentment on Wei Xiang¡¯s face slowly turned into deep, heated need once again.


    He wanted to push down his beloved and directly take affirmation from his body that this was truly real, that this wasn''t one of those wretched spring dreams turned nightmares that he had been experiencing till now.


    Every night, during these past few years without his lover, Wei Xiang had had vivid dreams of embracing his beloved, slowly sinking into his welcoming passage and hearing him moan softly into his ear, feeling him languidly shifting under him, writhing passionately beside him, or energetically riding on top of him¡­


    But each time by the end of it, Wei Xiang would always feel his beloved growing still, his face turning bloodless and his eyes closing, his body beginning to turn cold and lifeless. And no matter how much Wei Xiang tried to wake him up, no matter how much he begged or pleaded with him to come back to life, his Qinghe never moved, he never opened his eyes.


    And just now, after ascending and finally finding his little lover again, pulled along by him into the house and seeing him undressing on his bed, Wei Xiang hadn¡¯t been able to help but feel dread filling him up.


    What if this was another dream? What if his beloved¡¯s body turned cold in his arms again?


    If that was so, then he¡¯d rather not go any further at all. He¡¯d rather at least have a pleasant dream just gazing at his lover¡¯s beguiling body and hear him laugh in a lively voice.


    But then Qinghe had taken his hand and placed it on his chest, right over his frantically beating heart, reassuring him that this was not a dream, that this was indeed happening, that his beloved was alive and here.


    The raw hope and joy he¡¯d felt at that time was not something Wei Xiang could ever express.


    Feeling his lover¡¯s warm body beside him again now, Wei Xiang felt his heartbeat quickening once more, his blood boiling with the desire to reaffirm that this was not a dream he¡¯d wake from suddenly. He wanted to reassure himself of it again and again and again until it sunk deep into his soul.


    His gaze deepening, Wei Xiang¡¯s palm slowly slid up the smooth skin of his beloved¡¯s side and over his upper body. Wei Xiang extended his arm a bit further over his lover''s back so that his fingers could reach and play with the little nubbin on Qinghe¡¯s chest.


    Though Qinghe didn¡¯t know what had stoked his lover¡¯s ardor again so soon, upon feeling the rough pad of his beloved¡¯s fingertip rubbing and fiddling with his sensitive bud, Qinghe softly moaned and unresistingly leaned further into his Xiang¡¯s warmth, willingly letting him do whatever he wanted.


    Sensing his wordless acquiescence, Wei Xiang grew bolder, his fingers beginning to pinch and pull at the little point, turning it stiff with the stimulation. His other hand lightly ran up and down Qinghe¡¯s thigh before carefully dipping in between to pull his leg to the side.


    Understanding what his lover wanted to do, Qinghe parted his thighs voluntarily, lifting and placing a leg on Wei Xiang¡¯s lap to allow better access to his gradually rising member.


    Accepting the invitation, Wei Xiang¡¯s warm hand wrapped around the slender shaft, massaging it gently but doing nothing more, as if savoring the feeling of this delicate moment.


    Qinghe shuddered at this slow and sensual torment, but he was content to enjoy his lover¡¯s ministrations like this for now.


    His head leaned to the side to rest on his beloved¡¯s shoulder, his cheeks flushed and eyes closed. As his arousal increased further, Qinghe groaned, his body melting into Wei Xiang¡¯s comfortable embrace.


    Wei Xiang leaned down and brushed his lips over the top of his little lover¡¯s head. Then forcibly pushing aside all his melancholy and uncertainty so that it wouldn¡¯t taint their time together, Wei Xiang spoke in a mischievous whisper, ¡°Qinghe, I want to see how much you can take.¡±


    Qinghe let out a sound of confusion. ¡°Huh?¡±


    His smile widening, Wei Xiang explained, ¡°I want to see how long your body will hold out at its current level. Aren¡¯t you curious to test its limits?¡±


    Hearing this, Qinghe couldn¡¯t help but smile helplessly. But though he knew that his Xiang was only using testing his limits as an excuse to extend their lovemaking and go for several more rounds, Qinghe still couldn¡¯t help feeling the flutter of eager anticipation in his belly.


    His eyes growing half-lidded with desire, Qinghe slowly licked his lips. Smiling, he easily agreed. ¡°Alright then. Let¡¯s fully, carefully, and thoroughly test it out.¡±


    His expression brightening, Wei Xiang didn¡¯t need to be told twice. Immediately pushing his little lover down right there on the soft cloth spread on the stream¡¯s bank, Wei Xiang lowered his head to continue his ministrations on his beloved¡¯s delectable body.


    And it turned out that no matter how strong a deity¡¯s body was, it was still no match against the enthusiasm of this pair of impassioned lovers.


    After half a day and a full night of entanglement, the couple greeted the next day with bleary eyes and groaning bones despite their increased cultivation.


    Because of his inherently tougher body as a spiritual beast, Wei Xiang was the first to recover. He quickly got ready and went to join Feng Huixin and Feng Chunyi at the dinner table after reminding his little lover to also come quickly.


    Qinghe tiredly rolled around on the bed a while more before getting dressed and slowly making his way to the table where everyone was seated, enjoying their morning repasts or placidly sipping tea.


    As Qinghe wearily plopped down beside Wei Xiang and promptly rested his head on his beloved¡¯s shoulder as if he was about to drift off into sleep at anytime, Feng Chunyi showed a knowing and delighted look while Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes displayed his open concern.


    ¡°Qinghe, are you alright? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Feng Huixin asked.


    His mouth opening to let out a wide yawn, Qinghe listlessly replied, ¡°Father, it¡¯s nothing, don¡¯t worry. We just fucked a bit too much yesterday.¡±


    Wei Xiang immediately spit out the mouthful of tea he¡¯d just taken while Feng Huixin promptly began choking on his food, both of them coughing violently.


    Qinghe patted his lover on the back as he continued to lie on his beloved¡¯s shoulder despite its shaking.


    As Feng Chunyi soothed her husband in the same way while chuckling unsympathetically, she advised to her son, ¡°Now, now, Qinghe. Don¡¯t use such explicit words while someone¡¯s eating or drinking. Look how you¡¯ve startled the poor dears.¡±


    Nodding seriously as if he didn¡¯t hear the glee in his mother¡¯s voice, Qinghe replied, ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll rephrase it then.¡± Turning to Feng Huixin, Qinghe earnestly said, ¡°Father, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m just feeling a little weak because I got done too much yesterday.¡±


    Feng Huixin and Wei Xiang felt like crying in their hearts as Feng Chunyi giggled happily at how her son was cluelessly bullying his lover and father.


    In a cheerful voice, she advised again, ¡°Qinghe, you shouldn¡¯t say it out so directly. Try putting it in abstract words so that you don¡¯t shock certain delicate people.¡±


    The aforementioned delicate people Wei Xiang and Feng Huixin, ¡°¡­¡±


    Qinghe rolled his eyes, but dutifully complied with his mother¡¯s words as he rephrased it once again, making it seem more indirect this time, ¡°Father, I was embraced by my lover a bit too enthusiastically last night as my fields were plowed for a long time and seeds continuously planted in my barren ground until the break of dawn, so I¡¯m a bit tired, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Wei Xiang hid his face under his hands, not knowing whether he should laugh or cry, while Feng Huixin blushed red, feeling deeply regretful that he¡¯d brought this topic up in the first place without thinking it through.


    On the other hand, Feng Chunyi was laughing uproariously, slapping her hand against the tabletop as her head was thrown back, her entire body shaking.


    Qinghe only shook his head and resettled his head more comfortably on Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulder. If he could ignore his mother¡¯s loud laughter, he might just be able to drift off into peaceful sleep¡­


    Lightly clearing his throat and forcibly suppressing his embarrassment, Feng Huixin spoke, ¡°Qinghe, please stay awake. We¡¯re going to greet the Heavenly Emperor after breakfast. Ah, but if you¡¯re feeling¡­uncomfortable anywhere, would you like me to send notice to ask the court to postpone the audience?¡±


    Qinghe sighed, but made himself wake up and blink open his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯ll manage. But do I need to wear any specific clothes? Is there some particular etiquette I need to follow?¡±


    Feng Huixin heaved a breath in relief and shook his head. ¡°The heavenly court is not so strict, and the Heavenly Emperor is not so pedantic as well. As long as nothing directly offensive is spoken, no offense will be taken.¡±


    Qinghe nodded, then poured himself a cup of steaming tea to clear away the last wisps of drowsiness in his mind.


    A quiet and comfortable hush blanketed the room as the family of four peacefully enjoyed the morning.


    Though they didn¡¯t actually need to imbibe any food or drink, the Feng household had always had the habit of spending time together for breakfast in this way so that they could bond better as a family. It had been so when Qinghe was a child, and it would be so now as well.


    Once they were done, the four of them leisurely stood up, straightened their clothing, and headed off towards the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s palace.


    Situated in the capital city and surrounded by immaculate gardens, the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s palace was the crown of Heaven, the place where heavenly laws were made and enforced.


    The palace was a large, white set of buildings that shimmered and shone in the morning light, its luster projecting a sense of magnificence and grandeur without being garish or outwardly opulent. A sense of peace and warmth radiated from its elegant and sturdy structure, a feeling of both heavy age and light etherealness shrouding it at the same time.


    Entering through its gold and silver archways, the family of four directly made their way into the throne room.


    The throne room was wide, long, and exceptionally high. The floor seemed to be made of translucent white stone that clearly showed the wisps of silvery smoke curling and flowing languorously underneath. As for what laid beyond that, it was indiscernible through those shimmering, wispy layers.


    On either side of the grand throne room stood two lines of majestic, pearly pillars, bordered with stately silver and gold designs at the bases. Beyond the invisible boundary line that seemed to be indicated by those pillars, rows upon rows of deities stood with different postures and expressions.


    Some were dressed too casually, while others wore layers upon layers of cumbersome ceremonial attire. Some looked amused or indifferent while others looked solemn and arrogant. A few looked old with long silvery beards, while others seemed to have barely exited their teens, along with people seeming to be from every other age group in between. But every one of these deities was noticeable and remarkable in their own way, none appearing too dull or easily dismissible.


    At the end of the throne room, just a bit to the front and above the throne, was a huge, circular opening in the ivory-colored ceiling, the gap covered by a smooth layer of transparent glass-like material. Beyond this skylight, all that could be seen was a brilliant white fire, its edges a pale gold as it licked the other side of the glass. The strong light from this strange fire provided bright illumination to the entire throne room, casting an even layer of white radiance throughout.


    Presiding over all this, the Heavenly Emperor sat on the Throne that was perched on the platform on top of four shallow stairs.


    The Heavenly Emperor wore plain white robes edged with gold and sat with a dignified bearing, his back held straight and arms resting on the armrest of his throne. His hair and beard were a pure, shining white that started straight and gradually segued into curls. His eyes radiated a majestic steadiness and kindness, while his irises were like pools of water shining under the starlight at night, dark yet covered with a thin silvery sheen that seemed to add unfathomable depth to his incisive gaze. And rather than looking like one of the literati, his build was instead heroic, with sturdy musculature and the confident poise of someone who¡¯d seen and participated in countless battles.


    Meanwhile, the throne that the Heavenly Emperor was sitting on, that is, the Throne of Heaven, was simple-looking and appeared to be carved out of lustrous white stone. But the most noticeable aspect of it was how the stone at the base of the throne gradually turned into densely packed roots of the same material, spreading outward from the seat and digging deep into the platform on which it sat.


    It reminded Qinghe of what Xiao Tian had said:


    ¡®I am the Throne whose roots dig deep into the essence of existence itself.¡¯


    Thinking back on it, Qinghe felt incredulous at realizing that he had meant it literally.


    As they looked over the entire room, the combination of the Heavenly Emperor and the Throne emitted a thrum of raw power that vibrated in one¡¯s bones and resonated in their souls. Without a doubt, this was the power of beings who ruled Heaven.


    And now, Qinghe, Wei Xiang, Feng Huixin, and Feng Chunyi were heading towards them.


    Even discounting Qinghe and Wei Xiang¡¯s presence, just the husband and wife themselves were a powerful force to reckon with. After all, one was the Heavenly General who had the loyalty of and authority over the entire heavenly armies, and the other was the Deity of Judgment, the indisputable leader of Heaven¡¯s law enforcement agency and the one slated to be the next Heavenly Emperor. Just with these two people, the Feng household had already become the strongest force in the entire heavenly realm, only a step below the Heavenly Emperor himself.


    But with two new additions, how will they fare? Will their power increase even more?


    With inquisitive and keen eyes, the entire heavenly court watched the family of four walk forward and stop in front of the Heavenly Emperor.


    Feng Huixin was the first to speak. Bowing, he said, ¡°Deity of Judgment Feng Huixin has returned from the mortal realm and offers his greetings to Your Majesty.¡±


    With a solemn expression, the Heavenly Emperor spoke in a deep voice, ¡°We welcome your return, Lord Feng. Please, rise.¡±


    Feng Huixin immediately straightened again, his posture remaining prim.


    On the other hand, Feng Chunyi simply grinned and nodded at the Heavenly Emperor, not bothering with anything more. As familiar as she was with everyone in the heavenly court, she simply didn¡¯t see the need for all these formalities.


    Wei Xiang gave a short bow, but also said nothing. After all, he was a heavenly beast, and not under the direct jurisdiction of the heavenly court unless he chose to be.


    As for Qinghe, he stood motionless and simply looked at the Heavenly Emperor, meeting and holding his gaze with curious and assessing eyes.


    Within moments, Qinghe quickly read the little details in the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s expression and his deep gaze, taking in everything he could and silently forming an understanding of this person while disregarding his station.


    Was he someone worthy of being the Heavenly Emperor? Was he someone who deserved to receive his respect and loyalty?


    Qinghe pondered all this quietly.


    Meanwhile, the eyes that met Qinghe¡¯s looked at him calmly and let him assess him to his heart¡¯s content. The Heavenly Emperor showed neither dissatisfaction nor anger at how a youngster who wasn¡¯t even a fraction his age was trying to read him. Instead, all Qinghe saw was an open kindness and a steadiness that came from being tempered in adversity.


    Qinghe blinked as a thought suddenly occurred to him¨DSince he was a Heavenly Emperor, did that mean that this person was also chosen by Xiao Tian? Did he also have his life manipulated by Heaven and end up having to go through multiple hurdles and sufferings?


    There was utter silence in the throne room as all attention was focused on Qinghe, who was intently studying the Heavenly Emperor like a curious child, his eyes clear and without any ill-intent.


    A few more moments of later, Qinghe had finally reached his verdict.


    Bending in the direction of the Heavenly Emperor, Qinghe seriously and deliberately bowed, his hands cupped in front of him.


    He had determined that this person was fair and trustworthy, so he would grant him his respect and loyalty for as long as the Heavenly Emperor could keep it.


    And so, Qinghe¡¯s pleasant and composed voice rang out in the room, ¡°Feng Qinghe has returned from the mortal realm and greets the Heavenly Emperor.¡±


    Seeing this, the Heavenly Emperor on the Throne showed a trace of surprise.


    Then nodding, he slowly said, ¡°Feng Qinghe, rise.¡±


    Qinghe stood straight again, no subservience or sense of weakness in his expression.


    Not wasting any time with posturing or intimidation like most emperors would, the Heavenly Emperor immediately got down to business, his voice unhurried. ¡°We welcome you back to the halls of Heaven again. Though trueborn deities have need to descend to the mortal realms to undergo trials and tribulations, we have decided that in view of your already trying period of life spent in a mortal realm, you shall not have to undergo any trials. Your time in the mortal realm will be considered as your trial.¡±


    Qinghe earnestly said, ¡°Then I thank Your Majesty for the consideration.¡±


    The Heavenly Emperor nodded. Then, his voice flowing with a measured cadence, he said in a more weighty voice, ¡°However, we have asked you to grace these halls with your presence for another, more important reason. The Throne of Heaven has named two appropriate candidates who may succeed our position as the Heavenly Emperor when we step down. One of them is your father, the Deity of Judgment Feng Huixin. The other is you, Feng Qinghe, bearer of a heavenly soul. And because of your soul, you are also particularly favored by the Throne for this position. Feng Qinghe, we would like to hear your choice on this matter.¡±


    The witnessing deities felt shocked at this revelation. So not only did the Feng household¡¯s newly returned son have a heavenly soul, but he was also a candidate chosen by the Throne?!


    But unmindful of them, Qinghe merely tilted his head and carefully considered.


    Just when the Heavenly Emperor was about to ask him if he needed more time to make such an important decision, Qinghe suddenly opened his mouth and spoke, ¡°At this point in my life, I do not feel like I have enough of the wisdom that comes from experience, nor the perseverance that comes with age, so I will have to humbly withhold my opinion, if not decline the offer completely.¡±


    The Heavenly Emperor¡¯s eyebrows rose as the familiar voice of the Throne giggled in his head, <It¡¯s bullshit, absolute bullshit! Ask him the real reason!>


    Sighing, the Heavenly Emperor complied with the Throne¡¯s demands. ¡°Feng Qinghe, tell us what you truly wish to say.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s serious expression melted into a smiling one, his eyes glinting. ¡°Very well, then. I just feel that I¡¯m too young to be tied down to that much responsibility. I want to roam freely and learn about this world and its people. I want to finish unfinished businesses and spend more time having fun with the people I care about. And so, I am not interested in taking the Throne for now.¡±


    Hearing this, the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s brows furrowed lightly, but he still nodded in understanding.


    Surprisingly, at this time, Feng Chunyi suddenly sidled up to her son and placed an arm over his shoulder and pulled him closer. In the voice of an elder advising a youngster, she solemnly said, ¡°Son, I understand your point of view, but there¡¯s no need to reject the offer so rashly. After all, it¡¯s not like being the Heavenly Emperor demands that your butt be stuck to the seat of the Throne throughout the duration of your reign. You can still do as you please as long as you take care of your duties towards the heavenly realm.¡±


    Qinghe nodded seriously and continued discussing the most important aspect of his mother¡¯s advice, ¡°True, if my butt could really never leave the seat then I wouldn¡¯t even consider it to be an option. After all, I have no intention of being abstinent for that long. I still wish to be able to use my posterior for quite a few things, and I¡¯m sure Xiang feels the same.¡±


    Feng Chunyi enthusiastically agreed. ¡°Yes, very well put! Being the Heavenly Emperor or whatever is unimportant, your sex life still comes first!¡±


    Everyone, ¡°¡­¡±


    The deities couldn¡¯t help but bemoan in their hearts about how this mother and son pair was the worst tragedy to ever occur to their sacred halls! Where was their respect and reverence towards the heavenly court? Do the sanctity of these great halls mean nothing to you both?!


    In the face of his lover and mother-in-law¡¯s shamelessness, Wei Xiang couldn¡¯t help but wonder, was it too late for him to go back down and pretend he never ascended?


    Meanwhile, Feng Huixin was truly thankful for his paralyzed face, otherwise even he didn¡¯t know what type of expression he¡¯d be showing now.


    On the Throne, the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s somber face twitched as he heard the voice of the Throne howling in laughter inside his head.


    But as if not noticing all these reactions, Feng Chunyi happily prodded her son, ¡°So? What are you going to choose? Will you become the Heavenly Emperor?¡±


    Qinghe wryly looked at her and asked perceptively, ¡°Mother, do you want me to become the Heavenly Emperor?¡±


    With a strange grin, Feng Chunyi nodded. ¡°Personally? Yes, I do.¡±


    Qinghe showed an amused expression. ¡°Is it because if Father took the Throne and became busy with managing Heaven, then it would disrupt your own, ehem, spring nights?¡±


    After all, by now, he¡¯d managed to understand his mother¡¯s thoughts to a certain extent, especially since she did nothing to hide them, but rather flaunted them instead.


    Hearing Qinghe¡¯s words, Feng Chunyi beamed. ¡°Oh, my son is so unfortunately smart. Since you understand, just do it, okay?¡±


    With humor glittering in his eyes, Qinghe replied to his mother, ¡°I¡¯m not going to sacrifice my youth that easily.¡±


    Then turning to the Heavenly Emperor, he said, ¡°If he doesn¡¯t mind, my father can take the Throne first. When he wants to step down, I¡¯ll take over. Until then, I¡¯ll simply help both Mother and Father with their jobs and gain more experience. Will this be alright?¡±


    Unwilling to let this discussion continue further lest his wife and son say something inappropriate again, Feng Huixin immediately agreed. ¡°I have no objections, and this way, you¡¯ll get time to prepare as well.¡±


    From atop the Throne, the Heavenly Emperor nodded thoughtfully. ¡°That is good. We will do it so then.¡±


    But already having let go of Qinghe, Feng Chunyi pouted and muttered complainingly, ¡°Such an unfilial son.¡±


    Qinghe only smiled placidly, the humor in his eyes deepening.


    Having been watching all this from the side all along, the other deities didn¡¯t know what to make of the fact that this young man who dared speak in such an outrageous way in front of the Throne of Heaven would one day be sitting on it, ruling over the heavenly realm and over all of them. It really made them feel complicated in their hearts.


    But on the other hand, they could at least feel assured that their future Heavenly Emperor would definitely not be boring!


    Now that Qinghe had finished greeting the Heavenly Emperor and made his decision about the future, Qinghe, Wei Xiang, Feng Huixin, and Feng Chunyi finally bid their farewells and headed out of the palace, some with relief and some with obvious amusement.


    And uncaring of the excited news that soon began spreading around all of Heaven about the unfathomable son of the Feng household, the family of four lived their days in blissful peace while making many more happy memories with each other.


    crimson_carnation

 Chapter 128: Epilogue

    The world was currently a calm and peaceful place, with the Sentinels upholding their fair laws and ensuring public safety while the common people were free to pursue their own happiness, living their lives with contentment and joy.


    In this world made mostly of mortals and cultivators, the most dominant powers were undoubtedly the Order of Sentinels, the demonic faction, and the righteous faction. Of the Five Great Sects that oversaw the entire righteous faction, the most prominent was undeniably the Heavenly Peak Sect. As such, the responsibility it handled and the decisions that were made within its halls every day were naturally of monumental importance.


    Currently, inside the sect hall of the Heavenly Peak Sect, various sounds could be heard, like that of ink being ground, papers being rustled, brushes sliding across these papers, mixed with the occasional clinks and clatters of unidentified objects being handled.


    However, the rest of the open space in the large hall was suffused with the contemplative silence of people very seriously engrossed in their work, their lips pursed and brows lowered in concentration.


    On either side of the hall sat two neat rows of Elders, busily bent over their respective desks and perusing various documents or appraising certain strange objects that the disciples had brought back to the sect from their forays outside. Sometimes, when important issues arose, the Elders would discuss among themselves in solemn tones. If the matter was severe, the issue might even get taken to the sect master.


    At the innermost end of this long sect hall, on a raised platform directly opposite to the entrance, sat the sect master Zhen YiLan at his desk, looking over documents with a tight frown on his face.


    Suddenly, a tall door on the wall adjacent to the sect master¡¯s desk opened, revealing two figures burdened with a tall stack of paper each. With due solemnity, the twins Fei Jin and Fei Yin walked up to their master¡¯s desk and placed the stacks of paper on either side.


    In an exhausted voice, Fei Jin spoke, ¡°Master, please look at these next.¡±


    Zhen YiLan¡¯s expression crumpled as he looked up pitifully. ¡°Jin-er, your master is already so overworked! Can¡¯t these things be left for tomorrow?¡±


    Fei Yin resolutely shook his head while Fei Jin answered uncompromisingly, ¡°Without Senior Brother here, everyone¡¯s workload has increased by several-fold these last few years, so please understand that we¡¯re overworked as well, Master. It would be good if you could finish these by evening. There are still more papers that need your approval, but we can push them for later in the night. For now, please make haste and finish the ones you have been working on since this morning.¡±


    Zhen YiLan wanted to weep at the increasing amounts of this dull yet arduous task. He more than ever wished that his capable and efficient second disciple could have stayed in their sect.


    And thinking about him¡­


    Ah, his Qing-er. It had already been three years since he last saw him. And from what he¡¯d heard from the Sentinel Grandmaster, he was still asleep in heaven¡¯s Lotus Nectar Pond.


    With a sigh, Zhen YiLan thought back to how he¡¯d seen his beloved disciple progress from a small and malnourished little boy who looked at the world with wide eyes full of caution and fear to a confident and upright cultivator who was well-liked and respected throughout the cultivation world.


    And yet, Zhen YiLan had been unable to see how harshly that child had been treating himself all this while. Zhen YiLan had to wonder, had he missed those signs of self-abuse because he was a bad master or was it because his disciple was too good at making him see only what he wanted to see?


    But more than anything, Zhen YiLan wished he could make amends towards his Qing-er for all the things he had failed him at. He wished he could once again see his disciple¡¯s smiling face, his energetic figure buzzing about gracefully as he attended to matters only he knew about, his pampering smile as he spoke with his twin junior brothers, his kind eyes as he advised the other junior disciples of the sect, his adorably respectful expression when he greeted his master¡­


    As Zhen YiLan stared into the distance with a mournful and teary face, the twins sighed. They already knew what their master was thinking about just by seeing that expression alone. But no matter how much he missed his disciple, the twins were sure that they missed their senior brother more! And yet they didn¡¯t sit around dazing like this!


    Just when the twins were about to respectfully snap at their master to get back to work, Zhen YiLan¡¯s absentminded expression suddenly turned into absolute shock, his eyes widening as he stared at the open doorway of the sect hall.


    Or more precisely, the person who had just stepped through those doors.


    The brush held in Zhen YiLan¡¯s hand dropped down from his lax fingers and splattered ink on the papers he¡¯d just been looking at. Seeing this, the twins first showed displeased expressions, then stiffened.


    They felt the presence of someone very familiar behind them, they could even smell the calming scent of their most dearest person lightly floating into their noses¡­


    As the twins whipped their heads towards the doorway to take a look at this newly arrived person, the sounds in the entirety of the sect hall had stilled as well.


    After all, who wouldn¡¯t be shocked at seeing this person walking in here as if it was nothing unusual?


    Being the first to break out of his stupor, Zhen YiLan spoke out weakly, ¡°Q-Qing-er, why are you back? Didn¡¯t you already ascend?¡±


    Still wide-eyed with disbelief, Zhen YiLan couldn¡¯t help but wonder, had his work been so boring that he¡¯d dozed off and was now having a pleasant dream?


    Casually walking towards his master¡¯s desk while in his sect¡¯s white robes, Qinghe tilted his head with an amused smile curving his lips. ¡°Oh, am I not supposed to have returned then? Master, I wasn¡¯t aware that you had excommunicated me because of my ascension.¡±


    Zhen YiLan spluttered and refuted quickly, ¡°T-That wasn¡¯t what I meant! Qing-er, you are a deity now. You don¡¯t need to cultivate in a sect anymore, do you? And¡­aren¡¯t your parents still in Heaven?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s smile grew wider as his eyes warmed. ¡°So what? Master, I may have family in the heavenly realm, but I have family here too. We just happen to not be related by blood. How can I just leave you all to fend for yourself? This place is also my home.¡±


    Hearing this, Zhen YiLan sat stunned for a moment. Then as his eyes began to tear up, he stood up from his desk and dashed towards his beloved second disciple, wrapping him in a hug.


    Receiving this enthusiastic welcome, Qinghe felt wry affection fill him as he patted his master¡¯s back soothingly.


    It was only after Zhen YiLan had composed himself and stepped away that Qinghe turned to the twins still standing by the desk.


    Fei Jin and Fei Yin were both clutching at each other, looking at Qinghe with wide eyes just like the first day they had met him. But rather than apprehension and distrust, what filled their gazes was a raw, inexpressible hope.


    Smiling, Qinghe held out his arms and asked teasingly, ¡°Still not coming to greet your senior brother?¡±


    Fei Jin and Fei Yin¡¯s expressions cracked as tears began streaming down their faces. With a wail, they sped forward and threw themselves at their senior brother.


    Bracing himself, Qinghe caught his junior brothers stably and patted their backs in consolation.


    With their faces washed with tears and filled with a wronged expression, the twins raised their heads from where they were resting on his shoulders and complained as one, ¡°Senior Brother, you were gone so long! You are not allowed to abandon us again!¡±


    Qinghe could only show a helpless expression as he comforted, ¡°There, there, I came back, didn¡¯t I? And it wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t want to return sooner, but I only awoke recently and found that three years had already passed. But now that I¡¯m here, I won¡¯t leave you completely alone like that ever again.¡±


    Reluctantly convinced, the twins nodded with pouts, then buried their heads back into their senior brother¡¯s embrace.


    Looking up, Qinghe met Zhen YiLan¡¯s gaze and spoke softly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for worrying you all this time, Master. But I¡¯ve healed everything that needed to be healed, and now I¡¯m back.¡±


    Zhen YiLan felt choked up with emotion, only able to get out a ¡°Q-Qing-er¡­¡±


    The Elders at the sides all felt their eyes misting, but unlike their sect master, they still strived to hold on to their dignity as they watched the scene of this warm reunion. It couldn¡¯t be helped that they had missed this little disciple of their sect too.


    Once Zhen YiLan felt that he was able to talk once more, with his face still looking as if he would begin crying at any second, he asked hopefully, ¡°Qing-er¡­does this mean that you¡¯ll take over my paperwork again?¡±


    Seeing his master¡¯s expectant and beseeching eyes, Qinghe felt his lips twitch.


    In the end, his master¡¯s biggest worry was this, wasn¡¯t it?!


    But ultimately, Qinghe did end up helping his master with his paperwork, greatly lessening the burden of everyone in the sect. This finally gave the twins enough time to cultivate as they focused entirely on raising their level, aiming to catch up to their senior brother and ascend so that they could accompany him no matter which realm he traveled to.


    To help the twins and his friends cultivate more smoothly, Qinghe even brought them some of the pure spiritual water flowing in the Feng household¡¯s forest, collecting it from near the source so that it would be the most potent.


    However, as expected, rather than spending his time purely with the sect, Qinghe stayed at and worked in the heavenly realm as well, accompanying his parents and helping them however he could, learning about their work in the process.


    Though having to run around like this kept him busy, Qinghe always managed his schedule well so that he would get to spend time with his friends and family without overworking himself.


    Meanwhile, Wei Xiang distributed his authority among his lieutenants equally so that they could take care of the Order of Sentinels in his absence.


    Of course, he did occasionally pop by to complete the most important tasks reserved for him, but because of the way he and his lieutenants had been taking care of the entire Order mostly on their own till now anyway, there weren¡¯t many issues with this new arrangement. The process of the distribution of power was smooth and the four lieutenants were able to keep the Order running without urgently requiring their leader Wei Xiang¡¯s presence, leaving him free to accompany his little lover most of the time.


    And later, when Wei Xiang succeeded in gradually and completely handing off his authority to his lieutenants as he planned to in the future, he would then obtain a position for himself in the Offices of Judgment and work under his master as his disciple, and maybe even succeed him as the Deity of Judgment when Feng Huixin took the Heavenly Throne after the current Heavenly Emperor stepped down.


    And in the meantime¡­


    One day, in the future, Chen Xiande would be conferred the title of Sect Master of the Heavenly Peak Sect, rising up prestigiously with the respect and blessings of all. Despite having ascended, the twins would still mostly stay in the sect after being kicked down by Qinghe to act as their senior brother¡¯s left and right hands, helping him manage the sect and lessening his burden.


    Later, Chen Xiande had a private transportation array constructed in his room, which would immediately take him to his lover so that he and Hei NingYu, despite being the leaders of opposite factions, wouldn¡¯t have to stay apart for long, meeting each other every day to spend their time together with contentment and passion.


    And later on, after being gifted a heavenly dual cultivation manual by Qinghe, they decided without aplomb to immediately bind their souls to each other so that they could spend all their lives together.


    One day, in the future, the Sect Masters of the Golden Sun Sect and the Silver Moon Sect will step down as one, letting their head disciples take their place in a grand ceremony.


    Liu Xue then set out to travel the lands and roam freely while Wu Xiao stayed on as a revered Elder of the Silver Moon Sect, equal to the status of his own master. The only problem was that he made his quarters in Jing Shui¡¯s room, cheerfully freeloading off of his beloved Ah-Shui, who had now become the sect master of the Golden Sun Sect.


    On the other hand, Wen Huan, Wu Xiao¡¯s only disciple and the new sect master of the Silver Moon Sect, still greatly looked up to Jing Shui, leading to the continuation of the harmonious relations between the Golden Sun Sect and the Silver Moon Sect.


    However, after being sent a mysterious jade scroll by Qinghe, Jing Shui and Wu Xiao stayed locked in their room for several days doing who knows what. When they came out, their souls were firmly bound to each other.


    One day, far, far in the future, the title of Heavenly Emperor would change hands as the former Emperor gladly handed over the reins to the Heavenly Throne to Feng Huixin. As many had expected, the Offices of Judgment were then lead by his direct disciple Wei Xiang, with the occasional behind-the-scenes help from Qinghe.


    As the Heavenly General, Feng Chunyi¡¯s intense dedication to the new Heavenly Emperor made Heaven more peaceful than ever before. She even started attending the court religiously. Of course, the people of the heavenly court all had to now deal with her constant flirting with her husband and the outrageous innuendos she let fly casually that would make even the most experienced of courtiers blush and flee in shame, not to mention the suspicious noises that the deities sometimes heard through the closed doors when the throne room was empty except for the husband and wife pair who never seemed to get enough of each other.


    And one day, even farther in the future, the greatest Heavenly Emperor to ever reign over Heaven ascended the Throne with his father¡¯s blessing, ruling the heavenly realm with unprecedented cunning and wisdom while backed by the unwavering support of his lover, adopted children, friends, and family.


    But all of this was something that would only happen in the far future.


    Right now, at present time, Qinghe stood balanced on the branch of a tree that overlooked the bank of a wide lake that he, Jing Shui, and a few others had found while navigating a certain unexplored dimensional crack to look for new resources.


    Perched stably on the sturdy branch, Qinghe was looking affectionately at the junior disciples below who were frantically trying to chase and capture one of the denizens of the lake, a low-level spiritual beast called the Horned Rainbow Springfish, which kept slipping through their hands again and again.


    Meanwhile, sitting and leaning back under the shade of Qinghe¡¯s tree was Wu Xiao, his hands folded on his lap, his legs stretched out, and his eyes closed in peaceful sleep.


    Crouching on either side of him, the twins each had an armful of smooth, flat rocks that they took turns stacking on top of the slumbering Wu Xiao¡¯s head while grinning mischievously, wanting to see just how long it would take for him to wake up.


    And rather than stopping them, Jing Shui merely pointed them towards a few more stones when they ran low while standing bent over Wu Xiao, curiously studying his lover¡¯s face to see if he could catch any signs of his waking.


    By now, the tower of rocks on Wu Xiao¡¯s head had already reached three handsbreadths.


    Meanwhile, from deeper inside the forest bordering the lake came the sounds of passionate activities as Chen Xiande and Hei NingYu celebrated their affections once again, not bothering to keep their voices low. Hei NingYu¡¯s voice sounded hoarse and unimpeded while Chen Xiande¡¯s seemed muffled as if his mouth was filled with something.


    Thankfully, the innocent little juniors playing in the lake were spared from hearing it due to their low cultivation. As for Qinghe and his group, they simply pretended to not hear them at all by tacit agreement and went on doing what they were doing.


    After determining that Wu Xiao didn¡¯t seem like he would wake up any time soon, Jing Shui leapt up from beside his still-slumbering lover and landed on a branch adjacent to Qinghe¡¯s.


    Looking at the merry fish-chasing disciples who were carefreely splashing around in the waters, Jing Shui¡¯s expression morphed into an angry scowl. ¡°Those idiots! We specifically told them not to play around with random beasts! Do those reckless young ones even know if that fish beast¡¯s horn is poisonous or not? Brother Feng, we should stop them before they get hurt!¡±


    Chuckling lightly, Qinghe shook his head, ¡°Brother Jing, if the juniors want to play, then let them play. They are so confidently harassing it only because they know that the Horned Rainbow Springfish is harmless on its own. However, this fish is not on its own right now. They¡¯ll soon learn what a mistake it is to not assess the threats in their surroundings before jumping in to frolic about in the waters like this.¡±


    Jing Shui looked at his friend¡¯s unwaveringly warm smile that struck such a sharp contrast to his unbending words and felt a shiver crawl up his spine.


    Sure enough, Feng Qinghe really was just as scary as before¨DNo, after knowing him this long, Jing Shui knew that he was scarier than this.


    And yet, Jing Shui felt neither the antagonism, nor the cautiousness from when they had first experienced a similar scene in the hidden realm so far ago in the beginning.


    With a sigh, Jing Shui spoke knowingly, ¡°Are you going to use this as an educational learning experience for them?¡±


    Qinghe cheerfully nodded. ¡°Yes. Ah, it should be about time now for¨D¡±


    A chorus of screams interrupted him in a timely manner.


    In the center of the lake, a large whirlpool had suddenly appeared, trying to angrily suck in the screaming junior disciples. The juniors all thrashed desperately in the water as they shouted and pleaded in their senior disciples¡¯ direction, only to see them both discussing something with calm expressions.


    ¡°We should probably go save them now,¡± Jing Shui said in a conflicted tone.


    Qinghe smiled placidly and spoke, ¡°No, let the lesson sink in a bit more.¡±


    ¡°A bit more and the disciples themselves will sink into the water, Brother Feng,¡± Jing Shui cautioned dryly.


    With a pleasant and clear laugh, Qinghe declared, ¡°With your expertise in manipulating the water element, I doubt that would be possible. Brother Jing, it¡¯s not good to underestimate your own skills so much. Have some more self-confidence.¡±


    Jing Shui felt speechless. This fellow was just as infuriating as he had been back then!


    Through gritted teeth, Jing Shui began, ¡°You¨D!¡±


    ¡°Ah, look, one of them is about to finally drown. I think it¡¯s about time we stepped in. Brother Jing, what are you doing just standing around? Our dear junior brothers¡¯ and sisters¡¯ lives are on the line!¡±


    So saying, Qinghe jumped down and rushed to the bank while affecting a look of horror and fear as if afraid to lose his precious little juniors.


    With a simple wave of his hand, all the disciples were lifted up from the water and deposited safely on the shore in one smooth motion.


    The group of juniors who had faced their first near-death experience all looked exceedingly pale with fear as they shivered, their eyes round and wide. Their bodies were completely drenched, their appearance reminiscent of miserable and pitiful drowned rats.


    The second they saw their savior¡ªtheir much-admired Senior Brother Feng¡ªapproaching them with a caring and concerned look, many of the disciples shot forward and clamped their arms around him in a hug, silently asking for comfort as their bodies shuddered with sobs.


    ¡°Oh, my poor dears,¡± Qinghe spoke in a warm and sympathetic voice. ¡°Ah, this is why you should have listened to your seniors and carefully assessed the dangers of your surroundings before letting down your guard like that. What if something had happened to you all on my watch? What if I had lost you all because of a moment of inattention and carelessness? Just thinking about it¡­I¡­¡±


    As if unable to speak because of the tears choking his throat, Qinghe buried his face in the nearest disciple¡¯s hair, seemingly to hide his expression and compose himself.


    Then looking up again with slightly red eyes, he said, ¡°Thank goodness you are all alright. Thank goodness¡­¡±


    By now, all the disciples had flocked around Qinghe and were clinging to him, soaking his clothes and pressed together tightly as they sobbed and fought for the right to stand nearer to their kindhearted senior brother.


    Look how distraught he was because of their foolish carelessness! They had to quickly comfort him!


    Thus, after resolutely flinging away the image of Qinghe and Jing Shui calmly chatting that they¡¯d seen before to the back of their minds, the young disciples began talking earnestly.


    ¡°Senior Brother Feng, please don¡¯t be sad! It was our fault for thoughtlessly charging in!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes! You had even warned us before. We were the ones who didn¡¯t listen.¡±


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother, we promise we will listen to whatever you say from now on. We will never repeat this again!¡±


    ¡°Yes! Senior Brother, we will learn from this and do better! Please don¡¯t be sad because of us!¡±


    With guilt still written large on his face, Qinghe hesitantly nodded. ¡°Even though I was almost late to save you, if you can all still forgive me and promise not to do something so dangerous again¡­¡±


    ¡°Senior Brother, it wasn¡¯t your fault!¡±


    ¡°We will definitely not do this ever again! We''ll always assess our surroundings!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be careful! We¡¯ll listen!¡±


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother, please don¡¯t blame yourself!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Senior Brother Feng¡­¡±


    Seeing this meticulously orchestrated drama playing out from his place on the tree branch, Jing Shui sighed helplessly, ¡°He never changes.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, on the contrary, I feel like his acting skills have definitely gotten better,¡± Wei Xiang said with amusement, having silently appeared out of the shadows a few moments ago and now occupying the branch Qinghe had just left.


    ¡°Well, that is a change the world could do without,¡± Jing Shui commented wryly without missing a beat.


    Meanwhile, after feeling his lover¡¯s arrival through their soul bond, Qinghe immediately began advising the juniors to quickly disperse so that their clothes would dry soon. After all, as cultivators who had barely formed their cultivator cores and reached the first realm, they were still not completely immune to common illnesses.


    Seeing how distressed their senior brother seemed to be at the thought of them contracting a cold, the disciples all reluctantly agreed to let go of him and dry themselves.


    Qinghe immediately turned to run towards his beloved as Wei Xiang jumped down from the branch he had been perching on.


    With his arms held away from his soaked clothing, Qinghe pouted, ¡°Xiang, I¡¯m all wet. Dry my clothes for me, would you?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Wei Xiang gave a light chuckle as he spread out his hands in a ¡®come here¡¯ gesture. Neither of them brought up the fact that Qinghe could have easily dried himself using his wind.


    Qinghe barreled into his lover¡¯s arms that were opened in welcome as Wei Xiang hugged his beloved back, the pair just basking in each other¡¯s presence for now.


    Just then, deep inside the forest, Hei NingYu gave a loud shout as he finally reached climax, startling awake the Wu Xiao who had been peacefully sleeping under the tree. But sensing that his head had become strangely heavy, Wu Xiao lightly tilted his neck, only to see a pile of stones sliding down.


    As the twins giggled from either side of him, Wu Xiao¡¯s face darkened. He didn¡¯t even need to ask who the culprit was. It was definitely these two brats!


    And so, as Wu Xiao gave chase with a look of vengeance, Fei Jin and Fei Yin had to flee quickly, their carefree laughter trailing behind them.


    Ignoring the chaos stirring around them as usual, Wei Xiang and Qinghe remained pressed together in a loving embrace as Wei Xiang used his fire-wielding ability to slowly raise the temperature. Nestled within his beloved Xiang¡¯s arms, Qinghe could feel heat gradually seeping into him, drying his clothes and warming up his body.


    Qinghe closed his eyes to revel in this comfortable feeling, his lips arching into a small smile filled with contentment.


    His life was more blissful than he had ever thought it could be.


    A big thank you to Yan-jie, aka yansusustories, for encouraging me to start posting this story in the first place and also supporting me in various ways throughout the duration of this story. *hugs* Of course, I also want to thank the readers for accompanying me so long and showing their support for the story. I couldn''t have done this without you all~ (*?¡ä ? `?)????*?


    But the journey''s not yet over. The first extra will be out in around week, so look forward to it~


    And here''s me finally trying out the poll feature~

 Extra 1: Drunken Wanderings

    The night was calm and cool, with the smile-shaped crescent moon glowing a soft white within the velvety darkness of the night sky.


    It had already been around a year since Qinghe woke up from the healing pool, and each of his days was filled with bliss.


    ¨DExcept for those occasional times when he had to stay separated from his lover.


    For the past few days, Wei Xiang had been staying in the mortal realm to take care of a few urgent matters for the Order of Sentinels, leaving Qinghe to wallow in his beloved¡¯s absence gloomily even as he busily assisted his parents with their work.


    This night, Qinghe finally managed to get a few jars of very strong and sweet-smelling wine from his mother and decided to drink away his sorrows. Maybe if he got drunk enough, he¡¯d forget to feel lonely for a while.


    But even after finishing a few jars, when Qinghe laid down to sleep in a drunken daze, the empty coldness beside him was still very apparent. The unfilled side of the bed seemed to be taunting him with the lack of a certain person that he liked cuddling into every night.


    Qinghe blinked sadly. He still missed his Xiang very much¡­


    Why did his beloved have to leave him for so many days?


    His melancholy suddenly turning to discontent, Qinghe puffed up his cheeks that were flushed red due to his inebriation.


    He didn¡¯t like this! He wanted to rub his face against his Xiang¡¯s hair and snuggle into his Xiang¡¯s warm embrace! And if his Xiang wasn¡¯t here, then he¡¯d just have to go find him!


    And so, Qinghe messily put on an outer robe and tied his belt, not remembering to fasten his hair before he pulled on his boots. Then, after picking up the last unopened jar of wine left and hugging it to his chest, Qinghe determinedly jumped out of his room¡¯s window and unsteadily walked to the Feng residence¡¯s transportation array, the crescent moon above silently accompanying him.


    After reaching the platform with the transportation array, Qinghe crouched down and impatiently slapped his hand against the formation and drunkenly demanded, ¡°Take me to Xiang! Quick, quick!¡±


    As he erratically let his spiritual energy flow into the platform, the array glowed a bright silver as if its lines were made of condensed moonlight. With a flash, it immediately transported Qinghe into the mortal world.


    But as the lines of the array dimmed, it was revealed that the place where Qinghe had been slapping the stone platform had fine cracks spreading from it. It appeared that Qinghe hadn¡¯t remembered to hold back his strength and ended up damaging the formation instead. But the cracks quickly healed themselves at a visible rate and the stone became smooth and undamaged once more.


    However, since the transportation formation had been yet to heal when Qinghe used it, the destination it sent him to might not be the place he had expected to end up in.


    ¡­¡­


    Meanwhile, in the Obsidian Courtyard in the demonic faction¡¯s Nine Gems Sanctuary, Hei NingYu softly closed the door to his and Chen Xiande¡¯s bedroom behind him before turning to the Elder who had dared interrupt him in the middle of the night.


    ¡°Elder Duan, this better be very important.¡±


    Seeing the playful smile and dark eyes of his Sect Leader, Elder Duan gulped nervously and spoke in a frantic whisper, ¡°Sect Leader Hei, this is indeed very important. An enchanting spirit is trying to ensnare victims using its song and bewitching appearance in our forest!¡±


    Hei NingYu narrowed his eyes. ¡°Explain.¡±


    Elder Duan let out a breath and began, ¡°I¡¯ve received several reports this past hour about a strange and beautiful being singing in our forest and luring in the people who were passing that way. But thankfully, since the people targeted were all demonic cultivators with relatively strong abilities, they were able to resist the pull and rushed to come and report to me. Sect Leader Hei, I think it need not be said how dangerous it could get if we let this being roam free. But most importantly, we have to handle this matter before it spreads that we let some unknown creature breach the border of our dark arts faction and make its territory in our land!¡±


    Hei NingYu wanted to sigh. In a firm voice, he ordered, ¡°Gather some people who might be useful against this creature and meet me at the edge of the forest near the alchemy and research facility. We¡¯ll set out immediately to deal with this.¡±


    Nodding, Elder Duan quickly left to do as told.


    After checking that Chen Xiande was still peacefully asleep on the bed, Hei NingYu immediately headed towards the meeting place. He wanted to finish this matter as quickly as possible so that he could get back to sleep beside his cute little sheep.


    And so, a few minutes later, a group of four people¡ªthree Elders and one Hei NingYu¡ªheaded off into the dark forest to find and take care of this mysterious being.


    ¡°It has to be a siren on land, I tell you!¡± an Elder with a small white dot in the middle of his forehead declared.


    ¡°No, this is definitely a fox spirit or a flower spirit. I have experience with the kind of spirits that do mischievous things like this in forests with excessive yin energy like ours,¡± refuted another Elder, his hand with three fingers waving in the air confidently.


    The white-marked Elder scoffed. ¡°When did fox spirits or whatever start singing to lure in victims? The ones most seen with this attribute in folklore are sirens!¡±


    ¡°So what? One of my disciples saw this creature and was sure that it was male!¡± the three-fingered Elder countered.


    ¡°Who told you that sirens could only be female? Male sirens are statistically more commonly seen. There have been at least two hundred sightings of male sirens in this year alone. On the other hand, how many people have seen singing fox spirits?¡±


    The Elder with three fingers replied, ¡°And how many of those two hundred sirens did people see in forests rather than the shore or at sea like¨D¡±


    Elder Duan quickly interrupted the quarreling Elders, ¡°Elder Ling, Elder Wang, enough! Listen! I think we can hear its singing.¡±


    The two Elders immediately shut up and listened with all their might. And sure enough, threading through the sounds of the forest¡¯s nightlife was a lilting voice humming a melody.


    The voice was smooth and clear as it hummed a cheerful tune, flowing easily like water and suffused with an innocent joy. But as it echoed within the confines of this dark and dreary forest, it gained an eerie layer of melancholy, as if it was being hummed by someone who was seeking to hide their sadness by singing cheerfully.


    But as he carefully analyzed it, Hei NingYu realized that he did not detect any bewitchment or spell in the voice or the song at all.


    The three-fingered Elder Wang softly murmured, ¡°I think I¡¯ve heard this tune before¡­ I think it¡¯s called ¡®A Drunken Revelry¡¯ or something along those lines. But whoever is singing it seems to have made a lot of changes to the tune to fit their mood. It actually sounds very¡­pleasant, much more so than the original song.¡±


    The others digested this piece of information with thoughtful frowns.


    Maintaining absolute silence after that, the group carefully walked in the direction from which this voice issued, seeking to follow it to its source.


    Fifteen minutes later, Hei NingYu and his group suddenly spotted a few wolves heading their way while whimpering and cowering away from something in the distance, slowly backing in the group¡¯s direction.


    This pack of wolves had pelts in various shades of light brown and grey, and they looked hale and without injury. These were the wolves that Hei NingYu himself had raised in the forest, and after being introduced to Chen Xiande, the wolves had taken an even greater liking to their caretaker¡¯s ¡®mate¡¯, always running over to be spoiled by him like eager little puppies.


    These wolves were usually very vigorous and playful, and in the case of intruders, they would growl and bare their teeth to frighten them, but would do no harm. Despite their good tempers, these wolves were generally very curious and brave, so Hei NingYu and the Elders couldn¡¯t help but wonder what had reduced them to this state.


    Frowning, Hei NingYu walked up to the pack before crouching down and rubbing a palm over the lead wolf, slowly soothing it. Realizing that he was here, the other wolves also rushed up to him and pressed into his body as if silently seeking comfort from his presence.


    Hei NingYu took some time to ease their fears and sent them off to play in another direction before continuing with more caution. Since this being was able to so easily intrude into his domain and even alarm his wolves to this degree, it must not be an easy opponent.


    With caution tightening their faces, the group continued onward, their journey uninterrupted this time.


    Finally, in the distance, they saw something. It was a white figure sitting lazily on a wide and sturdy tree branch that was situated three meters above the ground. One of his legs was folded up while the other dangled down, waving to and fro leisurely. He seemed to be clutching something close to his chest with both arms wrapped securely around it.


    As they got closer without alerting the seemingly clueless creature, they were able to make out more details.


    This white-robed being¡¯s hair flowed unbound, his outer robe only loosely wrapped and tied around him. The thing being held in his arms seemed to be an unopened jar of wine.


    Suddenly, the figure stopped humming, lifting his head and looking at them without a hint of surprise as if he had long since sensed their approach.


    But what shocked the group even more was his exquisite face. It was ethereally beautiful and exuded coldness, yet his cheeks were flushed with a warm, bewitching pink. His eyes were wide and dewy, seemingly due to intoxication, and glistened with a pure, childlike curiosity.


    The three Elders gulped. This was truly an enchanting beauty, but could it be that they were already under his spell? Because there was no other way they would be able to see such a person in such a place, now would they? Maybe the humming till now really had been some sort of spell that had managed to affect them without alerting them all. Thinking all this, the Elders couldn¡¯t help but feel even more cautious.


    However, after seeing that familiar face and confirming his identity, Hei NingYu sighed and immediately let down his guard. In a flat tone, he called, ¡°Feng Qinghe.¡±


    The white-clad figure perched on the tree branch blinked at him with confusion, his eyes dazed. ¡°Sect Leader Hei? Why are you here?¡±


    Hearing this, the three Elders gaped. This person was¡­Feng Qinghe? Wasn¡¯t he that newly-ascended second disciple from Heavenly Peak Sect who also happened to be the Grandmaster¡¯s son and the new leader of the Sentinels¡¯, Wei Xiang¡¯s, lover?! And he was also their sect leader¡¯s lover¡¯s junior brother to boot! What was he doing here in this forest of all places? Couldn¡¯t he have just visited his senior brother by entering through the front door like a normal person?!


    As the three Elders freaked out, Hei NingYu calmly replied to Qinghe, ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be here? This forest is a part of the demonic faction¡¯s territory, after all.¡±


    Qinghe showed a look of understanding. ¡°Ah! So that¡¯s why there¡¯s so much demonic energy.¡±


    Hei NingYu smiled wryly. ¡°Indeed.¡± Then after a moment of hesitation, he asked, ¡°Do I want to know why you¡¯re sitting up there?¡±


    In a solemn tone, Qinghe answered, ¡°To avoid more wild barkies.¡±


    Hei NingYu looked at him with a blank, uncomprehending expression. ¡°¡­I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    Qinghe frowned and tried to explain despite his wine-addled mind, ¡°There were lots of wild barkies. I don¡¯t like wild barkies. They¡¯re hungry and mean and also rude and noisy. I won¡¯t give them my wine.¡±


    As Qinghe protectively patted the wine jar he was hugging, Hei NingYu looked even more lost.


    A drunken Feng Qinghe seemed simple, but was also surprisingly hard to understand.


    Sighing, Hei NingYu asked for clarification, ¡°Xiao Feng, what do you mean by that? What are these ¡®barkies¡¯?¡±


    Qinghe seriously pondered for a while as he tried to find the words he wanted, then said, ¡°Barkies are puppies. Grown-up puppies.¡±


    Hei NingYu¡¯s eyebrows went up as understanding dawned. If ¡®barkies¡¯ were dogs, then in that case, ¡®wild barkies¡¯ must be¡­


    Suddenly, a wolf¡¯s howl rang out, piercing the night and paying homage to the full moon in the mortal realm.


    Though the rate of the passage of time in both the mortal and heavenly realms was roughly linear, due to their varying ages, the phases of the moon in the two realms usually did not coincide.


    As the wolf¡¯s howl spread through the forest, a few other wolves also started adding their own voices to create a haunting multi-layered symphony.


    Turning his head in the direction of the loud howls, Qinghe showed an expression of distaste as he muttered, ¡°Stupid wild barkies. So noisy!¡±


    Hearing this, Hei NingYu smiled amusedly. This Xiao Feng was really too adorable when he was drunk.


    ¡°Say, Xiao Feng, what did you do to the wolves you must have seen just before?¡±


    Qinghe froze for a moment, then showed a guilty expression and hugged the wine jar closer. ¡°I¡­I only used a little wind to shoo them away because they were being all barky and growly before.¡±


    Hei NingYu¡¯s amusement grew as he saw how the young man averted his eyes as if to hide his bad conscience.


    ¡°I see,¡± Hei NingYu replied. Then softening his voice, he reassured him, ¡°But the wolves weren¡¯t hurt at all, only spooked a bit, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Qinghe blinked at him with wide and hopeful eyes. ¡°Then¡­they are okay?¡±


    Hei NingYu nodded.


    Qinghe sighed in relief and slumped forward, hugging the unopened jar even tighter and rubbing his face against the cloth covering its mouth. In a small voice, he muttered, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s good. Wild barkies are mean, but it¡¯s only because they¡¯re hungry like us.¡±


    Hei NingYu tilted his head, not understanding. But seeing Qinghe¡¯s sad expression, he decided not to ask anything for now. It was more important to resolve this situation of ¡®the bewitching beauty¡¯ in the forest and take care of his lover¡¯s drunk junior brother.


    Therefore, Hei NingYu began to cajole, ¡°Xiao Feng, why don¡¯t you come down? We can go and meet your senior brother, then you can go to sleep in a nice and comfortable bed. Wouldn¡¯t you like that?¡±


    Qinghe blinked and wearily rubbed his itchy face. He did feel tired.


    And so, nodding in agreement, Qinghe lightly leapt down from the tree branch and landed beside Hei NingYu. Looking around cautiously, he tugged at the hem of Hei NingYu¡¯s sleeve and asked, ¡°Will there be more wild barkies?¡±


    Hei NingYu suppressed his amusement and answered seriously, ¡°No, I sent them off to play far away. They won¡¯t interrupt us on our way, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Qinghe obediently nodded and rubbed his face with the back of his closed hand again. He felt a little bit sleepy. Hmm, he really wanted to snuggle up with his senior brother and sleep on a soft and comfy bed.


    All this while, the three Elders maintained absolute silence. Elder Duan had been so panicked as he¡¯d reported to Hei NingYu about the ¡®enchanting spirit¡¯ in their forest, and the other two Elders had been so heatedly arguing about what type of creature it could be. And finding the true nature of this being only made them feel strangely embarrassed about their own exhibited excitability in front of their Sect Leader.


    And so, as they accompanied Hei NingYu and Qinghe on the path out of the forest, the three Elders tried their best to hide their presence.


    Soon, when the group reached the forest¡¯s border, the three Elders immediately gave their greetings to Hei NingYu and fled, feeling like they did not have the face to stay any longer.


    Once the Elders left, Hei NingYu led Qinghe to the Obsidian Courtyard and walked in.


    ¡°There are several guest rooms you could stay at. Do you have any preference, Xiao Feng?¡±


    Qinghe showed an expression of dissatisfaction as he shook his head. ¡°No! I want to cuddle with Senior Brother!¡±


    Hei NingYu showed a complicated expression, but nodded. He¡¯d leave the final decision on this to his little sheep then.


    By now, sensing his lover¡¯s absence, Chen Xiande had long since awoken, silently waiting for Hei NingYu to return. So he wasn¡¯t exactly surprised when the door to the bedroom opened and his beloved strode in.


    But what did surprise him was how his junior brother was also following behind Hei NingYu.


    With wide eyes, Chen Xiande asked, ¡°Junior Brother?! What are you doing here?¡±


    Qinghe yawned, then answered in a soft voice. ¡°Sleepy.¡±


    Seeing Qinghe¡¯s disheveled state and the jar of wine he was clutching to himself, accompanied with his flushed cheeks and dazed look, Chen Xiande immediately understood that he was drunk.


    Sighing, Chen Xiande only nodded. ¡°I understand, but why are you here in our bedroom?¡±


    Hei NingYu answered amusedly from the side, ¡°Your junior brother wants to cuddle with you. Isn¡¯t he adorable?¡±


    Qinghe puffed his pink cheeks and nodded. ¡°I want to cuddle and snuggle and sleep on the soft bed!¡±


    Chen Xiande felt his face melting into a smile of its own accord as he saw his junior brother behaving like a cute little child. And if this cute junior brother of his wanted to cuddle with him, how could he refuse?


    ¡°Very well, why don¡¯t you take that side and NingYu will take my other side?¡±


    Qinghe yawned once again before agreeing, ¡°Okay.¡±


    And so, Chen Xiande laid back down in the middle of the bed while Hei NingYu occupied his right. After being reminded to remove his shoes, Qinghe placed them by the door and unsteadily climbed up the bed to lie on Chen Xiande¡¯s left, the jar of wine still held securely within his arms.


    ¡°Junior Brother, you should leave the jar on the floor,¡± Chen Xiande advised.


    Qinghe looked at him with pleading eyes. ¡°But it¡¯s mine!¡±


    Chen Xiande let out a chuff of suppressed laughter, then said, ¡°But if you or I twist in our sleep, then isn¡¯t there a chance of the jar being squished and getting broken? Or maybe you¡¯ll let go of it while you¡¯re sleeping and it¡¯ll roll off the bed and smash onto the ground.¡±


    Looking horrified at that thought, Qinghe immediately twisted to place the wine jar on the floor and near the wall so that it would be safe.


    Smiling warmly, Chen Xiande patted Qinghe¡¯s head. ¡°Good.¡±


    Qinghe smiled happily at being praised. His senior brother was so nice!


    Then remembering something, he lifted himself up and peered at Hei NingYu anxiously. ¡°Sect Leader Hei, will the wild barkies come here and be noisy again?¡±


    Hei NingYu smiled helplessly. Just how worried was he about the wolves?


    ¡°No, they won¡¯t bother us here,¡± Hei NingYu reassured patiently.


    Qinghe let out a breath in relief and plopped back down, wriggling towards Chen Xiande and half-hugging him to snuggle into his warmth.


    Chen Xiande affectionately patted his junior brother on the back and asked curiously, ¡°What are these ¡®wild barkies¡¯?¡±


    Hei NingYu answered in Qinghe¡¯s stead, ¡°He means wolves. Xiao Feng seems to dislike them for some reason.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Why?¡± Chen Xiande curiously asked his junior brother.


    Qinghe sleepily blinked up at them. Seeing that even Hei NingYu had lifted his head up and was looking as if he wanted to know, Qinghe decided to explain.


    ¡°Back when I was in that mean place, that orphanage, the wardens once decided on a new punishment for the children who disobeyed them. They took us to the forest and there was a deep and wide pit there. At the bottom of the pit, there were a lot of wild barkies. They were thin and looked sick. We knew that they were being starved by the mean people just like us. When they saw us, they barked and howled and whined very loud.


    ¡°Then one of those mean wardens singled out one of us for a demonstration. It was a boy who always shouted and cursed at them and always tried to get out of doing what the wardens ordered. So they took him to the edge and pushed him into that deep pit.¡±


    Hei NingYu pressed his lips together while Chen Xiande¡¯s eyes grew wide, his face whitening at what he knew would have happened. This¡­this was too horrible a fate, both to experience and witness, especially for children.


    Qinghe voice was soft and his dazed eyes sad even as he spoke with a hint of childishness. ¡°That boy screamed and sobbed for a long time while the wild barkies tore him up and ate him. He struggled and fought a lot and tried to climb out, but the wild barkies bit him and dragged him to the center before a lot of them gathered on top of him and covered him up. There were a lot of wet noises and crunch-crunch sounds, then the boy became silent and stopped moving. All the children looked very scared and some even started crying. The wardens were laughing though, they thought it was funny. They¡¯re very, very mean. But after that, not many ever disobeyed them. Being pushed into that wild barkies pit was too scary.¡±


    After recounting the memory, Qinghe curled his body unconsciously and began lightly chewing on a corner of his sleeve with a look of distress. He didn¡¯t like thinking about that time.


    With sorrowful eyes, Chen Xiande pulled his junior brother to him in a hug. ¡°It¡¯s okay, you aren¡¯t there anymore. You don¡¯t have to think about it anymore.¡±


    But they all knew that it wasn¡¯t that easy to leave the past behind, especially when it came with such a shocking and brutal image.


    Though Chen Xiande wanted his junior brother to simply forget this memory, Hei NingYu decided to continue speaking about it. ¡°Xiao Feng, did you also feel scared at that time?¡±


    Chen Xiande frowned up at his lover, but Hei NingYu kept his gaze fixed on Qinghe.


    Leaning up from his senior brother¡¯s comfy hug, Qinghe blinked up at Hei NingYu. ¡°I was scared at first, but after a bit, I wasn¡¯t that scared anymore. But I was very afraid that Yan Lin would get pushed down there. Yan Lin is too good, so he won¡¯t even hurt the wild barkies if they hurt him. I was afraid he¡¯d get all eaten up.¡±


    Chen Xiande looked at his junior brother with surprise while Hei NingYu only nodded as if he¡¯d expected this.


    In an even voice, he prodded further, ¡°Xiao Feng, what would you have done if they really did push Yan Lin in?¡±


    Qinghe frowned and answered matter-of-factly, ¡°I would also jump down. Yan Lin doesn¡¯t know how to fight, so I would have to go and help him.¡±


    Hei NingYu¡¯s gaze bored into him. ¡°But if you did that, you¡¯d both get eaten, wouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    Rubbing his face to push away his tiredness, Qinghe replied, ¡°No, I¡¯m not like Yan Lin and I didn¡¯t act stupid like the other kids. When I saw that boy being eaten up and heard the mean wardens say that they¡¯d push us in too if we didn¡¯t behave, I already started thinking up strategies.¡±


    After resting his head back down on the pillow and shifting to find a comfortable place, Qinghe continued, ¡°They didn¡¯t dig the pit properly so there was lots of loose soil. I studied the pit¡¯s walls and knew which rocks I could pull to make a lot of sand fall on the wild barkies. I plotted the paths I could take to climb out most easily and deduced the places that would have better and stronger footing. I also made sure to remember which wild barkies had which injuries and weaknesses so that I could take advantage of it if I ever fell down there. Almost all the wild barkies were sick or hurt. They are also very pitiful, just like all of us children in that mean place.¡±


    Seeing Qinghe¡¯s eyelashes lightly tremble as his mind kept thinking about that dreadful orphanage, Chen Xiande once again began stroking his back in an attempt to comfort him. In a firm voice, Chen Xiande said, ¡°NingYu, that¡¯s enough. It isn¡¯t necessary to bring up all those wretched memories. Let him sleep.¡±


    Hei NingYu nodded. ¡°I understand.¡± Then, turning to look at a drowsy Qinghe, he spoke in a soft voice, ¡°Xiao Feng, I¡¯m sorry that I made you think so much about your past.¡±


    Qinghe sleepily shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­I don¡¯t¡­mind.¡±


    Sensing his senior brother¡¯s worry on his behalf and feeling his comforting touch on his back, the tired Qinghe felt his eyelids becoming heavier and heavier as he sank deeper into the bed. Soon, the blissful darkness of sleep pulled him under, filling him with a sense of peace.


    But within half an hour, Qinghe dazedly woke up again. Beside him, Chen Xiande and Hei NingYu were deep asleep.


    It seemed that Feng Chunyi¡¯s wine was quite potent, for Qinghe was still as drunk as he had been earlier in the night.


    Sitting up and rubbing his eyes, Qinghe yawned and stood up unsteadily, yet soundlessly. After all that talk about his past, he suddenly remembered that Yan Lin must still be scared of the wild barkies. In his drunken stupor, Qinghe felt like it was his duty as Yan Lin¡¯s friend to go and comfort him while reassuring him that he wouldn¡¯t let the wild barkies hurt him.


    And so, picking up his beloved jar of wine and putting his shoes back on, Qinghe silently exited the Obsidian Courtyard and the Nine Gems Sanctuary, making his way towards Yan Lin while using his wind to speed up the process.


    ¡­¡­


    The small and cozy bedroom echoed with loud snores that Yan Lin was desperately trying to ignore in an attempt to gain at least a little bit of sleep.


    Unfortunately, sleep seemed like a distant dream for him, elusive to the point of being completely unattainable.


    Ever since eight and a half months ago, Zhang LiYing had developed the habit of snoring, and it only got worse the more her stomach grew.


    Just as Yan Lin was wondering whether he should just give up and start his nighttime project of wood carving as usual, a series of loud bangs suddenly shattered the quiet and thundered through the house as if someone was pounding on the cottage with a giant hammer.


    Yan Lin hurriedly sat up as Zhang LiYing also awakened.


    ¡°Ah-Lin? W-What¡¯s that sound¡­?¡± she asked, her voice thick with sleep.


    Yan Lin gentled his voice and replied, ¡°I think someone is knocking on our door.¡±


    Zhang LiYing frowned, alarm beginning to suffuse her expression as the loud banging continued. Hurriedly getting up, she decided to accompany her husband to see who came to make trouble at their door at this hour.


    And so, the pair of husband and wife hurriedly strode towards the door, aiming to reach it before whoever was on the other side ended up breaking it.


    Yan Lin quickly pulled open the door and began, ¡°Who is it, making a racket like this at this hour¨D¡±


    Cutting off his grouchily uttered statement, Yan Lin gaped in astonishment.


    ¡°Q-Qinghe?!¡±


    What was his friend doing here this deep in the night after not showing up for the last eight months or so? And why did he appear to be drunk?


    ¡°Qinghe? Why are you here? Is something wrong?¡± Zhang LiYing asked worriedly. ¡°Whatever it is, you better come in first.¡±


    Regaining his composure, Yan Lin also opened the door wider to invite his friend in.


    Qinghe dazedly walked into the familiar cottage and heard the door close behind him. This time, he thankfully remembered to leave his shoes by the door.


    Hugging his jar of wine close with an arm and rubbing his itchy face with the other, Qinghe drowsily explained, ¡°I didn¡¯t want Yan Lin to be afraid of the wild barkies.¡±


    Yan Lin only looked at him confusedly, but still went over and rubbed his little friend¡¯s head. ¡°Thank you for coming all this way to look after me. I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Qinghe dazedly nodded.


    Seeing that Qinghe was unsteadily waving on his feet as if he¡¯d fall asleep right where he was standing, Zhang LiYing softened her voice and asked, ¡°Would you like me to prepare a bed in one of the empty rooms?¡±


    Frowning, Qinghe asked, ¡°I can¡¯t cuddle with Yan Lin?¡±


    Smiling, Yan Lin spoke, ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave my wife alone right now, but with Ah-Ying being this far along in her pregnancy, I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s no more space left on our bed either.¡±


    Hearing this, Qinghe peeled open his heavy eyelids and looked at Zhang LiYing properly for the first time. Seeing her large and round belly, his eyes widened in shock, his sleepiness abating for now.


    ¡°Is there a baby in your tummy?¡± Qinghe asked disbelievingly.


    Zhang LiYing forced down her laughter at his expression and nodded. ¡°Yes. Do you want to feel it?¡±


    Qinghe looked at her uncomprehendingly, but slowly walked over and put his hand into her extended palm.


    Taking Qinghe¡¯s hand, Zheng LiYing placed it on her belly and said, ¡°Sometimes the child moves, though not as much at night. Can you feel it?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s already wide eyes widened further as he felt something small push and roll against his palm from within her belly, then lazily draw back.


    ¡°¡­I¡­I think I felt the baby¡­¡± Qinghe spoke with equal parts wonder and bewilderment.


    Seeing this, Yan Lin laughed. ¡°Maybe the baby likes you. Qinghe, Ah-Ying and I have long since decided to make you the child¡¯s godfather. Is that alright with you?¡±


    Qinghe stood stunned for a moment, then frantically nodded. ¡°Yes, yes, I would like that very much! I promise that I¡¯ll also take care of the baby and bring it lots of tasty candy and sweets and¡­and¡­lots of toys!¡±


    The pair of husband and wife felt startled at such an enthusiastic response, but also very warm. If they¡¯d told this to Qinghe when he was sober, he would probably have hidden his joy while simply smiling and nodding in acceptance. In a way, they were glad that they got to see his cute reaction.


    With a cheerful smile, Yan Lin said, ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll quickly go and prepare a place for you to sleep for now.¡± Then he set off to do just that, leaving his wife to keep his drunken friend company.


    Chuckling, Zhang LiYing lifted a hand and brushed it over Qinghe¡¯s head just like her husband usually did. Ah, it was so soft and round. No wonder her husband liked to pat his friend¡¯s head so much.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll make a great godfather,¡± she said, her eyes shining with both happiness and mirth.


    Qinghe solemnly nodded, then asked, ¡°Can I hug the baby?¡±


    Smiling widely, Zhang LiYing patted her belly affectionately and agreed easily, ¡°Yes, you can.¡±


    And so, crouching down in front of her, Qinghe carefully wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his face to her round belly. He felt that he could almost hear the little unborn person inside moving and breathing through viscous liquid and the several thick layers of tissue. He could almost feel the muffled vibration of a tiny heart beating. But rather than feeling disconcerted by this, Qinghe merely smiled softly, his face easing into warm lines.


    This¡­was strangely peaceful.


    Being in Yan Lin¡¯s home always made Qinghe feel comfortable and welcome. There was a sense of tranquility and hominess here that he seldom felt in any other place. And now, hearing that they were willing to let him be a part of even their future child¡¯s life, it filled Qinghe with joy and contentment.


    Seeing how Qinghe looked as if he¡¯d doze off while hugging her belly, Zhang LiYing patted his head once and spoke, ¡°You look so tired. Why don¡¯t you go and lie down? Ah-Lin must have finished readying the bed and the baby will still be here when you wake up.¡±


    Blinking his heavy eyelids, Qinghe nodded and reluctantly got up. Led by Zhang LiYing, he entered a small, darkened room with a freshly readied mattress on the floor. At the side sat a workbench with several pieces of wood, some half-carved, along with a few tools for woodcarving and some natural paint.


    Letting out a long yawn, Qinghe walked up to the bed and tumbled into it. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he felt the soft darkness of sleep beginning to envelop him.


    With a warm smile, Zhang LiYing laboriously bent down and covered Qinghe with the worn quilt. Then stretching and massaging her back after the exertion, she slowly walked out while supporting her belly with a hand.


    In the dark room, Qinghe opened his eyes and remained lying on the bed. Though the clouds of drowsiness still misted his mind, he still kept thinking about Yan Lin and Zhang LiYing¡¯s child.


    Though it was possible for two men to have a child with some additional help, Qinghe was not interested in it. In fact, he even feared the thought of another life growing inside him, because it would mean that he was sharing his body with another, and to a certain degree, also sharing his control over it. Even if he wanted a child, his body would instinctually reject it and cause complications, because that was how deep his need to maintain control over himself was entrenched into him. Any thought of losing that control, except when he was with Wei Xiang, would cause him to automatically panic. That was simply the way his current self was.


    But thankfully, his Xiang also seemed to understand it, so he had never tried to bring up that topic again after that one time when he, Wei Xiang, and his father had been discussing things in his room after the second stage of the Hundred-Year Tournament.


    Qinghe sighed and got up. After thinking all this, he felt too restless to have a peaceful sleep, so he decided to make something for his friend¡¯s future child.


    Walking up to the workbench and sitting on the stool set in front of it, Qinghe chose a small knife with a strong and sharp blade and an unused block of wood, then began whittling the wood, patiently letting it take the shape he wanted before carving in the details.


    Soon, it was done and Qinghe even finished painting it before drying it with his wind.


    Standing up, he looked out the small window and out into the night in a daze.


    As he was thinking about babies and his Xiang¡¯s understanding regarding his attitude just now, Qinghe finally remembered why he¡¯d come down to the mortal world in the first place. And despite the many detours, he realized that he still missed his lover very much.


    Therefore, Qinghe once again planned to set out to cuddle with his Xiang.


    However, thinking how the Sentinel headquarters where Wei Xiang would be right now was actually like his in-laws¡¯ house, Qinghe pondered. Shouldn¡¯t he take gifts of some sort when going to visit his in-laws?


    But what gifts could he give the Sentinels?


    Qinghe tilted his head and thought seriously, then brightened as an idea struck him.


    And so, retrieving his wine jar and hugging it to him once more, Qinghe snuck out of the quiet cottage after putting his shoes back on. He knew just the place where he could find some gifts!


    The next morning, when Yan Lin and Zhang LiYing came to check on Qinghe, they found that the room was empty. The quilt was neatly folded and placed on top of the equally as neat bed. Placed on the workbench to the side, there was something new that Qinghe must have made himself during the night.


    Walking up to it, Yan Lin studied it with wide eyes.


    It was a cute and chubby wooden fish the size of an adult¡¯s palm. Its details were exquisite while the fish itself was carved to be blunt with no sharp edges at all. Its eyes seemed to contain an affectionate warmth while its mouth seemed curved in a happy smile. It was painted in mild colors yet with eye-catching contrast that a child was bound to find attractive. The paint used was also the natural, child-friendly kind that Yan Lin had kept ready by the workbench.


    Despite his intoxication, it seemed that Qinghe had still taken care of every detail perfectly so that the child who played with this toy wouldn¡¯t be hurt.


    Thinking this, both Yan Lin and Zhang LiYing could only marvel and feel that they had made the right choice is asking Qinghe to be their child¡¯s godfather.


    ¡­¡­


    After a long day of politicking and administration, the exhausted imperial couple of the Xing Long Empire was finally on their way to retire in the emperor¡¯s bedchambers, seeking to spend some passionate time together on the dragon bed.


    As Ping Nian and his wife finally arrived near the door to his bedroom, they opened the door without ceremony, with the empress stepping in first.


    But barely a moment later, she stepped out and looked at her husband with a scathing glare. ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, have you tired of your wife so much that you¡¯re now playing around with exceptional beauties to the point of showing your favor for them so blatantly by inviting them into your bedroom?!¡±


    Ping Nin blinked at his wife. ¡°Ah-Ju, what do you mean?¡±


    Narrowing her eyes, the empress spat, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go in and see for yourself?¡±


    And so, Ping Nian had no choice but to enter his bedroom with trepidation. But the sight that greeted him left him unable to react.


    ¡°¡­Lord Feng?¡± Ping Nian exclaimed with shock. Then his expression darkening, he asked politely, ¡°May I ask what you are doing in my bedroom, and on my bed no less?¡±


    Sitting cross-legged on the dragon bed with his shoes still on, Qinghe blinked away the wisps of encroaching sleep and focused his attention on the man in front of him. ¡°Nian Nian, I¡¯m here for the payment.¡±


    Ping Nian¡¯s mouth twitched. What was with this affectionate way of calling him?!


    On the other hand, after hearing her husband¡¯s address, the empress quickly figured out Qinghe¡¯s identity as the cultivator who had previously helped with the rebellion before practically handing over the throne of this empire to her husband. And currently, no matter how one saw his current appearance, he was obviously drunk and in a somewhat unclear state of mind. Understanding this, the empress¡¯s worries about her husband¡¯s infidelity were easily laid to rest.


    In a soft voice, she asked, ¡°Lord Feng, what do you mean by payment?¡±


    Qinghe puffed up his cheeks and declared, ¡°I helped him with getting the throne, so he should give me payment!¡±


    Ping Nian¡¯s face immediately turned solemn. Though this Lord Feng seemed to be drunk, Ping Nian knew that he should take this seriously. After all, he should have known that nothing came for free, and as the other person had helped him gain such a monumental thing as an entire empire, even if he asked for the palace itself, Ping Nian felt that he had no choice but to bend his knee and offer it to him with both hands.


    Ping Nian took in a breath and let it out, then spoke in a grim voice, ¡°Very well, then. What do you want?¡±


    Qinghe blinked and rubbed his face with a closed fist. Ah, his face felt so tired. He wanted to cuddle with his Xiang and sleep in a warm and comfy bed. But before that¡­


    Looking up at Ping Nian, Qinghe showed four fingers and proclaimed, ¡°I want five jars of wine!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Ping Nian looked at him speechlessly for a moment, carefully studying the four fingers Qinghe was holding up before correcting in an uncertain tone. ¡°Do you mean you want four jars?¡±


    Qinghe looked at Ping Nian as if wondering how he let such a stupid person become an emperor in the first place.


    Reading his expression, Ping Nian felt his head beginning to ache.


    Qinghe shook his head and explained, ¡°No, I said I want five jars, but I already have one.¡± Saying so, he patted the jar he was hugging before he continued, ¡°So you should give me four more jars, then I¡¯ll have the five jars I want. That¡¯s why I was showing four fingers rather than five.¡±


    Then, as if emphasizing in case Ping Nian didn¡¯t understand, Qinghe showed him four fingers again.


    Ping Nian sighed and massaged his head while his wife looked as if she was greatly enjoying her husband¡¯s frustration.


    Her eyes dancing with mirth, the empress said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go and get four jars of the best wine we have from the imperial cellars. Is that all?¡±


    Qinghe nodded his head and yawned, covering his mouth with the back of a hand.


    Shaking her head, the empress quickly strode off to find someone to bring the wine. Within minutes, Qinghe was given the four jars he¡¯d asked for and he put it away in his storage space. For a moment, he contemplated putting the jar he that had been holding all this while in his spatial storage as well, but decided to keep hugging it. Feeling its by-now-familiar shape pressed against his chest comforted him somewhat.


    Now that he had gotten what he wanted, Qinghe got up from Ping Nian¡¯s bed and directly walked up to the large window at the side, aiming to jump out of there.


    In a dry voice, Ping Nian asked, ¡°Lord Feng, you do know that you can use the door to exit the building, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Qinghe paused, then turned to look at him as if his already low opinion on Ping Nian¡¯s intelligence was forced to lower even more. ¡°To go outside, I¡¯ll have to walk through so many doors. But if I just jump out the window, then I can be outside immediately. So why should I waste my time with all those doors?¡±


    And so, leaving behind a Ping Nian who had on a helpless expression, Qinghe smoothly leapt out the window and quickly made his way out of the palace grounds.


    Meanwhile, in the emperor¡¯s bedchamber, the empress¡¯s laughter rang out loud and cheery at her husband¡¯s expense.


    Ping Nian could only sigh in defeat.


    ¡­¡­


    The full moon glowed bright and round in the sky, overlooking a world gone quiet as it rested after the bustle of the day. The air was fresh and cool, the wispy mists drifting in it shimmering with reflected moonlight.


    Currently, it was a few hours past midnight.


    With silent yet purposeful steps, Qinghe strode into the Sentinel compound.


    Stepping inside, he looked around for a conspicuous space. Then recalling something, he directly headed towards the training area and chose a prominent place to set down the four wine jars he¡¯d just collected from the imperial palace.


    There, now this should be a suitable way to make sure that all the Sentinels saw it when they woke up tomorrow morning.


    Then, retrieving a sheet of paper and a brush already dipped in ink from his spatial storage, Qinghe seriously thought about what to put on the paper. He was just about to decide on writing that this was his gift to his in-laws, just like he had considered before, when another idea struck him.


    With gleaming eyes, Qinghe happily wrote something on the paper, dried it with his wind, and pasted it onto the wine jar in the middle. Though this concept was old and not used much in current times, with this, they should know that Xiang was definitely his! It was final!


    Feeling gleeful, Qinghe made his merry way to Wei Xiang¡¯s room and impatiently waited for him.


    About an hour later, a weary Wei Xiang slowly made his way towards his room.


    His workload these past few days had been too heavy as he tried to finish enough work so that he could spend more uninterrupted time with his little lover in the heavenly realm. But this also meant that he¡¯d had to leave his Qinghe alone for longer than either of them wanted.


    Sighing, Wei Xiang turned to stride into the corridor reserved for him due to his status as one of Feng Huixin¡¯s direct disciples. But as he walked further in, Wei Xiang felt as if he could hear his little lover¡¯s voice calling for him through the mostly soundproofed door to his room.


    Wei Xiang frowned, then redirected his attention to his soul bond. Sure enough, he really could feel his Qinghe¡¯s presence from his room.


    As Wei Xiang quickened his steps, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder why his beloved was calling for him so loudly. Rushing towards the door, he quickly opened it and looked over at the situation inside, then heaved a breath in relief that there was no danger.


    With puzzlement, Wei Xiang studied his little lover.


    Qinghe sat on Wei Xiang¡¯s bed, his outer robe messily tied and his long hair unbound and tousled. His legs were spread out in front of him as he sat without his usual grace. His face was flushed with intoxication as he waved unsteadily despite being seated.


    Clutching a jar of wine to his chest, Qinghe had closed his eyes tightly with his head tilted back as he yelled at the top of his lungs:


    ¡°Xiaaaaang!


    ¡°Xiiiiiaaaaang!


    ¡°Xiaaaaaaaaang!¡±


    Closing the door behind him, Wei Xiang spoke with a helpless smile, ¡°Love, I¡¯m here. You don¡¯t have to keep calling for me anymore.¡±


    Qinghe abruptly cut out his shouting and opened his shining eyes. ¡°Xiang!¡±


    Walking up to his adorable little lover, Wei Xiang said, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m here.¡±


    Qinghe quickly put the jar of wine aside and opened his arms demandingly. Wei Xiang obediently went to give his drunken beloved a hug.


    Unsatisfied with just wrapping his arms around his lover, Qinghe wrapped his legs around Wei Xiang¡¯s waist as well. Giggling cheerfully, he stated, ¡°Now you¡¯re all mine! You can¡¯t leave me!¡±


    Feeling his previous tiredness floating away as warmth and affection filled him, Wei Xiang patted his beloved¡¯s back and played along. ¡°Yes, you¡¯ve caught me.¡±


    Qinghe sighed happily and buried his head in Wei Xiang¡¯s chest uncaring of the sharp embroidery on the uniform scratching him or the hidden weapons poking him. His Xiang was finally with him. He could finally breathe easy again. Everything was finally alright with the world.


    Wei Xiang bent his head to place a kiss on his little lover¡¯s hair. ¡°Qinghe, I missed you.¡±


    Blinking, Qinghe squeezed Wei Xiang tighter and said in a sweet voice, ¡°Xiang, I missed you a lot too!¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled. ¡°I gathered as much.¡±


    Qinghe wriggled excitedly in his lover¡¯s embrace. ¡°Xiang, I love you!¡±


    His expression softening even more, Wei Xiang pressed his face into his beloved¡¯s hair and drew in the familiar and comforting scent of mint. ¡°I love you too.¡±


    Qinghe felt his face growing increasingly heated. In a shy voice, he asked hesitantly, ¡°Xiang¡­do you want some of my wine?¡±


    After all, the reason he had been carefully protecting and carrying around that wine jar all this while was because he wanted his Xiang to taste the super tasty wine too!


    Wei Xiang smiled softly and rubbed his beloved¡¯s head as he said, ¡°Yes, thank you for sharing it with me. You¡¯re such a good little lover, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Leaning back, Qinghe smiled happily and nodded. Yes, he was such a good lover! See, he was even sharing his precious wine!


    And so, Qinghe took the jar he¡¯d placed beside him on the bed and solemnly handed it to his lover.


    After retrieving a cup from his storage space, Wei Xiang poured some of the wine from the jar for himself and took a sip¡­


    ¡­and felt as if his insides were being coated with bubbling hot magma.


    Coughing, Wei Xiang managed to squeeze out, ¡°Q-Qinghe¡­what kind of wine is this?¡±


    Qinghe worriedly patted his lover¡¯s back and answered, ¡°Oh, this? It¡¯s Mother¡¯s. She said that it was some type of flower wine that¡¯s a little strong.¡±


    Wei Xiang could only shake his head. Why did everything belonging to his mother-in-law end up being some kind of brutal weapon?


    And yet, Wei Xiang still finished every drop of it without a word of complaint just because it was something his beloved had so lovingly given him.


    After he was done coughing and sputtering due to that caustic liquid that his mother-in-law had the temerity to call wine, Wei Xiang took some time to compose himself again. Then looking at the concerned and confused face of his beloved, he couldn''t help but smile as he asked indulgently, ¡°Love, is there anything else you want us to do? I¡¯m fine, so don¡¯t worry and just tell me.¡±


    After all, for his little lover to come looking for him while drunk, he must have missed him quite a lot even while sober. Wei Xiang thus wanted to make amends.


    Qinghe squinted his eyes and studied his beloved before believing that he was alright.


    ¡°Then¡­let¡¯s cuddle!¡± Qinghe immediately said, looking at him with eyes shining with anticipation.


    Laughing helplessly, Wei Xiang nodded. ¡°Alright, but let me take off my uniform and equipment first.¡±


    As Wei Xiang began doing just that, Qinghe impatiently bounced on his butt while chanting, ¡°Xiang, faster! Faster! Faster!¡±


    As soon as Wei Xiang finished removing everything except his innermost robe and laid down on the bed, Qinghe let out a happy squeal as he speedily shed his own outer robe and plopped down beside his lover, clinging onto him like an enthusiastic octopus.


    Wei Xiang let out a helpless laugh. ¡°Is there anything else my sweet little lover wants to do?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes brightened once again. ¡°Xiang, I want to snuggle into your hair!¡±


    With raised eyebrows, Wei Xiang contemplated this request. Then lifting his head, he swept the long stretch of his now unbound hair from under his head and spread it onto his beloved¡¯s pillow.


    His eyes shining at the thick layer of silky black hair draped over his pillow, Qinghe happily rested his head on it and rubbed his cheek over it with an expression of pure bliss.


    Even as he felt the light tug and pull on his scalp as his little lover played with his hair, Wei Xiang merely smiled, letting Qinghe indulge in it to his heart¡¯s content.


    Slowly, the vigor and excitement Qinghe felt at finally being able to cuddle and play with his Xiang melted into a soft and warm sensation that seemed to be coaxing him to sleep.


    Qinghe sighed peacefully. ¡°Xiang¡­I¡¯m sleepy.¡±


    Wei Xiang brushed his lips against his little lover¡¯s forehead. ¡°Then sleep. I¡¯ll be here.¡±


    Qinghe smiled a small and soft smile as he languidly blinked open his eyes. ¡°Hmm¡­I want to sleep on you.¡±


    Wei Xiang cooperatively shifted to lie on his back and said, ¡°Alright, come on then.¡±


    Unsteadily, Qinghe climbed on top of Wei Xiang, his head resting over his beloved¡¯s chest, right over his heart, and his legs tangled with his lover¡¯s long ones.


    Curling a hand near his head, Qinghe sleepily muttered, ¡°Now the wild barkies will have to¡­get through me¡­.¡­before they¡­get to¡­.¡­you¡­¡±


    As Wei Xiang looked at his little lover confusedly, Qinghe had already drifted off into a deep and restful sleep.


    And this time, he didn¡¯t wake until morning.


    ¡­¡­


    Early the next day, when the Sentinels woke up and went over to the training areas for their usual morning training and exercise, they spotted four jars smelling of sweet and very high-quality wine sitting in a very conspicuous place with a paper stuck to them.


    After they evaluated the make of the jars and the light fragrance exuding from it, some of the Sentinels quickly recognized it as a valuable and treasured wine that had been given to the imperial family by famous wine brewers from one of the faraway island nations as a sign of goodwill. To find four whole jars of it here was quite a shocking thing, and the connoisseurs of wine among the Sentinels couldn¡¯t wait to find out who these jars belonged to and plead for a taste of this wine.


    Itching to know more about why such high-quality wine was placed here, the Sentinels eagerly read what was written on the paper stuck to one of the jars.


    Flowing across the paper were neat lines of exquisite calligraphy saying:


    ¡°I¡¯m giving these four jars of wine to my in-laws, the Order of Sentinel, as dowry for Wei Xiang. Now Wei Xiang is all mine! ¨DFeng Qinghe¡±


    Stunned silence blanketed the space for a while before chuckles inevitable started sounding.


    ¡°Was Little Bro drunk last night?¡±


    ¡°How adorable! Wei Xiang really lucked out with finding such a cute lover!¡±


    ¡°Hehe, I can¡¯t wait to show it to our dear Officer Wei. I bet he¡¯d be tickled silly¡±


    And so, when the couple finally made their way to the training area after a round of morning exercises in bed, they were faced with the overly gleeful faces of the other Sentinels who delightedly showed them the paper.


    As Wei Xiang read the paper with raised eyebrows and a smile growing with amusement, Qinghe buried his reddened face in his hands, with only the tips of his flushed ears peeking out.


    What the hell was he thinking when he wrote that embarrassing note?! Why did he feel the need to give the Sentinels wine as ¡®dowry¡¯ in return for claiming his lover?! What was even going through his mind at that time?!


    As Wei Xiang¡¯s deep and happy chuckles filled his ears, Qinghe very vehemently swore to himself that he would never drink his mother¡¯s wine ever again!


    crimson_carnation


    I have to mention that the extras might greatly vary in length, and I''ve also decided to finally take it easy on myself from now on. So there is no set schedule for the release of extras, since they are, after all, only extras~


    Hope you had fun reading! (?£Þ?£Þ?)/

 Extra 2: A Gentle Black [Part 1 – Past]

    crimson_carnation


    When Xie Xingye opened his eyes, all he saw was an absolute darkness. It pressed down on him with an illusory weight as if wanting to suffocate him. A vicious pain bit at his side, like a hungry animal chewing on his abdomen with sharp teeth.


    Drawing in a silent breath, Xie Xingye tried to remember where he was and how he got here.


    Ah, that¡¯s right. He had been trying to make his way to the heavenly realm¡¯s capital to finally meet Chunyi and her husband when he ended up crossing the path of that group of older demonic deities. They¡¯d wanted to harvest his core and were planning to take turns to forcibly dual cultivate with him. Thankfully, he was able to escape from them before anything could happen, but he had ended up getting injured in the process.


    Xie Xingye remembered desperately pushing branch after low hanging branch out of his way with one hand as he fled, his feet stumbling over every rock and root sticking out of the ground as he barely managed to maintain his balance. His other hand had been tightly clutching at the gaping wound on his side to halt as much of the bleeding as he could while he blearily tried to search for a place to hide and recuperate.


    That was when he had caught sight of a cave mouth up ahead, sitting halfway above on a craggy rock wall. A small ledge thrust out from the cave like a lower lip. Jumping up, Xie Xingye unsteadily landed on the ledge extending from the cave. The shock of the landing had ended up tearing open his wound even more. But gritting his teeth, he managed to barely make it inside the cave before passing out from blood loss.


    He remembered nothing after that.


    Right now, Xie Xingye could sense that he was lying down on a makeshift mattress made of a thick cloth placed over a layer of hay for cushioning. No matter how much he looked around, all he could see was darkness. Sending out tendrils of his spirit sense, Xie Xingye understood that he was in the deepest part of a broad cave whose roof was at least six hundred meters above the cave floor.


    After a few minutes of contemplation, Xie Xingye slowly sat up. Then retrieving a talisman, he fed it some energy, causing it to light up in an eerie green fire that nevertheless illuminated the interior of the cave with its bleak light. But as Xie Xingye began to take in his surroundings, his eyes met another pair of large ones staring back at him from high above.


    Xie Xingye froze.


    What he had taken for another pitch-black and bumpy cave wall turned out to be a huge living being. Though its exact shape was indiscernible to him in this faint light, Xie Xingye knew in his bones that this being was far more powerful and older than him. If it wanted to, it could easily crush him under the weight of its power alone.


    Just what type of creature¡¯s cave had he had the misfortune of intruding into in his current wounded state?


    But though that huge black being was still looking at him, it did not do anything else. All Xie Xingye could sense from it was a calm watchfulness.


    Swallowing, Xie Xingye finally let himself ponder. Since he couldn¡¯t have walked over into the depths of the cave and settled himself into this makeshift mattress all on his own while he was unconscious, logically, the only other possibility was that this large black being had placed him here. Rather than killing him or just throwing him out when he stumbled into its cave, it had instead laid him to rest inside, which obviously meant that it bore no ill will towards him and might even care for his life or death.


    Thinking this, Xie Xingye let out a breath in relief.


    But he still wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. After all, who knew, he might just be kept here as stored food for when this black being got hungry. It was better to escape this cave while he could.


    And so, looking up straight into those coal black irises, Xie Xingye opened his cracked lips and called out in a hoarse voice, ¡°Hello. Thank you for letting me rest here, but I feel alright now. Do you mind letting me go?¡±


    After all, seeing how Xie Xingye was surrounded by the cave walls on three sides and this black being on the fourth, it was easy enough to guess that the black being was blocking the only way out of this place.


    Meanwhile, Zheng Xuan carefully studied this little demonic deity that he¡¯d rescued. He could still scent the fresh blood seeping through this deity¡¯s wound, and yet he wanted to leave? Why? Was he¡­afraid of him?


    As Zheng Xuan took a deep breath, he could indeed smell fear and caution from the human deity. But though Zheng Xuan was sure that he could reassure this deity by turning into his human form, it was unfortunately not possible right now.


    Unhinging his jaws, Zheng Xuan finally replied haltingly in a deep and gravelly voice, ¡°You¡¯re still¡­injured. If you have¡­medicine¡­then take it¡­and rest. You can¡¯t¡­go outside¡­right now.¡±


    Xie Xingye frowned. ¡°Am I being held captive here? Is there a reason I cannot go outside right now?¡±


    Zheng Xuan silently nodded and lifted the very edge of one of the wings that he was using to seal tight the cave¡¯s mouth. As the leathery wing shifted aside, a blast of frigid white air immediately forced its way inside with a whistle, bringing with it a stream of snow that quickly layered itself over that particular corner of the entrance.


    In his rumbling voice, Zheng Xuan explained, ¡°There¡¯s a¡­blizzard¡­outside.¡±


    Then he quickly blocked that little gap with his wing again, making sure that the interior of the cave remained completely protected from the elements.


    Xie Xingye stared shocked at the pile of snow at the corner. So all this while, this being¡­ no, from what he could glimpse of his wing, this was definitely a black dragon, and this dragon had been protecting him from the blizzard by putting himself in its way and closing off the cave¡¯s mouth with his own body all this while?


    It was common knowledge that a dragon had high resistance against cold temperatures and their scales also protected them from most types of weather. So there was no real need for the dragon to go this far in protecting the inside of this cave unless it was to shield Xie Xingye.


    Understanding this, Xie Xingye did not know what to think.


    Why would anyone go this far to take care of him? And this dragon wasn¡¯t even making an issue over the big favor he was doing him. Was he really just being kind?


    Except for his sister Chunyi, no one had ever shown him such kindness without asking for anything in return.


    Xie Xingye swallowed the sudden lump in his throat and rummaged in his spatial storage for some medicine. Finding a bottle of healing pills, he quickly downed a few. Then getting up unsteadily, he walked to the dragon while trying not to wince at the constant pain of his injury getting jostled due to his movement.


    Standing in front of the dragon, Xie Xingye seriously bowed despite the increase of agony it brought him. ¡°Thank you for protecting me. I really appreciate it. But I am currently being pursued and I don¡¯t want to cause you any trouble. I don¡¯t want to take any more advantage of your kindness, so please allow me to leave.¡±


    As Xie Xingye remained bowing, Zheng Xuan¡¯s nostrils were filled with the scent of this deity¡¯s blood and pain as he aggravated his injury. And yet Xie Xingye showed no sign of taking it easy on himself.


    For the first time in a long time, Zheng Xuan¡¯s heart moved.


    He had been doubtful of how this demonic deity would behave once he woke up. As long as he didn¡¯t try to capture Zheng Xuan to use pieces of his body as materials or lead others over to him, Zheng Xuan would have been content. But this deity actually ended up being such a silly little human, showing his gratitude so openly while trying to save him trouble by asking to leave the cave despite the raging blizzard outside.


    Zheng Xuan sighed and lifted his tail, which was the only part of himself he could move without letting the cold wind in, and wrapped it around a startled Xie Xingye while avoiding touching his injury. Lifting him up, Zheng Xuan carefully deposited him back on the straw mattress and said, ¡°No need¡­to worry. Just rest¡­for now.¡±


    Xie Xingye looked up at the dragon¡¯s coal black eyes, his own eyes widened with surprise. He couldn¡¯t help but notice that this black dragon¡¯s eyes¡­they were such a deep and gentle black.


    Already exhausted due to the battering pain in his side and the weariness left over from his frantic escape before, Xie Xingye didn¡¯t argue anymore and quickly laid down again. Though by all rights he should have felt wary and tense due to the giant black dragon looming at one side and blocking the only way of escape from this cave, Xie Xingye actually felt that his presence was quite comforting.


    Soon, soft snores filled the dark space.


    Zheng Xuan looked at the trusting little demonic cultivator who¡¯d actually fallen asleep in his presence and felt a light warmth in his chest.


    Since this cave was near the border of the lands occupied by demonic deities, Zheng Xuan had met plenty of them. Each of the demonic deities either scurried away in fear at the sight of him or tried to get close to him with the intention of using his mild disposition to gain his trust. Then they would attempt to trap him so that they could harvest and use his body parts to advance their cultivation or sell them to various black market organizations in the lesser worlds. There had also been those who¡¯d wanted to dupe him or force him into a one-sided beast contract that would give the demonic deity control over him.


    But Zheng Xuan was hardly a na?ve one, and he had never let any of those ill-intentioned demonic deities have their way. His brutal retaliation against those kinds of people eventually succeeded in convincing the demonic deities to leave him in peace.


    Now looking at the sleeping little deity, Zheng Xuan couldn¡¯t help but realize that it had been such a long time since he¡¯d interacted with this sort of a person who wasn¡¯t trying to take advantage of him, and it was another demonic deity no less. How ironic.


    Just this morning, Zheng Xuan had been looking up at the sky, praying to the spirit of Heaven to give him a purpose in life again. A few hours later, this demonic deity had stumbled into his cave, reeking of blood and fear.


    Though Zheng Xuan didn¡¯t really believe that his purpose in life would be to assist a demonic deity, he¡¯d still ended up helping him. And now, whether or not this deity was the answer Heaven had sent him, Zheng Xuan was determined to take care of him as much as the deity let him.


    And so, as the freezing winds battered the back of his body and wings while the icy coldness tried to pierce and burrow under his scales, Zheng Xuan silently stood guard over the sleeping deity, his eyes holding a trace of gentle warmth.


    ¡­¡­


    This time when Xie Xingye awoke, the disorientation didn¡¯t last long. He quickly recalled what happened yesterday before opening his eyes and looking around.


    The cave was now flooded with bright morning light as drafts of pleasantly cool winds blew in. Opposite to where he was lying, the cave entrance was now left wide open and unobstructed, letting Xie Xingye marvel at the scenery outside.


    Everything was covered in a layer of pure white snow, from the tall trees to the craggy hills of rocks. Some places glittered golden in the sunlight while others glowed a blinding white. Spread above this landscape carpeted in snow was a brilliant blue sky, almost piercing in the intensity of its pure and smooth color.


    And sitting at the edge of the cave, silhouetted against this contrast of bright blue and radiant white, was a large man.


    The man sat cross-legged, his back straight, his arms extended until his wrists rested on his knees. He wore dark grey pants and a single loose black robe whose sleeves seemed to have been torn off at the shoulder, the edges unraveling into fuzzy white threads. The uncovered arms were tightly packed with muscles, just like the rest of the man¡¯s defined body. His long black hair with streaks of dark grey was swept over a shoulder and to his front.


    And every part of his skin that was revealed and visible to Xie Xingye¡ªfrom the little slice of his neck to the back of his ears, the underside of his jaws and also his arms¡ªwas littered with thick, crisscrossing scars.


    Meanwhile, without even noticing it himself, Xie Xingye¡¯s eyes had begun greedily roving over that large and muscular back, down that compact waist and those firm buttocks, and then over those well-defined arms and broad shoulders.


    Seeing all those scars only excited Xie Xingye even more. Because each of those scars showed all the ways people had tried to hurt or kill this man, and the fact that he was alive and sitting here spoke of his victory against them all. This person was a survivor against brutal odds, and Xie Xingye only felt the utmost respect for such a person. After all, as someone who¡¯d spent time on the streets and had his outlook over life indelibly marked by it, Xie Xingye revered these types of survivors the most.


    The man suddenly turned his head to look at Xie Xingye and spoke with a familiar rumble underlying his low voice, ¡°You woke¡­up?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Xie Xingye answered in a slightly hoarse voice. Then clearing his throat, he asked, ¡°Are you the black dragon?¡±


    Zheng Xuan nodded. ¡°This is¡­my human form.¡±


    ¡°A-Ah, I see¡± was all Xie Xingye could say.


    He realized that he found the dragon¡¯s human form quite attractive, and he really wished he could just go up to him and ask the dragon to sleep with him. But though this would have worked with the demonic cultivators from his world, Xie Xingye didn¡¯t feel confident enough to try it with this dragon.


    Xie Xingye was not a virgin. He¡¯d bedded a lot of men and let them bed him as well. But each of those occurrences was purely a matter of convenience and a way for him and his partner to push their own power higher. There might have been some lust in the mix, and Xie Xingye would not deny feeling pleasure during some of those couplings, but he had also never fully liked or even trusted those people. He had always taken precautions against them even as he allowed them into his bed. For him, sleeping with them had only been a necessity.


    But now, for the first time, Xie Xingye wanted to sleep with someone, not because of the power they could offer with dual cultivation, but because¡­it was just something he wanted to do.


    Just thinking about this man looming over him in bed, his naked, muscled body pressing down on him, his large hands dragging over his skin, his hot mouth descending over his lips¡­


    Xie Xingye felt his face burning with heat as a certain organ between his legs eagerly awakened.


    Fuck! When had his lust become so uncontrollable?!


    But seeing that muscled back of that dragon-turned-man sitting right there in front of him tempted Xie Xingye more than he could have ever imagined.


    His hands itched to run over those scars as his body instinctively softened, wanting to mold itself against a harder one. He very much wanted to go and just drape himself over that man, but would such a gesture even be welcome? As fun as it sounded now, would it even be a good idea in the long run to sleep with someone he¡¯d just met? Because without a doubt, Xie Xingye knew that apart from gaining physical satisfaction, he would also get emotionally entangled with this caring dragon who had such gentle eyes.


    Xie Xingye felt his lust and reason battling each other. What should he do?


    If his Chunyi were here, what kind of advice would she give?


    But just thinking about his sister, Xie Xingye suddenly felt his ardor beginning to disperse as his heart squeezed tightly. Would his Chunyi even bother to give him advice? Would she even care about him after all this time? Or had she¡­already abandoned him?


    It felt as if an abrasive rock was scraping inside his chest, its weight pulling downwards. His eyes stung as his sight blurred with a layer of tears.


    Ah damn, he had been trying so hard to not think of his sister. When he met her again, his Chunyi would have a lot of consoling to do before he acknowledged her as his sister again! How could she just leave him behind like this for so long!


    But for now, it would be better if he didn¡¯t think about her.


    Xie Xingye took a deep breath and let it go. It was alright. He would meet her soon and get everything cleared up, and then he could join her in her family again and everything would be as he had hoped.


    Convincing himself with such words, Xie Xingye stabilized his emotions with familiar ease. He had already put away his lust, not in the mood anymore.


    Getting up from the makeshift bed, he stretched. The wound on his side had already healed, but the newly regenerated tissue over it still felt a little sore and pulled a bit when he moved.


    Determining that everything was alright with his body, Xie Xingye strode over to where the dragon in human form was sitting with his legs crossed.


    ¡°May I sit beside you?¡±


    Zheng Xuan looked up at this puzzling demonic deity and nodded.


    At first, he¡¯d very clearly smelled this deity¡¯s lust towards him. That in itself was bewildering enough, what with his bulky body that was covered with more scarred tissue than skin and his all too serious disposition. But then this deity¡¯s scent changed to that of sadness and acute loneliness, the light hint of salt water reminiscent of tears accompanying it. Zheng Xuan had just begun pondering over what might have caused such a sudden change when the deity once again put away his sorrow and approached him as if nothing had happened.


    How utterly baffling.


    As Xie Xingye settled himself beside Zheng Xuan, he folded his legs much like Zheng Xuan had done and turned to peer at the dragon¡¯s handsome and scarred face inquisitively. In a casual voice, he introduced himself, ¡°My name is Xie Xingye, a demonic deity as I assume you¡¯ve already guessed. Who are you?¡±


    ¡°My name is¡­Zheng Xuan,¡± he answered in his gravelly voice.


    Xie Xingye noticed how the thick ropes of scars on Zheng Xuan¡¯s neck pulled as if trying to restrain the movements of his throat when he spoke and finally realized why this dragon had been having such a hard time speaking.


    Averting his gaze, Xie Xingye nodded. So this scarred dragon¡¯s name was Zheng Xuan. Hmm, rather than directly using his name, maybe he should be respectful and call him Lord Zheng instead. It strangely seemed to suit him.


    As they were lost in their own thoughts, a companionable silence settled over them both.


    Xie Xingye couldn¡¯t help but marvel in this tranquil stillness, it was strangely soothing.


    Before, his life had always been hectic. He was either running around on the streets with his Chunyi while trying to steal food, fleeing from people who wanted to capture or beat them up, or running around causing mayhem with his sister in the righteous sect, or running around learning various dark arts in the demonic sect. Later, after being separated from his sister, he had been desperately running around trying to increase his power as he cultivated and kept searching for his sister. Even after he ascended, he had continued to devote all his time trying to find Chunyi and her husband.


    But now that he had finally stopped enough to look around him, he felt that appreciating the smaller things in life was a strangely wonderful thing.


    When Xie Xingye looked down, he saw a blanket of rolling white stretching from below the cave to all the way in the far distance where it met the azure skies in the horizon. The air here was crisp and cool, and the ledge where they were sitting was in the shade. As the breeze gently blew over his face, a soothing peace filled the space.


    Though Xie Xingye¡¯s wound had already healed by now after a night of rest, he made no mention of leaving the cave, secretly scared of what he would be faced with when he finally met his sister again. He also wanted to spend more time with this kind dragon called Zheng Xuan and maybe try to woo him. Meanwhile, Zheng Xuan also seemed content to let him stay, enjoying this demonic deity¡¯s company after his millennia of solitude.


    A delicate, tenuous thread seemed to connect Xie Xingye and Zheng Xuan as they willingly immersed themselves in each other¡¯s presence, a feeling of contentment in their hearts.


    In this way, days passed, and Xie Xingye and Zheng Xuan grew more and more comfortable with each other.


    One day, as they once again sat on the ledge feeling the cool breeze sweep through their hair, Xie Xingye called to Zheng Xuan cheerfully, ¡°Lord Zheng, can you tell me about your past? It seems like you led quite a heroic life before.¡±


    By now, Xie Xingye had begun speaking in his usual way, his air of seriousness and hesitance long shed away after days of familiarity.


    Zheng Xuan looked at the curiosity glittering in Xie Xingye¡¯s eyes and smiled softly, his gaze holding a gentle warmth. ¡°A long time ago¡­I was the captain¡­of the dragon queen¡¯s¡­guard.¡±


    Xie Xingye¡¯s eyes widened as he smiled with a hint of anticipation. ¡°I knew it! I knew that you had some noble job before! How long ago was it?¡±


    Using his excitement as an excuse, Xie Xingye pushed closer to the bigger man, the side of his thigh pressing against a more muscled one as he almost leaned into Zheng Xuan¡¯s body as if on the verge of embracing him.


    Zheng Xuan felt his throat go dry as he felt Xie Xingye¡¯s warm and supple body pressing into him, that smiling face so close to his own as those lively dark grey eyes stayed fixed on him. He could clearly see each of those long and thick lashes framing the young deity¡¯s bright and clear eyes, black lining the edges of his eyelids. He could see the details of those two amber colored earrings adorning his ears, glowing brightly like square-shaped suns as they reflected the afternoon light. He clearly saw how that red tongue peeked out and lightly swished against those equally as red lips, moistening them and turning them glossy. An exotic and beguiling charm exuded from every line of the deity¡¯s body, enticing him to bend down, urging him to taste those luscious lips¡­


    But Zheng Xuan did not give in to that impulse.


    He could guess that the younger man was trying to seduce him with these little actions¨Dand it was working very well too¨Dbut Zheng Xuan did not know whether he should react to it at this time.


    Pushing aside these thoughts for now, Zheng Xuan replied, ¡°It was¡­in ancient times. A few hundred¡­reigns ago.¡±


    Xie Xingye¡¯s eyes widened. That was a really long time ago, millions of years in fact! His future beloved was truly old!


    ¡°That really is ancient,¡± Xie Xingye commented as he shifted languidly, causing his hip and upper arm to rub against Zheng Xuan¡¯s. ¡°What type of person was your queen?¡±


    Zheng Xuan swallowed, suppressing his awakening need as he answered in his deep and rough voice, ¡°She was¡­the most noble person¡­I ever met. She was¡­the ideal Sovereign. All of her people¡­loved and respected her. They would all¡­die for her¡­just like she would¡­for us.¡±


    Hearing such effusive praise, Xie Xingye¡¯s expression darkened a bit, but he still strived to sound casual as he asked, ¡°Lord Zheng, did you love her? Romantically, I mean.¡±


    As he heard the faint thread of jealousy in his voice, Zheng Xuan felt amusement and affection filling him. Shaking his head, he replied, ¡°No¡­I didn¡¯t. She was my queen¡­my liege¡­she was my¡­beloved master.¡±


    Xie Xingye visibly relaxed. In a cheerful voice, he remarked, ¡°Oh, she sounds like a wonderful person then.¡±


    Zheng Xuan¡¯s amusement grew, but he said nothing.


    Not content to stay silent, Xie Xingye prodded, ¡°What happened to her?¡±


    In a patient voice, Zheng Xuan replied, ¡°She went to a¡­lower realm¡­and ended up¡­falling in love. Her court¡­did not approve. They threatened to¡­kill her mate¡­and her children. So she¡­came back¡­alone. She left her¡­family behind.¡±


    Xie Xingye frowned, even forgetting to entice the other man as he asked, ¡°What about you? What were you doing at that time? Did all this affect you?¡±


    Hearing his worried tone, Zheng Xuan smiled a small, sad smile. ¡°When the court advisors¡­wanted to go down¡­and capture her, I stood¡­guard over¡­the path. Most of the queen¡¯s guard¡­under my command¡­were killed by those¡­advisors¡¯ people. But I know that¡­none of those guards¡­regretted their deaths¡­if it meant that¡­they could buy time¡­for our queen.¡±


    A thought occurred to Xie Xingye and he quickly spoke, ¡°Is that how you got your scars?¡±


    Not expecting him to have guessed that, Zheng Xuan was faintly surprised, but he still nodded.


    At that time when he was guarding the path that would lead the court advisors to their queen, Zheng Xuan had fought like a mad beast, his weapons viciously cutting into every dragon who dared try to pass him. But he had also been constantly bombarded by attacks on all sides.


    They had tried to cut into his heart, slash his throat, break his limbs, blind his eyes, crack his skull¡­they had tried every means to incapacitate or kill him. But Zheng Xuan had always managed to deflect them in the nick of time, making sure that no matter what wounds he bore in the process, he would still remain standing and be able to continue fighting. His queen needed his protection, and so he would protect. Nothing, not even death, was permitted to get in the way!


    ¡°Lord Zheng?¡± Xie Xingye called worriedly. ¡°Are you alright? Do you¡­want me to stop asking about this?¡±


    Zheng Xuan pulled himself back to the present and forced out words from his ruined throat, ¡°I¡¯m¡­fine.¡±


    Xie Xingye nodded, reluctantly believing him. After some hesitation, he asked, ¡°What happened after that? You said your queen came back to the heavenly realm and left behind her family to protect them. Was everything settled after that?¡±


    Shrugging his wide shoulders, Zheng Xuan answered, ¡°Yes¡­more or less. She never¡­got to see her¡­family again. She also¡­sent away¡­all the surviving members¡­of her guard. The dragon court¡­wanted to¡­execute us¡­for aiding the queen¡­before. But she¡­negotiated¡­on our behalf. She let herself¡­be controlled¡­by her advisors¡­in return for our¡­lives. We all¡­scattered. I don¡¯t know¡­if anyone else¡­other than me¡­is left.¡±


    Xie Xingye felt distressed for Zheng Xuan. He was such a steadfast, gentle, and loyal person, and yet, because of that stupid dragon court¡¯s tyranny, he had to live far away from his people, isolated and alone. Rather than being rewarded for his service, all he had ended up with was something akin to exile. How many years had he spent in this cave, thinking about the queen who had to sacrifice herself and wondering what all he could have done to make things better?


    With his brows furrowed, Xie Xingye tried to think of some way to comfort him.


    Leaning closer to the older man, Xie Xingye reached out to take a long lock from among the stretch of hair that hung over Zheng Xuan¡¯s shoulder as usual, rubbing the black and dark grey strands between his fingers. As he felt the soft texture of it between his fingertips, Xie Xingye spoke without looking up, ¡°Lord Zheng, if we had sex¡­will it make you feel better?¡±


    Zheng Xuan startled at this sudden question. Though he had detected Xie Xingye¡¯s interest towards him, he still didn¡¯t think that the younger man would be this bold.


    But though Zheng Xuan was tempted to agree, he still chose to act responsibly. ¡°Do you¡­really want to¡­do this?¡±


    Looking up, Xie Xingye nodded with a playful smile. ¡°You¡¯ve already noticed my attraction to you, haven¡¯t you? So do you even need to ask me that?¡±


    But Zheng Xuan looked conflicted. ¡°If we do this¡­we will be lovers. I will not¡­sleep with you¡­lightly.¡±


    Xie Xingye¡¯s smile turned wry. ¡°I know. Lord Zheng, I truly do like you, and I would like us to be lovers too. I have slept with a lot of people before without strings attached, but you are the first person I am offering to give myself to in this way. Won¡¯t you accept?¡±


    Zheng Xuan looked at the young man with a deep gaze. ¡°You are¡­still young. If you tie yourself¡­to me¡­in this way¡­then you will be¡­wasting your life. I¡¯m already¡­so old. I have already¡­finished living¡­my life.¡±


    Hearing this, something bright and angry sparked in Xie Xingye¡¯s eyes.


    Lifting himself up, Xie Xingye shifted his body to sit astride Zheng Xuan¡¯s lap, his knees on either side of the older man¡¯s waist. In this position, Xie Xingye¡¯s head was slightly higher than Zheng Xuan¡¯s, causing the dragon to have to look up at the young deity¡¯s face.


    Cupping Zheng Xuan¡¯s scarred face between his smooth palms, Xie Xingye carefully studied the other man¡¯s features.


    Zheng Xuan¡¯s eyes were a deep black, like twin pools of peaceful and gentle waters that radiated a steady integrity. His face was slightly broad and his jaw firm and square. His forehead was high and his aquiline nose slightly crooked, showing that it had been broken at least once and hadn¡¯t set correctly. His lips looked soft yet firm, slightly turned down at the corners most of the time. The shape of his face was pleasantly handsome, with all the bumpy and pale scars only adding a masculine ruggedness¡ªat least in Xie Xingye¡¯s opinion.


    Taking in a shuddering breath to control himself, Xie Xingye spoke in a determined voice, ¡°Lord Zheng, all of us in the heavenly realm have the lifespan of immortals. So how can you say that you are too old? How can you say that your life is over? That¡­is not a valid excuse. I do not accept it.¡±


    With his face still in Xie Xingye¡¯s hands, Zheng Xuan could keenly feel the warmth framing his cheeks and jaw. Looking up, he saw the angry stubbornness on Xie Xingye¡¯s face mixed with a hint of something else similar to worry and care. Seeing this, something in Zheng Xuan slowly melted.


    Meeting Xie Xingye¡¯s gaze, he finally said, ¡°¡­Alright.¡±


    Xie Xingye¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Lord Zheng, do you mean that we can be lovers?¡±


    Chuffing out a rough chuckle, Zheng Xuan shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s still¡­too early¡­to decide something¡­like that. Let¡¯s give it¡­some more time. But for now¡­¡±


    Lifting his hand, Zheng Xuan cupped the back of Xie Xingye¡¯s head with a palm and slowly pulled him closer. Understanding what he wanted to do, Xie Xingye nervously swept his tongue over his lips and let his eyelids flutter closed.


    Their breaths mingled and then their lips met.


    Xie Xingye felt a pair of warm and dry lips pressing against his. Extending his tongue, he licked at those lips, wetting them, then lightly suckled each of them between his own. Zheng Xuan tilted his head and pulled Xie Xingye¡¯s head closer, opening his mouth and clamping it over the younger man¡¯s.


    Moaning softly, Xie Xingye eagerly let out his tongue to explore Zheng¡¯s Xuan¡¯s mouth as the other man did the same. Their tongues slid over each other and caressed the inside of the other person¡¯s mouth. Their bodies instinctively pressed closer, their faces flushing and breaths deepening.


    Xie Xingye felt a strong arm looping over his waist and pulling him closer. The broad palm supporting the back of his head felt too large and warm. The slick heat of Zheng Xuan¡¯s mouth and the movements of his long and flexible tongue against his own were driving him mad with need. He felt suffocated by the sheer intensity of the kiss, yet he wanted to drown himself in this heat even more.


    They clung to each other tightly and indulged themselves in this exchange of passion for a few more minutes before reluctantly parting, eyes glazed, chests heaving, and their lips swollen and glistening.


    Xie Xingye let himself slump forward and bent to rest his head on Zheng Xuan¡¯s shoulder, slowly regaining his equilibrium.


    In a breathless yet playful voice, Xie Xingye remarked, ¡°I guess I can make do with this much for now.¡±


    In response, Zheng Xuan rested his palm between Xie Xingye''s shoulder blades, its weight warm as his rough fingers rubbed soothing circles into that muscled back. Xie Xingye basked in the comfortable and reassuring sensation and sighed happily. Though he did not get to immediately bed his dragon, he''d at least gotten him to make out with him. He would be satisfied with this for now and slowly try to let things develop further.


    Recalling what they¡¯d been doing just before this, Xie Xingye contemplated for a bit before deciding something. His voice turning serious, he spoke softly, ¡°Lord Zheng, since you told me about your past, I feel like it is only right for me to share mine with you as well. Do you mind?¡±


    Zheng Xuan¡¯s voice rumbled by his ear, ¡°Tell me¡­only if you¡­want to.¡±


    Chuckling lightly, Xie Xingye replied, ¡°Of course I want to. And after I tell you everything, even if you find me ridiculous, I¡¯d still appreciate it if you could comfort me a little.¡±


    Though Xie Xingye¡¯s voice sounded playful as he said this, Zheng Xuan still frowned and solemnly nodded as if in promise.


    Xie Xingye took a deep breath and let it out. Then closing his eyes, he slowly began, ¡°When I was a child, I was kicked out of my house and into the streets by my family for saying that I will only marry men. Within hours of my new street life, I was being beaten up for trying to steal food. Thankfully, I was quickly saved by a girl who seemed to be very street savvy. Her name was Hua Chunyi, and seeing how strong and resourceful she was, I begged and pleaded with her until she accepted me as her younger brother and agreed to take care of me.


    ¡°We both lived on the streets and supported each other. During those days, it was uncertain whether we could get the bare minimum to eat, whether we would be able to maintain our freedom and keep evading child traffickers and perverts, whether we¡¯d be able to find a safe shelter for a few days¡­and yet, despite all the uncertainty, I was happy. Hua Chunyi, my dear sister, was such a beautiful and vibrant person. She was so open and bold, yet also sneaky and intelligent. She loved me and I loved her like we were real siblings who had been raised inseparable from birth.


    ¡°Later, we joined a sect in the righteous faction. It was constraining, but nothing ever could manage to hold down Chunyi anyway. We still had fun. But then a few Elders tried to punish us severely for breaking curfew and talking back. I¡¯m not sure we¡¯d have survived that punishment. Chunyi shielded me from them and killed those Elders, then we escaped. We were then recruited by a demonic sect and decided to join them. Life there was a lot more freeing and let us both develop our skills far better than that righteous sect.


    ¡°But because of me, Chunyi had to end up killing the sect master of that demonic sect. She made me stay at the sect and fled while being pursued by both the righteous and demonic factions. I would have done anything to be by her side, but I also knew that it would be useless and that I would only drag her down¡­¡±


    His voice remaining steady, Xie Xingye continued to speak about his experiences and how he strived to keep getting stronger, then tried his best to search for his Chunyi in vain. By the time word of her usually reached him, he would already be late and she would have already sped away to another place.


    Xie Xingye told Zheng Xuan everything, from his panicked worry when he heard of Chunyi falling off a cliff and sustaining a head injury that allegedly turned her mad, to how Chunyi slaughtered her pursuers from the righteous and demonic factions before being taken away by a powerful demigod cultivator called Feng Huixin who was not allied to any factions.


    He detailed how he¡¯d desperately and madly sought more power, trying to catch up to his sister but always coming up just short, that frustrating feeling of almost having their reunion in his grasp, his fingertips almost brushing it, before that hope was once more wrenched away ruthlessly by the changing circumstances.


    But finally, after his ascension, Xie Xingye was able to pinpoint Chunyi and her husband Feng Huixin¡¯s location. However, as he set off in that direction, he was once again thwarted by fate that sent those powerful and old demonic deities into his way. Those older demonic deities wanted to forcefully make use of both his divine core and his body for their own purposes, but Xie Xingye had successfully fled from them and had ended up in this cave while still injured from his escape.


    Zheng Xuan¡¯s face tightened when he heard about the other demonic deities¡¯ intentions towards Xie Xingye. Something dangerous and sharp flickered in his gaze for a moment, but he quickly put it away so that he could give Xie Xingye his full attention.


    Now that he was done reciting the events of the past, Xie Xingye felt strangely hollow and dull inside, but he pushed away that feeling. He slowly sat up straight on Zheng Xuan¡¯s lap, his arms extended and hands resting on the older man¡¯s broad and firm shoulders for support.


    Unable to look up into Zheng Xuan¡¯s eyes, Xie Xingye instead looked down at the sleeve of his own arms and spoke, ¡°I tried so hard and gave my all to reach this point, to finally be on the verge of finding and talking to my sister face-to-face, but Lord Zheng¡­I¡¯m so scared.¡±


    Xie Xingye suddenly gave out a bark of self-depreciating laughter, then forced himself to sound cheerful as he joked, ¡°Isn¡¯t it funny? After all this time, when I¡¯m almost at my goal, I¡¯m chickening out like such a coward. Chunyi will make fun of me for days if she ever found that I was dilly-dallying like such an indecisive moron.¡±


    Zheng Xuan¡¯s expression grew worried. ¡°Enough¡­you don¡¯t have to¡­say anymore.¡±


    But not hearing his concerned voice, Xie Xingye continued merrily, ¡°She¡¯ll probably disown me right then and there and vow to never talk to someone as wimpy as me. And then she¡¯ll chase me away and say¨D¡±


    His voice filled with forced cheer abruptly cut off as Xie Xingye looked down at the small splatter of wetness shining on his black robe.


    Huh? Why was there a drop of water on his sleeve?


    Soon, another droplet fell from his face and added to the wetness.


    Xie Xingye slowly raised a hand and confusedly touched his face. There were two lines of tears trailing down his cheeks. Xie Xingye¡¯s fingers trembled, his face turning blank.


    Zheng Xuan carefully pulled the young deity close and patted his back. Xie Xingye felt a deep and concerned voice fill his ear as it comforted, ¡°It¡¯s alright¡­don¡¯t say¡­anymore. It will be¡­alright.¡±


    Unable to bear this gentleness, Xie Xingye¡¯s bravado finally cracked. As his expression crumpled, Xie Xingye buried his face into Zheng Xuan¡¯s shoulder and let the sobs tear through him as his true thoughts and worries spilled out in a gushing torrent.


    ¡°W-What if Chunyi pushes me away? What if she really disowns me? W-What if she says she doesn¡¯t care about me anymore?! What will I do?! Why? Why did she leave me behind? Why did she never come back for me? I was always waiting¡­I was waiting so long for her! She¡­she promised me¡­ Even if she ever got married and started a family, she promised that she wouldn¡¯t leave me! I-I wanted to still be a part of her family¡­ No matter what¡­I still wanted to spend my life while seeing her being happy¡­ I j-just¡­wanted to¡­stay with my sister¡­¡±


    His throat growing too thick to continue, Xie Xingye stopped speaking and let out heart-wrenching cries filled with fear and deep pain, his voice ringing out uninhibitedly. Zheng Xuan kept murmuring words of comfort as he patted his shuddering back.


    A few minutes later, as the sobs wracking his body gradually calmed, Xie Xingye finally asked in a small, scared voice, ¡°Lord Zheng¡­does my sister not want me anymore?¡±


    Zheng Xuan could feel his heart break.


    Softening his gravelly voice as much as he could, Zheng Xuan began, ¡°From what¡­you¡¯ve said¡­your sister¡­seems to care¡­a lot for you. If she¡­left you behind¡­then there must be¡­a good reason. She must also¡­not want to¡­stay separated¡­from you. Don¡¯t rush to¡­conclusions¡­before talking to her.¡±


    As he heard Zheng Xian¡¯s halting and deep voice consoling and soothing him, Xie Xingye¡¯s wildly beating heart slowly calmed while his tearstained face that was twisted with grief slowly relaxed.


    Yes, his Chunyi wasn¡¯t the kind who broke her promises, so there must definitely be something holding her back. Maybe it was her husband, or maybe it was some other extenuating circumstance, but there was definitely a reason. His sister would definitely not abandon him just like that.


    Xie Xingye felt his eyes and chest aching, remnants of his crying jag just now. He silently laid on Zheng Xuan, his head on his shoulder, and let the warm palm patting his back slowly soothe away his worries.


    It would be fine. He would meet her and everything would be alright. She¡¯d invite him into her family and they would live together again. He would successfully woo Zheng Xuan and become lovers, then husbands. The four of them¨Dhe with his beloved and his sister with hers¨Dwould live and laugh together.


    And so, Xie Xingye, with the help of Zheng Xuan, managed to gradually shed his gloom.


    Taking a deep breath, he slowly lifted his head. Zheng Xuan¡¯s palm on his back paused. Leaning down, Xie Xingye placed a small kiss on Zheng Xuan¡¯s cheek and smiled softly. ¡°Lord Zheng, thank you for listening to me, and thank you for comforting me.¡±


    His eyes warm with care, Zheng Xuan spoke, ¡°There¡¯s no need¡­to thank me. As long as¡­you feel better¡­that¡¯s enough.¡±


    Xie Xingye¡¯s smile grew. ¡°See? You would make a wonderful lover. Since you keep being so considerate and kind, how can I hold myself back from seducing you?¡±


    Zheng Xuan¡¯s eyes shone with mirth. ¡°You don¡¯t have to¡­seduce me. I already¡­like you too much.¡±


    Hearing this, Xie Xingye¡¯s smile turned heated, his eyes growing half-lidded. In an intimate whisper, he said, ¡°Lord Zheng, now you¡¯re the one seducing me.¡±


    Not waiting for a reply, Xie Xingye bent down and pushed his lips against Zheng Xuan¡¯s. After a moment of surprise, Zheng Xuan quickly responded.


    The two men pressed together once again, their mouths melding and tongues moving over each other eagerly. Xie Xingye kissed with an almost desperate intensity, seeming as if he wanted to suck in everything of Zheng Xuan to keep for himself.


    This time, Zheng Xuan let his hands roam freely, sliding over and kneading the lithely muscled body that was tightly embracing him. Xie Xingye gasped softly as he felt those broad and warm palms stroking over his clothes. He groaned helplessly at the sensation of that hungry touch exploring him and learning the shape of his body.


    Xie Xingye wanted more than anything to drag Zheng Xuan to bed right now, but Zheng Xuan hadn¡¯t even agreed to become his lover yet¡­


    Abruptly pulling back from the kiss, Xie Xingye growled. ¡°Lord Zheng, if we keep going, I¡¯ll be very tempted to drug you with an aphrodisiac in true demonic deity fashion and then confine you to my bed for a day full of blissful fucking.¡±


    Hearing this ridiculous threat that he knew would go unfulfilled, Zheng Xuan leaned back his head and laughed, the sound rough and full of delight.


    He already knew that Xie Xingye was incapable of forcing him, not just because Zheng Xuan was stronger, but because unless it involved his sister, this young demonic deity¡¯s conscience wouldn¡¯t allow him to.


    Meanwhile, Xie Xingye stared as if bewitched, his eyes wide. Looking at that usually solemn face laughing so openly, his gruff voice unrestrained and booming, made something in his chest clench with wonder.


    Reaching out, Xie Xingye traced the column of Zheng Xuan''s throat, feeling the bumpy scars under his fingertips and the other man''s Adam''s apple as it bobbed up and down in time with his laughter. In a dazed tone, Xie Xingye shakily confessed, "Lord Zheng, I love your voice."


    Zheng Xuan¡¯s laughter wound down as he looked at Xie Xingye¡¯s enchanted expression.


    Xie Xingye continued, ¡°I wish I could always hear you laugh like this. I¡­really like you.¡±


    With a smile in his eyes, Zheng Xuan said, ¡°Let¡¯s wait for a¡­few more days. If you still¡­feel the same¡­then we can¡­become lovers.¡±


    Xie Xingye looked at him with a startled expression, then chuckled happily. ¡°Yes! But Lord Zheng, if you think I¡¯ll lose interest by that time, then you are in for a surprise.¡±


    Zheng Xuan raised a single eyebrow. ¡°We¡¯ll¡­see.¡±


    ¡°I suppose we will.¡±


    And so it was decided.


    After this, a few days passed peacefully. And each day, Xie Xingye and Zheng Xuan only grew more closer.


    The previously hollow and silent cave was now filled with frequent laughter and Xie Xingye¡¯s cheerful chatter. Zheng Xuan¡¯s low voice would rumble now and then as well, answering questions or comforting his future lover whenever his uncertainties about his sister struck him again.


    As they spent their time like this with joy and contentment, Zheng Xuan was finally convinced that Xie Xingye meant what he said.


    On this day, as the bright blue skies stretched overhead, the snow on the ground having long since melted away to reveal the fresh greenery underneath, Zheng Xuan turned to Xie Xingye and earnestly spoke, "Xingye, let us become¡­lovers."


    After a stunned moment, a large grin split Xie Xingye¡¯s face as his eyes glittered with happiness. ¡°Yes! So you finally gave in!¡±


    Zheng Xuan only chuckled, his expression warm.


    ¡°Then, Lord Zheng, shall we consummate our relationship right now?¡± Xie Xingye asked eagerly.


    They both looked at the thin straw bed inside the cave. The lone layer of cloth over it had long since formed bumps due to Xie Xingye¡¯s prolonged use.


    Coughing lightly, Zheng Xuan proposed, ¡°Let¡¯s do it¡­after we get a¡­proper bed to¡­lie in.¡±


    Xie Xingye looked unwilling, but he couldn¡¯t ignore the benefits of lying in a comfortable bed to have their first time in either.


    Now that they had decided to become lovers in truth, Xie Xingye and Zheng Xuan decided to go a bit further in their mutual exploration. They eagerly began to remove each other¡¯s clothes and ran their hands over one another¡¯s bared bodies. Such scenarios usually ended with one of them drawing the other to climax with their hands or mouth.


    And just as usual, the pair was currently once again busy with each other this evening.


    Zheng Xuan was pressed down on the cave¡¯s floor, his robe undone and the lapels pushed to the sides to reveal his firm, muscular, and brutally scarred chest and abdomen. Xie Xingye was in an equal state of undress and straddling the tightly-packed waist of his lover.


    Xie Xingye was leaning down, almost lying on top of the bigger man as his mouth was melded with Zheng Xuan¡¯s. Wet sounds of lips sucking and tongues sliding sounded audibly as they were passionately engaged, their attentions keenly focused only on each other.


    This was when the snide voice of an outsider suddenly interrupted them.


    ¡°Xie Xingye, look at you! You refuse to spread your legs for us but you have no qualms about fucking a scarred brute like that one?¡±


    Xie Xingye and Zheng Xuan immediately parted, their faces flushed even as their eyes held sharp vigilance. As one, the pair turned to face the group of intruding people.


    Seeing who it was, Xie Xingye¡¯s pupils shrunk with shocked recognition.


    It was the demonic deities who had wanted to extract his divine core!


    The one who¡¯d just spoken was sallow-skinned with his dark hair put up in an unkempt bun. A sneer twisted his lips as his gaze looked over Xie Xingye¡¯s revealed upper body, a hint of lust quickly beginning to darken his eyes.


    Of the two other demonic deities, one wore a deep rust-colored robe with a cloth mask shielding the upper half of his face. A stretch of burnt skin was revealed just under the edge of the mask. The other one had hair the color of mahogany and a carefully trimmed beard covering his jaw and mouth.


    Expressions of smug glee were stamped onto all three of the demonic deities'' faces in varying degrees, making it obvious that they were quite pleased with finally having tracked down their prey.


    But refusing to back down, Xie Xingye bared his teeth at them and snapped, ¡°Is it my fault that I rejected you lot for being too ugly? You obviously can¡¯t compare to my lover. Stop wasting my time and get lost.¡±


    The one in the lead who had spoken before showed an expression of angry displeasure, ¡°Here you are running off your mouth again. Why don¡¯t come here and use your mouth for something we will all enjoy, you little whore? I¡¯m sure you have plenty of experience with things like that, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Zheng Xuan¡¯s brows lowered in a frown, fury burning in his eyes. But keeping his lover down with his hands resting on Zheng Xuan¡¯s shoulders, Xie Xingye indicated for him to not speak up for now.


    Then in a mocking voice, Xie Xingye once again retorted against the lead demonic deity, ¡°I would have to find your little worm hiding in its bush for anything of that sort to be possible. Rather than pestering me, why don¡¯t you all just have a merry threesome and leave me the fuck alone?¡±


    The three demonic deities now had thunderous expressions darkening their faces. The masked one spoke up in a deep voice, ¡°Xie Xingye, put aside your senseless defiance. We all know what¡¯s going to happen here. Throw aside your lover and submit to us. And if you want to keep your life after that, then you should just give up your divine core with grace.¡±


    Xie Xingye rolled his eyes. ¡°Seeing you all so obsessed with sleeping with me, I have to wonder, am I really that irresistible?¡±


    The brown-haired deity scoffed. ¡°Stop acting dumb, you stubborn youngster. We all know that your body has a constitution suitable for dual cultivation. Doing it with you will result in a great increase in power for all participants involved. You can¡¯t tell me no one has ever used you for that before.¡±


    Xie Xingye indeed knew this. After all, this was the reason the sect master of the demonic sect he had been a part of had begun sleeping with him in the first place. But even that sect master had explained the reason and asked for his consent before they did it, unlike this lot who didn¡¯t give a shit what he thought.


    ¡°Enough chattering. I don¡¯t care what you want from me or why you want it. My answer will be the same: screw off and leave me alone.¡±


    The three demonic deities looked at him with grim faces. The lead deity spoke, ¡°You have nowhere to run to, we are blocking the entrance to this cave. Xie Xingye, you should control your arrogance before we make you plead for mercy.¡±


    Xie Xingye sighed, then patted the large man he was still straddling. ¡°Alright, Lord Zheng. I¡¯m tired of arguing with these idiots now. You can go and do your thing, just don¡¯t kill them if you don¡¯t have to. Scare them until they never think of crossing our path again.¡±


    Zheng Xuan gave a rumble of agreement and began to get up just as Xie Xingye stood up as well. After fixing his clothes, Xie Xingye went to sit on the straw mattress. Pulling up a leg, Xie Xingye leisurely rested an elbow on his knee and supported his cheek on his palm, looking at the demonic deities without a hint of fear, only amusement gleaming in his dark grey eyes.


    The demonic deities looked at Zheng Xuan with caution. Just who was this man to give Xie Xingye so much confidence in him?


    Not caring about the three cautious gazes fixed on him, Zheng Xuan slowly stood up to his full height.


    ¡°Lord Zheng, don¡¯t let those bastards get a glimpse of that nice view. You should quickly cover up!¡± Xie Xingye called from behind him.


    Without a change in expression, Zheng Xuan tied his robe closed with a few casual motions. Since his lover didn¡¯t want him to show his body to anyone, he would naturally obey.


    Looking at the three demonic deities who had hurt his beloved and chased him down with the intention of forcing him into bed and stealing his divine core, Zheng Xuan had to suppress the raging anger in his heart as he growled, ¡°You all¡­should leave.¡±


    The lead deity asked warily, ¡°And if we don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll¡­make you,¡± Zheng Xuan¡¯s voice deepened, a thrum of power underlying it.


    The three deities looked at him with even more vigilance.


    Unable to bear the tension in the air, the brown-haired deity let out a nervous laugh and started babbling, ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, but you are clearly not without power. Why should you hitch yourself to that sort of a man who regularly utilized sexual cultivation techniques to ascend in the first place? I reckon that by now his back hole must have been used so much that it¡¯d be wide enough for all three of us to fuck him at once¨D¡±


    A sudden roar blasted out of Zheng Xuan, laden with heated fury directed at these three people who said such things about his beloved lover. He might have a good temper usually, but not when it came to this!


    Before the three demonic cultivators could process what was happening, Zheng Xuan¡¯s body transformed to that of a giant dragon, his scarred scales an all-consuming black that looked like a slice of the night sky bereft of stars.


    The three demonic deities¡¯ eyes widened in shock.


    Th-this was¡­that feared black dragon of the border!


    And this was a being that the demonic deities had long since known to fear.


    Many millennia ago, after this black dragon made his lair near the border of the territory occupied by demonic deities, many of them had come to him with ulterior motives, but none of them had survived his wrathful retribution. From then on, the demonic deities knew to stay clear of this powerful black dragon whenever they crossed his path.


    And here they had come and offended him in his lair!


    The three demonic deities'' expressions grew even more terrified as Zheng Xuan opened his huge mouth to reveal two rows of sharp and conical ivory fangs, along with the inside of his mouth that led to the deep pit of his throat. A spark of golden yellow lit in those dark depths, swiftly increasing in size.


    The masked deity stumbled back, his face going pale as he unconsciously raised a trembling hand to touch his mask. He had already been burned by fire once, he didn¡¯t want to feel that biting pain again! As he turned around to flee, the other two deities also began to try and evade.


    But it proved futile.


    From his wide open mouth, Zheng Xuan released a stream of brilliant flame that lit up the surroundings with its brightness. The fire hit the arm of the masked deity, the waist and buttocks of the brown haired deity, and both the legs of the lead deity, covering it all with crackling flames that seemed to vigorously dance with a malicious vengeance.


    The three deities screamed and rolled on the ground, but it was to no avail. The pitch of their cries rose higher as the flames began to spread. They already knew how difficult a dragon¡¯s flames were to extinguish.


    At this time, Xie Xingye¡¯s voice sounded from the back of the cave, loud and carefree, ¡°There is a natural pond a few ways northeast of here, if you want to know~¡±


    Hearing this cheerfully uttered statement, the masked one quickly hefted up and supported the leading one, and the three demonic deities hastily fled in the direction of the pond, blazing golden fire still trailing from them.


    Now that only Zheng Xuan and he were left, Xie Xingye let his laughter ring freely in the cave. "Serves them right! Lord Zheng, you did very well. I didn''t expect your control over your fire to be precise enough to burn them only partially. Let them go around searching for that faraway lake for now. By the time they manage to find it and put out the fire, I bet they''ll be nice and crispy. The memory of the pain from having to regenerate from that ought to keep them away from us from now on. As expected of us, we sure taught them a lesson they''ll never forget!"


    Hearing the smug hilarity in his lover''s voice, Zheng Xuan wanted to smile indulgently. His dragon body was too large to be able to turn in the cave without crushing Xie Xingye, so Zheng Xuan simply let out a deep sound of acknowledgment in reply.


    But from his place directly behind the large dragon, Xie Xingye realized that he was able to see quite an interesting view. In a wondering voice, Xie Xingye observed, ¡°Lord Zheng¡­your package in dragon form is really big, and it¡¯s so well-shaped too!¡±


    Zheng Xuan had the sudden, inexplicable urge to close his legs as something akin to embarrassment flooded him. He quickly changed back to his human form to hide himself behind clothes.


    Meanwhile, Xie Xingye noticed how Zheng Xuan¡¯s ears had turned pink and chuckled happily, but decided not to keep teasing his lover anymore.


    Letting out a happy sigh, Xie Xingye let his body loosely plop down on the straw bed, his arms and legs stretched out. ¡°I can¡¯t believe how relieved I feel now that those bastards are finally dealt with.¡±


    Zheng Xuan slowly walked to his beloved¡¯s side and sat down beside the bed. He lifted a hand and cupped Xie Xingye¡¯s cheek with his palm. ¡°Now you have¡­no more excuses to¡­avoid meeting¡­your sister.¡±


    Xie Xingye grimaced. ¡°Yes, yes, I know. I should go to her house soon and get this over with. But more than that¡­I also want her to meet you. She always used to caution me to not give away my heart to the first man who said he loved me.¡± Xie Xingye gave a small laugh at that, then continued in a softer voice, ¡°She also used to say that I was worth the best man in the world. And for me, I suppose that it is you.¡±


    Zheng Xuan¡¯s gaze deepened with warm affection. ¡°I¡¯m glad¡­you think I am¡­worthy of you.¡±


    Xie Xingye gave a light chuckle. ¡°I meant that you definitely are the best man in the world, Lord Zheng.¡±


    In an amused tone, Zheng Xuan replied, ¡°I''m happy that¡­you think so.¡±


    Xie Xingye could only shake his head and laugh, the sound filled with a tranquil contentment.


    As Zheng Xuan stroked his lover¡¯s cheek, Xie Xingye closed his eyes to luxuriate in the caring touch of those rough hands. A few minutes later, he opened his eyes and said, ¡°Lord Zheng, after we meet Chunyi, no matter the result, I want us to consummate our relationship.¡±


    Zheng Xuan looked into his lover¡¯s gaze, reading the solemnity and need in those dark grey eyes, and nodded. ¡°Very well¡­we should find¡­a place to¡­stay at then.¡±


    Xie Xingye let out a breath and gave a jerky nod. Yes, if his Chunyi pushed him away, then he¡¯d need another place to stay.


    His fingers continuing to stroke his lover¡¯s soft cheek, Zheng Xuan reassured, ¡°It will be¡­fine. No matter what happens¡­I¡¯ll be there¡­and I¡¯ll take care¡­of you.¡±


    Hearing this, a strange sense of vulnerability bloomed in Xie Xingye''s chest. He turned his body to the side and clutched close the hand that was caressing his cheek. In a small voice filled with uncertainty, he asked, "Lord Zheng, you¡­you won''t me leave me behind too, will you?"


    Zheng Xuan felt the corners of his eyes pinch in distress. He scooped up his lover and hugged him close. ¡°As long as you¡­want me, as long as you¡­need me¡­I will never¡­leave you.¡±


    Xie Xingye buried his head into the crook of his lover¡¯s shoulder and nodded. Maybe he really could believe his lover.


    And time proved that he indeed could.


    The next day, Xie Xingye and Zheng Xuan set out for the capital and headed to the Feng residence. Unfortunately, Feng Chunyi did not recognize her brother, nor did she remember him.


    After a series of incidents which ended with Feng Chunyi attacking Xie Xingye in an attempt to protect her husband, Xie Xingye was pushed to the edge of qi deviation as he gave in to his heart demon. And since a full qi deviation of a deity had the potential to not only cause damage in the heavenly realm but also in many of the mortal realms, Xie Xingye was put to sleep before being sealed in a lower world.


    And throughout the many millennia he spent in slumber, Zheng Xuan faithfully stayed by his side, feeding him bits of his power in an attempt to help him through his heart demon and weaken the seal on him at the same time. By the time Xie Xingye awakened again, Zheng Xuan had lost too much power to even be able to transform into his human form, having to stay in his dragon form instead. And even in his true body, he was too weakened, his power near exhausted.


    After opening his eyes in an unfamiliar place in an unfamiliar world, then finding his lover beside him and understanding that he had been accompanying him all this time just as he promised, Xie Xingye felt his heart filled with affection and an endless gratitude.


    He had stayed beside him. His Lord Zheng had really stayed with him all these lonely years, just as he promised.


    And so, despite not having his sister by his side, Xie Xingye knew that he wasn¡¯t alone anymore.


    crimson_carnation


    The next extra will show what happened to Xie Xingye and Zheng Xuan after the main story, and also his second meeting with Feng Chunyi in the heavenly realm, so look forward to it~ (?^ ? ^?)

 Extra 3: A Gentle Black [Part 2 – Present]

    crimson_carnation


    When Xie Xingye opened his eyes, all he saw was a blinding white. The bright afternoon light was flooding the room through the large open window. Xie Xingye squinted his eyes as he slowly rose up into a sitting position.


    The hectic memories of the last few days slowly filtered into his mind.


    After he had ended up getting sealed in the Castle of Echoes and lost consciousness, the next time when he opened his eyes, more than three years had already passed, and he was now in a well-furnished prison cell with Zheng Xuan keeping him company. It was then that Zheng Xuan told him of the choice he¡¯d made at the last moment to side with Chunyi¡¯s son and his lover, who turned out to be Zheng Xuan¡¯s former queen¡¯s son.


    Though Xie Xingye had felt confused at first about why his beloved would switch sides so abruptly, he soon understood after Zheng Xuan explained everything.


    In his mad quest to devour the world, break into Heaven, and meet Chunyi, Xie Xingye had failed to consider the aftermath. Even if he succeeded in meeting his sister again, Heaven would have punished him brutally for what he¡¯d done. And even if Zheng Xuan had tried to dissuade him, they both knew that Xie Xingye, with his single-minded focus at that time, would not have listened. He wouldn¡¯t have been able to see past finally meeting his sister again.


    And so, Zheng Xuan weighed the various options available and tried to choose the best for his lover, fully knowing that Xie Xingye might get furious at him for it. But understanding the reason behind Zheng Xuan¡¯s choice and knowing that there was a chance he could still see his sister despite having lost in that final battle, Xie Xingye did not feel all that angry or dissatisfied at all. After all, he firmly believed that his lover only had his best interests in mind.


    Zheng Xuan was first surprised at his beloved¡¯s calm acceptance of the matter, then his heart warmed as he understood how much trust Xie Xingye had already placed in him.


    Once that was out of the way, Xie Xingye had simply cuddled into his lover¡¯s hard and muscled body, taking comfort from his steady presence as his case continued being processed by the Offices of Judgment. And with the Deity of Judgment Feng Huixin himself personally overseeing their condition, except for the lack of Xie Xingye¡¯s freedom, they were treated very well. And though he didn¡¯t need to, Zheng Xuan also chose to accompany his beloved in the prison cell.


    Throughout the process, Xie Xingye cooperated openly, surprising Feng Huixin. But Xie Xingye¡¯s reasoning was simple¡ªthe sooner he finished undergoing the trial and his punishment, the sooner he would be freed and the sooner he would be able to meet his Chunyi. And this time, he would try to curb his excitement and talk everything over with her with a rational mind.


    But fate had different plans for this pair of siblings.


    A few days after he woke up, Xie Xingye was put on trial at the heavenly court itself. Usually, trials of this sort took place in the courtroom in the Offices of Judgment while being presided over by the Deity of Judgment or one of his qualified subordinates. But since Feng Huixin himself chose to represent Xie Xingye¡¯s case, the only one with enough authority to preside over it now was the Heavenly Emperor. And so, the trial took place in the heavenly court, in front of Heaven''s courtiers, the Heavenly Emperor, and the Throne.


    The trial went on for almost an entire day, but in the end, with Feng Huixin¡¯s help, Xie Xingye received a somewhat lenient sentence: mandatory service to the heavenly armies for the next ten thousand years.


    The entire heavenly court immediately felt pity for this demonic deity. After all, the one who commanded the heavenly armies was none other than the Heavenly General Feng Chunyi! And as someone whose son and husband Xie Xingye had endangered with his actions in the lower realm, Feng Chunyi was bound to take special exception to him and torment him to take revenge!


    However, after hearing this, Xie Xingye was beyond overjoyed. He didn¡¯t care how much suffering his sister would put him through or even that she might view him with nothing but animosity due to her lack of memories. All he cared about was getting to meet her again.


    Now that his verdict was decreed by the Heavenly Emperor, Xie Xingye was allowed to leave. As long as he faithfully went to receive his punishment, all would be considered forgiven.


    After the trial, Zheng Xuan succeeded in quickly acquiring a large and well-furnished house near the outskirts of the capital using the monumental wealth he had carelessly accumulated in his storage space during his service to the dragon queen. And so, Zheng Xuan and Xie Xingye quickly moved into the house and made it their home.


    Exhausted after the trial, Xie Xingye had slept through the night and into the afternoon of the next day. But now after waking up, he felt quite refreshed.


    Tomorrow morning, Xie Xingye had to report to duty to his general, which meant that he was going to meet his sister. And though the thought made nervous butterflies flutter in his stomach, Xie Xingye was surprised to find that there was also a sense of steady calm. After all, no matter how this meeting turned out, he knew that he would still have his Lord Zheng with him.


    Speaking of which¡­ Xie Xingye looked at the other half of the bed he was lying on, where Zheng Xuan had been resting yesterday night, and wondered. Where was his lover?


    Before he could wonder for long, however, the door to the bedroom opened and Zheng Xuan strode in. Seeing Xie Xingye awake and sitting upright on the bed, he moved over to the bedside and asked, ¡°Did you¡­sleep well?¡±


    Xie Xingye turned to look at him and smiled. ¡°Yes, I did.¡± After a moment of hesitation, he continued, ¡°Lord Zheng, do you remember what we decided on before?¡±


    Zheng Xuan looked at him puzzled. ¡°Before?¡±


    Nodding, Xie Xingye elaborated, ¡°Yes, before everything. That long time ago in the cave, the night before we set off to meet Chunyi, do you remember what I said?¡±


    Seeing Xie Xingye¡¯s half-lidded eyes and sultry smile, Zheng Xuan swallowed. He suddenly remembered what Xie Xingye had proposed that night before they left the cave:


    ¡®Lord Zheng, after we meet Chunyi, no matter the result, I want us to consummate our relationship.¡¯


    Zheng Xuan felt his heart thudding faster. Was his lover asking to do it right now? Despite his attempts at controlling himself, a surge of eager anticipation shot through him at that thought, igniting his desire.


    Xie Xingye¡¯s smile widened and his gaze deepened as he looked down at a certain part of Zheng Xuan¡¯s that had produced a conspicuous bulge. In a husky voice, he remarked, ¡°I can quite clearly see that you remember what I said back then, Lord Zheng. And I also just woke up, so I¡¯m feeling a bit¡­aroused. Shall we have our first time now?¡±


    Before the stunned Zheng Xuan could reply, Xie Xingye¡¯s fingers had already begun moving to remove his own robes. Casually tossing them aside, he got up to his knees while staying on the edge of the bed and reached out his hands to begin undoing Zheng Xuan¡¯s clothes as well.


    Snapping out of his daze, Zheng Xuan cooperated and the couple was quickly facing each other with bared bodies.


    Xie Xingye placed his palms on his lover¡¯s scarred and muscled chest, then slowly slid them upward, over his shoulders, behind his neck, and into his dark grey streaked hair. Pulling Zheng Xuan¡¯s head down, Xie Xingye met his lips with his own.


    Zheng Xuan lifted his hands to hug Xie Xingye close, one arm winding around the younger man¡¯s waist and the palm of the other hand pressing between his shoulder blades. Meanwhile, their lips were teasing and playing with each other, suckling and licking, before their mouths finally opened to meld together.


    As Xie Xingye breathlessly held onto his lover¡¯s broad shoulders and eagerly indulged in the hot mouth pressing over his, he could feel Zheng Xuan removing his hands from his body for a moment before holding him again. A warm palm slowly slid down his back, following his spine, then a rough yet slick finger slowly slipped between his buttocks.


    Xie Xingye made a surprised sound and disengaged from the kiss, panting with his red lips parted and his face flushed. ¡°L-Lord Zheng, I have to say¡­it seems that you¡¯re more eager to begin than you let on.¡±


    Zheng Xuan gave a low growl and used his free hand to pull Xie Xingye towards him again. ¡°Enough¡­talking.¡±


    As Xie Xingye felt his lover¡¯s mouth trailing over his throat and making its way back up to nip and suck at his lips, he gave out a shuddering laugh and commented playfully into the corner of his lover¡¯s ravenous mouth, ¡°Hmm, Lord Zheng, who knew you could be so overbearing~¡±


    Zheng Xuan closed his lips over Xie Xingye¡¯s laughing ones and thrust his tongue deep inside the moist heat and softness of his beloved¡¯s mouth. At the same time, Xie Xingye felt a large and rough finger slickened with liquid rub at his entrance before gently, slowly pushing in.


    Xie Xingye gasped as his body lightly trembled, but his lover¡¯s mouth eagerly sucked the surprised exhalation into itself as a flexible tongue continued to relentlessly explore his mouth. Meanwhile, the large finger kept steadily forcing itself inside his tight passage that had remained unused for too long. Xie Xingye widened his knees on the bed and arched his bottom backward to encourage the finger to enter him deeper. He felt the long and slick digit accept his invitation, pushing in carefully yet with an increased force.


    Clutching at Zheng Xuan, Xie Xingye leaned into him limply. Feeling both his mouth and back passage being relentlessly invaded at the same time, one by a slick and hot tongue and the other by a slick and rough finger, Xie Xingye could barely maintain his stability. Before he could get accustomed to these sensations, he felt another large finger slowly entering him, joining the first one and forcing his entrance open wider.


    Xie Xingye groaned helplessly as he tried to keep his inner muscles loose and accept the slick digits into him. The stimulation of those rough and scarred fingers, each of them thick and long, pushing into him with steadiness and dragging across his vulnerable inner walls like this, made him want to writhe uncontrollably and plead for more.


    Pulling his mouth away from his lover¡¯s, Xie Xingye buried his face into Zheng Xuan¡¯s shoulder. His chest heaved as he tried to regain his breath. The two fingers sliding in and out of him felt too large and prominent, the feeling of them filling his passage occupying his entire attention.


    Once Zheng Xuan felt that Xie Xingye¡¯s passage had loosened enough, he added in a third finger. He felt his younger lover¡¯s body shudder once as he let out a soft moan that almost sounded pleading.


    Xie Xingye hugged Zheng Xuan tighter and tried to widen his legs even further to accommodate the extra width. He struggled to regulate his breathing and manage the discomfort of being forced open this much, taking reassurance from the warm and firm body in his embrace.


    Sensing this, Zheng Xuan¡¯s free arm unwound from Xie Xingye¡¯s waist and began lightly rubbing his back as if trying to comfort him. The strained trembling of Xie Xingye¡¯s body slowly eased as he felt his beloved¡¯s soothing touch.


    Removing the three fingers after Xie Xingye¡¯s passage had widened enough to easily accept them, Zheng Xuan asked, his voice deeper and gravellier, ¡°How do you¡­feel?¡±


    Feeling the rumble of his lover¡¯s voice through his chest, Xie Xingye wanted to groan with pleasure. One of his hands slid down Zheng Xuan¡¯s chest, his abdomen, down to his belly and further below, and encircled his lover¡¯s rigid length. As his fingers massaged the large member, Xie Xingye let his thumb rub over the moist slit at the tip. Zheng Xuan sucked in a breath.


    Chuckling, Xie Xingye opened his reddened mouth and replied hoarsely, ¡°Lord Zheng, I¡¯m fine for now. But if you want me to still be fine after inserting this giant dragon of yours into me, then you better add in another finger and prepare me properly.¡±


    And so, as Xie Xingye continued to use his hand to torment him, Zheng Xuan dutifully tried to push four fingers into Xie Xingye¡¯s entrance, his motions slow and steady as he attempted to minimize any pain or discomfort.


    By the time Xie Xingye¡¯s passage was suitably prepared to an amount satisfactory to them both, Xie Xingye and Zheng Xuan were panting with flushed faces as need desperately flowed through them. Zheng Xuan¡¯s member in his lover¡¯s hand was stiffer than before as it dripped thick liquid, while Xie Xingye kept restlessly clenching his buttocks, feeling that his passage that had previously been filled with four large fingers was now too empty.


    Not willing to wait too long, Xie Xingye let go of his lover and went to lie down on the bed. His feet rested flat on the sheets as his legs were pulled up and parted suggestively. His hands with curled fingers were placed on either side of his head. As Zheng Xuan stared at him enchanted, Xie Xingye blinked his long-lashed eyes at him lazily, the dark grey irises smoky and deep. His mouth curled up into a playful smile as his whole body exuded a beguiling, seductive charm.


    In an evocative voice, Xie Xingye called, ¡°Lord Zheng, here I am, fully prepared for you to enter¡­so won¡¯t you come and quickly fill me up?¡±


    Zheng Xuan¡¯s gaze darkened. Deep inside him, his gnarled, ancient beast snarled a single word possessively: Mine!


    His eyes focusing intently on his mate, Zheng Xuan stalked to the bed, his gait smooth. Climbing on top, he positioned himself between his lover¡¯s open legs, a hand resting on the smooth swell of Xie Xingye''s hip as he bent down.


    Xie Xingye felt Zheng Xuan¡¯s lips rest softly on his forehead, then move down to press against his lips briefly before sliding down his throat and to his chest. Before Xie Xingye could urge his lover to hurry up, he felt a hot mouth settling on one of the perky little points on his chest, sucking at it strongly. At the same time, he felt a pair of rough fingers pinching the other tip then rolling it between them, sending sharp sensations shooting through him.


    Xie Xingye¡¯s breathing grew deeper and deeper, each lungful of air feeling more and more fuller, heavier, and hotter. He felt like he was melting, his joints turned liquid as his body grew pliant under his lover¡¯s touch. Xie Xingye swallowed his words and groaned throatily, his chest rising of its own volition as if demanding more. And Zheng Xuan naturally complied. He nipped and licked, pinched and pulled, teased and played with the velvety brown buds until they were sore and swollen, then finally raised himself up.


    His eyes dazed as he gasped for breath, Xie Xingye asked in an unsteady voice, ¡°A-Are we finally going to begin then?¡±


    Zheng Xuan growled a response, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Xie Xingye closed his eyes and swallowed. The color in his cheeks darkened as he spoke, his voice small and bearing hints of shyness, ¡°Lord Zheng, this might not be my first time, but¡­can you still be gentle?¡±


    Zheng Xuan¡¯s heart clenched with affection as he slowly nodded. ¡°Yes¡­I will never¡­hurt you. I will care for you¡­to the best¡­of my ability.¡±


    A layer of wetness covered Xie Xingye¡¯s eyes as he opened them to look up at his lover¡¯s solemn expression. Smiling softly, he said simply, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Until now, except from his sister, Xie Xingye had never received unconditional affection or care. But even his Chunyi had seldom shown her care obviously or stated it openly. She preferred to tease and bully her brother while working behind the scenes to make sure that everyone who even thought of hurting him would pay. And as long as Xie Xingye was allowed to stay beside her, that form of affection had been enough for him.


    But Xie Xingye wanted something more from his lover.


    During their first time, he wanted his Lord Zheng to show him the kind of care that Xie Xingye hadn¡¯t felt often before. Even though he didn¡¯t mind rough sex usually, and even though he thought it would be fun, especially when done with his trustworthy beloved, Xie Xingye still craved gentleness and the feeling that he was being cherished and cared for. And seeing how Zheng Xuan showed his affection for him so openly and without reservations¡ªbe it through his words, actions, or expressions¡ªXie Xingye felt as if some deep thirst inside him that he hadn¡¯t even recognized before was being quenched.


    Xie Xingye let out a long and happy sigh. Since his lover promised to take care of him and be gentle, he was eager to lay back and enjoy the experience.


    Seeing his lover suddenly relax into the bed and understanding that Xie Xingye was ready for him to begin, Zheng Xuan reached down with a hand to hold his beloved¡¯s hip in place while the other hand held his own stiff member, guiding it towards the scrunched little entrance that really looked too small to be able to take in such a huge organ.


    Xie Xingye felt the large and blunt tip of Zheng Xuan¡¯s hard member press against and begin to push inside his opening. He tried to make sure that his passage would be as unresisting as possible as he accepted that giant length into him. His breathing turned deeper as he shifted restlessly on the sheets, his brows furrowed as his entire attention was focused on the intrusion.


    Suddenly, Xie Xingye felt the press of lips against his cheek and opened the eyes that he seemed to have closed at some time. ¡°L-Lord Zheng?¡±


    ¡°Is it too¡­uncomfortable?¡± Zheng Xuan asked in a soft voice.


    Xie Xingye swallowed and shook his head. Then he spoke playfully, ¡°Though I did ask you to be gentle, you don¡¯t have to hold yourself back this much either.¡±


    But Zheng Xuan simply placed a small peck on the tip of Xie Xingye¡¯s nose and said with a smile, ¡°I want to¡­cherish you¡­and treasure you¡­so I want to go slow¡­so that you don¡¯t¡­get hurt.¡±


    Xie Xingye¡¯s eyes widened as he felt his face heat up even more. Then closing his eyes and turning his face to the side, he whispered unsteadily, ¡°A-Alright then¡­th-thank you for caring for me this much.¡±


    Seeing his lover trying to hide his bashfulness, Zheng Xuan let out a soft chuff of laughter even as he continued to slowly press his member into Xie Xingye¡¯s slickened channel.


    Whenever Zheng Xuan felt Xie Xingye jerk or stiffen suddenly under him, he would stop and draw back a little. Only after he felt his lover relax again did he continue pushing forward. And though doing it this way took a long time, by the time Zheng Xuan was fully seated inside him, Xie Xingye could honestly say that despite his lover¡¯s large girth, this was the most painless penetration he had ever experienced. Lifting his legs to lock his ankles behind Zheng Xuan¡¯s waist, Xie Xingye panted breathlessly as he tried to steady himself.


    Zheng Xuan leaned back, his member still snugly buried inside his beloved and his hands on Xie Xingye¡¯s waist lightly squeezing and releasing as if to offer comfort. As he looked down to study his enchanting lover, Zheng Xuan suddenly felt his breath stutter to a stop.


    He was bewitched by the sight of Xie Xingye¡¯s long and smooth legs spread wide open to accommodate him, cradling his body in between them while his ankles were locked behind his waist as if loathe to let him go. He watched with satisfaction at how the rim of his beloved¡¯s entrance was stretched wide and tight around the girth of his member, those firm cheeks clamping onto him from either side. He could feel the warm and soft walls of his lover¡¯s passage twitching and squeezing his shaft as if instinctually attempting to expel the giant object that had forced its way inside, but all its struggling did was succeed in stimulating his sensitive member even more.


    His gaze moving upward, Zheng Xuan saw his beloved¡¯s vein-corded shaft straining and erect, small drops of liquid already gathering to spill from the tip and onto his heaving belly. As his body shifted restlessly, the muscles on Xie Xingye¡¯s abdomen flexed and relaxed again and again in a mesmerizing rhythm. His chest moved up and down as his body shuddered with deep breaths, the two little stiff dots on his upper half pushed up as if eager to draw Zheng Xuan¡¯s attention.


    Zheng Xuan¡¯s appreciative gaze continued over to the long column of Xie Xingye¡¯s throat that was stretched taut as he arched his head back into the pillows, the defined bump of his Adam¡¯s apple rolling up and down as if in agitation. Resting on either side of Xie Xingye¡¯s head, his hands had curled into fists so tightly that they trembled, seemingly as if in reaction to some unbearable torment. His reddened lips were wide open and gasping desperately for breath, his eyes squeezed closed and the sweeping arches of his brows lowered. The strands of his satiny black hair were spread around him in disarray as if reflecting the chaotic thoughts swirling in his mind.


    In a deep voice, Zheng Xuan finally observed, ¡°Xingye¡­you¡¯re so¡­beautiful.¡±


    Xie Xingye felt his heart thump wildly, the color in his cheeks deepening even more. Without opening his eyes, he confessed in a soft whisper, ¡°Lord Zheng, you are the most kindest and handsomest being I¡¯ve ever had the fortune of meeting. So you see? We make a good match together after all.¡±


    Zheng Xuan smiled warmly. His lover was the only one who would look at him so highly. His mate was truly a treasure worth spending the rest of his life cherishing.


    Resting a hand on the bed for stability with the other holding Xie Xingye¡¯s hip, Zheng Xuan slowly drew out before thrusting back in. Xie Xingye shuddered and arched back in response. A breathless moan slipped out of him, long and drawn out. His hands automatically rose up, resting on his lover¡¯s broad shoulders as he raised his hips up by his legs still clamped around his beloved¡¯s waist.


    Zheng Xuan¡¯s leisurely pace gradually increased as he determined that Xie Xingye¡¯s channel had become completely accustomed to his girth by now.


    Xie Xingye panted and groaned helplessly as he felt the entire surface of his lover¡¯s length being drawn against the slickened walls of his sensitive passage, his inner muscles firmly wrapped around the huge organ as it thrust in and out relentlessly. He felt it push deep into his gut, its gigantic length ruthlessly parting his tight inner walls, sliding and rubbing against the soft channel and making him shake with the force of every thrust.


    ¡°Ah, L-Lord Zheng¡­it feels¡­so good¡­mn¡­so big¡­¡±


    As his hips continued to work and sweat dampened his brows, Zheng Xuan raised a hand to tenderly cup his beloved¡¯s cheek. With obvious concern, he asked, ¡°Does it¡­hurt?¡±


    Xie Xingye looked up into the gentle black of his lover¡¯s eyes, wanting to drown in that gaze and let all that affection and care wrap around him and soak deep into his soul. In a haltering voice gone too husky from crying out, he replied, ¡°N-No¡­it f-feels very pleasurable.¡±


    Zheng Xuan bent to peck him on his lips lovingly. ¡°Then tell me if it¡­gets even a bit¡­uncomfortable.¡±


    Jerkily nodding, Xie Xingye moaned out a command, ¡°Uhn¡­y-you should go¡­ah¡­faster¡­now¡­¡±


    Zheng Xuan¡¯s eyes darkened as his need throbbed harder. Yes, he needed to go faster, plunge in deeper, he needed to claim his mate with everything he had¡­


    Xie Xingye suddenly felt his world roll over as he was flipped onto his front. He felt his lover¡¯s broad and rough palms pull up his hips as the large organ lodged within him began to move, thrusting in and out madly. Burying his face in the soft pillows, Xie Xingye curled his fingers into the sheets and cried out without holding anything back.


    Seeing how his lover¡¯s waist and back flexed as his muscles temptingly shifted and rolled under his skin, Zheng Xuan couldn¡¯t help but push away the obstructing stretch of hair and bend down, using his teeth to take a few nips from between his lover¡¯s shoulder blades before licking the reddened skin.


    But the more he touched and tasted his lover, the more the urgency of Zheng Xuan¡¯s movements increased, low growls rumbling in his chest as his hands slid up from his beloved¡¯s hips and traced over his skin. They looped to the front to fiddle with the pair of erect nubs on Xie Xingye¡¯s chest before sliding down the firm and taut abdominal muscles, then slipping further down. One hand encircled the thick and straining member while the other dipped even further below to massage his balls.


    Xie Xingye shuddered again as waves of liquid heat washed his veins and suffused his entire body. He impatiently thrust up his hips in offering as he began to move back and forth in keeping of his lover¡¯s violent rhythm. His eyes squeezed closed as his lips stayed open to let out an unending string of wordless shouts and hoarse moans. His body trembled with strain as he uncaringly pushed it to its limits to keep up with the fast motions of the large man working on top of him.


    Slickened with sweat, their skin made wet slapping noises as their bodies collided and separated, again and again. The sturdy bed shook as the sounds of their coupling filled the room. Their need and hunger wound desperately tighter, urging them on to go as fast as they could, their bodies sliding and pushing frantically against each other. The raw and primal need took control of them and forced them into a mad frenzy.


    As he finally reached his limit, Xie Xingye felt a bright hot spark flaring at the base of his spine before a flood of blissful warmth seared him from the inside. Hot liquid spurted out of his shaft as waves of ecstasy filled him, wringing a helpless groan out of his overexerted throat. As the waves of pleasure receded to give way to the peaceful bliss of the afterglow, Xie Xingye powerlessly slumped into the bed even as Zheng Xuan¡¯s hands moved to grip his hips, frantically driving his large member in and out of his beloved¡¯s slick channel.


    A few moments later, Zheng Xuan stiffened, a thunderous rumble vibrating his chest as he bent over his lover. Xie Xingye felt the deep sound reverberating through his back as he sensed streams of burning liquid fill his tender insides thoroughly. A soft moan slipped out of his sore throat at the sensation.


    Spent, Zheng Xuan took a moment to regain his breath before he carefully lowered himself onto the bed, Xie Xingye still held securely in his arms. A feeling of peace and contentment claimed them in the aftermath of their climax as a harmonious silence filled the intimate space surrounding them.


    Xie Xingye closed his eyes and panted silently for a while before retrieving a set of pills from his storage space. He unceremoniously shoved them into his mouth and sighed happily as the soreness in his muscles receded under the spread of the gentle healing warmth. Though Zheng Xuan had taken care not to hurt him even in that final frenzy, Xie Xingye himself had ended up pushing his body too hard, uncaring of the aftermath, and so he had ended up with various pains and aches throughout his body.


    A few minutes later, after Xie Xingye felt that he could move without hurting, he slowly turned on the bed to face his lover. Zheng Xuan¡¯s spent member slipped out of Xie Xingye¡¯s passage with a wet sound. Xie Xingye tightened his entrance out of habit to not allow anything to spill out as he focused on the man in front of him.


    Xie Xingye and Zheng Xuan¡¯s eyes met as they held each other¡¯s gaze, unspoken words and inexpressible affection swirling in them.


    Opening his creaking jaw, Xie Xingye was the first to break the silence. ¡°Lord Zheng¡­ Zheng Xuan, I love you very much, so will you please stay with me forever?¡±


    Zheng Xuan¡¯s gaze darkened, his expression melting into a soft smile. ¡°Yes¡­of course. Xingye¡­I too love you¡­too much.¡±


    Xie Xingye felt stirrings of shyness again and turned his face away. He had lived so many years with wild shameless abandon, and here his beloved kept making him blush like an innocent young man experiencing his first love. But how was he supposed to have any resistance at all in the face of all these sweet words and gentle gestures? His lover was really too unfair!


    A soft kiss landed on his reddened cheeks, pulling Xie Xingye out from his thoughts. A rough voice prodded him in a rarely teasing tone, ¡°Xingye, are you¡­feeling bashful?¡±


    Xie Xingye embarrassedly huffed. ¡°Lord Zheng, you¡¯re getting too naughty! When did you learn my bad habit of teasing other people like this!¡±


    With a gravelly laugh, Zheng Xuan replied, ¡°It was probably¡­transferred to me¡­when you¡­stuck your tongue¡­down my throat.¡±


    Xie Xingye¡¯s eyes widened as his face stung with heat. His lover had really learnt too well from him!


    Not willing to take this lying down, Xie Xingye lifted himself up onto his hands and knees as he trapped his beloved under him. In a playful voice, he scolded, ¡°Lord Zheng, your mouth really became very naughty!¡±


    But Zheng Xuan¡¯s attention was fixed on something else.


    From his position on the bed where Xie Xingye hovered over him naked, Zheng Xuan was faced with the enticing front view of his beloved¡¯s flushed, sweaty body marked with hickeys. Xie Xingye¡¯s two swollen buds stood prominently erect as they faced downwards from his chest. As Zheng Xuan¡¯s gaze slipped further down, he could see white liquid splattered on his lover¡¯s tightly muscled belly, left over from his release. And sliding down from behind his member, a thin trail of translucent fluid slowly made its way down Xie Xingye¡¯s smooth leg, tracing the firm muscles under the soft skin of his inner thigh and ponderously dripping further down.


    Zheng Xuan thickly swallowed as he felt lust rear his head again.


    Sensing his lover¡¯s arousal, Xie Xingye raised his eyebrows. ¡°My, what an insatiable appetite you have, Lord Zheng! Am I really that desirable?¡±


    Zheng Xuan growled and reached up to grip his lover¡¯s hips, pulling them towards his own in a silent indication of what he wanted. Xie Xingye leaned back to let out a carefree laugh, his eyes sparkling with cheer as he happily obliged. Holding Zheng Xuan¡¯s huge member steady under him, Xie Xingye slowly sank down onto it without delay, feeling it pushing past his already expanded opening and sliding into the depths his tender passage that was still dripping with his beloved¡¯s release.


    The pair of lovers groaned softly as their bodies connected once more, and then they lost themselves in the whirlwind of passion. And until deep in the night, the sturdy bed in their room didn¡¯t stop rocking.


    ¡­¡­


    The next morning, Xie Xingye once again stuffed his mouth full of pills to heal his sore body before rushing to bathe with his lover in a small manmade pond in their backyard, where Zheng Xuan carefully helped him clean his passage. After dressing up, combing his hair, and getting ready, Xie Xingye reluctantly declared himself prepared to face his sister once again.


    All this while, Zheng Xuan could only watch his beloved¡¯s flustered flittering with helpless affection and amusement from the side.


    Meanwhile, Xie Xingye was letting out an endless stream of nervous chatter¨C


    ¡°Ah! Lord Zheng, I don¡¯t remember where their house is! What do we do?! Should we¡­ask someone on the way? No, no, no, it¡¯s better to be as prepared as possible now itself¡­ Maybe I have a map of the capital somewhere in my storage left over from the last time we visited. Ah, I forgot to prepare any gifts! Wait, since Chunyi¡¯s now my employer, would it be considered bribing if I gave her any gifts? But I didn¡¯t even give her a wedding gift before! But talking about gifts, I suppose I should prepare one for belatedly congratulating them on the birth of their brat as wel¨D Aha! I found a map! Now, where is the Feng residence here? Eh? Why is there no Feng residence here at all? Is this an older version? Then how will we find¨D?¡±


    ¡°Xingye¡­enough,¡± Zheng Xuan finally interrupted his beloved with a hand firmly clamped over his mouth. ¡°You don¡¯t¡­have to worry. I remember¡­the route. I¡¯ll¡­take us there. If your sister¡­accepts us as family¡­then we can¡­bring gifts when we¡­visit next time.¡±


    Xie Xingye froze, then nodded. His lover was right, he should probably stop worrying over all these small things. And yet¡­the fear and tension churning in his stomach refused to abate that easily.


    Not letting his beloved ponder over it any longer, Zheng Xuan pulled Xie Xingye along and left the house. Taking a discreet and deserted path at the side, the couple soon entered an ancient forest with large and healthy trees, fresh air smelling of peat and moss, and open spaces dappled with mild sunlight. The breeze was pleasantly cool as it brushed over their faces, lifting up tendrils of their hair.


    As they walked, Xie Xingye felt his panic slowly calming down in this serene scenery. That combined with the company of his lover who was holding his hand and soothing him with his presence alone made Xie Xingye¡¯s frantic heartbeat finally settle down.


    After a few minutes, Xie Xingye suddenly remembered something and asked, ¡°Lord Zheng, is there a transportation array in the direction we¡¯re going?¡±


    After all, since they didn¡¯t know the route, wouldn¡¯t they need a transportation array to get to the Feng residence?


    But Zheng Xuan merely smiled. ¡°No¡­need.¡±


    Xie Xingye blinked in confusion, but soon understood what his lover meant.


    A few minutes more of walking later, the forested path they were following bisected another similar one, and Zheng Xuan unhesitatingly led the way as he went right. Before long, they reached a pair of large, wrought iron gates that looked neatly elegant and very sturdy. A few ways away beyond the gates laid a large, sprawling house, its lines simple and graceful, yet holding a homey charm.


    Xie Xingye tilted his head. Why did this scene look vaguely familiar?


    Beside him, Zheng Xuan extended a hand and let his fingers lightly brush over the barrier extending from just in front of the gates. Most powerful households in the heavenly realm had strong protective wards and spells around their homes. Unless they were a part of that household or were trusted enough to be given the key formation, they could not pass through the barrier. And so, lightly touching the barrier like this would let the people inside know that someone was waiting at their gates, and it was the equivalent of knocking politely.


    Not even a full minute later, the door to the house opened and a young man walked out, his posture leisurely as his white robes swayed along with the rhythm of his silent steps. His dark eyes gleamed with intelligence while his ethereal face showed hints of cold aloofness.


    Looking at this familiar person, Xie Xingye suddenly felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck him. That¡¯s right! This was the Feng residence!


    Before Xie Xingye had the chance to do anything more than shoot an accusatory glare at his amused lover, Feng Qinghe had already reached the gate. In his clear and pleasant voice, he spoke matter-of-factly, ¡°Uncle Xie, is this your lover? Is he the black dragon from before? And are you perchance here to see Mother about enlisting in the army according to the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s verdict?¡±


    Xie Xingye opened his mouth, then closed it again. The last time he¡¯d seen this brat, they had been fighting for their lives in the midst of a chaotic battlefield. Yet now, how could he act as if he was just casually greeting a relative who¡¯d come for a visit?!


    Opening his mouth again, Xie Xingye finally got out, ¡°Feng Qinghe, so you¡¯re not dead after all. A pity.¡±


    Beside him, Zheng Xuan sighed. Of all the things he could speak about, his lover just had to start the conversation this way.


    A flash of sharp amusement flashed in Qinghe¡¯s eyes as he replied, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m alive. As many have discovered, I¡¯m quite difficult to kill off completely.¡±


    Xie Xingye sneered. ¡°Like a roach.¡±


    The hint of amusement in his eyes blooming to full-fledged humor, Qinghe laughed. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m even tougher to get rid of than that.¡±


    Not waiting for Xie Xingye¡¯s reply, Qinghe opened the gates and stepped aside. ¡°Uncle Xie and¡­Lord Zheng, wasn¡¯t it? Please come in.¡±


    And so, with a complicated expression, Xie Xingye stepped past the gates with Zheng Xuan close behind. Closing the gates again, Qinghe lead the way forward.


    As the three people slowly walked towards the door, Zheng Xuan suddenly asked, ¡°Feng Qinghe¡­were you the one¡­who suggested¡­that verdict to the¡­Heavenly Emperor?¡±


    Xie Xingye almost stumbled on the smooth flagstone path as he blurted out, ¡°What?!¡±


    But Qinghe merely nodded as if it was of no big import. ¡°Rather than saying I suggested it to the Heavenly Emperor, I suppose it¡¯s more accurate to say that I mentioned it once to the Throne.¡±


    In a shocked voice, Xie Xingye asked, ¡°Wait. By Throne, you mean the Throne of Heaven?!¡±


    Qinghe nodded once again and answered cheerfully, ¡°Yes, and the Throne was kind enough to grant my wish.¡± But the sharp and sly look in his eyes suggested that it might not all be solely because of the Throne¡¯s kindness after all.


    However, Xie Xingye did not have the mind to pay attention to this subtle expression. All he could think about right now was why his former enemy would do this. Did he have any ulterior motives? Was he up to something sneaky again? Was this another trap?


    But giving a helpless laugh, Qinghe suddenly cut into his pondering as if reading his mind, ¡°Uncle Xie, do you really trust me so little? I only suggested that sentence for you because I thought that it would both be a fair verdict that would satisfy the heavenly court while also giving you a chance to bond with Mother. The sooner you and she straighten out the misunderstanding between yourselves and act as siblings again, the happier our family will be.¡±


    With that, Qinghe stopped speaking. They had already reached the door by now.


    Hearing all this, Xie Xingye felt strange. He found it difficult to reconcile that sneaky and cunning little cultivator who was madly cutting through his ghouls with a happy expression with this seemingly wise and considerate deity. But before he could straighten out his thoughts, the sounds of running footsteps sounded from inside the house and the other side of the doorway, appearing to head straight towards the closed door.


    Qinghe paused in his action of reaching for the door and quickly stepped to the side and out of the way of anything that might come barreling out of the doorway. Zheng Xuan held his beloved by the waist and drew him back to stay clear as well.


    Sure enough, a moment later, the door banged open to reveal a furious woman, her cheeks red with rage and a wooden sword gripped tightly in her hand. ¡°Where is he? Where is that bastard who hurt my son?!¡±


    From behind her and inside the house, the frantic calls of her husband sounded, nearing quickly. ¡°Wait, Chunyi, don¡¯t kill him yet! Let us listen to his side of the story first!¡±


    As Feng Huixin hurriedly strode into view, he let out a breath in relief when he saw that Xie Xingye wasn¡¯t missing any limbs or bleeding from any injuries. Wrapping his arms around his wife and enveloping her from behind, he firmly held her in place. ¡°Chunyi, please let him speak his bit. Also, by the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s verdict, he is now your subordinate. And murdering your subordinates is forbidden by law.¡±


    Leisurely walking from within the house, Wei Xiang casually strode past his mother-in-law who was puffed up with anger while struggling against her husband¡¯s hold and directly made for his little lover. In an amused drawl, he also added in support of his master, ¡°Yes, Mother-in-law. If you kill him, your son will also feel very sad that he won¡¯t have any uncles left.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s mouth twitched, but he still nodded solemnly. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be very sad if you kill or hurt my only uncle.¡±


    In the face of all this, Feng Chunyi reluctantly stopped her struggle to get out of her husband¡¯s hold. She then narrowed her eyes and glared at Xie Xingye as if wishing she could skewer him with her gaze alone.


    Meanwhile, Xie Xingye¡¯s eyes had never left his sister from the moment she appeared. He quickly determined that she looked healthy and just as sprightly as before. And it at least looked like her husband was treating her well. He eagerly drank in her appearance as if to make up for all these years he hadn¡¯t seen her, as if to burn her current image into his memory in case she kicked him out and said that she never wanted to look at him again.


    However, Feng Chunyi couldn¡¯t help but feel strange at being studied with so much intensity by someone whom she only thought of as a stranger who hurt her son. Endeavoring to keep her fury in check, she carefully turned her face expressionless, containing all her anger with great effort.


    Seeing that his sister seemed to have calmed down a bit at least, Xie Xingye took a deep breath and slowly released it. With a determined expression, he took a step forward and spoke with utmost sincerity, ¡°Chunyi, you can be angry with me and you can hate me, but I¡¯m willing to accept all of that as long as you don¡¯t push me away.¡±


    Hearing this, Feng Chunyi¡¯s eyebrow twitched in reaction as she tried to control her rampaging emotions.


    But Xie Xingye''s eyes suddenly widened as he accurately guessed her thoughts just from that small gesture. Raising his hands placatingly, he spoke, ¡°I know, I know, I have no right to demand anything of you except a slow and painful death for hurting your husband and son. But won¡¯t you please consider my request?¡±


    Feng Chunyi gave a short growl.


    Understanding her once again, Xie Xingye winced and took a step back. ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t dare presume to read your mind, so there¡¯s really no need to threaten violence like that! I just spent so much time with you as we both grew up that I¡­ended up learning how to read certain visual cues, that¡¯s all, I promise!¡±


    Her eyebrows lowering threateningly, Feng Chunyi struggled against her husband¡¯s hold to jerk forward by a step.


    Xie Xingye quickly hid himself behind his lover and chided his sister, ¡°Now, now, let¡¯s not make threats about shoving large things into uncomfortable places. Let¡¯s be calm and rational here. You wouldn¡¯t want to perpetuate graphic violence right in front of your kid, now would you? I already know my wrongs, so can¡¯t we just put this matter aside?¡±


    Feng Chunyi finally opened her jaws that she¡¯d kept tightly clenched till now and spat, ¡°If you know what you did, then come here and let me give you a beating, you bastard!¡±


    Xie Xingye¡¯s expression turned fearful, but he still obediently walked towards his sister. He stood before a furious Chunyi with his neck scrunched, shoulders drawn up, eyes squeezed closed, and his legs placed apart as if bracing for a blow. ¡°Alright, go ahead and hit me then. You can even rip off a few limbs if it makes you feel better. Just¡­don¡¯t keep pushing me away, alright?¡±


    For a second Feng Chunyi only looked at him with a blank gaze. Then she suddenly snarled, ¡°You idiot! I asked you to come and take a beating and you really came? How stupid can you be! If you¡¯re really the brother I bought up, then is this the kind of foolish person I taught you to be?!¡±


    Xie Xingye blinked at his sister and defended himself with an earnest and aggrieved tone, ¡°But Chunyi¡­ If I don¡¯t come to you to take a beating then you¡¯ll come to me and give a beating, and knowing you, that¡¯s honestly more terrifying.¡±


    Feng Chunyi¡¯s lips twitched, but the ire in her eyes couldn¡¯t help but reduce a bit. Sensing this, Feng Huixin also exhaled a breath in relief before letting his wife go and stepping back.


    Trying to make herself sound angry and snappish, Feng Chunyi responded, ¡°Hmph! Stop acting like you know everything about me! And what are you doing standing outside our house and blocking the way? Bring your lover and get your ass inside.¡±


    After all, this person was so ridiculous that she refused to waste her energy hating him!


    And so, with that, Feng Chunyi stormed back in and headed to the table where she and her family usually sat together for meals.


    The rest of them stared at her retreating back with surprised gazes, but everyone soon followed her inside as well.


    And thus went the siblings¡¯ second reunion.


    ¡­¡­


    An hour later, all six people were comfortably settled around the table, a cup of cooling tea sitting in front of them each.


    Feng Chunyi leaned back on her chair and asked tonelessly, ¡°So that¡¯s what¡¯s supposed to have happened between us?¡±


    For this past hour, Xie Xingye had very diligently detailed his and his sister¡¯s past together, along with a few bits he¡¯d heard Chunyi tell about her experience in the caravan before and some bits about his own life after his sister left him.


    Now that he was done reciting everything, the whole table seemed to be waiting with bated breath to see what else Feng Chunyi would say.


    But unmindful of all the gazes, she lifted her cup of tea placidly and took a sip, her inscrutable gaze fixed inside the almost empty cup. With a small, worried frown creasing his brows, Feng Huixin lifted the enchanted teapot on the table that was spelled to keep its contents warm for a long time and poured some steaming tea from it into his wife¡¯s cup. Feng Chunyi silently raised the cup to her lips to take another sip, her gaze remaining shadowed with unfathomable thoughts.


    A few moments later, she simply said, ¡°I see. But unfortunately, I still don¡¯t remember any of that.¡±


    Xie Xingye sighed. Did this mean she didn¡¯t trust him? Or did this mean she was willing to try to regain her memories? Would she give him a chance or¡­would she really kick him out?


    With a thoughtful expression, Qinghe suddenly asked, ¡°Mother, have you ever tried any methods to regain your memories before?¡±


    The attention of the entire table once again turned to fix on Feng Chunyi.


    Shrugging, she absentmindedly rubbed her fingertips over the cup in her hands and answered, ¡°I did try. After you¡­fell to the lower realm and Ah-Xin went after you, I spent a lot of time thinking about a lot of things. One of those things was related to the time this supposed brother of mine came to make a fuss about knowing me from before. It occurred to me that there was a possibility that since I forgot a few things, I might have also forgotten the events he spoke of at that time. If he really was someone close to me and if I really did promise him something, then I didn¡¯t want to go back on it. So I tried a few methods, including staying in the healing pool to fix whatever injury in my head was keeping me from remembering those memories. But¡­nothing happened. I didn¡¯t remember anything new at all.¡±


    The entire table of people digested this in silence.


    ¡°If even the healing pool couldn¡¯t fix it,¡± Wei Xiang hypothesized, ¡°then does that mean that the reason Mother-in-law doesn¡¯t remember is because of some knot in your heart?¡±


    Feng Chunyi sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know. If it was anything related to a physical injury or even a spiritual wound, then the healing pool would have taken care of it. So I suppose that some unknown knot in my heart is the only reasonable explanation.¡±


    Qinghe frowned and tapped the table with his index finger, his mind racing through various options and finally settling on one. His frown relaxed as his finger paused. ¡°Mother, do you wish to recover your memories?¡±


    Feng Chunyi looked at her son with surprise. Though she hesitated for a moment, she still nodded definitively.


    Qinghe looked into her eyes, his gaze serious and heavy. ¡°There might be a way, but going through with it could mean that¡­you¡¯d have to face some unpleasant or unwanted things about yourself that you¡¯ve refused to face till now.¡±


    Feng Chunyi scowled. ¡°Oi, son of mine, what sort of things are you talking about? Can¡¯t you be more clear? And what method do you know? Will it really work?¡±


    Smiling, Qinghe shrugged. ¡°I will have to discuss this with another person before giving any guarantees, but there is a possibility that this might work. Since the issue here is the knot in your heart, the only way to recover your memories would be to unravel it, and doing so will naturally mean that you will have to face some unpleasant things that you have been ignoring all this time. It might be mentally exhausting and painful. Mother, are you sure that you still want to use this method?¡±


    Clutching his lover¡¯s wide and rough palm under the table, Xie Xingye anxiously waited for his sister¡¯s answer. His heart thumped erratically. Would his Chunyi consider the memories of their time together worth enough to face something painful in exchange?


    Feng Chunyi cast a quick glance at the side towards Xie Xingye, then looked away before anyone could catch it. Then slowly, she nodded. Yes, she wanted her memories back. She wanted to know what this person called Xie Xingye meant to her and what kind of promise she owed him.


    Xie Xingye stared at her blankly, then slumped into the Zheng Xuan sitting beside him with relief. So his sister really did consider it worth it. The joy bursting in his chest was really too difficult to contain.


    Hopefully, if his sister recovered her memories, she would accept him and his lover into her family and Xie Xingye¡¯s wish would finally come true. After this, would he really have a family with his sister as he¡¯d wanted for so long?


    After getting his mother¡¯s answer, Qinghe smiled. ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll go back to the lower realm and check if it¡¯s possible then.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s brows rose. ¡°Love, is the solution you are thinking of the same thing I just realized?¡±


    Qinghe happily nodded.


    Wei Xiang let out a helpless chuff of laughter. ¡°Then I suppose we¡¯ll be bothering Sect Master Wu once again.¡±


    Chuckling, Qinghe spoke, ¡°He did say that he would help me whenever I asked without expecting anything in return. So why would I not take him up on the offer?¡±


    Wei Xiang could only shake his head in pity. Hopefully, Wu Xiao wasn¡¯t already regretting his well-meaning words.


    At the opposite side of the table, Feng Chunyi stood up with a serious expression. ¡°We''ll continue this discussion later. For now, I¡¯m running late for work. I have to go and start the morning drills. You bastar¨D I mean, Xie Xingye. You come with me as well. Your lover will have to stay back. As someone from the dragon clan who is a guest to the heavenly capital, he does not have the authority to see the heavenly armies while they are training and strategizing.¡±


    Xie Xingye looked at her dazedly for a moment, then turned to his lover. ¡°Lord Zheng, do you mind staying in our house and waiting for me to come back?¡±


    Zheng Xuan nodded. Then pulling Xie Xingye towards him, he gave him an affectionate peck between his brows. ¡°Stay¡­safe.¡±


    Xie Xingye smiled softly and nodded.


    Soon, Feng Chunyi departed with Xie Xingye in tow. Zheng Xuan also returned to his home after that, leaving behind Feng Huixin, Qinghe, and Wei Xiang in the room.


    Tilting his head, Qinghe curiously asked, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen Mother set out for work so diligently. She usually says that she already trained her armies to take care of their daily training regimen by themselves and uses it as an excuse to laze around, so why does she seem to be in such a hurry to leave today?¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s gaze sharpened as something suddenly occurred to him. He quickly rushed to the kitchen to check on something. A minute later, he strode back into the room, his expression mildly exasperated as he answered Qinghe¡¯s question, ¡°It seems that today was your mother¡¯s turn to wash the dishes, and they haven¡¯t yet been touched at all.¡±


    All those present immediately understood that Feng Chunyi had acted all serious just now and used work as a means to leave quickly so that she could escape before someone remembered that it was her turn to wash the dishes today.


    Realizing this, Wei Xiang let out an involuntary bark of laughter as Qinghe hid his chuckles behind the back of his hand. Even Feng Huixin¡¯s gaze lightened with a hint of amusement.


    They really shouldn¡¯t have expected anything else from Feng Chunyi.


    And so, Feng Huixin was left behind to wash the dishes as Qinghe and Wei Xiang descended to find and have a talk with Wu Xiao.


    Meanwhile, Feng Chunyi wasn¡¯t going easy on Xie Xingye at all. Whether or not he was someone she claimed as her brother, he was still someone who¡¯d wanted to hurt her husband and caused her dear son so much injury that he¡¯d had to spend three years in the healing pool.


    She still remembered that day when she had first seen her grown-up son return with her husband. As the three of them had lied down together in Qinghe¡¯s bed, Feng Chunyi remembered how exhausted her son had looked from up close, his face pale and sickly. She remembered studying the robe he¡¯d shed and feeling her heart ache with sorrow at all the bloodstains and rips on it. She remembered the absolute rage she¡¯d felt when her husband told her about how her son had cracked his core in the battle against the demonic deity.


    And so, at least for her darling son, she¡¯d take revenge!


    But no matter how grueling or improbable the tasks she gave him, Xie Xingye merely smiled as he accepted them. He would earnestly try to finish them without caring for his own body, leaving Feng Chunyi no choice but to take back her unreasonable orders lest her newest subordinate kill himself while attempting it.


    However, seeing her continuing to give Xie Xingye difficult tasks and knowing that he was here paying for past crimes against their general¡¯s family, some of the newer recruits tried to bully him, thinking that it would please their general. But it only made Feng Chunyi furious. She punished them ruthlessly and threatened to kick them out if they dared tried to hurt Xie Xingye. She was allowed to bully him in repayment for what he did, but no one else was allowed to even think of hurting someone who might be her brother!


    This attitude of hers confused many of Feng Chunyi¡¯s troops, but Xie Xingye couldn¡¯t help but smile happily when he heard about this as he worked harder than ever to complete the tasks his sister gave him.


    But because Xie Xingye spent his days working this hard, by the time he returned home every evening, his body would be painfully sore and aching all over. Zheng Xuan would concernedly give him healing pills, and after all the sprains and bruises had healed, he would massage his tired lover¡¯s body. Then he would draw him a warm bath to relax in, and sometimes even help him wash his body. After Zeng Xuan dried him off, Xie Xingye would quickly drop onto the bed and doze off while his exhaustion dragged him under.


    Because of this daily routine, except for during the days off work, Xie Xingye and Zheng Xuan couldn¡¯t roll around on the bed as much as they wanted, though they still tried with enthusiasm.


    In this way, a few weeks passed before Qinghe brought up the matter regarding his mother¡¯s memories again.


    After hearing from him that the solution he had thought of was confirmed by Wu Xiao to be possible, all six of them decided to descend to the mortal realm and head off towards the Golden Sun Sect first to request for access to the Silver Moon Sect.


    The group of six appeared at a transportation array in a deserted place before they used the shadows to transport themselves just outside the Golden Sun Sect¡¯s boundaries.


    Feng Chunyi looked around with curiosity at the world her husband and son had stayed at all this while. It looked¡­ordinary, though this particular area belonging to this gold-whatever sect did look very neat and exhibited signs of wealthy opulence.


    As she looked up at the sky that seemed to be the same blue in every world, Feng Chunyi suddenly saw a small speck that seemed to be growing large at a very quick rate. Squinting her eyes, she decided that it must be some person who was falling or a creature speeding towards the ground. She eagerly wondered if it would be something she could fight.


    In a few moments, the others also noticed that something seemed to be descending from the sky. Soon after, as the figure grew larger, it was revealed that it was a big demonic beast with light yellow fur. Huge fluffy wings extended from its sides and flapped languorously as it slowly reached the ground, hovering for a moment before its wings were folded in and its short limbs and belly touched the earth below.


    The beast looked like a strange, winged meld between a rabbit and a fox. Its face, ears, and legs seemed like that of a rabbit, but its body, neck, and bushy tail resembled a fox¡¯s. Its short fur was a buttery yellow that gleamed brightly under the sun, appearing well-groomed. Its wide and ruby-red eyes suddenly turned in Xie Xingye¡¯s direction before it twitched its nose as if in distaste, letting out short little sneezes one after another.


    A familiar voice called out to the beast concernedly from its back, ¡°Ah-Bao, what is it? Are your allergies acting up again? I told you to take care not to land near any dandelions, and yet you never listen. And you even go about sniffing at them without¨D¡±


    The voice suddenly stopped as the speaker sensed the presence of a group of people standing in front of the beast¡¯s paws. A curious head suddenly peeked up from between the large beast¡¯s rabbit-like ears to take a good look at them.


    Qinghe smiled up at the peeking head and greeted, ¡°Hello, Brother Jing. This Yellow-furred Seeker seems well-groomed. Is it yours?¡±


    Jing Shui smoothly slid down the side of the beast¡¯s body as if he¡¯d done it a thousand times before and stood upright. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s one of mine that I personally tamed and trained. Brother Feng, what are you doing here?¡±


    Qinghe opened his mouth to answer when the beast sneezed yet again. Jing Shui looked up at the beast with worry, only to see it glaring at a certain person. As Jing Shui turned his attention in that direction, he felt his eyes widen in shock.


    ¡°Brother Feng, you¡­you brought that demonic deity with you?!¡± he exclaimed.


    Xie Xingye rolled his eyes. All he did was try to destroy this world one time. Was such drama really necessary?


    Tucking away his surprise and frowning, Jing Shui spoke, ¡°Demonic Deity Xie Xingye, I don¡¯t know why you are here, but can you please restrain your demonic energy? My seeker beast is sensitive to spiritual energy, and your demonic energy is causing it to feel uncomfortable.¡±


    Its chubby forepaws lifting to irritably rub at its twitching nose and whiskers, the beast gave yet another sneeze as if to underscore this statement.


    Xie Xingye smirked amusedly, but still put away his demonic energy, causing the beast to also thankfully stop sneezing. At Jing Shui''s beckoning, a harried-looking junior disciple from the Golden Sun Sect quickly came over to take the beast away before it could aggravate its allergies any more.


    Meanwhile, Feng Chunyi was staring at Jing Shui with shining eyes. This person seemed to be a friend of her son¡¯s, and he was so cute! And it looked like he¡¯d show such interesting reactions if she bullied him!


    And so, before Jing Shui even knew what was happening, he felt a pair of hands enthusiastically rubbing then pinching his cheeks until they went red. Jing Shui¡¯s eyes widened with shock at the suddenness of it. Even though he tried to pry away those fingers, they didn¡¯t move an inch.


    At the side, Feng Huixin sighed and lightly massaged his forehead while Qinghe chuckled and walked up to her. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough. You¡¯ll deform Brother Jing¡¯s face at this rate.¡±


    Feng Chunyi paused in her actions of cheek-mutilation and turned to blink her eyes pitifully at her son. ¡°But he¡¯s so cute! Can¡¯t we take him home?¡±


    Jing Shui¡¯s eyebrow twitched. Who the heck is this crazy woman?! More importantly, Brother Feng, get her away from me!


    Qinghe stifled his laughter and replied, ¡°Mother, Brother Jing is not a pet you can just adopt. And I doubt he¡¯ll be happy to leave his lover and come away with us anyway.¡±


    Feng Chunyi frowned. ¡°He has a lover?¡±


    A voice suddenly spoke from just behind them, ¡°Yes, that would be me. Can you please unhand my Ah-Shui? His cheeks might not survive at this rate, and I am very fond of them.¡±


    Then leaning down, he whispered into Jing Shui¡¯s ear, ¡°Of course, I¡¯m very fond of your other set of cheeks as well~¡± Saying so, his hand crept down to squeeze Jing Shui¡¯s backside.


    Anger and embarrassment glittered in Jing Shui¡¯s eyes, but he was left unable to speak due to the pair of obnoxious hands that were still pinching his cheeks.


    However, Feng Chunyi suddenly let go of Jing Shui¡ªwho quickly put some distance between them while cradling his poor cheeks¡ªand looked at Wu Xiao with sparkling eyes. Reaching out her hand, she lifted a strand of his silver hair and spoke, ¡°Ooh, so shiny!¡±


    Wu Xiao simply raised an eyebrow, but let her play with the strand of his hair.


    Meanwhile, as he stood cupping his cheeks, Jing Shui felt incredulous. From the way his friend had addressed her just now, he gathered that this person was Qinghe¡¯s mother. But he failed to wrap his mind around how someone like this could have given birth to someone like Feng Qinghe!


    Feng Chunyi turned to her husband and suddenly declared, ¡°Ah-Xin, I¡¯m taking them both home!¡±


    Qinghe suddenly imagined himself pushing aside a bunch of mint plants in the patch growing in their backyard, only to find his friends tied and bound, just lying there and looking at him with wide and terrified eyes after being kidnapped by his mother so that she could pet them whenever she wanted.


    Mentally shuddering at that image, Qinghe quickly spoke up, ¡°Mother, forget it. We can have them stay over after they ascend. Until then, you can¡¯t bring them up. And if you try to forcefully get them into Heaven or do anything that will make them unhappy, then I¡¯ll be sad as well.¡±


    Feng Chunyi blinked at her son, then sighed. ¡°No one lets me have any fun.¡±


    With a sad pout, she shuffled back to her husband. With a wry smile, Feng Huixin patted his disheartened wife¡¯s head. She¡¯d probably forget all about this setback in a few minutes.


    Beside them, Xie Xingye yawned and turned to his lover. ¡°Lord Zheng, all this standing around is so tiresome. Will you let me rest on your back?¡±


    Without a word, Zheng Xuan bent down and let Xie Xingye climb up on his back. Xie Xingye happily wrapped his legs around his beloved¡¯s firmly muscled waist, his arms looping around Zheng Xuan¡¯s neck as he comfortably settled his head on his beloved¡¯s broad shoulder. ¡°Ah, this feels much better. And I can feel your nice body between my legs too~ What more can I want?¡±


    Zheng Xuan let out a chuff of gravelly laughter at his lover¡¯s shamelessness, both amused and pleased.


    Seeing this, Feng Chunyi¡¯s eyes suddenly gleamed. She looked at her husband expectantly.


    And so, with a helplessly loving look, Feng Huixin lifted his wife up in his arms, easily carrying her and letting her snuggle into his chest as she usually liked.


    Feeling her husband¡¯s heartbeat from the vibrations in his chest, Feng Chunyi sighed happily, already forgetting the previous matter about Jing Shui and Wu Xiao. Sure enough, for the necessity of comfortable cuddling, it was always essential to carry one¡¯s husband while traveling away from home!


    Seeing these two couples¡¯ actions, Jing Shui felt his teeth itch. They were even worse than his friend and his Sentinel lover when it came to such blatant public displays of affection. How shameless!


    On the other hand, Qinghe chuckled amusedly and turned to his lover. ¡°Xiang, why does it appear that the older someone gets, the more childish they become?¡±


    Clearly hearing this question meant about them, two ¡®Hmph!¡¯s sounded out. Xie Xingye and Feng Chunyi then looked at each other before turning away, not acknowledging their similar sounds of derision.


    Seeing this, Qinghe could only laugh. His family was so adorably strange.


    Patting his little lover¡¯s head, Wei Xiang advised, ¡°We should start moving soon. After all, we don¡¯t know how much time this might take.¡±


    The eight people thus quickly set out, walking through the Golden Sun Sect and over the railing-less white stone bridge connecting to the Silver Moon Sect.


    Zheng Xuan walked with large strides while Xie Xingye had closed his eyes, resting relaxedly on his lover¡¯s back. Beside them, Feng Huixin walked with his back perfectly straight, his orderly steps seemingly light as he effortlessly carried his wife in his arms. Feng Chunyi seemed content to be silent for once, simply luxuriating in her husband¡¯s warmth and presence. Her fingers absentmindedly traced the character for judgment stitched on the left of her husband¡¯s chest, her face showing a soft smile.


    In front of them, the two couples Qinghe and Wei Xiang, and Jing Shui and Wu Xiao made their leisurely way forward while holding hands with their respective lovers. Qinghe and Jing Shui walked beside each other while chatting along the way.


    ¡°Brother Feng, is there a reason you came here with your family?¡± Jing Shui asked.


    Qinghe nodded. ¡°Yes, I even came to consult Sect Master Wu about it before. My mother seems to have a knot in her heart that is blocking a few of her memories before ascension, so I thought it would help if she used the Inner Dream Corridor of the Silver Moon Sect to resolve any issues relating to that.¡±


    The Inner Dream Corridor was a mysterious place that was located within the territory of the Silver Moon Sect. Cultivators who had trouble advancing their cultivation due to knots in their hearts or any impending heart demons would go to the Inner Dream Corridor to resolve these matters and break out of their cultivational stagnancy. But even though Feng Chunyi did not need it for cultivation, the Inner Dream Corridor would still be useful to undo whatever knot plagued her heart.


    Understanding this, Jing Shui frowned as he guessed astutely, ¡°Is it related to that demonic deity as well?¡±


    Qinghe smiled. ¡°Yes, it does. He can be said to be the driving force behind this.¡±


    And so, Qinghe spent the next few minutes giving Jing Shui an abridged version of Feng Chunyi and Xie Xingye¡¯s past together and how it ended up resulting in the battle in the Castle of Echoes, as well as everything else that happened later after they returned to Heaven that day.


    After hearing everything, Jing Shui looked back at the Xie Xingye who seemed to be peacefully dozing on the back of his large and scarred lover who turned out to be that large and scarred black dragon. Scowling to hide the sympathy and complicated emotions he felt, Jing Shui let out a hmph and looked away. ¡°I still don¡¯t like him!¡±


    Surprisingly, Xie Xingye¡¯s laughing voice sounded from behind them, ¡°That¡¯s alright! I would feel strange if you actually liked me, water-boy. I¡¯d rather you save all your liking for your own lover and leave mine to like me in peace as well.¡±


    Jing Shui stiffened as an embarrassed flush spread across his cheeks. ¡°S-Stop eavesdropping on people! Hmph! No manners at all!¡±


    Xie Xingye chuckled. ¡°And who was the one talking about me behind my back?¡±


    Before his friend could explode, Qinghe replied, ¡°Uncle Xie, we weren¡¯t talking behind your back at all but right before you at your front. Don¡¯t worry, if we had to badmouth you, we will do it right in front of you as well.¡±


    Xie Xingye barked out a laugh and returned sarcastically, ¡°And that¡¯s all I ever asked, dear cheeky nephew mine. The way you stick to semantics could put my sister to shame!¡±


    Feeling too blissful while nestled in her beloved¡¯s arms, Feng Chunyi incoherently muttered, ¡°Hmm, shame? What shame? When did I feel shame?¡±


    Jing Shui balefully rubbed his cheeks that still seemed to feel a shadow of that woman¡¯s evil pinching fingers. In a disconsolate voice, he murmured, ¡°Yes, she¡¯s pretty shameless.¡±


    Qinghe burst out laughing.


    In this way, chatting and bickering, they finally reached the island housing the Silver Moon Sect and followed an overgrown path into the sparsely forested area that laid between the sect buildings and the shore.


    ¡°Sect Master Wu, where is the Inner Dream Corridor? How do people reach it if it¡¯s located in such an inconvenient place without even a path leading to it?¡± Qinghe asked curiously.


    Wu Xiao could only sigh and answer, ¡°Xiao Feng, the Inner Dream Corridor is not so easy to find. It¡¯s not like the other ancient wonders of our world. It has no fixed location. The direction I¡¯m taking you in is vaguely where I feel its presence from. The distortion it causes in the space around it is mild, but someone attuned to it can find it with some effort.¡±


    Feng Huixin suddenly spoke up. ¡°Sect Master Wu, are there any dangers to using it?¡±


    Wu Xiao shrugged. ¡°I will have to say that yes, there is certainly a possibility of that. But Grandmaster, I¡¯m afraid I cannot tell you any more. The dangers depend on the people entering it, and only they can overcome it. I do not know of many cases where these dangers remained even after the person exited the Inner Dream Corridor, but it is also possible. It all depends on your wife¡¯s particular knot.¡±


    Feng Huixin frowned, worry darkening his gaze. But Feng Chunyi lightly giggled as if completely unconcerned. ¡°Ah-Xin, he called you Grandmaster. Should I call you that the next time we¡¯re rolling in bed?¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s line of thought was suddenly derailed as the tips of his ears turned pink. ¡°Chunyi, this is not a talk to be had here. Let¡¯s discuss this later.¡±


    Chuckling, Feng Chunyi lifted a hand to trace her husband¡¯s jaw. ¡°Ah-Xin, so you want us to discuss this later, when we are all alone, naked, rumpling up the sheets and moaning each other¡¯s name?¡±


    Feng Huixin almost stumbled as a flush crawled up his neck.


    At the side, Xie Xingye unabashedly laughed as he commented, ¡°Chunyi, it turns out that your taste in choosing a husband is this good. I really shouldn¡¯t have doubted you. He seems like he would be so much fun to tease.¡±


    Feng Chunyi giggled and easily agreed. ¡°Yes, he is! Especially during the night when I use¨D¡±


    Resorting to using desperate measures, Feng Huixin directly bent down to press his mouth over his wife¡¯s since both his hands were currently busy carrying her. Leaning back, he pleaded, ¡°Chunyi, enough.¡±


    Laughing happily, she agreed, ¡°Fine, fine, I¡¯ll stop teasing you now, my dear sweet and shy husband.¡±


    Feng Huixin coughed to hide his reaction to the overly sugary endearment, but let it go.


    In the front, Jing Shui and Wu Xiao showed looks of realization. So this is where Feng Qinghe got his mischievous nature from. No wonder!


    In this way, the group steadily made their way deeper into the forest, cheerfully talking and teasing.


    Suddenly, Wu Xiao stopped in his tracks, causing the others to also halt and see what was wrong.


    In front of them was a small and perfectly circular clearing that looked so fresh and clean that it must have been recently created. In the middle stood a strangely made glass arch, its lines clean and simple. There seemed to be some sort of clear liquid rippling inside the pillars and beams of this arch, with small glowing organisms similar to fingernail-sized jellyfish floating within. The entire space stretching within the borders of the arch was a deep, soft black. Motes of silvery dust escaped the darkness and slowly floated outside, seeming to gradually dissolve into the air.


    The group stared transfixed at this strange construct that seemed so displaced in their world.


    In this awed silence, Wu Xiao spoke up in a low voice, ¡°This is the entrance to the Inner Dream Corridor. Seeing how it has formed its own clearing in this place, it seems to have stably made its home here for a few days at least. Traversing it can take anywhere from a couple of hours to a whole day, though time might seem to pass differently inside.¡±


    Feng Chunyi¡¯s expression turned serious as she patted her husband¡¯s shoulder once, asking him to put her down. Feng Huixin obliged. In a somber tone, he asked, ¡°Chunyi, are you sure? Do you really want to do this?¡±


    Looking up and into her husband¡¯s worried eyes, Feng Chunyi smiled a small smile. ¡°Yes, I want to know. Not just to understand what he is to me, but also so that I can remember everything that I need to. We do not know if my missing past might cause us any troubles in the future. Or maybe I have some important knowledge buried in my mind that might come useful sometime later. Unless I remember, I will never know.¡±


    Feng Huixin sighed, but still nodded. He would never cage his Chunyi, so he could only prepare himself for the worst and let her do what she thought was best.


    Xie Xingye also got down from Zheng Xuan¡¯s back and approached his sister. ¡°Chunyi, focus on keeping yourself safe, alright? Remembering the past is not as important as your life. You have a family who will be sad if something happened to you, so try not to act as reckless as you usually do.¡±


    Feng Chunyi rolled her eyes, but still acknowledged his concern with a nod. ¡°I know, I know, but I¡¯m not that easy to kill off!¡±


    Xie Xingye¡¯s mouth twitched. This was almost exactly what her son had said before. Sure enough, though they might look different on the surface, this pair of mother and son were cut from the same cloth!


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang also stepped forward and gave her a hug at the same time, saying nothing. But Feng Chunyi understood their worries all the same. Patting their backs, she reassured, ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ve been in much more dangerous situations before.¡±


    As Qinghe and Wei Xiang drew back, they quipped as one, ¡°Of that, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    Feng Chunyi let out a chuckle. Since there were people who cared about her so much, she naturally wouldn¡¯t risk herself! But if there were illusions inside that twisted things¡­


    Taking a deep breath and letting it out, Feng Chunyi walked towards the arch and the Wu Xiao standing beside it. Her gaze remained steady and her gait valiant as if she were heading to battle. Looking up, she asked, ¡°Is there anything else I should know about?¡±


    Wu Xiao shook his head. ¡°It shows different things to different people, so I cannot say anything for certain. But Madam Feng, just remember that whatever you see is borne out of your heart and the guidance of the Corridor¡¯s spirit itself. It might be real, something that happened before, or it might simply be a fabrication, but the more help you need to unravel your memories, the more difficulty you might have.¡±


    Feng Chunyi pondered on it, then nodded. ¡°I will keep it in mind¡­if I am able to.¡±


    With that, she finally stepped into the arch and the darkness pooling within it.


    The world faded to black, and with it went her awareness.


    ¡­Where was she? What was she doing?


    Sensations filled her mind; the rough grip of a wooden hilt in her palm, the crackle of fire and the astringent smell of smoke, the sharp, metallic taste in her mouth and her vision covered in red, uncontrollable laughter vibrating her chest and pouring out of her mouth¡­it was all so familiar.


    Ah, this was the chaos of battle that she missed so dearly.


    But where were the warm bodies that she could cut into?


    She looked left and right, then finally found them. At a distance from her, three people were clustered together, one clad in white and the other two in black, looking at her with wide and alarmed eyes.


    Something prickled in her chest, a faint hint of remembered pain. She frowned. It seemed she didn¡¯t like how they looked at her. The laughter spilling out of her mouth turned low. Since she didn¡¯t like it, all she had to do was kill them.


    With a single leap, she landed in front of the three people. As if with a will of its own, her gaze was drawn to one of them. He had an androgynous face and a plain black robe with a character stitched in his chest in gold. She didn¡¯t care what it said.


    She simply lifted her sword, and the wooden tip easily pierced through that golden character.


    As it sank through the unresisting flesh, she felt it rupture the tight sack of his heart. She grinned as she felt the vibrations of its frantic beat through her sword. Then she made the mistake of looking up into the person¡¯s eyes.


    Shock, confusion, trust, acceptance¡­but there was no fear, and there was no vigilance.


    So soft, she thought absentmindedly. This person was too soft.


    But as the pierced heart finally stopped beating, the pain in her own chest grew as she felt¡­something. She didn¡¯t like it.


    Turning her head, she saw the other two people looking at her stunned. The black-robed one was trying to pull the white-robed one away while shouting something. She didn¡¯t care to understand what. All she knew was that the expressions of caution, fear, and horror in the white-robed one¡¯s eyes made the pain in her chest deepen.


    She didn¡¯t like it, so she swung her sword. Blood splashed, and two more people vanished into death.


    She sensed movement behind her and turned. A pair of people, one scarred and large, the other smaller, stood there with shock stamped onto their faces.


    She leapt towards them, but the larger one burst into a dragon. Black scales thickened with scars filled her vision as she sank into the chaos of battle against a larger being. She felt the scrape of its teeth and claws, the kiss of its fire as it flowed by her cheek, and she laughed.


    Soon, the dragon fell under her blade, dead, its body tightly coiled around the other, smaller one. She hacked apart the giant black body and found the person who had been protectively enveloped within. As he looked up at her with haunted eyes, she hacked him to death too.


    The pain in her chest was horrible, a raw thing scraping inside her ribcage.


    With a growl, she continued to swing her sword, but the pain refused to go away. It twisted and writhed, a living, raging thing in her chest. It was horribly sharp and savage as it tore up the inside of her chest.


    Why? She killed them all, so why did it still hurt? Why did she still feel?


    Even the madness of battle couldn¡¯t answer her, and so she continued her rampage.


    The flames danced all around her, crackling and laughing at her plight. She wandered aimlessly and killed any living thing that crossed her path, however, the pain only grew worse.


    But the only thing she knew how to do was kill, so she kept killing.


    Her body slowly bent forward, an arm curled around her hurting chest. The other arm dangled limply as it clutched the hilt of her wooden sword, the tip of the blade being dragged over the ground uncaringly as she walked with laden steps. Her laughter had long since ceased, swallowed up by the void inside her. She felt wet drops trickle from her blank eyes and paid it no mind. She felt so empty inside that even fighting couldn¡¯t fill it.


    She walked and walked until she could see the edge of the battlefield. Tall trees with black bark and gleaming emerald leaves kept guard over the border. She huffed out a strangled breath and stopped. The pain in her chest was chewing at her as if it wanted to gnaw its way out her body.


    What was happening to her?


    A silvery voice suddenly spoke, ¡°That pain is called loss, and yours is borne of regret, guilt, and anger at oneself.¡±


    She looked up. Standing in front of her was a transparent being. His form slipped through her senses, indefinable. She could vaguely make out a body shaped like a young man¡¯s, with long hair, a piercing gaze, and many layers of swaying robes.


    ¡°Feng Chunyi,¡± the being called out. ¡°You are here for a reason, yes? You have already walked through your worst nightmare of killing all your beloved ones by your own hand and wandering with nothing but your madness to accompany you. And so, I will now fulfill your wish and free all the memories you seem to have buried to protect your brother from this fate. If you could, you would have probably forgotten your family as well in the name of protecting them from yourself.¡±


    But she only looked at him unblinkingly, not reacting at all. She didn¡¯t understand, and she had no wish to as well.


    He sighed, lifted a hand, and placed his fingertips between her brows. ¡°No one can live free of all earthly burdens, no matter how much you all wish to. Accept it and live. Your family awaits you, and for them, this burden of yours might be worth carrying.¡±


    With that, she felt something in her snap. She clutched her head and staggered back. Images poured into her head and she grimaced. Slowly, the pieces gathered and melted into her mind.


    Memories flowed like an unleashed tide, washing over her.


    She remembered the little boy she adopted and to whom she¡¯d later promised that he¡¯d always have a place in her home. She remembered leaving him so that she could deal with her mistakes alone, promising him that she would return¡­but she never did.


    She remembered meeting the one person she eventually grew to trust completely, the one person she was sure would never cage her or impose his will on her. She remembered how happy she had felt, how much fun she¡¯d had as she courted him, making him smile and blush and laugh and fall in love with her as she fell in love with him in return. She remembered ascending and having an adorable child with him.


    That child, so small and full of surprises, so trusting and innocent as he looked at her worshipfully, reverence and admiration gleaming in those bright eyes. She remembered all the joyful days she and her husband had spent playing with, teaching, caring for, and loving their little son, watching him slowly grow up into someone wonderful and unique.


    She remembered the piercing heartbreak and the unimaginable pain of losing that son, the long and lonely years spent waiting for her husband and child to return, the joy and sadness she felt when she saw that her son had matured into a young man on his own, that she and her husband had been unable to see him grow up or offer him the parental support he must have needed¡­


    And she clearly remembered how she¡¯d just now driven her wooden sword through their bodies, their looks of horror, their blood painting her blade, their bodies falling down.


    She¡¯d killed them, her brother and his lover, her son and his beloved, her own dear husband¡­


    She¡¯d really killed them all.


    A long, sharp scream filled with despair cut through the air, ringing with an inexpressible soul-deep agony. She clutched her head and screamed and screamed, but yet she knew that it wouldn¡¯t bring them back.


    Her mind slowly turned blank, exhausted due to the sudden shock. Her screams stopped, but she didn¡¯t move.


    As he watched all this, the transparent being sighed. He had done what he was supposed to. He wouldn¡¯t interfere in the rest.


    The scenery wavered and faded away. She was slumped down into a sitting position, her aching head cradled in her hands. Her mind furiously tried to once again hide away these memories that were causing her so much pain.


    Her head feeling fuzzy, she slowly got up and surveyed her surroundings.


    She was in a strange tunnel with walls and ceiling that curved like a semicircular canopy overhead. The floor was a stretch of smooth mirror, while the rest of the tunnel seemed to be made out of small, irregularly shaped, mirror-like facets. Each little facet reflected a different image back at her, displaying scenes from her past.


    In either direction of the tunnel, there was an opening. The one on her right glowed with a bright, blinding white light that made her head throb even more. The one on her left enticed her with a soft and soothing darkness.


    Without hesitation, she dragged her wooden sword and headed left, passing through the wall of gentle black.


    As she came out the other side, she saw the dense line of trees surrounding her. The sky was clear and blue with only a few fluffy white clouds, floating carefreely. Standing in the clear space between her and the trees were several people. They turned to look at her and smiled with relief, their mouths opening and closing as they asked her something.


    She gripped her sword tighter, killing intent rising up again. If she killed, will her headache and uneasiness go away?


    A glint of silver caught her eyes and she immediately pounced in that direction.


    But thankfully, already alerted by his precognition, Wu Xiao was able to evade in time. But his action of leaping in a certain direction caused Feng Chunyi to shift her attention to the people there. Without thinking, she leapt forward, the tip of her sword directly heading towards the golden character stitched on the chest of a plain black robe.


    ¡­Why did this feel familiar?


    Alarm shot through her as she abruptly halted her charge, the tip of her sword lightly pressing into that golden character. A vague niggling in the back of her mind told her that she would regret it if she ever went down this road again.


    Before she could push away her confusion and make a decision, she felt large black vines filled with concentrated demonic energy wrapping around her and holding her arms tight against her body.


    She growled and struggled. She hated being confined!


    A soft and soothing voice, familiar and comforting, spoke from behind her, ¡°Chunyi, sister dear, it¡¯s alright. Calm down, you aren¡¯t in danger. You don¡¯t have to fight. Do you really want to hurt the husband who you must have taken such difficulty in wooing?¡±


    Feng Chunyi blinked, and her mind slowly cleared. She was suddenly able to hear the alarmed cries of the others and see the worried expression on her husband¡¯s face in front of her.


    Yes, this was her Ah-Xin. And those were her son and son-in-law looking at her with concern while asking questions. Turning her head, she saw the familiar smirking face of her brother. Opening her mouth, she got out with difficulty, ¡°Ah-Ye, is this how you treat your elder sister? Take back your stupid slithering vines right now!¡±


    Xie Xingye looked at her with shock, then quickly made his black vines withdraw. ¡°Chunyi, you remember me again?¡±


    Freed of the vines, Feng Chunyi stumbled forward and was supported by her husband. In a dazed voice, she answered, ¡°¡­Yes.¡±


    Easily pushing away the scene of his wife pointing her sword at him, Feng Huixin rubbed her back and asked, ¡°Chunyi, are you alright? What happened?¡±


    Feng Chunyi wanted to say something, but felt as if her head was splitting with excruciating agony. She wanted to lift her sword and start killing so badly, but with her memories beginning to fill in the emptiness of her mind, she also regained enough sense to not give in to the destructive impulse.


    Leaning weakly against her husband, Feng Chunyi finally stopped holding herself together and let her consciousness fade away.


    Feng Huixin felt the weight in his arms suddenly increase as his wife fainted. He easily hefted her up and held her in his arms.


    Looking up at the silver-haired man making his way towards them, he asked anxiously, ¡°Sect Master Wu, what happened? What¡¯s wrong with my wife?¡±


    Worried, the others also gathered around the unconscious Feng Chunyi.


    Stopping in front of Feng Huixin, Wu Xiao shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened to her, but whatever it is should slowly lose its effect. She might be feeling some disorientation due to whatever she saw inside, combined with the sudden change of being outside. But from what I¡¯ve seen about similar cases, she should be alright after a few days. Until then, please keep watch to make sure that she does not go about hacking at people.¡±


    Feng Huixin nodded, his concerned and thoughtful gaze fixed on his wife.


    Xie Xingye looked at his sister with a complicated expression. It was because of him that she had to go through this. After she got well, Xie Xingye promised to himself that he would be especially good to his sister.


    His brows furrowed as his gaze stayed fixed on his mother, Qinghe asked, ¡°Should we go somewhere nearby to rest?¡±


    But Wei Xiang disagreed, ¡°It¡¯s better if she wakes up in a familiar place like the Feng residence. It might decrease her disorientation.¡±


    Hearing this, Qinghe and the others nodded. And so, they quickly set out to return to the heavenly realm.


    The next few days, Feng Huixin spent all his time accompanying his wife as she pulled herself out of her strange murderous haze and assimilated all her memories. Gradually, she began to understand what had happened and redoubled her efforts to regain her mental equilibrium. Within the week, Feng Chunyi had completely returned to normal.


    During this time, Xie Xingye often visited with Zheng Xuan. They had already been given the key formation to the barrier around the Feng residence so that they could enter and leave at will. Every time Xie Xingye came to visit, he faithfully reported about the various things happening in the section of the army he was assigned to and brought many pills and elixirs to help speed up his sister¡¯s recovery.


    He would often sit with her on the back porch and chat about various things. Sometimes they talked about things they both experienced before, laughing while making fun of the Elders in the righteous sect or reminiscing about their time on the streets. Sometimes they talked about things that happened after they separated, catching each other up to speed on their respective lives.


    Often, by the end of the day, an exhausted Xie Xingye would be found dozing tiredly, his head lying on his sister¡¯s lap as Feng Chunyi soothingly patted his hair, a soft smile on her face. Though she was still miffed at him for hurting her son, she also felt guilt at having made him go through all this. She would slowly make it up to him, and in the meantime, she would also bully her adorable younger brother as much as she could.


    After all, that was how it had always been with them, and that is how it would be from now on as well.


    crimson_carnation


    We''ll once again return to the main couple with the next extra~

 Extra 4: Saga of the Sweets

    They say that the more you cherish someone, the more effort you put in for them.


    For example, if you were planning to cook something for your loved ones for the first time, you¡¯d certainly want to pay special attention to detail.


    But exactly which detail should he pay this special attention to? Qinghe wondered, cupping his chin in his palm and gazing contemplatively at the ingredients he¡¯d gathered.


    Since his parents had very eagerly asked to taste it, Qinghe had decided to make sweets again after a long time. And since this was the first time he would be making his special sweets for his parents, he wanted it to be memorable while also visibly showing how much care and attention to detail he had put into it for them.


    But in what way should he do this?


    And so, Qinghe pondered, deep in thought.


    Just then, the door to the Feng residence¡¯s kitchen opened as the twins strode in. But seeing that Qinghe looked vaguely troubled about something, Fei Jin asked worriedly, ¡°Senior Brother, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    After Qinghe made his home in the heavenly realm, the twins had also cultivated with all their might and succeeded in ascending within a few years. But then they were promptly sent back down by Qinghe to look after the sect for now and assist Chen Xiande whenever he succeeded Zhen YiLan as the next sect master. And so, the twins reluctantly headed back down as per their senior brother¡¯s wishes. Their only source of comfort was that at least their senior brother headed down frequently to join them in the sect too.


    Occasionally, like now, the twins would come up to greet their beloved senior brother and spend a few days in the Feng residence. During this time, they would often join their kindred spirit Feng Chunyi¡ªand sometimes Xie Xingye as well¡ªand roam Heaven while seeding rampant chaos before tearfully having to head back down to the sect again on their senior brother¡¯s command.


    But truthfully, Qinghe felt that if he didn¡¯t send them back down again, they, along with his mother and uncle, would have to be apprehended by his father for all the problems they caused due to their joint mischief-making. As his faithful son, Qinghe naturally wanted to avoid such an outcome.


    Currently, in the kitchen, as they saw Qinghe frowning at the freshly rolled dough in deep thought, the twins couldn¡¯t help but feel confused.


    ¡°Jin-er, Yin-er, if I wanted to make my sweets in a special and different way, then how would you suggest I do it?¡± Qinghe asked in a serious voice.


    The twins looked at each other, then Fei Jin began, ¡°If Senior Brother wants to make it different, then how about trying a new type of filling?¡±


    Fei Yin added in his whispery voice. ¡°Or Senior Brother can try molding it into new shapes.¡±


    Qinghe frowned as he considered it. ¡°I can try filling it up with something unexpected. But¡­what type of shapes should I make them into?¡±


    Fei Yin hesitated, then slowly walked up to the table and borrowed the ball of kneaded dough that was sitting on the tabletop amid some flour. Pinching off two little balls from it, Fei Yin lightly pressed down and shaped the three pieces of dough into ovals, then added the smallest two ovals to the narrow side of the large oval in a ¡®V¡¯ shape.


    Dusting off the flour clinging to his palms and fingers, Fei Yin spoke in his hoarse voice, ¡°Well, I¡¯m not very good with my hands, but maybe a cute little fish like this might do?¡±


    Fei Jin piped up from the side, ¡°But you might have to add a bit more detail to it than that to make it recognizable.¡±


    Fei Yin nodded to show that he agreed with his brother.


    Qinghe looked at the simply done ¡®fish¡¯ shape curiously, then nodded. ¡°Yes, I can do that. I will take some time to practice making sweets in this shape and then let everyone taste it.¡±


    The twins smiled brightly. It had been so long since their senior brother had made them these sweets! They couldn¡¯t wait to see what new version their senior brother would come up with!


    But little did they know that what Qinghe had planned would leave them with mental scars for life.


    For a while after that, Qinghe locked himself up in the kitchen every day and worked tirelessly, sweat beading on his brow and flour dusted on his hands and arms.


    Seeing that it was taking their senior brother so much time, the twins couldn¡¯t help but wonder if he was particularly unskilled in this area. But no matter what Qinghe made in the end, all of his family was resolved to act as if it was the most beautiful and delicious thing ever.


    And so, the days passed and it was finally time for Qinghe to bring out his new creations.


    At this time, the entire family¡ªexcept for a busy Xie Xingye and Zheng Xuan¡ªwas gathered at the table, both anticipating and dreading whatever would come.


    As for Xie Xingye, under Feng Chunyi¡¯s instruction, he was currently acting as an undercover in the demonic deities¡¯ camp, with Zheng Xuan volunteering as back-up and support.


    At present, on one side of the table sat Feng Huixin and Feng Chunyi. On the opposite side sat Wei Xiang, with the place beside him left empty for Qinghe. On one of the smaller sides of the rectangular table, Fei Jin and Fei Yin were peering at the nearing Qinghe eagerly.


    Not willing to keep them all waiting for long, Qinghe carefully walked up to the table with stacked plates held in his arms. Then slowly, one by one, he placed a plate in front of each of his family, then took his seat beside his lover.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this to take so long to perfect, but I¡¯m finally done. Here are some fish-shaped sweets I made according to the twins¡¯ suggestions,¡± Qinghe declared with a pleased smile.


    The twins could only gape at their plates. This was definitely not something they¡¯d suggested! It wasn¡¯t even close!


    With wide eyes, the five people looked at the large sweet on their plate and felt unable to react.


    Rather than being badly made as they¡¯d expected, each fish-shaped sweet was exquisitely crafted and incredibly detailed¨Dso much so that it was creepy!


    Every minute aspect of the life-sized large fish was unnecessarily realistic, from the tiny, individual scales covering its body to even the minute lines on those scales and its fluted edges; the wide, gaping mouth seemingly gasping for breath in panic and the balefully glaring dead fish eyes that appeared to bulge out of their sockets in opposite directions; then there were the little wrinkles around the eyes as if the surrounding skin was pushed away forcefully from the eyeballs that were straining outward; and there was also the desperately twisting fins and tail as if the fish was in the midst of thrashing in its death throes¡­


    Rather than a fish-shaped sweet, the thing on their plate looked more like the pale white, calcified carcass of a fish that had been frozen in the midst of being tortured to death.


    Feng Huixin kept staring at the fish on his plate while trying to convince himself that this must indeed be edible and made out of flour, while Wei Xiang merely looked amused and helpless as his little lover once again did something unexpected. The twins wore twin expressions of horror on their faces as they failed to grasp just how that cute and crudely made fish shape that Fei Yin had shown had turned into¡­this.


    Feng Chunyi had on an eerie smile as she looked at her plate. But as she leaned forward to curiously study the dish better, she ended up bumping the table lightly with her elbow.


    Fei Jin Immediately let out a startled yelp. ¡°It moved! Th-The fish¡¯s eyes¡­it moved! I-I saw it! It must be haunted! It¡¯s definitely possessed by evil spirits!¡±


    Beside his brother, Fei Yin was also frantically nodding his head. ¡°It¡­it really moved! I also saw it.¡±


    Chuckling cheerfully, Qinghe explained, ¡°Yes, I know. And don¡¯t worry, it isn¡¯t haunted, I meant it to be that way. For the purpose of making them look more real, I just dug out little sockets in the fish¡¯s head and rolled little balls of sweetened dough before letting it harden and inserting it into those socket holes to act as eyes. This way, when the fish is lightly shaken, the eyeballs will really be able to rotate. Isn¡¯t it wonderful?¡±


    The twins could only gape aghast. Wonderful? This was wonderfully traumatizing, all right! They¡¯d rather these fishes be really haunted, since they would at least have an excuse to not eat this then!


    Meanwhile, as Wei Xiang studied the fish, he realized that putting aside its grotesque appearance, the minty, milky scent of the sweet and its creamy white dough that looked like it would easily crumble and melt in one¡¯s mouth seemed really very appetizing. And already knowing Qinghe¡¯s skill with making these sweets, Wei Xiang was sure that this would be delicious.


    As for its all too realistic shape, it didn¡¯t bother Wei Xiang much at all. After all, there were plenty of times he had swum in various waters in his wyvern form while gulping down actual fishes for a snack. As such, he didn¡¯t feel anything at the thought of having to eat this fish-shaped sweet except some curiosity and amusement.


    And so, with a smile, Wei Xiang lifted his chopsticks to carefully break off a small piece of the fish¡¯s fin and began eating. As the sweet dissolved in his mouth and spread out a rich, milky sweetness, Wei Xiang¡¯s expression showed his obvious approval as his chopsticks descended onto his plate once again.


    The others could only gape at him in wonder while Qinghe showed a happy smile.


    The second one to pick up the chopsticks was Feng Chunyi. With an inquisitive glint in her eyes, she directly stabbed the fish in the middle and slowly pulled it apart. She always had the tendency to break her food into smaller pieces before consuming it.


    But unexpectedly, when the fish was broken apart, strange things spilled out of its hollow belly.


    Feng Chunyi squinted at the heap of small, identical stuff that had tumbled out of her fish. The pile consisted of tiny little pieces of dough that had the size and shape of curved rice, almost looking like very small beans. Tilting her head in puzzlement, she asked, ¡°Oi, son, what are these little things inside supposed to be?¡±


    Qinghe smiled happily at his mother and answered. ¡°Maggots, of course.¡±


    A strange, horrified silence suddenly claimed the table.


    Qinghe blithely continued, ¡°I wanted to make the details as accurate as possible, and since I made the fish to look dead, I thought it would only be proper if I stuffed its insides with dough shaped to look like maggots. Doesn¡¯t it look more cute and realistic this way?¡±


    Fei Jin and Fei Yin turned green while Feng Huixin had to grit his teeth and continue convincing himself that the fish-shaped sweet on his plate was really, truly, definitely edible¡­probably.


    But Feng Chunyi only looked at her son with strange eyes as she heard his reasoning. Then shrugging, she lowered her chopsticks to begin picking up the little pieces of dough that were supposed to be the ¡®maggots¡¯ and started eating them.


    As she chewed, Feng Chunyi felt the lightly sweet and creamy flavor washing over her taste buds, causing her expression to brighten as she immediately began to move her chopsticks with more eager vigor.


    Beside Qinghe, Wei Xiang was also continuously moving his chopsticks, almost having finished half of the fish. He was surprised to find that there were even realistic ¡®bones¡¯ made of dough present inside, but it hardly fazed him this time.


    Meanwhile, Qinghe was very pleased with his family¡¯s responses to this new version of his sweets.


    His Xiang and his mother were obviously eating with such swiftness and relish that it was clear that they thought it tasted very good. As for his father and the twins, they presumably didn¡¯t dare to eat such a carefully wrought and detailed piece of art, which was why they showed such conflicting and difficult expressions when they looked at their plates.


    Convinced that this was indeed the reason, Qinghe nodded to himself cheerfully, fully satisfied with his family¡¯s reactions to his creations.


    Soon, Wei Xiang quickly finished eating and pushed his empty plate towards his beloved. With a small smile and warm eyes, he said, ¡°Qinghe, love, it tasted very good this time as well. But having eaten such a large portion, I¡¯m feeling a bit too full right now, so would you mind taking this to the kitchen for now in my stead? I promise I¡¯ll help clean up later.¡±


    Without thinking much, Qinghe easily nodded and carried the plate with the pair of used chopsticks towards the kitchen.


    As soon as Wei Xiang determined that his little lover was out of hearing range, his smile vanished as he turned to the twins and ordered, ¡°What are you doing staring at it like it will swallow you whole? Eat it, it¡¯s your precious senior brother¡¯s hard work.¡±


    Fei Jin and Fei Yin shook their heads with identical miserable expressions. ¡°No, we don¡¯t want to!¡±


    Wei Xiang gave them a sharp smile. ¡°If you don¡¯t finish every crumb on your plates, do you believe me when I say that I¡¯ll shove that entire fish down your throats, headfirst?¡±


    The twins shuddered, then nodded with teary eyes. This Brother Wei was mean enough to do just that, of that they had no doubt!


    And so, the pitiful twins averted their eyes to be spared from having to see what they were eating as tears of misery dramatically dripped down their faces. With wronged expressions, they finally picked up their chopsticks and quickly began devouring the sweets. Those hateful, rolling eyes must definitely be eaten first, or it would haunt their nightmares forever!


    As they chewed, they had to admit that though it looked like a denizen of hell, the sweet tasted like heaven itself. As expected of their senior brother to be able to put such a profoundly contrasting concept into his cooking!


    Meanwhile, Feng Chunyi also turned to her husband. ¡°Ah-Xin, this actually tastes very good, why don¡¯t you give it a try too? After all, our darling son made this for us. You wouldn¡¯t want to waste it, would you?¡±


    Feng Huixin swallowed thickly, his apprehension visible in his eyes.


    With a sly smile, Feng Chunyi leaned into her husband and began, ¡°Ah-Xin, if you finish this, then I¡¯ll promise to give you a fun little gift tonight~¡±


    Then leaning in closer, Feng Chunyi whispered something into her husband¡¯s ear. Whatever he heard made Feng Huixin flush from neck up as his eyes widened with disbelief.


    Once she was done, Feng Chunyi gave a small kiss to her husband¡¯s now red ear and finally leaned back. ¡°So, Ah-Xin, how about it?¡±


    Without saying a word, Feng Huixin carefully picked up his chopsticks, took a deep breath before letting it out, then finally began eating the grotesque fish-shaped sweet with single-minded focus as if he was decimating the ranks of his sworn enemies. The sweet yet mellow burst of rich flavor in his mouth made it almost worth it too.


    When Qinghe returned a few minutes later, he was glad to see that everyone had more or less finished more than half of the sweet on their plates. But why did some of their expressions seem strange?


    Looking at the tearfully eating twins, Qinghe asked confusedly, ¡°Jin-er, Yin-er, why are you crying?¡±


    Wei Xiang answered in their stead, ¡°They must think it tastes so divinely delicious that this is the only way they can express it.¡±


    The twins hesitated, then nodded in agreement, their mouths stuffed full of the sweet.


    Seeing this, Qinghe beamed happily. Ah, so they liked it that much!


    Then looking at a very seriously concentrating Feng Huixin, Qinghe asked, ¡°Then why is Father eating with so much focus?¡±


    Feng Chunyi grinningly answered, ¡°He¡¯s just trying to savor every mouthful so that he can remember his first taste of his son¡¯s cooking for the rest of his life.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes lit up with joy that his father was enjoying this so much. As expected, his hard work really paid off! Look at how much his family was appreciating it!


    Seeing his beloved¡¯s happy expression, Wei Xiang felt his heart melt even as he smiled wryly. ¡°Qinghe, love, it¡¯s obvious how much effort you put into making these sweets, but it¡¯s such a shame that they¡¯ll get eaten and disappear so quickly. So next time, how about you make the sweets more simply and instead use your skills on clay to immortalize your ideas and showcase your wonderful talent? That way, we can all appreciate it for a long time, and you can also experiment with different materials and paint it however you want.¡±


    Hearing this, Qinghe¡¯s mind immediately filled with all the different types of fishes he could make out of clay and how much fun it would be. He could even paint the fishes¡¯ eyes white with red streaks to denote blood vessels and make it look even more realistic!


    Nodding quickly, Qinghe replied, ¡°Yes, yes, you¡¯re right! Since I¡¯m spending so much effort anyway, then I should definitely make it count!¡±


    As Qinghe busily planned his future creations in his mind, the others all heaved silent breaths in relief and shot gazes loaded with gratitude towards Wei Xiang. With this, at least there would be no more strange fish-shaped dishes from now on.


    However, they soon realized that they had celebrated too quickly.


    A few days later, thanks to Qinghe¡¯s efforts with clay, a new sculpture sat on the dining table as its centerpiece¨Da fish that was even more grotesque than the sweets.


    Freed of the limitations of dough, Qinghe had let his creativity fly free and ended up making this fish very expressive and lively. The lower half of the fish laid flat over the table, its tail and part of the belly acting as the sculpture¡¯s base, while the rest of it curved upward in an arc. Rather than just the fins and tail, the entire body of the fish twisted as if in excruciating agony.


    The fish¡¯s wide open maw gasped up at the ceiling as if screaming due to its unbearable suffering. Two round, white eyeballs protruded out of its head, both with bulging red blood vessels popping out of the white parts while soulless little black dots acted as its irises, the two eyes now seeming more ghastly than their doughy counterparts. Every line and curve of the sculpture expressed the fish¡¯s desperate writhing in excruciating detail while its eyes stuck out of its head on either side as if looking at those around the table with vivid horror, begging to be released from its torment.


    And if someone ever bumped into the table it was on, the eyeballs of the fish would roll around in its sockets with an eerie rattle, seemingly as if it was haunted.


    Inevitably, all the people of the Feng residence, except for Qinghe, ended up having vivid nightmares about grotesque fishes for the next few months.


    crimson_carnation

 Extra 5: Family Old and New

    The morning sun shone bright outside, yet all the curtains in the room were drawn closed. Filtering through the fabric, the daylight cast diluted shadows in the bedroom, shifting and flowing languidly in the comfortable hush.


    On the bed in the center of the room, moving on top of the rumpled sheets, were two bodies in the midst of connecting. Soft pants issued from them as they shifted, muscles flexing restlessly under skin slicked with sweat and flushed with exertion.


    Wei Xiang sat on the bed with his back to the door, his hands on his little lover¡¯s hips as his beloved hugged him. Meanwhile, Qinghe¡¯s chest heaved, eyes squeezed closed as he trembled while lowering himself over his lover¡¯s hard shaft. As he felt the thick, vein-corded organ pushing in and dragging over the walls of his prepared passage, Qinghe groaned softly, tightening his arms around his beloved.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes were deep and dark with lust, his cheeks flushed and his lips open to let out hot puffs of breath as he focused intently on his little lover¡¯s face. He thought his Qinghe had never looked more beautiful than right now, with passion tensing his expression while the urge to give in to the mindless pleasure visibly battled with the need for control on his face.


    Those reddened cheeks, lowered eyebrows over quivering eyelids, shining ebony hair sticking to his sweat-slicked skin, his dusky pink lips that were swollen with kisses and parted to let out breathless gasps, the little peek of even white teeth beyond, the red tongue venturing out to occasionally swish over his lips¡­every detail was etched deep into Wei Xiang¡¯s mind as he eagerly absorbed them.


    The shape of his lover¡¯s face and his external features were indeed beautiful to look at, but these little details he showed when they were alone, the expressions on his face, the look in his eyes, and his little secret smiles that he only let Wei Xiang see¡­they were beyond beautiful. For the Wei Xiang who felt like he was sinking deeper and deeper into his little lover with every moment spent together, the allure of this scene was indescribable.


    But right now, despite his own need and the feeling of his wonderful little lover¡¯s tight passage squeezing his member, Wei Xiang managed to hold on to his self-control. His tone was still caring and considerate as he spoke, ¡°Take it easy, love. Don¡¯t rush and hurt yourself. Take it in bit by bit.¡±


    As he heard his lover whisper in a deep and hoarse voice by his ear, Qinghe gave a shudder and groaned, ¡°A-Ah¡­Xiang¡­but I want you¡­deeper¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang let his palms glide up and smooth over his beloved¡¯s sides and down his back, over his shoulders and down his arms. He let out a small chuckle as he heard the complaining tone and impatience in his little lover¡¯s voice. ¡°Even then, take it slow.¡±


    Qinghe let out a huff of breath and buried his face in his beloved¡¯s sweaty shoulder. He gave the familiar honey-tinted skin there a good suck before licking the blooming red mark. ¡°You always¡­make me go slow¡­¡± he groused playfully even as his hips kept gradually bearing down.


    Wei Xiang hissed at the slight sting and spreading warmth on his shoulder. His hands moved back down and settled over the firm and elastic mounds of his beloved¡¯s buttocks, squeezing and kneading them to let out his increasing need. Feeling his lover¡¯s warm palms gripping his backside as his strong fingers massaged with a steady rhythm, Qinghe moaned unsteadily and melted into his Xiang¡¯s body.


    The couple teased and played like this, driving each other higher and higher. When Qinghe finally managed to take in the full length of his lover, they groaned in unison. As they sat panting while trying to adjust to the blissful sensation, their mouths found one another as if of their own volition, meeting and melding, sliding and sucking each other.


    Their bodies pressed as close as physically possible, hands stroking and caressing hungrily as their mouths moved and tongues entwined. The burn of passion was bright all the same in spite of its familiarity. With each passing day, their desire for each other only grew more eager and insistent, threatening to swallow whole their willing minds and bodies.


    Though they only stayed pressed together, their lover halves not yet starting to move, they still felt themselves inching towards that distant peak of ecstasy. The movements of their hands grew more frantic as their mouths devoured each other with desperate fervor. The air around them seemed to grow misted with heat as the pervasive need wound tighter and tighter, boiling their blood with passion and making their heart thunder in their chests, seeming to beat to the cadence of the other¡¯s breath as the need to satisfy their desire blinded them to everything else¡­


    This was when the door to their room suddenly banged open.


    Before they could think, Qinghe and Wei Xiang reacted instinctively.


    Wei Xiang had snapped open his large golden wings, wrapping it around himself and his little lover to hide and shield them from the shoulders down.


    Qinghe had immediately summoned his spiritual artifact and molded it into a spear with a long shaft, the exceedingly sharp spearhead pointed towards the doorway and right at the throat of this unexpected intruder.


    The air stilled, thick with tension as golden motes of dust floated languorously in the calm light passing through the closed window curtains. For a moment, hushed silence and terse hyperawareness filled the room.


    Then Feng Chunyi indifferently slapped away her son¡¯s weapon and spoke, ¡°Oi, you brats, why are you so vigilant even in your own home? You didn¡¯t even let me take a peek to assess your technique!¡±


    The tension in the room broke and melted away as Qinghe and Wei Xiang let themselves relax.


    ¡°Mother, did you interrupt us just for this?¡± Qinghe asked irritably in a husky voice, his chin resting on Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulder as he glared at her. His spiritual artifact had already been put away.


    However, Wei Xiang was unable to act as casually as the mother and son pair. His shaft was still hard and buried deep inside his beloved, wrapped in the liquid, pulsing heat. He could feel his little lover¡¯s warm body pressed flush against him, his beloved¡¯s heartbeat vibrating against his chest and melding with the thudding of his own heart. How could anyone expect him to be calm in this situation?!


    But thankfully, since his back was to the doorway anyway, Wei Xiang let himself drown in his persistent lust as he buried his face in his little lover¡¯s hair, his wings remaining closed over them both.


    Feng Chunyi¡¯s carefree voice sounded out, ¡°Oi, Son, I¡¯m going to be busy today evening, so I can¡¯t promise I¡¯ll be available to conduct our daily training session. If you want to train, then finish your business quickly and get to the backyard soon.¡±


    After giving her entwined sons one last look, Feng Chunyi left, closing the door behind her.


    Meanwhile, Qinghe¡¯s eyes shone with eagerness at the thought of getting to fight with his mother so soon. As his body tensed with excitement, Qinghe unthinkingly clenched his inner muscles, drawing a strained hiss out of Wei Xiang.


    Qinghe confusedly tilted his head and asked worriedly, ¡°Xiang? Are you alright?¡±


    Wei Xiang withdrew his wings and folded them away. In a hoarse whisper, he spoke, ¡°Love, did you forget that I¡¯m still inside you?¡±


    Qinghe blinked confusedly before realizing how tight he was squeezing his beloved¡¯s shaft. As the color in his face deepened, he slowly relaxed himself, leaning his body limply on Wei Xiang. In an earnest voice, he asked, ¡°I-Is this¡­better?¡±


    Feeling the warmth against his bare skin increase as his little lover pressed this close, Wei Xiang only felt his need heighten. With a growl, he slid one of his hands between their bodies and towards his beloved¡¯s slender hardness, beginning to pump it slowly yet firmly.


    Qinghe groaned, his eyelids falling closed as pleasure began suffusing him. Feeling that it was not enough, he decided to start moving his hips, raising and lowering them slowly, then gradually increasing the pace as his desire mounted higher while Wei Xiang helped him move faster with a hand supporting his hip and buttocks.


    And so, the room was filled with the sounds of their passionately frenetic lovemaking once again.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re leading with your left foot again! Adjust that habit. Use your shoulders more! I told you this before and I¡¯ll tell it to you again, loosen up and act as if your body is liquid!¡± Feng Chunyi¡¯s voice rang out commandingly amid the clacks of the practice blades colliding and the whoosh of robes as the two people flew through the air quickly, clashing and parting again and again.


    A thin sheen of sweat covered Qinghe¡¯s body, his clothes dusty from all the times he¡¯d fallen due to a swift and well-placed kick or blow from his mother. Boot prints marked the cloth over his abdomen, chest, and legs, indicating all the places Feng Chunyi had kicked at him. Small tears and rips were scattered over the robe, but not a hint of red was to be found. After all, practice or not, Qinghe was still her son, and so Feng Chunyi refrained from drawing blood or hurting him too much.


    But Qinghe found that his mother was still a very formidable opponent, and it only excited him more. His keen eyes drank in every detail of his mother¡¯s movements and their surroundings, the blood in his veins flowing fast and hot as he constantly attempted to strike at the minute openings his mother provided. Sometimes, he even succeeded. As he fought, the world seemed so cuttingly vibrant and alive as all his senses went on overdrive. And throughout the practice session, the small smile curving his lips had never once diminished.


    Sitting casually on the back porch, Wei Xiang watched his little lover enjoying himself with gleaming eyes.


    A large area behind the Feng residence had long since been cleared out of everything to allow Feng Chunyi to practice her martial arts. With Qinghe¡¯s arrival, it had now turned into their training area. Every evening, the mother and son would use this training area to fight as Feng Chunyi taught Qinghe to become an even more lethal martial artist.


    But Wei Xiang thought that besides just training, this was also a way for this pair of mother and son to bond over doing something they both loved¨Dfighting.


    After another forty minutes of this, they finally decided to stop. Though Feng Chunyi was also lightly panting and sweating by the time they were done, Qinghe was definitely in a worse state, though his grin was bright enough to blind anyone watching.


    Qinghe walked back to the Wei Xiang who was resting on the porch and let him carefully wipe away the sweat on his face with a soft and cool cloth. Just as he was contemplating taking a dip in the stream of spiritual water to refresh himself, he heard his mother call out.


    ¡°Oi, brat, don¡¯t scamper off this soon. Take off your clothes, I want to observe something.¡±


    Qinghe blinked at his mother confusedly, but nodded, ¡°Alright.¡±


    He began undoing the layers of his clothes one by one while folding them neatly to place on the porch beside his beloved.


    Wei Xiang looked up at his mother-in-law with narrowed eyes and asked, ¡°Why does he have to take off his clothes?¡±


    Feng Chunyi had folded her arms and was standing with a straight back, her feet placed slightly apart. Shifting her attention from her son, she answered, ¡°I need to assess his muscle distribution and flexibility more thoroughly and gain a complete understanding of it to tailor the next part of his training to his specific build. It would avoid me misunderstanding his strength again.¡±


    His eyes widening in realization, Wei Xiang nodded to show that he understood.


    Shortly after Qinghe woke up from the healing pool, Feng Chunyi had tried to train both his physical and spiritual strength by asking her son to hold up an entire mountain with nothing but his hands and a few strands of spiritual force for seven days. In her excitement, she seemed to have forgotten that her son was only thirty-nine years by then, not millions of years old like some of her famous and powerful lieutenants in the heavenly army.


    After four days of straining himself to the maximum to fulfill his mother¡¯s expectation¡ªa duration that made many a people¡¯s jaws drop when they heard of it later¡ªQinghe finally collapsed due to exhaustion. Thankfully, Feng Chunyi was able to quickly hold up the mountain with the vines she had kept at the ready just in case. The unconscious Qinghe was then rushed to Feng Huixin, who then carefully transferred some of his wind-based spiritual energy to replenish his son¡¯s spiritual energy that was depleted to near-lethal levels.


    After a distressed Feng Huixin and Wei Xiang explained to her about how Qinghe was still too young and his divinity too unstable to attempt something like that, Feng Chunyi finally understood that she had misjudged her son¡¯s power and ended up treating him as a millennia-old deity because of the maturity with which he usually acted. From then on, she tried very hard to be careful with his training regimen.


    Understanding that this was why she was taking precautions even now by wanting to first evaluate Qinghe¡¯s body, Wei Xiang nodded and let her have her way.


    Having removed all his clothing, Qinghe stood completely naked without even a hint of self-consciousness.


    Feng Chunyi calmly circled him, reaching out to touch him now and then to assess his musculature with a thoughtful expression. By now, almost all the bruises Qinghe had suffered due to their bout had disappeared due to his deity-level healing. However, the only cluster of bruises still left on his body didn¡¯t look like something he¡¯d gotten due to sparring at all. In fact, it actually looked like¡­


    Her fingers gliding over a particular gathering of blue and red imprints on his shoulder, Feng Chunyi called out amusedly, ¡°Son-in-law, just how passionate were you this morning for these marks to remain until now?¡±


    Qinghe coughed uncomfortably while Wei Xiang chuckled happily. ¡°Mother-in-law, I don¡¯t think they are any darker than those you leave on Master.¡±


    Feng Chunyi leaned her head back and laughed cheerfully. ¡°That is true! At least I¡¯m glad to see that you both didn¡¯t waste the time I gave you this morning to finish your romp on the bed.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s face turned pink. ¡°Mother! Just concentrate on what you¡¯re doing now and finish it quickly. It¡¯s a bit chilly outside today.¡±


    Feng Chunyi rolled her eyes. ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯ll be done soon. Lift your knee a bit and flex your thigh muscles for me.¡±


    Sighing, Qinghe easily shifted his balance to one foot while doing as told. A few minutes later, after she¡¯d finished asking her son to move, bend, and twist various parts of his body, Feng Chunyi finally let him off.


    Qinghe immediately fled towards the porch and was in the process of hastily wrapping a robe around himself to ward off the chill when Wei Xiang pulled him onto his lap and hugged him close. Ignoring the half-tied belt and the gaping lapels of his robe, Qinghe snuggled into his Xiang¡¯s warmth and sighed contentedly.


    Feng Chunyi walked up to the comfortably cuddling pair of lovers. Extending a hand, she pinched her son¡¯s belly that was exposed by the gaping robe and commented grinningly, ¡°Look at you! Despite all those muscles, you still have this much baby fat left!¡±


    ¡°Ow!¡± Qinghe slapped away his mother¡¯s obnoxious hand with a glare. Standing up, he reached out a hand to pinch one of his mother¡¯s cheeks and remarked in return, ¡°Hmph, your cheeks aren¡¯t much better either!¡±


    Feng Chunyi huffed. Lifting her hands, she pinched both of her son¡¯s cheeks in retaliation. There, that would show this brat not to disrespect the great Heavenly General!


    His eyes narrowing, Qinghe did the same to his mother¡¯s cheeks while pulling at them with both his hands now as if to show just how elastic they were. As if he would submit to some general, no matter what she was called!


    Mother and son thus glared at each other with identical expressions of disdain and competitiveness, both of their hands pinching the other¡¯s cheeks and distorting their faces.


    ¡°Pfft¨D¡±


    Unable to bear this ridiculous scene, Wei Xiang suddenly let out a chuff of helpless laughter before clamping a hand over his mouth to stop himself. But unfortunately, it was already too late.


    Two pairs of glaring eyes immediately redirected their attention towards the source of that sound of amusement.


    Wei Xiang acted as if he was only coughing before making up an excuse. ¡°I just felt something stuck in my throat, that¡¯s all.¡±


    The two pairs of identical eyes squinted at him, similar expressions of disbelief in both of their faces that were still stretched by the cheeks.


    Unable to help himself, Wei Xiang let out another bout of suppressed laughter. What could he do? His little lover and mother-in-law just looked too silly!


    As if their thoughts were connected, Qinghe and Feng Chunyi let go of each other¡¯s cheeks at the same time and turned to Wei Xiang as one.


    In the serious tone of an underground organization¡¯s boss ordering her henchman, Feng Chunyi said, ¡°I¡¯ll hold him down, you do it.¡±


    With a small, eerie smile, Qinghe nodded.


    Before Wei Xiang could even think of escaping, Feng Chunyi landed behind him and pulled him down, quickly pinning him on the porch floor by his arms.


    Qinghe approached the helpless Wei Xiang with an evil grin, his fingers wriggling suggestively as he spoke in a cheery singsong voice, ¡°Xiang~ I know all your tickle spots~ Since you love laughing so much, let me help you laugh even more~¡±


    Wei Xiang burst out laughing once again even as he tried to futilely struggle in his mother-in-law¡¯s hold.


    Just as Qinghe gleefully reached out his hands to begin torturing his beloved, a faint ripple suddenly washed over the residence¡¯s barrier, signaling that a visitor had arrived.


    Qinghe halted, then regretfully retrieved his hands while Feng Chunyi also let go of her son-in-law with a sigh. Ah, they had been looking forward to tormenting him so much!


    The Wei Xiang who had barely managed to escape his fate of being tickle tortured by his family couldn¡¯t help but let out a breath of relief. His family was really too lovably crazy.


    Still chuckling as he stood up, Wei Xiang remarked, ¡°We should go and see who it is.¡±


    And so, the three people quickly made their way out of the house.


    Beyond the black gate of the Feng residence stood a tall and sturdily built man. His long, wavy hair was a rich golden brown and his eyes a vivid emerald. The clean lines of his face made him look handsome, yet also managed to convey that he was someone who was sheltered, bearing a slight arrogance that boasted that he never lacked for anything. The way he held himself was courteous yet confident, his expression unwaveringly blank with hints of politeness.


    As the three people arrived in front of him, the visitor¡¯s gaze immediately fixated on Wei Xiang.


    Executing a deep and flawless ninety-degree bow with his hands cupped in front of him, the visitor spoke, his voice low and magnetic, ¡°Wyvern Sovereign Wei Xiang, son of the Dragon Sovereign Song Xia, the court elders of the True Dragon clan invite you for a private talk. Your human mate is also allowed to join us.¡±


    The three people blinked.


    Qinghe knew that Wei Xiang¡¯s mother¡¯s name was Song Xia, and by the deferential way this person addressed Wei Xiang while using his title, Qinghe also understood that these elders of the dragons must hold some respect for Wei Xiang.


    But the way this messenger tacked on a ¡®human¡¯ in front of the word mate and said that he was ¡®allowed¡¯ to join them, Qinghe, as well as Wei Xiang and Feng Chunyi, understood all too well that Qinghe was being looked down upon.


    Wei Xiang frowned with displeasure while Qinghe and Feng Chunyi both smiled with identical hints of sharp humor, their eyes growing half-lidded as unfathomable thoughts deepened their gazes.


    Before Wei Xiang could refuse, Feng Chunyi asked Qinghe, ¡°Oi, son of mine, why don¡¯t you and Son-in-law go and see what these old geezers want?¡±


    Qinghe cheerfully nodded. ¡°Xiang, do you mind?¡±


    Understanding that his beloved wanted to mess with these dragons, Wei Xiang let out a sigh, his mouth curving up in a helpless, indulgent smile. ¡°Very well then, since both my dear mother-in-law and little lover wish so, I will naturally comply.¡±


    Then turning to the messenger who¡¯d begun to frown, Wei Xiang spoke firmly, ¡°I accept your invitation, but I will warn you this once against disrespecting my mate. Do it again and I will not be responsible for the consequences. Now, lead the way.¡±


    The messenger blinked at Wei Xiang, then nodded. ¡°Understood. Then may I request the use of the Feng household¡¯s transportation array?¡±


    Feng Chunyi nodded, easily allowing it with an amused smile. No matter what schemes those wily old men at the True Dragon clan wanted to cook up, she was confident that her son could handle it.


    And so, Qinghe and Wei Xiang walked the path leading to the platform with the transportation array while accompanying the messenger. As they stood on it, the array flashed silver once, and the three people vanished.


    ¡­¡­


    From a long time ago, despite being the strongest of their species, the Sovereign of the True Dragon clan was understood to only be a puppet ruler. The true power in fact lay with the court elders who pulled the strings behind the scene.


    The court elders were made up of courtiers of the previous Sovereign¡¯s court, and sometimes the previous Sovereign themselves. As such, they naturally had their claws embedded deep within the court¡¯s politics and the heart of the clan itself, granting them more power than the fledgling regime of the new Sovereign.


    And now that they had invited Wei Xiang and Qinghe to have a talk, it was naturally understood that it would be for no simple matter. After all, it wasn¡¯t wrong to say that the weight of these court elders¡¯ summons exceeded even that of the ruling Sovereign¡¯s.


    Currently, Qinghe and Wei Xiang were following behind the messenger and were walking through a wide field of white stone towers.


    Each tower was octagonal and rose up high, its top ending in a pointed roof. Its size was large enough for a dragon to comfortably stay and move around inside.


    Railing-less balconies jutted out from various floors of the towers, offering a place to land for the dragons that roamed above, scattered in the sky like dark specks with wings spread wide open. Atop each roof was a thick and long horizontal bar, seeming to be made for the dragons to perch on like birds on branches.


    Large, transparent bridges consisting of golden light woven into lines and sigils connected the towers and offered an easy way of travel between them. From below, the network of these bridges seemed like a giant glowing canopy overlying the sky, both awe-inspiring and brilliant.


    As the three walked along the path that cut through this field of towers, the sensation of being pierced by shrewd gazes and the sound of sharp giggles followed them. It seemed that the inhabitants of these towers were both curious and amused by their visitors, yet none stepped out to greet them, seemingly out of cautiousness.


    At the end of the path was a gigantic building carved out of pure white marble and decorated lavishly with thick gold ornamentation. Its intricately wrought gold-colored gate itself was over five hundred meters in height, yet it looked small in comparison to the massive white building itself that glowed softly in the sun.


    As the group of three made their way inside, the messenger led Qinghe and Wei Xiang to a side path and towards the hall where the elders usually met visitors.


    The floor in the court elders¡¯ receiving hall was a shimmering white with a layer of very delicate gold designs laid into it. Though the walls and the far away ceiling were the same white as the rest of the building, the pillars intercepting the space seemed to be made entirely of gold.


    Seeing this, Qinghe hoped that there was something more sturdy within those pillars to hold up the ceiling, since gold was after all not strong enough on its own.


    At the end of the hall, the ceiling sloped up and arched over a wide platform, giving it a spacious air. Set within the sloping part above, glowing opals emitted a brilliant white light that showered down, illuminating the entire platform while the rest of the hall was left in the diluted shadows. Four shallow stairs led up to this platform, where three elders with long and flowing beards sat looking over the entire hall, their gazes sharp and expressions unreadable.


    As the messenger stepped aside inside the entrance and gestured for Qinghe and Wei Xiang to keep going, the three elders on the platform snapped their attentions to the two youngsters at once.


    The elder in the middle stroked his gleaming silver beard, his expression mildly curious as his half-lidded eyes studied Wei Xiang before moving on to settle on Qinghe. Concealing his craftiness behind politeness, he gave a small smile that seemed to hide untold meanings behind it.


    The elder on the left looked at them with a sharp raptor-like gaze, his curly black beard lightly twitching as if to show his displeasure. A fierceness seemed to shroud him as his gaze fixed on Qinghe, a faint sneer lifting the corner of his lip.


    The elder on the right just looked lightly dazed, his sparse snowy white beard swaying in the faint breeze. After giving Qinghe and Wei Xiang a once-over, his eyes seemed to droop as his chin lowered to touch his chest. His eyelids closed and soft snores soon issued from him.


    The other two elders ignored him as if by habit and kept their focus on Qinghe and Wei Xiang.


    The silver-haired elder in the center finally spoke, his voice raspy yet kind, ¡°So, Wyvern Sovereign Wei Xiang, you¡¯ve finally come to the halls of the dragons. As a direct descendant of one from the True Dragon clan, we welcome you to come here any time. As your elders, we will naturally help and guide you. And since you are the Sovereign of your own clan¡ªalbeit also the only one of your species left¡ªwe will treat you as an equal and share our resources if you have the need. After all, because of your blood, the True Dragons are your family.¡±


    Wei Xiang let out a cold chuckle at this old man putting on a virtuous grandpa act even as he had cleanly excluded his beloved from his invitation.


    Completely unimpressed, Wei Xiang replied, ¡°I have no need of your help, and I already have a family. And since it seems like my mate is unwelcome here, I see no need for further relations between us.¡±


    This was already as polite as Wei Xiang was able to be in the current circumstances.


    The black-haired elder on the left snorted in anger. ¡°Who do you think you¡¯re scorning, boy?! You are only some fourteen or fifteen centuries old, and yet we offered to treat you as our equal! And this is how you repay us for our consideration?!¡±


    Qinghe suddenly let out a soft laugh. ¡°If this is the level of your consideration in treating my lover as your equal, then I¡¯m afraid that it is sorely lacking. How can you say you look at him as an equal when you sit up high above while making him stand below you like this? It¡¯s utterly hypocritical.¡±


    The black-haired elder banged his fist on his armrest in anger, but couldn¡¯t say anything back while the silver-haired elder looked at Qinghe with narrowed eyes as if appraising him anew.


    In a quiet voice filled with remorse, the silver-haired elder turned to Wei Xiang and slightly inclined his head while saying, ¡°I¡¯m afraid we didn¡¯t realize that such a small matter would cause Sovereign Wei¡¯s mate to feel offended. I apologize. We will relocate to another place then.¡±


    So saying, the silver-haired elder got up and began walking to a gilded white door at the side, followed by a fuming black-haired elder and a drowsy white-haired elder who was just being pulled along by him.


    Wei Xiang had on a displeased frown as he reluctantly followed them while Qinghe hid a smirk. The way that silver-haired elder had phrased his words deliberately shifted the blame to imply that it was Qinghe who was being a troublemaker. If it was any other pair of lovers, it might even cause slight dissent between them. But now, Wei Xiang was the one actually offended on behalf of Qinghe. The silver-haired elder had unknowingly dropped a huge rock on his own foot with that move.


    The five people soon moved to a large yet cozy room and seated themselves on the wide low-backed couches on either side of a heavy golden table. A bowl of dried nuts and fruits sat at the center, sprinkled with a few edible flower petals and dusted with sugar granules.


    As soon as he sat down, the white-haired elder began dozing off again, somehow managing to keep his back upright.


    Letting out a breath, the silver-haired elder began, ¡°I hope this at least satisfied Sovereign Wei¡¯s mate?¡±


    Qinghe smiled noncommittally. ¡°I suppose it is satisfactory.¡±


    The black-haired elder hmphed, ¡°A youngster like you throwing your weight around here¡­ Too outrageous!¡±


    Wei Xiang ignored him and directly asked, ¡°Is the reason you called us here just to keep trying to offend me by insulting my mate or do you have anything of value to say?¡±


    The silver-haired elder hesitated, but the black-haired elder immediately puffed up angrily. ¡°Sovereign Wei, do not disrespect us just for the sake of your human mate! Disrespecting us means disrespecting the entire True Dragon clan! Are you prepared to face us as an enemy just for this human deity?!¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled sharply, his gaze cutting. ¡°I would be unworthy of my beloved¡¯s affections if I do not even defend him against others. And you threaten me by pulling up the name of the True Dragon clan, but tell me, are you prepared to face against the Feng household in return that holds not one, but two of the future Heavenly Emperors?¡±


    Since the Feng family had already taken him in as one of their own, Wei Xiang felt comfortable enough to use their name as if they were his own family. This feeling of having a family he trusted to back him up was truly too wonderful.


    Hearing his words, the elders¡¯ faces abruptly changed. Not only was the presence of two future Heavenly Emperors in that household terrifying on its own, but the fact that the Deity of Judgment and the Heavenly General themselves were a part of that household was enough to deter anyone. Only someone who had a death wish would challenge that family.


    The silver-haired elder coughed and tried to advise in a kindly voice, ¡°Sovereign Wei, the Feng household is truly very powerful, of that we have no doubt. But since you are after all only their son-in-law and not related to them by blood, I¡¯m afraid they might not rush to your aid as you expect. You only started staying with them around a year ago, so what familial bonds do you think you might have established with them during that time? What obligation do you think they would feel towards you?¡±


    But Wei Xiang¡¯s smile only grew more amused. Thinking back to the scene just before he came here where he was cheerfully laughing and playing with his little lover and mother-in-law, and recalling all the times his master had taken him to the Offices of Judgment to earnestly guide him and get him familiar with that place so that he could one day make him his successor, Wei Xiang had no doubt that he was a very much welcomed part of the Feng household and treated just as they would a son.


    But rather than directly saying it out loud, Wei Xiang decided to let these old geezers guide the conversation so that they would show their hand sooner. ¡°So what if we¡¯re not blood related? What is the point you¡¯re trying to get at?¡±


    The silver-haired elder solemnly replied, ¡°Rather than clinging to a family that might not feel like your own, Sovereign Wei, why don¡¯t you try to make your own family?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s smile widened as he understood what they were getting at, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.


    Raising an eyebrow, Wei Xiang prodded, ¡°Just spit out what you want to say.¡±


    The black-haired elder blurted out, ¡°Just put your human mate aside and have a female dragon lay your eggs!¡±


    The silver-haired elder hastily followed up with, ¡°And don¡¯t worry, we will all help take care of the eggs and the hatchlings as well. You can still keep your mate, but in this way, you can also have a family of your own related to you by blood.¡±


    Rather than bursting out with anger, Qinghe instead leaned into Wei Xiang¡¯s side, one hand wrapping around his lover¡¯s waist from the back while the other rested on Wei Xing¡¯s clenched fist, slowly stroking it in a soothing gesture.


    Wei Xiang let out a breath and suppressed the rage boiling within him. In a deceptively normal tone, he asked, ¡°And why would I do that?¡±


    Though the silver-haired elder noticed that something was wrong, the black-haired elder simply charged ahead by declaring, ¡°To rejuvenate the wyvern bloodline, of course! The power of a wyvern has the potential to surpass even that of dragons, and mixing it with the divine bloodline of the dragons again can only ensure that it gets stronger! Or even if dragons don¡¯t interest you, as long as the female who lays your eggs is at least a serpent, the wyvern¡¯s strength will be carried on undiminished!¡±


    Qinghe froze and a vicious light sharpened his gaze. The more he heard them speak about his beloved like this, the more angry he got, to the point where he could only laugh with fury. How dare these people talk about his Xiang as if he were some breeding horse and his children some sort of objects!


    But on the other hand, hearing this black-haired elder¡¯s words, it suddenly became very clear what their objective was.


    From what they¡¯d heard till now before from various sources, it seemed that the dragons had been so focused on keeping their bloodline ¡®clean¡¯ all this while, even advocating interbreeding over cross-species relationships, that their power had slowly started to weaken with each successive generation. And so, they now wanted to make use of Wei Xiang¡¯s fresh and powerful wyvern blood to produce eggs that would hatch strong children whom the elders would then try to make use of to rejuvenate the bloodline of the dragons.


    After all, Wei Xiang was already an experienced adult set in his ways, but his children would be vulnerable and easy to manipulate, especially if they were left here in the care of the True Dragon clan from even before they were born. And since Wei Xiang was the genuine, full-blooded son of one of the most powerful dragon Sovereigns, even the most narrow-minded courtier wouldn''t be able to contest the mixing of his bloodline with the dragons'' to produce offspring the way they would have if it involved the mixing of any other bloodline with theirs.


    Also understanding this, Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes had turned into molten gold, sparks of fury easily visible in them.


    Sensing that things were not going smoothly, the silver-haired elder said placatingly, ¡°We know that you might be reluctant to leave your mate for a while and even feel that you are betraying him, but understand that we also only have your best interests at heart. A blood-related family that you make for yourself will definitely prove more reliable and useful in the future. But if you need more incentive¡­then I am willing to give you your inheritance from your mother as well.¡±


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang narrowed their eyes. In a quiet voice that gave nothing away, Qinghe asked, ¡°Since it is something that belonged to his mother, it should naturally be his. What right do you have to meddle in between and try to blackmail him using his own rightful inheritance?¡±


    The black-haired elder chuckled sinisterly, ¡°We are the law of the True Dragon clan, and with so much time having passed in between Sovereign Song Xia¡¯s passing and the return of her next of kin, her possessions have naturally been taken in by the clan elders for safekeeping. Of course the former Sovereign¡¯s son has the right to it, but how easily he¡¯ll get it still depends on our good graces! Think wisely before you decide, for if you make the wrong choice, Wyvern Sovereign Wei might never see his inheritance in this life!¡±


    The silver-haired elder sighed at the completely undiplomatic way his companion had put this, but he didn¡¯t refute it either.


    An oppressive silence claimed the room in the wake of the black-haired elder¡¯s words.


    After all he¡¯d heard and read about her till now, Wei Xiang definitely respected his mother, and inheriting the things she left behind would certainly let him understand her better and make him feel closer to her. In that regard, he couldn¡¯t deny his desire to obtain this inheritance of his.


    But he definitely did not think it was worth agreeing to these elders¡¯ conditions. He would rather very literally kill himself than betray his beloved for any reason within his control.


    The room was still, with Qinghe looking like he was considering something with a sly smile while the elders looked at Wei Xiang, anticipating his answer.


    A cold, humorless laugh cut through this quietness. In an amused voice, Wei Xiang spoke, ¡°Is that all you have to offer me? How boring. And here I thought you old geezers would have something more to offer. But no matter what you gave me in exchange, I would still not agree to your idiotic conditions, so I suppose there was no point to this from the start. If that¡¯s all you wanted to say, then we¡¯ll take our leave now.¡±


    With that, Wei Xiang made to stand up, but Qinghe abruptly called out, ¡°Xiang, wait. I¡­ If the elders agree to my terms, then I am willing to negotiate regarding this.¡±


    Wei Xiang looked at his little lover with shock, only to see a calculative glint flashing in them as he looked at the elders with a small, almost too innocent smile.


    Witnessing this, the burning anger in his chest that had started smoldering the second these elders opened their mouths to spew those infuriating words suddenly seemed to vanish as something wicked and cunning took root.


    Wei Xiang sat back down with a happy smirk. He didn¡¯t know what his Qinghe was planning or why he said that he would consider these elders¡¯ words, but he was definitely looking forward to seeing how his little imp would twist this around to his advantage and make the elders vomit blood. It would be much more satisfying than simply storming out of this place.


    With a pleasant smile and twinkling eyes, Qinghe turned to the silver-haired elder and asked, ¡°So what you are saying is, as long as the bloodline of the wyverns is rejuvenated, you will immediately give Xiang everything he inherited from his mother?¡±


    Seeing Qinghe¡¯s expression and hearing his words, the silver-haired elder narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but still answered, ¡°Yes, it is as you say. But Deity Feng, even if you use some miraculous method to form a womb, you cannot give birth to the kind of children we seek, so please don¡¯t consider it.¡±


    After hearing this, the black-haired elder¡¯s face suddenly showed an expression of realization as if saying ¡®Aha! So that¡¯s what you were aiming for!¡¯, as he looked at Qinghe.


    In a snide tone, he said, ¡°Yes. Even if you can somehow give birth, that child would inevitably have human blood coursing through it. We will not permit the bloodline of the Wyvern Sovereign to be mixed with any other race! We want pure-blooded wyverns! The best option is for Sovereign Wei to mate with one of the dragon females and have her lay his eggs.¡±


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang remained calm in the face of this. In an even tone, Qinghe spoke, ¡°I understand. I will confirm once more: You only want the hatching of more wyverns with the same bloodline as Xiang, is that right?¡±


    The black-haired elder showed a stupefied expression at how Qinghe really seemed willing to agree to their condition while the silver-haired elder furiously tried to think of any loopholes in what the young deity said. Finally, he nodded with a hint of caution.


    Wei Xiang was undoubtedly the last wyvern alive, and so, to produce more wyverns, he would undoubtedly have to mate with a dragon or a serpent at least, neither of which was his human mate. And as long as another beast was in the picture, the dragon court¡¯s elders could use their authority to coerce, threaten, or make a deal with the female chosen by the Wyvern Sovereign to mate with and get custody of the eggs from her. And as long as the eggs¡¯ mother herself agreed to stay in True Dragon territory with the eggs, the elders would naturally be able to use their influence on the young hatchlings when they were born and mould them however they wanted.


    Thinking this, the silver-haired elder decided to be careful and said, ¡°Another thing I¡¯d like to add to the list of conditions is that if the eggs¡¯ mother agrees, we will get custody of the eggs. Of course, as their father, Wyvern Sovereign Wei is free to visit and spend time with them. But hatchlings will naturally need a lot of care and attention, so it is best if they stay here with us.¡±


    Understanding what they were trying to get at, Wei Xiang only looked at them amusedly. He wondered how his little lover was planning to get through all these conditions without giving these elders what they wanted.


    Qinghe smiled at the silver-haired elder and easily agreed, ¡°As long as their mother assents, you are free to keep all the eggs. But if you are unable to gain her approval, then the wyvern eggs and the children they hatch will be raised by us. Is that agreed?¡±


    The silver-haired elder squinted his eyes and nodded. ¡°However, I hope Deity Feng does not plan to interfere in this matter.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s smile turned wide as humor gleamed in his eyes. Suppressing his laughter, he solemnly promised, ¡°I will not try to influence her by any means or even meet the mother of the eggs as long as she is alive. Does this satisfy the elders?¡±


    Once again, the silver-haired elder nodded. Though things seemed to be moving along too smoothly for his comfort, he still decided to proceed with this and not look a gift horse in the mouth.


    Qinghe grinned happily. ¡°Now that that¡¯s decided, let¡¯s make a vow and seal this. But since I¡¯m not sure if I can recognize it if the esteemed elders concealed any hidden thorns between the words of the contract, I would like to write it myself.¡±


    The black-haired elder snorted. A young one like this, of course he wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything if elders like themselves tried to outwit him! And so, in a gracious tone, he acquiesced, ¡°Very well. Since you¡¯re young and inexperienced, I suppose it wouldn¡¯t be right for us to take advantage of you with our intelligence anyway.¡±


    The silver-haired elder frowned and added, ¡°But we will need to look it over after you are done outlining it before we agree.¡±


    Qinghe easily nodded. ¡°Of course.¡±


    Taking the offered spelled paper used for vows, along with an inkstone and a brush, Qinghe spent almost half an hour to write down the terms of the contract.


    Seeing what his little lover was writing, Wei Xiang¡¯s brows wrinkled with confusion. He¡¯d thought that his little imp would be the one hiding thorns within the words, but the terms were surprisingly straightforward. They were exactly what he and that silver-haired elder had discussed just now, added with things like ¡®the True Dragon clan shall provide assistance in all manners possible to aid and support the wyvern eggs in maintaining their health and to stimulate their hatching¡¯ and ¡®any attempts by anyone proven to be related to the True Dragon clan of stealing the eggs or kidnapping the wyverns hatched from these eggs shall make them liable to legal action, along with recompense payable to the Feng household in the form of a public apology and the transfer of the following assets into the Feng household¡¯s name¡­¡¯ and other such things.


    Wei Xiang shook his head. His little lover¡¯s thoughts escaped him even now, but he unquestionably trusted that Qinghe would not let him down.


    Once Qinghe was done, he gave it to the silver-haired elder to check. The elder went over the contract several times and couldn¡¯t find any fault with it at all. It said exactly what they¡¯d discussed, and the added terms only followed the spirit of the rest of the contract and were nothing that would bother the clan anyway.


    And so, the three elders¡ªafter waking up the white-haired elder as well¡ªadded their blood to the spell on the paper to swear their vow. Qinghe and Wei Xiang did the same, and the contract was thus sealed.


    After that, Qinghe and Wei Xiang left the elders¡¯ hall and walked back to the nearest transportation array while led by the messenger who had been waiting outside. Upon Qinghe''s instruction, rather than taking them back to the Feng residence, the array transported them both to the mortal world, just outside the Spirit Bewildering Forest.


    In a leisurely pace, Qinghe and Wei Xiang walked into the forest.


    Unable to bear his curiosity anymore, Wei Xiang asked, ¡°Love, I know that you don¡¯t really want me to mate with someone else, so what are you really planning?¡±


    Qinghe chuckled cheerily and spoke, his tone playful, ¡°And here I was wondering how long it would take before you¡¯d ask me.¡± Then in an even voice, he continued, ¡°Xiang, did you see? Throughout the discussion or in the contract, I never once said that the eggs would be your children, only that they would have wyvern bloodline. After all, the elders might not know, but we already have access to wyvern eggs.¡±


    Wei Xiang frowned confusedly before his forehead smoothened with realization. That option hadn¡¯t even occurred to him! As expected of his little lover to remember it after he just mentioned it once so long ago.


    Looking around, Wei Xiang asked, ¡°Is that why we¡¯ve come to the Spirit Bewildering Forest?¡±


    Qinghe nodded.


    After all, deep inside this forest laid the dimension where the wyverns had once made their home.


    A few years ago, after Qinghe and Wei Xiang had just gotten together, they had come this way along with Jing Shui, Lei Zihua, her junior brother Xiao Ran, and An YaLing to take care of a serpent beast. After the incident with the Nightmare Parasite that ended up being far more dangerous than it had to be because of the tree guardian¡¯s interference, only Qinghe had been able to pass with Wei Xiang. After tracking the traces of the serpent beast, they found the cave it was hiding in. In the end, it turned out to be a female wyvern, and Qinghe and Wei Xiang had killed her when she attempted to unsuccessfully seduce Wei Xiang before charging at them with killing intent.


    After that, Wei Xiang had rested his head on his little lover¡¯s lap and told him about his past and how he was born. The clan leader of that time had chosen the strongest unhatched egg of the late dragon queen to imbue into it the power he had extracted from many powerful beasts. The egg had absorbed that power and hatched, birthing Wei Xiang.


    And in the same temple where his egg had been before hatching, there were several other unhatched eggs as well.


    All Qinghe had to do was retrieve those eggs, then use the True Dragon Clan¡¯s resources per the contract along with his own and try to hatch those eggs. They would be of wyvern lineage just as he¡¯d promised, and since the dragon court¡¯s elders wouldn¡¯t be able to obtain the permission of those eggs¡¯ mother, since the dragon queen who laid them was after all long gone, they would also be unable to snatch the eggs from Qinghe and Wei Xiang as stipulated by the contract they had so willingly signed.


    Thinking this, Wei Xiang felt endless glee. Not only did he and his beloved not lose anything this way, but they would also get the inheritance and gain the True Dragon clan¡¯s help in hatching those eggs that would otherwise remain unhatched. He wondered just what expressions those old geezers would show when they heard of how they¡¯d been outwitted so thoroughly.


    As Wei Xiang expected, when they come to know about this in the future, the black-haired elder would cough out blood and faint due to sheer anger while the silver-haired elder would be pushed to the verge of a qi deviation because of the frustration at being outsmarted by a youngster he¡¯d looked down upon.


    But this was something that would happen later.


    Currently, as Qinghe and Wei Xiang walked towards the dimension, Wei Xiang suddenly asked, ¡°Love, I have to ask, what are you planning to do with those eggs after they hatch?¡±


    Qinghe stayed quiet for a while, then asked hesitantly, ¡°Xiang, if I said that I wanted to adopt those eggs and raise the wyvern hatchlings as our children¡­would you agree?¡±


    Wei Xiang almost stumbled. ¡°Q-Qinghe? You¡­ Love, are you really sure?!¡±


    Qinghe smiled nervously. ¡°Yes, I-I¡¯m sure. But Xiang, this is both of our decision. Are you¡­ Is that alright?¡±


    Wei Xiang quickly nodded his head. ¡°Yes, I would like that very much.¡±


    They both looked at each other and saw the same excitement, joy, and apprehension in their beloved¡¯s face.


    Swallowing, Wei Xiang asked, ¡°They would technically be my brothers and sisters. Would it really pose no problems?¡±


    Qinghe moved closer to his lover, hugging him and pressing against the side of Wei Xiang¡¯s body. ¡°As long as we raise them as our children, they¡¯ll be fine. After all, we are both already old enough to be fathers. And isn¡¯t this similar to how the person I thought I would one day call father-in-law actually turned out to be my father?¡±


    Wei Xiang laughed, his hand winding around Qinghe¡¯s shoulder as he pulled him close to peck him on top of his head. ¡°That is true. I suppose we¡¯ll have to prepare a lot of things then.¡±


    Sighing happily, Qinghe nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll have to set aside a large room to store all those eggs and turn it into a hatching chamber. Maybe we should block off the windows and ward the entire room in several layers of spells so that no one can even think of attempting to steal them. The True Dragon clan might be deterred by the contract, but there will be plenty of others who will also try to snatch the eggs. Wait, will those warding spells affect the eggs due to close proximity?¡±


    Chuffing out an amused laugh, Wei Xiang shook his head. ¡°Except for necessary things like heat or the unstructured spiritual energy found in nature, the shells of the eggs will block out almost all other outside stimuli like scent, noise, and light, and it will also prevent things like spells and talismans from working on the unhatched ones inside, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Qinghe thoughtfully nodded. After a pause, a wide smile suddenly bloomed on his face as he erupted, ¡°Xiang, we¡¯re really going to be fathers!¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled until his eyes crinkled at the corners. ¡°Yes, we are.¡±


    And he couldn¡¯t be happier about it.


    And so, despite the eerie environment and frigid gloom of the Spirit Bewildering Forest, the couple seemed to be shrouded in an atmosphere of warmth and love, smiling blissfully and holding each other as they traversed the twisted dirt path as if they were on a romantic outing.


    ¡­¡­


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang soon reached the clearing edged with glowing corals where the tree guardian had been.


    The metallic silver formation on the ground was buried under fine wooden splinters seemingly from the thoroughly destroyed tree guardian and mixed with years of debris.


    Since this pocket dimension had been created by the dragon queen eons ago, without the tree guardian, only she would be able to enter it. The last time they came here, Wei Xiang had still been at the peak of tenth realm, so he had been unable to overwrite his mother¡¯s imprint to gain ownership of the pocket dimension.


    But now that he had ascended, along with having the blood of the dimension¡¯s creator, on top of his mother¡¯s imprint also weakening due to so many millennia having passed after her death, Wei Xiang would be able to assume ownership of the dimension relatively easily.


    Glistening red liquid welled and dripped from the gash on Wei Xiang¡¯s arm, thick droplets of blood splashing onto the silver transportation array. The newly opened injury knitted closed quickly, leaving behind smooth skin and a scant smear of blood.


    Power gathered around them and swelled before twisting into a new shape and getting sucked into the array.


    The array glowed bright silver.


    Qinghe felt the air turning crisp, the potent power saturating it causing a slight sting when it touched bare skin. Suddenly, he felt the recoil of something forcefully snapping, sending a ripple through the air.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s lips pressed together at the uncomfortable sensation of the broken spell of ownership latching onto him, attaching itself to him and branding his spiritual self.


    Qinghe concernedly rubbed Wei Xiang¡¯s back. ¡°Xiang, how does it feel? Does it hurt anywhere?¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s tense expression relaxed and he smiled at his frowning little lover. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It was slightly uncomfortable, that¡¯s all, so there¡¯s no need for you to worry.¡±


    Qinghe tilted his head. ¡°Then¡­is it done?¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s done.¡±


    Now that Wei Xiang had gained ownership of the dimension, he could come and go how he wanted and bring whoever he wanted with him without the need for additional tests or trials.


    And so, holding Qinghe close, Wei Xiang activated the formation, sending them both into the pocket dimension.


    The pocket dimension seemed a bit more lively now than the last time. A few woodland creatures scuttled about in the shrubbery while birdsong rang through the dry forest air and insects chirped in the foliage.


    Standing in place where the array transported them, Wei Xiang took some time to recall his memories of the temple before leading Qinghe in a different direction from last time. Dried leaves crunched underfoot as the couple walked. All the while, Wei Xiang seemed to be lost in deep thought, so Qinghe simply hugged him in comfort and followed along.


    Hours passed like this as they walked through the forest, flew over a valley, and crested a line of hills, then walked through another, thicker forest littered with marshes, small brooks, and lakes.


    As they reached the vicinity of the burnt town where the wyverns had lived, Wei Xiang skirted it without saying anything. Almost everything had been reclaimed by the forest after ten thousand years anyway, so there was nothing much to see except the rotten and burnt corners of a few tall buildings that were draped with the vines of climber plants.


    Understanding that the sight might still stir bad memories in his beloved, Qinghe stayed silent as well.


    On the other side, a few ways away from the edge of the town, was an ancient looking building made mostly of metal and wood. The arch of its entrance, its doors, and pillars were all painted a faded red. The rest of it was decked in peeling paint in the colors of bright cyan, turquoise, and green. The metal ornaments gilding the corners and edges looked to be made of copper that might have once gleamed brightly, but was now coated with an uneven layer of green.


    Enveloping this entire building was a translucent golden barrier that flickered now and then, with holes worn thin in certain places. It must have protected the building from being overgrown with greenery, but it couldn¡¯t erase the passage of time itself, though it certainly seemed to have mitigated it to a certain extent.


    ¡°Is this the temple?¡± Qinghe asked.


    Wei Xiang nodded and walked forward, with Qinghe soon following behind.


    When Wei Xiang pushed open the metal gates that were sitting askew, they fell over with a loud rattle, the rusted segments disintegrating into bits due to the disturbance. Not minding it, Wei Xiang kept walking on, over the wide expanse of now-yellow stone flooring in front of the building and up the pitted set of stairs that led to the temple¡¯s aged wooden door studded with a line of tarnished circular copper studs around the edges.


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang pushed open the door with a creak and ventured inside. The temple was gloomy and filled with a solid wall of cobwebs hanging like ratted, feathery drapes, completely clogging up the path. Qinghe sent out a controlled sweep of his wind to collect all the dusty cobwebs and rolled it into a tight and sticky grey ball before throwing it outside.


    Wei Xiang led Qinghe down the now-cleared corridor and to a warded, thick stone door at the end. Since Wei Xiang was a wyvern, he was easily able to enter past the wards and brought Qinghe with him.


    At the other side of the door, down a short series of stairs, was a huge, semicircular chamber. Ornate frescoes layered the ceiling, long obscured by peeling paint and mold. The room seemed strangely free of cobwebs, dust, debris, and insects. All along the edge of the room, where the floor touched the walls, a line of golden fire burned brightly, uninterrupted except for a few gaps in between. As a result, the temperature in this room was significantly higher than outside.


    On the smooth stone floor, placed in neat rows and within a small cup-shaped indentation each, were several eggs.


    Each egg was around knee-high, all of them in various colors and patterns. Some had straight stripes, some had smoky swirls, some were copper, some were green, and there was even a silver-grey one. In total, there were twelve eggs and a single broken eggshell at the front.


    Qinghe walked up to the broken golden eggshell, with several pieces still scattered around it and what looked like hardened strings of amniotic goo connecting the edges of the intact part of the eggshell with the broken off fragments.


    Tilting his head, he asked, ¡°Xiang, is this eggshell yours?¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled. ¡°Yes. I have some fragments of it kept in my storage space that I later used for smelting my strings, but I left most of it here.¡±


    Hearing this, Qinghe crouched down to study it with more interest, raising a hand to brush his fingertips over it. The shell was thick, hard, and cold, seeming smooth and metallic to the touch. The color of the shell itself was a deep gold undimmed and untarnished by time, with irregular, brighter gold swirls atop it.


    Qinghe¡¯s gaze turned warm. How would his Xiang have looked when he tumbled out of this egg for the first time? Would he have been lying slumped on the ground, a tiny wyvern that looked cute and disoriented? Would he have looked gangly and covered with goo, his wings flopping beside him as his large eyes blinked confusedly?


    Wei Xiang was surveying the chamber when he suddenly heard his little lover trying to suppress giddy giggles at some thought. ¡°Love? What is it?¡±


    Qinghe turned to look at his Xiang, then erupted into laughter as he clutched his stomach, his body shaking with the force of it.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes twinkled. ¡°Qinghe, since you were so eager to tickle me earlier, maybe I should reciprocate now when you can¡¯t fight back.¡±


    Laughing harder, Qinghe wobblingly tried to get up and escape, only to be tackled by his lover and mercilessly tickled until he gasped with laughter.


    Qinghe felt his insides hurt as he begged with tears of laughter streaming down his face, ¡°N-No¡­Xi-Xiang! ¡­Stop¡­please¡­!¡±


    After a minute, Wei Xiang finally stopped his assault, a wide grin on his face as Qinghe laid on the floor, curled up and still wheezing breathlessly.


    A few minutes later, Qinghe could finally breathe. He laid panting on the warm stone floor, shifting himself to lie down more comfortably as he let his gaze wander over all the eggs in the chamber. He tried to imagine how each of these wyverns would turn out when they hatched, but all he could come up with was his lover¡¯s wyvern form with different colored scales.


    Stifling a chuckle, Qinghe smiled happily. The thought of raising kids with his Xiang was strangely fulfilling.


    Wei Xiang suddenly spoke, his voice uncharacteristically uncertain, ¡°Qinghe¡­what if history repeats itself once again and these hatchlings turn out like the clan of heavenly wyverns before?¡±


    Qinghe rolled on the floor and laid on his back, looking up at the worried face of his beloved standing beside him. ¡°Xiang, that won¡¯t happen. Unlike what happened with the first batch of wyverns, with your mother having to abandon them and your father having to raise a few generations in this isolated place, we¡¯ll stay with them together till the end and let them grow out in the open. That in itself is enough to start them on a different path.


    ¡°The reason the heavenly wyverns devolved into what they were was because they put too much emphasis on power and status. We¡¯ll just teach our children that those kinds of things are not that important. With us as their parents, along with their grandparents and uncles, the whole Feng household will guide them. We will give them a proper environment to grow healthily, with proper values and morals. When they have their own children and grandchildren down the line, they will pass it on. And if they permit it, we will also be involved in raising their offspring. In the end, though we cannot predict how the generations far in the future will be, I know that if we raise the first generation well, it will certainly make a big difference.


    ¡°Another thing that influenced the heavenly wyverns was the attitude of the people during that time. Since everyone was greedy for power and lacking in morals, the wyverns naturally grew to be so as well. But Heaven is different. It is tolerant and kind and promotes equality, unlike our world at that time. Keeping all this in mind, I don¡¯t think our children will turn out into vicious murdering monsters.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s frown had gradually smoothened, the corners of his mouth slowly rising. ¡°Well, since my little lover is able to use this much logic to weigh against my fears, I suppose I have no choice but to believe that our children will turn out fine.¡±


    Qinghe grinned and nodded. ¡°Of course you should believe me! Our children will turn out to be naughty little brats, but we¡¯ll love them and make sure they know that. We¡¯ll teach them right from wrong and everything we know about the world. We¡¯ll be one big, happy family!¡±


    As he spoke while lying on his back, Qinghe spread out his arms and legs, soaking up the warmth of the stone floor as he looked up happily at his lover.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s smile grew wider, his heart feeling like it would melt. ¡°Love, you look so comfortable there¡­ Maybe I should join you.¡±


    Qinghe looked at him confusedly, then gestured to the space beside him uncertainly, ¡°Do you want to cuddle here?¡±


    Wei Xiang let out a low laugh, his gaze growing deep and half-lidded. ¡°How about I lie on top of you instead? Or you can ride me too, I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Understanding what he was getting at, Qinghe blushed. ¡°X-Xiang! There are eggs here! What if they¡ª¡°


    Chuckling, Wei Xiang slowly bent to settle himself over his beloved¡¯s spread out body. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you already? They won¡¯t be able to hear or see us.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s blush deepened as he felt his Xiang¡¯s warmth covering him, his lover¡¯s smirking face hovering over him. His breathing deepened, lust starting to heat his blood languorously.


    But the thought of the eggs¡¯ presence certainly put a damper on things.


    Qinghe raised his hands and hesitantly pushed at his beloved¡¯s shoulders. ¡°N-No¡­I¡­ If we do it here, I won¡¯t be able to look the children in their eyes when they hatch, because¡­¡±


    As he trailed away, Wei Xiang continued with a mischievous glint in his eyes, ¡°¡­Because every time you look at them, you¡¯d remember how you screamed my name while writhing under me, begging me to go faster and give you more, touching me in unmentionable places and being filled with my release, all the while lying right beside their egg¡­is that it?¡±


    Qinghe covered his burning face and yelled, ¡°Xiang!¡±


    Wei Xiang leaned back and laughed. Standing and straightening himself, he helped his mortified little lover get up as well.


    ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re growing meaner!¡± Qinghe remarked as he looked away from his beloved, his face still red. But since his lover hadn¡¯t continued to try and seduce him into sleeping here, which might have very well worked if Wei Xiang had pushed just a bit more, Qinghe decided to graciously forgive him.


    Wei Xiang hugged Qinghe, pressing a kiss to his forehead while smiling. ¡°Yes, yes I am a mean bastard. But you¡¯re stuck with me now.¡±


    Qinghe chuckled softly. If he was stuck to this man, then it was something he would gladly celebrate.


    After a few more minutes of indulging in each other, the pair of lovers parted, turning to look at the eggs.


    ¡°Since they¡¯re alive, we can¡¯t put them in our spatial storage to transport them¡­ Do we have another option?¡± Qinghe turned to Wei Xiang.


    After a moment of searching, Wei Xiang took out a large cart from his storage space. ¡°I think this has more than enough space for all the eggs.¡±


    Qinghe carefully looked over the spacious cart and nodded in agreement. With a worried frown, he asked, ¡°Do we need padding to make sure the eggs don¡¯t knock against each other or the cart¡¯s edges and crack?¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled. ¡°Look at you already worrying like a parent.¡±


    Qinghe stuck out his tongue at him.


    Shaking his head amusedly, Wei Xiang spoke, ¡°The shells of those eggs are sturdy enough. They won¡¯t break due to something as light as a few knocks. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Hearing this, Qinghe let out a breath in relief and nodded.


    The couple thus busied themselves with carefully transferring the eggs into the cart. Qinghe asked Wei Xiang to put the rest of his eggshell into his storage space as well, reluctant to let something that once contained his beloved sit all alone here.


    Once all that was done, Wei Xiang used one of his strings to pull the cart along and headed towards the door of the empty chamber. When they reached the steps of the chamber, Qinghe made his wind lift up the cart so that they could get it through the door.


    As they rolled the cart through the corridor, Qinghe looked at the doors lining each side. ¡°Xiang, do you need to take anything else from this place?¡±


    Wei Xiang halted and looked at his little lover, then hesitantly nodded. ¡°If we could, I¡¯d like to take the books in the library. They were something my mother seemed to have left here in the dimension for her children when she had to return to the dragons.¡±


    Qinghe smiled. ¡°Then why don¡¯t you go and take what you want? Don¡¯t hesitate to put the whole bookshelf in your storage space if you want. I¡¯ll wait here with the eggs.¡±


    Wei Xiang gave him a small smile and nodded before turning to open one of the doors. Dust ballooned out, but Wei Xiang didn¡¯t seem to care as he stepped in.


    Fifteen minutes later, Wei Xiang stepped out, the tips of his fingers noticeably dusty as he¡¯d touched the bookshelves inside the room to transport them into his spatial storage. ¡°I¡¯m done. I took everything I needed. We can go now.¡±


    And so they set out again, going out the temple and tracing their way back to the place where they¡¯d entered the dimension. Finding the transportation array of this side and injecting it with spiritual energy, the couple finally left the wyverns¡¯ pocket dimension with their cartful of large eggs.


    ¡­¡­


    The room that was designated as the eggs¡¯ chamber was a large one with small windows at the top. It had been used to store furniture and random knickknacks that Feng Chunyi collected on a whim and ended up dumping here.


    Now, the small windows were easily sealed, the contents of the room cleared away, and several campfire talismans were stuck to the lower part of the walls in neat lines. Glowing golden flame constantly danced, burning soundlessly while giving off light and heat, but also not catching on anything it came in contact with.


    Rows of small, evenly spaced pits were carved into the floor to place the eggs in, and all twelve eggs now rested there, with soft cloths lined near the bases as if cradling each egg. The love and care allotted to each and every egg was obvious. On the walls, various sigils and formations were drawn, the layered protections making sure that no one except the people of the Feng household could enter.


    Of course, this also included the Xie Xingye and Zheng Xuan who were now currently being shown the egg chamber by Qinghe and Wei Xiang.


    Xie Xingye looked at all the eggs that looked so well-behaved while unhatched and turned to Qinghe doubtfully. ¡°Can you handle these many brats?¡±


    Qinghe chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s not like they¡¯ll all hatch at once. By the estimate of the specialist the True Dragon clan searched up for us, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if there was a several-thousand-year delay between two hatchings. She recommended that we focus on hatching one egg at a time, so by the time the next egg begins to hatch, the previous hatchling would have already become an adult. This will also allow us to take care of and nurture one child at a time.¡±


    Xie Xingye looked at the eggs with gleaming eyes. ¡°Say, how about you give me a few too. I¡¯m sure Lord Zheng and I will make excellent fathers.¡±


    Qinghe sneered. ¡°Of Lord Zheng, I have no doubt. But as for Uncle Xie¡­¡±


    ¡°You brat! Are you telling me I won¡¯t be a good father?!¡± Xie Xingye growled at Qinghe, then turned to an amused Zheng Xuan. ¡°Lord Zheng, I would make an amazing father, wouldn¡¯t I?¡±


    Zheng Xuan smiled and patted his beloved¡¯s back. ¡°Yes¡­after you gain¡­some maturity.¡±


    Xie Xingye¡¯s jaw dropped open as Qinghe burst out laughing. ¡°As expected of Uncle Zheng, he¡¯s far more sensible.¡±


    Xie Xingye shot a glare at his nephew before pouting pitifully at his lover. The expression on Zheng Xuan¡¯s scarred face melted into a smile as he bent down to give his lover a kiss on his lips. ¡°Xingye¡­be good now.¡±


    Feeling wronged, Xie Xingye sulked. Ever since his sister¡¯s brat and his lover had begun spending more time together, they¡¯d gotten very close. Zheng Xuan doted a lot on that sly brat, and that brat also behaved like some well-behaved kid in front of his beloved Lord Zheng. Hmph, but Xie Xingye definitely knew his true colors!


    Qinghe let out a chuckle and offered a compromise. ¡°Uncle Xie, how about this? After they hatch, we can see which of the children have the most affinity with you and Uncle Zheng, and you can take them to raise as your own if they agree.¡±


    Xie Xingye¡¯s expression turned cheery again. ¡°Well, since you insist, let¡¯s do it that way.¡±


    Zheng Xuan gave a gravelly chuckle while Qinghe smothered an eye-roll. His uncle was so childish some times that he couldn¡¯t help but want to tease him.


    Just then, Wei Xiang walked to them from where he had been studying an egg at the other end of the room and asked, ¡°Old man, do you know about caring for wyvern eggs and about their hatching? Wyverns are after all neither dragons nor serpents, so that expert on eggs that the True Dragon clan sent was not very sure about certain points. But since you were with my mother, you must have seen how she incubated the eggs and took care of them.¡±


    Zheng Xuan nodded. ¡°Yes¡­I did. The queen¡­and some of us¡­her guards¡­studied about both dragon¡­and metal serpent eggs¡­to prepare for¡­the future.¡±


    Wei Xiang looked relieved. ¡°Then do you remember that knowledge? Do you think you can help?¡±


    Zheng Xuan once again nodded, his expression confident.


    Qinghe smiled up at him brightly and asked, ¡°Then Uncle Zheng, will you come and visit and help us take care of them now and then? Oh, and Uncle Xie can tag along too, I guess.¡±


    Smiling, Zheng Xuan easily agreed, ¡°¡­Alright.¡± But Xie Xingye was once again glaring at that brat. Did he really have to sound so reluctant when inviting him?!


    With a huff, Xie Xingye went off to examine the eggs. As he surveyed all the colors and patterns, he suddenly stopped before a certain one. It was a greyish-blue egg, with wavy silver lines wrapping around it like wisps of clouds dragged in circles over in the sky.


    Xie Xingye looked up and grinned at Qinghe, ¡°This one reminds me of my dear nephew. Maybe this brat will take after you after hatching.¡±


    Qinghe scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re speaking as if I gave birth to it.¡±


    Xie Xingye¡¯s eyes were wide while projecting innocence even as he smirked. ¡°Why, I would never imply that! My dear nephew¡¯s ass looks so trim, not at all like someone who could have given birth!¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s mouth twitched. Why did it feel like he was implying the exact opposite?! For the first time, he understood the concept of being annoyed enough by someone to want to give them a beating.


    At the side, Wei Xiang shook his head with a smile at their bickering. Turning to Zheng Xuan, he asked, ¡°I¡¯ve heard that it is possible to guess a few things about unborn hatchlings from their shells. Old man, do you know how?¡±


    Zheng Xuan smiled as old memories slowly resurfaced. ¡°Yes¡­I can. After comparing both¡­dragon and serpent eggs¡­we, the queen and¡­her guards¡­came to several conclusions. The more silver¡­the color was¡­with stretched out¡­or diffused patterns¡­the more likely it is to be¡­similar to the¡­serpents. And the more golden¡­with dense and¡­round patterns ¡­the more similarities¡­it would have¡­with dragons.¡±


    Then with a warm glimmer in his eye, he looked at Wei Xiang and recalled, ¡°Your egg had been¡­a frequent point of¡­discussion. Your egg was¡­completely golden¡­but also had¡­irregular and¡­very diffused swirls. We all argued about¡­how that¡­¡®golden egg hatchling¡¯¡­would turn out.¡±


    Wei Xiang felt a strange sense of both embarrassment and warmth, coughing and turning his face away to hide his reaction.


    Qinghe chuckled and redirected everyone¡¯s attention to give his uncomfortable lover some space. ¡°Then how about we try to guess how much percentage of which side each of the eggs¡¯ hatchlings will take after?¡±


    The other three people agreed, and Qinghe, Wei Xiang, and Xie Xingye soon had fun calling out their guesses and cheerfully arguing about it. Zheng Xuan chose to stay back near the door and watched them play around with a small smile.


    Soon, Feng Huixin and Feng Chunyi also joined them. After hearing about the guessing game, Feng Chunyi also went off to play. Feng Huixin stood beside Zheng Xuan, the both of them looking at the raucous group of four with contentment.


    And so, the entire family spent another happy day while arguing and laughing together, surrounding the new, unborn members of their family.


    crimson_carnation


    We''ve already seen a drunk Feng Qinghe, and next chapter, you''ll see another version of him~ (??¦Ø??)

 Extra 6: A Small Side-Effect

    The egg chamber was lit brightly in a warm golden glow by the flames dancing along the edges of the room. The reflections of the flames twisted and swayed on the shiny surfaces of the eggs, adding more depth to the colors and new dimensions to the patterns on the shells.


    A few months ago, after using a random method, they had decided as a family that they would start inducing hatching in that greyish-blue and silver egg first.


    Zheng Xuan had advised that though the warmth in the egg chamber produced by the campfire talismans would be enough for incubation, it was still recommended that they let the egg feel the warmth of a living person, ideally its family, to familiarize the unborn wyvern with the feel of their presence. It was a way to let it bond with its family while also letting it feel secure enough to be born, though the progress would be slow.


    And so, the people of the Feng household had decided that whenever they had time, they would come and affectionately hug the egg to let it feel their presence.


    Currently, Qinghe was sitting with the egg, letting his stomach, chest, inner thighs, arms, and cheek press against it as he wrapped himself around it. He wore only a thin robe, wanting the egg to feel as much of his body heat as it could.


    He¡¯d been sitting like this since that morning, waiting for Wei Xiang to finish helping Feng Huixin with a very urgent matter in the Offices of Judgment so that he could return to take Qinghe with him to the mortal realm. Then they would go to the Order of Sentinels together and solve an important case that had been plaguing Wei Xiang¡¯s lieutenants for a while. There seemed to be a lot of very serious matters troubling the law enforcement agencies in both Heaven and the mortal realm right now.


    Currently, as he was hugging the egg, the quiet hush and comfortable warmth of the egg chamber made Qinghe drowsy. And as he sat there motionless, his head resting on top of the egg, his eyelids slowly began to droop, his mind on the verge of drifting off to sleep.


    This was when the door opened silently on well-oiled hinges, letting Wei Xiang in. He carried a wooden tray with two cups of steaming tea in it and silently entered, closing the door behind to stop the heated air in the room from leaving.


    Seeing his beloved beginning to doze on the egg, Wei Xiang smiled and called out softly, ¡°Qinghe, do you want to return to our room and sleep on the bed?¡±


    Hearing his beloved¡¯s voice suddenly, Qinghe roused. He yawned, then lifted his head sleepily and blinked at his lover. ¡°¡­Xiang? ¡­You¡­came back?¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded. ¡°Why don¡¯t you sleep a bit more if you¡¯re tired?¡±


    Qinghe shook his head and yawned again. ¡°I want to go with you and quickly finish that haunted fortress thing¡­ Then we can sleep on the bed together.¡±


    Shaking his head affectionately, Wei Xiang walked over to his beloved and offered one of the cups of tea on the tray. As Qinghe took it while looking at it curiously, Wei Xiang explained, ¡°Mother-in-law gave this to me and asked us both to take a cup to refresh ourselves before leaving. While I can¡¯t help but be cautious of anything she gives, I¡¯m tenuously hoping that she wouldn¡¯t poison us.¡± Then after a doubtful pause, he continued, ¡°At least not right before we set out for an important task.¡±


    Qinghe let out a laugh at the uncertainty in his beloved¡¯s tone. ¡°I guess we can consider it safe then. It smells nice and feels hot enough to help me wake up fully.¡±


    With that, he raised his cup and slowly sipped the light colored tea, savoring each mouthful of liquid filled with delicate flavors as it washed over his tongue and down his throat, leaving a pleasant warmth in its wake.


    Wei Xiang shrugged and also began drinking his tea. Within minutes the two cups were empty and placed on the tray again.


    Qinghe sighed and let out a happy breath before getting up and stretching his muscles. ¡°I feel much better now. We should set out soon.¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded and headed towards the door. After giving the egg he¡¯d been hugging one last pat and a kiss, Qinghe also followed his beloved.


    After the couple washed their cups and put everything away, they headed for the transportation array and used it to appear in the mortal world. After heading off to the Sentinel headquarters, they gathered a few more personnel and immediately set out to complete the task.


    During the task, however, something strange happened. Wei Xiang discovered that his beast aspects started manifesting on their own, refusing to subside.


    Though it was annoying for him, it still didn¡¯t interfere in his work, so Wei Xiang simply ignored it and continued on with his long black nails, slitted gold eyes, elongated and pointed canines, and a layer of fine scales on his skin.


    As for the reason behind this strange occurrence, Wei Xiang knew without a doubt that it was because of the tea his mother-in-law gave him!


    But that still left the question: Since Qinghe drank that tea as well, why weren¡¯t any special side-effects manifesting in him?


    Though Qinghe only reacted with amusement towards the discovery about the tea, Wei Xiang still remained wary. And since the side-effects quickly disappeared within the day, Qinghe felt even less cautious.


    Three days later, after the task was over, Qinghe took Wei Xiang to the Heavenly Peak Sect to make love in his room before the couple cuddled and fell asleep.


    And the next day, the tea¡¯s side-effects finally manifested in Qinghe.


    ¡­¡­


    When Feng Qinghe opened his eyes, he felt very disoriented. Everything felt wrong.


    As he sat up on the soft bed, he felt his too-loose robes sliding down, baring everything above his waist. With a look of distaste, Qinghe pushed away the robe and happily sat naked. Hmph, he didn¡¯t like clothes anyway!


    Feeling something soft sliding against and draped over the entirety of his back, he reached a small hand behind him and pulled forward that soft thing. It was hair. Really long hair. Just when had his hair grown this long?!


    And now that he looked at it, his skin looked so clean! And his body felt so light and fresh! And even that heavy and rough collar was gone! And he could even feel¡­ No, it can¡¯t be¡­ What was happening?!


    Qinghe felt endlessly confused, then shrugged and let it go for now.


    As he turned his head to survey the other side of the bed, he saw a stretch of smooth skin. A naked man was lying beside him, with sheets gathered at his waist, hair that was even longer and nicer than his own scattered on the bed, and his even-toned skin looking faintly golden and tinted with honey.


    Qinghe really wanted to lick that skin, but held himself back. Licking people without asking was bad manners! Even he knew that!


    But that bared skin looked so warm and comfortable¡­


    And so, Qinghe happily leaned into the back of the sleeping person, snuggling into that warmth and closing his eyes. If he slept like this against skin that reminded him of honey, he¡¯d surely get only sweet dreams!


    On the other hand, feeling something warm pressing into his skin and wriggling, Wei Xiang slowly woke up. He could sense that the person leaning against his back right now was undoubtedly his little lover, but why did his shape and size seem wrong?


    Frowning, Wei Xiang roused himself and sat up, turning to see what was wrong with his beloved.


    What he saw made Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes widen with shock.


    Leaning on his back was a child, his features bearing a strong resemblance to his little lover. The little boy¡¯s eyes as he looked up at him were wide and clear, sharp intelligence and curiosity shining in them. His lips were raised in a slight smile, his tender and round cheeks flushed a healthy pink, while his chin was tilted up with a mixture of confidence and pride. The child¡¯s expression was open and barely bore hints of the coldness that Wei Xiang had grown so used to seeing in those almost familiar features.


    Wei Xiang opened his mouth, then closed it again, not knowing what to say or what to make of this situation.


    But seeing Wei Xiang¡¯s blank face, the little Qinghe hastily leaned back from the warm skin he was pressing his cheek into and showed a guilty expression. His gaze shifted about as he wracked his brains trying to search for an excuse for why he was taking advantage of a stranger like this.


    His eyes suddenly lighting up, Qinghe declared, ¡°I was only eating tofu because I was hungry!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Wei Xiang felt even more speechless.


    Qinghe remembered how sometimes, when his father touched his mother by mistake, his mother would whisper with a strange smile, ¡°Ah-Xin, are you eating my tofu in broad daylight? How bold!¡±


    And so, to the little Qinghe, ¡®eating tofu¡¯ became synonymous with touching someone by mistake. As for saying he was hungry¡­he added that on because he thought it would make a better excuse.


    Faced with Qinghe¡¯s proud look as if he¡¯d just come up with something ingenious, Wei Xiang felt complicated. His Qinghe¡¯s weird statement was definitely like a case of a child misunderstanding something they¡¯d heard.


    And seeing how Qinghe had already turned his attention to the room, looking around with bright and curious eyes as if studying a foreign place, Wei Xiang felt all too sure of his conjecture¡ª


    Qinghe had reverted to a child, his memory also corresponding to his physical age.


    Calming himself down after realizing this, Wei Xiang decided to take a wait-and-see approach. After he determined a few things, he would call his master and ask his help about reversing this. After all, in the cultivation world, there were various spells, curses, and poisons that could turn a person into a child, so it was not that rare of an occurrence. No matter what it was that made Qinghe turn into a child, there was sure to be a cure.


    After Qinghe had finished taking in the room, he turned to look at the other person on the bed who had a frown creasing his brows. Wanting to cheer him up, Qinghe complimented him with an earnest tone, ¡°You have very nice skin.¡±


    Coming out of his thoughts as he heard the sound of his beloved¡¯s clear, child-like voice, Wei Xiang blinked. ¡°Uh¡­thank you. I was born with it.¡±


    But in his heart Wei Xiang suddenly realized something. Even if Qinghe was now a child, once confronted with this situation where he woke up with a naked man, shouldn¡¯t he feel at least a little cautious? Would someone immediately take advantage of the other person like this after waking up in such an unfamiliar environment?!


    Meanwhile, Qinghe huffed and rolled his eyes with childish exaggeration. ¡°Of course you were born with it. If you had been born skinless, then that would have been much more interesti¨D ehem, I mean horrifying! By the way, why aren¡¯t you wearing clothes? Are you having a naked party? My mother said that adults love having naked parties with their partners. So do you have a partner too?¡± Then he continued with round eyes brimming with excitement, ¡°No, wait! Do you and your partner have cute little babies?!¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s mouth twitched.


    Love, right now, you are not much older than a cute little baby yourself.


    Wait, that wasn¡¯t even the biggest issue here!


    Wei Xiang felt very lost when confronted with his little lover¡¯s child self.


    Just when Wei Xiang was floundering, Qinghe suddenly asked, his tone serious, ¡°Anyway, so did you kidnap me from that orphanage? If you did, then can you go kidnap my friend Yan Lin as well? He doesn¡¯t like it there. Oh, and the other kids too.¡±


    Wei Xiang froze. Realizing that Qinghe only remembered up to that point, his mind flashed through the various excuses he could use before settling on the scenario that sounded the least suspicious.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t kidnap you, I¡­rescued you¡­under orders from your father. The other kids are all safe and sound now as well.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes widened in shock, making him look like a startled owl. His small lips parted and trembled, his expression as if he was unable to process this.


    Was this why he was clean now? Because his rescuers had washed him? And was this why his collar was gone too?


    But why couldn¡¯t he remember anything? And¡­why was his hair so long?


    Taking a breath and releasing it, Qinghe decided to put it out of his mind for now. Trying to regain his composure, he finally replied, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s¡­that¡¯s really good. If everyone¡¯s safe now¡­that¡¯s very good.¡±


    Wei Xiang sighed in sympathy and patted his literally little lover¡¯s head. Well, he supposed he shouldn¡¯t use the term lover to refer to a child.


    Not willing his beloved to wallow in his thoughts for long, Wei Xiang began, ¡°Alright, I have a few things to confirm, so I want you to cooperate, alright?¡±


    Shaking his head to clear away the doubts clattering in his mind, Qinghe nodded cutely. ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Do you remember your full name?¡±


    The little boy raised a hand and answered, ¡°Yes. It¡¯s Feng Qinghe.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s lips softened into a smile. ¡°Good. Now tell me your age as accurately as you can.¡±


    Qinghe tilted his head and hummed. ¡°Hmm, gimme a moment.¡±


    Then immediately bowing his head, Qinghe furrowed his brows, the tip of his tongue cutely peeking out from the corner of his mouth in concentration. He raised and lowered his little fingers one by one, his expression adorably serious as he calculated using some strange method.


    Wei Xiang smiled at this, wondering if this was too much for such a child to calculate.


    Looking up, Qinghe finally answered, ¡°I¡¯m six years, nine months, and fourteen days old. I can¡¯t tell you the exact hours, minutes, and seconds ¡®cos I don¡¯t know how long I was sleeping.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang felt that he really shouldn¡¯t have doubted his beloved!


    As a pair of eyes shining with expectation looked up at him, Wei Xiang solemnly nodded and praised, ¡°Very good.¡±


    Qinghe beamed. This person was so nice despite being an adult! Not at all like those mean people at the orphanage!


    Wei Xiang smiled warmly. But as Qinghe shifted around happily with the restlessness of a child, Wei Xiang¡¯s attention was drawn to how he wasn¡¯t wearing anything.


    ¡°Do you want me to get you some clothes?¡± Wei Xiang asked.


    Qinghe scrunched his brows before shaking his head. ¡°I don¡¯t like clothes.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s expression turned amused. ¡°It¡¯s cold today. What will you do if you got sick?¡±


    Qinghe halted, looking conflicted. Getting sick was very bad. Most sick kids in the orphanage died. And if they slept beside a sick child one night, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if they woke up to a cold and dead body lying beside them the next morning. The dead kid might be still and grey, or he could have his eyes bulging, veins popping, and foam dripping out of a grimacing mouth as well. It was horrifying, to say the least. On top of that, everyone who had been lying around that sick child would catch that sickness too.


    Qinghe himself had experienced the situation of waking up next to a cold body more than once. He¡¯d thankfully only gotten slightly sick, since his body usually seemed hardier than most other kids¡¯ for some reason. But he definitely didn¡¯t want to test his luck by getting sick now just because of his dislike for clothes!


    And so, reluctantly, Qinghe nodded, his expression declaring his unwillingness loud and clear.


    Wei Xiang chuckled. Not wanting his beloved to feel forced, he asked kindly, ¡°Do you want anything in return for putting on clothes?¡±


    Qinghe brightened. ¡°Then can I lick your skin?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Wei Xiang felt speechless once again, while Qinghe felt proud of himself for not forgetting his desire to lick that light honey-colored skin and even being good enough to ask permission first.


    Wei Xiang sighed, giving up, and nodded. ¡°Fine, you can.¡±


    Qinghe felt happy at first, then narrowed his eyes shrewdly. ¡°If you let me lick you first, I¡¯ll let you dress me after that.¡±


    Shaking his head with a helpless smile, Wei Xiang bowed his head, presenting his cheek to his beloved. His eyes gleaming with joy and curiosity, Qinghe leaned forward and gave the honey-hued skin a light lick.


    Wei Xiang straightened again and raised an eyebrow at Qinghe¡¯s thoughtful look.


    After a minute of contemplation, Qinghe finally gave his verdict: ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s not sweet like honey, but it still tastes good!¡±


    Wei Xiang couldn¡¯t help the laughter that burst out of him.


    After that, Wei Xiang dressed quickly and went to find some children¡¯s clothing. When he returned, he saw a very well-behaved Qinghe still sitting on the bed, a pleased smile still curving his lips at how he finally got to lick Wei Xiang¡¯s skin.


    With Qinghe¡¯s cooperation, Wei Xiang carefully began putting on the clothes on him. The Qinghe who, in truth, was actually able to dress himself, just grinned happily at the feeling of being taken care of with so much gentleness by another person.


    Just as Wei Xiang was putting on Qinghe¡¯s outer robe on him, the sound of footsteps suddenly sounded in the corridor outside their room along with a pair of familiar voices.


    ¡°Wu Xiao! At least knock first! What if they¡¯re going at it again?¡± a voice came from afar.


    Unheeding of Jing Shui¡¯s warning, Wu Xiao barged in, throwing open the doors to the room as he started in a cheerful tone, ¡°Xiao Feng, I¡¯ve come to visit¨D¡±


    Wu Xiao abruptly halted at the doorway, his wide eyes fixing on the Wei Xiang who still had the lapels of Qinghe¡¯s outer robe in his hands, a belt still strewn beside them.


    To Wu Xiao, this unquestionably looked like Wei Xiang was disrobing the child.


    His hand lifting to point a finger at Wei Xiang, Wu Xiao burst out, ¡°S-Sentinel Wei, this is too much! Not only are you cheating on Xiao Feng, you are even doing it with a child! Have you no shame?!¡±


    Moving swiftly, Wu Xiao snatched a confused Qinghe out of Wei Xiang¡¯s evil clutches and backed away.


    Wei Xiang, ¡°¡­¡±


    Now that the innocent boy was out of the culprit¡¯s hands, Wu Xiao began interrogating, ¡°Answer me, Sentinel Wei! What the fu¨D heck were you doing with this child?!¡±


    The little Qinghe lifted both his hands up high and answered cheerfully, ¡°We were having a naked party!¡±


    Wei Xiang covered his face and sighed miserably. Would his beloved even leave him any face to meet with others after this?


    ¡°Sect Master Wu, it¡¯s not what you think. Just give me a moment to explain¨D¡±


    But having heard Wu Xiao¡¯s shouting from far away and finally having caught up with his long-legged lover, Jing Shui barged in furiously. ¡°Wait, what?! You¡¯re cheating on my friend?!¡±


    Becoming the focus of two heated glares, Wei Xiang sighed once again and massaged his forehead.


    At the side, held in Wu Xiao¡¯s arms, Qinghe giggled happily at this chaotic commotion. Then reaching out a hand, he grabbed some of Wu Xiao¡¯s gleaming silver hair and commented wonderingly, ¡°Your hair is very bright and shiny!¡±


    Wu Xiao paused his glaring and turned to the child in his arms with a smile. ¡°Thank you! And you have a very cute smile.¡±


    Qinghe nodded solemnly. ¡°I know.¡±


    Before he ended up in the orphanage, his father, mother, all their friends, and even several strangers, had constantly told him how cute he was. And so, by now, he took compliments regarding his cuteness as his due.


    Seeing the little boy¡¯s pridefully puffed cheeks and lofty expression, Wu Xiao felt like his heart would burst at how adorable he was.


    Turning to his lover, Wu Xiao said with sparkling eyes, ¡°Ah-Shui, someday, I hope we can make such an adorable little child together too.¡±


    Jing Shui¡¯s face reddened, a hint of shyness showing in his eyes even as he admonished, ¡°Y-You shut up! It¡¯s not that easy for two men to have a child!¡±


    Wu Xiao¡¯s dark eyes shone with tender warmth. ¡°I know, of course I won¡¯t force you to. But it would be nice if we could do it someday. I can just imagine how happy and satisfying raising a child together with you will be.¡±


    Jing Shui looked at Wu Xiao¡¯s sincere gaze and blushed harder, averting his eyes bashfully.


    Seeing this, Qinghe gasped, his little hands covering his mouth as he looked wide-eyed at Jing Shui. Then with wonder, he announced loudly, ¡°That person is so cute!¡±


    Everyone, ¡°¡­¡±


    Jing Shui felt even more embarrassed at being called cute by a child than by his own lover. And so, puffing up, he shouted back, ¡°Y-You! Who are you calling cute, you little brat! You are the one who¡¯s even more cuter than me!¡±


    Jing Shui suddenly paused to think about how weird what he just said was.


    Qinghe smiled and replied, ¡°I already know that I¡¯m the cutest. But thank you for the compliment anyway.¡±


    The indignant Jing Shui, ¡°¡­¡±


    Who the heck was complimenting him!


    But then again, it wasn¡¯t like it sounded reasonable for him to say that he was trying to insult a child by calling him cute either.


    What was this mess? What the heck was even going on?!


    Jing Shui felt like he would go dizzy from confusion.


    At the side, still sitting on the bed, Wei Xiang gave a short laugh. ¡°Qinghe, you little imp. Are you having fun teasing everyone?¡±


    In answer, Qinghe gave a bright, mischievous smile and nodded. For a moment, he pondered about the familiar way that honey-skinned person called him. Deciding that he liked it, Qinghe let it be.


    On the other hand, having heard how Wei Xiang addressed him, Wu Xiao and Jing Shui looked at the little boy in shock.


    His mouth hanging open, Jing Shui called hesitantly, ¡°¡­Brother Feng?¡±


    Hearing that address, Qinghe tilted his head confusedly. ¡°But I don¡¯t remember having such a cute elder brother?¡±


    Jing Shui, ¡°¡­¡±


    Gah! Stop calling me cute already!


    Wu Xiao chuckled. ¡°I should have known. With that sort of naughty personality, it can only be our Xiao Feng. But what happened?¡±


    Wei Xiang shook his head, not willing to talk in detail about his suspicions in front of Qinghe and risk alerting him that something was wrong. In a low voice, he just replied, ¡°I¡¯ll have to consult with master about this.¡±


    And so, Wei Xiang used his telepathic connection to Feng Huixin to relay the situation. Since they were both of deity level, this means of communication that the Sentinels usually used was thankfully rendered possible even between realms.


    Within half an hour, Feng Huixin put on hold the urgent task he was working on and rushed over.


    The second Feng Huixin stepped through the doorway, Qinghe¡¯s eyes widened as a strong wave of relief swept over him. No matter how nice these people were, the little Qinghe had still sneakily kept his guard up against them just in case they were lying to him to take advantage of him. After all, his time in the orphanage had taught him to be very cynical to survive.


    But now that his father was here, Qinghe could finally be assured that everything was all right.


    Jumping down from Wu Xiao¡¯s arms, Qinghe rushed up to his father, his gaze intently fixed on his familiar face as he raised his arms in a silent demand to be held.


    Feng Huixin barely had time to process his son¡¯s appearance before he instinctively bent to lift the child as asked, holding him up so that he could snuggle into the crook between his shoulder and neck as he used to love doing.


    Feng Huixin hesitated, then slowly raised a hand to pat his little son on his small back, gentle love visible in his eyes. Qinghe leaned back to meet his father¡¯s gaze, raw emotions swirling in those round eyes.


    Just when they were all basking in this warm scene, with Feng Huixin trying to think about what to do next, Qinghe suddenly burst into tears, pressing his cheek to his father¡¯s shoulder.


    Everyone looked at Qinghe with surprise. Even Feng Huixin had on a shocked expression. Even when he had been younger than this, before he fell from Heaven, his son had never been one to cry easily. If he encountered a problem, he would either stare at it with a blank face until it went away, try to fix it himself, or if that didn¡¯t work, he¡¯d promptly go to ask his parents for help.


    But now, seeing Qinghe¡¯s soft cheeks wet with tears, his eyes and nose red while his little body shuddered with the force of his unrestrained sobs, Feng Huixin felt like his heart was breaking a thousand times over.


    He quickly asked, his tone frantic with worry, ¡°Qinghe, what happened? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    His voice turned nasally and coming out muffled due to his face buried in his father¡¯s shoulder, the little Qinghe complained haltingly, ¡°Y-You promised! You and M-Mother¡­p-promised you¡¯ll always be with me! And I-I waited there¡­everyday! But you d-didn¡¯t come¡­ A-And¡­those people were so m-mean to me¡­¡± In a small, uncertain voice, Qinghe asked, ¡°Father¡­why didn¡¯t you come?¡±


    Feng Huixin had no answer.


    For his little six-year-old son, already a little more than one year had passed in the orphanage. It had been one year since he fell and was separated from his loving family. And in that one year, it was obvious how much he had been waiting for his parents to come and help him out of such a horrible predicament. And yet, day after day, his hopes remained unfulfilled, leaving nothing but the brutal reality of that orphanage.


    For such a young and pampered child, how cruel must that reality have been? During all this time, just how betrayed by his parents would he have felt?


    Thinking all this, Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes grew red-rimmed, his shoulders curving as distress was very clearly apparent in his expression.


    Patting his little son on his back in an attempt to soothe him, he finally replied, ¡°Qinghe, I¡¯m sorry. Your mother and I are very, very sorry. If I could, I would go back in time and make sure you never left us and that nothing hurt you. I¡¯m sorry that I can¡¯t do that, and I¡¯m sorry that I failed you.¡±


    Qinghe buried his face deeper into his father¡¯s shoulder and cried his little heart out.


    Wei Xiang watched from the side, not daring to interrupt his beloved.


    He still remembered what his beloved had said that night after their visit to Silver Mist. While his face was twisted with pain and grief, his little lover had recalled how he would escape the orphanage and run to the clearing where he had fallen long before. He would wait there for his parents, hoping against hope that they would come take him away from that wretched place.


    The image of that small figure looking up hopefully at the night sky, only to be greeted by the cold glint of the starts and endless darkness day after day, was too heartbreaking to imagine.


    However, when he met his father for the first time after the second stage of the Hundred-Year Tournament and spent the night talking away, Qinghe had been smiling so calmly, stowing away all this hurt and pain as he silently decided to absolve his father and mother of all that blame.


    And now, Wei Xiang supposed that it was about time his master also knew of just how much hopeful expectations his son had placed on him back then.


    At the side, watching the always smiling Xiao Feng crying like this, Wu Xiao had on a serious and concerned face.


    On the other hand, Jing Shui was both surprised and pained. The Brother Feng he knew was always so calm and composed, seeming to have the world in his palm. Even when his past occasionally came to haunt him, he dealt with it coldly and with grace.


    But now¡­Jing Shui finally understood that before he was forged into becoming the person he was now, even Feng Qinghe must have once been a scared little boy who cried when he was hurt and looked with confused eyes at the adults who hurt him.


    Just what feelings would have filled his heart when that sheltered young boy who¡¯d only known love till then had first been hit and kicked so cruelly by the adults he had been looking at with trust? Just thinking of that¡­ Jing Shui¡¯s fists clenched and trembled as he buried his face into Wu Xiao¡¯s back to hide his discomposure.


    Wu Xiao did not say anything, just reaching back to hold his Ah-Shui¡¯s hand in silent comfort.


    Soon, Qinghe¡¯s sobs subsided into small hiccups, his little fist rubbing his reddened eyes sadly. Looking up from his father¡¯s now soaked shoulder, Qinghe saw how Feng Huixin looked beyond anguished.


    In a somewhat choked voice, Feng Huixin asked, ¡°Qinghe, do you hate me? Do you¡­hate your mother?¡±


    Due to his crying jag, Qinghe¡¯s eyes and face were still red, and in his distress, he was absentmindedly chewing on the hem of his sleeve. Letting go of the cloth in his mouth, Qinghe looked up with his innocent wide eyes and shook his head. Raising a little hand, he patted his father¡¯s cheek comfortingly. ¡°Father, I¡¯m not mad at you or Mother. So don¡¯t be sad, okay? If you get sad, then I¡¯ll get sad!¡±


    Feng Huixin let out a shuddering breath. Just how many lifetimes of good fortune had he accumulated to have such a wonderful son?


    Lifting up his little son and leaning his forehead against his, Feng Huixin finally said, ¡°Thank you. Qinghe, I will cherish your trust, and I will never let anything like this happen to you ever again, I promise. Do you believe me?¡±


    Qinghe tilted his head cutely and nodded.


    Feng Huixin gave his son a small smile. Retrieving a soft handkerchief from his storage space, he carefully wiped his little son¡¯s face and held it over his nose for him to blow into. Qinghe did, and Feng Huixin put away the used cloth.


    By now, despite some redness, Qinghe¡¯s eyes gleamed with liveliness again as he reached out his hand to take a lock of his father¡¯s long hair, playing with it cheerfully. His father was here and he and the other kids had finally gotten out of that horrible place, what more could he want?


    Feng Huixin bent to place a careful kiss on his adorable son¡¯s head before leaning back to ask, ¡°Qinghe, do you see that person wearing black who is sitting on the bed?¡±


    Qinghe looked back. Oh, his father meant that honey-skinned person? Qinghe turned to Feng Huixin and nodded.


    Feng Huixin hesitated a bit before saying, ¡°I can¡¯t stay with you for long right now, though I very much want to. That person is someone who will be your future husband, so I want you to stay by his side and listen to him, alright?¡±


    Qinghe once again looked at that honey-skinned person, curiosity in his gaze. Then turning back to his father, he obediently nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±


    After all, if that very nice person became his husband, then he¡¯d have to stay with him forever! So why wouldn¡¯t Qinghe agree?


    Not knowing his son¡¯s thoughts, Feng Huixin looked at him with surprise. ¡°Qinghe, do you really not mind that he¡¯s going to be your husband?¡±


    Qinghe shrugged casually, then grinned. ¡°He¡¯s very nice and his skin is also very comfy and tasty.¡±


    Everyone, ¡°¡­¡±


    Why does it sound like you want to skin him and either use his hide as a blanket or just eat it?! Can¡¯t you put it more pleasantly?


    After a thoughtful pause, Qinghe continued, ¡°Oh, and he¡¯s also almost as cute as me.¡± Then he deliberately emphasized, ¡°Almost.¡±


    The people in the room were once again rendered speechless.


    Meanwhile, the Wei Xiang who was called cute by the child version of his beloved felt very complicated right now, while the Feng Huixin who had long since gotten used to this sort of eccentric phrasing from both his wife and child, and thus didn¡¯t react.


    Coughing, Wei Xiang suddenly spoke, ¡°Alright, then. Master, I have something I need to talk to you about.¡±


    Wu Xiao immediately responded, ¡°Well, then let¡¯s leave you two to it.¡± Turning to Feng Huixin, he continued, ¡°Grandmaster, I don¡¯t think a small child would enjoy lengthy talks, so how about he come with us and breathe some fresh air outside?¡±


    Feng Huixin immediately understood that Wu Xiao wanted to help them by making sure that Qinghe couldn¡¯t overhear what they were about to discuss.


    Turning to his son, Feng Huixin asked, ¡°Qinghe, do you want to go outside with them?¡±


    Qinghe pondered, then nodded.


    As his father gently placed him on his feet, Qinghe walked over to Wu Xiao and Jing Shui. After giving his father and his future husband a small wave, Qinghe followed them outside and the door closed behind them.


    Inside, Wei Xiang narrated what happened in greater detail and told his master his suspicions about how Qinghe turning into his six-year-old self could have been a side-effect of the tea Feng Chunyi had so ¡®kindly¡¯ given them.


    After hearing everything, Feng Huixin sighed. ¡°Yes, I agree that it must be the tea. Just four days ago, Chunyi¡¯s friend¡ªthe Deity of Romance Ai Li¡ªpaid a visit. She usually gives strange things to Chunyi that makes her mischief-making worse. This time, I definitely saw a pouch of tea leaves among them. From what I heard Chunyi say, it seems to have harmless yet unpredictable effects on different people, with its side-effects starting three days after consuming it and lasting up to a day. I¡¯m assuming that since she knew that your task with the Order will be over before three days, she thought it would be safe to give it to you back then before you left.¡±


    Wei Xiang frowned. ¡°That certainly makes sense. But if it is only supposed to start working three days later, why did I manifest those side-effects immediately?¡±


    Feng Huixin thought for a few moments before coming to a conclusion. ¡°It must be because of the higher metabolism rate of a spiritual beast.¡±


    His brows smoothening, Wei Xiang nodded. ¡°Since the side-effects will fade on their own after a day, I suppose we don¡¯t have to do anything.¡±


    Feng Huixin agreed, ¡°Yes. And Xiang-er, I¡¯d like to leave him to you during this time. The matter I¡¯m currently working on involves the safety of too many lives for me to put aside for now. But if Qinghe needs me for anything, don¡¯t hesitate to call me.¡±


    ¡°Understood, I¡¯ll take care of him.¡± Then pausing, Wei Xiang asked doubtfully, ¡°Master, since you¡¯re busy, why not ask Mother-in-law¡¯s help instead?¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes showed his exasperated affection and helplessness as he thought about his wife. ¡°Since Chunyi didn¡¯t know what side-effect would manifest in Qinghe, she decided to not take the chance and escaped into the army barracks to lay low until Qinghe recovers and his desire for revenge fades.¡±


    Hearing this, Wei Xiang didn¡¯t know whether he should laugh or cry. His mother-in-law really was too childish!


    But then again, after she found out that the side-effects of that tea actually turned her son into an adorable little child and that she¡¯d missed out on that because of her cautious hiding, Feng Chunyi was sure to cough out a mouthful of blood in frustration.


    And thinking this, Wei Xiang felt incredibly smug.


    ¡­¡­


    As Feng Huixin and Wei Xiang discussed, outside, Qinghe was looking around the Heavenly Peak Sect with interest gleaming in his eyes.


    Not wanting to attract any unnecessary attention to Qinghe¡¯s current situation, Wu Xiao and Jing Shui took him to places that were deserted at this time of the day.


    As they were walking through peaceful gardens and over neat stone paths, Qinghe suddenly stopped, his gaze lighting up with excitement as he spotted something.


    It was a square stone platform surrounded by narrow and shallow water streams on all sides. Little fishes frolicked in the clear waters underneath the wide lily pads. Three stone benches were placed on the platform, leaving one side open. Short, railing-less bridges extended over the streams and led to the platform from four sides.


    Qinghe quickly ran over to one of the streams and crouched down, happily peering into the water as he announced, ¡°I can see fishies! There are lots of fishies here!¡±


    Then looking back at Wu Xiao and Jing Shui while beaming brightly, he said, ¡°There¡¯s water near my house too! And it has bigger fishies in shiny colors!¡±


    Then he turned back to watching the fishes swimming in the artificial stream.


    Wu Xiao and Jing Shui couldn¡¯t help the soft and warm smiles that spread over their faces.


    In a cheerful voice, Wu Xiao announced, ¡°Then we¡¯ll take a break here for now.¡±


    Jing Shui nodded, then walked up to the Qinghe who was completely engrossed in fish-watching. Thinking that the little one must not have eaten anything till now, Jing Shui concernedly asked, ¡°Are you hungry? Do you want to sit down and eat something?¡±


    Wu Xiao grimaced at how his lover had unthinkingly said something that might rouse the boy¡¯s suspicion. After all, though he had turned into a child for now, Feng Qinghe was still a deity, so he would no longer feel hunger and thirst like mortals. But Jing Shui obviously didn¡¯t think to take it into consideration and just treated Qinghe as he would any other child.


    Qinghe looked up from the little fishes swimming energetically and stared at Jing Shui¡¯s worried express. His lips bent into a small smile at the care he saw there. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry, but do you have sweets? The mean people didn¡¯t give us any at that place, only stinky-smelling soup water.¡±


    Jing Shui¡¯s heart clenched, his distress showing openly on his face as he replied in a kind voice, ¡°Yes, I have lots of sweets. Come and sit down, I¡¯ll give you some. You can have as many as you want.¡±


    Qinghe smiled up at him. ¡°Thank you! You¡¯re very cute, but you¡¯re also very nice!¡±


    Jing Shui¡¯s lips twitched as his cheeks turned pink. ¡°Y-You brat! Stop calling me cute already!¡±


    Wu Xiao laughed, both relieved at how the little boy didn¡¯t seem to have noticed anything strange and amused at how even the little version of their Xiao Feng loved teasing others so much. It seemed that some things truly never changed.


    And so, the three people walked over the connecting bridges and onto the stone platform before sitting down on the benches. Jing Shui retrieved a box of sweets that looked like small, round balls and began giving them to the child one by one. He was afraid that Qinghe would end up dropping the heavy box otherwise.


    In truth, this box of sweets made with rich cream and milk was one of the things Jing Shui had wanted to give his friend during this visit, since he after all knew about Qinghe¡¯s preference for these types of sweets by now. But seeing a tiny version of his friend eating it with obvious relish on his face was even more satisfying.


    Between eating the sweets, Qinghe talked constantly, his childish voice clear and expressive as he kept up a stream of incessant chatter relaying the fun things he remembered doing with his parents or the little pranks he¡¯d pulled on his friends before in Heaven. His feet kept swinging to and fro as he waved his hands in the air to accompany his words. The corners of his mouth and cheeks were dusted with crumbs that Jing Shui would carefully wipe now and then, his smile remaining wide as he listened to the little boy¡¯s voice.


    ¡°¡­and then, Father told me I shouldn¡¯t have put that leaf into the back of Ah-Mu¡¯s clothes, because what would I have done if it didn¡¯t just give him rashes, but also hurt him some other way? And I told Father that I wasn¡¯t stupid! Because I already saw that leaf with Mother once and I asked her. She told me it gave people itchy skin and if someone annoys me, I should look for those butterfly shaped leaves with yellow edges and throw it at them. But Ah-Mu was not just annoying, he was really annoying and also so mean to the smaller kids! So I put it into his clothes. He wasn¡¯t mean after that, but his parents didn¡¯t let him play with me from then. But at least he¨D¡±


    Qinghe abruptly stopped, and hearing two pairs of nearing footsteps, the three people on the platform turned to watch the incoming people as one.


    Walking around a bend in the path ahead, two identical figures stepped towards them. A moment later, the twins suddenly stopped talking with each other and looked at the platform at the same time, their eyes wide and nostrils flaring.


    What they smelled was definitely the scent of their senior brother, but why did it seem somewhat strange? And why was it coming from a child?!


    As Fei Yin gaped at the child, Fei Jin stuttered out, ¡°S-S-Senior¡­Brother?¡±


    Qinghe tilted his head confusedly. Were they calling for him?


    Beside him, Wu Xiao sighed. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s Xiao Feng.¡±


    The twins stood shocked for a few moments before they suddenly rushed over.


    Fei Jin immediately hugged the little Qinghe with a silly grin on his face while Fei Yin rubbed the small and round head peeking out from Fei Jin¡¯s tight embrace.


    ¡°Senior Brother, you¡¯re so cute!¡± Fei Jin squealed exuberantly.


    ¡°And your hair is so soft!¡± Fei Yin¡¯s whispery voice added with awe.


    With a long-suffering look, Qinghe let these two strange people hug him and ruffle his hair. After all, he was long since used to being fawned over like this.


    As enthusiastic as they were, even the twins eventually realized that something was wrong when their senior brother just kept silent as they fussed around him.


    As the twins finally let go, Fei Yin asked, ¡°Senior Brother, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Wu Xiao coughed at the side and said, ¡°That¡¯s¡­not your senior brother.¡±


    Fei Jin and Fei Yin looked at him questioningly.


    Wu Xiao continued, ¡°He¡¯s Feng Qinghe, aged six, and he was just recently rescued from the orphanage, isn¡¯t that so?¡± He turned to ask the little boy.


    Qinghe looked up at the twins and nodded. ¡°Yes, so I¡¯m not your big brother! I¡¯m only six, and I don¡¯t even know you.¡±


    The twins looked at him, stunned. So their senior brother not only turned into a child, but also lost his memories? He¡­only remembered what happened till when he was six?!


    In a choked voice, Fei Jin suddenly asked, ¡°Senio¨D No, uh, Xiao Feng. How many years were you in that place? In that orphanage, I mean.¡±


    Qinghe tilted his head. ¡°One year.¡±


    Fei Jin and Fei Yin looked at him with complicated expressions. One year was technically very short when compared to the seven years their senior brother had actually spent there. But it was not a small duration either. Even just a year in that cesspit of an orphanage was definitely enough to give a young child enough issues to last a lifetime.


    The twins¡¯ hearts ached.


    Seeing the little Qinghe still looking up at them with an adorably befuddled expression, Fei Jin and Fei Yin immediately decided to pamper him to make up for all the bad things he¡¯d suffered.


    And so, the twins suddenly crouched in front of the bench Qinghe was still sitting on. Fei Jin took the box of sweets from Jing Shui¡¯s hands and Fei Yin immediately took one of the small round sweets and held it up to the little Qinghe¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Here, we¡¯ll feed you, so eat as much as you want, okay?¡± Fei Yin said kindly.


    Qinghe beamed and nodded, his small feet swinging under him happily as he opened his little mouth to be fed. This place was so nice! There were so many people trying to take care of him!


    With his mouth full, he said in his childish voice, ¡°You both are also very, very nice!¡±


    Fei Jin and Fei Yin glowed at the praise from their senior brother¡¯s child version.


    But sitting beside them, Jing Shui scowled and reached over to pinch the little boy¡¯s puffed cheeks. ¡°What do you mean they¡¯re nice? They¡¯re not doing anything special. I was the one who brought those sweets!¡±


    At the side, Wu Xiao chuckled silently. His Ah-Shui was so cute! Look at him so seriously fighting for the favor of a little child!


    Meanwhile, the Qinghe who had his cheeks pinched and stretched by Jing Shui finally managed to pry away those obnoxious fingers. As he rubbed at his tender cheeks that had gone pink, Qinghe scolded in an indignant voice, ¡°You! How dare you touch me so disrespectfully! My cheeks are a heavenly treasure! How can you treat them this way? So rude!¡±


    Hearing this, Jing Shui¡¯s discontent vanished as he tried to stifle his laughter. ¡°A heavenly treasure? Did your mother tell you that?¡±


    Because from what Jing Shui had seen of her till now, his friend¡¯s mother certainly seemed like the sort who would say something like that.


    But the little boy shook his head and announced proudly, ¡°No, my father said that!¡±


    Everyone, ¡°¡­¡±


    They tried to imagine that cold, poker-faced Sentinel Grandmaster, an old being feared and revered by many, gently squeezing his son¡¯s cheeks while saying in his solemn voice, ¡°Qinghe, your cheeks are a heavenly treasure.¡±


    All four of them had to immediately clamp their hands over their mouths to stop themselves from laughing. That image was too ridiculous!


    As they spent time like this, laughing and playing with the adorable little child and showering him with their attention, Wei Xiang and Feng Huixin finally finished their talk and ambled over.


    As they walked onto the platform, Qinghe immediately turned his shining gaze to his father and that honey-skinned person beside him.


    Feng Huixin directly made for his little son and hugged him. In return, he also felt his son''s arms trying to squeeze him back with as much strength as he could as well. After placing a peck on Qinghe¡¯s forehead, Feng Huixin leaned back and asked, ¡°Qinghe, did you enjoy your time here?¡±


    Qinghe nodded and said happily, ¡°They had sweets! Tasty sweets!¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled while Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes shone warmly. ¡°That¡¯s good. Do you want to stay with them or do you want to spend some time sightseeing with your future husband?¡±


    Qinghe looked up at Wei Xiang, then looked at the Fei Jin holding the box of sweets with a torn expression.


    Wu Xiao stifled a laugh and spoke, ¡°I think it''s time we returned anyway. And the twin brats must also have a lot of work to do at the sect hall to cover for their senior brother, I presume. So we''ll all have to take our leave now.¡±


    Feng Huixin nodded, then turned to his son. ¡°Do you mind staying the day with your future husband then?¡±


    Qinghe stared at Wei Xiang with big, assessing eyes.


    With a twinkle in his eyes, Wei Xiang told him, ¡°I¡¯ll buy you how many ever sweets you want.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Qinghe burst out with a grin, totally won over.


    As he saw this exchange, Jing Shui smiled, but it was tinted with melancholy. He wanted to spend more time with this little version of his friend, but he also knew that it would be more meaningful if his Brother Feng could make memories like this with his Sentinel lover instead.


    The twins had already left with expressions that looked less than thrilled at the prospect of missing out on spending more time with their little senior brother while also dreading all the work waiting for them. As Wu Xiao also turned to leave, Jing Shui followed him with a heavy heart.


    Suddenly, Jing Shui felt a tug on his clothes and stopped. As he looked back, he saw Qinghe clutching the end of his robe. Blinking his wide eyes, he asked pitifully, ¡°Do you have to go?¡±


    Jing Shui¡¯s heart melted as he tried to smile, ¡°Yes, so be good and stay with your future husband.¡±


    Qinghe hesitated, then nodded his little head. ¡°Fine, but at least give me the box of tasty sweets before you go.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± You brat! This was why you looked so reluctant to let me go, didn¡¯t you!


    ¡°Hmph! Fine then, take it,¡± Jing Shui spoke ill-temperedly and gave Qinghe the box of sweets before turning away with a huff.


    But just as he was about to leave, he felt another tug. Jing Shui turned and looked at the now-smiling kid. ¡°What now?¡±


    While clutching the box to his chest with a hand, Qinghe extended the other arm towards Jing Shui.


    Puzzled, Jing Shui bent down, only to feel that arm wrapping around his neck as a pair of small lips pressed against his cheek. A soft ¡°Thank you¡± sounded in his ear before the small body hugging him withdrew.


    Jing Shui looked at the cutely smiling Qinghe with wide eyes.


    Then smiling a brilliant smile at him in return, Jing Shui ruffled Qinghe¡¯s hair affectionately. Straightening himself, he began walking away once again. But this time, his chest was filled with a gentle warmth.


    ¡­¡­


    For a few minutes after they left that platform, Jing Shui and Wu Xiao walked in silence, small smiles on their faces.


    The day was bright and sunny, the breeze pleasant as it brushed their faces. As the pair walked together, they slowly linked their hands as peace and contentment washed over them.


    ¡°Wu Xiao,¡± Jing Shui called softly. ¡°Maybe¡­we really should have a child.¡±


    Wu Xiao almost stumbled. ¡°A-Ah-Shui?!¡±


    Jing Shui was looking down, his cheeks red. ¡°I mean, spending time with Brother Feng¡¯s child form¡­it really makes me feel that¡­having a child of our own wouldn¡¯t be a bad thing.¡±


    Wu Xiao stared at him with a dazed expression. Letting go of his hand to hug his beloved close, Wu Xiao spoke, ¡°That¡­ I really want to agree immediately¡­ But Ah-Shui, you do know that children are usually not as well-behaved as Xiao Feng, right? His is a special case. Children in general, and infants in particular, will need a lot of care. They might throw tantrums for no perceivable reason and keep crying for long periods of time. It will be difficult and harrying without even considering how much we¡¯ll have to educate ourselves about the needs of children and methods of child-rearing¡­ Then there¡¯s also the issue of you growing a child inside you and giving birth¡­ Ah-Shui, this isn¡¯t a commitment to be made lightly.¡±


    Jing Shui nodded. ¡°I know, I¡¯m not¡­ We don¡¯t have to do it right this moment. We¡¯ll think about it. I don¡¯t even know how two men can have children, so we¡¯ll have to spend a lot of time just finding a way to conceive. Let¡¯s take this slowly and talk it over with the people we know and ask their advice and help. We¡­we don¡¯t have to have a child immediately. We can take our time to prepare ourselves for this. It doesn¡¯t matter even if it takes years or decades until we feel ready, we¡¯ll wait. Since I¡¯m considering bringing a child into this world, I¡¯ll naturally try to be as responsible about this as I can.¡±


    Then looking up nervously, Jing Shui asked, ¡°But Wu Xiao, what about you? Do you really want to do it? Having a child¡­¡±


    Wu Xiao suddenly stopped walking and hugged his beloved tightly, burying his face into a startled Jing Shui¡¯s hair. ¡°Yes! Ah-Shui, I would really, really love that.¡±


    As he heard the fervent enthusiasm in his lover¡¯s voice, Jing Shui¡¯s face melted into a soft smile as his arms rose up to hug his Wu Xiao back.


    Some day in the future, they¡¯d have a child of their own, and Jing Shui and Wu Xiao couldn¡¯t look forward to it more.


    ¡­¡­


    As they strolled through the streets leisurely, Wei Xiang had on a wry smile as he saw his little beloved running around, pointing excitedly at every insect, animal, flower, or interesting pebble by the roadside.


    In one hand, Wei Xiang held a large basket filled with the various sweetmeats Qinghe had insisted on buying, with some of the shopkeepers even having given some extra on account of how adorable and polite the lovable little boy had been when asking for the sweets. Meanwhile, Qinghe carried around a small box filled with various treats like candied fruits, nuts, and honeyed dates, constantly munching on them with delight.


    Every time he saw this, Wei Xiang had to hold himself back from telling the child to stop eating so many of them. After all, though it might have been harmful for ordinary children, since Qinghe was actually a deity right now, that many sweet snacks shouldn¡¯t be an issue.


    As constant worries about taking care of his beloved¡¯s child form filled his mind, Wei Xiang could only sigh. Was this how it would be after the first of the eggs hatched and a baby wyvern was born? Would he feel this anxious about all the things that could potentially hurt the child as he tried to hold himself back from hovering over the hatchling?


    Just as he Wei Xiang was lost in his thoughts, he suddenly felt a little hand slipping into his own.


    Wei Xiang looked down and saw Qinghe¡¯s face peering up, his cheeks flushed with all the excitement of running around as his hair was being tousled around in the breeze. In his cheerful voice, the little boy asked, ¡°There¡¯s a place I want to go. Will you come with me?¡±


    Wei Xiang raised an eyebrow curiously and nodded. ¡°Do you know how to get there?¡±


    Qinghe nodded and began pulling on Wei Xiang¡¯s hand, leading him towards the line of trees on one side of the street and farther in until they entered a forest. It was apparent that humans treaded this forest often by the many footprints pressed into the soft soil and the trail of broken branches and crushed leaves marking the vegetation. But as they went deeper, these signs vanished, until there was nothing left except for the undisturbed wilderness of nature.


    Wei Xiang frowned. Though it was obvious by Qinghe¡¯s confident stride that he knew where he was going, it still didn¡¯t explain how he had the chance to know this route leading from that busy marketplace. After all, till now, he must have never once left the orphanage for any great distance¡­at least not enough to know such a long route.


    An hour of walking later, Wei Xiang was still confused while Qinghe finally came to a stop.


    To their left was the gentle rise of a slope, blanketed with dark green moss. Rounded grey rocks covered with patches of more moss were littered on it. Small white and yellow wildflowers with orange centers grew out from behind the boulders in tufts, gently waving in the breeze.


    Directly in front of them was a five-meter-wide bowl-shaped indentation in the ground. It seemed as if a huge boulder had been moved from here to leave behind that imprint. Enough time had passed from then for nature to claim that place again, covering it with a layer of grass while small plants and saplings thrust out of the concave earth there.


    Surrounding them on all sides were tall trees, holding up a canopy of green leaves far above and letting streaks of mild sunshine spill down through the gaps between the tightly-woven branches, dissolving into the air and giving the space a soft and nostalgic atmosphere.


    Qinghe looked at this place as if carefully studying it. Then letting go of Wei Xiang, he ran over to the bowl-shape impression on the ground and crouched down, seriously poking at the grass and the plants growing there.


    Wei Xiang looked at his beloved with puzzlement. If he wanted to play in the grass, then he could do that anywhere, so why come here? If it was any other child, he¡¯d dismiss it as a childish whim. But since this was his Qinghe, he felt that there definitely must be a reason.


    Just when Wei Xiang was thinking of asking him about it, Qinghe abruptly turned to him.


    Looking up to meet Wei Xiang¡¯s gaze, Qinghe smiled a sharp smile unlike that of a child¡¯s, his eyes glinting as he asked, ¡°Do you know where we are?¡±


    Something niggled in the back of Wei Xiang¡¯s mind, but eluded his grasp. Wei Xiang shook his head. ¡°Do you know?¡±


    Qinghe nodded, his smile widening and eyes turning unfathomable in that expression that Wei Xiang was so familiar with. In a calm voice, the little boy replied, ¡°This is the place where I fell. That shallow pit in the ground is where I impacted. My body was torn into oh-so-many pieces at that time.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes widened.


    Giving a small laugh, Qinghe informed, ¡°I¡¯ve been assessing this place in detail and comparing it with the one in my memory. I remember the pattern and density of every bit of vegetation, the height and proportion of every blade of grass, since I had after all been lying here for quite a while without being able to move. But now when I examine it, the growth indicates that it has clearly been a few decades since I fell here.¡±


    Narrowing his eyes, Qinghe tilted his head and stated, ¡°Till now, you¡¯ve all been lying to me, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s pupils shrunk with shock.


    In the wake of Qinghe¡¯s confidently uttered statement, the air seemed to freeze and thicken with tension. Even the gentle breeze had stilled.


    Wei Xiang reflected that despite him being mindful to not underestimate his beloved¡¯s intelligence, he still seemed to have failed to completely keep the truth from the little boy or prevent him from becoming suspicious.


    But even though the growth of greenery in this place seemed to have led Qinghe to reach this logical conclusion, that still left many questions unanswered.


    Opening his mouth with difficulty, Wei Xiang finally asked, ¡°How did you know the route to this place?¡±


    Qinghe chuckled. ¡°The second I woke up, I felt a deep connection to the wind. It seemed that I could already use it. As I walked with you outside, I simply let the wind search for this place. When it was found, I led you here.¡±


    Wei Xiang shook his head helplessly. It seemed that though his Qinghe had seemed unguarded with him, he had still hidden such an important thing flawlessly even at the beginning, and then used it at an opportune time in a way that Wei Xiang couldn¡¯t detect.


    Taking a deep breath and letting it out, Wei Xiang strived to maintain his composure. ¡°Qinghe, even if you were suddenly able to use wind, it shouldn¡¯t be enough to make you think that we were lying to you.¡±


    Qinghe rose up, turned, and sat down facing Wei Xiang, his legs folded and an elbow resting on a knee while his chin rested on a palm. ¡°Tell me, was the me you all knew before¡ªthe adult me¡ªa stupid person?¡±


    Wei Xiang felt even more shocked. How had his beloved figured it out?!


    In a strained voice, he answered, ¡°¡­No. The Qinghe I know, the Feng Qinghe we all know, is a very cunning man.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes were fixed on Wei Xiang¡¯s as he continued smiling. ¡°Ah, then did you all think I wouldn¡¯t notice all those small signs because I was a child? Though people think that children are stupid, that is untrue. We only lack knowledge and the experience to use it. It does not mean that we don¡¯t see the little things people try to hide from us. We know and understand a lot more than the adults think.¡±


    Seeing a six-year-old child sitting and imparting wisdom like an old man, Wei Xiang felt a sense of surrealism. Was it even normal for children to be this clever at such a young age? Even the way Qinghe was speaking had changed from the slightly simple and childish way from before. Had his beloved been hiding even his speech patterns and the extent of his vocabulary?!


    And yet¡­rather than disconcertment or vigilance, what Wei Xiang felt was a strange sense of excitement.


    This was a new layer, an undiscovered depth of his Qinghe. His raw intelligence shone undimmed, wild and unhidden under politeness or caution. And Wei Xiang couldn¡¯t wait to find out more, to see how the mind of this different version of his beloved worked.


    As his lips quirked up into a half-smile, Wei Xiang curiously asked, ¡°What small signs did you notice? How were you able to deduce from them that we knew your adult self before?¡±


    Feeling Wei Xiang¡¯s focus on him and sensing his interest, Qinghe felt intrigued. This person was so strange and interesting!


    With a grin, Qinghe began, ¡°When I woke up, I not only noticed my connection to the wind, but also how my hair had grown too long, how my constant hunger had disappeared, and how the clothes I woke up in were too big and loose. Even the belt was so loose that it had come undone. The logical conclusion is that my body must have been bigger when I was wearing it previously.


    ¡°And then came those two people. The silver-haired one definitely announced ¡®Xiao Feng, I¡¯ve come to visit¡¯ before he entered. He also said, ¡®I should have known. With that sort of naughty personality, it can only be our Xiao Feng.¡¯ His cute companion also called me ¡®Brother Feng¡¯. It clearly implies that they knew me, but seeing that I didn¡¯t know them, they tried to stop acting familiarly.


    ¡°Then when Father came, he was obviously startled. He should have already been informed about my presence here by you, so he should¡¯ve expected me to be there. That meant that something else¡ªmost likely my smaller appearance¡ªwas the aspect that shocked him. And soon after, right when you said that you had something to talk to Father about, the silver-haired man immediately offered to take me out of the room. It was obviously an attempt to make sure I wouldn¡¯t hear what you both were about to talk about, so it was probably related to me, or more specifically, my current condition.


    ¡°Afterward, when the silver-haired man took me outside, he clearly made sure to walk through paths where there would be no one. Even if I had turned into a child, why would he do that? Maybe because if the other people in that place saw me, they would recognize me despite my changed appearance and try to approach and talk to me, which might give something away. But for even those potential passersby to be able to recognize me, it can only mean that even as an adult, I spent a lot of time there. Maybe I even lived there.


    ¡°And then we saw those twin people who were definitely a lot older than me, but they still called me their ¡®senior brother¡¯ the first time they saw me. They also acted as if they were very familiar with me, so I must have known them when I was an adult. With this, I was almost sure of the situation. But though I was able to guess a lot from these incidents and some other smaller indications, I still needed confirmation. The most easiest way to do that would be to find out how much time had passed between my falling and the present time. And so, I tried to find this clearing using wind.


    ¡°As I can see from the plant growth here, it has been more than three decades already, which means that I should actually be more than thirty-five years old. From the familiar way they interacted with me, all those people I met today were people I seemed to already know. The place I woke up might also be my home, the place where the adult-me has been living in.¡±


    After talking so much, Qinghe finally stopped. Unfolding his legs and stretching them in front of him, the little boy leaned back to support himself with his palms, his gaze never leaving Wei Xiang¡¯s.


    In a soft, inquisitive voice, Qinghe asked, ¡°Now, this leaves me with a few questions: How did I become a child who does not remember being an adult? How can I change back? And¡­who are you to me? Since Father said that you are my future husband, I will believe him. But what about just before I became a child? What were you to me then?¡±


    After hearing all this, Wei Xiang could honestly say that no person had ever awed him as much as his beloved. His Qinghe always kept finding new ways to surprise him¡­


    In a low voice, Wei Xiang finally answered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re sure you¡¯ll change back on your own after a day. And the reason you became a child was because of your mother, but¡­¡± Shaking his head helplessly, Wei Xiang asked, ¡°Since she¡¯s involved, do you even need any more explanation?¡±


    Qinghe laughed. ¡°If it¡¯s Mother, then I¡¯m not surprised that I ended up like this. But what about you?¡± With an inquisitive glimmer in his eyes, he continued, ¡°I don¡¯t even know your name¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled, his eyes warming. ¡°My name is Wei Xiang, but you call me Xiang. I¡¯m the person you chose to spend your life together and raise children with, though I¡¯ll understand if you don¡¯t believe it just because of my say so.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, Xiang¡­¡± Qinghe tasted the name on his tongue, then tilted his head and asked doubtfully, ¡°So¡­you mean that you¡¯re like a husband to me, but without us getting married?¡±


    Nodding, Wei Xiang asked amusedly, ¡°Do you believe me?¡±


    Qinghe shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t really understand, but you seem nice and fun, so even if it were true, at least I have very good taste.¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled. His Qinghe was really too delightful. ¡°So, now that you¡¯ve figured it out, how do you feel?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s expression turned wry. ¡°Putting aside my body, I realize that my memories and personality are incomplete now. But after the end of the day, I will become my whole self again, so there¡¯s nothing for me to worry about.¡±


    Wei Xiang raised an eyebrow. He hadn¡¯t expected such a¡­rational observation from a child. But by now, he also understood that he should stop trying to presume his beloved¡¯s thoughts.


    Shaking his head, Wei Xiang asked. ¡°Then now that you know everything, what do you want to do?¡±


    The little boy blinked, then smiled cheerfully. ¡°I don¡¯t want anything to change. I still want to spend the day eating sweets and playing and having fun!¡±


    And so, getting up and dusting off his clothes, Qinghe ran to Wei Xiang and clutched his hand again, looking up at him expectantly.


    With a helpless smile, Wei Xiang finally spoke, ¡°Then I suppose we can go and do something you like.¡±


    The little boy happily nodded and the pair soon set off again.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡®Something Qinghe liked¡¯ ended up being splashing in water.


    On their way out of the forest, Qinghe spotted a natural lake and immediately declared that he felt very dusty, so he wanted to take a bath. He also managed to cajole Wei Xiang into accompanying him. Soon, the both of them had taken off their clothes and stood in the lake, with Wei Xiang very seriously washing up while the little Qinghe splashed and swam merrily in the cool waters.


    After a while of playing, Qinghe slowly stopped, his gaze drawn to the honey-skinned man¨D no, to his future husband Xiang standing in the lake, the waters reaching his waist.


    Not noticing the gaze fixed on him, Wei Xiang lifted up handfuls of clear water to pour over himself, his hands slicking over his smooth skin in firm swipes. A long stretch of gleaming black hair hung heavily down his back, some of the dark strands sticking to his skin. The bright daylight reflected off of the droplets trailing down his strong body, setting them aglow. The afternoon sun shone off the wetness sheathing his skin, making him seem gilded in liquid gold.


    Qinghe tilted his head, his eyes intently focused on Wei Xiang. His future husband was so pretty and shiny! He wanted to let his hands run over him to see if he could catch some of that gold on his wet skin too!


    With determination, Qinghe waded over to Wei Xiang and pressed his little hands onto Wei Xiang¡¯s back. Hmm, it felt warm and nice¡­ Maybe he should sneak in another lick too¡­


    Wei Xiang turned just in time, catching his beloved leaning over with his little tongue extended.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Qinghe, what are you doing?¡±


    Qinghe froze, then pulled his tongue back in and blinked up at Wei Xiang innocently. In a sincere voice, he complimented, ¡°You¡¯re very shiny!¡±


    Wei Xiang didn¡¯t know what to say to that, so he simply raised a hand and patted the little boy¡¯s head as he replied with a smile, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Beaming, Qinghe stepped closer and hugged him. For some reason, he felt that this person was very comfortable to snuggle up to. Was it because of the traces left behind in his mind by his adult self? Whatever it was, Qinghe decided that he didn¡¯t care as he blissfully rubbed his soft cheek over Wei Xiang¡¯s damp skin.


    Wei Xiang carefully hugged him back. This little child was so similar yet different to the Qinghe he knew. He seemed more unbridled, without the hesitation and fear of consequences that bound adults. Yet he was also as full of surprises as his grown-up self, and just as adorable and intelligent.


    Lifting his head up, his wide eyes shining with childish liveliness, Qinghe declared cheerfully, ¡°Having a naked party is so fun!¡±


    Wei Xiang froze, not knowing what expression to make. ¡°¡­Qinghe, what do you think the ¡®naked party¡¯ your mother told you is supposed to be?¡±


    Qinghe tilted his head and confidently said, ¡°Mother told me that a naked party is when two people aren¡¯t wearing any clothes and having lots of fun together.¡±


    Wei Xiang massaged his head and sighed.


    When the wyvern eggs hatched, was this the kind of education they¡¯d receive from their grandmother?! Wei Xiang decided that he would have to have a talk with his mother-in-law in advance about the kind of things that were and weren¡¯t appropriate to teach children!


    Meanwhile, Qinghe unwound his arms from around Wei Xiang and studied him once again with interest sparkling in his eyes. From up close, his future husband looked even more interesting! Qinghe¡¯s assessing gaze slipped down and down and¡­ Qinghe blinked, his hands reaching forward.


    Wei Xiang was suddenly brought out of his thoughts by the shocking sensation of a pair of small and soft hands wrapping around his relaxed member. Freezing, he looked down to see the little boy curiously studying the organ captured in his hand, his fingers rubbing here and there with interest.


    Wei Xiang hurriedly stepped back, his hands quickly circling the little boy¡¯s wrists to pull them away. ¡°Qinghe! What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡±


    Qinghe looked up at Wei Xiang with a confused expression. ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    Wei Xiang let out a sigh. His beloved was just a child, so he obviously didn¡¯t mean anything by his touch just now. And seeing the confusion on his face, it was clear that he also didn¡¯t understand what he¡¯d done.


    Softening his tone, Wei Xiang finally said, ¡°Qinghe, it¡¯s inappropriate to touch someone there without their permission.¡±


    Qinghe pouted at him cutely, looking wronged. ¡°But Xiang! You said that you¡¯ll be my husband in the future. So doesn¡¯t it mean that all of me will belong to you, and all of you should also belong to me? So why can¡¯t I touch something that¡¯ll be mine anyway?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Wei Xiang could only stare at his beloved. Why did these words just now feel like those of a rogue trying to take advantage of a skittish virgin?!


    But his beloved was after all only a child, so Wei Xiang firmly decided that he must have just been imagining it.


    Sighing, he replied, ¡°That¡¯s not how it works. Even if we were married, if one of us feels uncomfortable about something of this nature, then the other must absolutely not push it. Do you understand?¡±


    Qinghe puffed his cheeks to go along with his pout, but still dejectedly nodded. Ah well, he¡¯d just have to leave this for his adult self to take care of later!


    Wei Xiang smiled amusedly. ¡°Good. Now that we¡¯ve both finished washing up, we should start heading back.¡±


    And so, they both waded back to shore, where Wei Xiang retrieved a soft towel to carefully wipe his beloved¡¯s body, then used his innate control over fire to heat the air around his and Qinghe hair, drying it quickly. After they dressed, they set out towards Heavenly Peak Sect, with Qinghe once again bouncing around while talking incessantly, shoving sweet after sweet into his little mouth in between.


    And the whole time he accompanied him, Wei Xiang silently listened to his beloved¡¯s lively chatter, his lips raised in an indulgent smile.


    ¡­¡­


    By the time they reached Heavenly Peak Sect, it was already dusk.


    Currently, Qinghe was holding on to Wei Xiang¡¯s hand while walking towards his room, his steps light and brisk. He could feel tiredness weighing his limbs, but Qinghe was still determined to enjoy this day to the fullest!


    As Qinghe and Wei Xiang thus walked through the corridors, they unexpectedly came across another pair heading towards them.


    ¡°Sentinel Wei,¡± Chen Xiande greeted, then looked at the adorable little boy holding Wei Xiang¡¯s hand. ¡°May I ask who this little one is? And¡­why does he resemble my junior brother?¡±


    Beside him, Hei NingYu laughed carefreely. ¡°Little Sheep, I think that really is your junior brother. How did he shrink to become a tiny five-year-old?¡±


    Qinghe puffed his cheeks in displeasure. ¡°I¡¯m six years old, not five!¡±


    Hei NingYu chuckled while Chen Xiande just stared at the little boy.


    ¡°Sentinel Wei, is this really¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded. ¡°Yes, and this is just a side-effect that will last till the end of today. He doesn¡¯t remember anything that happened after he turned six, so keep that in mind.¡± Then looking down to his beloved, he said, ¡°Qinghe, this is your senior brother. Why don¡¯t you greet him?¡±


    Chen Xiande startled, turning to look at the child, only to meet a pair of wide and shining black eyes peering at him in return.


    Qinghe puzzled over how one usually greeted their senior brother, whatever that was supposed to mean. After a while of pondering, he finally approached Cheng Xiande, looking up at him seriously as he extended his hands toward him.


    Chen Xiande hesitated, then bent down, curious to see what his little junior brother was up to.


    Qinghe wrapped his arms around Chen Xiande, then pressed a small kiss to his cheek. Leaning back, he smiled at a stunned Chen Xiande and said cutely, ¡°Hello, Senior Brother!¡±


    Chen Xiande¡¯s heart melted, his face softening of its own accord. His junior brother was really too adorable for words!


    Beside him, Hei NingYu chuckled while Wei Xiang merely looked amused. ¡°Qinghe, I¡¯ll go and report to Master¨Dyour father¨Dabout everything today, so can you stay here with them for a while? You can ask them to lead you to back your room after you¡¯re done playing.¡±


    Qinghe looked at Wei Xiang and nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be good until then!¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled at the solemn promise. Turning to Chen Xiande and Hei NingYu, he asked, ¡°Would you mind accompanying him for a bit?¡±


    Knowing that he was giving his little sheep a chance to bond with this different version of his junior brother, Hei NingYu smiled wryly. Beside him, Chen Xiande quickly nodded his head as if afraid Wei Xiang would change his mind. ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯ll take good care of him.¡±


    Chen Xiande definitely did not want to miss this chance! And it was not just because he looked forward to playing with such a cute version of his junior brother.


    Chen Xiande still remembered the first time he met his second junior brother. Feng Qinghe had been so very thin and looked only eight or nine rather than the twelve he actually was. His pallor had been sick, his hair limp, while his soulful dark eyes seemed so cautious.


    By that time, Chen Xiande had already lacked human contact for more than a century and had already forgotten how to connect to or interact with others. Despite this, he had wanted to make sure his junior brother felt welcome, that he knew he had a senior brother who would care for him, so Chen Xiande had gone to try and bond with Qinghe.


    If he succeeded, if he finally had someone to talk to, someone who looked at him without revulsion, a cute little junior brother to take care of, then how wonderful would that be?


    And so, full of anticipation and nervousness, Chen Xiande approached his junior brother and offered a greeting. But Qinghe had simply looked at him with wide eyes, not saying anything in reply.


    Seeing this lack of reaction, though Chen Xiande felt that his presence was unwanted, he still decided to push harder. After gathering his courage, Chen Xiande finally tried to get closer and pat his junior brother¡¯s shoulder in comfort and reassurance, but Qinghe had violently flinched back instead.


    Having returned from his ordeal at the orphanage just a couple of months ago, his memory about the touches of those men was still all too fresh. And so, unable to hide the fear and horror in his eyes at that memory rekindled by this stranger¡¯s attempt to touch him, Qinghe had desperately fled from there.


    But thinking that his junior brother actually hated him enough show that sort of expression before running away from him, Chen Xiande had felt immensely hurt.


    Later, when his master found out that he¡¯d spooked his junior brother badly, Chen Xiande ended up being severely scolded and punished. Needless to say, that was when his hatred towards his seemingly unfriendly junior brother who seemed to have somehow gained their master¡¯s regard began to take root.


    It was only much later, after finding out the complete details about Qinghe¡¯s past, that Chen Xiande truly understood how much more frightening that experience must have been for his junior brother. That one disastrous meeting that had spawned such hate towards his junior brother was actually not what Chen Xiande had imagined it to be at all.


    But it was already too late to take back all the terrible things he did till then and to make amends.


    Now, faced with an even younger junior brother who looked up at him as cutely as he¡¯d once hoped, Chen Xiande felt both excitement and trepidation. He wanted to redo his first impression and treat this six-year-old child the way he had never managed to treat that broken twelve-year-old boy.


    And though he knew that this child would turn into an adult who would still remember his inerasable misdeeds, Chen Xiande still wanted to take this opportunity to do right by Feng Qinghe, at least in this small way.


    Seeing Chen Xiande¡¯s expression and finally feeling reassured that his beloved would be in good hands, Wei Xiang gave Chen Xiande and Hei NingYu a nod and left Qinghe with them. He then went off to find a secluded place to give Feng Huixin a report, knowing that his master would surely be anxious to know about his son¡¯s situation by now too.


    Meanwhile, Chen Xiande led Qinghe and Hei NingYu to a small garden nearby with plenty of stone benches littering the edges. Qinghe plopped down on one of them, wriggling as if with uncontainable energy. Chen Xiande sat beside him, with Hei NingYu sitting on his lover¡¯s other side.


    Qinghe looked up at Chen Xiande, and seeing that he seemed somewhat nervous, he decided to start speaking instead. In his clear and childish voice, he asked, ¡°Senior Brother, do you have sweets?¡±


    Hearing that respectful address, Chen Xiande felt very gratified, but facing those eyes gleaming with expectation, he also felt increasingly awkward. ¡°Uh¡­n-no, I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t.¡±


    Qinghe shrugged and smoothly continued, ¡°That¡¯s okay, I have some right here!¡±


    Seeing Qinghe proudly showing him the box he had been clutching all this while, Chen Xiande smiled. ¡°Do they¡­taste nice?¡±


    Nodding cheerfully, Qinghe offered, ¡°Do you want to share these sweets with me?¡±


    His chest feeling warm, Chen Xiande nodded. ¡°Yes, I would like that.¡±


    And so, Qinghe opened the box and carefully chose a candied fruit covered in crystalline sugar. Then lifting it up, he held it to Chen Xiande¡¯s lips. ¡°Here, try this, it¡¯s very tasty!¡±


    His eyes showing his quiet joy, Chen Xiande opened his mouth, feeling little fingers depositing something sweet and tart inside. With a happy expression, he chewed the treat. Even though he had almost bungled this up, he was both glad and grateful that his junior brother had still given him the kind of interaction he¡¯d hoped for!


    In the meantime, Qinghe chose another candied fruit and held it out to the Hei NingYu who was sitting on Chen Xiande¡¯s other side. ¡°Here, you can also have some,¡± he declared magnanimously.


    Hei NingYu suppressed his smile and solemnly accepted it. It was only then that Qinghe began eating the sweets himself, munching on them with a blissful expression.


    Even though Chen Xiande was awkward at making conversation and felt especially nervous at having to communicate with a child, Qinghe didn¡¯t mind that and kept dispensing treats while keeping up an energetic stream of chatter, maintaining a lively atmosphere.


    Soon, Chen Xiande¡¯s apprehension also lessened, and under the playful banter of both Hei NingYu and the little Qinghe, Chen Xiande was cheerfully laughing and joining in with sarcastic rejoinders of his own.


    The sky gradually darkened, with a few lonely dots of lights sparkling in the deep purple sky that had not yet turned completely black.


    Having spent a day filled with constant activity, Qinghe had finally gotten sleepy. He was leaning against Chen Xiande, his little fists rubbing his eyes as he yawned.


    With a content smile, Chen Xiande lifted his drowsy junior brother up and held him securely in his arms. ¡°Shall we get you back to your room?¡±


    Qinghe dazedly nodded. ¡°My Xiang will also be there¡­and I can cuddle with him and sleep¡­ He¡¯s very nice¡­and warm¡­¡±


    Chen Xiande¡¯s eyes gleamed with affection and amusement while Hei NingYu remarked with an eye-roll, ¡°We know, we know. Your future husband is the best, the most comfortable, the most prettiest¡­ you¡¯ve been repeatedly saying it for the last hour.¡±


    Qinghe sleepily snuggled deeper into Chen Xiande¡¯s chest. ¡°Hmm¡­I just want to make sure¡­that no one forgets¡­¡±


    Chen Xiande burst out laughing while struggling to keep himself quiet. Hei NingYu chuckled and shook his head. It seemed that with a small bribe of sweets, that Sentinel Wei had ended up securing this child¡¯s undying adoration.


    ¡­¡­


    Chen Xiande and Hei NingYu walked into Qinghe¡¯s room and were greeted with Wei Xiang already waiting there in his simple nightwear consisting of a single robe.


    Coming forward to take his drowsy beloved from Chen Xiande, Wei Xiang raised an eyebrow, ¡°Are you done then?¡±


    Chen Xiande reddened as he suddenly realized that this Sentinel Wei had actually been giving him a chance to bond with his junior brother. Chen Xiande embarrassedly bowed. ¡°Thank you for giving me the opportunity to spend time with my junior brother, Sentinel Wei. We¡¯ll leave him to you now.¡±


    And so, after giving the droopy Qinghe a small smile, Chen Xiande quickly left the room, with Hei NingYu following behind.


    Qinghe let out a long yawn and complained, ¡°Sleepy¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled. ¡°Then let¡¯s remove your clothing before you sleep. It would very uncomfortable otherwise if you return to your adult self during the night.¡±


    Qinghe nodded, then stayed limp like an over-boiled noodle as he let Wei Xiang remove his clothes before burrowing under the quilt and resting his head on the pillow. Ah, not wearing clothes was so nice¡­


    Then remembering something, Qinghe opened his bleary eyes and looked up at the Wei Xiang standing by the bedside. Lethargically patting the empty side of the bed, Qinghe declared, ¡°Since we¡¯ll be husbands¡­you should sleep here beside me. You¡¯re not allowed to¡­sleep somewhere else¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled, then replied with humor gleaming in his eyes, ¡°Very well, then. Since my Little Lord Feng has decreed so, I shall obediently comply.¡±


    The sleepy Qinghe didn¡¯t even try to make sense of it, just feeling glad that his Xiang was finally lying down beside him.


    In a hazy voice, Qinghe commanded, ¡°Xiang¡­hand¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled silently and extended his hand towards Qinghe, who promptly place Wei Xiang¡¯s palm over his stomach. Qinghe sighed happily. His future husband¡¯s palm felt so big and warm on his belly, its weight so comforting and steadying. Qinghe placed one of his own palms over that bigger hand and felt contentment filling him up.


    Inching close to his beloved, Wei Xiang quietly asked, ¡°Qinghe, how was today?¡±


    Qinghe smiled sleepily. ¡°It was¡­nice. Very nice. Everyone was¡­so¡­¡±


    ¡°Nice?¡± Wei Xiang amusedly finished for him.


    Qinghe dazedly nodded. His sleepy mind slipped back to thinking about this last one year in the orphanage, about how he had to quickly sharpen his wits, suppress his childishness, and get rid of his na?vet¨¦ just to be able to survive in there. He always had to maintain his vigilance. There was no sense of security, no assurance that he¡¯d be able to live another day. In such a situation, there had obviously been no place for him to behave spoiled or expect warmth and care.


    But here, today, he had experienced the true bliss of being a pampered and coddled child drowning in affection once again.


    Qinghe struggled to keep himself awake as he finally said, ¡°You know¡­acting like a child¡­letting myself act like my age¡­is such a nice luxury. I want to¡­thank you all¡­for that¡­ Xiang¡­thank you for¡­staying with¡­.¡­me¡­¡±


    With that, Qinghe slowly eased into sleep, leaving Wei Xiang gazing at him with a warm expression and a soft smile.


    Wei Xiang felt that he was the one who should thank his beloved for being so delightful, for showing him another side of him, and for his Qinghe just being himself.


    Leaning towards him, Wei Xiang kissed the little Qinghe¡¯s plump cheek, then lay back down to sleep.


    And so, as the day finally came to a close, the quiet peace of the night slowly settled over the two slumbering figures.


    ¡­¡­


    Early in the next morning, while the world was still under the blanket of hushed sleep, the side-effects of the tea finally wore off, and a certain little Qinghe slowly regained the rest of his memories and became an adult Qinghe again.


    And the adult Qinghe wished more than anything that he could just erase some parts of yesterday!


    Thinking about the way he had behaved in front of his friends and all the things he said and did to his lover¡­Qinghe finally understood why his senior brother sometimes said that he wanted to disappear off the face of the earth. He had never felt such intense mortification before!


    Soon after, Wei Xiang slowly woke up and saw that as he had expected, Qinghe had really returned to his normal self.


    Seeing how his little lover¡¯s face was buried in his hands, his ears a bright red, Wei Xiang let out a chuckle. ¡°Qinghe, love, how are you feeling?¡±


    From behind his hands came a muffled voice, ¡°Please tell me yesterday was a dream.¡±


    Wei Xiang laughed and merrily burst his beloved¡¯s bubble, ¡°I¡¯m afraid everything really did happen. You really did become a six-year-old child, and you really did meet the others in that form while acting like an adorable brat.¡±


    As he thought back over all that happened yesterday once again, Qinghe drowned in abject embarrassment, wishing he could just dissolve himself into the air for a few days.


    Finally taking pity, Wei Xiang gently coaxed his lover, ¡°Qinghe, whatever happened, already happened. You can¡¯t change it. I¡¯m sure that everyone knows that the you in your child form is not the same as the you now. They definitely won¡¯t think any differently of you just because of yesterday, so stop fretting, love.¡±


    Qinghe hesitated, then finally lowered his hands. After all, what would this accomplish? With a sigh, he admitted, ¡°You¡¯re right. They¡­they¡¯ll all know that I didn¡¯t have all my memories when I acted like that.¡±


    Nodding, Qinghe tried to convince himself of that and almost succeeded.


    Beside him, Wei Xiang pulled his beloved close, hugging him with one arm as he showed a cheeky grin. ¡°Yes, so let¡¯s just forget about it and have a naked party.¡±


    Reminded of such an embarrassing thing, Qinghe covered his face once again with a miserable groan while Wei Xiang¡¯s delighted laughter rang loudly in the room.


    And thus started another normal day.


    crimson_carnation


    Thank you all for your support in the meantime! (?? ¦Ø ??)?

 Extra 7: An Educational Book

    Qinghe and Wei Xiang were lying down side by side on the bed, fresh out of a bath after a bout of strenuous bed activities.


    The sheets were neat and clean now, though a vague smell of sweat and sex still lingered in the room. Soon, Wei Xiang would head off to work with Feng Huixin while Qinghe, on the other hand, had just secured a day off today from accompanying his mother to the heavenly armies. And so, the couple had taken this time in between to play and romp around between the sheets.


    As the thin lines of morning light piercing through the gap between the curtains lit the room softly, the pair of lovers comfortably snuggled in the bed, eyes wide open.


    In the hushed quiet, Wei Xiang spoke in a low, husky voice, ¡°Qinghe, did you like what we did today?¡±


    A faint pink blush suffused Qinghe¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Y-Yes¡­ Of course I did. Couldn¡¯t you tell it by the way I kept asking you to touch me more like that?¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled. Ah, how bold his beloved had grown.


    He thought back to a certain night long ago and wondered at how far his little lover had come from that uncertain and shy young man of their first time together.


    Qinghe had now become so much more assertive and confident while also learning how to give pleasure back even as he unabashedly asked for more. There was still some bashfulness when he was faced with something for the first time, but he would still fully embrace it, learning even new sexual techniques diligently. For Wei Xiang, seeing this gradual transformation as Qinghe grew more comfortable with expressing himself sexually had been a very satisfying and interesting experience.


    Now, Wei Xiang couldn¡¯t help but think, was it time to take this a bit further? But he was afraid that if he suggested exploring new levels, his beloved might agree to do it just because it was what Wei Xiang wanted and not because it was something Qinghe himself was interested in. After all, Wei Xiang knew that his Qinghe had the tendency to hold back his own dissatisfaction or discomfort if it meant that his loved ones could be happy. So rather than him suggesting doing something particular¡­


    Wei Xiang sighed. ¡°If it were anyone else, I¡¯d ask them what fantasies they have and work from there, but¡­I suppose I can¡¯t apply that to you since you wouldn¡¯t have any fantasies of that sort, would you?¡±


    Though Wei Xiang had only been muttering to himself, Qinghe still heard him and puffed up his cheeks in reaction. ¡°Xiang, why would you say that? I have plenty of fantasies too!¡±


    Wei Xiang focused his attention on the warm and lovable person in his arms and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Oh? Like what?¡±


    Qinghe snuggled in deeper and answered, ¡°Like¡­one time when I was little, I fantasized about how nice it would be if I had an entire room made with different types of sweets all to myself. I bet I could finish all that tasty furniture in under a week.¡±


    Looking at his little lover¡¯s blissful expression as he imagined that, Wei Xiang slumped over laughing.


    Qinghe looked at his amused lover with puzzlement as he poked his shaking shoulder. ¡°Xiang?¡±


    Wei Xiang shook his head as he tried to get his chuckles under control, then tried to ask again, ¡°Love, by fantasies, I mean sexual fantasies in particular.¡±


    Qinghe tilted his head confusedly. Since a room made of sweets wouldn¡¯t come under a sexual fantasy¡­


    ¡°Then¡­a room full of sex?¡± he replied in an uncertain voice.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s barely-suppressed laughter burst out again.


    Qinghe pouted, but seeing the wide smile on his beloved soon melted away his dissatisfaction. Ah well, even he had to admit that despite all these years, his knowledge about the things one could do during sex was limited. Maybe he should try to find out more. Then he could form sexual fantasies of his own and tell his Xiang about them!


    Qinghe smiled to himself happily.


    After he was done laughing to his heart¡¯s content, Wei Xiang let out a breath and finally got up. Qinghe sighed regretfully and also sat up. He really wanted to spend more time with his lover right now, but he supposed that he could wait a few more hours until Wei Xiang returned.


    Since they¡¯d already bathed, Wei Xiang simply took out a set of his new uniform for the Offices of Judgment to start dressing. This set of robes was less ornate than his Sentinel garb, but still more decorated than Feng Huixin¡¯s usual plain robe.


    As Wei Xiang was in the process of wearing his inner clothes, Qinghe suddenly interrupted him. ¡°Wait, Xiang, let me put it on for you.¡±


    Wei Xiang looked at him askance, so Qinghe explained, ¡°I¡¯m trying to pamper you for once, so be good and let me help you with it.¡±


    His eyes gleaming with affectionate amusement, Wei Xiang easily agreed, ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll try to be good.¡±


    And so, as Wei Xiang obediently cooperated, Qinghe carefully began the long and arduous process of fastening, buckling, strapping, and slotting in the various layers of robes, light armor, weapons, talismans and devices that were both hidden and easily accessible, along with all sorts of assorted ammunition. The entire set of clothes and equipment was likely to be as heavy as a huge boulder, but Wei Xiang moved light and limber even under all that weight. Once Wei Xiang was dressed, Qinghe diligently combed his lover¡¯s hair and arranged it in its usual hairdo.


    As Qinghe finally helped his beloved with putting on his shoes, he looked up and asked, ¡°Does everything fit alright? Is it uncomfortable anywhere?¡±


    Wei Xiang bent down to place a small kiss on Qinghe¡¯s lips. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Thank you for helping me.¡±


    Qinghe reached up and wrapped his arms around his beloved¡¯s shoulders and pulled him down to deepen the kiss. Wei Xiang¡¯s hands rested on his little lover¡¯s waist as he pulled Qinghe up to sit on his lap. Since Qinghe hadn¡¯t yet dressed, Wei Xiang¡¯s palms were able to directly touch and slide all over his beloved¡¯s bare body.


    As Wei Xiang¡¯s naughty fingers slowly drifted downward and began teasing his slowly rising member, Qinghe moaned softly, but still leaned back, pushing away his eager lover. ¡°¡­X-Xiang¡­enough for now¡­ You won¡¯t be able to leave on time if this goes on.¡±


    Wei Xiang stopped despite the urgency burning inside him. Letting out a heavy breath, he nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll head off now. I¡¯ll be back by this afternoon or evening.¡±


    Qinghe leaned in for one last peck on his beloved¡¯s cheek before standing up and taking a short step back to control himself. ¡°I¡¯m planning on heading down to the mortal realm today, so I¡¯ll probably be in my room in the sect when you return.¡±


    His gaze still fixed on his little lover¡¯s flushed face, Wei Xiang extended a hand and ran his fingertips over Qinghe¡¯s stomach decorated with a scattering of telltale pinks marks from before. Qinghe shuddered at the delicate sensation , but didn''t stop his beloved.


    Wei Xiang withdrew his hand and said in a husky voice, ¡°I¡¯ll come visit you in the sect after I¡¯m done, and then we can continue where we left off now.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s lips were parted and his eyes dark as he shakily nodded.


    After Wei Xiang gave his beloved a quick hug, he swiftly walked out of the room to find his master before he could become tempted to do certain interesting things that would have his Qinghe melting into his arms and moaning with pleasure.


    In the room, after taking some time to get himself under control, Qinghe finally began getting ready for the day.


    He still didn¡¯t forget his intention to learn more about sexual matters, so once he was dressed and prepared, he directly headed down to the Heavenly Peak Sect to ask someone he knew about it.


    And later, after his Xiang came back, maybe they could both work on fulfilling his new fantasies.


    ¡­¡­


    The first closely familiar people Qinghe caught sight of were the twins.


    In a solemn tone, Qinghe immediately said, ¡°Jin-er, Yin-er, your senior brother needs your help. I want your advice on how to broaden my horizons regarding sexual matters.¡±


    At first, Fei Jin and Fei Yin didn¡¯t know how to respond. But once they snapped out of their startlement, they each held one of Qinghe¡¯s hands and suddenly began dragging him towards the library.


    ¡°Senior Brother, don¡¯t worry, we have just the thing to help you!¡± Fei Jin said while Fei Yin nodded in accord with his brother. ¡°It already helped us once before.¡±


    Qinghe raised his eyebrows, but let the twins take him all the way up to where the Elder overseeing the library was seated inside behind a low table, slowly sipping a cup of steaming tea. This Elder was well-known for being a connoisseur of tea, and he often collected rare types with exquisite flavors and sat here in the library, with a pot of his special tea resting at the side as he slowly savored a cup every now and then.


    As the twins and Qinghe skidded to a stop in front of him, the Elder barely raised an eyebrow. After leisurely swallowing another mouthful, he finally asked, his voice deep and dignified, ¡°Which book do you seek today?¡±


    No sooner had the words left his lips than he began taking another sip as if loathe to part from the cup.


    Already used to this, Fei Jin didn¡¯t delay as he immediately stated, ¡°Elder Ying, we want you to let Senior Brother borrow The Ways.¡±


    Elder Ying promptly spurted out the tea in his mouth and began coughing. Did these brats just say that they wanted to show that sort of a thing to this famous disciple of their sect, Feng Qinghe of all people?!


    Qinghe had on a worried frown as he asked, ¡°Elder Ying, are you alright? What¡¯s wrong? And what are ¡®The Ways¡¯?¡±


    The twins showed mysterious smiles. ¡°You¡¯ll see soon, Senior Brother.¡±


    Elder Ying looked up at Qinghe¡¯s confused face with pity. Ah, this innocence would soon be gone¡­


    After regretfully wiping up the spill of his precious tea on the table, the Elder got up and straightened his clothes. ¡°Very well, I will let Disciple Feng borrow that book. Follow me then.¡±


    And so, Qinghe and the twins walked behind Elder Ying as he led the way through the tall bookshelves to a small alcove that seemed hidden in the shadows, unable to be found unless someone already knew it was there.


    Qinghe felt curious. Just what sort of a book was The Ways and why was there a need for this much secrecy?


    As they entered the alcove, Qinghe saw that one of the walls was carved into a stone bookshelf with various books stuffed into it. Qinghe¡¯s gaze wandered over the haphazardly arranged books as he read a few titles that were visible: The Art of Opening a Flower, To Perfectly Maintain a Sword in Old Age, The Technique of Ushering Spring to a Desert, How to Properly Sheathe and Unsheathe a Knife, The Process of Making a New Bud Bloom, The Many Methods of Satiating a Ravenous Sword by Hand¡­


    Qinghe tilted his head, completely puzzled. Why did these all seem like strange books about gardening or maintaining blades? What did any of these have to do with what he wanted? And why were these books kept away here in a corner and not in their designated places in the main part of the library?


    As Qinghe pondered, the Elder reached for a certain book in a higher shelf and carefully presented it to him. Qinghe came out of his musings and accepted it, looking over at its cover. With elegant brushstrokes, the title proudly proclaimed that the book was called The Profound Ways of the Sword and Chrysanthemum.


    Qinghe opened the book, then immediately raised his eyebrows in startlement at the unexpected content inside. So it turned out to be that sort of sword and chrysanthemum.


    ¡°I¡­see. This can certainly be¡­enlightening, I suppose. So I take it that all the other books in this shelf are also this type of¡­informational picture books?¡±


    Fei Jin and Fei Yin smilingly nodded at their senior brother while Elder Ying snorted. ¡°Just call them porn, because that¡¯s what it is for the most part. The library keeps the most vetted and trustworthy works of that sort here so that young ones exploring their sexuality for the first time won¡¯t be misled by false information or someone¡¯s unrealistic fantasies. In that aspect, the books here can even be called educational, I suppose. Of course, we wouldn¡¯t want little children to find these sorts of books before they¡¯re ready, so we have them hidden away here.¡± Then in a stern voice, the Elder continued, ¡°Putting that aside, since you¡¯re borrowing a book, I expect you to return it within the stipulated time, Disciple Feng.¡±


    Qinghe nodded with an elegant smile. ¡°Of course, Elder Ying. I¡¯ll return it within a week. Thank you for your help.¡±


    After giving a bow to the Elder, Qinghe was just turning to leave the alcove when his eyes caught the shelf from where the Elder had retrieved this book. Up there, two more books that looked like the one in Qinghe¡¯s hand were lying slumped against each other.


    Stopping, Qinghe looked at the Elder to ask, ¡°Is this book so sought out that there are three copies of it here?¡± After all, even the most well-worn books in this shelf seemed to only have a maximum of two copies at the most.


    With a slight smile, Elder Ying stroked his beard and answered, ¡°Yes, it certainly seems popular. There is even an Elder who comes specifically for this book every week on this day.¡±


    Qinghe showed a wry expression. All this time in this sect and he had never known any of this¡­ But now that he¡¯d found out about the shelf with these books, Qinghe was planning to visit frequently until he¡¯d absorbed all this new information.


    Just thinking of learning new ways in which he and his Xiang could explore each other, Qinghe could hardly contain his excitement.


    ¡­¡­


    After coming out of the library, Qinghe thanked the twins before sending them away and started walking in the direction of his room to peruse the book in peace.


    On his way, he came across Chen Xiande standing to the side and seriously advising a group of juniors who were all looking at him with rapt attention and respect. Seeing his junior brother, Chen Xiande said a few more words to the young juniors before making his way towards Qinghe.


    ¡°Junior Brother, when did you arrive back in the sect?¡± he asked while studiously trying not to think about the little version of Feng Qinghe feeding him candied fruit.


    Qinghe quickly suppressed his own mixture of amusement and embarrassment at that memory and replied with a calm expression, ¡°I only returned less than an hour ago. Was Senior Brother looking for me for something?¡±


    Chen Xiande shook his head. ¡°I just wanted to greet Junior Brother. If you¡¯re in a hurry, then I won¡¯t keep you any longer.¡±


    Qinghe chuckled and said, ¡°I¡¯m not in a hurry. I was just planning on spending my time reading a certain book from the library. It¡¯s nothing urgent.¡±


    Growing inquisitive, Chen Xiande asked, ¡°Oh? What sort of book is it? Does it detail any new cultivation methods?¡±


    Retrieving the book from his storage space, Qinghe held it up for his senior brother to see. Chen Xiande read the title of The Profound Ways of the Sword and Chrysanthemum with an intrigued expression.


    Meanwhile, Qinghe thought about how he could indeed use the knowledge gained from this book in dual cultivation and answered with a straight face, ¡°Yes, the techniques from this book can certainly be used in certain, ehem, specific types of cultivation.¡±


    Then thinking about how useful it would be to have someone else beside him to explain the things in the book that he might not understand, Qinghe extended an invitation, ¡°If Senior Brother has nothing pressing to do at the moment, then would you like to accompany me to learn from this book?¡±


    Chen Xiande barely hesitated a moment before nodding. Before, he had been taught plenty of things by this junior brother of his, but Chen Xiande had never learnt anything together with him as fellow disciples, so he was very eager to experience that.


    And so, Qinghe and Chen Xiande set off for Qinghe¡¯s room.


    After they reached it and walked inside, removing their shoes by the door as usual, Qinghe directly headed for the bed and plopped down on it cross-legged. Patting the space beside him, he called, ¡°Senior Brother, let¡¯s not stand on propriety. Why don¡¯t you come and sit here? It¡¯s far more comfortable than the hard wood of a chair.¡±


    Though Chen Xiande felt startled, he still hesitantly made his way forward and gingerly sat on the bed¡¯s edge while courteously keeping his feet down on the floor. He cherished this closeness with his junior brother, so he didn¡¯t want to risk doing something that might offend him.


    Not minding his stiffness, Qinghe took out the book again as he said, ¡°Since I¡¯ve never read books like these before, I hope for Senior Brother¡¯s guidance if I don¡¯t understand anything.¡±


    Chen Xiande looked at him with surprise. Was there even anything his junior brother would lack understanding in more than him?! But pushing aside his incredulity, Chen Xiande still nodded. ¡°As your senior brother, I will try to help you to the best of my abilities.¡±


    Qinghe smiled and was just about to open the book when he heard quiet footsteps sounding outside in the hallway, right before the door was opened to reveal a dazed Jing Shui.


    The pair of martial brothers sitting on the bed looked up at Jing Shui with puzzlement.


    Qinghe was the first to talk, his face regaining its calm as he smiled and said, ¡°Hello, Brother Jing. After you leave your shoes by the door, why don¡¯t you come in and join us here?¡±


    Jing Shui just looked at Qinghe blankly for a moment, then woodenly nodded his head. After closing the door behind him and removing his shoes, Jing Shui walked towards the other two and climbed up on the bed without thinking much about it.


    Qinghe and Chen Xiande kept looking at Jing Shui, sensing that he maybe had something he wanted to say.


    Suddenly Jing Shui broke out, ¡°Wu Xiao and I are considering having a child!¡±


    Qinghe and Chen Xiande¡¯s eyes immediately widened at this unexpected proclamation.


    Then Qinghe quickly leaned sideways to hug his friend. ¡°If you are sure that you¡¯re ready for it, then I¡¯m very happy for you.¡±


    The Jing Shui who was unexpectedly hugged by the adult version of his friend for the first time felt both shocked and pleased. His face reddened and he coughed. ¡°Yes, th-thank you.¡±


    Qinghe finally let go and leaned back with a happy smile on his face.


    His eyes gleaming with a quiet joy, Chen Xiande spoke, ¡°Brother Jing, that is indeed happy news. But are you and Sect Master Wu planning on marrying before or after having a child?¡±


    His face already flushed with bashfulness and excitement at sharing the news, Jing Shui lowered his head and fiddled with his robe as he answered, ¡°We might have a grand wedding sometime in the future to officialize our relationship, but for now, I¡¯m content with things as they stand. And as for the child¡­ I don¡¯t want to conceive one impulsively. So we first plan to gather as much information about it as we can and prepare ourselves to the maximum before beginning the process.¡±


    Qinghe nodded. ¡°That¡¯s a good way to approach this. Brother Jing, no matter the timing or method you choose, remember that Senior Brother and I will always be here to support you. If you wish to know more about this, then would you like me to ask the help of the Deity of Health who also oversees births? He¡¯s a friend of my mother¡¯s, and he¡¯s surprisingly dependable despite the company he keeps.¡±


    Hearing this, both Jing Shui and Chen Xiande couldn¡¯t help but think¡ªThe way he just said it, didn¡¯t it mean that he was implying that his own mother and her other friends were undependable?!


    But for the Qinghe who just recently fell into the mischief of both his mother and her friend Ai Li due to that tea that turned him into a child, he definitely meant exactly that!


    Shaking his head with a smile, Jing Shui finally said, ¡°Yes, that would be very helpful, Brother Feng.¡± Then with his eyes gleaming with interest, he asked, ¡°However, I am curious, when are Brother Feng and Brother Chen going to have their own marriages?¡±


    Chen Xiande showed a wry smile. ¡°NingYu and I have discussed this before, and neither of us really feels the need for a marriage or wedding. But that¡¯s just a personal preference for us. What about Junior Brother? I heard you saying once before that you wanted to marry after ascending and meeting your mother. So why haven¡¯t you?¡±


    Qinghe shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ve all been busy with various things. Father is still working through the backlog of his work caused due to all the decades he spent away from the Offices of Judgment because of my fall. Mother is busy with dealing with Uncle Xie and finding a place for him in the ranks of her people and also making up for all the time lost when she had to stay apart from Father and me. Xiang is occupied with assimilating himself into the Offices of Judgment and getting to know Father¡¯s people while also evading the subtle political maneuvers from the True Dragon clan to get him into their fold. And I¡¯ve been assisting them all from the side while also spending time helping at the sect. Though we do have free days in between all that, they seldom coincide, and even when they do, we¡¯re too busy catching each other up. We simply don¡¯t have the leisure to plan something as time-consuming as a wedding.


    ¡°Later, when things calm down, we¡¯re planning on having the Heavenly Emperor marry us in the heavenly realm, with all the deities attending. I would¡¯ve liked to hold the wedding in this world, but it would be dangerous for the stability of the realm to have those many deities congregated in one place. If any two of them forget to control their powers¡­ It¡¯s a disaster I¡¯d rather not risk. So all of us discussed and decided that after the wedding in the heavenly realm, we¡¯d hold another, smaller ceremony in the sect again so that the people close to us in this world can also attend. But for now, all of that is still some time away.¡±


    Chan Xiande smiled and commented, ¡°Then it seems like I¡¯ll have at least two weddings to attend in the future, even if I don¡¯t have one of my own.¡±


    Jing Shui chuckled and nodded. ¡°It does appear so.¡±


    As they¡¯d kept chatting casually, the tension in both Jing Shui and Chen Xiande¡¯s bodies had also loosened as they sat more comfortably. This was the most open the three of them had ever been with each other, and it made them all feel even more closer than before.


    In a cheerful voice, Jing Shui asked, ¡°Then what about kids? Are you both planning on having them?¡±


    Chen Xiande immediately shook his head. ¡°Both NingYu and I are not very good at dealing with children, and neither of us has the patience for it either. The thought of having children and our family growing is satisfying, but the process and the responsibility are too much for us currently. We might change our minds later, but it won¡¯t be in the foreseeable future, at least.¡±


    Chuckling, Qinghe commented, ¡°I have a difficult time imagining you and Sect Leader Hei with children as well. But it¡¯s fine as long as you¡¯re content with your decision.¡±


    Chen Xiande smiled. ¡°And what about you, Junior Brother? You seem like you would enjoy having kids running around your house.¡±


    Qinghe grinned and replied, ¡°I suppose I haven¡¯t told you both yet, but Xiang and I already adopted a few children. Well, they¡¯re not yet born, since they¡¯re still inside their eggs. They¡¯re actually Xiang¡¯s unhatched brothers and sisters that had remained all this time within that pocket dimension guarded by the tree guardian in the Spirit Bewildering Forest that we visited before.¡±


    Jing Shui and Chen Xiande just stared at him with complete shock, unable to process this information.


    Finally, Jing Shui managed to open his mouth and get out, ¡°What?! How did that¨D? How is that possible?! Didn¡¯t you and Sentinel Wei just go in there to kill that serpent beast that was on the verge of going demonic? Why would Sentinel Wei¡¯s unhatched siblings be inside?!¡±


    Qinghe showed a wry expression. Back then, he hadn¡¯t wanted Wei Xiang¡¯s identity as a wyvern to be exposed, so he¡¯d glossed over what had actually happened. Now that Wei Xiang¡¯s heritage was no longer a secret, Qinghe took the time to explain everything that had actually happened in full detail to his friends now, while also conveying the circumstances that had led him and Wei Xiang to decide on adopting the eggs.


    Jing Shui and Chen Xiande¡¯s eyes got wider and wider as Qinghe spoke about Wei Xiang¡¯s past, about the dragon queen, and how Qinghe had dealt with the elders of the True Dragon clans by misleading them.


    Once he was done relating everything, silence resounded.


    A few moments later, when he was finally able to speak, Chen Xiande said simply, ¡°As expected of Junior Brother. You really know how to manipulate misfortune to turn it into good fortune.¡±


    Jing Shui shook his head and smiled. ¡°That was very well done, Brother Feng. It¡¯s good that you were able to remember the existence of those eggs and use it to maximum advantage against those scheming dragon elders.¡±


    Qinghe smiled happily at the compliments.


    After a moment of hesitation, Jing Shui asked, ¡°Brother Feng, even though you¡¯ll have the children of those twelve eggs to look forward to, do you ever plan to conceive yours and Sentinel Wei¡¯s child?¡±


    Hearing this, Qinghe unconsciously drew in his shoulders and curled his body, hugging himself. But knowing that his friend was only being curious, Qinghe still forced himself to answer, ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ No. No, I really don¡¯t want to. I¡­ That thought is very frightening to me. If I had to grow a child in my body, then I would have to be a lot more careful about what I do and take very good care of my health. I would have to limit my movements, and I would lose my combat effectiveness. I would be unable to protect myself or the people I care for, and that is unacceptable to me.¡±


    Jing Shui grew distressed at seeing his friend like this and how upset he seemed at that prospect.


    Chen Xiande frowned with both worry and confusion. ¡°But Junior Brother, you do not have to be ready for combat at all times. You should know by now that you have many people on your side¨Dus, your friends, the entire Heavenly Peak Sect, your Sentinel lover, your parents, and other people from both the cultivation and mortal worlds¨Dall of us will help you and protect you if you ever have the need.¡±


    Qinghe squeezed his eyes closed and shook his head, his pallor seeming somewhat pale. ¡°I-I know that logically, but¡­ the thought of not being able to protect myself, of being that vulnerable and dependant on someone else, just thinking how the new life growing in me would take away that much of my control over my own body¡­ all of it is very, very horrifying. I don¡¯t want to be in that situation again. I don¡¯t want to give up control over myself, because sometimes, that¡¯s the only thing one can have. If I was to ever end up in that sort of situation again, then it¡¯s the only thing that can keep me sane. I can¡¯t¡­I can¡¯t give that away¡­¡±


    Anxiousness and urgent desperation colored his voice as Qinghe seemed to shrink into himself.


    Though he was able to look beyond what had happened to him in the orphanage, though he was able to spend his days more and more free from his past recently, it still did not erase what had already happened. He was just able to deal with it better due to his lover¡¯s, friends¡¯, and family¡¯s support. But some things were beyond his ability to cope with right now.


    Someday in the future, after he had a lot more time to heal, these issues might stop plaguing him. He might even want to have a child of his own mixing and playing with his adopted ones, but that time was still far away. Bearing a child was still beyond what he could endure right now.


    Understanding all this, Jing Shui and Chen Xiande showed expressions of heartbreak.


    Chen Xiande leaned towards his hunched-over junior brother and slowly rubbed his back in silent comfort.


    Jing Shui gentled his voice and spoke, ¡°It¡¯s alright. Since you don¡¯t want to, you don¡¯t have to. No one will force you to bear children. If anyone tries, then you will have me and Wu Xiao to back you up and protect you against them. I will never let anyone force that onto you.¡±


    Chen Xiande immediately added, ¡°And I will do everything I can too. I will make both our sect and NingYu¡¯s demonic faction help you. Even if it¡¯s a deity or some heavenly beast, we won¡¯t let anyone hurt you that way.¡±


    As he heard these firm reassurances spoken in such a confident tone, Qinghe felt as if something inside him that had been tightening in dread all this while was slowly loosening. He forced his body to relax and straighten as he focused on taking deep breaths. He opened his eyes to reveal their red rims. Letting out a heavy breath, Qinghe finally spoke in a slightly husky voice, ¡°Thank you. I¡­will keep it in mind.¡±


    Chen Xiande nodded, his expression serious, while Jing Shui looked like he was debating something. Then with a hesitant expression, Jing Shui slowly leaned towards Qinghe and enveloped him in a hug. Quickly withdrawing before a startled Qinghe could reciprocate, Jing Shui spoke with awkwardness, ¡°A-Anyway, let¡¯s not dwell on it for too long. Brother Feng, what was that book I saw you holding before?¡±


    Qinghe blinked at how quickly Jing Shui changed the subject. He was just about to answer when Chen Xiande spoke out, ¡°I¡¯ve been told that that book has techniques that can help with cultivation. Maybe they are augmentative?¡±


    Qinghe coughed and nodded. ¡°That is true in a way, I suppose. Would Brother Jing like to take a look as well? Senior Brother and I were just about to start learning from it.¡±


    Jing Shui¡¯s eyes shone with curiosity and interest. ¡°Yes, I¡¯d like to, if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    And so, Jing Shui and Chen Xiande crowded on either side of Qinghe, waiting for him to open the book so that they could see what was inside. It surely must be some great and new method of cultivation! Even the book¡¯s name, The Profound Ways of the Sword and Chrysanthemum, sounded so intriguing!


    Not wanting to keep his eager friends waiting, Qinghe opened the book and flipped to the first page. But seeing what was on the page, both Jing Shui and Chen Xiande¡¯s eyes rounded as their mouths dropped open.


    Depicted in lurid detail on the paper and drawn using plain black lines was a pair of naked male bodies. One of them was bent over while the other had spread open the bent man¡¯s buttocks, a single finger in the midst of pushing into the revealed entrance at a certain angle to demonstrate the proper way of using fingers for preparation. At the corners and sides, neat lines of tiny text explained which types of lubrication were safe and how to warm up the liquid before usage.


    Looking it over once, Qinghe raised an eyebrow in appreciation. It seemed that Elder Ying was right, this book really was educational.


    On the other hand, Jing Shui¡¯s face reddened as he quickly turned his face away while Chen Xiande began stuttering, ¡°J-J-Junior Brother! I-I think y-you ended up picking the wrong book!¡±


    Qinghe smiled and calmly replied, ¡°No, this is indeed the right book, Senior Brother. Didn¡¯t I say that the techniques in here could help in certain methods of cultivation? I forgot to mention that I actually meant dual cultivation. You have to admit, knowing new bed techniques would certainly help in that area.¡±


    Even as they bemoaned in their hearts at how Qinghe had misled them, Chen Xiande and Jing Shui could certainly not refute this. And looking at how Qinghe''s expression remained composed despite the pornographic image in front of him, they both felt their own embarrassment and shock receding a bit as well. And since they were curious too, they slowly pushed down their own shyness and started perusing the book long with an obviously interested Qinghe.


    As Qinghe slowly turned the pages one by one, he started openly asking questions about certain things, slowly sparking an open discussion about the topic of sex as Chen Xiande and Jing Shui began explaining. Of the three, Chen Xiande had a good grasp of the basics while Jing Shui had the most knowledge about the more unusual side of it. Qinghe intently listened to both of them and absorbed everything he could.


    ¡°But why would people want to be tied up?¡± Qinghe asked another question, his tone puzzled.


    By now, they had already flipped through one-third of the book. On the current page was a naked and spread-eagled young man, his wrists and ankles tied to the four posters of a bare wooden bed. From the state of his member, he obviously seemed to be enjoying it very much.


    Hearing Qinghe¡¯s question, Chen Xiande looked at Jing Shui as if also waiting for an answer. Even though he vaguely had an idea, he was still curious to know more from this friend of his who strangely seemed adept in this aspect.


    Jing Shui coughed, almost used to the constant heat of the embarrassed flush painting his cheeks by now. ¡°Th-That is¡­ I suppose you can say that it¡¯s a matter of trust. It¡¯s about giving up control to someone you have unquestionable faith in and believing that they¡­ehem, will give you pleasure. Being at the mercy of the person you love and trust is in and of itself arousing for many people.¡±


    Chen Xiande tilted his head and shrugged. ¡°It sounds interesting enough, but personally, I¡¯d prefer to have my hands free to touch my partner too.¡±


    Nodding, Jing Shui assured, ¡°And that¡¯s fine as well. If something doesn¡¯t work for you, then you shouldn¡¯t feel ashamed for not using it. No matter what your partner might want, if it¡¯s not something you also enjoy, then you shouldn¡¯t be doing it. Of course, trying new things out is alright. But if you decide you want to stop in between, then no matter what your partner themselves want, you both should stop.¡±


    Carefully noting all this down in his mind, Qinghe pondered seriously. Would he actually like it if his Xiang tied him down? Remembering what Jing Shui just said about being at the mercy of the person he loved, Qinghe tried to imagine it.


    With anyone else, being unable to move his limbs would be cause for distrust and panic, but with his Xiang¡­ Qinghe felt that he would actually be able to relax. Even if he couldn¡¯t respond to external threats in that situation, he was confident that his lover would be capable of taking care of any danger.


    Qinghe tried to visualize being tied down on their bed, his hands and feet chained to the sturdy posters. He imagined Wei Xiang¡¯s warm body straddling him, pressing him down. He would be unable to move his hands and touch that smooth honey-toned skin. But his Xiang would be able to do anything he wanted, and Qinghe knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to resist. Though he wouldn¡¯t have resisted even without being restrained¡­Qinghe still felt the novel feeling of vulnerability and excitement intermingling within him at that image.


    He trusted his Xiang, he trusted him enough to regularly give up control to him while they were both indulging in each other. But the thought of doing that while he was helpless made Qinghe feel like he was giving up more of himself to his beloved. If Wei Xiang were to be given full control over him, Qinghe knew without a doubt that his mischievous lover would tease him mercilessly until he was begging for more, but his beloved would also treat him with more care and devotion than Qinghe could ever muster for himself. The thought of letting himself be subjected to all that was both relaxing and titillating at the same time.


    ¡°Brother Feng?¡± Jing Shui called. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to turn the page?¡±


    Qinghe blinked and got his thoughts back together. His cheeks felt slightly warm, and the inside of his nose stung as if with the threat of a nosebleed. Shaking his head to clear it, Qinghe steadied himself and turned the page as if nothing was wrong.


    A few minutes later, the three of them were squinting at the drawing of a complex knot of people intertwined on the page.


    In an uncertain voice, Chen Xiande began, ¡°Is this a¡­¡±


    ¡°An orgy? Yes, it seems so,¡± Jing Shui completed.


    Qinghe shook his head. ¡°How are we supposed to understand anything in this mess? I can hardly tell apart the shoulders and hips from ass cheeks in this artist¡¯s style.¡±


    Jing Shui burst out laughing while Chen Xiande chuckled and suggested, ¡°That is true. Maybe we can focus on the dark hair or faces on the heads to figure out where the body of each person starts?¡±


    Jing Shui looked conflicted as he agreed while Qinghe narrowed his eyes and nodded as if accepting a challenge. Soon, all three of them were pointing at various parts of the page and calling out when they found a head.


    ¡°Here, I think I found one in this corner, between that pair of dark legs,¡± Chen Xiande¡¯s voice rang out.


    ¡°Brother Chen, are you sure that isn¡¯t the hair from that other person? Ah! I think I found the back of a head on this potbellied man¡¯s stomach!¡±


    Qinghe suppressed his laughter and informed, ¡°Brother Jing, I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s the hair on someone¡¯s crotch¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh,¡± Jing Shui exhaled disappointedly.


    And so they continued. Another fifteen minutes of fun later, they finally decided to stop the ridiculous game and continued with flipping the pages. And the further they got, the stranger things became, with various complex-looking implements and different scenarios also coming into play. It was completely up to Jing Shui to explain things now, but even he wasn¡¯t sure what some of those things were supposed to be, so they ended up having to play guessing games, coming up with improbably ridiculous explanations on purpose.


    Once they were done analyzing yet another complex mix of positions and instruments, Qinghe flipped the page again. But seeing the next drawing, all three of their cheeks immediately flushed.


    Jing Shui hid his face behind his hands as if unable to bear seeing it while Chen Xiande coughed in embarrassment. With pink cheeks, Qinghe commented, ¡°Well¡­that is certainly interesting, in a way.¡±


    No one refuted, but neither did anyone call for Qinghe to turn the page.


    Chen Xiande peered into the book along with Qinghe, both with strange expressions, while Jing Shui hesitantly shifted the fingers over his eyes to also get a peek. The three thus silently perused the page.


    In a strangled voice, Qinghe finally focused on one aspect of the drawing and asked, ¡°Is this¡­really possible? I mean, getting two arms in there¡­seems a bit too¡­¡±


    Jing Shui replied in a muffled voice from behind his hands, ¡°I think it is. I haven¡¯t tried anything like that yet, but¡­from what I¡¯ve gleaned, it is possible. But the¡­ehem, receiver would need a lot of preparation, or else there¡¯s a possibility of their intestinal walls getting torn pretty badly.¡±


    Qinghe and Chen Xiande winced at that mental image. That would surely be horribly painful.


    ¡°I think we should turn the page,¡± Chan Xiande finally spoke. Jing Shui also frantically nodded. These drawings seemed to be getting more and more unwatchable.


    Qinghe nodded and turned to the next page.


    Three pairs of eyes immediately widened in something akin to horror. Chen Xiande¡¯s jaw dropped open while Qinghe¡¯s eyebrows flew up. Jing Shui quickly closed the small gap between his fingers from where he was looking at the book, completely hiding his face while a constant, muffled stream of ¡°No, no, no, no¡­¡±s came from behind his hands.


    In a choked voice, Qinghe finally managed to get out, ¡°Is something like this even humanly possible?¡±


    Chen Xiande shook his head. Even he didn¡¯t know if he was trying to say that it was impossible or that he didn¡¯t know.


    Jing Shui stopped his muttering of disconsolate ¡°no¡±s as he suddenly began to plead, ¡°Brother Feng, I can¡¯t keep looking at this book anymore. Can¡¯t we please take a break from that¡­that¡­utter debauchery?¡±


    Qinghe decided to take pity on them all and nodded. ¡°Very well, we¡¯ll stop here.¡±


    As soon as Jing Shui heard the sound of the book being closed, he immediately dropped his hands and let out a long breath in relief. All three of their faces still bore hints of a pink flush left over from before.


    With a confused expression, Chen Xiande asked, ¡°Junior Brother, I still don¡¯t understand. Why did you get such a book from the library in the first place?¡±


    Qinghe shrugged and answered, ¡°I wanted to figure out what types of things I liked so that I can tell Xiang about them. Then we could implement those things more in bed. Since my knowledge in that area is somewhat lacking, I decided to borrow help from the twins and they introduced me to this book.¡±


    Though Qinghe said it matter-of-factly and unashamedly, Jing Shui and Chen Xiande still felt embarrassed. But after reading that book together this long, they were all more or less desensitized to this feeling by now.


    In a hesitant voice, Chen Xiande said, ¡°Junior Brother, then¡­have you figured out what you like yet?¡±


    Qinghe tilted his head. ¡°I have a couple of ideas, but I¡¯m still not all that sure. Senior Brother, do you have any guidance in that area? And Brother Jing, too. If you know something I might like, then I¡¯d appreciate your help in telling me.¡±


    Chen Xiande nodded. Clearing his throat and pushing away his hesitation, he began, ¡°Well, it¡¯s not depicted in this book, but there is something I think you might prefer, at least from what I¡¯ve observed of your character and your interactions with Sentinel Wei so far. Junior Brother, I think you¡¯d like it when your lover acts in a position of power over you, but only in very specific situations.¡±


    Qinghe looked thoughtful as he considered this. If Wei Xiang had tried to be overbearing with him when they first met, Qinghe was sure that he would have reacted with nothing but dislike and caution. The Sentinel Wei of that time would¡¯ve been categorized as an annoying threat, and Qinghe would never let him get close enough to consider if there might be something more.


    But now that they were fully familiarized with each other and trusted one another completely, Qinghe realized that the thought of his Xiang exercising power over him indeed appealed to him very much. And if he was tied up when Wei Xiang did that¡­then that could actually be even more enjoyable.


    Pushing those thoughts aside, Qinghe finally spoke, ¡°Senior Brother¡¯s assessment seems accurate. I will consider it.¡±


    Chen Xiande nodded, looking both awkward and pleased that he¡¯d gotten it right.


    Turning to Jing Shui, Qinghe raised an eyebrow. ¡°Does Brother Jing have any advice to give?¡±


    Jing Shui coughed and nodded with a red face. ¡°Well, I think that Brother Feng may rather enjoy roleplaying with your lover. Of course, I could also be wrong.¡±


    Qinghe and Chen Xiande just looked at Jing Shui with puzzlement, not knowing what he meant.


    Seeing this, Jing Shui paused for a moment. Then he took the book from Qinghe¡¯s hands and hurriedly flipped through the pages as if searching for something. After pausing at a page that was further ahead than where they had paused, Jing Shui showed the other two the drawing. ¡°This is what I meant.¡±


    Depicted in the page were two men wearing different types of attire, one outfitted in the garb of a court minister while the other was dressed as an emperor. The ¡®minister¡¯ looked helpless yet willing as he was bent over an ornate desk, ink-stained papers pushed aside and fluttering down as he was passionately being taken from behind by the ¡®emperor¡¯ who had on an arrogant and authoritative expression, seeming to demand his due from his courtier.


    Qinghe tilted his head, not understanding what new type of play this was supposed to be, while Chen Xiande had on an expression of confusion as well. As one, the pair of martial brothers looked at Jing Shui with expectation in their eyes, the phrase ¡®Teach us about this, Master!¡¯ seeming to be written on their faces.


    Coughing, Jing Shui embarrassedly began to explain, ¡°This¡­ Roleplay in general means a person or people acting out their roles and going through a script, all of which is predetermined. In this specific context, the partners involved decide on a situation that excites them sexually and then play the roles that they choose for themselves.


    ¡°For example, in this page of the book, one of the participants is wearing the clothes and acting out the role of a minister in an imperial court, while the other person is pretending to be the emperor. According to what¡¯s written here, the scenario these two men are using is that the minister made a mistake, and in return for not punishing him with a whipping for his blunder, the emperor is demanding that the minister submit himself to the emperor and slake his lust instead.


    ¡°Of course, it sounds unrealistic, but the situation the couple chooses for their roleplay doesn¡¯t have to be realistic. It just has to be something they both consider fun and arousing. That also goes for the roles they decide on. In Brother Feng¡¯s case, considering what Brother Chen just proposed, I suppose you could choose the sort of scenario and roles in which your Sentinel Wei will be in a position of power over you.¡±


    Qinghe considered this with a frown. He really couldn¡¯t imagine his Xiang and himself playing that sort of a game, though it did sound fun when he thought about it.


    ¡°It might work, though I¡¯m not sure yet,¡± Qinghe finally said.


    Jing Shui shrugged. ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll know your preference if you ever try it out.¡±


    Qinghe nodded in agreement.


    From the side, Chen Xiande suddenly piped up, ¡°Junior Brother, if you¡¯re really unsure about whether you like roleplay or about how it works, then maybe you should try it out with Brother Jing right now, though it won¡¯t be sexual in any way, of course. I will stay here and direct you both in the meantime.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s brows crept up in surprise while a red-faced Jing Shui began stuttering, ¡°B-B-Brother Chen! I-I don¡¯t think it¡¯s appropria¨D¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we just try it out for a bit, Brother Jing? It sounds like fun,¡± Qinghe interrupted him with a small smile. ¡°Compared to all the things we learned and discussed with each other today while reading that book, this is hardly as embarrassing.¡±


    Jing Sui opened his mouth to refute before slowly closing it. Then unexpectedly, he gave a short nod. ¡°A-Alright, then. Let¡¯s think of it as an educational practice session.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s smile broadened while anticipation gleamed in Chen Xiande¡¯s eyes.


    In a cheerful tone, Chen Xiande said, ¡°Good. Let¡¯s decide on the scenario and your roles then. How about¡­Brother Jing can be a disciple and Junior Brother can be his master. One day, the disciple musters up some courage to take the initiative to push down his master. Will something like this work, Brother Jing?¡±


    Jing Shui nodded, his face burning. ¡°Y-Yes, more or less.¡±


    And so, trying to act his role, Jing Shui fumblingly tackled his friend onto the bed. Qinghe very cooperatively fell down onto his back, his hair spreading around him as his smile turned amused. Lying down like this with an embarrassed Jing Shui above him, Qinghe thought about how playing in this way like little children was also fun.


    Raising an eyebrow as he acted in full character, Qinghe looked at the Jing Shui uneasily straddling him and asked serenely, ¡°What is it, wayward disciple mine? Do you want your master to take a rest from my work so badly that you¡¯re forcefully making me lie down on the bed?¡±


    Chen Xiande burst into a chuckle and hurriedly covered his mouth.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Jing Shui looked down at Qinghe¡¯s smirking face for a few moments, not knowing how to reply. His cheeks turned redder and redder with a mixture of embarrassment and awkwardness. Jing Shui finally turned to Chen Xiande and said, ¡°I¡¯m not very good at this, so I don¡¯t really know what I¡¯m supposed to be feeling in this situation¡­¡±


    Qinghe lifted a hand to lightly pat his friend¡¯s cheek and said teasingly, ¡°Since you already have a lover, it would be stranger if you actually felt anything while you''re straddling me, Brother Jing.¡±


    Jing Shui rolled his eyes. ¡°Brother Feng, can you cut down your snark and just continue to play your role?¡±


    Qinghe smiled and immediately got into the character of a proper master again. ¡°Disciple Jing, enough fooling around. Just because you don¡¯t want to work and like to snuggle with people doesn¡¯t mean that you can tackle your master in a hug like this when I myself am so busy with sect work. You should come by later in the night so that this master can indulge his needy disciple in the privacy of my room where there¡¯ll be no one to see you being so undignified.¡±


    Chen Xiande burst out laughing, unable to help himself, while Jing Shui didn¡¯t know if he should feel amused or get angry at how his friend seemed to be developing the story in such a strange direction.


    Shaking his head, Jing Shui smiled helplessly and confessed, ¡°I really don¡¯t know how to take this any further.¡±


    ¡°Oh, then let me help,¡± Qinghe said and suddenly flipped their positions. Not expecting this, Jing Shui got pressed under Qinghe with an uncomprehending expression still on his face.


    Qinghe grinned at Jing Shui and began, ¡°Is this how I taught you to be, Disciple Jing? You left so many openings for this master to take advantage of. How many times did I teach you that if you wanted to continue maintaining control over the situation after pinning someone down, you have to immobilize their arms and legs? Or better yet, you should just dislocate all the major joints in their limbs. Tsk, it seems that Disciple Jing doesn¡¯t pay attention to my lessons. This master is heartbroken.¡±


    Jing Shui¡¯s mouth twitched. His friend was really too ridiculous!


    At the side, Chen Xiande could only cover his face and hide his chuckles. His junior brother took his role as a master so seriously that they had already ended up redirected so far away from the original purpose of this ¡®roleplay¡¯.


    Just when Chen Xiande was about to suggest that they bring this back on track, the door to the room suddenly opened as someone walked in. The three friends immediately turned their attentions to the newly arrived person.


    Standing just inside the threshold was Wei Xiang, his eyebrow raised as his gaze landed on his beloved who seemed to be merrily straddling Jing Shui.


    As soon as he saw his lover, Qinghe immediately rose up, a happy smile on his face. ¡°Xiang, you returned!¡±


    Faced with his little lover¡¯s obviously enthusiastic expression, Wei Xiang couldn¡¯t hold back his eyes from softening into warm pools. His smile turning wry, he said, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m back. I hope I didn¡¯t interrupt your orgy, love.¡±


    Qinghe chuckled. ¡°Stop teasing me. Are you done with your work for today?¡±


    Wei Xiang shrugged. ¡°Yes, for the most part. I managed to capture that useless senior brother of mine and chained him to his desk to take over the rest of it. And I see that in the meantime you¡¯ve been having fun with your friends.¡±


    The Jing Shui who was still lying on the bed felt like his face was burning at the embarrassment of being caught in such a position. Hurriedly getting up from the bed, he straightened himself and spoke with his head down, ¡°G-Greetings, Sentinel Wei. Brother Feng, Brother Chen, I-I will be leaving now.¡± Then without being able to meet an amused Wei Xiang in the eye, Jing Shui fled the room.


    On the other hand, Chen Xiande just realized that his junior brother and his lover might want to discuss among themselves about the things Qinghe learned today. And so, after giving them both a short bow and bidding his farewells, Chen Xiande also left the room.


    Alone, Qinghe and Wei Xiang looked at each other.


    After a few moments of silence, Wei Xiang walked over to the bed and sat down beside his lover before asking curiously, ¡°What were you three just doing before I entered the room?¡±


    Qinghe already knew that Wei Xiang wasn¡¯t unreasonable enough to get angry and misunderstand just because he saw him in that position before, so he didn¡¯t feel alarmed or panicky as he would have a few years ago.


    Leaning into his Xiang¡¯s side, Qinghe cheerfully explained, ¡°We were supposed to be practicing something called roleplay, not in the sexual sense but more in the ¡®pretending and acting it out¡¯ sense. But it somehow ended up with us playing around instead. I even had a lot of fun making up the dialogues.¡±


    Seeing Qinghe¡¯s smug and self-satisfied expression, Wei Xiang shook his head with a chuckle. Tapping his little lover on the nose, he remarked, ¡°So rather than you three meeting up secretly to have an illicit affair together, you were actually romping around like playful kittens?¡±


    Qinghe scrunched his nose and shrugged. ¡°I suppose, yes. But we¡¯re definitely not kittens! We¡¯re three dignified senior disciples who were just looking through a certain book I got from the library today.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Wei Xiang looked interested. ¡°What sort of book did you get? Is it some cultivation manual? Or is it some map of dangerous areas or an encyclopedia of mysterious herbs or beasts instead?¡±


    Qinghe shook his head and revealed proudly, ¡°It¡¯s a very informational picture book. Along with Brother Jing and Senior Brother, I was researching new sex things so that I can make my own sexual fantasies and tell you. Then we can have fun implementing them!¡±


    Wei Xiang couldn¡¯t help but feel charmed at his little lover¡¯s unknowingly cute and innocent way of stating it. In a soft voice, he spoke, ¡°Okay then, love. How about we both go through that book of yours together? Then we can play around with a few light ideas from in there that you like.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes brightened and he nodded. ¡°Yes, then let me show you some things in the book that I think would be fun.¡±


    Qinghe quickly shifted on the bed so that he was sitting between Wei Xiang¡¯s thighs. Wei Xiang cooperatively parted his legs on the bed and wrapped his arms around his beloved from behind, his chin resting on Qinghe¡¯s shoulder so that he could peer down at the book in his little lover¡¯s hands. After wriggling to settle himself comfortably, Qinghe leaned back into his beloved¡¯s warmth and finally opened the book to the first page again.


    Seeing the detailed drawing, a slow smile spread over Wei Xiang¡¯s face. ¡°Oh, yes, this definitely seems like it¡¯ll be interesting.¡±


    And so, the couple leisurely perused The Profound Ways of the Sword and Chrysanthemum, laughing and discussing it together.


    ¡­¡­


    In the library, Elder Ying sat at the low table in his usual dignified posture, slowly sipping from a cup of tea with his eyes closed. He parsed though the various components making up the unique flavor of the tea in his mouth, the lines of his face easing into one of blissful peace.


    ¡°Excuse me, Elder, but I would like to borrow a certain book from your sect¡¯s library,¡± came a sudden voice.


    Elder Ying unhurriedly opened his eyes. Standing in front of him was a slightly uncomfortable looking Jing Shui.


    Swallowing the tea, he spoke, ¡°Disciple Jing, you certainly may borrow any book from our sect¡¯s library as long as you return it within a week. Now, which book would you like to take?¡±


    As the Elder once again continued to sip his tea with grace, Jing Shui pushed down his nervousness and answered, ¡°I-It¡¯s called The Profound Ways of the Sword and Chrysanthemum¡­¡±


    Elder Ying spit out the tea in his mouth and began sputtering in surprise. As he quickly regained his composure and began hurriedly wiping up the splatter of tea on the table, the Elder couldn¡¯t help but wonder at how boldly the head disciple of the prestigious Golden Sun Sect was asking for that kind of book of all things.


    Feeling surreal, the Elder finished cleaning up the table and took Jing Shui to the hidden shelf as well. After giving him the second copy of the book, the Elder sent him off.


    Sitting back down at the table, Elder Ying poured another cup for himself from the pot he kept at the side. As he began savoring it again, he tried to relax himself into a peaceful state just like before.


    ¡°Elder Ying, I would like to borrow a book,¡± said Chen Xiande¡¯s familiar voice, interrupting the Elder¡¯s quest for finding equilibrium.


    Inwardly sighing, Elder Ying opened his eyes again. ¡°Which will it be this time, Disciple Chen? The Laws of Spirit Control, Permanence and Impermanence of the Earth, or Mastery over the Inner Sea? Oh, and we also have a new book called Hidden Techniques of the Elemental Path that I think might interest you.¡±


    The Elder went back to sipping his tea to wet his throat, waiting for Chen Xiande to give his answer.


    Chen Xiande paused, then nodded. ¡°Then I would like to have that new one as well, but that¡¯s not the book I meant. Elder Ying, may I also have the one named The Profound Ways of the Sword and Chrysanthemum?¡±


    The poor Elder Ying coughed out yet another mouthful of tea. Elder Ying couldn¡¯t help but feel startled at how even the head disciple and future sect master of their sect was asking to borrow such a book, and with such a casual tone at that.


    As he began wiping down the table for the third, the Elder decided that he really needed to get used to this book¡¯s popularity.


    Soon, the last copy of the book was given to Chen Xiande and Elder Ying swore off drinking tea in the library from now on. After all, there was only so much of his rare and precious tea he could bear to see going to waste!


    Holding the book in his hands, Chen Xiande exited the library and began his journey towards his room. But as he walked through one of the corridors, he came across a certain black-haired Elder heading the opposite way.


    Chen Xiande thought back to how this Elder had once been most vocal about opposing him becoming the sect master. On one occasion, he had even scolded Qinghe when he wanted to go and save Chen Xiande from the Black Fang base before. But now, the Elder was starting to come around and slowly accept that Chen Xiande was indeed becoming competent enough to be worthy of the position of Sect Master.


    As the Elder neared, Chen Xiande bowed respectfully and greeted, ¡°Disciple Chen greets Elder Bin.¡±


    Elder Bin gave a curt nod of acknowledgment and continued on his way. Chen Xiande was glad that at least the Elder¡¯s expression had remained polite this time.


    As he took one last look at Elder Bin¡¯s retreating back, Chen Xiande couldn¡¯t help but think that if that old-fashioned Elder knew about the type of book he was currently carrying, he would definitely feel offended enough that he''d go back to opposing him becoming the future sect master again.


    Shaking his head, Chen Xiande hurried back to his room to begin reading the book. And maybe he would even show it to Hei NingYu later before suggesting using some of the positions illustrated inside.


    Meanwhile, the black-haired Elder Bin arrived in the library with his usual aloof and stern demeanor. With a prim expression, he walked to the low table that had a pot of tea and an unfilled cup atop it and asked the other Elder seated there, ¡°Elder Ying, may I request to borrow that book as usual.¡±


    Elder Ying looked at Elder Bin apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that all three copies of that book have been lent out, Elder Bin. They were all borrowed by disciples just today.¡±


    Elder Bin¡¯s expression darkened. Such bad luck! He wondered which brats had the audacity to do this! Hmph, at least he could be assured that it wouldn¡¯t be some upstanding disciple of their sect like that Feng Qinghe or, surprisingly, even that Chen Xiande. It definitely had to be those darned twins! He would make sure to repay them for this!


    And thus, the unknowing twins ended up getting on Elder Bin''s bad side, all because they recommended that book to their senior brother once.


    crimson_carnation


    I''m wondering if I should have Qinghe and Wei Xiang try roleplay in the next extra~ What do you think?

 Extra 8: Fulfilling a Fantasy

    It was another pleasant day in the heavenly realm, the cloudless skies stretching overhead, a vast expanse of endless blue.


    In the Feng residence, Qinghe was soundlessly walking over from the mint patch in the backyard, brushing off the dirt on his fingers that he''d gotten while attending to the mint plants in his mother''s temporary absence. He made directly for the back porch of the residence and reached the Wei Xiang who was waiting there for him with a damp cloth at the ready.


    ¡°How was it? Was everything alright?¡± Wei Xiang asked his lover while carefully wiping his hands.


    Qinghe smiled cheerfully and nodded, ¡°Yes, the worms were healthy and we seemed to have gotten a new breed of beetle to join the family of six I spotted the last time. Its carapace has a strange greenish-purple sheen. I suppose I should look in the library to learn more about it.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Love, did you forget that you were supposed to be looking after the plants, not taking care of and playing with the insects.¡±


    Qinghe looked at him blankly, then blinked. ¡°Oh, yes¡­of course I remember. The plants were¡­fine, I think?¡±


    Chuffing out a laugh, Wei Xiang shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll take a look at them later then, just to make sure. You know how mother-in-law gets when one of her precious plants wilts.¡±


    Rolling his eyes at the memory of his mother¡¯s dramatic wailing that had ensued when one of her mint plants had withered away, Qinghe spoke, ¡°She made such a fuss, you¡¯d think it was her own child that died. Actually, I¡¯m not sure she¡¯d be that shaken even if I did die.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not joke about that,¡± Wei Xiang said, then stood up. Putting away the used cloth to take care of later, he motioned Qinghe inside. ¡°Love, I want to talk about something. Let¡¯s go into the bedroom for that, shall we?¡±


    His eyes brightening, Qinghe trailed behind Wei Xiang as they headed towards his room. ¡°Xiang, what are you planning? Is it something fun?¡±


    Looking at the excitement and interest glittering in his little lover¡¯s eyes, Wei Xiang chuckled affectionately. Reaching out to pinch Qinghe¡¯s cheek, he teased, ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you adorably excited. And here I thought you¡¯d have gotten bored of doing it every day already.¡±


    Qinghe pulled away those obnoxious fingers with a pout. ¡°Does it mean that whatever you want to ¡®talk¡¯ to me about in the bedroom isn¡¯t fun?¡±


    Relenting, Wei Xiang pulled his beloved close and admitted in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s definitely something fun. Or at least, it can lead us in that direction.¡±


    Curiosity burned within Qinghe, but he tamped it down and decided to go along.


    Soon, they reached the bedroom, entered it, and closed the door. Qinghe decided to sit cross-legged on the bed as usual while Wei Xiang carried over a chair to the bedside.


    In an inquisitive voice, Qinghe asked, ¡°What did you want to talk about?¡±


    Sitting on the chair comfortably and resting back, Wei Xiang intertwined his fingers and spoke, ¡°Qinghe, do you remember that book you were reading with your friends a few days ago in your room in the sect?¡±


    A faint pink suffused Qinghe¡¯s cheeks as he nodded. His eyes darkening at the recollection of pleasant memories, he replied, ¡°Yes, and I also remember how we both looked it over and all the things we did after that.¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled, his gaze turning heated. ¡°Hmm, yes, we did take some mild inspiration from your book that day¡­ Was it fun for you?¡±


    Qinghe nodded without hesitation.


    ¡°Then¡­do you want to take it further? Do you want to implement something more intense from that book?¡± Wei Xiang asked, his gaze focused on his little lover''s expression.


    Qinghe tilted his head in thought. Did he really want to do those¡­extreme things with his Xiang? Even if it was with his trustworthy lover, there were still some things in that book that made Qinghe feel only indifferent or even uncomfortable.


    In an uncertain tone, Qinghe asked, ¡°Xiang, what about you? Is there something you want to try?¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled softly and shook his head. ¡°Love, this isn¡¯t about me now. I want to see what you want independent of my interference. If what you choose doesn¡¯t do it for me, then I will say so, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Qinghe bit his lower lip, then nodded. ¡°O-Okay then, we can try it out, I suppose?¡±


    His expression turning warm, Wei Xiang comforted his nervous beloved, ¡°It¡¯s alright even if you don¡¯t want to. I think our sex life is perfect as it is too. But even if you¡¯re really okay with it, we don¡¯t have to rush into it, and you also don¡¯t have to choose anything you¡¯re not absolutely and completely comfortable with. It¡¯s your decision, and you can opt to use only the ones that you¡¯re really curious about or the things you feel most aroused when thinking about.¡±


    The tenseness in Qinghe¡¯s posture and expression eased with relief. As always, his lover reassured and made him feel at ease about the situations he was most anxious and unfamiliar about facing.


    Giving a nod, Qinghe smiled cheerfully at Wei Xiang and asked, ¡°Then can I choose only one option to try from that book or can we use more?¡±


    With a chuckle, Wei Xiang replied, ¡°It depends on however many you want to use in your fantasy, love.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes widened. Ah, yes, he¡¯d wanted to make a sexual fantasy of his own! His eyes narrowing into slits, Qinghe contemplated on his options. He supposed he should use roleplay? And maybe he should create a scenario where his lover would be in a position of power over him too¡­


    Watching his beloved deep in thought, Wei Xiang¡¯s smile turned amused. ¡°Qinghe, would you like to write down your idea in detail? It can be an exercise in learning to express your own desires. You can also revisit it in the future and read it over if you want to.¡±


    Blinking his eyes open, Qinghe nodded.


    Receiving an empty book, an inkstone, and an already inked brush from Wei Xiang, Qinghe got busy with carefully detailing what he wanted. Every time he finished writing on a page, he¡¯d use his wind to quickly dry it off before turning to the next one without delay. Every now and then, he¡¯d go back and adjust something. As he kept writing, his expression constantly shifted between feverish focus and slight embarrassment.


    Suddenly feeling bashful while writing down a certain segment of his fantasy, Qinghe puffed up his cheeks and looked up at Wei Xiang with a reddened face. ¡°X-Xiang, turn away for a bit.¡±


    Wei Xiang raised an eyebrow, but still obediently stood up from the chair and walked over to look out one of the windows. ¡°Is this alright, my shy little lover?¡±


    Qinghe huffed and grumbled, ¡°It¡¯s only because I¡¯m not used to this yet. Otherwise you bet I¡¯d be talking dirty to you by now.¡±


    Wei Xiang burst into chuckles, but refrained from commenting.


    A few more minutes later, Qinghe finally let out a breath and closed the book. His face was redder than before. Clearing his throat, he got up from the bed and walked up to Wei Xiang, solemnly presenting him with the book. ¡°H-here¡¯s what I want us to do. Tell me if you¡¯re¡­okay with it.¡±


    Feeling intensely curious, Wei Xiang received the book and opened the first page. His eyebrows flew up as a smug smirk claimed his lips. ¡°Oh my, I didn¡¯t realize my little lover had such a fetish.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s embarrassment increased at the teasing, but he still quietly waited with blazing cheeks. Knowing what all he wrote in there¡­ Qinghe didn¡¯t know what his Xiang would think of him now.


    Meanwhile, Wei Xiang was carefully absorbing every detail his beloved had planned, relishing the images it evoked. Finally, he reached the end and saw a little note written there. In it, Qinghe said: In the middle of all this, if I ever get too overwhelmed to keep to our roles, I want you to correct me and continue with the roleplay, if it¡¯s alright with you.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eye darkened with desire. Oh, he would enjoy this.


    ¡°X-Xiang? Is it¡­okay?¡± Qinghe asked hesitantly. He still felt too strange about some of the things he¡¯d written into his fantasy.


    Looking at his little lover¡¯s flushed face, Wei Xiang smiled and nodded. ¡°Yes, this will do quite well. And love, don¡¯t be embarrassed about it. I¡¯ve seen far more debauchery than this in my lifetime, so I don¡¯t really mind.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes widened, but he still felt his calm starting to return at the reassurance. ¡°Then¡­what do we do now that we¡¯ve decided to do this? Do we play our roles now itself? Do we¡­need to do any preparations?¡±


    Wei Xiang patted Qinghe on the shoulder. ¡°This might need a little prep work, but don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of it. For now, let¡¯s descend to the mortal realm and secure a place to carry out your fantasy.¡±


    And so, the couple headed towards the transportation array.


    ¡­¡­


    After leaving Qinghe outside the Order headquarters to chat with his lieutenants, Wei Xiang alone entered the bare black room that held the transportation array that the Sentinels used to access the underground prison. Standing guard at the four corners of the room, seeming to blend into the shadows, were four stony-faced, black-clad Sentinels.


    Seeing Wei Xiang approaching him, the Sentinel in charge of security for this room, who was also responsible for overseeing the underground prison, stepped forward. Bowing with the utmost respect, the Sentinel offered a salute, ¡°Senior Officer Wei.¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded. Then swiftly setting up a sound barrier by flicking up a high-grade sound dampening talisman, he spoke, ¡°Officer Bing, I have a matter I need your help with.¡±


    Officer Bing¡¯s eyebrows crinkled with worry. This senior officer of theirs was particularly known to be someone very good at what he did, so why would he need his help with anything? Trying to keep the concern out of his voice, Officer Bing replied, ¡°Yes, of course. How may I assist you?¡±


    With a straight expression and a serious voice, Wei Xiang answered, ¡°I would like your help in reserving a room for a couple of hours.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Officer Bing stared at Wei Xiang blankly, then finally managed to open his mouth enough to say, ¡°Senior Officer Wei, shouldn¡¯t you perhaps direct this request towards the officer in charge of the room arrangements for the Sentinel compound?¡± Letting out a nervous laugh, he continued, ¡°By asking me, the person in charge of the underground prison, it sounds like you actually want to reserve a prison cell instead.¡±


    Wei Xiang waved a hand and spoke casually, ¡°That is exactly what I meant. I wish to reserve a prison cell for a couple of hours.¡±


    Officer Bing¡¯s eyes widened before something occurred to him. ¡°Oh, does Senior Officer Wei mean an interrogation room? Otherwise it wouldn¡¯t make sense.¡± Chuckling, he added, ¡°After all, which criminal would you inter in a prison cell for just a few hours?¡±


    ¡°A very lovable one,¡± Wei Xiang unexpectedly answered. ¡°You don¡¯t need to know more than that. I know exactly what I meant, so arrange a prison cell like I asked.¡±


    Though Officer Bing was confused at first, realization suddenly struck him, spreading an embarrassed flush over his face. ¡°A-Ah¡­so it¡¯s, ehem, so it¡¯s like that. That¡¯s certainly a¡­very unexpected request, but yes, since this request poses no security risk to the facility, I¡¯ll reserve one for Officer Wei and your lov¨D uh, I mean¡­your criminal.¡±


    Wei Xiang showed a satisfied smile. ¡°Good, I¡¯ll leave you to arrange it then. I hope you won¡¯t keep us waiting for long.¡±


    Officer Bing quickly nodded before heading off to the underground prison to check the empty cells and deal with any necessary procedures to authenticate Wei Xiang¡¯s access to one of them.


    In less than fifteen minutes, Officer Bing came to report to Wei Xiang and gave him the cell number of the prison cell temporarily set aside for his use. Not willing to wait for long, Wei Xiang fetched Qinghe and used the transportation array to enter the underground prison.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Are you sure it isn¡¯t a problem for us to use one of the cells for something like¡­that?¡± Qinghe asked disbelievingly as he and Wei Xiang walked through the corridors of the underground prison.


    Wei Xiang shrugged. ¡°Yes, why would there be a problem? We won¡¯t release any prisoners, cause trouble, or interfere with the prison¡¯s workings, so I don¡¯t see any issue with us using a cell here for a few hours. Love, you don¡¯t have to feel guilty about this at all.¡±


    Qinghe nodded, feeling strangely jittery and nervous. He was used to being intimate with his Xiang, but doing it in a situation according to this sort of fantasy was still new and unnerving for him.


    Wei Xiang leaned over and placed a small kiss on his little lover¡¯s head, startling him out of his thoughts. ¡°Qinghe, our focus in doing this is to try something new and see if it is fun. If you ever feel like you¡¯re not having fun or even if you¡¯re just uncomfortable, you know that you can ask and we¡¯ll immediately stop, yes?¡±


    Qinghe slowly nodded, his nervousness abating somewhat. Reaching over, Qinghe intertwined his fingers with his lover¡¯s, and the rest of his anxiety immediately receded as well. The warmth of his lover¡¯s palm and this small physical connection to his beloved Xiang steadied Qinghe¡¯s nerves like nothing else.


    Soon, they reached the cell set aside for them and stepped inside. Wei Xiang turned to firmly lock the solid steel door of the cell behind him to prevent being disturbed. Though some prison cells had bars, there were a few with just a door as well, without as many precautions and meant for non-dangerous mortal prisoners who were bereft of any spiritual energy in their bodies. And so, there was nothing in this cell to dampen or restrict spiritual flow as well.


    The cell was windowless, scrupulously neat, and small, it¡¯s solid grey walls without seams or bumps. Attached to the wall directly opposite to the thick steel door was a long and narrow bench that could be used for sitting or lying down. Dangling from the wall above the bench were a pair of clean manacles, and hanging from under the bench were two more sets of shackles.


    Wei Xiang spoke with amusement, ¡°It seems like they left us some presents to play with.¡±


    Qinghe blushed and coughed. ¡°While I appreciate their thoughtfulness, these restraints don¡¯t look very¡­comfortable.¡±


    Nodding, Wei Xiang retrieved another set from his spatial storage and set about replacing the solid steel shackles with them. ¡°I thought it might be like this, so I already brought another set with me. It¡¯s lined with soft leather inside, so it should feel better.¡±


    With surprise on his face, Qinghe asked, ¡°When did you have the chance to prepare this?¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled. ¡°I didn¡¯t, actually. It was a gift from Mother-in-law. She said it might come in use and gave it to me a long time ago, and I¡¯ve carried it in my spatial storage ever since.¡±


    Qinghe didn¡¯t even know what to say to this. His mother¡¯s foresight was too accurate.


    Once Wei Xiang had finished replacing the shackles, he turned to Qinghe and smiled. ¡°Love, if you¡¯re ready, you should remove your clothes, then come here to let me restrain you.¡±


    Qinghe swallowed thickly, his stomach fluttering with both anticipation and nervous excitement. Wei Xiang was already garbed in his full Sentinel uniform, which only left Qinghe to disrobe and be shackled like a real prisoner before they could start this roleplay.


    With lightly trembling fingers, Qinghe slowly began undoing his clothes, first removing his belt, hair stick, and other accessories before moving on to take off the various layers of his robes. Though disrobing in front of his lover was nothing new, his Xiang¡¯s intent gaze combined with the unfamiliar environment made him feel more vulnerable than before.


    Meanwhile, Wei Xiang watched with fascination at the movement of his beloved¡¯s slender fingers, the small signs of his nervousness, his dark lashes lowered over pink cheeks, long ebony hair hanging free and unbound down his back and over his shoulders, his posture staying straight even as layer after layer of fabric fell away to reveal more of his well-proportioned figure¡­


    By the time Qinghe had completely undressed, Wei Xiang was fully aroused. Yet he suppressed his urges and decided to take this slowly, wanting to savor every moment. Stepping towards his naked lover, Wei Xiang carefully led him towards the bench with gentle hands and made him kneel on it facing the wall.


    Settling on his knees, Qinghe licked his lips nervously and lifted his hands to let his Xiang fasten the cuffs of the restraints hanging from the wall around his wrists. He marveled at how the leather lining in these restrains truly was more comfortable than he had expected.


    From behind him, Qinghe felt Wei Xiang pulling apart his legs and cooperatively widened them. With soft clicks, the cuffs of the two other restraints that were firmly attached to the underside of the bench closed around his ankles as well.


    As he heard the clink of the chains every time he shifted or felt the weight of the restraints on his wrists and ankles, the nervousness in Qinghe¡¯s stomach grew along with the excitement.


    Since he was facing the wall, Qinghe couldn¡¯t see what Wei Xiang was doing, but he could sense his lover walking back towards the door to collect the clothing and accessories Qinghe had left lying on the floor. He could hear his Xiang carefully folding the clothes before presumably putting them all away.


    Once he was done, Wei Xiang leaned back against the door and admired the view. His gaze slid over the smooth stretch of skin on his beloved¡¯s back draped with shining black hair. He drank in the alluring sight of his little lover completely bare and kneeling on the bench. His beloved¡¯s restrained hands hung at eye-level while his legs were parted wide and fastened with more restraints so that he couldn¡¯t close them.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s lust intensified, but not just because his lover was completely at his mercy to do with as he wished. What excited him even more was that his Qinghe had willingly chosen to put himself under his control, displaying his complete trust in him. On the flip side, Wei Xiang also understood that rather than gaining pleasure from being submissive to him, what Qinghe actually liked about this was the feeling of absolute trust and confidence in his lover that he felt despite being in such a vulnerable position. It was a trust Wei Xiang held very, very dear, and would do almost anything to protect.


    Taking in a breath and letting it out silently, Wei Xiang let his lips curl up in anticipation, his eyes darkening with need. Straightening, he slowly walked towards his beloved, letting the footfalls of his boots make crisp sounds on the floor.


    Qinghe heard his lover nearing him, each thud of Wei Xiang''s boots like the measured thump of a heartbeat. As he sat there bound and helpless, all Qinghe could do was wait for Wei Xiang to reach him, the decreasing proximity between them sending currents of excitement through him.


    Wei Xiang stopped right behind Qinghe, lifting a hand to trail his fingertips down his beloved¡¯s spine. Qinghe shuddered lightly and closed his eyes, his lips parting soundlessly.


    Bending down, Wei Xiang spoke into Qinghe¡¯s ear, ¡°It seems we have a new prisoner here for me to play with.¡±


    Qinghe struggled to suppress his reaction as Wei Xiang¡¯s warm breath fanned over the side of his face. His lover¡¯s voice was husky and oh-so-intimate as it brushed over his skin, kindling his desire and making his heart thump faster.


    Turning his head slightly to look at as much of Wei Xiang¡¯s face as he could, Qinghe got into character and finally replied, ¡°What game is Sentinel Wei going to play with me then? Will it be fun?¡±


    Wei Xiang let out a deep chuckle and said playfully, ¡°How cheeky. Is that how you talk to a law enforcement officer under whose charge you¡¯re currently in?¡±


    Not waiting for his reply, Wei Xiang dragged his palms down over Qinghe¡¯s sides and to his front. Qinghe shuddered and exhaled a breath. Wei Xiang¡¯s hands continued to trace along the skin of Qinghe¡¯s stomach, then swept up to reach his chest and the stiffening points there.


    ¡°Hmm, what do we have here now?¡± Wei Xiang teased. ¡°I¡¯d better examine it thoroughly just to be sure.¡±


    Qinghe felt rough finger pads brushing the very tips of the sensitive nubs on his chest. As soft feathers of pleasure spread out at the stimulation, he tried to push his chest forward to wordlessly ask for more. But unobligingly, Wei Xiang¡¯s fingertips instead began circling around the erect little points without touching them at all.


    Qinghe felt his breathing slowly deepen with increasing lust. His brows creasing, he tried to move his hands to guide his beloved¡¯s fingers, only to hear the sound of the straining chain. That¡¯s right, he was restrained. He couldn¡¯t move his hands or feet¡­


    Qinghe made a low sound of helplessness and frustration. ¡°Xi¡ª no, Sentinel Wei¡­please... Stop teasing me¡­and touch me¡­more¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled. ¡°Oh? Does the little prisoner like this then?¡±


    Saying so, he let his fingers rub over the perky buds, then pinched them between his thumb and index fingers. Qinghe exhaled a silent breath, his body unconsciously softening as more heat slowly flowed under his skin. Wei Xiang pulled and rolled the little nubs, exerting firm pressure while keeping his motions steady. Qinghe let out a helpless groan as he felt those familiar fingers keep up their ministrations skillfully. His lips quivered as he panted, his eyes growing dazed.


    Then suddenly, Wei Xiang took back his hands and said in a light voice, ¡°I see that the prisoner enjoys this very much. Maybe if you remain good, I¡¯ll let you have more.¡±


    Qinghe growled in frustration. ¡°Xiang!¡±


    Wei Xiang chuffed out a laugh. ¡°What did you call me?¡±


    After a moment of hesitation, Qinghe called more softly, ¡°S-Sentinel Wei, please¡­¡±


    Though he couldn¡¯t see Wei Xiang properly, Qinghe could feel him pressing closer behind him. He could feel the texture of his lover¡¯s Sentinel uniform and the roughness of the embroidery. He could feel the distinct push and poke of every weapon and piece of equipment under those robes as the Wei Xiang¡¯s clothed front rubbed against the bare skin of his back. Qinghe¡¯s breathing inexplicably sped up, his body tensing at the sensation.


    His breath brushing over Qinghe¡¯s ear, Wei Xiang asked, ¡°Let us hope that the prisoner did not forget how to address the officer watching over him. Why don¡¯t you call me again to prove that you haven¡¯t? Or I might be forced to punish you, and we wouldn¡¯t want that now, would we?¡±


    Qinghe let out a shuddering breath and called out again breathlessly, ¡°¡­Sentinel Wei¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s hands circled over to Qinghe¡¯s front and began roving over his stomach and thighs as if in reward. In a husky whisper, Wei Xiang praised, ¡°Good.¡±


    As a hot flush crept over his face and down his neck, Qinghe wondered at how, rather than putting distance between them, this sort of formal address sounded like a secret endearment instead. By using Wei Xiang¡¯s title in such a way, Qinghe felt as if he was somehow defiling its purity and righteousness, turning it into something wicked and licentious. And for some reason, it¡­aroused him even more.


    Wei Xiang could clearly smell Qinghe¡¯s increased lust and smiled mischievously. His hands moved to touch the inside of Qinghe¡¯s thighs, slowly, ponderously dragging over the soft skin. He felt the taut muscles under his palm flexing and rolling restlessly.


    Wei Xiang lightly pushed against his beloved¡¯s thighs and Qinghe obediently widened his legs even further. Wei Xiang¡¯s fingers slowly moved inwards until they reached the base of a certain stiff and straining organ, lightly skimming upward and over its surface. Qinghe let out a strangled moan, his body bowing. The dark strands of his hair slipped down to cover his face partially, hiding his overwrought expression.


    ¡°Does the prisoner like this too, then? How naughty,¡± Wei Xian said, his hot breath and deep voice filling Qinghe¡¯s ear and making him tremble. He could almost feel his Xiang¡¯s playful smile and heated gaze directed towards him even without seeing his face, just like he could feel Wei Xiang¡¯s warmth completely surrounding him from the rear. Qinghe swallowed, his Adam¡¯s apple bobbing restlessly.


    As Wei Xiang continued to slowly play with and explore the erect member in his hands, Qinghe let out a stream of helpless gasps and groans, his voice low. His hand clenched in their restrains. The chains clinked and clanked as the muscles on Qinghe¡¯s arms and legs turned taut with strain.


    Qinghe could feel his lover¡¯s palm dragging over his sensitive shaft, his fingertips teasing the slit on the head and spreading around the welling drops of warm liquid. He could feel those familiar hands toying with his aching balls and those slightly rough fingertips gently tracing along the veins on the underside of his member. Every one of those touches sent boiling heat into his bloodstream, flooding him with pleasure and increasing his need. But no matter how much urgency Qinghe felt, Wei Xiang¡¯s motions remained languorous and steady, not at all picking up speed like he wanted them to.


    This was not enough, it was not even nearly enough. Qinghe wanted more, he wanted his Xiang to press his bare skin against his own and to drive his hard member into him. Qinghe wanted to touch and taste his lover, losing himself in his beloved¡¯s body as his lover lost himself in his. In his lust-addled state, Qinghe didn¡¯t even remember why he was restrained as he desperately pulled on those chains and spoke hoarsely through gritted teeth, ¡°¡­P-please¡­nh ¡­I want you¡­i-inside me.¡±


    Wei Xiang let out a smooth chuckle. Leaving one hand to keep tormenting Qinghe¡¯s shaft, he let the other palm slowly drift upwards, passing over the smooth stomach and midriff to stop at his chest. Wei Xiang¡¯s fingers languidly brushed and stroked that pair of sensitive nubs on his upper body until Qinghe cried out at the new deluge of stimulation.


    Acutely feeling the pleasurable friction over his shaft, the trail of lingering heat left behind by his beloved¡¯s hand, and the sensation of those firm fingers pinching and pulling the buds on his chest, Qinghe felt his need pulsing more and more frantically. His voice rough, he begged unsteadily, ¡°A-Ah! P-please¡­ Xiang!¡±


    Qinghe felt a pair of lips settle on his ears as they murmured in warning, ¡°What did the prisoner just call me?¡±


    Panting and whimpering as the desperate need to reach climax muddled his mind, Qinghe forced himself to think before finally correcting himself, ¡°S-Sentinel Wei¡­I-I want you inside me¡­please¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang felt his own lust increase along with a sense of amusement. He lightly nipped his beloved¡¯s ear, and with a rough growl underlying his voice, he spoke, ¡°Oh? So you want to bribe a law enforcement officer with your body? Tsk, tsk. Now I¡¯ll have to add to your punishment for this offense. But first, let me reward you for knowing your mistake and correcting yourself.¡±


    Feeling Wei Xiang¡¯s hand suddenly increasing its force and tempo on his member, Qinghe arched back and cried out, his voice cracking. Wei Xiang¡¯s other hand let go of the swollen nubs on his chest and wrapped around Qinghe to hold him close, letting his shuddering back press firmly against Wei Xiang¡¯s front. Bowing his head, Wei Xiang traced the side of his beloved¡¯s neck, over the tense muscles and taut skin, then slowly slid his lips over the rigid line of Qinghe¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Ahh! X-Xiang!¡± Qinghe whimpered, his voice strained.


    Wei Xiang lightly bit the smooth shoulder under his mouth, then sucked strongly on it. As Qinghe hissed at the warmth and sting spreading from the little bite, Wei Xiang prodded wickedly, ¡°What did you call me?¡±


    Qinghe was panting, his chest heaving hot breaths as his brows were furrowed over eyes squeezed closed. His lips opened tremblingly as he tried to answer, ¡°¡­S-Sentinel¡­W-Wei¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang murmured in pleasure, ¡°Good. And you better not forget it again.¡±


    Before Qinghe could reply, he felt his entire body stiffen as the rapid motions of his beloved¡¯s hand on his member finally forced him over the peak. Blistering heat and all-consuming pleasure suddenly shot through his veins as white liquid spurted out of his shaft in thick streams, flowing over Wei Xiang¡¯s still-pumping hand and painting the wall in front of him with the translucent fluid.


    As soft and helpless sounds slipped out of Qinghe¡¯s gasping mouth, Wei Xiang carefully supported him by letting him lean against his body, his other hand smoothing up and down his beloved¡¯s arm comfortingly. Roleplay or not, he would always give his beloved his care and affection when he needed it.


    By the time the tides of pleasure receded, Qinghe¡¯s body had gone soft and pliant, utterly spent. He laid limply in Wei Xiang¡¯s arms, slowly regaining his breath until he could support himself again.


    Wei Xiang gave his beloved a small peck on his cheek and let him go before leaning back. His voice held traces of anticipation as he said, ¡°Now that the prisoner has been suitably rewarded, it¡¯s time for him to be punished, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes widened. Were they not done with the roleplay yet? Wait, if he remembered right, there was still one more thing remaining¡­


    Seeing his lover¡¯s face redden as he realized where this was going, Wei Xiang showed a satisfied smile. But just as he prepared to shift into his half-beast form as Qinghe had specifically asked for in his fantasy, Wei Xiang¡¯s expression changed. This¡­was definitely not good. After pushing it back all this while, it seemed that if he let out his beast instincts now¡­


    Quickly hiding away his discomposed thoughts before they could alert Qinghe, Wei Xiang instead bent forward to ask his beloved, ¡°How about I let the prisoner choose his punishment for himself?¡±


    Qinghe felt confused. Hadn¡¯t they decided that Wei Xiang would take him in his half-beast form? Was there some reason his lover didn¡¯t want to do that? Was he still afraid that he would hurt him because of the half-beast form¡¯s dual members? Or was there some other worrying reason?


    Sensing his concern, Wei Xiang extended a palm to stroke up and down Qinghe¡¯s bare back. Then slowly, Wei Xiang guided his hand to dip down between his beloved¡¯s firm buttocks, rubbing his fingertips against Qinghe¡¯s entrance and successfully redirecting his lover¡¯s attention for now. And though Qinghe had just been sated, as if conditioned to respond to Wei Xiang¡¯s touch, his body immediately began heating up once again, languid lust flowing through him in molten streams.


    While his fingertips were brushing lightly over Qinghe¡¯s opening, Wei Xiang thought back to the time when he and his little lover had been going through that book. He specifically remembered how Qinghe had shown marked interest and shy disbelief at the drawing on a certain page. And then there were a few pages regarding usage of toys that he had asked about too. Hmm, maybe they could try one of those things¡­


    The corners of his lips raising up, Wei Xiang finally spoke in a soft voice, ¡°Here are the options I will kindly present: The prisoner can either decide to accept a certain large object pushed inside you to block this particular orifice, or you can choose to subject yourself to a thorough cavity check. Whatever you decide, I can make sure that even if you smuggled anything into the cell within your body, access to it would either be blocked to you or I will be able to directly find it. Since as a cultivator you will not need to use this particular opening for anything, I suppose it won¡¯t be a problem either way. So, which option does the prisoner choose?¡±


    Qinghe had to force down the rush of mortification he felt at those words before taking a few minutes to think it over. Then with a hesitant expression, he swallowed thickly and opened his mouth, ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t want an inanimate object to touch me like that. I only want you to ever touch me so intimately.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes warmed. ¡°Then the second option it will be then.¡±


    Qinghe licked his lips and asked warily, ¡°W-What does this second option mean? You¡­ What does Sentinel Wei plan to do to me?¡± Qinghe could more or less guess, but he still needed to be sure.


    With a grin in his voice, Wei Xiang lightly pressed his finger harder on Qinghe¡¯s entrance and explained, ¡°Since prisoners might hide forbidden things within this place to take out and use later, it is prudent that we check inside, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s face flushed a deeper red as realization struck him. So such a thing was also possible¡­ Now he understood the weird and embarrassed expressions those Sentinels had shown that time before when Qinghe had suggested that he could hide things in this body. If this was what they thought he meant, then no wonder they looked so shocked!


    Meanwhile, seeing that his beloved was not objecting, Wei Xiang cheerfully teased, ¡°However, it might get a bit difficult to check what you might have inside you this way. In fact, I might even have to put my entire hand into you just to make sure.¡±


    Qinghe lowered his head to hide his blush. ¡°I-If Sentinel Wei thinks it¡¯s necessary, th-then¡­I won¡¯t resist.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes grew half-lidded, his gaze deepening. Oh, how his beloved tempted him so.


    Removing his finger from where it was still pushing against Qinghe¡¯s entrance, Wei Xiang retrieved a bottle of oil from his storage space and poured some over his hand. Making sure that all his fingers were generously covered with the slippery liquid, he reached out towards his lover¡¯s bottom again.


    Qinghe felt Wei Xiang¡¯s familiar touch on his entrance, then a warm and slick digit slowly pressing into him. As Qinghe tried to relax his inner muscles as much as he could, he felt that finger pushing in deeper steadily. Qinghe unconsciously arched backward as if wanting to take the whole digit into him at once. But with a hand on his hip, Wei Xiang forced him to stay still so that they could go slower, unheeding of any sounds of frustration Qinghe let out.


    In a familiar ritual, Wei Xiang gradually increased the number of fingers to two, then three, slowly sliding them in and out of his lover¡¯s slickened and gradually expanding passage. Qinghe¡¯s breathing grew deeper and deeper, his desire fanned higher and higher once again as he felt those powerful fingers push in and out in an unhurried rhythm, dragging over his sensitive inner walls while maintaining a steady pressure. His entire attention was focused on those fingers inside him, their size, shape, and feel, their careful yet firm touch, the way they rubbed and pressed against the walls of his passage, the measured friction sending liquid desire to spread up from the base of his spine, drenching him in insistent lust.


    Qinghe¡¯s wrists and ankles were still in their restraints, clinking faintly as the muscles in his limbs bulged with the strain of staying still. Qinghe¡¯s closed fists and the top of his bowed head were pressed against the wall in front of him while his jaws clamped tightly shut as if to trap the sounds trying to escape his throat.


    A few moments later, when Wei Xiang deemed that his beloved¡¯s moistened channel had widened enough, he added in another digit, slowly forcing four fingers deep into the tight entrance. Qinghe bent his body further with a gritted out groan, trying to accommodate the additional digit thrusting into him. The added girth filling up his passage, moving and sliding inside him, was almost too much to bear, and yet he knew that it would only get more intense after this.


    And indeed, a few more minutes later, Wei Xiang began pushing in his whole hand, holding all five fingers together as tightly as he could to minimize the width while keeping the fingers straight.


    Despite himself, Qinghe cried out at the sensation of something that large pushing into him, forcing apart his inner walls and stretching his passage to the utmost limit. His body shuddering with strain, Qinghe opened his creaking jaws and whimpered due to the unbearable sensations. Though it wasn¡¯t unpleasant or painful due to all the prior preparations, the feeling of his entrance being forced open so much while his channel was filled with such a big intruder was too overwhelming for him to handle.


    His fists clenching tighter, Qinghe let out a low moan. A thin sheen of sweat covered his body while he struggled to accept Wei Xiang¡¯s hand into him. However, despite Wei Xiang¡¯s efforts, after the tapering part of his fingers were done being pushed inside his beloved¡¯s passage, the increasing width of his hand made it more and more difficult to insert. As the shape of the hand being forced inside him widened, Qinghe¡¯s breathing also grew deeper and harsher, the trembling of his straining body increasing. Finally, as Wei Xiang¡¯s knuckles successfully slid inside him, Qinghe¡¯s body jerked once before he let out a drawn out moan. ¡°A-Ah¡­too big¡­i-it¡¯s too big¡­p-please, I¡­I can¡¯t¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang immediately halted all his movements and looped his free arm around Qinghe¡¯s stomach to pull him closer. Burying his face in the crook of his little lover¡¯s shoulder, he asked concernedly, ¡°Is the prisoner unable to handle it then?¡±


    Qinghe panted hard, his head still bowed, then slowly shook his head, ¡°No, I-I can¡­take this¡­ I j-just¡­¡± He bit his lower lip, not knowing what more to say.


    His gaze softening, Wei Xiang easily surmised that his beloved wanted some time to get used to this sensation. Bending forward, Wei Xiang placed a small, affectionate kiss on Qinghe¡¯s jaw. He could still feel the tight and wet heat of his beloved¡¯s passage squeezing his half-inserted hand strongly, but chose to leave it be for now. Leaning back, Wei Xiang swept aside Qinghe¡¯s long stretch of hair and lowered his head.


    Qinghe felt Wei Xiang¡¯s soft lips on the nape of his neck and shuddered. A helpless moan slipped out of his mouth, his taut body beginning to relax under such a familiar and loving touch. He felt that warm mouth slowly trailing downward along his spine, sucking and licking his sweat-dampened skin hungrily while Wei Xiang¡¯s arm held his body in place.


    As his mouth slid lower and lower, Wei Xiang sank down to kneel on the floor so that his lips could continue its journey downward until he reached the base of Qinghe¡¯s spine. By now, the tightness of his lover¡¯s inner muscles around his hand had slowly subsided as Qinghe grew more relaxed. After giving his beloved¡¯s skin one last kiss, Wei Xiang began pushing his partially lodged hand deeper into Qinghe¡¯s entrance again.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Qinghe let out a cry at the sudden renewal of the invasion, but he still tried to part his legs even more as if in invitation, silently urging Wei Xiang on.


    Looking down, Wei Xiang could see his hand being slowly swallowed into Qinghe¡¯s passage, sinking in deep to his wrist. He could feel the soft, slippery, and elastic inner muscles of his beloved clamping around his hand. Not wanting to hurt Qinghe, Wei Xiang tried to be as cautious as possible as he kept pressing in as much as he could, his hand bending and turning appropriately to keep squeezing through the delicate inner pathway of his lover¡¯s hot channel.


    Meanwhile, Qinghe shifted and moved restlessly, his muscles rolling under his damp skin as clear droplets of sweat trailed down his body. Breathless gasps and throaty groans kept falling out of his lips as he tried to keep himself from tightening around his Xiang¡¯s hand. He could feel the entirety of Wei Xiang¡¯s hand moving inside him, exploring his innermost depths and dragging over his inner walls carefully and steadily.


    After pushing his hand in as much as Qinghe¡¯s passage could take, Wei Xiang finally came to a stop. In a deep voice, he spoke playfully, ¡°It¡¯s been confirmed that the prisoner doesn¡¯t have anything hidden inside him after all. What a good boy you are. Such lawfulness deserves a reward, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Qinghe could only let out a helpless moan in return. He could feel his stretched entrance twitching around his lover¡¯s muscled arm. He could feel his Xiang¡¯s hand buried deep inside his gut, shifting lightly and rubbing over the walls of his sensitive passage to send pulses of intense pleasure through him. So how could Wei Xiang expect him to reply in this situation?


    As if realizing this, Wei Xiang let out a heated chuckle and slowly began withdrawing his hand, making sure not to pull too fast for fear of risking a prolapse. Qinghe let out a full body shudder and took deep breaths to regulate his body¡¯s response. But when Wei Xiang¡¯s hand finally slipped out of him completely, Qinghe felt an immense sense of loss and an aching emptiness within him.


    Without Wei Xiang even noticing, one of his hands reached over to rest on Qinghe¡¯s belly, lightly rubbing it as if in reassurance. Holding Qinghe close again and letting the warmth of his beloved¡¯s naked body soak into his clothed front, Wei Xiang asked, ¡°What reward does the little prisoner want me to give him for being so good till now?¡±


    Qinghe took in a shuddering breath and let it out, basking in the comfort of being pressed so close to his Xiang. Opening his mouth, he finally answered, his voice taking on a soft and enticing lilt, ¡°I feel so empty¡­ I want Sentinel Wei to touch me and fill me up again until I don¡¯t feel empty anymore.¡±


    Feeling like his little lover¡¯s bewitching voice was brushing tenderly over his heart, Wei Xiang¡¯s hold on Qinghe tightened for a moment before he let go. With a chuckle, he replied, ¡°If that¡¯s the reward you want, then how can I refuse?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s heart began beating faster. Did this mean that his Xiang had agreed?


    Soon, he heard the sounds of layers of fabric shushing against each other as belts and robes were undone. Yet there was no sound of them falling, so Qinghe guessed that Wei Xiang must¡¯ve merely pushed open the lapels of his Sentinel uniform and lowered his pants.


    As he sensed the nearing heat of his Xiang¡¯s body, Qinghe felt need tightening within him. And as he finally felt a slice of Wei Xing¡¯s bare skin pressing against his back, Qinghe felt his whole body flush and melt against his lover.


    Not wanting to keep his beloved waiting for long, Wei Xiang quickly slickened up his shaft with oil. Then holding his stiff and throbbing member with one hand, he guided it forward towards his lover¡¯s visibly moist entrance that showed a small gap due to being stretched so wide before. With his other hand, Wei Xiang held Qinghe¡¯s waist steady while the blunt tip of his shaft lightly nudged Qinghe¡¯s opening.


    Meanwhile, Qinghe had carefully unclenched his hands and placed the palms flat on the wall in front of him before resting a cheek on it as well as if bracing himself. As the familiar shape of his Xiang¡¯s thick member slowly breached his entrance and slid inside him, Qinghe felt as if he was finally coming home. Letting out a long exhale, Qinghe let himself relax while being taken by the man he loved.


    Holding him close, Wei Xiang kept pushing his member into a welcoming Qinghe until he was fully sheathed within his beloved¡¯s soft flesh. Finally joined together, the pair of lovers felt each other¡¯s blood pulsing where they were firmly connected below even as the thundering of their hearts vibrated through each other¡¯s closely pressed bodies.


    Drowning in the sensual heat, Qinghe moaned softly and closed his quivering eyelids. He felt a pair of larger and warmer palms covering his own hands where they were pressed flat on the wall. A light kiss landed on the top of his head before Wei Xiang leaned back. After lightly patting Qinghe¡¯s hands in reassurance, Wei Xiang slid his palms down his beloved¡¯s arms, tracing over his shoulders and down his sides. Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes darkened at the feeling of supple skin and shifting muscles sliding under his hands.


    As his palms finally rested on Qinghe¡¯s hips, Wei Xiang slowly drew back until the blunt tip of his member was on the verge of sliding out, then quickly thrust forward. His rigid length continued to slide in and out of the warm passage in quick strokes. Gaining speed, Wei Xiang pumped faster, letting out all his pent-up lust until now into his beloved¡¯s soft body, feeling that liquid heat wrapping around and caressing his member, stoking his need impossibly higher.


    Letting out a groan, Qinghe began to move his own body in time to Wei Xiang¡¯s rhythm, squeezing his Xiang¡¯s hard shaft with his inner muscles and feeling the throbbing length swiftly dragging over his sensitized passage. As he kept moving his hips, faster and faster, Qinghe felt Wei Xiang¡¯s member suddenly stroking over a certain pleasurable point. Qinghe trembled, his whole body flushing as a sudden pulse of intense pleasure shot through him. Unrelentingly, Wei Xiang rubbed over that area again and again, making Qinghe lose all strength in his body as he screamed hoarsely.


    Wei Xiang held his lover¡¯s straining body close as he drove into him with quick and powerful thrusts, the movements of his lower body frantic and frenzied even as he bent his head to place a string of gentle kisses on his beloved¡¯s smooth and sweaty shoulder. The scent of his Qinghe¡¯s body mixing with his desperate lust filled Wei Xiang¡¯s nose, the taste and texture of his beloved¡¯s sweaty skin all he could feel under his tongue, increasing his fervor even further.


    As the pleasure built up more and more, Wei Xiang finally pitched over the edge, his release erupting into the slick and soft channel clenching around his pulsing organ. As he gritted teeth, Wei Xiang¡¯s chest rumbled with suppressed groans.


    Feeling streams of scalding hot liquid shooting into him, spreading insistent warmth throughout his quivering passage, Qinghe shuddered as his own climax crashed over him. As he went over the peak and fell into an ocean of pleasure, Qinghe could only give in to the powerful waves of inexpressible ecstasy drenching his nerve endings, his body slumping forward powerlessly. His hands trembled against the wall they were pressed against, his toes curling tightly. White liquid once again spurted out of his shaft, spilling onto his belly and the wall in front. His lips parting, Qinghe breathed out, his voice raspy and sensual, "¡­Xiang¡­"


    Holding his beloved tighter, Wei Xiang didn¡¯t correct him this time.


    Slowly, the tides of pleasure receded, leaving them both spent. With their sweaty bodies pressed together, the couple lightly panted to recover their breath. They luxuriated in the peaceful afterglow of their orgasm, reveling in the warmth and press of their beloved¡¯s skin against theirs.


    Qinghe still laid limp and boneless against Wei Xiang when he felt his lover moving and reaching forward. With a soft click, the cuff on Qinghe¡¯s left hand was undone. Rather than let his beloved¡¯s hand just fall down, Wei Xiang held it and carefully lowered it onto Qinghe¡¯s lap, then moved on to the other cuff, and then to the ones on his ankles. Slowly, all of Qinghe¡¯s restraints were removed.


    After stretching his arms and cataloguing the soreness in various parts of his body, Qinghe turned around and suddenly pulled Wei Xiang close. Before Wei Xiang had the time to do more than place his arms around his little lover, he felt his head being pulled down as a pair of lips greedily sucked his own. Chuckling, Wei Xiang opened his mouth to reciprocate with similar eagerness.


    Though their bodies were completely sated, Qinghe and Wei Xiang still felt aggrieved that they hadn''t been able to kiss each other before. And so, with fervent urgency, they sucked and licked at each other¡¯s mouths as if trying to drink in their beloved¡¯s essence and swallow the other person into themselves. It was only several minutes later that the pair had finally gotten their fill of each other, reluctantly parting before their desire could raise its head again.


    After resting their foreheads together for a few more minutes, they finally parted. Wei Xiang left Qinghe sitting on the bench and retrieved a tub willed with water. Since the underground prison didn¡¯t allow travel through the shadow realm, Wei Xiang had already prepared a few large copper tubs and put it away in his storage space beforehand.


    Wei Xiang helped Qinghe into the tub, letting him wash up first while Wei Xiang set out to clean up all traces of their lovemaking. While soaking in the tub, Qinghe curiously saw his beloved retrieve a bottle of some liquid and pour it over the bench and the wall. Wherever this mysterious liquid touched the spill of their release, it bubbled up and turned to vapor, vanishing along with the white fluid and leaving nothing behind.


    However, seeming to think that this wasn¡¯t enough, Wei Xiang took out a bucket of water and a rough washcloth, then began fervently scrubbing the wall where Qinghe had ejaculated twice before.


    Looking at his lover¡¯s intent, almost feverish expression as he rubbed that patch of wall as if he had a personal vendetta against it, Qinghe cocked a brow and remarked, ¡°Xiang, I didn¡¯t know you liked cleanliness this much.¡±


    Wei Xiang paused and replied while still glaring at the wall, ¡°That¡¯s not it. I was just thinking that in the future, some filthy criminal might come and lean against this wall that might still have traces of my dear little lover¡¯s release¡­¡±


    Narrowing his eyes and pressing his lips together in displeasure, Wei Xiang redoubled his efforts and scrubbed the wall until he removed a few layers off it.


    Leaning into the rim of the tub, Qinghe chuckled at his beloved¡¯s unreasonableness with affectionate amusement. Sometimes, his Xiang was really too cute in the way he reacted.


    After the poor wall was rubbed to Wei Xiang¡¯s satisfaction, he joined Qinghe in the tub and washed up as well before helping Qinghe draw out the release left in his passage. Putting the tub away, the pair of lovers quickly helped each other dress and comb their hair, making themselves presentable before they finally walked out of the prison cell.


    However, as they began making their way towards the platform with the formation, Wei Xiang noticed that his little lover¡¯s gait was a bit stiff. In a worried voice, he asked, ¡°Love, are you alright? Did we overdo it today? Does it hurt or feel bruised inside?¡±


    Qinghe looked up at his beloved with a reassuring smile. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s not that. I just¡­¡± Looking down with a cough, he continued, ¡°I still feel a little week-kneed from our extended bout of passion just now, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Rather than feeling smug or self-satisfied, Wei Xiang frowned with concern. ¡°Would you like to rest then? Or have some healing pills?¡±


    Qinghe shook his head and leaned into Wei Xiang¡¯s side, his smile widening at the care in his lover¡¯s voice. Without a word, Wei Xiang let Qinghe support himself against his body and wrapped an arm around his beloved¡¯s waist to share his weight better.


    Like this, the couple made their way to the formation and transported themselves outside. After greeting the Officer Bing who was still guarding over the black room, Qinghe and Wei Xiang headed towards the nearest transportation array in the Order that was linked to the one belonging to the Feng household in the heavenly realm and activated it.


    ¡­¡­


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang ambled along the broad pathway connecting the platform with the transportation array to the gates of the Feng residence. Bordering the path on either side was thick foliage and lush trees, their leaves a healthy green. As the mellow sunlight gently flowed down, it illuminated the world in a warm and cheery hue.


    Letting the pleasant breeze brush over them, the pair of lovers walked leisurely, their hands entwined as the space between them was filled with a peaceful quiet.


    Breaking the silence, Qinghe asked in a low voice, ¡°Xiang, what happened today? Why didn¡¯t you use your half-beast form?¡±


    The corner of Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes tightened. Of course his little lover wouldn¡¯t forget it so easily. He shouldn¡¯t have expected him to. Sighing, he replied, ¡°I just didn¡¯t feel like it today. Why? Did my not using it disappoint you?¡±


    Qinghe turned to look at his beloved, the light in his eyes calm and deep. ¡°Xiang, if you really had a problem¡­then you¡¯d share it with me, wouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    Facing his little lover¡¯s intent gaze that seemed to be searching for an answer in his expression, Wei Xiang smiled. As he bent his head to place a kiss on Qinghe¡¯s forehead, Qinghe closed his eyes and scrunched his brows with worry. ¡°¡­Xiang?¡±


    Leaning back, Wei Xiang replied, ¡°Love, some problems are mine alone to handle. You don¡¯t have to burden yourself with every little thing that bothers me.¡±


    Qinghe looked unconvinced. With determination firming his gaze, he finally said, ¡°That¡¯s alright. No matter what¡¯s troubling you, if it really gets to the point that you can¡¯t handle it, then I will take care of it for you.¡±


    Wei Xiang opened his mouth, then closed it again. He felt both warm at his beloved¡¯s reassuringly confident statement and cold at the thought of what might happen if his control over himself slipped even a little. For now, he could only keep pushing away the inevitable for as long as possible.


    Shaking his head, Wei Xiang decided to change the subject, ¡°Let¡¯s leave that aside for now. Tell me, love, how did you like your first try at roleplaying?¡±


    Qinghe cooperatively let the previous matter go and smiled. ¡°I liked it. It was a lot of fun trying to play the roles according to a pre-prepared scenario. But I had a hard time sticking to my role and remembering to call you by your title. And here I thought I would be good at acting¡­ It seems that all my skills at pretending vanish as soon as you touch me.¡±


    Wei Xiang chuffed out a laugh and buried his face in his little lover¡¯s neck. ¡°There are no rules we have to follow except those that we make for ourselves. And as long as you had fun, I¡¯d say it was a success.¡±


    Looping an arm around Wei Xiang¡¯s waist to pull him closer, Qinghe cheerfully nodded. ¡°We should try it again sometime. Do you want to implement your fantasy or mine next?¡±


    Wei Xiang hummed in thought for a few moments. Then with an anticipatory smile stretching his face, he answered, ¡°How about we decide it by playing a fun little game?¡±


    Tilting his head, Qinghe asked curiously, ¡°What type of game?¡±


    ¡°A game called ¡®Hunter and Prey¡¯.¡± His smile widening, Wei Xiang began explaining, ¡°We can play it in our family¡¯s forest right here. I¡¯ll chase you and try to capture you, you¡¯ll hide and try to evade me. If I find you, I win, and I¡¯ll decide what we do in bed. Or maybe I¡¯ll just do you right where I find you instead. But if I fail to find you within one hour or if you end up capturing me instead, you win, and you can decide how we make love next. Basically, the one who wins is the hunter, and he can do whatever he wants with his willing prey.¡±


    Qinghe laughed happily. ¡°No matter who ends up being the hunter in the end, I feel that we would both end up winning, but the game itself also sounds like a lot of fun in itself.¡±


    Grinning, Wei Xiang said, ¡°Yes. And the more we play, the more new things we can try afterwards. I wonder how long that book of yours can keep supplying us with ideas, love.¡±


    Qinghe pondered aloud, ¡°Maybe I should go to the sect¡¯s library soon and ask Elder Ying for more books on this subject. Do you think the library would have more¡­advanced books?¡±


    ¡°Even if they don¡¯t, there are plenty of other libraries and collections you could try,¡± Wei Xiang offered. ¡°And love, there¡¯s no need to hurry about seeking out advanced books in that area. After all, we have all the time in the world to try different things together.¡±


    Qinghe smiled happily. That was indeed true. They had an eternity to explore each other, slowly, thoroughly, fully. There was no need to rush.


    And so, chatting and chuckling about various things, the two lovers made their leisurely way back home.

 Extra 9: Spirit-devouring Worm

    The sunny blue sky smiled cheerfully over this town nestled near the base of the mountains that housed the Heavenly Peak Sect.


    In the town¡¯s marketplace, the usual chaos of life carried on. Groups of people in white robes smoothly navigated the throngs of mortals that hustled about with busy energy. Shouts and calls rang out from the hawkers describing their wares, hoping to entice passersby as squealing children ran about helter-skelter, with harried parents hurrying to follow behind them with helpless yet loving smiles.


    Walking among this bustle were two more people, one clad in white and the other in black. Everyone who cast even a single glance at these two figures did a startled double take, inescapably captivated by the sheer unbelievable beauty of their faces, their elegantly balanced stride, and their majestic comportment that looked so out of place in this mundane scene of daily hubbub. Seeing such otherworldly beings walking so casually through this messy mortal marketplace made people doubt their own eyes, making them think them an illusion.


    But Qinghe and Wei Xiang didn¡¯t pay them any mind, strolling along the busy street with their hands linked and bodies pressed close, most of their attention reserved only for their beloved.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve walked through such a bustling place together,¡± Qinghe remarked cheerily as he looked around, seeing if there was anything interesting that would catch his eye.


    Wei Xiang raised an eyebrow with amusement. ¡°What reason would we have to visit such a noisy place?¡±


    Qinghe rested his head on Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulder and smiled quietly. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t we? Being surrounded by noise is comforting, in a way. Being among people makes me feel alive and¡­a bit more safer, sometimes. But with you here, I guess I don¡¯t need this false sense of security anymore.¡±


    Wei Xiang didn¡¯t say anything as he turned and placed a soft kiss on the top of his little lover¡¯s head, his eyes holding deep pools of warmth.


    A tranquil peace settled over them, filled with contentment and unspoken words of affection that were nevertheless understood.


    Qinghe closed his eyes and soaked in this moment, feeling the presence of his beloved near him, the noise and hectic energy of the marketplace flowing around him, the delicious fragrance of spicy oil, fried dough, and seasoned fish wafting over from nearby¡­


    A loud voice energetically shouted beside them: ¡°Fish dumplings! Freshly-made fish dumplings! Made from fishes caught just this morning! Tastes crisp on the outside and mouthwateringly tender and juicy on the inside! Try one and you¡¯ll see that I¡¯m not lying!¡±


    Qinghe unconsciously halted and looked at that vendor at the side with gleaming eyes. In a low voice, he whispered to his beloved, ¡°Xiang¡­fish dumplings!¡±


    Letting out a quiet chuff of affectionate laughter, Wei Xiang obligingly turned towards the stall to accompany his adorable little lover while he bought some fish dumplings, his gaze fixed lovingly on his Qinghe¡¯s happy smile.


    ¡­¡­


    The second they entered Heavenly Peak Sect, the couple were greeted with the scene of the twins quickly running over to them with serious expressions.


    In an urgent voice, Fei Jin immediately began, ¡°Brother Wei, there¡¯s an issue with some sudden epidemic relating to the water near this area. Master was hoping to discuss it with you when he saw you next, so can you go and meet with him now? It¡¯s important.¡±


    Wei Xiang raised an eyebrow, but nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go and see to it then.¡± Giving a small kiss to Qinghe, he told him, ¡°I¡¯ll come and find you when I¡¯m done. If you have nothing better to do, then enjoy your food and wait for me in your room if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Qinghe smiled and affectionately pecked his lover in return on his jaw. ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯ll make sure I won¡¯t be bored. Go now so that you can return quicker.¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled and nodded before setting off towards the sect hall.


    Witnessing this whole exchange from the side, the twins couldn¡¯t help but feel in their aggrieved hearts that these two seniors of theirs had become even more blatant than before with their public distribution of dog food! How unfair! But seeing how happy Qinghe looked, they could only swallow down their complaints and stay silent.


    Remembering something, Fei Yin looked up at Qinghe and seriously informed in his whispery voice, ¡°Senior Brother, we have more books about that topic like you asked last time, and they¡¯re set aside for you at the library. Should we go and get it now?¡±


    Qinghe paused, then nodded. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s all go and retrieve it.¡±


    He could certainly use it to while away the time until his Xiang returned. And after his beloved was back, he could read those books along with his lover again. And later, maybe they could even try out certain ideas from those books. Feeling eager at that thought, Qinghe led the twins and set off to the library.


    Within fifteen minutes, they were in Qinghe¡¯s room, staring at the stack of books they¡¯d gotten from Elder Ying that stood like a tower on the table. Qinghe didn¡¯t even know which one to start with.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you can finish it all within a week, Senior Brother,¡± Fei Jin finally supplied. Fei Yin also seriously nodded in agreement.


    Narrowing his eyes, Qinghe refuted, ¡°No, if I use my comprehension abilities to the maximum, I can do this.¡±


    The twins carefully hid their doubts. This stack was so freaking tall, even their senior brother was bound to find it a difficult opponent to conquer!


    Just then, the door opened to let in Chen Xiande and Jing Shui, who immediately stopped in their tracks to take in the sight of the large stack of books teetering precariously on the table.


    Bringing them out of their shock, the twins politely greeted them both, seeming to have already expected them to come.


    On the other hand, Qinghe looked at them with surprise. ¡°Senior Brother? Brother Jing?¡±


    Turning to Qinghe, Chen Xiande answered the unspoken question in his junior brother¡¯s eyes, ¡°Brother Jing joined me and Master in the sect hall a few hours ago to discuss about that unexpected epidemic related to the nearby water sources. Just a few minutes ago, Sentinel Wei arrived to talk with Master and we thought we might find you here as well, so we came by to visit.¡±


    Raising his brows, Qinghe asked, ¡°Is it that serious then? What sort of epidemic is it?¡±


    As Chen Xiande and Jing Shui came over to sit by the table, Jing Shui let out a breath and began explaining, ¡°As Brother Feng may know, the water from the Jia River and its tributaries is mostly what sustains the territories around the Heavenly Peak Sect.¡±


    Qinghe nodded, silently asking him to keep going


    Jing Shui continued, ¡°Late yesterday night, upstream of the Jia River in a location about two towns over, a large flood was triggered as the side-effect of some spell gone wrong. The Sentinels were quick to begin investigating that incident, so it¡¯s almost resolved now. However, aside from the flood, another side-effect of that misfired spell is that it summoned a huge swarm of something called spirit-devouring worms that ended up being mixed into that flood. And due to the floodwaters pouring into the Jia River, the river was contaminated. As the river flowed down to the Heavenly Peak Sect¡¯s territory, it brought those worms along with it and caused troubles here.¡±


    Qinghe frowned in thought. Taking out the dumplings that he¡¯d bought before, he began eating them as he asked, ¡°What problems are those worms causing currently? What measures are being taken? And what about the common people?¡±


    With a sigh, Chen Xiande massaged his forehead and replied this time, ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard so far, if a person or animal without spiritual energy drinks the water infected with those spirit-devouring worms, the most they¡¯ll suffer from is a minor and easily treatable stomachache. But if a cultivator or spiritual beast were to take in even a single worm, it could be lethal to them. The more powerful they are, the more spiritual energy the worm absorbs from them and the faster its symptoms appear. And since the population of cultivators in our sect¡¯s territory is higher than any other place with this problem, it¡¯s been hitting us pretty hard.


    ¡°As for the measures, we¡¯re still discussing it. We are unsure about what method to use to completely extract and neutralize those worms without harming the river¡¯s ecosystem. We can¡¯t just pick up the worms one by one, and we don¡¯t have a spell specific and precise enough to affect only those worms. For now, we¡¯re focused on treating the disciples of our sect who ingested these worms. Thankfully, they¡¯ve all barely reached the first realm, so the worms couldn¡¯t do much damage due to their low cultivation. Their treatment has also been going smoothly with Sister Lei handling the issue in our medical hall.¡±


    Qinghe nodded. ¡°I see. So Sister Lei is also in our sect now. Having so many capable people working on this and still not being able to reach a resolution¡­ this definitely seems troublesome. I¡¯ll have a look at it later and see what I can do.¡±


    As Qinghe chewed another bite of his fish dumplings while deep in thought, Fei Yin suddenly asked, his tone lightly alarmed, ¡°Senior Brother, I smell fish in your dumplings. Did you perhaps buy it from a local stall?¡±


    Qinghe absentmindedly nodded, then froze in sudden realization.


    Just then, the door abruptly banged open as Wei Xiang shouted, ¡°Qinghe, don¡¯t eat those fish dumplings! The fishes in it might have already become infected with the spirit-devouring worms!¡±


    The half-eaten fish dumpling tumbled from Qinghe¡¯s suddenly weak fingers as he looked at his lover with a blank expression. ¡°Xiang¡­I think it might already be a bit late for that.¡±


    As his lover, friend, and martial brothers frantically called out, Qinghe felt his body becoming limp and beginning to fall. Thankfully, his Xiang bounded over to catch him just before he hit the floor.


    As a slow throb began in his stomach while darkness encroached over his vision, Qinghe¡¯s last thought was that he seemed to have gotten too complacent recently, not staying vigilant against danger and letting his beloved fish dumplings betray him like this.


    And then the blackness claimed him and Qinghe lost consciousness.


    ¡­¡­


    As blurry awareness slowly flooded his mind, Qinghe wanted to groan and sink back to sleep. He felt very uncomfortable. Cold and hot flashes skittered over his skin, and his body felt too weak and clumsy. His entire face seemed to be burning hot, his head heavy and his thoughts unclear. It was almost like when he was drunk, except that he couldn¡¯t seem to control the state of his mind as he usually could under the influence of alcohol. Painstakingly, Qinghe pried open his laden eyelids and tried to focus his aching eyes to survey his situation.


    He was lying on the bed in his room, surrounded by worried faces. Wei Xiang stood directly beside him, holding his hand and rubbing his thumb over its back in comfort. On one side of him, peering worriedly from behind the headboard, were the twins. On Wei Xiang¡¯s other side were Jing Shui and Chen Xiande, looking at Qinghe with distress twisting their features. On the opposite side of the bed stood Lei Zihua, Qinghe¡¯s wrist in her hand as she carefully assessed his pulse and spiritual flow.


    Seeing Qinghe waking, everyone let out deep breaths in relief, but then seeing him scrunch his brows with dazed eyes, their worries returned.


    Before anyone else could voice their concern, Jing Shui quickly asked, ¡°Sister Lei, will he be alright?¡±


    Lei Zihua sighed and placed Qinghe¡¯s wrist back on the bed. ¡°Because he¡¯s a deity, Brother Feng is resilient, but the abundant spiritual energy in his body is also very nourishing for the worm. Though he will not die, if this goes on, he might incur damage in his spiritual pathways, dantian, or even his core that would be hard to heal from. Seeing how quickly the symptoms of weakness, semi-consciousness, and intense lethargy have set in, the worm also seems to be working a lot faster than usual, meaning that it¡¯s grown powerful.


    ¡°However, if we give Brother Feng a concentrated dose of the medicine I¡¯ve been feeding the afflicted juniors, it can stabilize his situation a little and prevent the worm from absorbing too much energy from him. But since it has already had the chance to consume plentiful of Brother Feng¡¯s spiritual energy and got stronger, the medicine in itself won¡¯t be able to kill it like in the juniors¡¯ case. We¡¯ll have to find some other way to kill or extract it directly from his stomach.¡±


    Wei Xiang frowned. ¡°That sounds difficult. But for now, it would be better if he was fed that medicine quickly so that his condition doesn¡¯t get worse.¡±


    Lei Zihua nodded in agreement, then brought out a jar with thick, dark brownish-green liquid. Pouring it into a large cup, she handed it to Wei Xiang, ¡°Sentinel Wei, please feed it to Brother Feng while I continue to monitor his spiritual pathways to see if it¡¯s working.¡±


    Wei Xiang accepted the cup, and Lei Zihua once more held Qinghe¡¯s wrist. Bending towards his little lover, Wei Xiang lifted Qinghe¡¯s head up with one hand and held the rim of the cup to his beloved¡¯s lips with the other. In a gentle voice, he coaxed, ¡°Qinghe, here. Drink this.¡±


    However, Qinghe only had to take one whiff of that thick liquid to determine that it would taste horrible and bitter. Wrinkling his nose, the semi-conscious Qinghe lethargically turned away and said in a thick voice, ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t smell tasty.¡±


    Seeing his sick appearance, Wei Xiang frowned in worry. ¡°Qinghe, be good and drink the medicine. It will make you feel better.¡±


    Qinghe puffed up his cheeks, his voice weak and hoarse as he complained, ¡°But Xiang, I don¡¯t want to!¡±


    The others all only looked from the side with complicated expressions, none of them saying a word. If Wei Xiang of all people couldn¡¯t make Qinghe drink that, then none of them were confident that they would be able to do it either.


    Just when they were expecting Wei Xiang to continue cajoling him softly, he instead spoke in a commanding voice, ¡°Feng Qinghe, you will drink this. Stop prioritizing taste over your wellbeing. Open your mouth.¡±


    Qinghe looked at his beloved aggrievedly and groused, ¡°Xiang, you¡¯re being mean.¡± He was already feeling so terrible and weak, and his beloved wanted him to drink that vile smelling thing on top of that? His Xiang was definitely bullying him!


    Wei Xiang raised an eyebrow, his expression firm.


    Despite all his reluctance, Qinghe¡¯s resistance still crumbled away in the face of Wei Xiang¡¯s disapproval. Parting his lips hesitatingly, Qinghe finally let his lover pour that thick and exceedingly bitter liquid into his mouth while showing a miserable expression as if he was enduring some terrible torture.


    As soon as he was done drinking all of the medicine, Qinghe turned his face away from the cup with a childish grimace, sticking out his tongue as if wanting to disown his taste buds for the unpleasant bitterness they were transmitting to him. Qinghe then looked at Wei Xiang with a gaze loaded with blame for making him drink such a thing.


    Wei Xiang gave the cup back to Lei Zihua with a nod of gratitude and slowly lowered Qinghe¡¯s head to rest back on the pillow. Then raising a hand to pat his adorable little lover on the head, Wei Xiang smiled with equal parts amusement and affection, his voice softening as he praised, ¡°You did very well.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s ire immediately dissolved into pleasure, his eyes closing as he luxuriated in Wei Xiang¡¯s touch. As the medicine began working, the constant throb in his stomach also receded a bit, his tense muscles slowly beginning to relax. Qinghe let out a soft sigh, shifting in the bed sleepily.


    Letting go of his wrist again, Lei Zihua noted, ¡°The medicine has taken effect. The rate of his energy being sucked by the worm seems to have decreased, and his spiritual flow is attempting to stabilize. As long as we kill the spirit-devouring worm or get it out of Brother Feng within an hour or so, there will be no lasting damage.¡±


    Wei Xiang looked at Qinghe thoughtfully while asking Lei Zihua, ¡°Which part of him is the worm currently residing in?¡±


    Fei Jin added from the side, ¡°If it¡¯s a limb or something non-vital, we can just put Senior Brother under and remove that body part. The worm will be gone and the removed body part will also most probably grow back within days, so it shouldn¡¯t be an issue.¡±


    But Lei Zihua shook her head. ¡°It isn¡¯t so easy to use such a method in his current condition. The worm has currently made itself at home in his stomach.¡±


    As one, everyone turned to look at Qinghe¡¯s stomach.


    Sensing everyone¡¯s gazes, Qinghe blearily opened his eyes. He had been listening to them speak all this time while struggling to fight off sleep. Now, with everyone¡¯s focus on him, he offered in an unsteady voice, ¡°We can just cut open my stomach and get the worm out. However, I¡¯d prefer not to be put under for the procedure unless Xiang stays nearby.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes warmed as he squeezed Qinghe¡¯s hand lightly.


    But frowning, Lei Zihua rejected that idea. ¡°Brother Feng, though such open-body surgeries are not as problematic for high-level cultivators due to their regenerative abilities, I¡¯m afraid that it¡¯s not possible to be performed on you currently. Because of the worm, your spiritual energy flow is still unstable. If you were to be cut open in your current state and something went wrong, your body will not be able to heal it quickly enough due to the spiritual flow instability. It would be wise not to risk it.¡±


    Qinghe thoughtfully nodded, then let his eyelids close. He was too tired to keep them open anymore.


    Lei Zihua hesitated, then continued, ¡°However, there might be a way to remove the worm. But it will need Sentinel Wei¡¯s cooperation and efforts.¡±


    Wei Xiang narrowed his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m listening, please elaborate.¡±


    Letting out a breath, Lei Zihua nodded and said, ¡°The method I¡¯m going to propose will need control and dexterity. If Sentinel Wei is confident in his ability to wield his golden strings, then maybe one of the strings could be let down into Brother Feng¡¯s stomach through his mouth. Then you can use the string to catch the spirit-devouring worm directly and pull it back out. However, you would have to be very careful to not damage anything inside or let the worm escape further into the intestines.¡±


    After a moment of consideration, Wei Xiang nodded. ¡°Yes, I can do that. I can just kill the worm directly inside him before bringing it back up so that there won¡¯t be any unnecessary complications.¡±


    However, Lei Zihua spoke, ¡°Sentinel Wei, if it¡¯s possible, I would like for you to extract that worm alive. We of the Lightning Sky Sect haven¡¯t yet had the chance to study a spirit-devouring worm like this that¡¯s saturated with ample spiritual energy. It might prove useful in our pursuit of devising a way to eradicate this worm infestation in the Jia River.¡±


    Wei Xiang sighed. ¡°Then I¡¯ll try to keep it alive. But if that proves difficult or in any way harmful to Qinghe, you¡¯ll simply have to make do with a dead worm.¡±


    Lei Zihua nodded. ¡°Yes, Brother Feng¡¯s health naturally comes first. Thank you, Sentinel Wei.¡± Then taking out an enchanted glass jar, she handed it to Wei Xiang and said, ¡°After you extract the worm, please put it in this jar. I will wait outside the room, and if there are any problems, please don¡¯t hesitate to call me.¡±


    With that, she left, not wanting to intrude further and to give Qinghe some privacy. After all, she was not close enough to him to see him in such a state.


    Inside the room, Wei Xiang didn¡¯t waste any time and got on the bed, straddling Qinghe¡¯s chest to have easier access to his mouth. Opening his eyes, Qinghe simply blinked up at him dazedly. Realizing that something seemed to have been decided while he was dozing, Qinghe tried to stay awake now to see what his lover wanted to do. But he was so sleepy¡­


    Meanwhile, Wei Xiang carefully lifted up Qinghe¡¯s arms, and using the golden string from his left arm, tied his beloved¡¯s wrists firmly to the bars in the headboard, making sure to leave enough slack so that Wei Xiang would still be able to move his own left hand. The reason for restraining his lover like this was simple. If Qinghe, in his unclear state of mind, struggled while he had Wei Xiang¡¯s thin string inside him, he might cut himself internally. If he moved or interfered in any way while Wei Xiang was on the verge of capturing that worm, it could even lead to alerting that worm and letting it escape deeper into his body. And so, Wei Xiang decided that his little lover would be much safer if he were restrained during the procedure.


    Turning to the twins, Wei Xiang said, ¡°You both hold down his legs. Don¡¯t let go.¡±


    Fei Jin looked confused. ¡°But Brother Wei, Senior Brother is already in such a weak condition. Is it even necessary to immobilize his legs?¡±


    With a strange smile, Wei Xiang replied, ¡°If it was anyone else, I¡¯d agree, but this is Feng Qinghe we¡¯re talking about. You should know what I mean. We can never afford to underestimate him.¡±


    Showing expressions of realization, the twins nodded in understanding.


    Looking at Chen Xiande next, Wei Xiang instructed, ¡°Disciple Chen, stay at standby to receive the worm when it¡¯s taken out and prepare to immediately put it inside the enchanted container given by Disciple Lei. I¡¯ll be busy tending to Qinghe afterward, so I¡¯d like you to take care of it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sentinel Wei,¡± Chen Xiande agreed solemnly and took a step to stand closer to Qinghe¡¯s head so that Wei Xiang could more easily hand him the worm.


    Turning to Jing Shui, Wei Xiang gave him the enchanted jar and said, ¡°Disciple Jing, open the container and keep it at the ready. The instant Disciple Chen puts the worm inside, you will close the lid tightly to trap it securely, then go and give Disciple Lei the container.¡±


    Jing Shui nodded. ¡°Understood.¡± Opening the jar as told, he went to wait beside Chen Xiande. He was glad that he could be of help even in this small way.


    All that taken care of, Wei Xiang finally turned his attention back to his puzzled beloved. Seeing his lover looking at him again, Qinghe curiously asked, ¡°Xiang, what¡¯s going on? Have you figured out how I can get rid of the worm? I think I ended up sleeping a little, so I don¡¯t know what you all decided.¡±


    Wei Xiang cupped Qinghe¡¯s cheek and smiled. ¡°I will explain, but will you trust me?¡±


    Qinghe easily nodded.


    Letting out a breath, Wei Xiang asked gently, ¡°Then Qinghe, will you open your mouth?¡±


    Looking at his beloved suspiciously, Qinghe shook his head while pressing his lips firmly together. After all, the last time his Xiang asked him to open his mouth was to feed him that bitter medicine!


    Understanding his reservations, Wei Xiang suppressed his helpless amusement. In a patient voice, he coaxed while his thumb rubbed his little lover¡¯s chin, ¡°No, love, I won¡¯t give you any bitter medicine, so won¡¯t you open up for me?¡±


    His eyes wide as his body laid soft and trusting under his beloved, Qinghe slowly parted his lips. Since his Xiang promised there won¡¯t be any medicine, he should trust him, shouldn¡¯t he?


    ¡°Good,¡± Wei Xiang said with a tender smile. In a measured voice, he began explaining in advance, ¡°Now, I¡¯m going to put my string into your mouth, and it is going to have to go down your throat and into your stomach so that it can catch the worm. Please don¡¯t resist it.¡±


    Qinghe obediently nodded and cooperatively widened his mouth further.


    Wei Xiang let out a relieved breath. To prevent Qinghe from unexpectedly shutting his mouth and biting down on the string during crucial moments, Wei Xiang lodged the index and middle fingers of one hand between Qinghe¡¯s jaws. Then, carefully blunting the tip of the string extending from his right arm so that it wouldn¡¯t scratch any soft inner tissue, Wei Xiang sent it into Qinghe¡¯s mouth before carefully lowering it further inside.


    Qinghe acutely felt the flexible metal string entering his throat, pushing uncomfortably deeper into him. He couldn¡¯t help but twist lightly at the queer sensation. His brows furrowed and his eyes teared up as he forced back his gag reflex while the string inched deeper and deeper down, slowly sliding into his chest and further below. It felt very intrusive and unnerving to have something extending slowly down from his mouth and gradually entering his stomach like this. However, though Qinghe wanted to shift restlessly, he was firmly held in place.


    The others all remained absolutely still and silent, not wanting to risk distracting Wei Xiang.


    Meanwhile, feeling Qinghe¡¯s teeth reflexively trying to clench closed and bite down on his fingers, Wei Xiang had to use his other hand to hold his beloved¡¯s lower jaw as he continued to steadily push his golden string into Qinghe¡¯s stomach. He frowned in concentration as he tried to feel for the worm with his string while taking care not to alert it.


    After sensing its presence in a certain area inside his stomach, Wei Xiang sent more of his string down Qinghe¡¯s throat while trying his best to be gentle. Once he¡¯d gathered enough of it, he began winding his string into a loose spiral cage around the general location where he¡¯d sensed the worm, making sure that his string wouldn¡¯t touch it at all. Once the spiral cage was completed, Wei Xiang quickly pulled the string taut, causing the trap to immediately close around the worm. The coils of the string tightly wrapped around it, holding the thin and slippery body of the spirit-devouring worm securely.


    Wei Xiang let out a long breath, then began the next part. But just as he started dragging the worm upward, the wriggling worm suddenly sent out a compressed blast of the power it had accumulated till now, attempting to retaliate.


    Qinghe jerked at the sudden burst of pain in his stomach and began struggling weakly. A hoarse groan slipped out of his throat, vibrating along the string.


    Wei Xiang quickly made his string contract around the worm, squeezing it tightly in severe warning. If it kept on like this, he had no qualms about crushing this damn thing for hurting his beloved! As if sensing his fury and the danger it posed, the worm stopped resisting. Wei Xiang immediately began pulling it up again.


    Meanwhile, in a soothing voice, he tried to pacify his agitated little lover, ¡°Qinghe, love, it¡¯s alright. I won¡¯t let it hurt you anymore. It¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Though Qinghe stopped struggling after hearing the reassurance, Wei Xiang could still feel his beloved¡¯s body trembling under him. But Wei Xiang was helpless to do anything but continue dragging the worm up. He could take his time to hug and comfort his little lover as much as he needed after this ordeal was done and there was no threat to him. But until then, he had to focus on extracting this worm.


    Meanwhile, Qinghe had to suppress the urge to throw up with all he had. Though he hadn¡¯t sensed the worm when it was inside his stomach, he could feel it very clearly right now as something alive and wriggling was being brought up his throat. The slight sting of stomach acid coating the worm accompanied the slimy feeling of the layer of thick and sticky mucous over its skin as it was being squeezed up through his esophagus. Qinghe tried to close his mouth and swallow down on reflex, but Wei Xiang unrelentingly held it open with his fingers between his teeth and his hand firmly gripping his lower jaw. And no matter how much Qinghe¡¯s throat muscles struggled to swallow, the string still kept pulling the worm up steadily and without faltering.


    Qinghe whimpered pitifully at the repulsive sensation, his eyes shut tightly as tears dripped down.


    As they held down their senior brother¡¯s legs, the twins¡¯ faces were crumpled in similar expressions of distress and commiseration, while at the side, Jing Shui had gone teary eyed, his face showing his sympathy. On the other hand, Chen Xiande looked green. He didn¡¯t know how his junior brother was able to bear it, but if he were in his place, Chen Xiande knew without a doubt that he would be screaming at the top of his lungs by now. Just imagining the disgusting sensation of some worm slithering up his throat was enough to make him want to throw up.


    As sweat beaded on Wei Xiang¡¯s scrunched forehead while he kept pulling his string up, the top of the spirit-devouring worm¡¯s body finally emerged from Qinghe¡¯s throat. It looked like a relatively thick earthworm, its width just slightly thinner than a finger, while its slimy skin was a purplish pink with a greyish tint. The sight of it being drawn out of Qinghe¡¯s throat made everyone¡¯s faces go white as their eyes widened in horror.


    Qinghe¡¯s eyelids squeezed tighter, more tears forced out as he struggled to breathe.


    Wei Xiang quickly pulled the thrashing worm completely out before his beloved could choke on it, then almost threw it over to the waiting Chen Xiande before focusing his entire attention on his little lover.


    As the twins finally let go of his legs and Wei Xiang also put away his strings to free his wrists, Qinghe quickly curled up on his side, his hands pressed over his mouth as he retched.


    Wei Xiang hurriedly retrieved a bucket from his spatial storage and placed it in front of his beloved. As Qinghe pulled it closer to heave into, expelling all the bites of fish dumplings he¡¯d eaten before, Wei Xiang held his little lover¡¯s disheveled hair back while soothingly rubbing a hand up and down his spine.


    Jing Shui had already sped away to give Lei Zihua the enchanted jar containing the squirming worm while Chen Xiande was rapidly going through the inventory of pills in his spatial storage to see which of them could be of use to his junior brother. Fei Jin and Fei Yin had already gone off to get a basin and a soft cloth so that their senior brother could wipe his mouth and face afterwards.


    Returning within a few moments, Jing Shui said, ¡°Now that the worm has been removed, Sister Lei is confident that Brother Feng can recover quickly within a few hours.¡±


    Wei Xiang gave him a nod of acknowledgment while continuing to rub Qinghe¡¯s back. The twins returned with a basin of warm water and a cloth while Chen Xiande also finally retrieved a handful of colorful pills that would be useful for his junior brother. The three people stood ready while waiting for Qinghe to be done.


    A few minutes later, after he was finished throwing up, Qinghe coughed hoarsely and slowly straightened. His face was pale and his hands tightly clutching the rim of the bucket were lightly trembling due to weakness. The twins immediately gave Wei Xiang the basin and cloth, and after accepting it, Wei Xiang set about wetting the cloth with the comfortably warm water before wiping Qinghe¡¯s sweaty face and mouth.


    Jing Shui got a glass of water and handed it to Qinghe to rinse his mouth, then refilled it with some more water to drink. After Qinghe was done wetting his parched and sore throat, Chen Xiande immediately gave him the pills he¡¯d chosen. Qinghe gratefully took it to restore some strength back into his body.


    Once it was done, Qinghe burrowed into Wei Xiang¡¯s arms for comfort. Hugging him close and patting his back gently, Wei Xiang finally asked, ¡°Qinghe, love, how do you feel?¡±


    In a hoarse yet fully-conscious voice, Qinghe said, ¡°I¡¯m definitely never eating fish dumplings again!¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled. ¡°Love, you should never make promises you can¡¯t keep.¡±


    Qinghe puffed his cheeks and glared at Wei Xiang. Then letting it go, he spoke determinedly, ¡°Now that it¡¯s come to this, I¡¯m definitely going to help get rid of all those blasted worms from the river.¡±


    Seeing the sharp glint in his eyes, the others could only shake their heads at those worms¡¯ bad fortune in earning the ire of Feng Qinghe of all people.


    After that, Qinghe showed just how efficient he could be when he was motivated by revenge.


    He first headed over to the Lightning Sky Sect and helped in their research while also coordinating with Jing Shui due to his ability to control water to devise a way to eradicate the worms. Using the knowledge he¡¯d learnt about mixing poisons from his mother and merging it with the information gleaned from the Lightning Sky Sect¡¯s research, Qinghe developed an effective poison within a few hours. After he traveled through both the mortal and heavenly realm to acquire the suitable ingredients, Lei Zihua and her juniors brewed the poison according to his instructions and prepared several large barrels of it.


    Taking these barrels to the place where the flooding had first occurred, Qinghe poured out the newly-made poison¡ªwhich was calibrated to affect only the spirit devouring worms¡ªinto the running river. Upon Qinghe¡¯s request, Jing Shui used his ability and made sure that the poison would suffuse every part of the river, cleansing it of the worms wherever it spread. Any worms that managed to survive this would be few in number and could be easily taken care of.


    In this way, the entire population of spirit-devouring worms infesting the Jia River was completely wiped out by the time the sun sank below the horizon.


    And on this day, the cultivation world was once more reminded why they should not offend Feng Qinghe. His way of exacting vengeance was truly too thorough!


    crimson_carnation

 Extra 10: Staying for Lunch

    This afternoon, Qinghe and Wei Xiang once more visited Yan Lin¡¯s cottage to spend some time with his family.


    It had been more than two years now since Zhang LiYing gave birth to their daughter, Yan Minglan. Since then, Qinghe had come to visit from time to time, bringing child-safe snacks and toys to win his godchild¡¯s favor. Most of the time, Wei Xiang accompanied him as well, with Jing Shui, Chen Xiande, and the others joining in occasionally.


    Currently, Qinghe and Wei Xiang were walking along a neat dirt path, with the doorway of Yan Lin¡¯s cottage just a few dozens of steps away.


    The small vegetable garden in the front and the scattered fruit trees around the house were all thriving. In the distance, one could vaguely see the pointed edge of a roof belonging to an institutional building that was built to house the people who had once been trapped and abused in the imperial palace. Less than a year after they were freed by the Sentinels with Qinghe¡¯s help, that building had been built to shelter and feed the victims who had nowhere else to stay, since this place was deemed peaceful enough to aid them in their mental and physical recovery.


    Of course, the fact that Yan Lin stayed nearby also had a role in it. Because of how the victims had flourished in his temporary care, it was decided that it would be beneficial to have him nearby.


    After the recovery facility was built, the people running that establishment had struck a deal with Yan Lin and his wife. Once a week, as a healthy exercise, a few of the recovering people would willingly come to learn the proper and most efficient method to pick fruits from the trees near Yan Lin¡¯s cottage, along with how to deal with the particular type of insects that were attracted to each variety of fruit and other such issues.


    Once they were done, the people would be allowed to take back a portion of the fruits they¡¯d managed to pick while Yan Lin and Zhang LiYing would be paid generously for their time, guidance, and the fruits that were taken back from their fruiting trees. This was a very beneficial deal for both sides. And because Yan Lin wanted to help these traumatized people in his own way, he also went over to the recovery facility in his spare time and helped them plant non-toxic flowering bushes and fruit saplings.


    And so, the Yan family¡¯s life went on.


    In these past few years, Qinghe had visited Yan Lin¡¯s family many times. On one such time, he gave Yan Lin and Zhang LiYing an elixir brewed by the Deity of Medicine himself, who¡¯d agreed to do it to pay back a favor that Feng Chunyi had done him long ago. This miraculous elixir could act as a cure-all for all physical illnesses and also negate poisons and toxins of most types. On top of that, it also had the effect of healing a body from all the damage done to it by aging, which meant that it kept the people who took it young and healthy, essentially granting them immortality.


    However, Yan Lin and Zhang LiYing didn¡¯t want to take the elixir, politely turning Qinghe down and telling him that they wanted to live out their natural lifespan.


    Because of this, Qinghe had to live with the constant fear that they would one day pass away. He didn¡¯t want to see his friend and friend''s family slowly age and die while he remained young and healthy forever. And so, not wanting to waste the time he had with them, he tried to visit his friend¡¯s family whenever he could to make as many memories with them while it was still possible.


    As Qinghe pondered over all this, he and Wei Xiang, while walking hand-in-hand as usual, had finally reached the Yan family¡¯s doorstep. But rather than heading in, they paused and looked to the side.


    Sitting there in front of a pile of damp and loose sand was an adorable little girl. She was looking up in Qinghe¡¯s direction with anticipation gleaming unhidden in her eyes as she energetically waved her hands. ¡°Big Brother Qinghe! Big Brother Xiang!¡±


    Seeing her cute smile and adorable dimples, Qinghe felt his heart melt as a doting smile spread on his face. Every time he interacted with this little child, he felt anticipation welling up within him at the thought of the wyvern egg hatching to give him a kid of his own to pamper and protect.


    Meanwhile, Wei Xiang gave the cute child a smile and a nod before pushing open the door and heading inside the cottage, leaving his little lover to keep the child company.


    Qinghe went over and crouched before the little girl. Poking her nose, he asked playfully, ¡°What is little LanLan doing? Look how you¡¯ve gotten dirt even on your face.¡±


    Yan Minglan giggled and rubbed a chubby fist on her round cheek in an attempt to clean it. ¡°I¡¯m making mountain houses in the mud! Do you also wanna play?¡±


    Seeing her hopeful eyes, Qinghe smiled affectionately and sat down on the other side of the pile of sand. A portion of it had been carefully flattened and a small mound of dirt was built by the child¡¯s small hands. Round holes signifying a door and several windows were pressed into it with fingers.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll play. How does LanLan want to continue? Do you want to build a bigger house?¡± Qinghe asked.


    Yan Minglan pouted and glared at the little ¡®mountain house¡¯ she¡¯d built. ¡°I wanted to make it bigger, but it all fell down!¡±


    Qinghe chuckled. ¡°Then let me help you make it bigger. But first, we have to collect some sticks and stones to structurally reinforce the construction. After all, mud with this consistency doesn¡¯t hold together all that well.¡±


    Though the little girl felt like tilting her head uncomprehendingly, she still cooperatively looked around for pebbles and twigs along with Qinghe. After all, her big brother always knew best!


    ¡­¡­


    Meanwhile, Zhang LiYing had already conscripted Wei Xiang to work in the kitchen to make lunch. The Yan Lin with unskilled hands had long been kicked out by his wife to peel and cut a few fruits for later.


    Inside the kitchen, Wei Xiang let out his strings and used them to multitask. While his hands were busy chopping vegetable into appropriate sizes, his strings sliced out thin noodles with extreme precision, which Zhang LiYing then began cooking with the ingredients she¡¯d prepared before.


    Once he was done cutting vegetables, Zheng LiYing asked, ¡°Sentinel Wei, can you please wrap that chicken filling in that container over there with some of that dough in that bowl in front of you to make dumplings?¡±


    Giving a nod, Wei Xiang wordlessly took the dough, rolled it into little balls, then flattened it into thin circles.


    Zhang LiYing added a sprinkle of condiments to the noodles boiling in its soup and looked up. ¡°So, when are you both planning on marrying?¡±


    Wei Xiang paused, then continued his actions of scooping out some of the fragrant chicken filling to place at the center of the rolled out circle of dough. In a casual voice, he answered, ¡°We¡¯ll marry when the entirety of the Feng household has the time to pause our lives and plan the wedding.¡±


    Zhang LiYing wiped away the layer of sweat on her forehead with a nearby cloth and turned to peer at Wei Xiang strangely. ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s it?¡±


    His hands halting, Wei Xiang narrowed his eyes. ¡°What other reason would there be?¡±


    Zhang LiYing chuckled dryly as she put away the cloth and continued stirring the noodle broth. ¡°To me, it seems like you¡¯re waiting, Sentinel Wei. It¡¯s like you¡¯re dreading something, so you¡¯re waiting to see if your relationship can withstand that. Are you doubting Qinghe?¡±


    Wei Xiang stayed silent for a moment, then resumed placing the lumps of the chicken filling in the center of the remaining few dough circles. Once that was done, he finally replied. ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m doubting him, I¡¯m just¡­doubting myself.¡± Then sighing tiredly, he continued in a lower volume, ¡°Qinghe is too good. He might feel afraid or hurt, but he might also just accept whatever I do to him. However, I¡¯m not sure I can bear the guilt of treating him like that and continue as if nothing happened.¡±


    Zhang LiYing froze and looked up at him with a frown. ¡°What do you mean? Just what are you expecting to happen?¡±


    But Wei Xiang shook his head, unwilling to tell her. Lifting up the edge of the circle of dough in front of him with careful fingers, he gathered it at the top before gently twisting and pinching it closed to form the dumpling.


    Massaging her temple, Zhang LiYing shook her head. ¡°No matter what you think you¡¯re going to do and what Qinghe might or might not accept, you should remember to not be too hard on yourself. Talk it out with him rather than bottling it up. His insight and point of view might surprise you.¡±


    Wei Xiang stayed silent for a while, sunken in thought, before shaking his head resolutely. ¡°No, it¡¯s better that he doesn¡¯t know. I can take care of it myself. Madam Yan, please don¡¯t tell him anything we spoke about just now. He¡¯s too clever to not be able to figure it all out from just a few suggestive words.¡±


    Zhang LiYing sighed, but nodded. This was an issue between two people who loved each other very much and wanted only the best for each other. She would not interfere in the matters between them out of some misguided goodwill and risk splitting them apart. She knew better than that.


    For a few moments, there was a hushed silence as Wei Xiang continued to pinch closed the dumplings while Zhang LiYing tended to the stove. Then, in a quiet voice, Wei Xiang said, ¡°Thank you for your concern and advice.¡±


    Zhang LiYing smiled. ¡°Of course I¡¯d be concerned for you both. We¡¯re all practically family by now. Ah, if you¡¯re done with the dumplings, can you give them over? I¡¯m almost done with the noodles and I can start on them next. In the meantime, can you help me set the tables, please?¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled, but did as requested.


    Peaceful quiet descended on the kitchen once again.


    ¡­¡­


    Soon, lunch was ready and set out to eat.


    Yan Lin, Zhang LiYing, and Wei Xiang went out to call Qinghe and Yan Minglan inside. As the three stepped out the door, the two people happily playing in the sand looked up with similar faces bearing happy smiles, wide gleaming eyes, and dirt-smudged cheeks. Needless to say, their clothes were dusty and smeared with dirt as well, though it was more prominent on Qinghe¡¯s white robes. In front of them was a waist-high structure constructed of mud, looking like an intricately carved imperial palace.


    Wei Xiang chuffed out a laugh as Zhang LiYing smiled helplessly. With an expression that said he didn¡¯t know what to think, Yan Lin asked, ¡°Minglan, what are you doing?¡±


    Yan Minglan looked at her father with her childish face flushed with delight. ¡°We¡¯re making secret escape routes for the palace now!¡±


    Yan Lin¡¯s mouth twitched.


    Qinghe chuckled and patted the little girl¡¯s head. ¡°We¡¯re almost done anyway, and it seems that lunch is ready. Let¡¯s go and eat, shall we?¡±


    Yan Minglan cheerfully nodded and got up, running over to her parents while Qinghe tried to adjust some finer details on the mud palace with his fingers.


    Near the doorway, Zhang LiYing told her husband, ¡°I cooked, so bathing her is your responsibility.¡±


    Yan Lin nodded ruefully. Then lifting his daughter and letting her snuggle into his shoulder, he looked at Qinghe and Wei Xiang. ¡°Well, I¡¯m going off to bathe her, then.¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded and said in return, ¡°I¡¯ll go and bathe my lover, then.¡±


    Chuckling, Yan Lin simply said, ¡°I¡¯ll have some warm water prepared in the backyard in a few minutes after I wash Minglan, if you don¡¯t mind waiting.¡±


    After Wei Xiang assured him that they wouldn¡¯t mind, Yan Lin walked into the cottage with his lively daughter.


    Near the mud palace, still sitting on the ground, Qinghe folded his arms and huffed at his beloved, ¡°I¡¯m perfectly capable of bathing myself. Xiang, you should stop trying to find excuses to touch me.¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled amusedly and walked over to his little lover. Bending, he brushed off a smudge of dirt on Qinghe¡¯s cheek with his thumb. ¡°Oh? Are you saying that you don¡¯t like it when I find excuses to touch you? Especially when you¡¯re naked? And seeing how much mud you¡¯ve gotten on yourself, I can see that I¡¯ll have to very thoroughly wash you this time.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes sparkled as he grinned mischievously. ¡°Well, doing those things can be enjoyable, I¡¯ll admit. But where¡¯s the fun if I¡¯m the only one being washed?¡±


    Before Wei Xiang could reply, a large shower of loose dirt rained down on him from above, having been brought over sneakily by Qinghe using his wind. As the rain of sand washed over him, Wei Xiang froze with an expression of disbelief.


    Qinghe laughed happily at the sight of his dirt-covered beloved, then got up from the ground. ¡°Now we¡¯re both dirty, so we can bathe each other,¡± he declared smugly.


    But how could Wei Xiang be content with just silently becoming a victim of his beloved¡¯s mischief?


    Narrowing his eyes, Wei Xiang slowly reached down and lifted up a handful of mud, slowly rolling it into a ball. ¡°Love, if this is how you want to play, then fine, let¡¯s play.¡±


    Seeing the evil grin blooming on his lover¡¯s face and understanding what he meant, Qinghe let out an involuntary bark of laughter, then turned around and quickly fled. Wei Xiang gleefully chased him down, rubbing dirt over Qinghe¡¯s white robe or smooth skin whenever he managed to catch him even as his little lover struggled to get away before escaping again.


    As they ran circles around the cottage, Wei Xiang stealthily sent his strings underground so that they¡¯d come up out of the ground in front of the unwary Qinghe. Though Qinghe managed to dodge one of them in time, the other string attacking from the opposite side ended up wrapping itself securely around his left leg, tripping him successfully.


    Qinghe couldn¡¯t help but think how much fun this was even as he tried to remove the string holding his leg down while wriggling on the ground.


    Meanwhile, Wei Xiang slowed down his run to a stroll as he leisurely headed towards his struggling little lover, his lips quirking up into a wicked smirk. In a smug voice, he said, ¡°This is why you shouldn¡¯t underestimate the hunting skills of a predator beast, my dear Qinghe.¡±


    Qinghe laughed even as he complained, ¡°Xiang, let me go! It¡¯s not fair, you¡¯re cheating!¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes gleamed brightly. ¡°I didn¡¯t think we had rules, love. Either way, it¡¯s too late for you. After getting my little lover into my clutches like this, bound and helpless on the ground, how can I let you go before I have my evil way with you?¡±


    Trying to rein in his laughter, Qinghe asked, ¡°Xiang, what are you planning to do?¡±


    Wei Xiang kept on smiling smugly as he cheerfully flipped his beloved so that he¡¯d be lying on his front, then straddled his back. Puzzled, Qinghe tried to twist his neck to look back as he called, ¡°Xiang? What¨D¡±


    Just then, Qinghe felt his hair being brushed away from his nape before the collar of his robes was pulled back, then¡­a fistful of cold dirt was unceremoniously shoved inside under his clothes. Qinghe jerked in surprise and let out a startled squeak. The damn mud was too chilly and damp!


    Seeing his reaction, Wei Xiang chuckled with satisfaction. ¡°How does my revenge feel against your skin, love? I bet it¡¯s really cold.¡±


    Qinghe furiously wriggled under him. ¡°Xiang! You see if I won¡¯t pay you back!¡±


    Wei Xiang only laughed happily.


    Witnessing this scene from nearby were Yan Lin and Yan Minglan. Standing under the sheltering eaves of the cottage, Yan Lin was bathing his daughter in a shallow basin with gentle hands. Looking at Qinghe and Wei Xiang playing around on the ground, he shook his head with a small, affectionate smile.


    In a soft voice, he told Yan Minglan, ¡°Young ones in love are crazy. I hope that you¡¯ll one day find someone to be that crazy with as well.¡±


    Not understanding, the little girl just looked at her big brother and the other big brother with her wide, liquid eyes shining curiously. In a befuddled voice, she asked, ¡°Big Brother is crazy?¡±


    Yan Lin chuckled. ¡°Yes, but only with Sentinel Wei.¡±


    Yan Minglan nodded seriously. Looking at them both currently, she guessed it to mean that her big brother liked playing with the other big brother a lot.


    Meanwhile, as Wei Xiang continued to take advantage of Qinghe¡¯s helplessness to add another handful of dirt under his clothes, Qinghe extended an arm towards the nearby Yan Lin and beseeched, ¡°Yan Lin, help me!¡±


    However, letting out a soft chuff of laughter, Yan Ling ignored him and continued to bathe his daughter while imparting words of wisdom, ¡°Minglan, you have to understand, if two lovers are playing around, you should never get in between them and ruin their fun.¡±


    The little girl giggled cutely in response to her father while waving cheerfully at a struggling Qinghe. Her big brother looked like he was having so much fun!


    ¡°Yan Lin, aren¡¯t you my friend?! How can you abandon me like this?!¡± Qinghe called out, then abruptly began laughing again as Wei Xiang started tickling him. ¡°X-Xiang! K-Keep your¡­muddy fingers¡­a-away from me!¡±


    Wei Xiang happily refused, ¡°Not a chance, love.¡±


    As he finished bathing her, Yan Lin began drying his daughter carefully with a soft towel. Sighing wistfully, he continued talking to her, ¡°Minglan, it¡¯s truly a pity that your mother dislikes dirt so much, or we would¡¯ve been able to play like that in our younger days too. Ah well, we had our own little silly games at that time. And I suppose we still have them now.¡±


    Between bouts of uncontrollable laughter, Qinghe threatened in a strained voice, ¡°Yan Lin¡­you betrayer! Just see if I don¡¯t¡­shove dirt down your back¡­before leaving!¡±


    Yan Lin merely smiled as he dressed his child. After having her fill of gazing at the adults playing on the ground, Yan Minglan turned to her father and waved her hands energetically. ¡°Big Brother¡¯s flopping around with lots of mud!¡±


    ¡°Yes, apparently that¡¯s how he likes to play while on the ground with Sentinel Wei. We shouldn¡¯t keep on disturbing them,¡± Yan Lin said with an affectionate expression. Then acting as if he couldn¡¯t see or hear his friend wriggling on the ground under the torment of Wei Xiang¡¯s ruthlessly tickling fingers, Yan Lin gently squeezed his daughter¡¯s chubby pink cheeks. ¡°And don¡¯t worry, your Big Brother Qinghe can¡¯t be childish enough to do something like putting mud under my clothes. Now, let¡¯s get you in and feed you lunch, shall we?¡±


    And so, ignoring Qinghe¡¯s desperate shout of ¡°Yan Lin!¡±, he cheerfully carried his daughter into the house and closed the side door.


    Finally stopping his tickling, Wei Xiang chuckled. ¡°Even your friend has abandoned you. Now you¡¯re completely at my mercy, love.¡±


    Qinghe stilled, panting to recover his breath after laughing so much. Then looking up sideways at his lover, Qinghe grinned slyly. ¡°Xiang, if you can cheat using your strings, then why shouldn¡¯t I cheat using my wind?¡±


    Wei Xiang barely had the chance to raise an eyebrow before Qinghe quickly flipped their positions and captured his beloved¡¯s wrists. Rather than resisting, Wei Xiang instead had to focus his concentration on loosening his tightly wound strings to prevent them from twisting and dislocating Qinghe¡¯s leg when his beloved was moving with them still on. Because of this, Wei Xiang was unable to muster a retaliation in time, which was of course as Qinghe had planned. Realizing this, Wei Xiang felt both amused and delighted at his little lover¡¯s cunning.


    With his back on the ground now and Qinghe straddling him, Wei Xiang tried to move his arms to throw off Qinghe¡¯s grip. But he immediately found that his arms were securely pressed down into the ground by Qinghe¡¯s wind.


    With a cheeky smile, Qinghe began pulling apart his lover¡¯s lapels while smugly saying, ¡°Now who¡¯s at whose mercy again, my dear Xiang?¡±


    As Qinghe raised handfuls of dirt to merrily begin rubbing it on the exposed skin of Wei Xiang¡¯s chest, it was now Wei Xiang¡¯s turn to struggle in captivity while laughing.


    Hearing these cheerful sounds flowing into the cottage from outside, Yan Lin and Zhang LiYing looked at each other and smiled.


    ¡­¡­


    By the time Qinghe and Wei Xiang were done playing in the mud like two ill-behaved children, their clothes, hair, and skin were all practically caked in dirt.


    Laughing at their own ridiculousness, the pair went over to the cottage¡¯s backyard where Yan Lin had already prepared some warm water for them. After quickly setting up a bath by filling Wei Xiang¡¯s large tub with the warm water, the couple settled down to soak in it to soften the dried mud on them before starting to wash themselves and each other thoroughly.


    Since they were in someone else¡¯s house, Qinghe and Wei Xiang politely refrained from doing anything sexual, just reveling in the warmth of each other¡¯s skin, luxuriating in the quiet contentment brought on by their lover¡¯s careful touch while being bathed intimately, and basking in each other¡¯s familiar and comfortable presence.


    Leaving their creased and dirt-stained clothing in their spatial storage to clean later, Qinghe and Wei Xiang dressed in fresh clothes, quickly dried and neatened their hair using heat or wind, then set off to eat the prepared lunch.


    By the time Qinghe and Wei Xiang arrived at the table to sit down and begin eating, Yan Lin and Zhang LiYing had already finished feeding Yan Minglan and were just finishing up with their own lunch.


    While they ate, the four adults chatted amicably about various things, recounting funny happenings or discussing any new developments in their lives. Bored, Yan Minglan wandered here and there restlessly, then finally plopped down on Qinghe¡¯s lap when her little legs grew tired.


    Qinghe carefully held the little girl with his arm supporting her to ensure that she wouldn¡¯t lose her balance while perched on his thigh.


    Pulling on Qinghe¡¯s lapel, she asked, ¡°Big Brother, do you have sweets?¡±


    Zhang LiYing joked, ¡°Look how you¡¯ve turned her into a sweet-lover as well by giving her all those treats.¡±


    Qinghe chuckled and tickled the child under her chin. As she giggled, he said, ¡°You¡¯ve just eaten lunch, so no sweets for you now. Wait until it¡¯s evening.¡±


    Yan Minglan pouted cutely.


    Pausing, Qinghe suddenly remembered something. ¡°I always forget to say this, but LanLan, you should call me Uncle and not Big Brother, alright? I¡¯m old enough to be your father, after all.¡±


    Scrunching up her little brows, she patted Qinghe cheek. ¡°But Big Brother looks like a Big Brother, not like an Uncle at all!¡±


    Yan Lin and Zhang LiYing burst out laughing while it was Qinghe¡¯s chance to pout now.


    Chuckling, Wei Xiang said, ¡°Now, now, love. Don¡¯t be sad. It¡¯s not your fault that you have an immature looking baby face.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s jaw almost dropped open. ¡°I-I don¡¯t¨D! It can¡¯t be true! I¡¯ve terrified people with this face before!¡±


    His eyes dancing with mirth, Wei Xiang nodded. ¡°Of course you did. No one could guess that someone with such a cute face could have such scary powers.¡±


    Qinghe scowled. No way was he believing his lover! He was definitely bullying him on purpose! Deciding this, Qinghe resolutely ignored his words.


    Yawning with her mouth making a little ¡®o¡¯, Yan Minglan tried to get up from Qinghe¡¯s lap while extending her hands towards Wei Xiang. Somehow, Wei Xiang¡¯s lap had become her most preferred sleeping place.


    With a gentle gaze, Wei Xiang lifted the little girl up and placed her on his lap, one broad palm running over her back in soothing motions. He shook his knee up and down in a steady tempo to emulate the soothing rhythm of a rocking cradle, making the child¡¯s eyes droop even more. Resting against his warm chest on the least scratchy area by habit, Yan Minglan sleepily played with Wei Xiang¡¯s free hand and tugged at the golden embroidery on his clothes before slowly drifting off to sleep. Soon, clear drool started dripping from her little mouth, staining Wei Xiang¡¯s robe, as soft snores followed.


    The four adults had on peaceful smiles as tranquility filled the space. Soon, they continued eating, not bothering to keep down the sound of chopsticks clinking against plates and bowls since, by now, Yan Minglan was already known to be quite a heavy sleeper.


    In the quiet, Qinghe hesitantly spoke up, ¡°Yan Lin¡­are you sure you won¡¯t take that elixir to gain immortality?¡±


    Zhang LiYing paused the movement of her chopsticks and looked up while Yan Lin sighed and showed a rueful smile. Looking up at Qinghe, Yan Lin spoke, his voice tinged with melancholy, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure. Ah-Ying and I have long since decided that we would like to live and die according to a mortal¡¯s lifespan. Immortality can be a terrible burden, one which we¡¯re not yet sure if we can bear.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s shoulders drooped as he looked down at his bowl, stirring its contents listlessly. Trying his best to squeeze out a smile that only managed to make him look even more sad, he said in a subdued voice, ¡°Yes, I¡­I understand. I¡¯ll stop bothering you about it then.¡±


    The corner of Yan Lin¡¯s eyes pinched in distress when he saw Qinghe¡¯s disheartened appearance. He wanted to console him, but he didn¡¯t know how. He knew that though he would have his friend¡¯s company his whole life, for Qinghe, it would only be a few decades in his long existence. Yan Lin hoped that his friend would forget about him after he passed away and live happily, but the more he saw Qinghe like this ¨C so sad, lost, and desolate ¨C the more he doubted his choice to stay mortal. Beside him, Zhang LiYing was also showing a worried frown.


    Meanwhile, Wei Xiang couldn¡¯t help but think how good his little lover was to his friends. He knew without a doubt that if Qinghe wanted, he could come up with a thousand different reasons to convince Yan Lin and Zhang LiYing to take the elixir. And yet, Qinghe used none of them, instead choosing to push aside his own wishes and respect their decision.


    But as much as Wei Xiang understood this, he still hated seeing his beloved being so dejected and sad. If he had to act the role of the devil¡¯s advocate to convince them, then so be it.


    Pulling his little lover close to comfort him, Wei Xiang turned to Yan Lin and Zhang LiYing and asked, ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to think some more about it? After all, mortal human bodies are so very fragile. They could give out at any time due to the most unanticipated of reasons. A small accident can leave you with permanently broken bodies, and a common disease can kill you within days. Can you, as parents, really risk leaving your daughter alone like this in case something unforeseen happens to you?¡±


    At these alarming words, Yan Lin¡¯s expression turned worried and pensive.


    Zhang LiYing narrowed her eyes and returned, ¡°Are you trying to scare us into agreeing, Sentinel Wei?¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled with half-lidded eyes, his gaze unfathomable. ¡°But was any part of what I said false? As much as Qinghe tries to make sure that he¡¯ll be here if you need his help, there might always be a time when he arrives late. How long are you going to keep burdening him like this to take care of your fragile lives?¡±


    Qinghe protested, ¡°Xiang! That¡¯s not¨D!¡±


    But Wei Xiang interrupted him, his voice filled with exasperated affection, ¡°Qinghe, you¡¯re always like this. You never argue for yourself.¡±


    Qinghe turned flustered. ¡°I-I do¡­sometimes!¡±


    Not wanting to keep arguing with his beloved when he was only trying to help him out by acting harsh, Qinghe silently buried his face into Wei Xiang¡¯s chest. He could hear his Xiang¡¯s strong heartbeat along with Yan Minglan¡¯s soft snores from where the child was resting her head on the other side of Wei Xiang¡¯s chest. Seeming to sense the tense atmosphere in the room, the little girl frowned in her sleep while murmuring in discomfort.


    Wei Xiang sighed and softened his expression. Turning to Yan Lin and Zhang LiYing, he finally said in his usual tone of voice, ¡°You should at least consider it so that you can accompany your daughter and Qinghe for a long time in the future. Don¡¯t let them worry about losing you while they live.¡± Then standing up, he informed, ¡°I¡¯ll let Minglan sleep more comfortably in the bedroom for now. Please think it through.¡±


    With that, Wei Xiang pulled Qinghe along and went to lay Yan Minglan on the bed, carefully tucking her in. Then Qinghe and Wei Xiang exited through the side door to take a short walk outside in the fresh air.


    After a few minutes of silence between them, Qinghe suddenly turned and hugged Wei Xiang tightly. ¡°Xiang, thank you! I¡­ I really am very scared that they¡¯ll die and there¡¯ll be nothing I can do. I¡¯m so selfish, I don¡¯t want them to leave me.¡±


    Wei Xiang carefully wrapped his arms around his beloved and consoled in a soothing voice, ¡°It¡¯s alright. Your friend and his family are still here. Yan Lin is not gone yet.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s hands clenched on his lover¡¯s robe as he squeezed his eyes closed to trap the welling wetness. In a hoarse whisper, he said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to experience Yan Lin¡¯s death again.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s arms tightened around Qinghe, just holding him close and letting his little lover wallow in all the emotions he didn¡¯t let himself feel in front of his friend.


    In a way, Qinghe felt truly very grateful that Wei Xiang had asked Jing Shui to look into Yan Lin¡¯s whereabouts that long time ago, and that Jing Shui had successfully located Yan Lin and brought him to visit the Heavenly Peak Sect that day. Otherwise, Qinghe might have never remembered this friend of his who had sacrificed so much for him in the orphanage. He might have kept that memory buried for decades. Even if he remembered it on his own a few decades later, Yan Lin might have already died. The memory of Yan Lin and the thought of all the missed opportunities would have brought Qinghe nothing but piercing pain and bitter regret for the rest of his life.


    But at least now, whether Yan Lin drank the elixir or not, Qinghe could console himself with the thought that he still had several years¡¯ worth of time to spend with his friend.


    Taking in a deep breath and letting it out, Qinghe finally composed himself and straightened from Wei Xiang¡¯s embrace. ¡°I think I¡¯m feeling better now. Let¡¯s go back inside.¡±


    Wei Xiang leaned down to place a comforting kiss on his beloved¡¯s cheek and nodded. ¡°If you feel up to it, then let¡¯s go and finish our lunch.¡±


    And so, they headed back into the cottage and sat down at the table again, lifting their chopsticks and digging into their food once more. Yan Lin and Zhang LiYing seemed to have just finished discussing something, their expressions thoughtful as they silently continued to eat the small portion still left in their bowls.


    Breaking the quiet, Zhang LiYing suddenly asked, ¡°Qinghe, have you decided where you¡¯ll hold your wedding whenever you get to it? Will it be in Heaven with all those deities or in this world? You have both your sect and Sentinel Wei¡¯s Order as options here.¡±


    Qinghe smiled, no trace of his previous sadness left as he answered, ¡°We are planning to have one in both realms. One for the deities, along with my parents'' friends and their colleagues, and the other for our friends and acquaintances.¡± His eyes shining, he continued cheerfully, ¡°Seeing how you¡¯re asking about it now, Madam Yan, could it be that you already have our wedding presents prepared?¡±


    Zhang LiYing scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m just eager to see you both finally become husbands, is that not enough of a reason? Or is your true purpose in holding a wedding to fish for gifts?¡±


    Hearing her teasing, Qinghe chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s my wedding, so why can¡¯t I look forward to gifts?¡±


    ¡°The presence of your friends should be considered a gift in and of itself, you brat,¡± Zhang LiYing returned playfully.


    With them bickering like this and pulling Yan Lin and Wei Xiang into the discussion as well, the atmosphere quickly lightened and turned lively once again.


    After they were finished eating, Qinghe and Wei Xiang got up to leave. Qinghe gave Zhang LiYing the bag of sweets that he¡¯d brought for Yan Minglan and said, ¡°Madam Yan, can you give this to LanLan after she wakes up? I¡¯d planned to give it to her myself, but she¡¯s already asleep.¡±


    Zhang LiYing smiled and accepted the bag. From beside her Yan Lin suddenly spoke, ¡°Qinghe, there¡¯s something we want to tell you. We¡¯ve made a decision regarding that elixir.¡±


    Qinghe grew tense, his expression a mix between bracing himself for the worst and hoping for the best. ¡°Then¡­what did you decide?¡±


    Wei Xiang wordlessly wrapped an arm around his little lover¡¯s waist to offer his support.


    At the side, Zhang LiYing¡¯s smile widened as her eyes twinkled, but she remained silent, letting her husband speak instead. Yan Lin coughed and replied, ¡°We¡¯ve reconsidered living mortal lives. We are willing to drink that elixir and increase our lifespan, maybe even live forever. We want to spend more time with Minglan, and also with you.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes widened. Was his friend really saying what he thought he was saying?!


    Chuckling at his expression, Zhang LiYing said, ¡°Don¡¯t be so surprised, it¡¯s only reasonable that we¡¯d end up choosing this way. After all, there are so many wonderful sights in this world that we haven¡¯t seen before. After Minglan grows up, we can take our time to wander the world and view them all without worry. Eternity doesn¡¯t have to be boring. Also, there are so many people who would give their souls for the chance of spending forever with their loved ones like this. To reject such an opportunity when it is granted to us would be like slapping good luck on its face, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    Qinghe could only stare at them with an overwhelmed expression.


    Yan Lin piped in, ¡°However, we won¡¯t offer Minglan the elixir until she¡¯s come of age and can make her own decision about whether or not she wants to take it. As much as we would love to spend eternity as a family, our daughter still deserves to choose it for herself.¡±


    Suddenly breaking out of his daze, Qinghe yelled, ¡°Thank you!¡± He leapt forward and hugged them both, startling them. As Yan Lin and Zhang LiYing patted his back with affectionate smiles, Wei Xiang heaved a breath of relief, his own expression growing warm.


    Qinghe felt his anxiety finally settle. His friend and his family wouldn¡¯t leave him. He didn¡¯t have to see them wither and die. Yan Lin and Zhang LiYing would stay young and healthy. They could see Yan Minglan grow up, mature, maybe marry and have children alongside Qinghe. Hopefully, Yan Minglan would choose to take her share of the elixir as well, while saving the rest for her future spouse and children. His friend would then have a big, happy family, just like he deserved, and Qinghe couldn¡¯t be happier about it.


    But thinking of certain other things that Yan Lin deserved¡­ Qinghe¡¯s blissfully happy smile suddenly became tinged with impishness.


    On the other hand, while he was being hugged tight by a seemingly ecstatic Qinghe, Yan Lin was just thinking about how they¡¯d made the right decision regarding the elixir when he felt something cold and dry slipping in through the back of his collar and falling down along his spine. Yan Lin jolted in shock at the jarring sensation while Qinghe grinned mischievously.


    His expression turning disbelieving, Yan Lin sputtered, ¡°Q-Qinghe¡­ Y-You¡ª Did you really just pour dirt down my back?!¡±


    Qinghe quickly pecked a startled Yan Lin and a laughing Zhang LiYing on their cheeks and drew back. Not giving Yan Lin a chance to say anything, Qinghe retorted, ¡°I always keep my promises, my betraying friend.¡±


    Thinking back to when Qinghe had threatened to pour dirt down his back if he didn¡¯t help him against his lover while they were playing in the mud, Yan Lin didn¡¯t know what expression to make while Wei Xiang simply burst out laughing.


    Shaking her head, Zhang LiYing commented while chuckling, ¡°It seems that this is the eternity we¡¯re looking forward to.¡±


    ¡°Yes, isn¡¯t it fun?¡± Qinghe cheerfully said. ¡°Yan Lin, Madam Yan, we¡¯ll be going then. Please give LanLan the sweets in the evening so that she doesn¡¯t think I¡¯m a liar. We¡¯ll visit again later.¡±


    With that, he and Wei Xiang turned around and walked out through the door, hands entwined and smiles content.


    crimson_carnation

 Extra 11: A Glade of Carrots

    Situated in the middle of sprawling and lush lands was a verdant forested mountain. On this mountain, there roamed animal spirits in half-human form, living their lives leisurely.


    One day, the lord of the mountain¡ªa tiger spirit called Xiang¡ªwas making his rounds around his territory when he heard the sound of crisp crunching. Halting in his tracks, Xiang decided to follow the noise and see what lay at the end.


    And so, led by the sound, he reached a small glade carpeted with bright green grass. Tall trees surrounded it and cast shifting shadows at the edges. In the middle of this glade was a hip-high pile of luscious orange carrots, sprightly green stalks still attached to their tops.


    And perched at the very peak of this pile of carrots was a beautiful rabbit spirit.


    His long ears, the spill of his hair, and his adorable little puff of a tail were all a pure snowy white. His bare skin was a smooth, creamy ivory, just a shade warmer than his fur, inviting one to touch and taste, to discover its feel and texture under one¡¯s fingertips and tongue.


    With his back to Xiang, the enchanting rabbit spirit uncaringly crunched on a delicious carrot, his expression cheery.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± came a deep voice from behind the rabbit spirit, suddenly interrupting him.


    Turning back, the rabbit spirit saw a strikingly handsome tiger spirit intently staring at him from the edge of the glade. With curious eyes, the unwary rabbit spirit studied this newly arrived being.


    The tiger spirit¡¯s skin was evenly toned and seemed tinted with honey, faint stripes of a lighter color marking his back and behind his arms and thighs. Two tiger ears, rounded at the ends, stood upright on either side of his head and a long, blunt tiger tail swayed behind him, black stripes over fur the color of deep, dark gold. His shining ebony hair fell straight to the back of his knees and swayed lightly in the breeze. His slitted eyes were a sharp yellow-gold, bewitching and bright. Just by standing still, he exuded an overbearing might that declared his sovereignty over everything around him.


    The rabbit spirit¡¯s eyes brightened as he delicately ran his fingers up and down the half-finished carrot in his hand, playing with it absentmindedly as his gaze stayed fixed on the tiger spirit. In a pleasant and clear voice, the rabbit spirit replied to the handsome tiger spirit¡¯s question, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m the rabbit spirit Qinghe. I just came to this mountain and settled here after unpacking my pile of carrots. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    While the rabbit spirit was speaking, Xiang¡¯s gaze had drifted down to fix on those slender fingers of the rabbit spirit that were teasing and sliding along the length of the carrot in his hand.


    Swallowing to wet his suddenly parched throat, Xiang answered, ¡°I am the tiger spirit Xiang, the lord of this mountain.¡±


    The rabbit spirit Qinghe tilted his head consideringly, his long ears twitching as he began nibbling on the half-eaten carrot in his hand once more. After he had finished eating the rest of the carrot, he threw away the remaining stalk before asking curiously, ¡°Then can I call you Xiang? Or should I call you Lord Xiang?¡±


    Xiang¡¯s eyes darkened with unknown emotions as he nodded, ¡°Just Xiang is fine.¡±


    Qinghe smiled charmingly in response, his eyes shining bright. With a sultry smile, Qinghe proposed in a deliberately husky voice, ¡°Then Xiang¡­ now that my carrot is finished, won¡¯t you let me eat your carrot next?¡±


    Xiang''s gaze abruptly deepened. Considering how Qinghe had been looking at the organ hanging between his thighs as he said that, the meaning behind his words couldn''t be more clear. But despite hearing this unexpected and flirtatious question spoken in the rabbit spirit''s lilting voice, Xiang was far from being fazed. Instead, he let his own lips stretch into a wicked smirk as his eyes grew half-lidded.


    ¡°But you already seem to have plenty of carrots to eat, Little Rabbit Qinghe,¡± he said while indicating the pile Qinghe was sitting on with a majestic tilt of his chin.


    Qinghe¡¯s smile stretched wider as he licked his lips with anticipation. ¡°Oh, but I definitely think yours will be the biggest and tastiest of them all.¡±


    Raising an eyebrow, Xiang returned in a teasing tone, ¡°Then what about all those other carrots under your cute little rabbit butt?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s gaze deepened as his tail twitched above the aforementioned butt. In a seductive whisper, he enticed, ¡°I don''t want these carrots under my butt. I want your carrot buried inside my butt.¡±


    Despite himself, Xiang felt his heartbeat quicken as lust reared its head.


    His smile turning inviting, Qinghe continued, ¡°I want it deep, deep inside my butt.¡±


    Unable to bear the temptation anymore, Xiang finally pounced.


    The pile of carrots burst outwards and scattered throughout the glade as Xiang pinned the naughty little rabbit spirit under him, his fingers encircling and pressing down on those slender wrists while he straddled Qinghe¡¯s soft belly.


    In a husky voice, Xiang reminded, ¡°You say you want my carrot inside you, but I thought you wanted to eat it first?¡±


    Qinghe batted his long eyelashes playfully as he replied, ¡°Can¡¯t I have it both ways?¡±


    Xiang¡¯s smirk deepened as he let go of the rabbit spirit to lean back on the grass. ¡°Very well, then. Why don¡¯t you start by showing me just how well you can eat it? If you do well, you might even be rewarded with some carrot juice.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s gaze wandered downwards to fix on a certain stiff and hard carrot as he hummed happily. ¡°Mm, sounds tasty¡­¡±


    And so, bending down, a certain little rabbit spirit wrapped his slender fingers around Xiang¡¯s thick organ and laved at it with long licks. Then parting his soft pink lips, Qinghe slowly swallowed the tip. His tongue swirled around the head and teased the slit curiously to study the shape and taste of the blunt tip while his jaws creaked with the effort of accommodating the large member. His lips were stretched tightly around the girth of the shaft as his fingers rolled and played with the balls hanging near the base.


    As he felt the moist heat wrapping around his member while those gentle fingers massaged his balls, Xiang let out a low growl in pleasure. Lifting a hand, he placed a warm palm behind Qinghe¡¯s head and tenderly stroked his hair.


    Encouraged, Qinghe continued to swallow the large organ until it reached the back of his throat. And even then, he tried to push it deeper into his mouth, not caring about the tears gathering at the corners of his eyes as he forcefully suppressed his gag reflex.


    Once he determined that he had taken the thick shaft as deep into his mouth as he could, Qinghe waited for a moment before slowly drawing back, his soft lips sliding over the hard member and his cheeks hollowing as he sucked. After reaching the tip, Qinghe pushed forward to swallow the entire length into his mouth once again.


    Xiang panted, a thin sheen of sweat glistening on his forehead as Qinghe¡¯s mouth moved up and down over his shaft while the rabbit spirit''s hands and tongue also worked busily over the base of Xiang¡¯s member and balls. The hot and slick mouth slid over his sensitive organ, the soft tongue dragging along the underside and flicking over the tip.


    As the pleasure from being sucked and licked while enveloped in that hot and slick little mouth kept building inside him, the muscles in Xiang¡¯s body stretched and rolled restlessly with the strain of holding himself back from just moving his hips and pumping into the little rabbit spirit¡¯s soft mouth. Sensing him nearing his release, Qinghe increased his pace, moving with a sense of urgency that kept in time with Xiang¡¯s frantically pulsing need.


    After being pushed higher and higher like this, a few moments later, Xiang finally went stiff, a rumbling groan vibrating his throat as thick streams of liquid erupted into Qinghe¡¯s mouth. His throat moving quickly, the rabbit spirit swallowed every drop eagerly, not letting it spill out even a little. And only after Xiang was done climaxing did Qinghe finally release the spent member, licking his lips with a satisfied gleam in his eyes as he leaned back.


    Xiang let out deep breaths in an attempt to recover his bearings. It seemed that this adorable little rabbit spirit did indeed master the art of ¡®eating carrots¡¯.


    Seeing the state of the tiger spirit, Qinghe smacked his lips and remarked smugly, ¡°The carrot juice was delicious.¡±


    Hearing those words, Xiang¡¯s body immediately grew taut as he felt heat surging inside his body once more, his flaccid member quickly rising again.


    His gaze dropping to the erect organ, Qinghe asked gleefully, ¡°Are you going to bury that tasty carrot inside me now?¡±


    Xiang¡¯s eyes narrowed as he mischievously returned, ¡°What if I say no?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s long rabbit ears drooped as he pouted pitifully, but his eyes still held playful mirth as he spoke in a seemingly dejected voice, ¡°Then I¡¯ll just have to make do with another carrot.¡±


    Saying so, Qinghe picked up a thin and long carrot from the ones scattered beside him.


    Then, in front of Xiang¡¯s burning gaze, Qinghe lightly nibbled and licked the pointed tip to blunt and lubricate it, then settling on the grass with his front pressed to the ground and his bottom facing Xiang, he used the fingers of one hand to part his round buttocks and slowly led the carrot¡¯s tip towards the puckered little opening in between.


    With glinting eyes, Xiang intently drank in the sight of the blunt orange tip pushing into that pink entrance and slowly sinking inside. The edges of the delicate opening expanded around the intruding carrot''s width as more of it disappeared between the rabbit spirit''s firm buttocks.


    As Qinghe shifted and moaned softly, his hand kept unrelentingly forcing the thin carrot deeper and deeper into himself. Since he hadn¡¯t prepared his opening before, even this slender carrot, which was the thinnest that he could find, seemed exceedingly large as it pushed apart his inexperienced inner walls, its rough surface dragging over his tender passage.


    After pushing it in as much as he could with just its topmost part left peeking outside, Qinghe retrieved his trembling fingers and curled them into the grass, his head bowing down and his back slightly arching up as he panted with flushed cheeks. The green stalks and leaves attached to the top of the carrot hung from between his white buttocks like a second tail, quivering slightly in a reflection of his twitching insides.


    With his hands fisted by his side and his body tense, Xiang drank in this helpless and beguiling appearance of the little rabbit spirit with a greedy gaze.


    Lifting his head and turning to look up at Xiang with dewy eyes, Qinghe spoke in a piteous voice, ¡°Xiang, I think your carrot will feel better inside me after all.¡±


    Hearing these words, Xiang¡¯s self-restraint finally snapped.


    He leapt towards the tempting little rabbit spirit, his hard body settling atop the softer one as he pushed Qinghe onto his back. With a hand, Xiang pulled up one of Qinghe¡¯s slender legs high into the air as the fingers of the other hand reached between those round mounds to grip the carrot lodged deep inside the little rabbit¡¯s bottom.


    As Xiang began pulling it out, Qinghe shuddered and groaned, once again feeling the rough surface of the carrot rasping against his soft inner walls as it was dragged out.


    ¡°Ah¡­X-Xiang¡­ Please¡­..I want you¡­inside me¡­¡±


    Xiang gritted his teeth as another wave of heat burned through his body at Qinghe¡¯s soft and pleading tone.


    Finally sliding that enviable carrot out completely, Xiang threw it away. Then retracting his claws into his fingertips, he reached up to place his fingers against Qinghe¡¯s trembling lips.


    ¡°Suck them,¡± he commanded, and the little rabbit spirit obediently opened his mouth to do so.


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes squeezed shut, his eyelashes quivering ever so slightly as he carefully wetted the long fingers that had been thrust into his mouth, his moist and soft tongue curling around the strong digits and exploring their shape and texture curiously.


    Xiang¡¯s gaze darkened as he saw those soft lips wrapped around his fingers while the damp tongue enfolding them caused a warm sensation to spread up from his hand.


    A few minutes later, Xiang spoke hoarsely. ¡°Enough.¡±


    Qinghe blinked up at Xiang with trusting eyes and opened his mouth to let the fingers withdraw. The wetted fingers directly headed downwards, pressing and rubbing against Qinghe¡¯s opening as if seeking permission. Shuddering, Qinghe widened his legs and easily gave it. He immediately felt the tip of a finger pushing into him, the rough finger pad rubbing into the sensitive tissue inside. The long digit kept pressing in deeper, reaching the tight inner ring of muscles and slowly breaching through.


    Qinghe shifted restlessly, his hands clutching at the grass around him to give him a sense of stability. The feeling of Xiang¡¯s strong finger entering him was strange yet titillating, making the pit of his belly tremble with anticipation that he didn¡¯t fully understand.


    A low voice suddenly sounded from above him, ¡°I¡¯ve heard that rabbit spirits mate all year long, and yet you feel so tight. It must have been such a long time since you last mated. Or¡­is it that I¡¯m your first?¡±


    Qinghe looked up to meet the golden gaze of the tiger spirit and bashfully nodded, his cheeks burning red and his eyes wide and watery.


    Seeing such an adorable appearance, Xiang couldn¡¯t help but chuckle affectionately. Bending down, he placed a small kiss against those silky flushed cheeks. Meanwhile, he added in another finger inside the tight passage, slowly stroking and massaging the pliant channel as he pushed his fingers in and out, then soon proceeded to add a third digit.


    ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± Qinghe groaned softly, his eyes growing half-lidded. His body felt like it was melting from within at the sensation of his passage being forced open like this by those powerful fingers. He unconsciously raised his bottom to let those digits reach in deeper, the rest of his body lying lax and unresisting on the grass.


    His fingers steadily moving in and out of the hot channel, Xiang spoke, ¡°But there¡¯s still one thing I¡¯m curious about.¡± Then abruptly removing his fingers from within Qinghe, he continued, ¡°If you are a rabbit spirit, then why do you smell like a fox?¡±


    As the words filtered through the haze of his arousal, Qinghe froze.


    If there was one thing a spirit couldn¡¯t hide, it was its scent. And despite the sheer amount of carrots filling the glade, Xiang¡¯s senses were strong enough to just barely make out the scent of a fox spirit on the being lying under him.


    Realizing that despite his ploy of using these many carrots, the astute tiger spirit had still sniffed out his identity, Qinghe turned his body around and trembled against the ground. The ears and tail of a rabbit vanished, replaced with those of a fox. But rather than white, Qinghe¡¯s fur and long hair were now a shining silver.


    As he looked up at Xiang with uncertainty and trepidation in his gaze, Qinghe¡¯s large fox ears meekly laid down flat against his head, the pointed tips quivering. His fluffy silver tail instinctively curled into a spiral over his buttocks and the back of his upper thighs as if to shield his vulnerable areas due to the uncertainty of the situation. His arms were folded tight against his chest, his shoulders curving inward as he pressed his belly down onto the ground as if shying away from the powerful tiger spirit crouching right over him.


    Xiang¡¯s expression darkened at this sudden change in the rabbit spirit¡¯s¨D no, the fox spirit¡¯s manner.


    But then, in a quavering voice, Qinghe tearfully asked, ¡°W-Will Xiang not mate with me anymore if I¡¯m not a soft and cute little bunny spirit?¡±


    Xiang felt as if a lightning bolt had struck him.


    If seeing this pitiful expression previously on the face of a prey like the rabbit spirit had made Xiang¡¯s heart ache, then seeing it now on a predator like this fox spirit made his heart outright explode!


    ¡°Why did you hide your identity?¡± Xiang finally asked with difficulty, suppressing the urge to just hug this little spirit and soothe away his fears.


    Hunching his shoulders even further, Qinghe seemed on the verge of tears as he replied, ¡°I asked your brother Kong Min what sort of spirits you liked, and he advised me that if I wanted to seduce you, I should use the transformation skills of my race to turn into a cute bunny spirit and ask to eat your carrot.¡±


    Xiang looked at him blankly, then a corner of his lips lifted up in a snarl.


    That bloody bastard Kong Min! The next time he fell into his claws, he would skin him alive and use his pelt as a doormat outside his cave!


    Then as something suddenly occurred to him, Xiang turned to Qinghe and asked, ¡°Wait, you wanted to seduce me? Why?¡±


    Qinghe blushed and looked away, the stiffness in his body receding as he bit his lip with a shy expression. In a soft voice, he admitted, ¡°I¡¯ve wanted to be your mate for a long time. I once saw you take down a large bear monster to defend your territory and became interested in you. Later, I also saw you helping little baby spirits by getting them food and taking care of weak spirits who couldn¡¯t defend themselves from big and mean ones. So I decided that I liked you and wanted you to be my mate.


    ¡°But I realized that I didn¡¯t know much about you at all, so I¡¯ve been following you in secret since then, helping you covertly when I can and mapping out the pattern of your patrol routes every day, because I wanted to arrange a carefully staged meeting with you someday. However, I had to go through a lot of effort to hide my scent and presence from you until then so that you won¡¯t find me out. I was afraid that you won¡¯t like me if you figured out that I was following you, so I had to hide.


    ¡°To find out what you liked in a mate, I tried to ask your brother about it, and he gave me that advice. He said I should be small and weak and someone you would want to protect. He said I should be a cute and enchanting rabbit spirit and ask you to let me eat your carrot. He said that it will definitely make you want to mate with me. I thought lying was bad and that I shouldn¡¯t lie to you about my race, but your brother said that you wouldn¡¯t mind at all. Xiang¡­did I do it wrong? Do you¡­hate me now?¡±


    Hearing all this, by now, Xiang¡¯s interest in this little fox spirit had increased by several-fold. Not only had this fox spirit managed to keep his stalking hidden, but he also had the strength and cunning to be able to help a powerful tiger beast like Xiang secretly without giving himself away. He had the patience and he¡¯d clearly shown his dedication by perseveringly following him all this while, since the incident with the bear when this little spirit seemed to have gained interest in him first had after all been several years ago! He also had the shrewdness to seamlessly use his assumed identity of a rabbit spirit to bring in that large pile of carrots just to blunt Xiang¡¯s sense of smell, and it had almost worked too. Thinking up to here, Xiang could definitely not deny that he felt both intrigued and impressed by this little fox spirit. He was truly worthy of his respect.


    And now, seeing the fox spirit¡¯s wide and dewy eyes blinking up at him as he asked if Xiang hated him was just the final nail in the tiger spirit¡¯s coffin. How could someone be so delightfully interesting, beautiful, competent, and adorable at the same time?! Just thinking how such a being had gone above and beyond in trying to woo him, Xiang felt his heart soften, filling with warmth.


    Not wanting this little fox spirit to misunderstand and be sad anymore, Xiang gentled his voice and said, ¡°No, Little Qinghe, I do not hate you.¡±


    Tentative hope gleamed bright in the fox spirit¡¯s eyes. ¡°Th-Then¡­will Xiang take me as his mate even if I¡¯m not a soft and weak little bunny spirit?¡±


    The gold in Xiang¡¯s eyes turned deeper. ¡°Yes, I will take you as my mate, but only because you are a cunning yet cute little fox spirit who is capable of scheming even against the lord of this mountain.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyelashes fluttered down as he blushed. ¡°Xiang is praising me too much.¡± Then gradually letting the tension leave his taut body, the fox spirit Qinghe looked up through his silvery lashes uncertainly. ¡°Then¡­will Xiang mate with me now? I really want to feel your big carrot buried inside me.¡±


    The tiger spirit''s heart thumped faster as his lust immediately heightened again. Unable to bear such temptation, Xiang immediately bent his head to capture the fox spirit¡¯s soft lips, suckling them with relish.


    Though he was surprised by the suddenness of it, Qinghe was also excited to try out these new things with Xiang before mating. And so, lightly twisting his body to the side to allow more access to his mouth, Qinghe let Xiang thoroughly play with his lips. As their lips slid together more and more passionately, Qinghe moaned and relaxed his body into the grass, reassured that Xiang really did want him.


    As he ravenously devoured the little rabbit spirit¡¯s coyly pursed lips, Xiang¡¯s broad palms slid over the smooth skin of the slender body under him, touching and exploring eagerly. When Qinghe opened his mouth in a shy invitation, Xiang gladly thrust his tongue inside, sliding it over the soft tissue and entwining with the moist tongue within. Hesitantly, the inexperienced Qinghe also reciprocated Xiang¡¯s fervor, his little tongue delicately playing with Xiang¡¯s to taste his mouth in return. However, his small licks and playful nips only increased Xiang¡¯s desire for this sneaky and cute little fox spirit.


    As boiling lust ignited his blood with a burst of intense passion, Xiang disengaged and leaned back from the kiss. Qinghe made a noise of protest and wanted to follow Xiang¡¯s lips with his, but sensing his faltering control over himself, the tiger spirit warned, ¡°If Little Qinghe wants my carrot, then you have to be good.¡±


    The fox spirit pouted and laid his cheek back down on the ground. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be very good then. Xiang can see for himself how good I¡¯m being.¡±


    Saying so, under Xiang¡¯s heated gaze, Qinghe slowly, hesitantly uncurled his fluffy silver tail from where it was protectively covering his intimate parts. After it unwound itself from over his round butt cheeks and upper thighs, Qinghe bit his lower lip bashfully and deliberately lifted his tail high up, exposing the cleft between his buttocks and the small pink entrance situated in between to the hungry gaze of the tiger spirit.


    Looking up into Xiang¡¯s need-filled expression as he desperately held himself back, Qinghe innocently asked, ¡°Will Xiang bury his carrot inside me now?¡±


    Xiang¡¯s self-control snapped once again.


    His hands kneading the soft mounds of Qinghe¡¯s buttocks with his thick-knuckled fingers and rough palms, Xiang affirmed, ¡°Yes, I want to enter you now. Little Qinghe, do you agree to mate with me?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s expression immediately brightened as he nodded. ¡°Yes, I want Xiang to be my mate!¡±


    His actions matching his words, Qinghe then quickly lifted up his hips in invitation, his fluffy silver tail curling outward until it touched his back. Since he had already prepared him before, Xiang stopped hesitating and let his need take control. Guiding himself forward, Xiang slowly began pushing his large member inside the tight little entrance of the adorable little fox spirit.


    Feeling the thick and heavy vein-corded shaft squeezing into his passage, Qinghe whimpered softly. His ears and tail quivered as his pupils expanded due to this new and vivid sensation of his delicate channel being claimed by the powerful tiger spirit¡¯s large and pulsing organ. Neither that thin and rough carrot nor Xiang¡¯s smooth and careful fingers had prepared Qinghe for taking in something so big. As the thick and blunt head forcibly pried open his inner walls to dig deeper into him, Qinghe felt his passage being stretched impossibly wider and wider, expanding to the brink of its limit. Qinghe¡¯s belly felt heavy and full, stuffed to the brim with the huge organ, and yet the hard member relentlessly kept pushing deeper into his gut, sending strange sensations rippling through him.


    As Qinghe struggled to accept the thick shaft into the depths of his body, he shuddered and moaned helplessly, his fingers digging into the grass under him and pulling hard. But the roots of the grass stayed firmly attached to the ground. A layer of wetness gathered in Qinghe¡¯s eyes, turning them misty and more enchanting than before. A soft pink flushed his entire body and his spine turned taut as the burn of arousal slowly flooded through him.


    Qinghe let his eyelids fall closed as he groaned breathlessly, ¡°A-Ah¡­ahhh¡­nh¡­Xiang¡­¡±


    Finally seating his member fully inside the warm and wet heat of the fox spirit, Xiang panted to recover his breath, his body covered in a thin sheen of sweat.


    ¡°Little Qinghe, you¡¯re tight enough to squeeze the carrot juice right out of my carrot,¡± Xiang teased huskily, whispering right into the fox spirit¡¯s twitching, silver-furred ear.


    Unable to bear the warm breath filling his sensitive ear and the low, smooth voice that felt like it was flowing over his skin and caressing his entire body, Qinghe whimpered helplessly, ¡°¡­Xiang¡­¡±


    Bending down, Xiang nuzzled the crook of the fox spirit¡¯s neck and asked with concern, ¡°How is it? Does it hurt?¡±


    Qinghe struggled to understand the question through the haze of his desire, then shook his head after a moment of hesitation. ¡°It felt strange and uncomfortable at first, but it feels nice now.¡±


    Xiang frowned, discontented that he hadn¡¯t picked up on the little fox spirit¡¯s discomfort. ¡°Do you want me to stop?¡±


    Stiffening, Qinghe immediately refused, squeezing his eyes closed and shaking his head with all he had. ¡°No! I-I want to mate with Xiang! I want Xiang to become only mine! All mine!¡±


    Xiang chuckled, his voice a deep rumble. ¡°And I want to mate with you too. Even if you want to stop now, I will still wait to mate with my adorable Little Qinghe when he¡¯s ready.¡±


    With tears dampening his eyes and hanging like dew from his thick and long lashes, Qinghe hesitantly peeked up at him, ¡°R-Really?¡±


    His eyes softening, Xiang reassured, ¡°Yes, really. So do you want to stop? Be honest now.¡±


    But Qinghe barely needed a moment to think before he resolutely shook his head. ¡°It feels nice to have Xiang inside me. Can we continue to mate?¡±


    Xiang¡¯s heart melted as he nodded. ¡°Then we will continue as you wish.¡±


    And so, not waiting for Qinghe to say anything more, Xiang lifted his hands and dragged them up the fox spirit¡¯s front, over the soft skin of his stomach, his sides, and up his midriff, stopping only when he reached his chest. With his rough fingertips, Xiang rubbed and fondled the two small and velvety pink nubs standing stiff and eager. His touch slowly growing firmer, Xiang pinched and pulled, then rolled and twisted the delicate little points on the fox spirit¡¯s chest.


    As sparks shot under his skin while Xiang ruthlessly tormented his sensitive buds, Qinghe gasped and writhed uncontrollably due to the intensity of these strange and new sensations that he didn¡¯t know how to manage. Wanting to feel more of this pleasure, Qinghe instinctively pushed his chest forward as his backside ground against Xiang¡¯s groin. But filled as he was with Xiang¡¯s member, moving his hips caused the thick shaft inside him to rub slightly against his inner walls, making its presence even more noticeable. Qinghe attention shifted to how he could distinctly feel the shape of the rigid length buried deep inside him, its veins throbbing and pressing against the walls of his passage as his inner muscles were stretched taut to mold tightly around the hot member.


    Qinghe sobbed as all these sensations overwhelmed his mind and body, crashing and colliding against each other and filling him up pitilessly until he felt like he was breaking. His body trembled as his hands clenched harder on the grass. Soft and sensual sounds of pleasure spilled out of his lips in a pitifully quavering voice.


    Seeing Qinghe so helpless against the intensity of his own desire made Xiang¡¯s eyes deepen into a molten dark gold. He was trying to go slowly, letting the little fox spirit get accustomed to these unfamiliar sensations before taking it further. But seeing Qinghe behaving so adorably, his need plain and apparent as his supple body twisted and writhed underneath him, his soft skin sliding and rubbing against his, Xiang¡¯s lust couldn¡¯t help but grow in urgency.


    Taking a breath to control himself, Xiang leaned into the little fox spirit¡¯s pliant body, holding him in place with an arm over his belly. Looking down, he could see how smooth and inviting Qinghe''s skin was. And flushed with the soft pink of arousal, the creamy skin was so delectably enticing that Xiang felt compelled to have a taste. Bending his head, he gave a light bite to the skin on the little fox spirit¡¯s round shoulder. As Qinghe let out a quiet hiss in reaction, Xiang first sucked, then laved his tongue over the resulting red mark.


    Leaning down, Qinghe pressed his cheek into the cool grass under him, feeling the soft texture of the damp soil against his heated skin as he cried out. Crystalline tears gathered at the corners of his eyes as his eyelids squeezed closed tightly. His delicate pink lips parted wide open as he begged, ¡°A-Ah, Xiang! P-Please!¡±


    Xiang gave a long lick spanning the entire length of Qinghe¡¯s shoulder, his warm and moist tongue dragging up the side of the fox spirit¡¯s arched neck, over the tense muscles and the frantic throb of his pulse, and stopping just below his reddened ear. Lightly nipping the earlobe with his sharp incisors, Xiang asked, ¡°What are you pleading for, Little Qinghe?¡±


    Qinghe felt overwhelmed and dazed, his body washed with the unfamiliar heat of arousal from the inside and the warmth of Xiang¡¯s skin enveloping him from behind. Turning his head to blink his wide eyes glistening with wetness, Qinghe beseeched sweetly, ¡°Please¡­more?¡±


    Hearing the soft plea, Xiang felt his mind go blank as desire took full control.


    His hands moving to grip the little fox spirit¡¯s hips, Xiang pulled out completely, leaving Qinghe feeling restless and too empty in the absence of the warm body covering him and the thick length filling his passage. But before he could start protesting, Xiang used his thumbs to pull apart Qinghe¡¯s soft buttocks to expose his pink and glistening hole. The delicate entrance had expanded slightly, showing a small, shadowed gap at the center. The tender opening kept squeezing and relaxing in time with Qinghe¡¯s breathing, looking as if it wanted to swallow something big to fill its warm depths and sate its hunger.


    Lifting up his upper body on trembling arms, Qinghe called, ¡°X-Xiang? Aren¡¯t we going to continue?¡±


    In an unfathomable voice, the tiger spirit replied, ¡°Oh, yes, we¡¯re definitely going to continue.¡±


    With that, Xiang leaned forward until the thick tip of his member rested right against that little hole, then suddenly jerking the fox spirit¡¯s hips back, he slammed his shaft in full force, driving his entire length into the slickened opening all at once.


    Qinghe¡¯s body jolted at the sudden flash of brutal friction forcefully dragging through his inner walls, his body arching as a thin scream ripped out of him. His hands hurriedly searched for purchase, gripping the grass and pulling in agitation. Though he could feel the hardy roots of the grass beginning to loosen the ground around the base, Qinghe didn¡¯t have the luxury to care as Xiang pulled out and slammed back in again and again, his thrusts powerful as his hips swung in a mad, hectic rhythm.


    The slap of flesh against flesh, the sound of a thick and hard member frantically driving in and out of a soft and moist passage, the slip and slide of hands and lips over sweaty skin, the whimpers and moans, growls and screams of two animal spirits mating in a passionate frenzy¡ªall of it rang out loudly, completely filling the carrot-strewn glade.


    Qinghe felt a low growl building in his own chest as the raging need took over. Heeding his instincts, he moved his body along with Xiang¡¯s, pulling and pushing together to gain maximum pleasure. Xiang clenched his jaws as he let out growl after gritted growl while gripped in the fiery passion. Qinghe¡¯s claw-tipped fingers digging into the earth pulled and pulled until they tore out tufts of grass, and yet it was not enough, his hands scrambling to clutch at something solid to anchor him in this tide of sensations and flood of endless stimulation drowning his helpless body.


    As the pleasure built and built, it finally exploded in a shower of sparks as waves of warm ecstasy washed through Qinghe. His body shuddered as his shaft released streams of liquid into the grass under him, twitching and straining until it was completely wrung out.


    Feeling the tight passage wrapped around his pounding length clenching and pulsing when Qinghe climaxed, Xiang barely held out for a few more moments before his release spurted out of his own member, the rush of thick fluid pouring into Qinghe''s soft channel, filling his inner crevices with the burning hot liquid and drawing a breathless gasp from him.


    As the pair¡¯s orgasms receded and the blissful afterglow set in, silence slowly claimed the glade full of carrots once again. After recovering his breath, Xiang slowly pulled his spent member out from Qinghe¡¯s passage with a sucking sound. Then turning the little fox spirit to face him and holding his soft and limp body close, Xiang lied down on a clean patch of grass.


    Looking at the relaxed and peaceful expression on the little fox spirit¡¯s face, Xiang felt his own heart become tranquil. As he continued to gaze at Qinghe¡¯s beautiful features that seemed to be getting more adorably charming the more he looked at it, those long, silvery lashes suddenly fluttered and slid open to reveal a pair of clear and limpid eyes.


    Blinking, Qinghe asked in a hoarse voice, ¡°Xiang? Does this mean¡­we¡¯re mates now?¡±


    Xiang smiled, his expression warm and satisfied. Leaning forward to nuzzle his little fox spirit¡¯s face, he said, ¡°Yes, now we¡¯re mates, my Little Qinghe.¡±


    A beatific smile bloomed on Qinghe¡¯s face, the sight making Xiang¡¯s chest fill with happiness and satisfaction. Closing his eyes, he hugged his beloved Qinghe tightly and felt the little fox spirit snuggling into his body as well. As soft affection for each other bloomed, the two animal spirits slowly entwined their tails, the striped dark gold of a tiger¡¯s tail winding together with the fluffy silver-furred tail of a fox.


    With a soft sigh, Xiang let the exhaustion of his body drag him under as comfortable darkness enfolded him, his heart full of contentment.


    ¡­¡­


    Inside the bedroom steeped in the hushed quiet of the night, Wei Xiang slowly opened his eyes, his vision filled with the faint stripes of glowing moonlight dancing on the ceiling. Thinking back to the strange yet pleasant dream he¡¯d just had, he didn¡¯t know what to feel.


    Turning his head, Wei Xiang saw the peacefully slumbering profile of his little lover and smiled. Though the dream version of his beloved as a little fox spirit was adorable too, he still preferred the real version. Or rather, the dream version had actually been a part of the real Qinghe¡¯s personality, so how could Wei Xiang not love that little fox spirit as well?


    Contemplating on how the focus of the dream had been about him and his beloved mating, Wei Xiang couldn¡¯t help but feel that his beast instincts were trying to subconsciously urge him on. But Wei Xiang refused to let go of his self-control and give in to his beast in that aspect, especially since he was certain it would mean hurting his little lover.


    Sighing and pushing those thoughts away, Wei Xiang once more thought back to the dream. Though it had been a fun one, Wei Xiang would still rather be a wyvern than a tiger. His Qinghe was the one more suited to be a tiger¡ªa majestic yet cold white tiger with silvery fur, crouched on a tree branch high above and looking down at the world through sharp, predatory eyes. Thinking of his little lover silently tracking him with a focused gaze, patiently waiting for a chance to sneakily pounce on him, Wei Xiang felt a sense of both amusement and excitement.


    Smiling softly, Wei Xiang lifted a hand and traced a fingertip over his Qinghe¡¯s smooth cheek, reveling in the familiar yet pleasant sensation.


    His eyelids trembling, Qinghe slowly eased his eyes open, his expression dazed and sleepy. ¡°¡­Xiang?¡±


    Wei Xiang retrieved his finger and apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, love. Did I wake you up while fondling your adorable face?¡±


    His lips twitching, Qinghe shook his head in silent amusement. But then, seeing his beloved¡¯s expression, Qinghe lifted a hand to trace his beloved¡¯s lips. ¡°Xiang, what happened? Why are you smiling like that?¡±


    Wei Xiang felt his lips tingling wherever his little lover¡¯s fingers touched them. His voice languid and smooth, he replied, ¡°Mn, it¡¯s nothing. I just had a strange dream.¡±


    Qinghe pressed the back of a hand against his mouth as he yawned, then asked, ¡°Oh? What was it about?¡±


    Shifting to face his little lover fully, Wei Xiang answered with humor dancing in his eyes, ¡°It was about a cute little fox pretending to be a rabbit so that it could eat its favorite juicy carrot in a glade full of carrots.¡±


    Qinghe blinked confusedly. ¡°What a strange dream. But then again, dreams tend to be like that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is true,¡± Wei Xiang said. Then, with his eyes practically gleaming with suppressed laughter, he asked, ¡°So love, tell me, do you like to eat big and juicy carrots?¡±


    His mind clouded by sleep, the oblivious Qinghe very innocently replied, ¡°Yes, I think they taste very good. Especially when they are mixed with some sugar and milk to make sweets. I even like carrot juice, it¡¯s mildly sweet and tasty.¡±


    Unable to help himself, Wei Xiang burst out laughing.


    Of course, the poor Qinghe didn¡¯t understand what Wei Xiang found so amusing, or why, after he was finished laughing, his beloved suddenly began pushing him down into the bed with so much enthusiasm...


    But of course, as usual, Qinghe soon got into the mood and started contributing to the quick disappearance of their clothing as well. And within moments, the bed was shaking to and fro while the groans of both the straining wood and the passionate couple intermingled in the room.


    And so, a certain beast Xiang ate up his dear mate Qinghe in real life as well.


    crimson_carnation


    I''m curious, is there any animal you think particularly suits one of the characters in the story? (¡Ô?¦Ø?¡Ô)

 Extra 12: Their True Family

    The skies above the Silver Moon Sect were a piercingly clear blue today, the warm sunlight reflecting off of the ocean surrounding the island making the rolling waves glisten and sparkle brilliantly.


    Despite the morning sun burning bright in the sky above, the air was crisp and cool in the sect¡¯s hydrangea garden. The refreshing smell of healthy greenery and fresh dew mingled with the scent of soft, damp earth and blossoming hydrangeas.


    Under the cool shade of a tree, Wu Xiao sat leaning against the sturdy trunk, his eyes closed. Stretched out on the grassy ground among the shifting shadows, Jing Shui was resting his head on Wu Xiao¡¯s lap. A peaceful and serene hush softly shrouded the pair of lovers, seeming to reflect the calmness and contentment in their hearts. Except for the gentle rustling of the leaves and the distant crashing of waves, the space was silent.


    After weeks of being busy with sect matters, the couple had only just been able to take some time off to be with each other. Rather than directly heading for the bedroom, they had chosen to just spend it in their lover¡¯s company, luxuriating in one another¡¯s presence silently.


    Despite his tiredness, Wu Xiao didn¡¯t want to just squander away all his free time by sleeping. Thinking that he¡¯d rather spend it gazing at his Ah-Shui, Wu Xiao forced himself back to wakefulness from the edge of sleep. His long, dark silver eyelashes fluttered, then slowly opened, his gaze landing on Jing Shui.


    While comfortably lying down, Jing Shui¡¯s face was relaxed, a small smile curling his lips as he peered at the fat worm crawling on his chest with interest. The worm was the length of a hand, it¡¯s width as thick as two fingers. It was colored a soft, velvety turquoise, with glossy yellow spots marking its back in an even line. Large, dark blue eyes protruded from its head, shining innocently. Two feelers sprouted from its head, twitching and swaying in a lively manner.


    Holding a dark green hydrangea leaf between his slender fingers, Jing Shui was carefully leading the worm around on his chest, watching it as it eagerly chased the leaf that always seemed just out of reach, its plump little body wriggling as it earnestly made its way forward.


    His own mouth curving up at the sight, Wu Xiao spoke, ¡°What are you doing, Ah-Shui? I didn¡¯t think you were the type to harass little animals like this.¡±


    Jing Shui looked up at his lover, his fingers still moving while his smile widened. ¡°I¡¯m actually helping, not harassing it.¡± Then seeming to enter lecturing mode, he began, ¡°This worm is actually the larval form of the spotted ocean foam moth. It¡¯s called that because its wings are a deep turquoise like the ocean waters, and the edges of the wings have fluffy white, feathery filaments that look like the foam churned up when the ocean waves crash against the shore. It¡¯s the moth¡¯s version of camouflage from larger predators like seabirds.


    ¡°They are a relatively peaceful species and prefer quiet places with balanced energies to mature. The ideal conditions for its development also include moist and salty air with a large water body nearby, since after its metamorphosis into a moth, it will spend most of its time skimming over the water surface, catching plankton, algae, and other tiny marine organisms floating above for consumption.


    ¡°Before turning into its moth form, the larvae feed on poisonous vegetation¡ªlike this hydrangea leaf here, for example¡ªand push the poison ingested from these plants to the surface of its skin to make itself toxic to predators. In this way, they eat, sleep, absorb natural spiritual energy, and grow until they look like this worm here. After reaching this stage, the worm needs to move a lot and circulate a large amount of spiritual energy through its veins. Only then will it be able to break through to the next stage and turn into the spotted ocean foam moth.¡±


    Finally reaching the point of this lecture, Jing Shui concluded with twinkling eyes, ¡°So you see? I¡¯m only helping it by making it exercise like this.¡±


    Wu Xiao chuckled. ¡°I see. Then yes, you¡¯re indeed a good little Ah-Shui who is very helpful to little worms. I¡¯m certain that you¡¯re not having fun playing with it at all.¡±


    Jing Shui childishly stuck out his tongue. ¡°So what if I was having a little fun too? The worm certainly doesn¡¯t mind.¡± Then looking down at the worm still chasing the leaf on his chest, he asked, ¡°You don¡¯t mind that I¡¯m teasing you, do you, little worm?¡±


    Jung Shui purposefully shook the leaf in his fingers from side to side, causing the worm that was keenly following the leaf to turn its head from side to side too, appearing as if it was shaking its head to say no.


    Looking up at Wu Xiao, Jing Shui smiled smugly. ¡°See? It says it doesn¡¯t mind.¡±


    Wu Xiao burst out laughing. How could his Ah-Shui be so cute?


    Leaning down to press a kiss to his beloved¡¯s soft cheek, Wu Xiao replied cheerfully, ¡°Alright, I concede defeat. Whatever my Ah-Shui says is naturally right. You are so adorable and charming that even the worm is willingly agreeing with you.¡±


    Jin Shui¡¯s fingers holding the leaf abruptly halted as he blushed, his cheeks suffused with a gentle pink. ¡°W-Wu Xiao! How am I supposed to react when you say things like that¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to react exactly as you are doing now, my darling~¡± Wu Xiao said cheekily, his forefinger lightly rubbing his lover¡¯s cute little nose.


    Jing Shui glared up at Wu Xiao, but with his flushed face and wide eyes, his expression seemed to look adorably pitiful, like that of a little animal feeling wronged after being bullied. Seeing this, Wu Xiao¡¯s face couldn¡¯t help but soften into an indulgent expression, his smile loving.


    His gaze then turning to the worm on Jing Shui¡¯s chest, Wu Xiao¡¯s eyes gleamed with amusement. ¡°By the way, Ah-Shui, it seems that you¡¯ve ended up unintentionally feeding the worm after all.¡±


    Jing Shui immediately turned his face towards the worm and cursed heatedly, ¡°Shit!¡± Because of Wu Xiao¡¯s teasing before, Jing Shui had ended up unconsciously stopping his hand, which finally gave the little worm the chance to catch up to the tasty-looking hydrangea leaf. Now, the worm was happily munching on the leaf, having eaten its way through one-fourth of it already. Looking back up at his lover, Jing Shui complained, ¡°Wu Xiao, this is all your fault!¡±


    Wu Xiao laughed unrepentantly. ¡°You can always play with it using another leaf, can¡¯t you?¡±


    Jing Shui huffed and declared haughtily, ¡°I wasn¡¯t playing with it. I was cultivating an asset.¡±


    His brows lifting, Wu Xiao looked at Jing Shui askance. ¡°An asset?¡±


    Nodding, Jing Shui carefully sat up from where he was resting his head on Wu Xiao¡¯s lap, straightening his body while holding the worm to make sure it wouldn¡¯t fall off. After gently setting the worm down on the grass and watching it eagerly continue to chomp away on the leaf, Jing Shui said, ¡°Spiritual beasts in general are still very rare in our world, so aren¡¯t you curious how this larva of the spotted ocean foam moth appeared here?¡±


    Wu Xiao shook his head. ¡°I assumed you brought it over.¡±


    Jing Shui shrugged. ¡°Well, that is true. In one of our sect¡¯s disciples¡¯ expeditions to a sealed world, I found these eggs. They were in a pretty bad condition and didn¡¯t seem to be getting the care of a parent. I waited to make sure that no adult moths came to claim it before carrying it out. I helped them hatch and brought the newborn worms here into the garden of the Silver Moon Sect since it has the perfect conditions they need to grow healthily. I even asked the permission of the gardening disciples I was familiar with if it was okay. They said it wouldn¡¯t be a problem and even offered to take care of the worms, feeding them and letting them get their needed exercise.


    ¡°After these larvae turn into spotted ocean foam moths, I plan to have the Golden Sun Sect sell them to qualified and responsible owners who will be thoroughly screened beforehand to avoid these spiritual beasts from being abused in any way. Since spiritual beasts of any sort are rare, if they are also well taken care of and brought up healthily through their most demanding periods of growth until they reach maturity, their prices are bound to be beyond sky high. And as someone certified who also has experience with raising and training beasts, I can definitely take on this responsibility and make sure these worms grow into high-quality beasts without flaws.¡±


    While speaking all this, Jing Shui had begun running his fingertip up and down the little worm¡¯s soft back, his touch careful. But looking up from the worm, he was unexpectedly faced with Wu Xiao¡¯s pitiful expression. In a confused voice, Jing Shui asked, ¡°Wu Xiao, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    His lips pursing into a pout, Wu Xiao said, ¡°I didn¡¯t know my Ah-Shui was so heartless. You rescued its egg from its birthplace and nursed it back to health, you played with it, fed it, and spent so much time with it, and you¡¯re still planning on abandoning it to others for the sake of money. How cruel! Ah-Shui, have you even thought of the poor worm¡¯s feelings?¡±


    Jing Shui¡¯s lips twitched. He was rendered utterly speechless. After all, taking care of, training, and selling beasts was one of his main jobs, and something he was known to be quite good at. But why the heck did Wu Xiao¡¯s words make him sound like some sort of abusive beast trafficker who only cared about money?!


    In truth, Jing Shui was a qualified beast tamer, which meant that he could not only make sure the spiritual beasts in his care grew up healthily, but that they would also not give in to senseless violence against their partners. Of course, all of this only applied to spiritual beast species whose inherent ability was below the eighth realm. Spiritual beasts like dragons or wyverns whose ability was inherently at a far higher level, with intelligence matching or even surpassing that of humans, could obviously not be treated like that.


    As a beast tamer, Jing Shui had not only handled countless beasts, but he also had some that he had grown especially fond of, allowing them to stay with him if they wished. They each had their own enclosures with sufficient space and suitable environments inside. Jing Shui regularly went to take care of them, making sure none of his beast friends felt neglected.


    But these worms were definitely not like that. They had no more attachment to him than that of a temporary handler. Jing Shui had not even thought of keeping one of them for himself. But seeing Wu Xiao look like that, his expression so dejected as he gazed at the little worm that was now rolling on its back while waving its tail cheerfully, Jing Shui realized that he didn¡¯t have the heart to refuse him. Though he couldn¡¯t keep this worm, maybe he could let it stay here in the Silver Moon Sect¡¯s gardens.


    Jing Shui sighed. ¡°Fine then, I¡¯ll agree to let this one worm stay here in the sect even after it becomes a full-fledged spotted ocean foam moth.¡±


    Seeing Wu Xiao¡¯s face brightening as a happy smile bloomed on his face, Jing Shui felt his own heart clench with a quiet joy. Coughing as his ears reddened, Jing Shui warned in an unsteady voice, ¡°B-But I still have conditions! Wu Xiao, you¡¯ll have to make sure to take very good care of it. I usually don¡¯t allow unqualified people to adopt a spiritual beast, but since I know you¡¯ll be good to it, I¡¯ll let you have it.¡±


    Wu Xiao tilted his head, a few strands of his shining silver hair sliding down from where they had been resting on his shoulders. ¡°But Ah-Shui¡­ If I admit that I don¡¯t know what all it will need or how to properly care for it, does it mean you¡¯ll take the worm away from me?¡±


    Looking at Wu Xiao¡¯s eyes blinking at him piteously, Jing Shui paused. When his lover acted like this, he strangely seemed so¡­lovable. Looking away, Jing Shui finally said, ¡°S-Since that is the case, I¡­I¡¯ll just have to teach you how to raise it properly.¡±


    Wu Xiao beamed happily, lunging on a startled Jing Shui to hug him close.


    ¡°Wu Xiao, what¨D?!¡±


    Hugging his beloved tighter, Wu Xiao said cheerily, ¡°Ah-Shui~ Since you¡¯ll have to teach me a lot of things, you¡¯ll have to spend a lot more time with me now~ I promise I¡¯ll be a good and obedient student.¡±


    Jing Shui¡¯s face flushed a bright red. ¡°W-W-Wu Xiao! Y-You¡­¡± Halting, Jing Shui took a deep breath, then lifted a hand and patted Wu Xiao¡¯s back. Then in a softer voice, he spoke, ¡°If you wanted to spend more time with me, you should have just said so.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Really?¡± Bending his head, Wu Xiao brushed his lips down the edge of his Ah-Shui¡¯s ear, then gently nipped the earlobe hung with one of the thick golden hoops. ¡°But I also want to raise a spiritual beast with you. Feeding it, playing with it, and taking care of it together. It will be fun.¡±


    Hearing those sensually whispered words and feeling his lover¡¯s warm breath fanning over his face, Jing Shui¡¯s body went soft, melting into Wu Xiao¡¯s embrace. Resting his cheek on his beloved¡¯s shoulder, Jing Shui murmured, ¡°Fine, you win. We¡¯ll do as you say.¡±


    Wu Xiao chuckled, pecking the top of his Ah-Shui¡¯s head. ¡°Thank you. I will make sure that it will not be a burden on you.¡±


    Jing Shui shook his head. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. Hearing what you said about taking care of it together¡­I¡¯m also starting to anticipate it now. Maybe I should introduce you to all the spiritual beasts that are under my charge so that you can become familiar with them too. We can take care of them together from now on as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that sounds wonderful,¡± Wu Xiao sighed. Then his eyes suddenly narrowing, he continued, ¡°But I will not take care of that stupid lizard! It¡¯s so belligerent! It laughs at me with its stupid beady eyes, I just know that it¡¯s mocking me!¡±


    Jing Shui held Wu Xiao closer and buried his head deeper into his lover¡¯s shoulder while laughing. ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll let you choose the ones you feel the most affinity with to take care of with me.¡±


    Wu Xiao huffed in satisfaction, then let his head rest on Jing Shui¡¯s, reveling in his beloved Ah-Shui¡¯s soft and warm body nestled snugly in his arms. The pair thus basked in their mutual affection, content just to be able to spend some time together like this despite their busy schedules and heavy responsibilities towards their respective sects.


    The breeze blew by, light and cool, brushing back their hair with gentle fingers. From the corner of his half-lidded eyes, Wu Xiao saw a glint of gold revealed through the fluttering strands of Jing Shui¡¯s hair. Determining that it was just one of his beloved''s earrings, Wu Xiao wondered about the accessory, and not for the first time.


    Before, Wu Xiao had just thought wearing these types of earrings was some old-fashioned custom of the Yong Dynasty¡¯s imperial family. But after visiting the imperial palace and observing its people, except for Jing Shui, Wu Xiao didn¡¯t notice even a single person wearing this type of thick gold hoop earrings or anything similar to it at all. It was only after giving it some more thought did Wu Xiao realize that if the earrings were something related to the imperial family, it would¡¯ve only held bad memories for Jing Shui, so he would have long since thrown them away. But by the way Jing Shui wore them everywhere he went, except for their first time having sex, Wu Xiao couldn¡¯t help but think that they held some meaning, or maybe even some fondness, for Jing Shui.


    The question ¡°Why do you wear those earrings?¡± was almost at the tip of his tongue. But as usual, Wu Xiao swallowed it down. Though he and his Ah-Shui felt like they never had enough time with each other, he knew that they in fact had an entire eternity to slowly discover these sorts of little details about one another. Since this was not an urgent matter, Wu Xiao was content to be patient, waiting for the answer to come in its own time.


    As the comfortable quiet in the garden stretched while the two people were filled with thoughts of each other, the new sound of soft footsteps on the grass broke the hush around the couple.


    Opening their eyes, Jing Shui and Wu Xiao saw a disciple of the Golden Sun Sect approaching, her back straight and steps steady.


    Jing Shui straightened from Wu Xiao¡¯s embrace and greeted, ¡°Sister Qu, may I ask what brings you here?¡±


    Qu Sheng was the second disciple of Liu Xue, and since Jing Shui was Liu Xue¡¯s first disciple, she was technically his junior sister. But since she was older than him, Jing Shui felt too strange at addressing her as ¡®Junior Sister Qu¡¯, so he settled on calling her ¡®Sister Qu¡¯ instead.


    Nodding a respectful greeting at Wu Xiao, Qu Sheng turned to Jing Shui and replied, ¡°Brother Jing, if you recall, you once asked me to have some people keep an eye out for a certain caravan and to inform you if we ever locate them.¡±


    The relaxed line of Jing Shui¡¯s spine immediately turned taut. His eyes sharpening with alertness, Jing Shui quickly spoke, ¡°Yes, I remember. Do you have any new information?¡±


    Qu Sheng nodded calmly. ¡°Yes. In fact, I¡¯m here to tell you that that caravan is now confirmed to be heading for our sect¡¯s territories, and considering the speed of their mounts, they¡¯re estimated to reach here within a few hours. I¡¯ve already obtained the location of where they will stay and make business while in our trading district. Do you want me to station people nearby to keep an eye on them?¡±


    Jing Shui shook his head. With excitement visible in his eyes, he said, ¡°No, monitoring them is not needed. I instead have another request for Sister Qu. Would you please send a message to the caravan telling that Grandma Jiao of the tribe is being invited to visit the Golden Sun Sect by Third Prince Shui?¡±


    Hearing this, both Wu Xiao and Qu Sheng¡¯s eyebrows crept up. Since this caravan Jing Shui was interested in seemed to be here for business, they¡¯d assumed that Jing Shui wanted to negotiate a trade agreement with them or something like that. But hearing how he spoke of them now with familiarity, along with the way he introduced himself by his former title as the third prince but also using his given name rather than his surname, the whole matter seemed to get further and further away from what they¡¯d guessed.


    However, not wanting to pry into her martial brother¡¯s affairs, Qu Sheng merely said, ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll send the message and see that it¡¯s delivered. Does Brother Jing have anything else you want me to do?¡±


    Jing Shui shook his head. ¡°No, that is enough. Thank you for all the help, Sister Qu.¡±


    Qu Sheng nodded and walked away after a parting bow to Wu Xiao.


    Seemingly unable to contain himself, Jing Shui sprung up and began striding in the direction Qu Sheng had just gone in, as if wanting to head back to the Golden Sun Sect as well. Wu Xiao also stood up and followed along, almost bursting with curiosity by now.


    Finally giving in, he asked, ¡°Ah-Shui? What¡¯s going on? Why do you seem so excited all of a sudden, and what is your relation with that caravan and that Grandma Jiao?¡±


    Suddenly realizing that he didn¡¯t seem to have explained any of this to Wu Xiao before, Jing Shui forced himself to slow down his pace before linking hands with his lover. Looking up at his beloved¡¯s face with a bright smile, Jing Shui asked, ¡°Wu Xiao, have I ever told you about why I wear these earrings?¡±


    Wu Xiao shook his head. ¡°No, you haven¡¯t.¡± He¡¯d just been thinking about them and how he didn¡¯t mind waiting for the reason behind Jing Shui wearing those earrings to be revealed. Had his time to learn about them already come? Wu Xiao couldn¡¯t help but feel anticipatory about discovering yet another new thing relating to his Ah-Shui.


    Nodding as if he¡¯d expected that answer, Jing Shui began, ¡°Deep in the forests between the eastern desert plain and the northern mountain range is a dense forest. In it live the people of the Baolin Tribe who, after absorbing their forest¡¯s natural spiritual energy all this time, have extended lifespans stretching up to five hundred years despite never cultivating. They are very good at fighting and nurturing, but almost never left their forest and even drove away anyone who tried to enter their territory. A few hundred years ago, after venturing outside to forage for certain foods that became unavailable to the tribe after a part of their forest went up in flames, they became far friendlier and also developed trading skills. Now, they trade mostly using their expertise in crafts like cloth weaving, jewellery-making, woodworking, and blacksmithing, along with selling materials that they gather from scaling the treacherous mountain slopes.¡±


    Wu Xiao furrowed his brows. ¡°Yes, I think I¡¯ve heard of them. Does that caravan belong to them then?¡±


    Jing Shui nodded. ¡°Yes, it does. The Baolin tribe only sends out that caravan to trade every ten years or so. One of the places in its route was the Yong Dynasty¡¯s imperial capital. At that time, they brought some very valuable resources to the imperial family, so my father invited them to stay at the courtyard reserved for important guests in the palace grounds. Back then, I was very young and wasn¡¯t restricted by my family yet, so I played with the few children in the caravan brought along by their families and was also spoiled in return by their adults, one of them being Grandma Jiao, who was their former tribal chief. While we played together, the kids taught me how to climb trees, and in exchange, I told them the heroic stories about cultivators I''d read in the library. The few months they spent in the palace are some of my happiest memories.¡±


    Wu Xiao¡¯s expression softened as he sensed his Ah-Shui¡¯s remembered joy.


    By now, they¡¯d reached the railing-less white stone bridge that connected the Silver Moon Sect to the Golden Sun Sect and the mainland. As they stepped onto the bridge and began walking, Wu Xiao prodded in a quiet voice, ¡°What happened then?¡±


    His expression turning wistful, Jing Shui continued, ¡°Well, after they left, I used to eagerly await that caravan¡¯s return every day until I learned that they wouldn¡¯t come back after at least another decade. I was sad, but life went on. However, the next time they came to the imperial capital and stayed at the palace, I was already confined to my courtyard and was not to be let out until I learnt everything a proper prince was supposed to know so that I ¡®wouldn¡¯t embarrass myself in front of the dignitaries while being officially introduced as the crown prince¡¯, as my father put it.¡±


    Hearing the repressed pain and bitterness in his beloved¡¯s voice, Wu Xiao silently held him closer. Taking strength from his lover¡¯s warmth, Jing Shui sucked in a deep breath and let it out. It was okay now, he was no longer a prince, and that Yong Dynasty no longer existed. He was free from that burden now.


    Straightening, Jing Shui started speaking once again, ¡°Since I couldn¡¯t leave my courtyard, I was unable to go to them. And none of them had the authority to enter my courtyard as well, though I doubted most of them even remembered me after that long. However, to my surprise, Grandma Jiao was able to negotiate with my father by adjusting the trade agreements in his favor in return for allowing her entry so that she could see me. I was so touched when I heard that she was willing to go that far just to make sure I was alright and to spend some time with me.¡±


    His voice growing thick with emotion, Jing Shui went on, ¡°Grandma Jiao would come by every day and hear me complain about the palace and its people. While I vented to her and cried in her arms, she would stroke my back and comfort me. Though she saw how horribly I was treated by my family, Grandma Jiao knew that neither she nor her tribespeople had any way of helping me, since their influence and power was far lesser than my father¡¯s at that time. Wanting me to know that I was still cherished by her and the others from the caravan, she offered to adopt me into the Baolin tribe under her name.¡±


    Wu Xiao¡¯s eyebrows shot up in surprise, but he stayed silent to let his beloved continue.


    ¡°She said my family didn¡¯t deserve me, and if I thought the tribe a worthier family, then she would gladly take me in, paying whatever price it took to get me out of there. At that time, I was very stressed and didn¡¯t think I could take the anxiety of starting over in a new place; and as greatly as I appreciated her offer, I also didn¡¯t want to inconvenience her and the tribe that much, so I refused. In a really kind and soft voice, she said she understood, then patted my head. Maybe because she saw how I looked like I would burst out crying at anytime due to having to say no, she said that even if I couldn¡¯t leave with her, I could still choose to be adopted into the tribe as her grandchild. I didn¡¯t even need to tell my family about it.¡±


    Looking up at Wu Xiao with a brilliant smile lighting up his face, Jing Shui said, ¡°I agreed, and I¡¯ve never once regretted it.¡± Turning his face to look in the direction where he thought the caravan would be now, Jing Shui went on, ¡°In the Baolin tribe, wood, stone, and metal are revered the most, and though wood can be found fairly easily, metal was far more difficult to obtain and stone was hard to manipulate with their tools, so metal and precious stones became more valuable.


    ¡°Every tribesperson is given a pair of earrings on the day of their birth, to be worn when they come of age. The earrings are forged by someone of the tribe using materials deemed auspicious for that particular child and receive the well wishes and blessings of at least nine people of the tribe. Grandma Jiao is the most prominent blacksmith in the tribe, and she made a pair of gold earrings just for me¡ªthe same set of earrings I¡¯m wearing now. After nine tribespeople from the caravan blessed it, she offered them to me. Wearing those earrings that had gone through all the necessary traditional procedures would officially make me a part of the tribe, though none of the people in the palace realized it.


    ¡°But even if none of them knew, I did. And as long as I knew that there was a family who cared about me somewhere, I could somewhat bear the cruelties of the palace. From the moment I wore those earrings after Grandma Jiao pierced my ears for me, I¡¯d never taken it off except for once.¡±


    Peeking up at Wu Xiao¡¯s keen expression with a soft blush, Jing Shui spoke, ¡°There is apparently a tradition in the Baolin tribe that the only time a person is allowed to remove their earrings is in front of their, ehem, spouse.¡± His cheeks burning brighter, he bent his head before continuing in a lower voice, ¡°And the first time they ever remove these earrings will be on their¡­wedding night.¡±


    Hearing this, Wu Xiao was stunned, pink beginning to suffuse his cheeks. Then a wide smile slowly bloomed on his face. ¡°Oho, so is my little Ah-Shui saying that you already sneakily made me give away my wedding night to you before we even got married?¡±


    Jing Shui coughed and stuttered, ¡°O-Of course not! I o-only wanted to¡­ I just¡ª¡°


    Wu Xiao suddenly hugged Jing Shui tightly, burying his face in his lover¡¯s hair as he whispered, ¡°Yes, I understand. Ah-Shui, thank you.¡±


    Jing Shui¡¯s face turned redder, but he still extended a hand to hug Wu Xiao back, his cheek pressing into the crook of his beloved¡¯s neck.


    After a few minutes, the pair silently separated and began walking again, their hands holding each other¡¯s tightly. Wu Xiao had a warm smile on his face, his eyes shining cheerfully while Jing Shui had his head bent, his face red as he wore a shy yet happy smile.


    With this buoyant mood, the couple thus continued towards the Golden Sun Sect.


    ¡­¡­


    After arriving at the sect, Jing Shui and Wu Xiao first went over to visit Jing Shui¡¯s spiritual beasts to let Wu Xiao bond and play with a few while Jing Shui explained their quirks and the care needed for the beasts, occupying himself in this way while waiting for Grandma Jiao¡¯s arrival. By the time they were done playing with the spiritual beasts, a few hours had already passed. The caravan had long since received Jing Shui¡¯s message and a junior disciple soon came to inform Jing Shui that Grandma Jiao and another person from the caravan had come to visit.


    With barely concealed excitement, Jing Shui dragged Wu Xiao along and rushed to the receiving room where the two guests were currently waiting.


    Sitting on a comfortable low-backed couch in the receiving room were an old woman and a young man.


    The old woman had weathered, nut-brown skin and steel grey hair that was covered with a dark blue headscarf. Her robes looked sturdy and weather-beaten, faded evenly all over. Her wrinkled yet strong-looking fingers held a long pipe to her thin lips that occasionally parted to let out a stream of smoke. Her keen brown eyes showed an unbending steadiness akin to that of a mountain. Heavy, steel colored bangles jangled mutedly on her wrists, their dully glinting metal surfaces bearing nicks and scratches due to the passage of time. Each of her earlobes was adorned with an amethyst stud, with silver chains connecting them to piercings at the top of her ears.


    Meanwhile, the young man sitting beside her had flat, plate-like copper earrings dangling from his ears, the flat surface gleaming brightly even in the sparse light. He looked to be somewhere in between his late teens and early twenties, though considering the length of his tribespeople¡¯s natural lifespan, he could be several decades older. His skin was a lighter color than the old woman¡¯s and looked softer, while his clothes looked more delicate and finer as well. His eyes conveyed a mild temperament, holding a hint of curiosity as he studied his surroundings. Compared to the tough ruggedness of the old woman, he seemed much more pampered and easygoing.


    The moment Jing Shui entered with Wu Xiao, closing the door behind them, the two people on the couch immediately snapped their attentions to the couple.


    Jing Shui dragged Wu Xiao in front of the two guests and bowed while greeting enthusiastically, ¡°Grandma Jiao, welcome to the Golden Sun Sect. I¡¯m very glad that we finally had the chance to meet again!¡±


    Grandma Jiao raised an eyebrow and nodded, her face softening into a small smile. Looking Jing Shui up and down, she observed, ¡°You¡¯ve grown well, Shui-er. I¡¯m happy to see that.¡± Then turning her gaze to Wu Xiao, she continued, ¡°Who¡¯s this man beside you?¡±


    Jing Shui straightened and answered with a blush, ¡°His name is Wu Xiao. He¡¯s the sect master of the Silver Moon Sect and¡­h-he¡¯s my lover.¡±


    With a smug smirk, Wu Xiao added, ¡°And I¡¯m also the first and only person Ah-Shui ever took off his earrings in front of.¡±


    The young man¡¯s lips twitched while Grandma Jiao laughed in a rough and unrestrained voice. ¡°So even little Shui-er has found someone he wants to marry. How fast do children grow!¡±


    Jing Shui flushed a deeper red. ¡°Grandma! I¡¯m already old enough to have a slew of kids by now! I¡¯ve long since grown up already!¡±


    Raising a hand, the old woman pulled close a startled Jing Shui into a hug and gently patted his head while saying with smiling eyes, ¡°Yes, yes, Shui-er is not a child anymore. He¡¯s grown into such a handsome and capable young man.¡±


    Jing Shui puffed his pink cheeks, but didn¡¯t say anything, just letting himself bask in the affectionate touch. It had been too long since he¡¯d seen Grandma Jiao. And though he remembered their short time together with vivid clarity, he¡¯d still felt very nervous just thinking about all the years that had passed till now.


    Suddenly, the young man called from the side, ¡°Elder Brother Jing, do you really not remember me?¡±


    Jing Shui leaned back and looked at him with puzzlement while Grandma Jiao laughed and introduced her companion, ¡°This young man who looks to be in his early twenties, but is in fact almost forty, is the Xiao Nuo who used to follow behind you back then. It¡¯s been so many decades, and yet he still remembered you and wanted to come check up on you.¡±


    Xiao Nuo glared at Grandma Jiao. ¡°And what¡¯s wrong with that? Everyone who played in the palace that time remembers the Third Prince Shui from back then as well.¡±


    Grandma Jiao simply shook her head with a chuckle, lifting her pipe to her mouth once again.


    Turning to Jing Shui, Xiao Nuo commented, ¡°But I have to say, Elder Brother Jing, you look young enough to be my son! I¡¯m taking that¡¯s because of your cultivation?¡±


    Jing Shui nodded, his expression happy. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been cultivating in this sect and they¡¯ve treated me very well. Now, other than Grandma Jiao and the tribe, I have the Golden Sun Sect as my family as well.¡±


    Nodding, Grandma Jiao blew another stream of smoke and said, ¡°That¡¯s how it should be. Shui-er deserves a place you can call your own. Even though it¡¯s not the tribe like I hoped, I¡¯m still glad you have such a place. Now, how goes it with your lover?¡±


    Jing Shui bowed his head and said softly, ¡°I-It¡¯s going well. We¡¯re¡­very happy together.¡±


    Wu Xiao chuckled and held Jing Shui close, nuzzling his hair as he added, ¡°I treat my Ah-Shui well and Ah-Shui is also very good to me. What do we have to complain about?¡±


    Jing Shui reddened. ¡°W-Wu Xiao!¡±


    Not minding his beloved¡¯s usual shy embarrassment, Wu Xiao teased, ¡°What is it, my sweet little Ah-Shui? Are you saying that you aren¡¯t satisfied with our life together? Or is it that what you aren''t satisfied with is how less time we spend together?¡±


    Rather than refuting him, Jing Shui¡¯s eyes darkened as he looked up at his lover. ¡°I really wouldn¡¯t mind having more time with you, but getting even a single day away from work is becoming very difficult.¡±


    Wu Xiao sighed. ¡°That¡¯s true. I had to work till late at night to finish looking over the important documents and postpone the less important ones for a few weeks just to free up today.¡±


    Resting his head on Wu Xiao¡¯s chest and rubbing his eyes tiredly, Jing Shui replied, ¡°And I had to forego sleep for the past few days and work non-stop to be able to take a day off today.¡±


    Wu Xiao¡¯s expression turned worried as he sympathetically rubbed his beloved¡¯s back. ¡°My poor Ah-Shui must¡¯ve had to work so hard. Let¡¯s forego all bedroom activities so that you can sleep earlier tonight then.¡±


    Jing Shui huffed and straightened. ¡°What ¡®sleep earlier¡¯? Do you think I worked so hard to get time with you just so that I can squander away the time by sleeping? Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll let you off that easily tonight!¡±


    Chuckling, Wu Xiao encircled his arms around his beloved and bent to press a kiss to his cheek. ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯ll let my dear Ah-Shui thoroughly ravage me all night long then.¡±


    Jing Shui¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Y-You! Wu Xiao, you¡¯re always so¡­!¡± Trailing away with a helpless sigh, Jing Shui shook his head with a wry smile. He refused to keep engaging in this ridiculousness and waste their time while he could spend this precious day off in better ways.


    And so, reaching up, Jing Shui pulled his lover¡¯s head close and pressed their lips together. Wu Xiao jerked in surprise, then enthusiastically held his Ah-Shui closer to return the kiss.


    By now, the couple had already forgotten the two guests sitting at the side, getting more and more involved in each other. Jing Shui felt his body heating up, his face growing warmer and his breaths burning hot in his lungs. His tongue eagerly traced along Wu Xiao¡¯s before exploring further, taking in the familiar taste, texture, and shape of his lover¡¯s mouth. He felt Wu Xiao¡¯s slick tongue doing the same, rubbing against the sensitive tissue inside his mouth and entwining with his tongue.


    Their chests pressed together and heaved deep breaths as their hands greedily mapped over each other¡¯s backs and waists, shoulders and hips, pulling their lover as tight against their own body as they could. Jing Shui felt the cool and silky strands of Wu Xiao¡¯s silvery hair sliding between his fingers as he pulled his beloved¡¯s head even closer, pushing his own tongue in deeper into Wu Xiao¡¯s mouth. As Wu Xiao returned his ardor by suckling his tongue sensually, Jing Shui shuddered, a faint moan slipping out of him.


    As they thus hungrily devoured each other, completely forgetting their surroundings and the company, Xiao Nuo suddenly interrupted them with a pointed cough, his cheeks already red with embarrassment.


    Reminded of their guests¡¯ existence, Jing Shui and Wu Xiao slowly let their lips part. As Jing Shui buried his flaming face into Wu Xiao¡¯s chest to regain some composure, Wu Xiao hugged his beloved to hide his flustered appearance, then turned his gaze to Xiao Nuo and glared at him for interrupting them. Meanwhile, Grandma Jiao looked almost gleeful at how it seemed like Jing Shui and Wu Xiao couldn¡¯t get enough of each other.


    Meanwhile, buried in his lover¡¯s embrace, Jing Shui found it difficult to calm his need. He was so completely surrounded by his beloved¡¯s intoxicating warmth and scent, the feel of his Wu Xiao¡¯s slender and tightly muscled body pressed up against his own only increasing the heat in his cheeks. After not having shared their nights with each other for weeks, Jing Shui felt that he was particularly weak against Wu Xiao¡¯s appeal today. Understanding that he would only get more aroused in such close proximity, Jing Shui suddenly pushed Wu Xiao and leapt away a few steps, covering his burning cheeks with his palms.


    Wu Xiao blinked confusedly for a moment. Then looking at his thin-skinned lover¡¯s half-accusatory and half-bashful look, he chuckled and assured, ¡°Ah-Shui, I won¡¯t jump on you, so you don¡¯t have to be so cautious.¡±


    Jing Shui¡¯s gaze turned furious. ¡°I-I-I know that! Who said you¡¯d jump me! I¡¯m just afraid I¡¯ll be the one who¡¯ll end up jumping you!¡±


    Not waiting for anyone to react, Jing Shui quickly turned and started striding away towards the door to go outside and compose himself for a bit, all the while muttering complainingly under his breath, ¡°Stupid Wu Xiao! Who asked you to look so tempting!¡±


    Hearing it, Wu Xiao chuckled warmly, his expression that of someone completely smitten with their beloved. Sighing happily, he said, ¡°My Ah-Shui is so cute, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Not knowing Wu Xiao¡¯s personality, the innocent Xiao Nuo honestly nodded and agreed with a smile, ¡°Yes, he is.¡±


    Wu Xiao immediately whipped his head towards the young man and narrowed his eyes. ¡°I should¡¯ve known! You¡¯ve set your sights on my Ah-Shui!¡±


    Xiao Nuo¡¯s eyes widened. Then he hurriedly shook his head while trying to take back his words, ¡°No, h-he¡¯s¡­ I definitely don¡¯t consider Elder Brother Jing as cute!¡±


    Wu Xiao gasped loudly in affront. ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t consider him as cute?! My Ah-Shui is absolutely adorable, I¡¯ll have you know! How dare you insult him like this! Admit your wrongs!¡±


    The poor Xiao Nuo felt very aggrieved. But he didn¡¯t dare offend the sect master of the Silver Moon Sect, so he could only agree, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll admit that I was wrong¡­ Elder Brother Jing really is cute.¡±


    Immediately pointing his finger at Xiao Nuo, Wu Xiao accused, ¡°Aha! So you had designs on my Ah-Shui after all! I knew it!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± The pitiful Xiao Nuo wanted to cry. Just what had he done to be bullied to this extent by this strange person?!


    Sighing, Grandma Jiao finally spoke, ¡°Xiao Nuo, why don¡¯t you go and accompany Shui-er for a bit? I think you could use some fresh air.¡±


    Xiao Nuo quickly nodded and dashed out, leaving Grandma Jiao and Wu Xiao alone in the room. Wu Xiao simply looked in the direction Xiao Nuo had fled in with unfathomable eyes. Then walking to the seat directly opposite to Grandma Jiao, Wu Xiao sat down with poise and leaned back. Clasping his fingers together, he raised a single eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m assuming Madam Jiao has something to say to me?¡±


    Grandma Jiao smiled amusedly. ¡°You have quite the troublesome personality. Though I can see that you seem to care a great deal for Shui-er, I still don¡¯t know if I can leave him to you.¡±


    Wu Xiao smiled sharply. ¡°It¡¯s a little too late for such concerns from you, isn¡¯t it? Ah-Shui is obviously very grateful to have a family like your tribe that doesn¡¯t assign a value to him based on his usefulness, trap him and take away his freedom, or force him to do things he doesn¡¯t want to. You might have even helped during the time he needed familial affection the most. Thoughts of you seemed to definitely have helped him get through that tough patch in his life without completely breaking his mind. But seeing how little contact you¡¯ve had with him since then, I doubt you can be considered his family in truth.¡±


    Exhaling a heavy breath filled with the scent of bittersweet smoke, Grandma Jiao looked weary. ¡°I suppose you think we abandoned him. You might be right. But I only did it so that his father wouldn¡¯t have more ammunition against that child. My biggest fear was that Shui-er would do something drastic in desperation if he felt that he could no longer bear his predicament. I merely wanted to give him an anchor to hold on to so that he would at least keep finding the strength to live. That was the best I could do at that time, and I do not regret it. No matter the reason I adopted him, I still think of him and worry for him as if he were my own grandchild.¡±


    Wu Xiao tilted his head thoughtfully. He had to admit that if this old woman had stayed behind with Jing Shui and let him get even more attached to her, the people of that palace would have definitely used it to harm him. His father, the late emperor, could have even held a knife to Grandma Jiao¡¯s throat, telling Jing Shui that he would only release her if his son did everything he was told. Something like that would have definitely broken Jing Shui beyond repair. In a way, with her limited influence, Wu Xiao had to admit that Grandma Jiao had indeed done the best she could.


    His expression relaxing back into a smile, Wu Xiao finally nodded. ¡°Yes, I concede that you indeed looked out for Ah-Shui as much as was possible to you at that time. And since you¡¯ve adopted him as your grandson, does it mean that I can consider you my grandmother as well?¡±


    Letting out a loud bark of laughter, Grandma Jiao replied, ¡°Do so if you wish, Sect Master Wu. But we both know which of us is of the older generation here. I may be four hundred and fifty six years old, but I¡¯m still many times younger than you, am I not?¡±


    Wu Xiao smiled cheerfully. ¡°Now, now, Grandma. You look as fresh and young as a flower bloomed just this morning, still sparking with clear dew. Compared to you, it¡¯s no wonder that I¡¯d look older.¡±


    Grandma Jiao threw back her head and laughed, the sound wild and boisterous. ¡°Such a silver tongue you have! Is that what you wooed Shui-er with, Grandson-in-law?¡±


    ¡°My Ah-Shui was definitely won over by my charming personality,¡± Wu Xiao declared smugly.


    Grandma Jiao could only shake her head helplessly. Though she didn¡¯t yet know enough about this person to feel completely at ease at leaving her adopted grandson to him, she still had a good enough impression of him till now. If Jing Shui permitted, then maybe she could come by often enough to ascertain just how well he was being treated by this person. But something told her that these both were truly happy with each other. Maybe her interference wasn¡¯t even required.


    Smiling brightly, Grandma Jiao spoke, ¡°Grandson-in-law, since Shui-er has already expressed his desire to choose you as his husband, and since I have deemed you a fine enough man as well, I think it¡¯s time I gave you a little gift¡­¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Outside, Jing Shui was slowly walking along the corridors of the Golden Sun Sect while being surrounded by a gaggle of solemn-faced juniors, each with a problem at hand and expecting Jing Shui to help them with it. Even though it was technically his day off, the workaholic Jing Shui still couldn¡¯t bring himself to send them away. Having joined him partway, Xiao Nuo simply tagged along silently, observing Jing Shui as he quickly and efficiently dealt with everything.


    ¡°Senior Brother, the head of the Luo household has once again postponed the meeting, citing that he has just received a better offer and is seriously considering it. How do you want me to reply?¡±


    Jing Shui frowned. ¡°Tell him that we refuse. If he delays this meeting one more time, there¡¯s no need for further discussion. We¡¯ll simply cancel this deal.¡±


    The junior looked nervous. ¡°But Senior Brother¡­this deal is important to our sect for obtaining a fresh supply of underwater minerals from the western coast. Our former provider has run into troubles and we have to depend on the Luo household for future shipments until the old merchant finishes sorting out the problems on his end.¡±


    But Jing Shui merely scoffed. ¡°You think too much. This Luo Wan always uses this tactic of keeping people on edge to wear down their defenses so that they¡¯ll start bending under pressure. Also, it¡¯s better to back out to maintain our sect¡¯s dignity rather than get led around by the nose like this for someone else¡¯s amusement. Postponing the meeting once or twice can be tolerated, but doing it six times in two weeks is ridiculous and an insult. Our sect can certainly find a better provider than someone who likes to play amateurish games like this.¡±


    Showing an expression of enlightenment, the junior nodded and sped away to do as Jing Shui suggested.


    Another disciple immediately took his place to start saying, ¡°Brother Jing, regarding that matter with the haunted mountain pass, the original team the Sect Master picked is asking for backup. It seems that it isn¡¯t as simple as our initial assessment said. The spirit seems far more malevolent and powerful than estimated. What would you like me to do?¡±


    Jing Shui barely had to think for a moment before replying decisively, ¡°Send a message to the Drifting Clouds Sect asking for assistance and offer to split the payment for the job. Provide them the information and let Brother An pick a suitable team.¡±


    The disciple nodded and turned to walk in the opposite direction to do as told.


    ¡°Senior Martial Brother,¡± started another junior disciple. ¡°There seems to be an issue with the ledgers provided by the accounting department of the Li Fang Trading Association. There are a few inconsistencies that seem deliberately well-hidden. How should I handle it?¡±


    ¡°Place the ledgers on my desk. I¡¯ll review it tomorrow morning and crosscheck it with our version and draw up a report by the time of the merchant conference next week.¡±


    The junior nodded and set off towards Jing Shui¡¯s office.


    ¡°Martial Brother Jing, I have a question about the wine imports from the southeastern islands¡­¡± another disciple began.


    And so, Jing Shui continued on to dispense advice and instructions until all the juniors left, satisfied. Letting out a breath, Jing Shui walked out of the corridor and into the carefully cultivated garden bordered by trees that ran along the hallway. Resting his back against a tree, he looked at the Xiao Nuo who¡¯d remained silent till now. ¡°Is there something I can help you with?¡±


    Chuckling, Xiao Nuo shook his head. ¡°I just wanted to see how Elder Brother Jing was living his life. It seems very hectic, but there also seem to be a lot of people depending on you. I hope it hasn¡¯t been too tough on you.¡±


    Jing Shui shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s my job as Master¡¯s head disciple to oversee these things. I¡¯m used to it.¡±


    Xiao Nuo nodded. ¡°So it seems.¡± Then walking over to lean on the tree beside Jing Shui, he began, ¡°Elder Brother Jing, I have to ask¡­are you truly happy here? Now that you are free from the constraints of that palace, are you sure you don¡¯t want to come and live in the tribe with Grandma Jiao and the others? If you asked, I¡¯m sure Sect Master Wu will also be willing to accompany you. Not having to work this much would mean that you could spend a lot more time with each other.¡±


    Jing Shui¡¯s eyebrows flew up. Where did this offer even come from all of a sudden? ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯ll have to decline. The tribe and Grandma Jiao may have adopted me, and for all the consideration they showed me, I really do consider them my family, but the tribe is not my home. It is not a place where I can feel fulfilled. The both of us, me and Wu Xiao, love what we do, though it can get exhausting sometimes. I have no intention of giving it up, nor would I ask that of my lover.¡±


    Xiao Nuo looked away and nodded. ¡°Then I¡¯m glad. As long as you¡¯re happy, we can rest easy as well. Grandma Jiao has been worrying a lot about you. Back then, after getting word that you left the palace to pursue cultivation, we were unable to find anything else about you, including your location. But seeing that you¡¯ve been doing well, it truly sets our minds at ease.¡± Then turning to squint at Jing Shui, Xiao Nuo asked, ¡°But Elder Brother Jing, why did you never reach out to us even after escaping from the palace?¡±


    Jing Shui sighed and rubbed his forehead. ¡°It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t want to¡­but I was simply unable to think about that at that time. After leaving the palace, I was very shaken and distressed. Wu Xiao was the one who helped me get back on my feet. After that, I suppose I simply chose to repress all my thoughts about the palace and everything that happened there. It was easier that way, though it didn¡¯t let me recover completely either. I only recently gained the strength to think back to everything that happened, after the Yong Dynasty was finally brought down. Even I was surprised to find that I somehow managed to forget about my time with the tribespeople and Grandma Jiao. But as soon as I remembered again, I immediately sent instructions for people to watch out for the next time the caravan came by so that I could meet you again.¡±


    Xiao Nuo looked thoughtful as he pondered on that.


    As they both contemplated on their conversation, minutes passed by in the peaceful silence that was disturbed only by the chirps of the birds and the sounds of the wind rustling the leaves.


    ¡°We should go back,¡± Jing Shui spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t want Wu Xiao to have to wait for me for too long.¡±


    Xiao Nuo came out of his thoughts and raised an eyebrow, but nodded. And so Jing Shui made his way back, with Xiao Nuo following behind.


    ¡­¡­


    When they entered the receiving room again, Jing Shui and Xiao Nuo were greeted with the sight of several small gemstones scattered on the table, spread out as if for display. A cloth pouch rested at the side, slumped now that its contents had all been taken out. Grandma Jiao and Wu Xiao were bent over the various gemstones, seeming to be contemplating something important.


    Xiao Nuo frowned and walked towards the table. ¡°Grandma Jiao, why are you showing him the samples of our ceremonial gems?¡±


    Jing Shui looked at them confused. ¡°Wu Xiao? What¡¯s happening?¡±


    Wu Xiao looked up at his Ah-Shui and smiled cheerfully. ¡°Since Grandma has accepted me as her grandson-in-law, though it was somewhat begrudging, she¡¯s decided to make me an earring to officialize my status as your husband.¡±


    Jing Shui almost stumbled. ¡°My¡­what?!¡±


    ¡°Your husband, Shui-er,¡± Grandma Jiao kindly said. Then turning to Wu Xiao, she slid a particular translucent purplish gem towards him. ¡°How about this one?¡±


    Wu Xiao squinted at it. ¡°Hmm¡­I don¡¯t think so. It has too less of the blue.¡±


    Grandma Jiao sighed. ¡°You¡¯re so picky for an old man, Grandson-in-law.¡±


    Flashing her a bright smile, Wu Xiao countered, ¡°The older a person is, the more preferences they develop, Grandma. I want the gemstone for my earring to be exactly the color of the first gift my Ah-Shui ever gave me.¡±


    Hearing this, Jing Shui recalled the light lilac-blue colored hydrangea he¡¯d given Wu Xiao long ago when he first came to the Silver Moon Sect to recover. A strange shyness claimed him at how Wu Xiao seemed to place so much importance on the gift of the besotted teenager he¡¯d been at that time.


    Having reached Wu Xiao by now, Jing Shui lightly tugged at his sleeve. Turning to him, Wu Xiao held his beloved close with an arm winding around his waist and asked, ¡°What is it, Ah-Shui?¡±


    ¡°Wu Xiao, did you just say that¡­if you wear the earring Grandma Jiao is making for you, we¡¯ll be¡­we¡¯ll become¡­¡±


    ¡°Husbands?¡± Wu Xiao finished. His smile turning brilliant, he nodded. ¡°It¡¯s apparently a tradition that people marrying into the tribe will get a single earring to symbolize their status. Of course, I¡¯ve been told that if they want to be adopted completely into the tribe, they can petition for it. If they¡¯re accepted, they can get a pair of earrings like the tribespeople. But for me, just being known as your husband is enough.¡±


    Then suddenly seeming to recall something, Wu Xiao¡¯s expression turned anxious. ¡°Ah, but Ah-Shui, if you think we¡¯re moving too fast or if you don¡¯t want to do this, then that¡¯s fine too. Technically, we¡¯ll only be getting married according to the laws of the Baolin Tribe. We can hold a more formal wedding later to celebrate with our friends and loved ones. But if you don¡¯t want to¡­¡±


    His cheeks flushing red, Jing Shui shook his head. ¡°Th-That¡¯s not it! I mean, I definitely want to get married and call you my husband! B-But¡­I don¡¯t want you to agree to it just because you want to make me happy or something. Wu Xiao, do you¡­do you really want to get married?¡±


    Wu Xiao rolled his eyes and hugged his beloved close. ¡°Ah-Shui, after all this time we spent together, can you really not tell how much I want to spend my life with you?¡±


    Jig Shui¡¯s face turned redder as he buried it in Wu Xiao¡¯s chest. ¡°Th-Then¡­we¡¯ll be married? Even if it¡¯s only according to the tribe¡­we¡¯ll still be h-husbands?¡±


    ¡°Not if your lover doesn¡¯t select a gemstone for his earring soon, my dear,¡± Grandma Jiao said.


    Wu Xiao chuckled and pressed a kiss into Jing Shui¡¯s cheek. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll be married. Ah-Shui, do you also want to do this?¡±


    Jing Shui fervently nodded, lifting his head to peck Wu Xiao on his lips.


    At the side, Xiao Nuo had long since looked away, his ears turning pink.


    Disentangling themselves, Jing Shui and Wu Xiao finally turned towards the table to help Grandma Jiao with the gemstones. After another hour and a half of searching and comparing between the hundreds of gemstone samples Grandma Jiao had brought, Wu Xiao finally found one he was satisfied with. Heaving a breath in relief, Grandma Jiao kept that selected gemstone aside and reassured that she¡¯d be able to finish the earring by this evening or night at the latest. As someone who was able to control and shape minerals and metals with her ability, it was a reasonable timeframe.


    Meanwhile, she suggested that Wu Xiao should get his ear pierced in advance. Wu Xiao readily agreed, and Xiao Nuo quickly set up his equipment and pierced Wu Xiao¡¯s right ear in a practiced manner. To make sure that the hole wouldn¡¯t close due to a cultivator¡¯s fast regeneration, Grandma Jiao inserted a small metal stick into the freshly made hole as soon as it stopped bleeding.


    The whole time, Jing Shui was holding his lover¡¯s hand for comfort while looking worried, constantly asking Wu Xiao if it hurt. He seemed more affected by it than Wu Xiao himself, making Wu Xiao smile happily at his Ah-Shui¡¯s obvious care for him.


    After everything was done and all the goodbyes said, Grandma Jiao and Xiao Nuo left. They would return with the finished earring after getting it blessed by the requisite nine tribespeople.


    After seeing their guests off, Jing Shui and Wu Xiao began heading back towards the Silver Moon Sect. They¡¯d already figured out that if Jing Shui stayed at the Golden Sun Sect even during his off days, he¡¯d keep feeling tempted to work just a little bit, which would more often than not end up with him going through stacks of documents at his desk till the day was over. And so, it was decided that it was better to spend their free days in the Silver Moon Sect.


    As they made their way through to the back of the Golden Sun Sect, then over the connecting white stone bridge and back through the gardens of the Silver Moon Sect, a delicate atmosphere slowly stretched between Jing Shui and Wu Xiao. They had already considered marrying sometime in the future, and when the opportunity had abruptly presented itself now, they¡¯d gladly taken it without hesitation. But now, after the thought that they were going to get married finally sank in, the couple felt a strange sense of shyness towards each other, along with the need to affirm their beloved¡¯s affections. And as the silence increased, so did the depth of this need.


    As they gradually neared the building where Wu Xiao usually stayed, their steps automatically slowed. Wu Xiao turned to look at Jing Shui and spoke with a smile full of meaning, ¡°Ah-Shui, since we¡¯ll be ending our bachelorhood soon, don¡¯t you think we should spend this time celebrating it together on the bed?¡±


    Jing Shui¡¯s eyes immediately darkened. Though he wanted to very enthusiastically nod his head, his mouth opened as usual to scold his lover for being shameless. But when his gaze landed on Wu Xiao¡¯s earlobe that was visibly red and swollen around where it was pierced, Jing Shui clamped his mouth shut, his heart melting in his chest. As heat crept up his neck and spread over his cheeks, Jing Shui lifted his hands and pulled Wu Xiao¡¯s face down towards his own. Their lips met, and Jing Shui took the initiative to give his startled lover a sweet and sensual kiss full of passion.


    A few minutes later, they both finally leaned back, panting. His thumb lightly rubbing over his beloved¡¯s reddened lips, Wu Xiao asked, ¡°I¡¯m taking that¡¯s a yes?¡±


    In a soft voice, Jing Shui affirmed, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Unwilling to wait a moment more, Wu Xiao held Jing Shui¡¯s hand and directly pulled him inside the building and into his room. Their clothing was peeled away and discarded within moments as the couple fell into bed, their bodies soon writhing against each other uncontrollably. This time, there were no toys or playfulness while they made love, only deep, raw need for each other.


    ¡­¡­


    The sky outside had slowly darkened with the approach of evening. Inside Wu Xiao¡¯s room, the couple lay side by side on rumpled sheets, their bare bodies still stained with their sweat and release. His head resting on Wu Xiao¡¯s chest, Jing Shui let his fingers play on his beloved¡¯s smooth and fair skin while his mind was filled with thoughts about the past.


    Capturing his lover¡¯s fingers, Wu Xiao cautioned in a hoarse voice, ¡°Ah-Shui, if you keep doing this, I¡¯ll be tempted to take you for a few more rounds.¡±


    Already flushed due to their recent exertion, the color on Jing Shui¡¯s face deepened even more in reaction to Wu Xiao¡¯s words. But as the memories he¡¯d been thinking about weighed down on his mind again, the moment of shyness quickly faded. Burying his face in his beloved¡¯s chest, Jing Shui rubbed his cheek against Wu Xiao¡¯s skin as if seeking comfort.


    With concern bleeding into his eyes, Wu Xiao asked, ¡°Ah-Shui, is something wrong?¡±


    Jing Shui exhaled heavily and shifted to look up into Wu Xiao¡¯s face. ¡°I¡­I¡¯ve been thinking back to my life in the palace. I wanted to know if there was something else I forgot like I did with the tribe.¡±


    Wu Xiao frowned and prodded, ¡°And?¡±


    Feeling strangely dull inside, Jing Shui replied, ¡°¡­And I¡¯ve discovered that I still feel guilty for not being a good son.¡±


    His eyebrows flying up in surprise, Wu Xiao repeated incredulously, ¡°You¡¯re feeling guilty for not being a good son? To that sort of parents?! Ah-Shui, why would you¡­¡±


    Jing Shui shook his head. ¡°I know what you want to say, and I agree. They¡­weren¡¯t good parents. But even though I know that, the conditioning from the palace is difficult to shake off. I was constantly taught to be filial and listen to my elders, pushing aside my own opinions and wishes and bow to their commands. I was always supposed to do as told and fulfill all of my parents¡¯ instructions. They impressed it very deeply into me. And I¡¯m realizing I never tried to address that issue. I¡¯ve been so focused on recovering by trying to lock away my memories that I never dealt with a lot of things I should have faced long ago. If Brother Feng hadn¡¯t already taken care of the Yong Dynasty, I doubt I¡¯d have ever let these memories resurface.¡±


    Wu Xiao patted the back of his Ah-Shui¡¯s head comfortingly while the other arm held him gently. His voice soft and kind, Wu Xiao spoke, ¡°You can¡¯t blame yourself for that. Ah-Shui, the road to recovery is never easy, and you¡¯ve been doing very well. You¡¯ll shake off their influence soon enough. You¡¯ve already started dealing with those issues head-on, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    Jing Shui hesitated, then nodded.


    ¡°Then all you need is a bit more time and you¡¯ll come out of it fine. Though I have no experience with family issues like this, I¡¯ve helped plenty of people recover from similar traumas. Ah-Shui, you¡¯ll be alright.¡±


    Jing Shui basked in his lover¡¯s soothing words and chose to let go of his worries. That¡¯s right, he¡¯d be fine. In a way, he was already much better than before. Wanting to put this matter aside, he leaned up from Wu Xiao¡¯s body and asked, ¡°I¡¯ve never heard you talk much about your family. What was it like?¡±


    Wu Xiao blinked at the change in the direction of their discussion. But before answering, Wu Xiao used his hands to pull Jing Shui up and made him straddle his stomach. Blushing, Jing Shui balanced himself by resting his palms flat on Wu Xiao¡¯s chest. ¡°W-What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I can see my lovely little Ah-Shui better this way,¡± Wu Xiao explained with a cheerful grin. ¡°And to answer your question, my family was actually quite normal. We lived in a town that was small enough to be mistaken for a village. My mother inherited her family¡¯s wine shop and ran it well while my father, whose cooking was quite famous in our town, made light snacks to sell at the side. I had two younger sisters who took after our father and were very mischievous, going around pranking everyone. The only person they ever exercised caution with was my mother.¡±


    Jing Shui¡¯s face had unconsciously softened into a smile. ¡°Seems like you took after your father too, then.¡±


    Wu Xiao laughed. ¡°You would think that, wouldn¡¯t you? But no, when I was young, I was quite stiff and dour, so my little sisters took special pleasure in making me angry. Those sly little monkeys¡­ I¡¯m still mad at them for that one time they filled my shoes with dead beetles and worms!¡± Shuddering, Wu Xiao grumped, ¡°To this day, I still feel the need to check my shoes every time I wear them. But my parents let those brats off with only a scolding. Hmph! But I got those little devils back by putting ground stinkwort leaves in their hair when they were sleeping, so I suppose we¡¯re even.¡± His expression turning smug, Wu Xiao continued, ¡°Their hair stank like rotting fishes for weeks, and no matter how much my sisters blamed me, my parents never believed that someone as straitlaced and serious as me could pull such a prank.¡±


    Jing Shui couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. With a wistful expression, he said, ¡°They sound like fun. It must¡¯ve been nice. Did you have to leave them behind to pursue cultivation?¡±


    Wu Xiao sighed and nodded. ¡°Actually, if I had the chance, I would have never left them. But my ability awakened when I was in my early teens and brought us problems. As you know, I can see a few minutes into the future. It isn¡¯t very useful most of the time, but it caused me too many problems at the onset.


    ¡°When my ability awakened, all my eyes showed was the vision of what will happen a few minutes in the future rather than what was right in front of me, and I became unable to distinguish between my precognition and reality. For example, I would move aside to avoid bumping into a table, only to bump into it a few minutes later because my eyes were displaying scenes from further ahead in the future. It was a headache. My family was very supportive, however, and they treated me with the care shown to a blind and deaf person so that I wouldn¡¯t go around unwittingly putting myself in danger. If I¡¯d stumbled into the path of a carriage or gotten into trouble with the wrong kind of people¡­ Well, thankfully nothing like that happened.


    ¡°But this obviously couldn¡¯t go on, so my parents called all sorts of doctors and priests to come and have a look at me, since they didn¡¯t know if it was an ailment of some sort, a curse, or an evil spirit making mischief for me. But none of them could find what was wrong with me. Some of those people my parents brought in even tried to take advantage of my helplessness and attempted to kidnap me to sell as a slave. My sisters found me in time and, well, I¡¯ve been assured that those people will never be able to walk ever again. My sisters can be very scary when they think someone is trying to hurt me¡­¡± Wu Xiao suddenly stopped, his gaze swirling with memories. Closing his eyes, he exhaled a heavy breath and muttered, ¡°Ah, damn, I miss those mischievous little devils¡­¡±


    Jing Shui felt his heart clench. Bending down, he cupped his lover¡¯s cheek. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You don¡¯t have to keep speaking about this.¡±


    Wu Xiao shook his head and opened his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he regained his composure quickly. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. I had a good life, and so did they. I just¡­miss them sometimes. It¡¯s inevitable, and I¡¯m already used to this.¡±


    Though Jing Shui wanted to console his beloved in some way, he didn¡¯t know what to say, so he silently offered support by leaning down for a hug. Wu Xiao absorbed his beloved¡¯s warmth, luxuriating in his Ah-Shui¡¯s care with a small smile. ¡°I¡¯m really fine. I can continue.¡±


    Jing Shui sat up again, his knees on either side of Wu Xiao as he straddled his lover¡¯s lean stomach. ¡°Alright. Then¡­what happened next?¡±


    Wu Xiao¡¯s gaze grew distant as he remembered. ¡°My master found me. She claimed that she was a cultivator who was just passing by, and after hearing my condition, she decided to stop by and help. She told my parents about my precognition ability and that she could help me control it, but I¡¯d have to come with her and start cultivating in a sect. My parents chose to let me go if it meant that I would be able to live normally again. Master first left me at the Golden Sun Sect so that I¡¯d gain experience, then instated me as her head disciple when Elder Sister was being instated as the Golden Sun Sect¡¯s head disciple.


    ¡°Meanwhile, I still kept in touch with my family and watched them live their lives. I made sure that they would never need for anything. My sisters got married, and my parents eventually gave the shop over to them to manage. They all grew older, aged, then eventually died peacefully, surrounded by family, friends, and loved ones. I was there to see each of them off while they passed away. It was¡­painful. But I¡¯m also glad. They lived happy, fulfilling lives, and they were all so relieved that I at least would live long, that they would never have to watch me die. Seeing how they didn¡¯t have the ability to cultivate, this was the best outcome I could have asked for. I¡¯m satisfied.¡±


    Looking at Wu Xiao¡¯s peaceful expression, Jing Shui didn¡¯t know what to feel. Though it was sad, it was truly the best ending that was possible under the circumstances. This was what most cultivators who came from normal families had to deal with. This was common. But nonetheless, hearing about it still felt heartbreaking.


    Jing Shui suddenly remembered something Wu Xiao had once said¡ª


    ¡®Ah, but Ah-Shui, it gets terribly cold on top of the mountain on my own. Can¡¯t I ask you to keep me company?¡¯


    For the first time, Jing Shui felt like he understood what he had meant at that time. No matter how exquisite and wonderful his Wu Xiao was, after becoming used to being showered in affection by his family, even he would feel lonely after they were gone. And though the sects were dear to him, they would not be able to give him the kind of warmth he needed.


    Now, looking down at his lover¡¯s beautiful face gazing back at him while framed by his scattered silver hair, feeling his beloved¡¯s warm skin rising and falling with his breaths and sensing the thudding of his heartbeats under his palms, Jing Shui wanted more than anything to give his most cherished lover what he needed.


    In a low voice, Jing Shui finally spoke, ¡°Wu Xiao, you don¡¯t have to be lonely anymore. I¡¯m here. Even though I can¡¯t be a replacement for your family¡­I¡¯ll always be here for you. In the future, we will have a child, and together, we¡¯ll be a family. The family I lacked and the family you lost, we¡¯ll build it anew by ourselves and take good care of it together.¡±


    Looking at his Ah-Shui¡¯s earnest expression as he said this, Wu Xiao felt as if his heart would just about burst. Having a family of his own with his beloved¡­ it sounded like the most wonderful thing he could think of.


    Smiling brightly, Wu Xiao said simply, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The tight knot in Jing Shui¡¯s chest loosened. Yes, his lover should always smile happily like this.


    ¡°But Ah-Shui,¡± Wu Xiao continued, ¡°The same goes for you as well. You deserve to have a loving family too. Though you are related to the former imperial family by blood, they are obviously not your true family. On the other hand, Grandma Jiao and her tribe, the people of the Golden Sun Sect, your friends at the Silver Moon Sect and the Silver Mist, those brats Feng Qinghe and Chen Xiande from the Heavenly Peak Sect¡­all these people who care about you and who have become a part of your life, they¡¯re your true family.¡±


    Jing Shui bowed his head and bit his lower lip, trying his best to hold back his tears at these words. Yes, he already had a family now. And he even had someone who loved him more than he thought possible.


    Looking up through his damp lashes at his beloved, Jing Shui said, ¡°Y-You¡¯re right, but Wu Xiao, you still forgot something.¡±


    Seeing Wu Xiao looking confused, Jing Shui bent down and slowly placed a kiss on his lover¡¯s lips before leaning back slightly so that they would be face-to-face. ¡°Wu Xiao, of all these people, how can you exclude my future husband? You are my closest, most beloved family. You are the one person I can¡¯t live without. And it¡¯s because of you that I was able to come this far and have such a large family. Thank you.¡±


    Wu Xiao¡¯s eyes darkened with emotion. Taking in a shuddering breath and letting it out, he spoke, ¡°Ah-Shui, if you keep being so sweet, I¡¯ll want to take you again and again until neither of us can move anymore.¡±


    Jing Shui let out a chuckle at how his lover seemed to be unable to handle too many shows of affection at once. His lips curling up into an inviting smile, Jing Shui enticed, ¡°That definitely sounds like a good way to spend our day before we become husbands. So why don¡¯t we begin?¡±


    Wu Xiao growled, ¡°You seem to have become very bold today, Ah-Shui.¡± But his fingers were already reaching for the cleft between his beloved¡¯s round buttocks, pushing into the slick entrance and the soft passage beyond that was still drenched with his previous release. Moaning, Jing Shui relaxed his body atop Wu Xiao, submitting himself to be played with by his lover again.


    And so began several more rounds of intense lovemaking.


    ¡­¡­


    Grandma Jiao and Xiao Nuo returned at dusk with the prepared earring.


    The finished earring looked like an elongated teardrop made of transparent crystal in a light lilac-blue color. It gleamed brightly like a glistening drop of liquid, its length half the size of a finger. A tiny bell-shaped silver flower with six curled petals gripped the tip of the crystal, connecting it to the mechanism that would firmly fasten the earring to Wu Xiao¡¯s ear.


    Since the tribe didn¡¯t follow lengthy formalities, the second Wu Xiao put on the earring, he became Jing Shui¡¯s husband as far as the Baolin Tribe was concerned. The Jing Shui who was impatient to claim his lover as his husband and be known as his Wu Xiao¡¯s husband in return was very satisfied with the quickness and simplicity of this ceremony.


    After eagerly putting it on, Wu Xiao immediately drew back his hair from the right side of his face to show off the earring better, pinning his silver locks back so that no one would be able to miss this symbol that was the proof of his marriage to his beloved according to the traditions of the Baolin tribe. Of course, seeing Jing Shui blush while his eyes gleamed with shy joy and satisfaction whenever he gazed at the earring was a very nice bonus as well.


    After sending off Grandma Jiao and Xiao Nuo with promises of future visits to their caravan within the next few days, Jing Shui and Wu Xiao made their way back to the Silver Moon Sect.


    By now, night had already fallen, the sky a velvety black with the pearly moon nestled in its folds while twinkling stars laid scattered throughout its vast expanse.


    Strolling hand-in-hand, the couple slowly made their way through the hydrangea garden they¡¯d been lying down in before. The night breeze was damp and chilly as it brushed over them, making Jing Shui shiver slightly.


    Holding him closer to share his warmth, Wu Xiao asked softly, ¡°Ah-Shui, do you want to go inside?¡±


    Jing Shui hugged his lover tightly and shook his head. ¡°No, let¡¯s walk around outside for a bit more. I¡­I just want to stay here like this for a while.¡±


    Wu Xiao smiled with understanding, but still couldn''t help himself from saying mischievously, ¡°Oh? And what are you planning to do after getting me here all alone with you?¡±


    Rather than stuttering out admonishments, Jing Shui looked up with clear eyes and a light blush while proclaiming boldly, ¡°What would you do if I told you that I want to have our wedding night here?¡±


    Wu Xiao almost stumbled. ¡°A-Ah-Shui?! You¡¯ve really gotten so bold!¡±


    Forcing down his embarrassment, Jing Shui smiled and teased, ¡°Does it mean that you don¡¯t want to?¡±


    Wu Xiao halted. ¡°Of course I want to eat my little Ah-Shui up! And if you want to do it here, I have no objections as well.¡±


    And so, Wu Xiao quickly began looking around for a secluded place where he could do all sorts of unmentionable things to his beloved in privacy. Seeing his fervent expression, Jing Shui chuckled and leaned up to place a kiss on Wu Xiao¡¯s jaw. Pulling his lover¡¯s head down, Jing Shui whispered into Wu Xiao¡¯s ear, ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush. After all, we have our whole lives ahead of us, don¡¯t we, Husband?¡±


    Hearing that address for the first time, a soft pink suffused Wu Xiao¡¯s cheeks. His gaze turning intent, he muttered, ¡°Screw it, this place is good enough. We¡¯re doing it right here.¡±


    As he laughed carefreely, Jing Shui was pushed down onto the grass by an enthusiastic Wu Xiao, a row of hydrangea bushes to their right while a line of trees stood on their left. Waving a hand, Wu Xiao quickly sent out tendrils of his power to set up a privacy barrier so that no one would be able to see them from the outside while he and his Ah-Shui would be able to enjoy the stars and the scenery around them from within. But as the couple hurried to remove their clothes, Jing Shui suddenly froze, his eyes wide as he looked to the side into one of the hydrangea bushes.


    ¡°Ah-Shui? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Wu Xiao asked, peering into the bush as well. After a few moments of squinting, Wu Xiao finally saw a strange, narrow shape the length of a palm dangling from one of the branches, shining a pale blue wherever the moonlight brushed over it. Wu Xiao looked at it perplexedly. ¡°What is that thing?¡±


    Jing Shui¡¯s eyes held quiet wonder as he spoke, ¡°That¡¯s the pupa of a spotted ocean foam moth. And seeing from the line of yellow spots at the side, it seems that this is the pupa of that worm you adopted this morning.¡±


    Wu Xiao¡¯s eyebrows shot up. So that gluttonous little worm was finally going to enter the next stage of its life? ¡­How strangely symbolic.


    Turning back to finish removing his beloved¡¯s clothing, Wu Xiao leaned down for a deep kiss before drawing back. ¡°Ah-Shui, it¡¯s our wedding night. Should you really be paying attention to anything else other than your husband?¡±


    Jing Shui panted lightly, out of breath after their kiss. ¡°I¡¯m only paying attention because you adopted that particular worm. As your husband, isn¡¯t it my duty to take care of all that is yours?¡±


    Wu Xiao¡¯s gaze deepened. ¡°Yes, my husband is truly too good to me.¡± Not waiting for a response, Wu Xiao lifted up a startled Jing Shui¡¯s legs and hoisted them onto his shoulders, his stiff member already pressing its thick head against that familiar little bud of his beloved¡¯s entrance. ¡°And I will naturally be just as good to my Ah-Shui and take care of you this whole night¡­and then cherish you for my whole life.¡±


    Jing Shui felt his eyes growing teary in response, his heart softening along with his body while Wu Xiao quickly thrust in all at once.


    As he felt his beloved¡¯s shaft driving deep into his body, Jing Shui arched back with a gasp, his vision filled with Wu Xiao¡¯s face framed with shining silver hair, with the starry night sky as the background.


    And glowing softly while watching over them from high above, that silvery moon didn¡¯t seem as distant as before anymore.


    crimson_carnation

 Extra 13: For a Safer World

    crimson_carnation


    The sky was grey, overcast with puffs of thick, rain-laden clouds. Though it hadn¡¯t started raining yet, the air still felt damp and chilly. But rather than seeming gloomy or oppressive, the weather instead made Chen Xiande feel strangely comfortable.


    As an earth-wielder who thought that the indoors with its four walls or places that were small and cramped were the most relaxing, sitting here under the sky covered with a layer of rolling clouds made Chan Xiande feel strangely at ease. Unlike the wide open sky filled with bright light that made him feel strangely vulnerable, this overcast sky gave him the feeling of being hidden safely under a thick woolen blanket.


    Chen Xiande was currently sitting on the small back porch behind the room that Hei NingYu used as his office. He was leaning against the wall, his legs stretching out under the eaves while three large wolves laid their heads comfortably atop him. The wolf on the left was a warm brown in color, snuggling under Chen Xiande¡¯s left arm with droopy eyes. The one on the right was sand-colored and looked especially furry, its head resting on Chen Xiande¡¯s right shoulder while its fluffy tail wagged happily. The last one was colored a silvery grey, its legs lying on the floor between Chen Xiande¡¯s knees while the rest of its body was resting on his front. The grey wolf¡¯s head was tucked under Chen Xiande¡¯s chin, and a pale pink tongue occasionally extended from its sharp-fanged mouth to lick his neck affectionately.


    Chen Xiande ran his hands through the wolves¡¯ well-kept fur, occasionally scratching them behind the ears, under their chin, or on their bellies as per their silent indications. Covered under their warm bodies while they happily snuggled up to him, combined with the calm and cloudy weather outside, Chen Xiande felt content and comfortable. From inside the room, he could hear the muted sounds of rustling papers as Hei NingYu worked silently. Maybe after his lover was done, he would join him under this pile of warm fur as well, and then they could just hold each other while covered in wolves and doze off together¡­


    As the motions of Chen Xiande¡¯s hands on their fur slowed, one of the wolves whined softly and nudged him with its wet nose, demanding his attention in a spoiled way. Giving out a chuff of laughter, Chen Xiande resumed stroking its soft fur while gently murmuring, ¡°Yes, yes, I know. I¡¯ll keep going until you¡¯re satisfied.¡±


    Letting out a damp breath, the wolf settled down contentedly again.


    As he kept his hands moving in rhythmic strokes, Chen Xiande¡¯s mind wandered to the first time he¡¯d met these wolves. It had been a sunny day, and he had just recently begun getting used to visiting Hei NingYu in the Nine Gems Sanctuary. But since Hei NingYu had ended up getting stuck in a very long meeting with the demonic faction¡¯s Elders, he hadn¡¯t been able to spend much time with his lover that day.


    Feeling lost and gloomy in this partially familiar place with people he didn¡¯t know, Chen Xiande had decided to take a walk in the forest around the Sanctuary instead. After seeing how those two disciples from the demonic faction¨Dthe sadistic and lively young boy called Xiao Fu along with the heavily muscled and serious Brother Tian¨Dhad tried to torment Chen Xiande, only to end up getting punished by Hei NingYu later, the other disciples all kept a respectful distance from Chen Xiande. Even if he came across another patrolling disciple now, they would only bow to Chen Xiande and leave him to do as he pleased to avoid angering Hei NingYu.


    And so, undisturbed, Chen Xiande walked through the forest while a strange sense of loneliness filled his chest. As he tried to suppress that feeling by thinking about his beloved, Chen Xiande suddenly saw a pack of wolves blocking his path.


    Though he panicked, Chen Xiande didn¡¯t want to hurt the animals using his ability. But running away would incite these predatory animals to give chase and treat him like prey, so he couldn¡¯t frantically escape like he wanted to either. And so, Chen Xiande tried to slowly ease himself back the way he came, trying not to trigger the wolves that were eyeing him with focused gazes.


    But to Chen Xiande¡¯s dismay, the pack of wolves began making its way towards him, slowly padding forward on soft paws. Freezing, Chen Xiande didn¡¯t know what to do, sweating in fear and panic.


    Slowly surrounding him, the wolves started circling him, their fluffy tails brushing his legs while they rubbed their heads against him with soft whines, their tongues lolling out like that of friendly dogs. Scenting Hei NingYu on this new person in their woods, the wolves curiously sniffed and tickled him with their damp noses, playfully butting their heads against his legs.


    Chen Xiande felt incredulous as he saw them behave like this. They should have clearly felt his fear, so why were they acting so affable rather than hunting him down instead?!


    It was only later that Chen Xiande learnt of how Hei NingYu had spoiled them so rotten that these wolves¡¯ first response towards any human was to act friendly and see if they had treats for them.


    Even though he didn¡¯t know this back then, Chen Xiande had still more or less understood that these wolves wouldn¡¯t harm him. So maintaining caution, he¡¯d stayed with them, curiously playing with them and letting them cuddle with him. After all, it wasn¡¯t like he had anything better to do. And staying with these adorable animals and seeing them trying to cheer him up after seeming to sense his melancholy made Chen Xiande feel like smiling happily.


    A few more hours later, Hei NingYu came to find Chen Xiande. Seeing how his wolves had surrounded his beloved while looking at him with utmost devotion, Hei NingYu had joked, ¡°It seems that my cute little sheep ended up enchanting all the big wolves into becoming his friends.¡± And though Chen Xiande had wanted to refute his lover¡¯s words, he couldn¡¯t help but admit that what he said was true.


    From then on, Chen Xiande had come to regularly play with the wolves, even feeding them some meat every now and then. Even when he¡¯d become busy with learning about managing the sect and acting as his master¡¯s assistant, whenever he came to stay a few days at the Sanctuary, Chen Xiande still cuddled and petted the wolves, feeding them or just lying down with them lazily like this.


    As Chen Xiande¡¯s mind floated between those memories hazily, his peace was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a door opening. Hei NingYu stepped out from his office with an amused expression and remarked, ¡°Little Sheep, you look so happy to be spending time with the wolves that I¡¯m starting to feel a little jealous. Shouldn¡¯t you give me a reward for being so good and finishing all my work for today?¡±


    Chen Xiande¡¯s gaze brightened with anticipation. Lightly pushing aside the wolves, he slowly stood up.


    The wolves immediately showed their displeasure by whining pitifully, looking up at Chen Xiande with deep, soulful eyes full of grievous sadness. But though he felt his heart melt at the wolves¡¯ expressions, Chen Xiande still said unyieldingly, ¡°Be good now. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m disappearing forever. I¡¯ll be back later and feed you some treats, so behave.¡±


    Sensing the firmness in Chen Xiande¡¯s voice and hearing the mention of treats, the wolves reluctantly padded away, heading back into the forest.


    Shaking his head affectionately, Chen Xiande turned back to Hei NingYu, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wanted a reward? Why don¡¯t we go inside and discuss just what you want me to give you?¡±


    But the gleam in his eyes said that Chen Xiande already had an idea of what to expect.


    Letting out a deep chuckle, Hei NingYu acquiesced, ¡°As you wish, then.¡±


    As the couple stepped into the office and closed the backdoor, Hei NingYu gave his beloved a sultry smile as he lifted his hands to begin undoing his own belt. After drawing back the plush chair he usually used away from the desk and sitting back down on it, Hei NingYu finally pulled away the undone stretch of fabric from his waist and let it pool on the floor. With the belt thus removed, the lapels of his robes slowly widened, showing an enticing glimpse of smooth skin.


    Still standing near the door, Chen Xiande swallowed thickly, his eyes deep pools of need. His fingers feeling itchy, he curled them into fists to better control himself.


    Leaning back in the chair casually, Hei NingYu rested one hand on the armrest while the other rose to crook a finger at Chen Xiande. ¡°Little Sheep, you look hungry. Why don¡¯t you come here and eat me up?¡±


    Without hesitation, Chen Xiande gladly pounced to capture his lover¡¯s silken lips, feeling that enchanting smile pressed against his mouth. His hands moved down to push open his beloved¡¯s clothes before his palms skimmed over the familiar lines of his lover¡¯s warm body. Slightly rough scar tissue intercepted the smooth expanse of Hei NingYu¡¯s skin as it slid under his hands.


    Leaning back from the kiss, Chen Xiande paused, panting to regain his breath as he drank in the beguiling sight of his beloved in front of him. Hei NingYu had let his head fall back against the chair¡¯s high backrest, his lips parted and still curved in a languid smile. His face was flushed, his eyes half-lidded and turned dark with arousal. Extending a red tongue, Hei NingYu slowly, deliberately dragged it over his equally-as-red lips as if savoring the lingering flavor of his lover on his mouth. In a husky voice, he teasingly observed, ¡°Hmm, tasty~¡±


    Unable to help himself, Chen Xiande dove down again, his lips landing firmly on his beloved¡¯s long neck, suckling the soft skin. Groaning, Hei NingYu let his head fall to the side, his palm cupping the back of his lover¡¯s head as if to urge him on while letting out a breathless chuckle. Chen Xiande growled and nipped the skin under his lips, then sucked hard, making a small red mark bloom on the fair skin. Sliding his lips downward, he slowly traced the shape of Hei NingYu¡¯s defined collarbones with his tongue and teeth, leaving a trail of wetness and love bites in his wake.


    Feeling heat spreading from wherever his little sheep¡¯s mouth slid over on his skin, Hei NingYu let out a drawn-out moan, uninhibitedly showing his approval. His body relaxed into the chair, content to let his beloved do as he pleased. From now on, whenever Hei NingYu sat on this chair to work, he knew that he would always remember the feeling of his lover¡¯s lips on his skin.


    Chen Xiande slowly crouched in front of the chair as his mouth continued down to Hei NingYu¡¯s chest, reaching a particular pair of perky buds. Using his thumb to rub over one of the erect points, Chen Xiande lightly brushed the tip of his tongue over the other nub. Encouraged by how Hei NingYu arched his body upward, Chen Xiande let his touches grow firmer, his thumb and forefinger pinching and pulling one bud while he carefully took the other point into his mouth, sucking strongly. Hei NingYu shifted restlessly, his hand pressing down demandingly on the back of Chen Xiande¡¯s head.


    His fingers growing more insistent, Chen Xiande pressed and rolled the nub on one side of his beloved¡¯s chest while he nibbled and licked the other one in his mouth, playing with them expertly. Feeling the friction from those fingertips and the wet heat from his lover¡¯s mouth on the sensitive points, Hei NingYu gasped and groaned without restraint.


    ¡°Little Sheep¡­you¡¯ve really learnt a lot¡­haven¡¯t you? Who knew that you¡¯d learn so¨DAh!¡± His body twisting under a new wave of stimulation as Chen Xiande¡¯s unoccupied hand touched the edge of a scar, Hei NingYu let out a long shudder as he breathed out, ¡°Y-Yes¡­hnn¡­touch me just like that¡­mn¡­Xiande, it feels so good¡­suck it harder¡­ahh¡­¡±


    After giving the small buds plenty of attention until they were swollen into ripe berries, Chen Xiande slowly lifted his head up. His lips were reddened and slick while his eyes looked dark and dewy with lust. In a rough voice, he asked, ¡°NingYu, the skin on your scars¡­can it sense touch?¡±


    His body lying loose and lax while the wetted points on his chest stood up rosy and erect, Hei NingYu answered while still panting, ¡°For the most part, no¡­the sensitivity of the scarred skin seems¡­somewhat reduced. But as if to make up for it¡­the scars¡¯ edges are a bit¡­hypersensitive.¡±


    Extending a finger, Chen Xiande curiously traced along the very edge of the plum-colored scar on his lover¡¯s shoulder. Hei NingYu hissed in pleasure as his body arched. The need in Chen Xiande¡¯s eyes deepened as he beheld this reaction. Seeing it, Hei NingYu smiled enticingly, ¡°Xiande, I think it¡¯ll feel even better if you use your tongue there~¡±


    Without a word, Chen Xiande bent down, his tongue eagerly tracing along the edge of a scar by Hei NingYu¡¯s hip. Hei NingYu twisted his body and cried out, his hands clenching around the armrests until the wood creaked in protest. Chen Xiande continued on with more enthusiasm, exploring the slightly raised edge with the tip of his tongue, his fingers moving over the border of another scar on his beloved¡¯s stomach.


    Hei NingYu let out a ragged moan as heated sensations filled his body. He dazedly wondered why he never told his little sheep about this before. They could have taken wonderful advantage of his increased sensitivity in those places ages ago!


    Spurred on by his lover¡¯s reactions, Chen Xiande let one of his hands glide down, the warm palm cupping Hei NingYu between his still-clothed legs. Hei NingYu happily widened his thighs to give his beloved more access, and Chen Xiande soon began squeezing and rubbing the bulging hardness in his lover¡¯s pants with firm and rhythmic motions. Hei NingYu arched up his hips, taking his pleasure from Chen Xiande¡¯s hand without hesitation while groaning, ¡°Little Sheep, enough foreplay. Why don¡¯t we move on to the next stage now?¡±


    Keeping his hand working, Chen Xiande lifted up his head and chuckled hoarsely. ¡°NingYu, you¡¯re always so impatient. Why don¡¯t we spend more time enjoying each other?¡±


    Hei NingYu let out a breathless laugh in reply, not refusing the suggestion.


    Chen Xiande¡¯s gaze immediately focused on those soft lips that always seemed bent in a smile when his beloved was with him. Getting up, he pressed his lips to Hei NingYu¡¯s mouth. Lips parted and tongues were quickly welcomed into hot mouths, entwining and dancing sensually. Sucking and licking ensued as their moist mouths melded and flexible tongues thoroughly explored each other. All the while, Chen Xiande¡¯s hand kept moving over Hei NingYu¡¯s erection, steadily increasing the pressure of his fingers and palms over that throbbing bulge between his lover¡¯s legs.


    Raising his arms, Hei NingYu wrapped them around Chen Xiande¡¯s waist and pulled him closer against his own body, pressing them flush against each other. His legs lifted to clamp around his beloved¡¯s hips, not allowing any space between them. As Chen Xiande kept his hand working while their mouths tried to swallow each other with gusto¨D


    ¡ªthe sound of the door banging open suddenly rang out, abruptly breaking them out of their passionate entanglement.


    A whiny voice came crying in, ¡°Sect Leader, I can¡¯t take it anymore! Please, just kill me already! I¡¯d prefer that to this torture!¡±


    Trying to push down his lust, Chen Xiande stepped back from Hei NingYu, wiping the wetness on his mouth while turning to look at these sudden arrivals.


    The one who had entered the office while crying just now was Xiao Fu, the sadistic disciple who¡¯d once wanted to capture and cut apart Chen Xiande with his scalpel. Behind him was a harried-looking Brother Tian, the burly senior disciple who doted on Xiao Fu so much that he¡¯d agreed to help him chase Chen Xiande against his better judgment. After Hei NingYu taught them a lesson, Chen Xiande had still seen them walking around the Sanctuary grounds a couple of times, greeting him politely, albeit with a very gloomy expression.


    Xiao Fu had just opened his mouth to continue whining when he suddenly processed Hei NingYu¡¯s state of undress. Seeing the haze of lust in his sect leader¡¯s expression, his unbound hair scattered haphazardly over his shoulders and backrest, along with the fresh hickeys littering his strangely scarred skin, Xiao Fu¡¯s mouth popped open while his eyes widened. Brother Tian, on the other hand, just coughed and courteously looked away.


    Chen Xiande frowned and quickly brought together the lapels of his lover¡¯s robes to cover his exposed torso while Hei NingYu just chuckled amusedly.


    Recovering his wits, Xiao Fu asked with audible surprise, ¡°Sect Leader, how can someone like you even get such big scars?¡±


    Though Chen Xiande looked displeased at this insensitive question, Hei NingYu replied casually, ¡°I got them on purpose, of course. Or did you think someone could scar me against my will?¡±


    Chen Xiande¡¯s frown smoothened as he recalled that it was indeed true. From what he saw in his beloved¡¯s memories, Hei NingYu had indeed purposefully let himself get injured under those demonic beasts¡¯ poisonous claws, leading to these scars, just so that he could get his master to let his guard down at that time.


    Hearing Hei NingYu¡¯s reply, Xiao Fu showed an expression of realization. Of course their Sect Leader must have purposefully gotten those! After all, there¡¯s no way someone so staggeringly strong would be injured against his will! It must have definitely been the part of some great plan! But just what sort of a plan had it been to require this?


    Tilting his head confusedly, Xiao Fu spoke, ¡°Sect Leader, just why did you need to get these scars on purpose?¡±


    Hei NingYu smirked and answered blithely, ¡°To develop more erogenous zones, of course.¡±


    Xiao Fu sputtered at this unexpected response.


    Not caring, Hei NingYu continued thoughtfully, ¡°But with my little sheep, my whole body naturally becomes an extremely sensitive erogenous zone, so maybe it¡¯s redundant now.¡±


    It was now Chen Xiande¡¯s chance to sputter in embarrassment.


    Waving a hand to dismiss the topic, Hei NingYu inquired with an incisive gaze, ¡°Putting that aside, I hope you both darling disciples of my faction have a very good reason for interrupting me and my little sheep just now. Don¡¯t think I won¡¯t be petty enough to punish you for causing me to be sexually frustrated.¡±


    Brother Tian gulped, sensing the very real threat in those words while an oblivious Xiao Fu rushed around the desk to fall to his knees and clutch at Hei NingYu¡¯s legs. His big eyes glistening with a layer of tears, he begged, ¡°Sect Leader, please, you¡¯ve punished us enough already. Your lover is fine, so can¡¯t you please just forgive us? You can rip off a limb or two in recompense, or even make your lover do it, but please¡­just let us stop our punishment. It¡¯s never-ending!¡±


    Hei NingYu smiled with sharp amusement while Chen Xiande¡¯s eyebrows climbed up. ¡°NingYu, just what sort of punishment did you give them?¡±


    Hei NingYu answered easily, ¡°Nothing much, just digging a moat around the Jasper Courtyard and filling it with water. All the other preparations for the moat, like removing the tiles to expose the ground and setting the boundary so that the water won¡¯t seep outside, are already complete.¡±


    Chen Xiande frowned. ¡°So¡­they have to create a moat around the entire courtyard?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Hei NingYu answered placidly.


    At the side, Xiao Fu¡¯s expression jerked, but he tried to remain silent.


    After a moment of silence, Chen Xiande observed, ¡°Well, they are cultivators, so it should be easy. But since they are still finding it too much, does it mean that they have to dig the whole moat and fill it without using their spiritual¨D ehem, I mean demonic energy?¡±


    Hei NingYu nodded, his lips stretching into a grin. Well, it was technically correct, so he didn¡¯t see the need to burden his little sheep with the interesting details of this punishment.


    But unable to stay quiet anymore, Xiao Fu burst out, ¡°As if it¡¯s that simple!¡±


    With narrowed eyes, Hei NingYu slowly turned to look down at the Xiao Fu still hugging his legs. Gulping and shrinking back his neck, Xiao Fu immediately snapped his mouth closed.


    But his interest already piqued, Chen Xiande ventured a guess, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Are you not allowed to use shovels and buckets for this task?¡±


    Xiao Fu¡¯s expression turned sullen and teary as he shook his head. ¡°No.¡±


    Chen Xiande¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°You have to dig and fill it with your bare hands?!¡±


    Suddenly bursting into tears, Xiao Fu shook his head again.


    Chen Xiande turned to look at Brother Tian confusedly, a question in his eyes. Sighing wearily, Brother Tian explained, ¡°Replying to Senior Chen, I am only allowed to dig the moat using a pair of chopsticks, while Xiao Fu is supposed to fill it with water, but also using only a pair of chopsticks.¡±


    Shocked, Chen Xiande asked him, ¡°¡­Chopsticks? To dig and fill the entire moat?!¡±


    Brother Tian nodded miserably. ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Looking as if he still had difficulty comprehending it, Chen Xiande said, ¡°So let me get this straight. You have to dig out the entire moat with just a pair of chopsticks while Xiao Fu has to somehow fill it up with water, but again, only using chopsticks?!¡±


    Bowing his head, Brother Tian nodded again. ¡°Yes, that is so.¡±


    Chen Xiande just looked at the depressed Brother Tian and pitifully crying Xiao Fu blankly. As bad as Brother Tian¡¯s punishment was, Xiao Fu¡¯s was even worse. Looking at Xiao Fu¡¯s face dripping with tears by now, Chen Xiande thought he could fill the moat much sooner if he just cried over it.


    His lips twitching, Chen Xiande finally turned to his happily smirking lover. ¡°NingYu, you seem to have¡­quite the nasty personality.¡±


    With a sunny and cheerful smile, Hei NingYu admitted, ¡°Yes, but only when it comes to the people who hurt you, my beloved Xiande~¡±


    Chen Xiande¡¯s eyes darkened as his eyes landed on that smile. Irresistibly drawn by it, Chen Xiande found himself bending down, his lips wanting to taste his beloved¡¯s smile. Not one to miss and opportunity like this, Hei NingYu happily tilted his head back and parted his lips. Their warm breaths mingled before hot mouths settled over each other. Ignoring the flabbergasted Xiao Fu still clinging to Hei NingYu¡¯s legs, the pair of lovers pressed their bodies together again. Chen Xiande¡¯s hands snuck under the open front of his beloved¡¯s robes while Hei NingYu smoothed his palms over his little sheep¡¯s lightly muscled body tantalizingly.


    Xiao Fu¡¯s mouth dropped open as he saw how these two people shamelessly continued smooching despite the presence of two other people in the room. In a pitiful voice, he whined, ¡°Sect Leader¡­¡±


    Not even slowing down, Hei NingYu simply lifted a hand and made shoo-shoo motions, asking them both to get out without bothering being polite. Xiao Fu pouted, but the sensible Brother Tian quickly walked over to lift the boy off of Hei NingYu¡¯s legs by the back of his collar before exiting the office and closing the door behind them. Their current punishment was grueling enough, but if they disturbed their Sect Leader right now, Brother Tian knew that their fate could turn far worse.


    Left alone in peace again, the fervor of the entangled lovers only increased. Rustling sounded before clothing dropped down onto the floor while restless hands roved over smooth skin, their greedy mouths still hungrily sucking at each other with only brief pauses in between to fill their lungs with breath.


    Chen Xiande pulled his lover¡¯s hips forward to rest on the edge of the chair¡¯s seat while Hei NingYu eagerly cooperated by wrapping his legs around the younger man¡¯s waist again. Chen Xiande lowered his slickened fingers to reach behind Hei NingYu¡¯s member and balls, finding that small opening and pushing in. Letting out a shudder, Hei NingYu moaned into his beloved¡¯s mouth, holding him tighter. Soon, after the preparations were complete, Chen Xiande finally eased his shaft into the gripping heat of Hei NingYu¡¯s channel without delay. The elastic softness wrapping tightly around his hard member made him let out a low gasp as his hold over himself slowly dissolved.


    With uncontrollable frenzy, their hips quickly began drawing back and slamming together again and again. Pants and growls and long, drawn-out groans filled the space along with the wet sound of their frantic coupling. Flushed bodies slid over each other, their warm skin turned slick with sweat. As the tempo of their heartbeats increased, violently hammering inside their chests, their bodies moved with increased vigor and aggressive passion as well. With desperate longing and unquenchable need, the pair ravenously devoured each other.


    Their desire wound tighter and tighter as the heat scalding their bodies burned hotter. With the touch of their hands and lips, tongues and teeth, they pushed each other higher and higher even as they forcefully increased the rhythm of their lower bodies to move faster.


    A flash of intense pleasure suddenly exploded through their intertwined bodies, tearing into them while filling them with unfathomable ecstasy. Falling over the peak of orgasm together, Chen Xiande and Hei NingYu shouted out while clutching each other tightly, thick release spurting out of their twitching shafts. Hei NingYu shuddered as he felt the blisteringly hot liquid filling his passage, while Chen Xiande felt his legs go soft and powerless. His spent member slowly slid out of Hei NingYu¡¯s slick channel. Before his legs could buckle, Chen Xiande felt his lover pulling him to sit on his lap, holding him close while burying his face into the crook of his shoulder. Raising a hand, Chen Xiande patted Hei NingYu¡¯s head affectionately as gentle bliss suffused him.


    After taking time to bask in the peaceful afterglow together, Chen Xiande helped Hei NingYu draw out the white liquid inside him before they slowly began cleaning up, wiping away their sweat and release. After loosely wearing their inner robes just to put something on, they opened the windows to air out the room smelling of sweat and the musky scent of sex.


    Since he had long since been done with his work, Hei NingYu cleaned up everything on his table to make space and had Chen Xiande sit on it. After all, his office tended to have no chairs except his own. It was because Hei NingYu didn¡¯t want anyone who came to report to him to have a comfortable place to relax in and extend their time in his office. The sooner they finished their report and went away, the better for him.


    Now, moving his chair back towards the desk to face his beloved, Hei NingYu pulled Chen Xiande¡¯s legs onto his lap and started massaging them with careful fingers.


    A soft pink spread over Chen Xiande¡¯s cheeks as he protested lightly, ¡°NingYu, it doesn¡¯t feel painful. You don¡¯t have to do this.¡±


    Giving him a small smile, Hei NingYu refuted, ¡°You¡¯ve had to keep standing this whole time while straining your body. It might not be painful, but I¡¯m sure that it must be uncomfortable. Even if you¡¯re much stronger now, I still don¡¯t want you to hurt even a little.¡±


    The color in his cheeks deepening, Chen Xiande decided to let it be. He still hated pain and disliked discomfort, and since his lover wanted to pamper him, he would just luxuriate in the feeling of being cared for in this way.


    As Hei NingYu¡¯s slender yet strong fingers steadily massaged his legs with exactly the right amount of force in all the right places, Chen Xiande felt his body automatically loosening and relaxing. He just wanted to curl up in Hei NingYu¡¯s warm embrace under a thick quilt¡ªor even better, under a pile of fluffy wolves¡ªand doze away without a care. It would be even more perfect if it started raining outside, enfolding them in a cool, silent, and tranquil hush. He could almost imagine how soft and intimate it would feel, like it was just him and his beloved alone in the whole world sharing each other¡¯s company lovingly¡­


    As Chen Xiande¡¯s head drooped while his eyelids turned heavy, a hint of gold suddenly flashed in the corner of his vision, capturing his attention. Yawning to stave away his sleepiness, Chen Xiande turned his head to see that it was a familiar gold emblem stamped on a thick black envelope. Noticing the character for judgment at the center of the emblem, Chen Xiande raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, ¡°NingYu, what did the Order of Sentinels need from the demonic faction?¡±


    His hands keeping up their steady pace, Hei NingYu answered, ¡°It¡¯s nothing new, just another round of assessing remains.¡± Lifting his head, he said, ¡°Do you remember the Valley of the Terrified Dead where that demonic deity had been sealed before?¡±


    Chen Xiande nodded, and Hei NingYu continued, ¡°After the seal there was dissipated, the Sentinels entered the valley and found that the ground was carpeted thickly in skeletons. Leaving those many dead bodies without proper rituals and burials performed on them will cause many problems, so the Sentinels have been going through them and trying to identify whoever they can. If a body is successfully identified, it can be returned to its family. If not, the Sentinels do the due rituals themselves.


    ¡°Meanwhile, they¡¯re borrowing the help of the demonic faction who are more experienced in matters of death and the Drifting Clouds Sect who are the best at dealing with those of the spiritual domain, just in case of any mishaps or spirits turned evil. It¡¯s been years since the valley was fully opened, but due to the sheer quantity of human remains inside, the cleanup process is still ongoing. This time, the Sentinels requested a few people from the dark arts faction to assess the demonic energy gathered near a certain group of corpses and to figure out the best way to dissipate the energy. I¡¯ve already selected the appropriate people for this task and sent the Order the list, so it¡¯s already taken care of.¡±


    Chen Xiande hummed thoughtfully, his gaze turning distant as if he was pondering over something. Done with one leg, Hei NingYu began attending to the other diligently, his actions careful and full of consideration.


    ¡°NingYu, I¡¯ve always meant to ask this,¡± Chen Xiande began. ¡°How did something like the demonic faction with so many unruly disciples come to cooperate so easily with a law enforcement agency like the Order of Sentinels? Or rather, why did you agree to it?¡±


    Hei NingYu glanced up amusedly. ¡°Why? Does my little sheep think I¡¯m that unreasonable?¡±


    Chen Xiande smiled wryly and replied, ¡°No, I just don¡¯t think you¡¯d ever follow someone else¡¯s rules without reason. It must¡¯ve taken you a lot of effort to bring the entire demonic faction in line and get them to behave according to the Sentinels¡¯ laws. Why did you agree?¡±


    Letting out a soft chuff of laughter, Hei NingYu spoke, ¡°Making this bunch follow the Sentinels¡¯ laws would make the world a much safer place. Isn¡¯t that reason enough? Also¡­when the Grandmaster came to me to propose it, he made a favorable impression on me. In our meeting, I realized that we had something in common, so I decided to agree.¡±


    Chen Xiande looked puzzled. ¡°Really? Just what did you both talk about? And what did you have in common?¡±


    Chuckling, Hei NingYu thought back to that day and began recalling their first meeting¡­


    It had been a cloudy day back then as well, the sky grey and gloomy while cold winds whipped through the Nine Gems Sanctuary. The light had been muted and bleak, making one wish for a warm fire while huddled indoors.


    This was a few hundred years after the Great War between the righteous and demonic factions, and the Order of Sentinels had just recently been established. Due to the rumors of being headed by a deity who was also hunting and decimating the ranks of the rampaging heavenly wyverns, the Order was quickly gaining the respect and reverence of the people. But what their existence would mean for this lawless world was still uncertain at that time.


    Due to the existence of a deity whose power was far greater than someone of the demigod level, the Hei NingYu who was considered the strongest cultivator back then¡ªthe Grandmaster of the entire cultivation world¡ªhad to give up his title. However, unlike what people expected, neither Hei NingYu nor Feng Huixin seemed all that bothered by this transfer of the Grandmaster title, both of them just going about their days as usual. But people still hypothesized that if these two powerful men of different factions ever met, they would definitely come to blows. The entire cultivation world waited with bated breath to witness what would surely be the most spectacular fight they¡¯d ever seen.


    Unfortunately for them, Hei NingYu and Feng Huixin never fulfilled their wish for a match.


    The first time they met was when Feng Huixin came over to the demonic faction. At that time, Hei NingYu was occupied with happily overseeing one of his people being tortured in a most gruesome way.


    Led forward by a disciple, Feng Huixin made his way through the crowd of demonic practitioners with his back unerringly straight and each of his steps steady and measured. Even though the way he held himself was staidly militaristic, his posture couldn¡¯t hide his intrinsically noble bearing. Sensing his presence, people parted to clear his path even before he neared them. But when they finally saw the appearance of this tremendously powerful deity who¡¯d come to be known as the Sentinel Grandmaster, their jaws dropped open in surprise.


    Rather than some looming mountain of a man with a forbidding aura like they had imagined, the Grandmaster was actually a slender and androgynous man who might have seemed delicate if not for the sheer weight of his presence. His black hair hung down long and straight while held up by a plain hair stick. His eyes were a deeper, clear black, framed with long lashes and set in an expressionless face that gave none of his thoughts away. He was draped in a dark robe with the character for judgment stitched in gold on the left of his chest. When compared to his stark black hair, eyes, and attire, his skin looked especially white in contrast and without blemishes, making his figure appear monochromatic. His features were aristocratically beautiful and very young, time seeming to have frozen for him in his early twenties. If he ever softened his blank expression into a smile, he was sure to look even younger.


    And yet, despite his almost too pretty appearance, none of the demonic cultivators could bring themselves to underestimate this person. The maturity weighing his gaze and the immense power held tight against his body ensured that. Just looking at him caused a heavy pressure to press down on them, making their breath feel scarce in their lungs as they hurried to make way for him. As he walked calmly, his gaze never landed on any of the people around him, giving him a sense of aloofness as if the world he was witnessing was different from what the rest of them could see and the path he was treading was one the others could never step foot on.


    A few minutes later, the disciple leading him forward finally halted, requested him to wait for the sect leader to be done so that he could join him, then scampered off. Feng Huixin silently cooperated, standing a few steps away from the edge of a small stone platform that rose to knee height. A ring of disciples struggling to hide their horrified expressions surrounded it, looking like they would hurl at any moment.


    On the platform, two thick pillars supported a sturdy horizontal beam. Tied to this beam and hanging from it was a brutalized man. The skin on his entire body¡ªexcept for his back and the rear of his thighs¡ªwas completely stripped away, revealing raw red meat and slick muscle wrapped around blood-drenched bones. On his stomach, pale pink, dark red and greyish purple organs glistened dully, almost falling out of his body. The coils of his pale intestines hung down like a grotesque garland, emitting a sour, sharp stench. Every tremble and quiver of his innards was clearly visible for everyone to see.


    The tortured man¡¯s face was just as red and raw as the rest of his body, his facial muscles and hints of bones evident through the crust of blood. His eyelids were already peeled away, and one of his eyes seemed to have been squashed, oozing thick fluid that was beginning to dry while the other eye bulged out and rolled frantically in its damaged socket. His nose was nothing but a bloody nub, clearly showing the twin holes of his nostrils as they flared and contracted constantly in panic. His ears had also been ripped away, leaving only ragged tears behind. He had no lips, revealing his jaws with toothless gums that were opened wide as he tried to scream, but his ruined throat was unable to produce any sound, only letting out trickles of more blood to drip from his tongue-less mouth. The platform around him was slick with the red liquid, along with flaps of skin and gobs of flesh.


    Standing in front of this maimed man was a young boy still in his teens. His expression was blank except for the cold ruthlessness and frigid rage radiating from deep in his eyes. He held a flat, blade-like whip that Feng Huixin noticed was similar to his own golden whip, Order. The boy flicked his wrist and the whip precisely sliced off another strip of the bound man¡¯s flesh, eliciting a fresh scream of agony that remained just as noiseless as before.


    Standing at the edge of the platform, Hei NingYu looked on with cheerful amusement. ¡°Good. Your aim is improving, Mo Ling. Keep going like this and you¡¯ll perfect it in no time.¡±


    In a flat voice, the boy replied respectfully, ¡°Sect Leader praises me too much. Faithfully following your teachings is the least I can do to repay the Sect Leader for his generosity in allowing me to punish this disgusting vermin.¡± A spark of heat flared in the boy¡¯s eyes as he referred to the man he was torturing before he managed to bring himself under control again. His sect leader had already impressed on him how important it was to maintain a cool head while administering punishment, and so he would keep his boiling hate and blistering rage under control so that he could make this man suffer as much as possible.


    Overhead, the muted boom of thunder rang from the thick clouds before cold rain sprinkled down lethargically. A handful of small droplets darkened the rough stone surface of the platform but was ignored.


    Chuckling, Hei NingYu slowly stepped towards the bound man who immediately began struggling harder as he sensed his approach. Not minding it, Hei NingYu pulled the skinless man¡¯s head back by his strangely untouched hair. ¡°Mo Ling, after you¡¯re done skinning him completely, start on his hair. Pluck it away one by one from his scalp. I promise that it¡¯ll hurt him terribly. You can start working on skinning his scalp afterwards.¡±


    More blood bubbled out of the bound man¡¯s throat as he tried to beg for mercy, but Hei NingYu once again paid it no mind.


    The boy named Mo Ling bowed deeply. ¡°This disciple thanks the Sect Leader for taking the time to teach me. I shall do as the Sect Leader instructed.¡±


    Nodding with a satisfied smile, Hei NingYu let go of the man¡¯s hair and finally alighted from the platform, striding towards the silent Feng Huixin who had been looking at the scene on the platform with a disapproving and pained gaze even as the rest of his face stayed frozen expressionlessly.


    ¡°Does the new Grandmaster of the cultivation world not approve of the demonic factions gentle methods of reprimanding its naughty practitioners?¡± Hei NingYu asked with humor in his gaze.


    Feng Huixin hesitated, then answered, his voice deep and measured, ¡°I do not know what crime the man has committed, but the boy does not deserve to have to do this to another living being at such a young age.¡±


    Looking at the grim expression on the young man¡¯s face as he doled out such brutality, Feng Huixin felt his heart clench with pain. This could be his own son. Somewhere in this world, someone might be forcing his precious Qinghe to be cruel like this as well. Feng Huixin didn¡¯t know where in this world¡¯s timeline he had entered, so he did not know whether his son had even fallen into this realm yet or if his Qinghe had already grown up into an old cultivator who was used to being heartless like this young man. Just imagining what his kind, cheerful, and empathic son might have to go through to become such a person made him feel desperate and mad with worry. He had to find his son before something like that happened, he had to save him, he had to protect him, he had to¨D


    ¡°Mo Ling practically begged to be allowed to do this, so rest assured that he is not being forced into anything,¡± Hei NingYu said, suddenly interrupting Feng Huixin¡¯s frantic thoughts. In a light voice, the sect leader continued, ¡°Does the boy interest the Sentinel Grandmaster for some reason? Seeing how intently you¡¯ve been staring at Mo Ling¡­ Don¡¯t tell me, has the Sentinel Grandmaster taken a romantic interest in him?¡±


    Breaking out of his reverie, Feng Huixin shook his head. ¡°No, please do not mind me. I was just thinking about someone else.¡±


    Hei NingYu wanted to use this to tease this stiff-seeming deity a bit more, but seeing the grief in Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes and coming to the conclusion that he must¡¯ve lost a young lover or son before, Hei NingYu decided to let it be.


    The sound of thunder turned louder as the lazy drizzle from before grew in intensity, fat drops of rain falling down with more vigor.


    ¡°The rain seems like it will turn heavy soon. Why don¡¯t we head inside and continue this conversation?¡± Hei NingYu offered.


    Feng Huixin nodded and wanted to turn away, but paused. Looking at the two people on the platform, he asked, ¡°Sect Leader Hei, may I ask the circumstances behind that man being tortured?¡±


    Raising an eyebrow, Hei NingYu responded, ¡°If you think the reason for his punishment is unfair, will you interfere then? Will you try to break him away and escape despite the risk of turning me¡ªand by extension, the entire demonic faction¡ªagainst you?¡±


    Feng Huixin looked at him calmly. ¡°If this breaks the Sentinel¡¯s laws, then yes. No matter what, I will uphold the laws of my people.¡±


    Hei NingYu gave out a bark of laughter. By now, the shower of raindrops had thickened into a downpour, quickly dampening the ground and the outer robes of those still remaining outside. But disregarding it, Hei NingYu stood casually in place and answered, ¡°How stubborn, but very well. I don¡¯t mind explaining. That scum being punished on that platform right now is called Mo Fan. He is the father of Mo Ling, the boy currently torturing him.¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes reflected his surprise.


    Turning towards the nearest building, Hei NingYu slowly began walking, with Feng Huixin choosing to follow. The rain had grown heavier, the drops much colder and bigger now. Their surrounding quickly turned blurry before being completely shrouded by the curtain of rapidly falling droplets. The two men clad in black walked quietly through the downpour, their boots not making even a single splash.


    In a quiet voice, Hei NingYu went on, ¡°Due to certain reasons, Mo Fan owed a lot of people money. Rather than working to clear these debts or selling off some of the valuable jewelry from his large hoard, Mo Fan instead decided to sell off his six-year-old daughter to a brothel. As the child was being forcefully ravaged by brutes on the stage, our dear Mo Fan was happily getting drunk and having a wonderful time with his buddies right in front of the festivities, ignoring his pitifully crying daughter¡¯s screams and pleas for help. The girl died that night itself due to heavy internal bleeding, and her carelessly thrown away corpse was found by her most doting older brother, Mo Ling, who had grown worried about his dear sister¡¯s absence and was in the midst of frantically searching for her.¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s fists trembled in his sleeves, his face tightening.


    Flicking his gaze to the side before looking forward again, Hei NingYu continued speaking, ¡°Mo Fan was already ruled as an abusive bastard even by the standards of demonic practitioners, so his daughter and son were raised separate from him. After coming of age, Mo Ling was given custody of his sister, and he showered her with all the love and affection he could. She was the precious pearl in the palm of his hand, carefully protected and cherished, a delicately cultivated flower. And then this vile excuse of a father came and lured the little girl away, subjecting her to horrors that she would never have recovered from even had she lived. When this matter was brought to my attention, I naturally found that pile of excrement called Mo Fan and offered Mo Ling the chance to punish him as he saw fit. Mo Ling accepted with fervent enthusiasm and asked me to teach him how to torture someone. And now, here we are.¡±


    Hei NingYu spread his hands with a cheerful smile, but his eyes glinted sharp and vicious. ¡°Does the Sentinel Grandmaster still feel like saving him?¡±


    Holding on to his composure, Feng Huixin replied, ¡°No, this punishment is well-deserved. The Order shall not intervene.¡± After hesitating, he asked, ¡°So the anonymous tip about that brothel that used children, leading to the Order being able to find and apprehend it, was given to us by one of your people under your orders?¡±


    Hei NingYu looked at him with a smile full of deep meaning, then turned away. ¡°Maybe, maybe not. Even if we did, would demonic cultivators really be the kind to admit it out loud? We¡¯d lose our reputation.¡±


    Finally reaching the closest building, they both took shelter under its black-tiled eaves. Rain hammered the roof forcefully as if attempting to crack the tiles. Standing side-by-side, the two figures seemed both similar and opposite to each other. One was steady and calm, standing straight in a proper manner with deep eyes and an expressionless face. The other looked carefree and playful, his smiling expression seeming both lively and charming while his eyes glinted wickedly. Garbed in a similar black, the both of them remained silent, yet their combined power even while dormant could make one¡¯s breath catch in awe and alarm.


    By now, the remaining disciples had already dispersed into other buildings, not daring to accompany these two most powerful beings of their world as they chatted. If their talk ceased being pleasant and gave way to violence, there was a good chance the people nearby would get severely injured or die, so the others hurried to put some distance between them.


    Standing under the edge of the roof, Hei NingYu watched the rainwater sluice down in torrents. Lifting an arm, he held out a hand into the rain, his expression almost gentle. Cold water drenched his extended hand completely in seconds, pooling in his palm and streaming down in clear threads.


    Feng Huixin dried himself off using wind and looked at the Hei NingYu standing beside him with puzzlement. Hei NingYu seemed content to stay wet, his expression as if he was reminiscing about something fondly. Not wanting to disturb him, Feng Huixin patiently waited in silence.


    Steady footsteps softly sounded and a rain-soaked disciple stepped under the eaves as well, bowing respectfully towards his sect leader.


    Without looking away from the rain pattering on his hand, Hei NingYu commanded, ¡°Speak.¡±


    The young disciple rose up and said with concern unhidden in his clear eyes, ¡°Sect Leader, my friend Mo Ling is still standing out in the rain and¡­torturing his father. He doesn¡¯t want to let Mo Fan have even a single moment of reprieve. I don¡¯t wish my friend to get sick because of this, but he refuses to come in. Sect Leader, I know it is very presumptuous of me to disturb you for such a small matter, but I¡­I don¡¯t want Mo Ling to suffer from sickness on top of losing his sister in such a horrible way. If you send him a command to get inside, I¡¯m sure he will obey. So can you please¡­?¡±


    Hei NingYu¡¯s smile turned amused. ¡°Going so far as to brave your eccentric sect leader¡¯s wrath just so Mo Ling won¡¯t catch the sniffles¡­are you sure you see him as just a friend?¡±


    Startled, the young man began sputtering, ¡°S-S-Sect Leader can rest assured that¡­I-I don¡¯t¡­I¡¯m not¡­¡±


    Hei NingYu waved a hand. ¡°Now, now, no need to make excuses to me.¡± His gaze still fixed on his hand being bathed in the clear rainwater, he gave the disciple what he wanted, ¡°Fine, you have my permission to go and tell that brat Mo Ling that I¡¯ve ordered him to come inside and wait in my study. After I¡¯ve finished my business with the Grandmaster, I¡¯ll teach him some more advanced methods of torture that he can use on his father after the rain subsides.¡±


    The disciple bowed deeply. ¡°This disciple sincerely thanks Sect Leader for his generosity!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, now get up,¡± Hei NingYu said, then continued with a tender smile, ¡°But in the meantime, we wouldn¡¯t want to stop our Mo Fan¡¯s special treatment and risk him becoming bored, now would we?¡±


    Understanding what he meant, the young man straightened and asked respectfully, ¡°What instructions does Sect Leader have for this disciple?¡±


    Hei NingYu¡¯s expression remained placid as he brought his hand back under the protection of the eaves. He parted his slender finger, letting the water collected in his palm drip down through the gaps in between them. ¡°Leave him tied to the punishment platform to remain as an example. I remember that we have an insect charmer who just joined our ranks, don¡¯t we? Let us take this chance to assess her ability. Make her gather enough insects and thoroughly let them entertain Mo Fan until the rest of his skin is gone. But the flesh underneath is not to be touched except for the insects to lay eggs and hatch in. Do you understand?¡±


    Hearing these brutal words spoken in such a calm and gentle tone, the young man¡¯s hands clenched and shook in fear. But grimly suppressing his reaction, the disciple answered determinedly, ¡°Yes, Sect Leader. It will be done.¡±


    Hei NingYu gave a short and elegant nod before dropping his hand and letting his sleeve cover the wet skin. Turning, he began making for the building¡¯s entrance. ¡°Pardon me for neglecting to offer our hospitality, Grandmaster. Why don¡¯t we step in to wait the rain out and you can tell me the reason for your visit in the meantime?¡±


    Never one to talk too much, Feng Huixin simply nodded to show his agreement and followed him inside. After walking through a few narrow corridors in the empty building, they came across a simple receiving room furnished with two couches facing each other and a small table in between. A large window occupying one side of the wall showed heavy streams of water sliding down over the warped glass windowpane. Pale grey light bathed the inside of the room. The soft shush of rainwater bathing the walls and ground outside created a pleasant background noise.


    Hei NingYu languidly draped himself over the seat of one of the couches while Feng Huixin sat down primly in a straight posture on the other one. Lying on his side, Hei NingYu supported his cheek on the back of a hand and showed a cheerful smile. ¡°Grandmaster, now that I¡¯ve had a chance to look properly at you, I have to say I¡¯m surprised. Despite being their leader, your clothes are much plainer than those majestic yet flashy robes of the other Sentinels.¡±


    Feng Huixin coughed. ¡°That uniform was decided by one of the founding members of the Order according to her own preferences. Since we do not lack for funds, it ended up being approved.¡±


    His smile widening, Hei NingYu asked, ¡°Oh? Are you saying all that golden embroidery has nothing to do with wanting to hide the protective spells stitched into it? I¡¯ve spent a few weeks studying it and found the craftsmanship quite intriguing. So many hidden charms and spells, all aimed to protect the wearer. You must care for your Sentinels a lot to include that much preparation into the intricate embroidery of each and every uniform.¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes narrowed, yet his voice remained calm and steady. ¡°As I said, it was the preference of one of the people who founded the Order with me. She is very creative in the matter of crafting protective spells. And due to the dangerous nature of the Sentinels¡¯ work, secretive protection of this sort will naturally be needed. I hope Sect Leader Hei knows the importance of this information and what you will face if you leak it.¡±


    Hei NingYu chuckled. ¡°Yes, yes, I know. I do not intend to hinder your Order, Grandmaster. Quite the opposite, actually.¡±


    Shifting on the couch to lie on his back, Hei NingYu folded his hands over his stomach and sighed in comfort. Turning his head to look at Feng Huixin, he said, ¡°Alright, we¡¯ve danced around it enough. What does the Grandmaster want from the demonic faction badly enough that you came over to visit yourself? I¡¯m guessing it must be something very important.¡±


    Feng Huixin looked into Hei NingYu¡¯s eyes, but only read curiosity and interest in them. In a solemn tone, he finally replied, ¡°I¡¯m here to request that the demonic faction follow the Order of Sentinels¡¯ laws.¡±


    Hei NingYu¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°I¡¯ve had a look at your laws, and they are indeed very reasonable and just. I would agree to make the people under me follow them¡­but unfortunately, doing so would impinge on my authority. If I showed my compliance to the Order¡¯s laws outright, then wouldn¡¯t these people think I¡¯ve submitted to you and lose their fear of me? That fear is the only thing making them follow me, so losing it will mean that they will slip out of my control. Without me holding them together, they will scatter and sow mayhem throughout the world. Surely the Sentinel Grandmaster wouldn¡¯t want that.¡±


    Getting up from the couch into a sitting position, Hei NingYu leaned forward with a smile. ¡°But if the Order can give me some personal benefits to make it seem that I was bribed into doing you this favor, then I can hold on to my authority unquestioned.¡±


    Feng Huixin looked troubled. ¡°Though I understand Sect Leader Hei¡¯s reasoning, I¡¯m afraid I cannot show favoritism in such a manner. That is against the Order¡¯s policy of fairness.¡±


    Hei NingYu looked thoughtful for a moment, then smirked. His eyes gleaming sultrily, he proposed, ¡°Then Grandmaster, why don¡¯t we become lovers? I can then justify following your laws by saying that I¡¯m only indulging my beloved. And I have to say, being your lover doesn¡¯t seem like it will be a hardship at all. I think I might even enjoy trying you out as a bed partner.¡±


    Facing the other man¡¯s expression that looked to be saying that he was liking this idea more and more, Feng Huixin hurriedly spoke up, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I have to refuse. I already have a wife.¡±


    Hei NingYu¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. And here he was thinking that this new Grandmaster actually looked very innocent and virginal. To think he already had experience and even had a wife! In an interested tone, Hei NingYu prodded, ¡°Oh? And is your relationship open? Will your wife be angry if you take other lovers?¡±


    A faint flush darkened Feng Huixin¡¯s ears as he looked away and coughed. ¡°No, it¡¯s not an open relationship and my wife¡­no, neither of us will stand for the other to have any lovers on the side.¡±


    Seeing Feng Huixin¡¯s displeasure at that thought displayed in his eyes, Hei NingYu chuckled. So it turned out that this man wasn¡¯t a pushover after all. Even he felt possessive and jealous at the thought of his wife cavorting with others. How interesting.


    Leaning back into the couch, Hei NingYu waved a hand carelessly. ¡°It¡¯s a pity, but I suppose that option is out as well.¡± Then sighing, he continued, ¡°Grandmaster, I really do want to help you, but since we don¡¯t seem to be able to reach an agreement, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t cooperate with you in this matter.¡±


    Feng Huixin simply looked at him, his gaze unwavering. ¡°Since Sect Leader Hei proposed that we stop dancing around the subject, I assumed you would follow your own words and get to the point. But since Sect Leader Hei seems to be waiting for me to say it, I will: The Order is willing to negotiate an exchange of terms with the leader of the dark arts faction. Wasn¡¯t this your intention all long?¡±


    Hei NingYu laughed in delight, his eyes sparkling. ¡°My, my, it seems that the Grandmaster is far sharper than you show on the outside. Then let¡¯s directly get to the meat of the matter, as they say, shall we?¡±


    Tilting his head and grinning impishly, he began, ¡°I will make my faction follow the Order¡¯s laws, but only on one condition. When one of my people breaks the law, I will be the one to determine and carry out their punishment.¡±


    Feng Huixin narrowed his eyes in thought. ¡°It is not impossible, but I would like to hear your reasons for it, please.¡±


    Hei NingYu obliged and answered, ¡°My reasoning is simple. Demonic practitioners have to be handled differently from regular mortals or righteous cultivators. Most types of punishment will simply be inefficient in convincing them to be more lawful. After all, some of my people are hardened bastards who think torture is foreplay. Also, as I stated before, if I just hand over the criminals to you, it will look like I¡¯m putting myself under the Order¡¯s authority and submitting myself to you, and not in the fun way either.¡±


    Feng Huixin let out an embarrassed cough. After casting him an amused look, Hei NingYu went on, ¡°At the same time, to battle the issue of making an impact on the demonic practitioners, if the Order gave a more severe punishment only to the people of the dark arts faction, then it will come off as biased and the fairness your people pride yourself in won¡¯t hold up anymore. But if I am allowed to discipline my rascally troublemakers as I see fit and make a statement out of each one to deter any future misbehavior¡ªlike Mo Fan outside, for example¡ªthey will get their appropriate punishment while also having a more compelling incentive to follow the Order¡¯s laws. I can also maintain my credentials as a ruthless and evil bastard while still holding onto my authority with minimal issue. With this, both of our needs are fulfilled, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡±


    Feng Huixin pondered for a few moments, the whoosh of the heavy rain outside the only sound filling the silence. Then letting out a breath, he nodded. ¡°Yes, what Sect Leader Hei proposed is reasonable. I accept your terms on behalf of the Order of Sentinels. I will have my people draw up the necessary documents. Please decide on a convenient date to formalize and seal the agreement.¡±


    Hei NingYu raised an eyebrow, but also nodded. He hadn¡¯t expected this to be over so straightforwardly. Most people would have tried to draw it out, trying to squeeze more benefits for themselves. But then again, this form of negotiation suited this straitlaced and non-confrontational person the most. Not for the first time, Hei NingYu wondered just what had made such a subdued person take as large a step as creating and training an entire organization to maintain law and order throughout this world.


    ¡°Since that is decided, I will not impose on Sect Leader Hei anymore and take my leave,¡± Feng Huixin stated and got up from his seat to head towards the door.


    Hei NingYu watched him with half-lidded eyes, then suddenly called out, ¡°Grandmaster, I¡¯m curious. Why did you choose to establish the Order of Sentinels?¡± His tone turning teasing, he continued, ¡°Is it because your innate righteousness couldn¡¯t bear to see how morally messy this world was?¡±


    Pausing in his steps, Feng Huixin turned to look sideways at a smiling Hei NingYu. ¡°The world I grew up in was just as lawless as this one, filled with the blood, tears, and suffering of the innocent. And yet, even after my ascension, I never bothered to try and clean it up.¡±


    Hei NingYu¡¯s eyes gleamed, his interest piquing even more. ¡°Oh? Then why did you decide that this particular mortal realm needed your special treatment?¡±


    Sighing, Feng Huixin replied, ¡°I want to make this world a safer place for someone. I do not know if my efforts will bear fruit in time or if that person has already been affected¡­but I at least have to try, or I will never forgive myself.¡±


    Feng Huixin closed his eyes as grief twisted within his chest once again. His son, his precious little son¡­ If something happened to him, the guilt he felt would tear him apart.


    He still remembered his son¡¯s smiles and cheerful laughter. The way his eyes shone with curiosity and interest as he gazed at the world. His little Qinghe was so pure and innocent, so full of light and life, Feng Huixin could never imagine something happening to him. He had promised his son that he would be there, he had promised him his protection back then¡­


    It had been a sunny day, and the four-year-old Qinghe had been standing on a narrow tree branch, reaching up to pluck a round and ripe mango hanging above just out of reach.


    But losing his balance, the little boy gave a sharp cry and tumbled down, squeezing his eyes closed as he waited to hit the ground. But he instead landed in a pair of familiar arms, warm and safe.


    Blinking open his round eyes, he called out in surprise, ¡°Father! You caught me!¡±


    The concern in Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes softened as he leaned down to place a gentle kiss onto his son¡¯s forehead. ¡°Yes. Qinghe, you have to be more careful when climbing trees. Are you hurt?¡±


    Qinghe shook his head, sending the locks of his hair tumbling, and grinned happily. ¡°Father, you¡¯re always there when I fall down, like magic!¡± he exclaimed in a wondering tone.


    Feng Huixin felt his heart squeeze with affection. Lifting a hand, he carefully rubbed one of his son¡¯s chubby cheeks, his eyes squinting in bliss. It was so warm and soft, just like his adorable little son.


    Giggling, Qinghe squirmed. ¡°It tickles!¡±


    After Feng Huixin had his fill, he retrieved his hand and began walking towards the Feng residence, the little boy still held securely in his arms. ¡°Qinghe, remember to be more careful the next time you climb trees, alright? Even though any injury you might get won¡¯t be fatal, it will still hurt a lot.¡±


    Snuggled comfortably in his father¡¯s embrace, Qinghe solemnly nodded, then frowned in thought. ¡°But Father, even if I fall, it won¡¯t hurt, because you¡¯ll be there to catch me, won¡¯t you?¡±


    Feng Huixin glanced down at his son helplessly. His voice warm, he admitted, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll always be here to catch you when you fall. I will make sure to always be there when you need me. But you should still promise to take care.¡±


    And his little son had nodded with eyes full of trust, his smile bright and cheerful.


    But Feng Huixin hadn¡¯t been able to keep his word. The one time his son needed him most, he hadn¡¯t been able to help him. And when Qinghe fell from Heaven, he wasn¡¯t there to catch him. He had utterly failed him. No matter the power or influence he had, what use were those if they couldn¡¯t even help him protect his precious child? What use was any of it if he couldn¡¯t stop his wife from letting out those heart-wrenching cries due to losing their son?


    Inside the receiving room, oppressive power slowly thickened the air, turning it heavy and sluggish. As Hei NingYu felt sharp pressure compressing the breath in his lungs, he narrowed his eyes. If it were a young disciple in his place, rather than just sustaining an internal injury, their innards would have been outright crushed to a bloody pulp by now. But due to his high cultivation, all Hei NingYu felt was an oppressive sense of discomfort.


    Meanwhile, as he was sunken in hopeless thoughts while his rigid control over his power slackened slightly, Feng Huixin suddenly felt a familiar presence brushing over the back of his mind. A faint voice, light and ethereal, whispered soothingly, Xiao Xin, remember my teachings, restrain yourself.


    And snapping out of his thoughts, Feng Huixin instinctively obeyed.


    Not wanting to wait until Feng Huixin¡¯s power spilled outside, Hei NingYu was just preparing to act when he felt Feng Huixin startling out of his reverie on his own, quickly gathering his power and packing it back into his body.


    ¡°Sect Leader Hei, I apologize for my momentary lapse in control. It was unintentional.¡±


    Understanding that it must have been triggered by their conversation just now, Hei NingYu relaxed, waving a hand and easily dismissing it. ¡°There¡¯s no need for the Grandmaster to apologize. I was the one who brought up such a sensitive topic in the first place. I should be the one to ask your forgiveness for bringing to mind something unpleasant.¡±


    Feng Huixin looked at him with faint surprise. In an earnest tone, he said, ¡°Sect Leader Hei is most generous.¡± It was not at all like what someone would expect from the leader of the demonic faction. But then again, nothing this person did or said today seemed to be in line with people¡¯s expectations of the most powerful demonic cultivator in the world. After all, who would expect the demonic faction¡¯s leader of all people to approve and agree to follow the Order¡¯s fair laws while seeking to suppress his own people as Hei NingYu¡¯s words had suggested?


    After a moment of hesitation, Feng Huixin spoke, ¡°Sect Leader Hei, may I ask what reason you have to want to regulate your own people while seeking to maintain the order of the world?¡±


    ¡°Is that how my words came off as?¡± Hei NingYu asked while smiling widely, his eyes growing half-lidded. ¡°But that is not wrong. I do want to make this world a better place as well.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Feng Huixin asked with puzzlement.


    But Hei NingYu could only shrug. ¡°I don¡¯t remember. It has been so long since I was told. All I know is that I¡¯m waiting for something or someone that¡¯ll make my life meaningful, turning it into something worth living. After all, ennui is a terrible thing, as I¡¯m sure you know. Until I can get what I¡¯m waiting for into my hands, I have to keep this world a safe place for it. That is my only reason.¡±


    Feng Huixin shot him a strange look. It seemed that the reasons for their actions in protecting this world had a lot of similarities. Neither of them were doing it for themselves.


    Nodding, Feng Huixin finally expressed, ¡°Thank you for answering my question and for the hospitality. Sect Leader Hei, I will not bother you any longer.¡±


    ¡°Let me be a proper host and see you to the door at least then,¡± Hei NingYu offered while getting up from the couch.


    The two men unhurriedly made their way towards the building¡¯s entrance. Standing under the eaves once again, Hei NingYu watched Feng Huixin walk out into the pouring rain with a cheerful grin. ¡°After having such a deep heart-to-heart together, the Sentinel Grandmaster is leaving without even giving me a kiss? How cold.¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s expression softened with a hint of nostalgia. ¡°That seems like something my wife would have said. I shudder to think what would happen if Sect Leader Hei ever met my Chunyi.¡±


    With that, Feng Huixin continued forward, his straight and slender back soon disappearing into the torrential downpour.


    Leaning his shoulder on the entryway with his hands folded, Hei NingYu continued to gaze into the rain with a deep gaze and peaceful smile.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°¡­and so, that¡¯s how our first meeting ended,¡± Hei NingYu concluded his long narrative.


    Chen Xiande¡¯s expression was thoughtful as he digested all this. He could more or less guess that the person the Sentinel Grandmaster had meant when he said he wanted to make this world a safer place for them was his son, Feng Qinghe. And as for the person Hei NingYu had said he was waiting for¡­ With a blush, Chen Xiande realized that it was he himself.


    Done with massaging Chen Xiande¡¯s legs, Hei NingYu left them to rest on his lap. Leaning back in his chair, he patiently waited for his beloved to take it all in.


    After silently pondering for a few more minutes, Chen Xiande finally remarked on a certain point, ¡°So, NingYu, you actually asked the Grandmaster to be your lover. Did you¡­like him that much?¡±


    Hei NingYu¡¯s eyebrows flew up as he suppressed his glee. ¡°Little Sheep, are you jealous?¡±


    ¡°N-No, I¡­¡± Trailing off, Chen Xiande hastily turned his face away with a blush, then admitted in a tiny voice, ¡°Maybe¡­a little?¡±


    Chuckling happily, Hei NingYu rose up to enfold his beloved in a hug. ¡°While I won¡¯t deny that I was indeed interested in him at that time, that was still many millennia ago. Even if the Grandmaster had agreed to us becoming lovers and even if we ended up enjoying our time with each other after that, I don¡¯t think we would have stayed together for long anyway. We are fundamentally different and not compatible in that sense.¡±


    Leaning down to playfully bump his nose with Chen Xiande¡¯s, Hei NingYu grinned and continued, ¡°My cute little sheep, on the other hand, is perfect for me in every way. I love spending time with you more than I can express. I love seeing you react to different situations and all the faces you show me. I love seeing you slowly growing in various ways, both large and small. I love how being with you makes even this dull world seem so enjoyable and full of exciting things. My adorable Xiande is the only one who can ever fill the place beside me. And no matter who I might or might not have shared a relationship with, the only one I am ever willing to share my life with is you, Chen Xiande.¡±


    Feeling his eyes stinging and his nose growing sour, Chen Xiande bowed his head and buried it in the hollow of Hei NingYu¡¯s neck. Rubbing his face on Hei NingYu as if trying to rub away the overflow of emotions, he spoke, ¡°NingYu¡­I also feel the same about you. I-I also¡­love you a lot. I never knew I could ever feel so deeply connected with someone. I¡¯m a very selfish person, and even before I met you, I¡¯d already realized that I¡¯d never be able to find someone who¡¯d be willing to stay with me when I am the way I am. But you¡­you never expected anything and gave me everything¡ªaffection, attention, gentleness, care, a sense of self-worth¡­ And somehow, I found that if it was you, I could be a better person too, that I could put aside my own self-centeredness and show care and love towards someone. You make me a better person, you make me want to be the best I can be. S-So, NingYu¡­thank you for loving me.¡±


    Hei NingYu¡¯s expression turned tender, his heart melting into a warm puddle of happiness. Neither he nor his little sheep had ever talked out loud about what they meant to each other. They were content just to know that the other person understood their affection and regard from their actions instead. But hearing it spoken out loud like this made him realize anew just how lucky he was to have his beloved.


    Holding Chen Xiande tighter, Hei NingYu placed a kiss to the top of his lover¡¯s head. ¡°Who would I love if not you? Who else would I ever even contemplate cherishing and being cherished by for the rest of my life?¡±


    Chen Xiande had to hold back his tears even as a wide smile bloomed on his face. He felt like he was floating on clouds of bliss.


    After a short stretch of silence, Hei NingYu suddenly proposed, ¡°Little Sheep¡­Xiande, this might be abrupt, but¡­do you want to get married?¡±


    Chen Xiande stiffened in shock, then leaned back to look up at his beloved. ¡°NingYu? I thought we already agreed that we didn¡¯t need such a superficial way of proving our affection for each other? And you don¡¯t really want to get married, do you?¡±


    Hei NingYu sighed softly. ¡°If it were only up to me, then you¡¯re right, I don¡¯t really care about marrying. Unlike for the people of the righteous faction, such a thing has long lost meaning to me. After seeing all the ways those vows can be twisted, violated, and corrupted throughout my long life in the demonic faction, I don¡¯t put stock in marriage anymore. But even though I do not care for such rituals, I don¡¯t want you to ever feel insecure in our relationship just because we didn¡¯t bind ourselves to each other in that way. Little Sheep, if it will make you happier, then I¡¯m willing to marry you.¡±


    Hearing the reason behind this abrupt proposal, Chen Xiande¡¯s expression turned complex. He couldn¡¯t help but think back to the first time he had met Hei NingYu, the uncertainty and hope he had felt.


    When Hei NingYu had shown interest in him at that time, Chen Xiande had panicked so much, wanting so desperately to tie this enchanting person to him so that he wouldn¡¯t leave his boring self. He truly had been too insecure back then. And after finding a person he liked, someone who also genuinely liked him back, Chen Xiande had been anxious that Hei NingYu would leave him if he didn¡¯t hold on to that opportunity tightly. So when Hei NingYu had proposed they try out a relationship, Chen Xiande had agreed as quickly as he could. In hindsight, Chen Xiande realized that they could have taken the relationship slower, but he had so desperately craved Hei NingYu¡¯s small actions of affection, the small signs of his care and regard, that he couldn¡¯t help from throwing himself into the relationship at full speed.


    But now, he knew that he had nothing to be worried about. They both loved and needed each other. Hei NingYu would not leave him just like that. Every day they stayed together, woke up together, played around on the bed together, and went through the day thinking of each other, more and more of Chen Xiande¡¯s insecurity had washed away. Now, he did not doubt his beloved¡¯s love for him, but he did not take it for granted either. He would treasure his NingYu the way he was treasured, now and forever, for the rest of their lives.


    And he did not need marriage for that.


    His eyes softening as he showed a warm smile, Chen Xiande slowly shook his head. ¡°NingYu, we don¡¯t have to marry. I have more faith in you than in those marriage vows. Neither of us believes much in human things like that anyway, so it¡¯s alright. If the others want to celebrate their union through marriage, then I will be happy for them and wish them the best from the bottom of my heart, but I do not need that for myself. As long as you keep loving me, I don¡¯t need anything else.¡±


    Hei NingYu felt something in him tremble as if unable to contain itself. His beloved little sheep was the only one who could ever move him this much and evoke emotions that reached this deep.


    ¡°Then we don¡¯t need to marry,¡± Hei NingYu conceded. ¡°I won¡¯t leave you, and I won¡¯t let you feel lonely in the same way you will never let me be lonely.¡±


    Hearing the solemn promise, Chen Xiande¡¯s eyes softened further. Without another word, he lifted his head up to reach Hei NingYu¡¯s lips with his own, and Hei NingYu quickly opened his mouth in invitation. Wet sounds of sucking ensued as the couple kissed each other languidly. Though their blood slowly began to simmer once again, they let themselves be content with just holding each other.


    When they finally parted, they noticed that it had begun drizzling at some time. Outside the window, the droplets fell down in a pleasantly light shower. His gleaming black eyes reflecting the picture of this shimmering curtain of clear water, Hei NingYu pulled Chen Xiande along and opened the backdoor, stepping out onto the sheltered back porch.


    ¡°Little Sheep, look how peaceful and comfortable it is, surrounded by the rain. Maybe we should treat ourselves to a nice nap while cuddling here.¡±


    Chen Xiande¡¯s eyes expressed interest and anticipation at that suggestion. Remembering something, he replied, ¡°Yes, it does seem like it¡¯ll be very relaxing. NingYu, can you please call the wolves too? I think it would be very warm and comfy if we could snuggle with them as well.¡±


    Hei NingYu chuckled and retrieved a thin whistle from his storage space before blowing it. Though Chen Xiande couldn¡¯t hear the whistle make any sound, he quickly heard excited barks and the thump of lively paws as a pack of wolves broke out of the forest boundary, heading straight for them.


    Along with the warm brown, silvery-grey, and sand-colored wolves from before, there were an extra two in deep black and russet colors as well. Together, they quickly leapt up to land on the back porch and swarmed around the couple. Hei NingYu shook his head amusedly as Chen Xiande bent down to give everyone pats and scratches, making sure he left no one out.


    After a few minutes spent in greeting and pampering the wolves with their affection and attention, Chen Xiande and Hei NingYu spread a large and soft quilt on the porch and laid down side-by-side in the middle. Their hands entwined as they soaked in each other¡¯s familiar presence, content smiles slowly blooming on their faces. Not wanting to be left out, the wolves also settled down, some pressing up to the couples¡¯ sides and the others directly laying their heads, tails, or bodies on top of them.


    Buried under this layer of warm fur while surrounded by the calming sound of the gentle rain, Chen Xiande and Hei NingYu rested their heads together and dozed off with blissful expressions.


    crimson_carnation


    The next extra might get really long. I''m not yet sure if I want to split it into two parts to get it to you sooner or just finish it all in one go, which might take a lot longer. Either way, the next one will have some plot along with the usual dog food~ (?^ ? ^?)

 Extra 14: A Political Exchange [Part 1]

    crimson_carnation


    Standing large and tall over the surrounding gardens was the palace of the Heavenly Emperor, shrouded in an air of stateliness and grandeur. Bathed in light, its white walls shimmered lightly in the morning sun as if spun out of pleasant dreams, warm and magical.


    Currently, the throne room inside the palace was packed with the heavenly court in full attendance, every important personage and heavyweight present with delicately-wrought fans fluttering in front of their faces, hands tucked into wide sleeves weighed with heavy embroidery, or half-lidded eyes glancing shrewdly at the center of the hall while polite smiles adorned their carefully arranged expressions. Low mutters and subdued voices floated lightly in the hall as the usually casual and informal courtiers maintained their decorum perfectly. After all, they were entertaining guests from another nation right now. It wouldn¡¯t do to act too freely.


    As always, the Heavenly Emperor sat on his pearly white throne that gleamed with a mild rainbow sheen, the roots extending from it embedded deep into the risen platform. His figure robust and heroic, the Heavenly Emperor rested upon the Throne with a straight posture exuding weighty majesty, his gaze calm and unfathomable.


    To his right stood prominent members from the Offices of Judgment, headed at the front by Feng Huixin with Wei Xiang standing to the side and slightly behind him. Garbed in stark black intercepted with gold, the officers all stood with rigid exactness in even rows, their expressions carefully blank while their eyes remained sharp and intent. Righteousness and a sense of duty were stamped into every stiff line of their being.


    On the other side of the throne, the high-ranking members of the heavenly armies were stationed, lead by Feng Chunyi at the front and a Qinghe who was made to stand by her side just because his mother wanted to have a son accompanying her too. Wearing thick robes in dark red under heavy plate armor in white and gold, the warriors looked much livelier than the oppressive, black-clad group of the officers of judgment. Though the lieutenants and high-ranking soldiers of the army maintained their ranks with precision, their postures were indolent and their faces more expressive.


    The one person who didn¡¯t belong there amid the ranks of the army was Qinghe. But since the warriors already knew their general¡¯s character, along with already being familiar with her son and his abilities, they welcomed Qinghe¡¯s presence gladly.


    Qinghe stood beside his mother while wearing pristine silvery white robes that looked slippery and shiny like watered silk, with the character for ¡®feng¡¯ stitched to the left of his chest in gleaming silver thread. The robe was something his parents had had made for him, and Qinghe loved it enough to wear it for all special occasions or important matters of court.


    And what was taking place right now was definitely an important matter.


    In Heaven, though the Heavenly Emperor was able to control the entirety of the realm due to his connection with the Throne of Heaven, there were still areas that were declared a separate nation from Heaven itself. It was not because of Heaven¡¯s lack in military might that they didn¡¯t possess those lands, but rather because of the law of fairness that the heavenly court operated by.


    It was said that if at any time a group of people wished to secede from Heaven and form a nation of their own, they didn¡¯t need to rebel. They only had to send a petition to the Heavenly Emperor to allow them to create a new nation. The court would first undertake a thorough evaluation to see if this new nation would be able to hold up its citizens¡¯ prosperity and responsibly take care of them. And if they passed this assessment, the Heavenly Emperor would then cede his rule over the land and declare it a new nation, like a parent finally sending their child off into the world to make their own way. However, if the seceded nation ever stopped being able to provide a stable living environment for its people without there being any improvement in the foreseeable future, then the nation was to merge back into Heaven so that its citizens could live better lives. Since it was a reasonable agreement, most nations agreed.


    Of the four such nations present in the heavenly realm currently, Wu Jin was one.


    Formerly, there had actually been six such nations. But two of them had decided that they had grown powerful enough to conquer Heaven. The result was that the Heavenly Emperor carved out one of these nations¡¯ lands and held it afloat high in the sky for years until, isolated from the rest of the realm, they had run out of all natural resources and broke down, pleading for peace and to join back into Heaven. As for the other one, since it chose to turn hostile when Feng Chunyi was serving as the Heavenly General, its armies that were marching to attack the border were utterly and completely annihilated without mercy by Feng Chunyi singlehandedly to vent her frustration after her husband left for the lower realms to search for their young son. After that, the other four free nations quickly sent assurances of friendliness and offerings of peace to the heavenly court.


    Now, unable to sustain itself due to a series of calamities borne of internal conflict, the free nation of Wu Jin was considering joining back into Heaven before it lost its last dregs of glory and prosperity. Naturally, the heavenly court welcomed this proposition, since they would have to spend less effort helping them get back on their feet later when they merged with Heaven if the people from Wu Jin already had some means left. But the royal court of Wu Jin remained divided in this prospect. Some wanted to wait and see if they could muster more wind in their metaphorical sails and keep their nation afloat while others wanted to maintain their honor and voluntarily merge back before their condition became unsightly.


    To solve this dilemma, the king, along with the most favored fourth prince and a few other important courtiers of Wu Jin, came to the heavenly court to offer a trial. This trial was an ancient tradition dating back to even before they separated from Heaven. If the heavenly court was able to fulfill this one trial, then the royal court of Wu Jin would unanimously agree to the merging of their nation with Heaven and begin negotiations.


    ¨DAnd this was where things currently stood.


    From his position near the platform holding the Throne, a minister asked, ¡°Until we know what sort of trial it is, it would be unwise to agree.¡±


    Hearing this, heads nodded and murmurs of assent sounded throughout the heavenly court.


    Standing in the center of the throne room, the king of Wu Jin, Yang Lingyun, maintained his composed appearance. His skin was an even, light brown while his hair was colored a darker brown peppered with gray near the temples. Small lines creased the corners of his eyes and mouth, giving him the air of an experienced man. He stood tall and regal in front of the entire court, but a sharp eye could still make out the nervousness flittering in his green eyes.


    ¡°You can rest assured that whatever damage the trial might cause can be easily healed by a deity,¡± said Yang Baoyu, the fourth prince of Wu Jin who was standing beside his father. Yang Baoyu stood taller than his father, his shoulders broad and his well-proportioned body visibly muscled. His face was square-jawed, his features clean and charmingly handsome. His eyes were a similar green to his father¡¯s and radiated steadiness and calm.


    ¡°Hmph, or is it that you can¡¯t even spare a few healing pills to heal such a simple injury?¡± questioned the nasal voice of a reedy thin man standing beside Yang Baoyu. He was his cousin, but opposed his and the royal family¡¯s views, instead supporting the faction that resisted their nation joining back with Heaven.


    Frowning, Yang Baoyu lightly chided, ¡°Royal Cousin speaks too impolitely. Please remember to retain the dignity of Wu Jin¡¯s royal court and think carefully before you speak.¡±


    Showing a sullen expression, the cousin closed his mouth.


    ¡°That still doesn¡¯t explain what this trial we have to complete is,¡± asked a woman in a fluttery, light green dress. Her smile was soft and inviting while every sweep of her thick lashes over her bright eyes exuded a seductive allure. She was the Deity of Romance Ai Li, Feng Chunyi¡¯s friend and her supplier of strange items.


    Yang Lingyun glanced at her and turned back to look at the Heavenly Emperor, trying to not let the other man¡¯s heavy and deep gaze intimidate him. ¡°Then I will now reveal the details of the trial.¡±


    Waving a hand, Yang Lingyun brought out a large stone structure shaped like a basin. Resting on a cylindrical stand that flared widely at the base, the basin was shaped like a large bowl with a diameter a little less than a meter. The entire structure was chest-high. A pile of fist-sized jewel-like stones shone brightly from inside this bowl in various bright colors. Carved out of ancient rock, the entire structure looked dull and grey on the outside. However, the inside of the bowl-shaped basin gleamed a bright, polished silver.


    Addressing the entire heavenly court, Yang Lingyun explained, ¡°This is the ancient brazier passed down through the royal line, used for various traditions and rituals. One of those traditions is called ¡®Testing Will through Fire¡¯. As apparent by its name, it is a trial where one will test their will by immersing a part of their body into the fire that will burn in this brazier. The one who is able to hold on for the longest is declared the victor. And since we are to determine our nation¡¯s future, it is only right to let the future of both of our nations take this trial.¡±


    More murmurs filled the hall as the deities discussed among themselves about this barbaric ritual, dissecting whatever schemes Yang Lingyun or his court could have concocted and speculating on just what he could mean by his words.


    Not willing to waste much time, a courtier directly asked Yang Lingyun in a drawling voice, ¡°What does Your Majesty mean by ¡®the future of our nations¡¯ taking this trial? Please state it clearly.¡±


    Yang Lingyun answered solemnly, ¡°The future, of course, rests on the shoulders of the young ones, so they are the true future of our nations. That is why my son, Fourth Prince Yang Baoyu, will represent the Wu Jin royal court as its youngest member and take part in this trial. In return, I request that the heavenly court send its youngest member to compete against him as well. The one who can hold on the longest in the fire will be said to have won on behalf of their nation. Of course, usage of abilities or any outside help is not permitted.¡± After a brief pause, Yang Lingyun called, ¡°Now, may the youngest member of the heavenly court please step forward.¡±


    The entirety of the heavenly court froze. Then slowly, all eyes turned towards the platform and the Feng Qinghe standing unruffled near his mother.


    Beside Qinghe, Feng Chunyi had on an annoyed scowl. Why should her son take part in some weird, self-mutilating ritual just because he was the youngest? Wasn¡¯t it usually the other way round? Weren¡¯t the youngest ones supposed to be the ones most protected?


    On the other side of the Throne, Feng Huixin and Wei Xiang looked none too pleased as well. Feng Huixin¡¯s gaze churned darkly while Wei Xiang¡¯s narrowed eyes fixed on the people from Wu Jin with searing intensity. Were these people purposefully targeting his little lover knowing that he would be the Heavenly Emperor one day? After all, as young as he was now, they must think that Qinghe would be an easier target.


    But seeming unbothered by all this, Qinghe calmly stepped forward and said, his voice flowing pleasantly, ¡°Since I don¡¯t think anyone joined the court after me, I suppose I¡¯m the youngest.¡±


    Yang Lingyun¡¯s gaze focused on him, looking unsurprised. He silently assessed the young man who¡¯d stepped to the front, then asked, ¡°May I know how old you are currently?¡±


    Qinghe smiled and replied, ¡°I¡¯m forty. Is it relevant in any way?¡±


    His eyes lightly widening, Yang Lingyun coughed and shook his head. His son Yang Baoyu was two hundred years old, but he had only been hundred-and-twenty when he began attending the royal court. It was considered a very young age to join a court, making the people of Wu Jin laud him as a political genius. But this person who¡¯d stepped up was only forty, and he was already accomplished enough to stand on the platform with the Heavenly Emperor and the Throne! How could Yang Lingyun not be surprised?


    But thinking about the various mostly unconfirmed rumors they¡¯d heard of this Feng Qinghe and the Feng household in general, maybe this accomplishment wasn¡¯t so astonishing.


    Qinghe¡¯s calm voice broke him out of his musings. ¡°Since this matter is important, why don¡¯t we begin soon, Your Majesty?¡±


    Yang Lingyun looked at him with caution, then nodded. No matter what he was going to be in the future, hearing how this Feng Qinghe had been coddled and cosseted by his family and lover ever since he ascended, he shouldn¡¯t be very good at bearing pain. There hadn¡¯t yet been a single report of him sustaining any heavy injury while in Heaven, so his life must not include much fighting. Or at least, so he surmised.


    Of course, Yang Lingyun didn¡¯t know that apart from his light duties in the heavenly court, Qinghe had actually taken part in several important and dangerous tasks these past years, helping both Feng Chunyi and Feng Huixin in their work without publicizing this knowledge and hiding his involvement. Meanwhile, he continued to manipulate people, gain favors, gather support, and hoard resources for his household. He also descended regularly to take part in missions with groups of disciples or Elders from the sects, or just went at it on his own, completing all tasks with his usual level of competence and efficiency.


    Till now, only a few exceptionally intelligent deities in the court had managed to find out about it. But they also knew that if they didn''t want the Feng household to turn against them, they should keep this knowledge to themselves. On the other hand, the rest of Heaven indeed thought that Qinghe¡¯s life only consisted of lazing about, being pampered by his family, sometimes attending court to take care of some small tasks assigned to him, and running off to play with his friends in a lower world. And since he was very young by deity standards, it was considered only natural that he¡¯d have it easy, so it did not arouse anyone¡¯s suspicion.


    And so, Yang Lingyun was secure in the knowledge that the inexperienced Qinghe would lose. If he lost, then that would mean that Wu Jin wouldn¡¯t merge with Heaven. But despite not showing it outward, Heaven really needed to have Wu Jin under its control right now due to a certain material that was recently discovered in Wu Jin whose uses led to a large political controversy.


    To stop the situation from becoming more volatile, Heaven needed to isolate this newly-discovered material and guard it while the heavenly court sorted out the mess. But they could only do that if Wu Jin merged with them, otherwise it would look like they were invading and bullying a smaller nation. Because of this, even if they failed the trial, Heaven would have to still try to convince Wu Jin to join them, and Yang Lingyun and his faction who supported the merge would ¡®reluctantly¡¯ agree in return for favors. This would also put them on a higher ground during the negotiations.


    Using this, Yang Lingyun and his son Yang Baoyu were planning on extracting more benefits for the royal family. After all, once Wu Jin merged with Heaven, it would cease to be an autonomous nation, and its royal family and court would also be dissolved. To make sure they still held onto their prestige so that they could keep on living carefree lives, the king and prince of Wu Jin would need the heavenly court to support them, which was why they were scheming to get favors from it in such a way. With this, they could continue to live luxuriously with political power still in their hands.


    But for all of this to be possible, Feng Qinghe must lose. Thankfully, that looked very possible right now.


    Thinking all this, Yang Lingyun finally decided to begin the trial without any more delay.


    Lifting a hand, Yang Lingyun produced a small crystal bottle with blue liquid sloshing inside. Opening its glass stopper, he poured the liquid evenly onto the gem-like stones inside the bowl of the brazier and barked a single, sharp word. A spark of spiritual power burst in the brazier and the brightly colored stones inside the bowl burst into blazing white flames with a blue and purple colored center. A wave of heat rolled outwards from the brazier, making those present snap to attention and take a closer look at the fire. Something ancient and vicious danced in those flames, hungering to feed on pain and agony.


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes slightly narrowed, but his smile remained unfaltering.


    The fourth prince of Wu Jin, Yang Baoyu, turned to Qinghe and smiled warmly. ¡°Since Young Lord Feng must have never seen this trial done before, allow me to go first.¡±


    Stepping back from the brazier, Yang Lingyun silently made way for his son, his brows lightly creased with concern.


    Yang Baoyu walked up to the brazier burning with those strange white flames and pushed up his right sleeve until it reached his shoulder, revealing his muscled arm. Then, after bracing himself, he thrust his bare arm into the fire, his hand tightly clutching the opposite edge of the brazier to stretch his arm out straight.


    The attention of everyone immediately fixed on his arm.


    Bathed in the eerie white fire, the light brown skin of his arm first turned pink, then turned redder and redder before losing its tautness, beginning to bubble and melt. The fire licking over his arm must be very strong for this change to happen within moments like this. The smell of cooking flesh and charring meat slowly spread throughout the throne room.


    Yang Baoyu gritted his teeth, sweat beading his brow as his fingers tightened on the edge of the bowl on the opposite end. The pain was horrible, like a thousand knives coated in acid stabbing deep into his arm again and again. The fire seemed to feed on his agony, growing brighter and harsher as it gently enfolded his arm in its cruel embrace. Each lick of those flames was like a serrated whip ruthlessly cutting into his skin and carving into his flesh. The pain was inescapable, all-consuming, like being devoured by the fires of hell itself. It filled his mind completely, the torment weighing every flicker of his thoughts and suffusing even the blank space in between.


    His muscle-corded body turned taut with strain as Yang Baoyu¡¯s mind began to buckle under the constant pain beating on his senses. If only he could escape this, if only he could beg it to be more merciful¡­ And he could do it. He could just let go, take his arm back, and the pain would stop. If he took some healing pills, his arm would recover completely within a few hours. He didn¡¯t have to go through this horrible pain chewing on his arm, slowly eating away at his will. He could just give up and¨D


    No, he couldn''t. He had to hold on. He had to keep going for as long as he could. He was sure that he had already held fast longer than necessary. After all, that Feng Qinghe couldn''t possible hold on for this much time. But still, it was better to be cautious.


    Just a bit more¡­just a little bit more¡­


    Through eyes dazed with overwhelming pain, Yang Baoyu saw his own skin slough off his bones and fall into the ignited stones in the brazier, immediately disappearing as if consumed greedily without even leaving behind ash. His exposed muscles slowly burned, turning dark and crisp as they curled. A pained grunt escaped his clenched jaws, followed by a strained groan. It was too much. This pain, this psychological torture of having to force himself to go through this¡­ it was more than he could handle.


    Before Yang Baoyu could muster up more willpower, his hand instinctively let go of the edge of the brazier, the bones of his fingers creaking. His arm immediately recoiled from the fire as he hunched over due to the pain. Black and white spots flashed in his eyes as he staggered due to the shock of the severe injury.


    With alarm, Yang Lingyun and a few other courtiers rushed forward to support Yang Baoyu. His willpower had already exceeded their expectations, so they lavished their care upon him and gave him several pills and elixirs to swallow in quick succession.


    Having been watching from the side, the heavenly court also felt somewhat impressed with Yang Baoyu¡¯s show of mental fortitude. They weren¡¯t sure if Feng Qinghe could match him. But since he was after all someone from the Feng household, they decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.


    On the Throne, the Heavenly Emperor calmly spoke, ¡°Deity of Health, please take care of our guest¡¯s injury.¡±


    A deity garbed in gauzy white robes silently stepped out of the ranks of the heavenly court, his steps making it seem as if he was floating. A strip of white cloth was wrapped around the entire length of his long neck as if to bind a wound. His apprentice, a cheerful young girl in blue robes, walked behind him. Gliding towards the people of Wu Jin, the Deity of Health immediately began attending to Yang Baoyu without uttering a word while the smiling young girl spoke in his stead, explaining what her master was doing so that they wouldn¡¯t be alarmed.


    Seeing that his son was in good hands, Yang Lingyun turned to Qinghe and said, ¡°Young Lord Feng, it is now your turn.¡±


    Qinghe nodded and stepped down from the platform before beginning to leisurely walk towards the brazier. His smiling expression remained the same even as he saw the white flames in the brazier waving with increasing vigor as if welcoming a new meal.


    Reaching into the back of his mind, Qinghe sent a small poke and asked, <Xiao Tian, you can hear me, can¡¯t you? I want to ask you something.>


    The Heavenly Throne¡¯s voice sounded grumblingly, <I¡¯ve been here since that time we met. Feng Qinghe, don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know that you¡¯ve been ignoring me on purpose all this time!>


    Qinghe sighed inwardly. <Xiao Tian, you shouldn¡¯t stalk people¡¯s thoughts like that. Is this the kind of person you want to grow up into? Tsk, tsk, you''re such an ill-mannered little brat.>


    The Throne immediately yelled back in retort, <Oi! Stop talking like I¡¯m a child! I¡¯m older than this universe, you know!>


    Ignoring this outburst, Qinghe lamented, <Ah, children are so difficult to have proper conversations with sometimes. Xiao Tian, did you forget that I said I have a request for you? We don¡¯t have much time and I can only walk so slowly before people think I¡¯m dragging my steps due to cowardliness. See? I¡¯m already halfway there.>


    <Fine, fine, I¡¯m a very dignified Throne of Heaven who won¡¯t keep bickering with someone as young and inexperienced as a certain deity, hmph! So what do you want to ask?>


    Suppressing his mirth at the irate tone, Qinghe questioned, <Is there anything insidious about that brazier and the fire inside it? I need to know if this trial is safe for me. I¡¯m not careless enough to let them plot against me using this.>


    Qinghe¡¯s mind was suddenly flooded with the Throne¡¯s incredulous laughter. <Are you of all people really asking me about safety?! Where did the Feng Qinghe who threw himself into dangerous situations with wild abandon and lack of care for himself go? Did having a family really tame you this much?>


    Qinghe wanted to roll his eyes. <Since the people I love do not want to see me unnecessarily hurt, I will take better care of myself. Is that really so hard to understand? Xiao Tian, you still haven¡¯t told me. Is this trial safe?>


    <Yes, yes, it¡¯s safe. These people aren¡¯t all evil, conniving bastards, you know. Well, at least not right now.> Having said everything he wanted to say, the Throne let out a sly snicker before his presence receded.


    Qinghe suppressed a frown. So there would probably be some other plot after this trial was over. But for now, he had to finish this trial and then focus on healing his arm. He could deal with whatever happened next afterwards.


    Finally reaching the brazier, Qinghe carefully began rolling up his right sleeve. After all, he didn¡¯t want it to come loose at an inopportune time and get burnt. He liked this robe too much to risk that. His lightly muscled arm was slowly revealed, looking slender yet showing a marked definition. Without much ado, Qinghe placed his arm into the fire, his palm casually resting on the edge of the brazier directly opposite to him.


    The attentions of everyone in the throne room quickly shifted focus between his arm and his expression, trying to assess just how long he would be able to hold on.


    In the fire, the smooth and unblemished white skin of Qinghe''s arm quickly turned red and began melting off, the thin layer of yellowish fat underneath boiling and evaporating with popping sounds. Soon, raw muscles and bones were revealed, roasting over the open flame. But even as the fire continued to burn his entire arm from his wrist to below his shoulder, Qinghe¡¯s expression showed no change. His eyes remained undisturbed as his smile stayed pleasant. There was no strain or rigidness in his posture as well. It was as if he couldn¡¯t feel the pain ripping up from his arm with brutal intensity at all while his flesh slowly cooked right in front of him. Compared to the obvious difficulty with which Yang Baoyu had faced this trial before, Qinghe seemed exceedingly composed and relaxed as if he were soaking in a hot spring rather than getting his arm roasted.


    The people watching from both sides wanted to gape at his nonchalance. In a disbelieving voice, Yang Lingyun asked, ¡°Y-Young Lord Feng¡­can it be that you are unable to feel pain? If that¡¯s the case, then this will become a very unfair trial.¡±


    Qinghe looked up at him with amusement. ¡°Your Majesty, I am capable of feeling pain as much as anyone here. There¡¯s nothing wrong with my tactile perception. And I¡¯m sure you already know that in these halls of the Heavenly Palace, no one can lie or cheat. But still, fair or not, I can¡¯t help it when you were the one who chose to call for me to come and take this trial in the first place.¡±


    Yang Lingyun was left with no words to refute and could only stare in incredulity as Qinghe watched his arm burn with a carefree expression. The fire had already eaten through the layers of his skin and muscle, now licking over his bared bones and charring them black. Sharp crackling sounded as the marrow inside reacted to the heat.


    On the platform, Feng Chunyi was watching with gritted teeth and intense eyes. She would do anything to take her son¡¯s place, but she also knew that her Qinghe wouldn¡¯t want her to undermine him in front of the entire heavenly court. He needed to stand strong and separate from her protection. He needed to make a name of his own so that his authority would be respected in the future. She already knew that this much pain was well within her son¡¯s limits, so she waited while almost trembling with the strain of not leaping to Qinghe and pulling him away from that stupid fire.


    On the other side of the platform, Feng Huixin and Wei Xiang had much the same thought. They already knew that Qinghe could handle it, and also that he neither needed nor wanted their interference. But unable to stand quietly and watch his son suffer, Feng Huixin turned his head and said something inaudible to the Heavenly Emperor. Hearing it, the Heavenly Emperor frowned and nodded. In a measured voice, he declared, ¡°Since Deity Feng has already borne the fire for much longer than Fourth Prince Yang, he is the victor. There is no need to continue this further.¡±


    Hearing this, Qinghe nodded and immediately tried to retract his arm. But reduced to blackened bones, his arm was without any muscles to let him control it, so he could only step back to drag it off the brazier. Due to the damage, the bare bones of his arm could only dangle limply from his shoulder socket now. Uncaring of it, Qinghe unrolled his sleeve and let it drape over his charred bones, hiding them from view. With his arm thus covered, there seemed to be nothing amiss at all as he walked back to the platform towards his mother. His steps stayed steady and his back straight as he leisurely made his way forward.


    When Qinghe was a couple of meters from the platform, the officer on the other side of Feng Huixin softly said, ¡°Lord Feng, Officer Wei, you should go and take care of Young Master Feng. I can take over here.¡±


    Giving nods of gratitude, Feng Huixin and Wei Xiang immediately leapt down and began striding towards Qinghe with worry apparent in their expressions. Seeing this and being unable to control herself either, Feng Chunyi impatiently jumped down and rushed towards her son as well, reaching him first due to being nearer.


    As he saw the concern in his mother¡¯s eyes as she headed for him, Qinghe tried to reassure her, ¡°Mother, it¡¯s alright.¡±


    ¡°Of course you¡¯d say that!¡± Feng Chunyi retorted, then pulled him close for a hug before her hand crept up and cupped her son¡¯s nape. ¡°See how tense your nape is. It must be hurting you so much¡­¡± she whispered disconsolately. Then quickly sorting through her storage space, Feng Chunyi took out several pain dampening pills to give him before searching for healing pills.


    Finally reaching them too, Wei Xiang wrapped his arms gently around his little lover¡¯s waist and asked in a low voice, ¡°Love, how is it? Does it hurt too much? Do you need to go back home and rest?¡±


    ¡°Qinghe, don¡¯t strain yourself. Wait, I¡¯ll go and get the Deity of Health to take a look at your arm,¡± Feng Huixin said with a frown as worry darkened his eyes.


    Qinghe looked at them all with helpless affection. Was there really a need to fuss so much over this? It wasn¡¯t like he would die or be permanently maimed. But still¡­ seeing their care and concern made his chest fill with a sweet warmth. ¡°Xiang, Mother already gave me medicine for the pain, so I don¡¯t feel anything for now. And Father, there¡¯s no need to trouble the Deity of Health when he¡¯s attending to Fourth Prince Yang. My arm will heal within a few weeks anyway, so please don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Seeing the Feng household once again pampering Qinghe so blatantly, the others all showed a complicated expression. After witnessing the frighteningly calm way he¡¯d taken the trial in, they had to wonder, was there even any need to worry over him like this? Either way, the sight of his relaxed and smiling face as he saw his own arm burn to bones would forever be etched into their minds. As befitting someone of the Feng household, this Feng Qinghe seemed to be just as unfathomable with hidden depths and complexities as the rest of his family.


    After his son was fussed over to his satisfaction, Feng Huixin went to stand in front of the Heavenly Emperor and bowed respectfully, ¡°I request Your Majesty to let my son use the Lotus Nectar Pond to heal his injury, since he has after all come to bear the wound in the line of fulfilling his duty to the heavenly court.¡±


    The Heavenly Emperor nodded. ¡°So be it. He may use it after the court closes for today.¡±


    Feng Huixin hesitated, then nodded. As much as he wanted to rush his son to the healing pool, it wouldn¡¯t do for them to abandon their stations while there were outsiders still in the court.


    Meanwhile, wanting to move this along quicker so that Qinghe would be able to go and heal in the pool soon, Feng Chunyi turned towards the people of Wu Jin and said, ¡°Since my son was able to last longer, does this mean that your nation will now start negotiations about merging with Heaven?¡±


    Yang Lingyun¡¯s lips pressed together. Since it was like this, they had no choice but to use the other, more unreliable scheme they¡¯d thought up. Sighing, he nodded. ¡°Yes, we concede you this victory. We will begin negotiations. However, to make sure neither side makes any unexpected moves against the other, I would like to ask for some insurance.¡±


    By now, after being attended to by the Deity of Health, the pain in Yang Baoyu¡¯s arm had been numbed and regeneration had already begun. As a centuries-old deity, unlike Qinghe, he would only need a few days to heal. And due to the medicine he¡¯d already taken, that time had now shortened to a few hours. And so, quickly composing himself again, he went to stand by his father. After all, the next stage of their plan would require his participation as well.


    Not willing to let them keep dragging this, Feng Chunyi folded her arms and prodded, ¡°What sort of insurance do you mean? I¡¯m sure you already have something planned. Just say it already.¡±


    Faced with her direct approach, Yang Lingyun hesitated. But under her glare, he quickly spoke, ¡°I meant an exchange of politically influential people. If one of our important people were to be exchanged with one of the significant personages in the heavenly court, then we will each have a reason to keep our behavior in check to protect the person exchanged from our nation. Does the Heavenly Emperor agree to this?¡±


    Being a man of few words, the Heavenly Emperor simply said, ¡°That will depend on whether the people themselves consent to be exchanged.¡±


    Yang Lingyun nodded. ¡°Then from our side, I propose to send my son, Fourth Prince Yang Baoyu, as the exchange. As the one who was chosen to be my heir and the next king of the nation of Wu Jin, he is the most appropriate for this.¡±


    The Heavenly Emperor turned his deep gaze towards Yang Baoyu. ¡°Does the Fourth Prince agree?¡±


    Pinned under that heavy gaze, Yang Baoyu swallowed nervously and nodded.


    Letting out a silent breath in relief, Yang Lingyun went on, ¡°The person he is to be exchanged with from the heavenly court should have an equal value as well. In that case, I suppose the most suitable one would be¡­¡±


    Seeing Yang Lingyun¡¯s gaze land on Qinghe, his parents immediately stepped in front of him protectively while Wei Xiang held him closer. In a decisive voice, Feng Chunyi stated, ¡°No, my son will not go with you, especially not in his current condition.¡±


    Yang Lingyun narrowed his eyes. He supposed he couldn¡¯t press this matter. From beside him, Yang Baoyu lifted his uninjured arm to lightly touch his father¡¯s hand. When Yang Lingyun turned to him, Yang Baoyu smiled reassuringly, indicating that it was alright, he could use this situation. Yang Lingyun¡¯s eyes widened as he realized what his son was planning. Yes, it would be better if his son had the chance to talk with that Feng Qinghe and assess the best way to influence that youngster.


    Clearing his throat, Yang Lingyun turned to the other three members of the Feng household and pondered. Proposing to take Feng Chunyi as the exchange was out of the question. She was too cunning and volatile. But due to his status as a heavenly beast, the wyvern Wei Xiang couldn¡¯t strictly be called a part of the heavenly court either, so he couldn¡¯t be chosen. That only left¡­ Yes, this could work. Targeting the next Heavenly Emperor might be more beneficial to them. He just hoped his stupid children back home wouldn¡¯t screw this up for once.


    In a smooth voice, Yang Lingyun spoke, ¡°Pardon my presumptuousness, but may I ask Lord Feng to be the exchange from your court? As the next Heavenly Emperor, it is only fitting that you be exchanged for the next ruler of our nation.¡±


    The Heavenly Emperor¡¯s eyes deepened with unfathomable thoughts, but he stayed silent. Though he was their ruler, he always kept his interference to a minimum. He would leave this matter to the persons involved to handle. If they asked for his help or needed it, he would answer, but otherwise, he would simply let them decide what to do.


    The other courtiers of the heavenly court had much the same attitude. Though it seemed like the Feng household was being targeted by the people from Wu Jin this time, they were still certain that those four could handle themselves. But if they found that these courtiers from Wu Jin actually managed to hurt them, then the entirety of the heavenly court would stand behind the Feng household and against the outsiders. But until then, they saw no reason to move. The politics of the heavenly court were that simple and that complicated at the same time.


    Meanwhile, though Feng Huixin was surprised, he still nodded in reply to Yang Lingyun. It was better for him to go than his son anyway.


    Seeing his father being targeted, Qinghe lost his pleasant smile and directed a sharp gaze at Yang Lingyun while Wei Xiang looked at the people from Wu Jin with an amused expression. If they thought his Master would be easy to manipulate or influence, they¡¯d be in for a surprise. Feng Chunyi didn¡¯t spare them a thought as she simply reached out and held her husband¡¯s hand tightly.


    Turning towards the group from Wu Jin, Feng Chunyi asked, ¡°When do you want the exchange to take place?¡±


    Yang Lingyun didn¡¯t expect them to so easily let him choose who to take back as the exchange, but he quickly recovered from the startlement. ¡°Since it¡¯s better to start negotiations immediately, it would be better for the exchange to take place right now. Since Lord Feng will have to stay at the Wu Jin royal palace for the duration of the negotiations, I hope you don¡¯t mind my son staying at the Feng residence in the meantime?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes suddenly glittered with something akin to sly glee, but he quickly hid it. ¡°Yes, that¡¯ll be fine. We will host Fourth Prince Yang, then.¡±


    The rest of his family didn¡¯t refute him, trusting him to know what he was doing.


    Yang Lingyun frowned. Why did they suddenly seem anticipatory? Shouldn¡¯t they be feeling anxious since their patriarch would be going away for a while? Something suddenly occurring to him, Yang Lingyun spoke up in an apologetic voice, ¡°Lord Feng, I would like to state an important condition that I hope you will choose to accept. Since you will be staying at my homeland for the next one or two days, could you please allow me to put on some deity-suppressing restraints on you? Considering how powerful you are, I wouldn¡¯t feel at ease knowing you could destroy large portions of my country at once by just accidentally releasing a little bit of your power.¡±


    By all rights, hearing such a flimsy excuse, anyone would usually reject it. But surprising everyone, Feng Huixin nodded calmly. ¡°Very well. If it will make Your Majesty feel at ease, then I don¡¯t mind putting on those restraints.¡±


    Anyone could see that what Yang Lingyun said was only an excuse to nullify Feng Huixin¡¯s power so that he would be helpless when he arrived at Wu Jin¡¯s royal palace. But though the younger ones in the heavenly court showed worried expressions at Feng Huixin¡¯s acquiescence, the more experienced ones simply smiled wryly. They already knew enough about Feng Huixin to not feel concern over this situation. And one had to know, the more the Feng household seemed like it was giving in, the more cautious one had to be.


    But not knowing that, Yang Lingyun felt happy that everything was going so smoothly and that every request of his was being agreed to so easily. Slowly walking up to Feng Huixin, he retrieved a set of seven bangles and held them up respectfully. Each of them was a plain ring of black-colored metal shining dully despite the bright light. The materials and procedure to make these restraints for deities were only available in Wu Jin, which was what had destabilized the nation in a way. Certain people wanted to obtain these types of restraints very badly while others wanted to make sure no one could ever get their hands on them. Along with internal upheaval caused due to an underground organization in their capital city, it was no wonder that Wu Jin was reduced to such a state so suddenly.


    Without fuss, Feng Huixin cooperatively pushed back his sleeves to reveal slender white arms that almost looked delicate. With careful motions, Yang Lingyun slid the bangles one by one onto both of Feng Huixin¡¯s arms, settling seven restraints in each. Usually, a deity only needed a single bangle to be completely unable to use their power. It was hypothesized that the Heavenly Emperor might need four sets, that is, eight whole restraints, which was already a shocking amount. But just to be safe, Yang Lingyun had used seven whole sets¡ªa total of fourteen restraints¡ªon Feng Huixin. He knew it might be a bit overboard, but he still wanted to be as cautious as possible, so he¡¯d used all the ones he had just to be safe.


    After both of Feng Huixin¡¯s arms were covered from wrist to elbow with these bangles, Yang Lingyun muttered a spell and had the metal restraints shrink so that Feng Huixin couldn¡¯t just slip them off. Now, until Yang Lingyun personally decided to take them off, these bangles would remain on Feng Huixin, restraining his power.


    Straightening, Yang Lingyun finally declared. ¡°It is done.¡±


    Feng Huixin nodded expressionlessly, not seeming affected by the loss of power in the least. Strangely enough, Feng Chunyi didn¡¯t seem bothered as well, just staring intently at Yang Lingyun until he felt cold sweat covering his back.


    Once she was satisfied that she¡¯d scared him enough, Feng Chunyi turned to her husband and hugged him. ¡°Ah-Xin, take care of yourself and don¡¯t put up with any injustices, alright?¡±


    Feng Huixin lifted his arms and hugged his wife back, his eyes softening. ¡°Yes.¡±


    As he let go, the bangle-restraints on his arms made heavy clunking sounds. But Feng Huixin didn¡¯t look strained in the least while moving his arms.


    In a solemn tone, Wei Xiang spoke out, ¡°Master, did you have time to look over the files I left on your desk yesterday?¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes deepened. Those files had contained investigation reports on the underground organization plaguing the capital city of Wu Jin. Thinking about some of the logical hypotheses presented in those files, Feng Huixin had been somewhat surprised. Nodding to show that he had indeed looked through those files and understood the danger Wei Xiang was asking him to look out for in such a roundabout way, Feng Huixin said, ¡°Yes, I know. I will be careful.¡±


    Wei Xiang let out a breath in relief and nodded. Though he was worried for his master¡¯s safety, he also knew that Feng Huixin wasn¡¯t the type to put himself in danger without thought. He was usually very careful and methodical. So for him to agree to Yang Lingyun¡¯s terms like this should mean that they held no threat to him.


    In Wei Xiang¡¯s embrace, Qinghe held out his uninjured hand and retrieved a rectangular wooden box, then handed it to his father with a cheerful smile. ¡°Father, these are the sweets with the new flavors we decided on yesterday evening. All of them were made specifically according to your tastes. I wanted to save them to enjoy together later, but since you¡¯ll be away from home for a while, I want you to have them now itself. Think of us when you¡¯re eating it, okay?¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes slightly widened, then turned warm with affection. Solemnly accepting the box with his precious son¡¯s handmade sweets, he said, ¡°Yes, thank you.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s expression turned happy. Though he had been concerned at first, since his mother didn¡¯t try to manipulate the circumstances to get his father out of this situation, it must mean that his father would be able to handle this.


    After receiving his family¡¯s well-wishes, Feng Huixin walked to stand in front of the Heavenly Emperor and bowed. ¡°Your Majesty, Deity of Judgment Feng Huixin will now depart for the lands of Wu Jin.¡±


    The Heavenly Emperor nodded. ¡°Lord Feng, be well. And if need be, listen to your master.¡±


    Everyone in the throne room except Feng Chunyi looked at them with curiosity and surprise. His master?!


    Feng Huixin¡¯s expression tightened with sudden shock, but he quickly put it away and replied, ¡°Yes, I thank Your Majesty for your concern.¡±


    And so, all courtesies fulfilled, Feng Huixin turned to Yang Lingyun. ¡°I am prepared to set off.¡± He didn¡¯t want to extend this and delay his son¡¯s treatment in the healing pool.


    Yang Lingyun nodded and turned to Yang Baoyu, ¡°Yu-er, you will stay with the Feng household until the negotiations are over. Behave yourself and don¡¯t do anything that will violate the laws of Heaven.¡± If he did, then depending on the severity of the offense, the heavenly court might just get even more leverage over them.


    Also understanding this, Yang Baoyu nodded gracefully and smiled with assurance. ¡°Father, I know. I will not shame our nation.¡±


    Yang Lingyun turned to his reedy-thin nephew and ordered, ¡°Yang Jian, lead everyone back. I will stay here with the people who came with me to negotiate the terms of merging. Treat Lord Feng with the utmost respect, and after you reach the palace, tell my children to take good care of him as well.¡±


    The very picture of an obedient nephew, Yang Jian bowed and replied, ¡°Yes, Royal Uncle.¡±


    Yang Lingyun gave a nod and turned to walk away with his people without another word. Left bowing, Yang Jian sneered before fixing his expression and straightening again. What was even the need to bring him and his faction of people opposing the merging in the first place? His uncle had just ended up doing everything as he liked without letting them say a single thing! Did he think they were his servants to order about as he liked? Hmph!


    But fearing Yang Lingyun and Yang Baoyu, Yang Jian didn¡¯t dare show even a hint of his displeasure outside or make any moves now. He just respectfully led Feng Huixin out along with the dissatisfied-looking people who had come with Yang Jian to the line of carriages in which they¡¯d arrived. Once they¡¯d made their way far away from this place, he could then try to mess with his uncle¡¯s instructions.


    ¡­¡­


    The carriage rattled along among the line of other, similarly opulent vehicles being drawn forward by vaguely horse-shaped spiritual beasts. The carriage Feng Huixin was allocated to had soft leather seats and a relatively smooth gait as it trundled along. The gauzy fabric of the curtains was drawn over the windows to block out the harshness of the sunshine, filtering the light to cast the inside in dim shadows. Other than Feng Huixin, there was no one else in the carriage.


    Feeling comfortable in this environment, Feng Huixin finally opened the box of sweets Qinghe had given him that he¡¯d been carrying along till now. Inside, several balls of white dough sat in partitions, each one looking even, smooth, and very round.


    Reaching out slender fingers, Feng Huixin carefully took the one in the top right corner and lifted it up to his lips, parting them to take a small bite. The pleasant fragrance of rose mixed with the flavor of saffron and honeyed milk, dissolving on his tongue smoothly. Feng Huixin closed his eyes, his brows relaxing as he savored the sweet. He didn¡¯t usually care about food except for his preference towards milder flavors, but since the ones in this box were made and specially given to him by his son, he was determined to enjoy every crumb of it as if it was made from divine nectar.


    After the first one was finished, Feng Huixin reached for the one below that, then the next one, until he¡¯d completed one-third of the sweets before even realizing it. Feng Huixin paused and looked at the box with assessing eyes. No, it wouldn¡¯t do to finish it all in one go. He had to ration it until the time for him to go home arrived. Letting out a soft sigh, he closed the lid of the box, then raised his crumb-stained fingers to stare at it with a conflicted emotion in his eyes. Manners indicated that he should just use a cloth or some water to clean his hands, but Feng Huixin really didn¡¯t want to waste even this little bit of the sweets his son had worked hard to make.


    Well, since there was no one else present in the carriage¡­no one should be able to see him acting improperly.


    Reassuring himself with that, Feng Huixin extended his tongue out from between his lips and carefully licked away the crumbs on his fingers, then retracted his tongue and swallowed the last remnants of the sweets he¡¯d finished with a guilty look. Placing the box of sweets on his lap with his hands neatly resting on it, Feng Huixin straightened his back and assumed a proper posture again.


    Hours passed in this way.


    Just when the line of carriages finished making a stop to feed and water the horse-like spiritual beasts and was about to move, the door to Feng Huixin¡¯s carriage unexpectedly opened and a large, bald man entered, directly sitting on the seat opposite to him.


    Closing the door just as the carriage began to move, the bald man turned to Feng Huixin and explained, ¡°One of the carriages has a loose axle that will need to be repaired. Since this carriage is mostly empty, I decided I could share with you. Do you mind¡­uh, Lord Feng, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    Feng Huixin slightly turned his head and nodded. ¡°It is fine.¡±


    The bald man grinned, his dark eyes looking up and down while assessing the other man. ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s good then. Wouldn¡¯t want to inconvenience you, now would we?¡±


    Not seeing the need to speak, Feng Huixin remained silent, his figure still as he closed his eyes to show that he wasn¡¯t open to any more conversation. He heard the bald man chuffing out a strange laugh as he shifted on the leather seat before settling himself comfortably again. Feng Huixin could hear every loud breath the other man exhaled, along with the thud of his large heart, the irregular staccato of his boot tapping the floor, and the tiny shifts of his clothing as his chest moved up and down. It was slightly irritating, but Feng Huixin bore with it. It didn¡¯t help that other than those little noises, the carriage was almost completely silent. But even the muffled sounds of the rhythmic hoofbeats of the spiritual beasts pulling the carriage outside and the rattle of the wheels and the wooden cabin was more pleasant to hear than the annoying little noises let out by this person.


    But not wanting to blame the other man for something he couldn¡¯t control, Feng Huixin determinedly ignored him and redirected his thoughts to the sweets Qinghe had given him. It would have been even more perfect if his other son, Wei Xiang, could have made something too, but maybe it was for the best that he didn¡¯t. After all, Feng Huixin would then have to carry around an extra box. And Wei Xiang had already helped him a lot by compiling that information about the underground organization in Wu Jin¡¯s capital. Knowing that certain operatives from that organization might be in high positions in the palace was definitely something he had needed to know. It would help him take precautions and¨D


    Feng Huixin suddenly sensed the bald man get up and step towards him. A moment later, humid breath smelling of chicken and sour onions washed over Feng Huixin as the other man leaned over him. Easing his eyelids open, Feng Huixin flicked his gaze upwards without a change in expression. The bald man was looming over him, one arm on the windowsill to the left while the other hand gripped the top of the seat to his right, caging him in.


    In an inflectionless voice, Feng Huixin asked, ¡°Yes?¡±


    The bald man grinned and tilted his chin down to motion towards Feng Huixin¡¯s lap. ¡°You¡¯ve been tightly holding on to that box since you came out from that shiny white palace, haven¡¯t you? It looks like it¡¯s made out of very expensive and high-quality stuff too. What¡¯s in there? Money? Treasure? Or is it some sort of priceless artifact?¡±


    Feng Huixin remained indifferent. ¡°It¡¯s nothing of that sort.¡±


    The bald man laughed. ¡°Hey, come now. You have to let me at least take a look. For all I know, you¡¯ve got it stuffed with phoenix feathers. Since we¡¯re sharing this carriage anyway, why don¡¯t we share the contents of your little secret box too, huh? Or are you that stingy?¡±


    Feng Huixin wanted to sigh. Closing his eyes again, he refused simply, ¡°No.¡±


    The bald man¡¯s face twitched with anger, but he suppressed it and talked in a jovial voice, ¡°Now, now, mister. Don¡¯t be like that. You might be some uppity hotshot from Heaven, but I¡¯ve already been told that all your divinity has been sealed away by some pretty bangles. If I wanted to hurt you now, there¡¯s nothing you can do. So it¡¯s better to cooperate, isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s more painless that way.¡±


    Feng Huixin opened his eyes and looked up at the bald man again. This man¡­ he was threatening him? And he seemed to be under the wrong impression that Feng Huixin was helpless just because of those deity-suppressing restraints. Even most children of deities knew that blocking one¡¯s spiritual energy did nothing to weaken physical strength. To not even know that¡­ did this bald man lack intelligence that much? But Feng Huixin very politely didn¡¯t ask the other man that to his face.


    But taking his silence as agreement, the bald man chuckled and reached a hand towards the box on Feng Huixin¡¯s lap. His brow twitching once in annoyance, Feng Huixin clamped his fingers around the other man¡¯s wrist, not letting it even touch the box before flinging it away. Once again, he said a single, unbending word, ¡°No.¡±


    The bald man wanted to rage and yell at him, but the second his eyes met Feng Huixin¡¯s, he froze. Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes were like two crystallized pools of frigid coldness, the dark depths filled with unfathomable age and weight. Shocking might exuded from his slender body, stilling the air around them and making the breath in the bald man¡¯s chest feel like it had solidified into stone. His trembling lips parting, the bald man let out a smothered yelp.


    That small sound brought Feng Huixin back to his senses. Closing his eyes, he composed himself again. The aura of overbearance in the air slowly dissipated as he regained his calm.


    The bald man took a shaky breath and let out a shuddering laugh. ¡°Y-You must be some heavyweight if you can do all this even when your power is suppressed. Mister, let¡¯s put aside that box. Now I¡¯m even more interested in you.¡±


    Not wanting to give Feng Huixin the chance to do anything, the bald man shot out his hand to grip Feng Huixin¡¯s jaw to pull his face towards his own. Seeing that extremely stunning androgynous face nearing him made the bald man feel incredibly excited. No matter the other man¡¯s aura, the bald man was sure that with his power currently sealed, Feng Huixin couldn¡¯t do anything more than posture grandly. And just the thought of holding such a beautiful and otherwise powerful being down, ripping open that black robe and having his way with his struggling body, made the bald man lose his reason as all blood rushed downwards. As he¡¯d expected, the beauty his master chose for him to steal from and humiliate this time was exactly his type!


    Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes narrowed, his neck remaining rigid as he pulled his head back. Sensing the growing bulge in the other man¡¯s pants as he pressed against his knee, Feng Huixin felt a hint of repugnance curling in him. This man dared to try and force him! A small spark of anger finally ignited in his eyes.


    Meanwhile, faced with his surprisingly strong resistance, the bald man used his other hand to press on the back of Feng Huixin¡¯s unbudging head to try and pull if forward while growling, ¡°Now, now¡­ The more you resist, the more painful it will be later. If you act good and obedient, I will even leave half of the contents of that box to you. Otherwise, not only will you lose your virginity, you will also¨D¡±


    Not wanting to hear any more nonsense, one of Feng Huixin¡¯s legs swept out to kick away this infuriating person, barely managing to hold back his strength in time. The side of the carriage exploded outward as the bald man went shooting out.


    From high up, the line of carriages looked like a long snake in brown and gold slowly making its way forward on a pale and narrow path. On one side was a steep mountain face rising up while on the other side was a lush, dense forest. Suddenly, a large projectile burst out of one of the carriages in the middle of the line, blasting through the forest and tearing down the ancient trees in its wake. The carriage with the exploded side was suddenly pulled to a halt by its startled driver, making the ones behind it stagger to a stop as well. A few moments later, the ones in the front noticed the disturbance and slowly rolled to a halt as a few people came out to see what was wrong.


    In the carriage, Feng Huixin sat with his usual poise, uncaring of the entire wall reduced to splinters beside him when the bald man crashed through it, flying with force into the forest. Looking down at the undamaged box on his lap, Feng Huixin frowned. Though he really wanted to put it away in his storage space¡­ Feeling the heavy restraints on his arms, he could only sigh and push aside that thought.


    Within minutes, Yang Jian and a few others hurried towards the carriage, looking with wide eyes at the trail of wood and splinters leading into the forest, mixed with some streaks of blood here and there.


    Gingerly approaching Feng Huixin, Yang Jian asked, ¡°L-Lord Feng¡­may I ask just what happened here?¡± In his mind, Yang Jian was cursing the bald man for failing in his simple task of discomposing and humiliating Feng Huixin a bit. Yang Jian had even used that box this man¡¯s son had given him to bait that bald man by purposefully misleading him about the contents, saying it had something valuable in it. All Yang Jian wanted to do was defy his uncle¡¯s orders and place all the blame on the bald man. How did it end up like this?!


    Still sitting calmly in the ruined carriage, Feng Huixin cast a disinterested glance at Yang Jian and answered, ¡°The man you sent wished to assault me. I disagreed.¡±


    Hearing this simple statement, Yang Jian¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know what Lord Feng means by the man I sent¡­ I don¡¯t remember sending anyone¡­¡±


    Feng Huixin turned to look at Yang Jian, his eyes cold and piercing.


    Yang Jian snapped his mouth shut and held himself tautly to avoid trembling. He was the kind of person who, if someone let him push them around, wouldn¡¯t mind pushing that person to their death. But the moment someone showed him that messing with them could have very grave consequences, he would immediately become servile, not daring to offend them. His weak character was what had made Yang Lingyun choose Yang Jian to represent the opposing faction, since having someone strong would be more troublesome for him.


    Not wanting to waste his breath with such a person, Feng Huixin said, ¡°Since this carriage is now unfit for travel, I hope Lord Yang has a replacement ready for me?¡±


    Unable to meet that incisive gaze, Yang Jiang hesitantly replied, ¡°Uh, th-that¡­ We don¡¯t have any empty carriages for Lord Feng¡¯s use, s-so¡­if you don¡¯t mind sharing¡­¡±


    ¡°I refuse,¡± Feng Huixin stated, not willing to be polite anymore. Though he tried not to be unreasonable, he wouldn¡¯t put up with being mistaken for a pushover either. ¡°I do not trust your people, so you can either clear a carriage for my use or wait for the other carriage with the faulty axle to be fixed. That shouldn¡¯t be a problem, I hope?¡±


    Yang Jian¡¯s hands clenched within his sleeves. He felt as if the weight of the other man¡¯s gaze on him was like a mountain pressing down on his shoulders. He didn¡¯t dare to even lift his head as he nodded quickly, ¡°Y-Yes, it will be arranged. If Lord Feng is willing to be a bit patient, th-then I can have it ready within the hour.¡±


    A few moments of ominous silence slowly dripped by before Feng Huixin finally agreed, ¡°Very well. It wouldn¡¯t do to keep everyone waiting for too long, so please make haste.¡±


    Yang Jian let out an unsteady breath in relief and nodded fervently, trying to project sincerity. Hurrying off, he set about working to get a free carriage for Feng Huixin. At the side, a few people were busily hauling off the unconscious and bloodied bald man from the forest on a stretcher, while a few others argued about who would share their carriage with the injured person.


    Inside the carriage with the busted wall, Feng Huixin leaned back silently on the backrest, looking completely unapproachable. He disliked having to behave in a forceful manner like he just did, but if it would get people to bother him less, then he supposed he could only use it. Letting out a soft sigh, Feng Huixin closed his eyes. It seemed that this whole business of him being used as an exchange was going to be troublesome this time.


    Thirty minutes later, the carriage that was supposedly getting repaired was quickly brought back and Feng Huixin was able to peacefully relax in solitude again. This time, no one disturbed him except to ask him if he needed anything when they stopped to rest the spiritual beasts drawing the carriages.


    A few more hours of travel later, they finally reached the large scale transportation array that would directly lead the whole line of carriages to the other side of the array situated before the Wu Jin royal palace. A few dozen minutes after the transportation array was activated, Feng Huixin finally found himself entering the gates of the nation of Wu Jin¡¯s royal palace.


    ¡­¡­


    In the meantime in Heaven¡¯s capital, as soon as court was dismissed for the day, Feng Chunyi and Wei Xiang wanted to rush Qinghe to the healing pool. Before going to submerge himself in the pool, Qinghe asked his mother to escort Yang Baoyu to the Feng residence and give him a room to stay at, then go to the heavenly armies¡¯ barracks until this situation was over. After Feng Chunyi asked a dozen times if her son would really be able to deal with everything without her help, she went off to do as requested.


    Now, a few hours had already passed since Qinghe entered the healing pool. The azure skies were beginning to darken to purple, the horizon a line of burning orange as the sun slowly eased downward. Reflecting the twilight, the thick bluish-green liquid in the healing pool gained a warmer tint.


    Sitting on one of the wide marble stairs leading down into the square pool was Wei Xiang, his gaze intently fixed on the spot where Qinghe had laid down. He had remained entirely unmoving from the moment his little lover waded into those languid waters.


    Though Qinghe could have just submerged his burnt arm into the pool to let it heal while he stayed above the surface, unfortunately, the damage wasn¡¯t just isolated to his arm. His entire body had been adversely affected due to the unbearable heat that had charred his arm down to the bones. He had developed a fever and even some of his organs had incurred damage due to the heat seeping into the rest of his body. But not wanting to appear weak, he had suppressed these symptoms until the end of court, which had only made them worse. And so, he had to once again lie down on the pool¡¯s floor to heal his whole body.


    But unlike the last time when he slept alone in the pool for three years, this time, Wei Xiang waited for him anxiously on the pool¡¯s edge, not wanting to leave his beloved for even a moment.


    As Wei Xiang thus continued to stare intently at the pool while hoping for the slightest signs of movement, his wishes were answered as the small round lotuses in a certain area began bobbing up and down even as ripples disturbed the surface of the thick liquid. Wei Xiang quickly stood up, his gaze focused with frightening intensity on the disturbance.


    Qinghe slowly emerged from the middle of the healing pool. Standing up, he felt thick liquid weighing his clothes and slowly dripping down his hair. Qinghe carefully made his way forward to the edge of the pool and walked up the steps until he reached his lover. Waving a hand, he quickly dried his clothes, body, and hair with the wind, shivering at the resultant feeling. Wei Xiang immediately came forward to hug him tight. ¡°Love, how is it? Are you alright now?¡±


    Qinghe rubbed his chilly face into his beloved¡¯s comfortably warm shoulder and replied, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine now. The arm is fully regenerated too.¡±


    Wei Xiang stepped back and quickly lifted up Qinghe¡¯s right arm, pushing up his little lover¡¯s sleeve to reassure himself. With a helpless smile, Qinghe indulged his beloved. Staring at the smooth skin stretching over the healthy looking arm, Wei Xiang finally let relief take over him.


    ¡°Satisfied?¡± Qinghe asked.


    Wei Xiang raised an eyebrow and smirked. ¡°Not yet, love. I haven¡¯t performed an in-depth examination yet.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s face turned pink as Wei Xiang lowered his head to place his lips on his little lover¡¯s fingers. Extending his tongue, he gave the slender fingers a warm lick before kissing them gently. ¡°Hmm, the newly regenerated skin seems softer. I feel that more exploration is required.¡±


    As Wei Xiang¡¯s lips and tongue slowly made their way up his fingers to his knuckles, then the back of his hand and to his wrist, Qinghe inhaled a deep breath and whispered unsteadily, ¡°¡­X-Xiang¡­we can¡¯t¡­ We still have that guest¡­waiting back home¨D Ah! ¡­Mnn¡­¡± His voice dissolving into a moan as he felt a soft suck on his arm, Qinghe pushed away thoughts of Yang Baoyu and decided to enjoy his lover¡¯s attentions for now.


    Wei Xiang smiled in satisfaction, his mouth moving up his beloved¡¯s arm while kissing, licking, and sucking along the way. Qinghe¡¯s lips parted as his breaths turned hot and heavy. His eyelids fluttered down gently while need slowly unfurled in his belly. Hmm, if this was his reward for having his arm burned, then he didn¡¯t mind doing it a few hundred times just so that he could feel his lover¡¯s lips moving on his skin like this, so soft and warm¡­


    Wei Xiang reached all the way up to Qinghe¡¯s shoulder where the sleeve sat bunched. Pressing one last kiss and finally lifting his mouth from the smooth skin, he said, ¡°Yes, everything seems to have healed nicely.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes darkened with need looked deeply into Wei Xiang¡¯s. Pulling down his beloved¡¯s head by his nape, he enticed, ¡°I can think of plenty of other places you can explore next.¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled, letting himself be pulled down. ¡°Oh? What other places does my little lover have in mind?¡±


    ¡°This,¡± Qinghe said, then kissed him. Wei Xiang groaned and pulled his beloved tighter against his body, his hands smoothing over Qinghe¡¯s back and sides even as he opened his mouth to let his tongue play with Qinghe¡¯s. Pressed together, their bodies gently swayed as their mouths sucked each other with passion.


    Qinghe¡¯s hands slid down from Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulders and his strong back to settle on his hips. As he pulled his lover forward to grind the bulges between their legs against each other, Qinghe felt his blood boil with the need to feel his Xiang inside him right this instant. Leaning back from the kiss, he panted harshly. ¡°X-Xiang¡­let¡¯s do it now.¡±


    Wei Xiang gave a breathless laugh and leaned down peck his little lover on his forehead. Just as Qinghe felt his anticipation increasing, Wei Xiang suddenly pushed him away and said solemnly, ¡°Feng Qinghe, what sort of behavior is this? We have a guest waiting for us alone at home. How can you give in to lust at a time like this?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Qinghe speechlessly looked at Wei Xiang. Then spotting the laughter and mischief lighting up his beloved¡¯s gaze, Qinghe¡¯s lips twitched. With an unamused expression, he took a step forward. ¡°Xiang, you¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang immediately leapt back and chuckled cheekily. ¡°Now, now, love. I won¡¯t fall for your seductive wiles so easily.¡± Then turning around, Wei Xiang sped away.


    For a moment, Qinghe just stood there blank-faced. Then letting out a growl borne out of sexual frustration, he chased his smirking lover at full speed while shouting, ¡°Wei Xiang, you sneaky bastard! Just wait until I catch you, and then I¡¯ll make you wish for a quick death!¡±


    Laughing cheerfully, Wei Xiang continued to run while wondering just what fun things his little lover was planning to do to him if he caught up.


    Seeing this couple chasing each other around like this and playing happily together while they had a snake staying at their house, the people of the capital couldn¡¯t help but wonder at the Feng household¡¯s carefree attitude. Could it be that they didn¡¯t feel threatened by Yang Baoyu¡¯s presence at all?


    Not caring about others¡¯ speculations, Qinghe and Wei Xiang had their hearts¡¯ fill of fun before making their way back to the Feng residence.


    On the way from the transportation array to the house¡¯s gates, Wei Xiang suddenly asked, ¡°Qinghe, what are you planning with that fourth prince?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes gleamed slyly. ¡°Well, since he and his people seem to be scheming to tip the balance between our courts in their favor, I wanted to try doing the same too. That prince will probably try to approach me sometime, probably because he thinks I¡¯m young and easily manipulated. He will try to test the waters and get a feeling for my relationship with you. Well, I have a few ideas on how to use that, but I want to wait and see just how far he is going to go.¡±


    Wei Xiang shook his head with a wry smile. Well, if playing with that prince could entertain his little lover a bit, then he was content to let his Qinghe mess with their guest however much he wanted. He could just stand at the side and see his beloved¡¯s happily plotting face.


    And so, the pair of lovers merrily made their way into the Feng residence.


    But the second they stepped foot into the house, Wei Xiang stiffened, a corner of his lips lifting up in a snarl. ¡°He dared!¡±


    Qinghe frowned concernedly. ¡°Xiang, what happened?¡±


    Walking quickly, Wei Xiang replied, ¡°That prince actually tried to fiddle with the wards around the egg chamber.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s expression turned cuttingly serious. ¡°Did he breach it?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, but he removed a few layers. It¡¯s not like we didn¡¯t prepare the wards for this, but still¡­ What sort of guest dares to try and lay his hand on his host¡¯s children?!¡±


    Qinghe chuckled coldly. ¡°An extremely rude one. He¡¯s crossed a line, so I hope he¡¯s ready to pay.¡±


    Within moments, they reached the egg chamber. The space before the door was empty. It seemed that sensing their arrival into the house, Yang Baoyu had decided to abandon whatever he was doing and retreated into his room. He shouldn¡¯t yet have known that Wei Xiang was directly linked to the eggs using a perception spell. The second the eggs were in grave danger, Wei Xiang would be able to sense it. This sort of spell was only possible because of Wei Xiang¡¯s shared blood with the unborn wyverns inside the eggs, which was why no one else in the Feng household could use the same spell. But since the eggs weren¡¯t in any direct danger this time, Wei Xiang was only able to sense Yang Baoyu¡¯s fiddling with the wards after he entered the house.


    But not knowing that the couple had already found out, Yang Baoyu might try to distract them someway and get back to working through the wards. Qinghe was determined to use this. But he refused to let his future children be the bait.


    ¡°It seems that the chamber isn¡¯t safe anymore,¡± Wei Xiang spoke.


    Nodding, Qinghe said, ¡°It¡¯s good that we already have a safer secret chamber prepared that we were planning to move the eggs into anyway. But the problem will be transferring the eggs there without alerting our nosy guest.¡±


    Wei Xiang sighed. Just because these eggs were linked to the Feng household, they were being targeted. By destroying the eggs, the future of the household could be weakened, and by stealing them and holding them hostage, they could extort and manipulate the Feng household however they wanted. Of course, seeing how valuable the unique wyvern bloodline was, they could also sell the eggs or breed the wyverns hatched from it to make a fortune. There were plenty of such reasons for Yang Baoyu to want to access the egg chamber and the eggs within, but neither Qinghe nor Wei Xiang would let him have his way.


    By now, Qinghe was already plotting all the ways he could exact vengeance for this without harming Yang Baoyu, since doing so would give the other side a reason to cry injustice and use it as leverage against the heavenly court. Even if Qinghe was able to hide all evidence of any crimes done unto Yang Baoyu, the second he stepped into the throne room and was questioned by the Heavenly Emperor, he could only tell the truth. But despite all this, though he couldn¡¯t hurt him, Qinghe still knew plenty of ways to make Yang Baoyu suffer.


    Since Yang Baoyu wanted so desperately to get Wu Jin some power in these negotiations, Qinghe would make sure that he would be the reason Wu Jin lost power instead.


    ¡°Xiang,¡± Qinghe finally called. ¡°I will distract him, so can you use that time to ready the secret chamber in the meantime and move the eggs?¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded. ¡°Do you want my help with the distraction?¡±


    Qinghe was about to shake his head, but suddenly paused as he thought of something and nodded instead. ¡°It will make things a bit easier if you could act as if you¡¯re losing your affection for me. I can then act the role of the lonely and neglected lover. Of course this will make our guest want to come and console me. Long story short, I can get us a few hours without his interference to set up something that will hopefully end up with his regret and despair.¡±


    Wei Xiang raised an eyebrow. ¡°Can you do it without breaking the laws? Since we are the hosts, if something happens to him during our watch, we will naturally be suspected.¡±


    But Qinghe only chuckled. ¡°I know. It will be fine.¡±


    His expression softening, Wei Xiang bent down to kiss his little lover¡¯s smiling mouth, then murmured into his beloved¡¯s soft lips, ¡°Very well, then. I¡¯ll leave all the scheming to you. But for now, we have a show to put on. Our guest has left his room and is heading towards us.¡±


    Qinghe leaned back and nodded. Not wanting Yang Baoyu to find them by the egg chamber and trigger his suspicion, Qinghe and Wei Xiang also started strolling through the corridors while slowly increasing the distance between them purposefully.


    When Yang Baoyu saw his hosts and how they didn¡¯t seem to have found anything out, he finally relaxed. ¡°Young Lord Feng, Lord Wei, I see that you are back.¡±


    Qinghe smiled pleasantly and said, ¡°Yes. I apologize for failing to attend to you till now. I hope Fourth Prince Yang hasn¡¯t found anything inadequate?¡±


    Yang Baoyu chuckled and shook his head. ¡°No, of course not. I¡¯m just grateful that the Feng household has graciously agreed to host me. May I ask how Young Lord Feng¡¯s arm is now?¡±


    Qinghe lifted the arm in question and replied, ¡°It¡¯s all healed up now. And yours?¡±


    ¡°Thanks to the Deity of Health¡¯s care, mine has thankfully regenerated as well,¡± Yang Baoyu answered smilingly.


    At the side, after remaining silent with an irritable expression all this while, Wei Xiang finally spoke, ¡°I have matters to attend to in the Offices of Judgment in Master¡¯s absence. Qinghe, take care of our guest.¡± Then giving Yang Baoyu a curt nod, Wei Xiang turned on his heel and left.


    Qinghe raised a hand as if to ask him to stay, but curled his fingers and lowered his arm again. Biting his lip, Qinghe saw his lover¡¯s back getting farther away with a dissatisfied expression mixed with hints of loneliness and apprehension. Of course, Yang Baoyu didn¡¯t fail to catch this, his eyes gleaming with ideas as he maintained a sympathetic expression. ¡°Lord Wei seems quite a bit colder than he shows outside.¡±


    Giving an awkward laugh, Qinghe acted as if he was trying to make excuses, ¡°N-No, that¡­ I¡¯m sure he¡¯s only dreading all the work waiting for him in his office. Yes, I¡¯m sure that¡¯s it. And his workload also seems to have increased these past few months, making him stay out late¡­ No. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s only work¡­¡±


    Looking at Qinghe¡¯s expression that seemed to be saying that he didn¡¯t want to face the obvious signs of his lover losing his interest in him and maybe even cheating on him, Yang Baoyu had to struggle to hide his pleased smile. It seemed that getting this person to his side would need even less effort than he¡¯d thought. He should perhaps put aside the matter of that protected egg chamber and work on Feng Qinghe instead.


    After a few more moments of longingly gazing in the direction Wei Xiang had gone in, Qinghe finally turned to Yang Baoyu with a somewhat subdued smile. ¡°If Fourth Prince Yang needs something, please don¡¯t hesitate to find me. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡­I need to go and¡­¡±


    With an understanding smile, Yang Baoyu said kindly, ¡°Yes, of course. I¡¯ll go to my room and meditate for now.¡±


    Acting like he wanted to considerately give a sad Qinghe some space, Yang Baoyu walked back. Dropping his anxious expression, Qinghe showed a small, amused smile and began to head in the opposite direction.


    And so the two people parted, each with their own thoughts and schemes.


    ¡­¡­


    In the Wu Jin royal palace, Feng Huixin stepped into the simple room set aside for him, closed the door, and breathed a sigh of relief.


    The second Feng Huixin had entered the palace, he had been latched onto by Yang Baoyu¡¯s three other siblings. The eldest was a mountain of a man called Yang Yehuo whose bold attitude reminded Feng Huixin of the unpleasant bald man from the carriage. Yang Xuehua was the second prince, a slender young man with an earnest, somewhat shy, and pleasant personality. The third was an energetic princess named Yang Ruanyu, who happened to be Yang Baoyu¡¯s older twin.


    Each poked and prodded Feng Huixin verbally, trying to get information about the situation back at the heavenly court, the status of the negotiations, and other such details about politics. Having to constantly evade their questions while surrounded by their lively personalities left Feng Huixin exhausted. So, now that he was finally able to enjoy some peace and quiet, Feng Huixin relaxed.


    Looking around, he noticed that this room given to him wasn¡¯t too opulent despite being situated in the palace. Its placement also pointed to it probably being a servant¡¯s quarters before, but Feng Huixin didn¡¯t mind. The furniture in the room was simple and functional, and there was a large window opposite to the door that let in fresh breeze. Feng Huixin noticed that the windowsill was thick enough, and the window itself was wide enough, that two to three people could easily sit on it. Maybe that really was the intended purpose.


    Walking up to the table in the center of the room, Feng Huixin placed the box of sweets he had been carrying till now down. Pulling out the nearby chair and sitting on it, he carefully opened the box, pondering on the two-third of the sweets still left. Then giving out a sigh of defeat, he proceeded to slowly eat another one-third of the sweets. He missed his family, and eating food made by his son seemed to fill the emptiness in his chest a little.


    He contemplated on whether he should try contacting Wei Xiang telepathically to cure his loneliness, but decided not to. With Yang Baoyu in the Feng residence right now, who knew how tense the situation there was? Wei Xiang might not be able to afford being distracted right now. Unless it was an emergency, it might be better not to contact him. Sighing, Feng Huixin decided that eating his son¡¯s handmade sweets would have to suffice for now.


    While growing up, Feng Huixin had never had the chance to eat food made with affection for him alone. The kind nanny who¡¯d brought him up had been terrible at cooking. But whenever one of Feng Huixin¡¯s siblings tried to harass him to gain points from their parents by throwing away his food, his nanny would give him some fruits. Her son had been a fruit vendor, and knowing how despite being a young master from a rich family, Feng Huixin was often deprived of food, the fruit vendor also set aside the juiciest fruits in his stock for Feng Huixin. As a sensible and quiet little boy, Feng Huixin had evoked protective feelings in most of the adults he¡¯d met.


    The rest of the time when he was able to eat, Feng Huixin had to sit at the table with his various siblings while his parents would be seated at the head. His siblings would aim their sly tongues and poisonous words at each other, constantly attacking one other verbally while scheming to pull the others down so that they could gain their parents¡¯ favor. Their parents looked on at all of this with satisfied smiles while assessing the intelligence of their children like studying meat at a market. Not wanting to be a part of all this, Feng Huixin had let himself be pushed to the end of the table to sit near the unfavored children just so he wouldn¡¯t have to hurt others. He had long since given up any hopes for parental affection, instead feeling content with the love shown to him by his nanny.


    But now, every day was filled with warmth and laughter as he shared pleasant meals with his family. His wife Chunyi, along with his sons Xiang-er and Qinghe, made every meal a joyful and relaxing experience. Feng Huixin had never felt lonely before having a family. But after getting used to their playful banter and gentle shows of affection, the small acts of care and carefree discussions, Feng Huixin found that spending time away from his family was getting more and more difficult. He missed them. He missed feeling like a part of his loved ones¡¯ lives.


    Sighing, Feng Huixin lifted another round sweet to his mouth, letting its complex yet mild flavors temporarily fill the emptiness in his heart.


    Meanwhile, in another part of the palace, the three royal siblings were huddled around a table and holding an important discussion.


    ¡°I say, that old man can¡¯t just train only Baoyu all this time and then expect us to scheme like a born and bred politician!¡± the princess Yang Ruanyu stated displeasedly. ¡°He wants us to squeeze some benefits out of that Lord Feng without just beating him up or hurting him in any way, but how exactly do we do that? Threatening won¡¯t work, since he already knows that we can¡¯t break any laws if we want the merging to go smoothly and in our favor. We can¡¯t kidnap his family, since they¡¯re not even here¡­ Tch! What the fuck does that father of ours want us to do?!¡±


    The tall and overly muscled Yang Yehuo folded his arms and leaned back. With a solemn nod, he stated, ¡°We have to seduce him. There¡¯s no other way.¡±


    Yang Ruanyu slapped the table with her fair hand. ¡°Elder Brother! Just because you¡¯ve gained an interest in that Lord Feng sexually doesn¡¯t mean you can just blatantly insert your self-interest into this very serious discussion, understand? If we mess this up, Father will probably rip us a new one in front of the entire court while saying what a great and otherworldly genius our youngest brother Baoyu is again! Do you want to go through that?¡±


    Yang Yehuo snorted. ¡°Younger Sister, if you can come up with a better idea, then by all means, do tell.¡±


    ¡°Tch. I don¡¯t know, that¡¯s why I¡¯m asking you lot, aren¡¯t I?¡± Yang Ruanyu muttered with irritation. Turning to the Yang Xuehua who had been silent all along, she barked, ¡°Well? Second Elder Brother, do you have anything to contribute?¡±


    Yang Xuehua sighed. ¡°Do we have to follow Father¡¯s orders again this time? He will probably be disappointed no matter what we do, so is there even a point in trying? Also¡­Lord Feng is our guest. I don¡¯t think we should¨D¡±


    Yang Yehuo slapped his big hand on Yang Xuehua¡¯s back and laughed. ¡°There you go worrying about unnecessary things again. Who cares if he¡¯s our guest or not? If we can use him, then we should. If I can use him in bed, then it would be even better.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut up about it already,¡± Yang Ruanyu groaned while rolling her eyes. ¡°I heard that man has a wife, so he might not be interested in men anyway.¡±


    Yang Yehuo sneered. ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t be too sure. Maybe if I can push him down once or twice, I can confirm it.¡±


    Yang Xuehua frowned and bowed his head. In his soft voice, he said, ¡°Elder Brother, such a thing¡­ you really shouldn¡¯t do that.¡±


    Nodding to agree with him, Yang Ruanyu said, ¡°Yes. Father said not to harm him, don¡¯t you remember? He¡¯s not one of your pretty servants you can just use and throw away without concern. He¡¯s a bigshot from the heavenly court, though I have no idea what he actually does. Anyway, if you hurt him, it could affect the negotiations, so behave.¡±


    Yang Yehuo didn¡¯t look too happy about it but still nodded, while Yang Xuehua looked even more uncomfortable with the situation.


    ¡°So, in the end, what exactly should we do?¡± Yang Ruanyu sighed. The topic ended up returning to where it had started.


    ¡°Well,¡± Yang Yehuo began hesitantly. ¡°Even if he isn¡¯t interested in men, we know for sure that he¡¯s at least interested in women, don¡¯t we? Maybe Younger Sister could give it a try and seduce him.¡±


    Yang Ruanyu didn¡¯t look convinced. ¡°He¡¯s beautiful and all, but¡­ is there really nothing else we can do?¡±


    Yang Yehuo unfolded his arms and spread his hands helplessly. ¡°If we had any other ideas, then do you think I¡¯d suggest this? It¡¯s a safe enough method. And you only need to play with him until we¡¯re done extracting as much benefit from him as we can. You can keep using him or throw him back to his wife after everything is over.¡±


    As if unable to hear anymore, Yang Xuehua suddenly stood up. ¡°I-I don¡¯t approve of treating Lord Feng this way!¡± Without waiting for his siblings to say anything or looking them in the eye, he turned and quickly walked away with a complicated expression.


    Yang Ruanyu watched him leave confusedly. ¡°What¡¯s up with him?¡±


    Shaking his head, Yang Yehuo said, ¡°He¡¯s always been weak. Maybe he doesn¡¯t like how we were talking about our guest. Leave him be. He¡¯ll get scolded by Father anyway when it comes out that he didn¡¯t even try to fulfill Father¡¯s instructions. For now, let¡¯s focus on that Lord Feng.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Anyway, for now, I¡¯ll go and pretty myself up a bit and work my charm on our dear guest,¡± Yang Ruanyu declared and got up.


    Nodding and also standing up, Yang Yehuo accompanied his sister as she began walking. The plan they had was admittedly not the best, but hey, stupider things had worked for them before, so what was the harm in trying?


    In his room, Feng Huixin looked up at the stars in the night sky visible outside the window and wistfully thought about his family, oblivious to the developments in the palace.


    Sitting in the flower garden in the Feng residence, Qinghe looked up at the same sky, his lips curling in anticipation as he lifted another jar of wine to his mouth.


    crimson_carnation

 Extra 15: A Political Exchange [Part 2]

    crimson_carnation


    Sprinkled with plentiful of stars, the night sky glittered brilliantly, stretched over the flower garden in the Feng household in all directions. A wide, paved path cut through the carefully cultivated shrubs in the garden, with clear glass orbs the size of a palm resting on the edges. Soft, buttery yellow light spilled out of these orbs, suffusing the garden with warm light. A sense of comfort and peace filled the quiet space.


    Past the boundary of the paved path and nestled between flowering bushes was a white stone bench. Bathed in the gentle yellow light from the glass orbs, the bench looked homey and inviting. Sitting on it relaxedly with four empty jars of wine beside him was a dazed Qinghe. The sweet scent of the wine along with the heady smell of strong alcohol permeated the space around him.


    Reaching out a hand towards the nearest flowering bush, Qinghe plucked a few flowers blooming brightly in yellow. After picking out the flowers¡¯ petals and collecting them in his lap, Qinghe threw away the bare stems and began slowly eating the petals one by one, his expression absentminded.


    Meanwhile, Yang Baoyu was walking over the wide path and looking around the garden. He¡¯d seen Qinghe enter here just a while before, so he was planning on ¡®accidentally¡¯ bumping into him and spending some time together. Spotting Qinghe sitting off the path, Yang Baoyu slowly approached the bench with the intention of talking to him.


    But as Qinghe came into full view, Yang Baoyu¡¯s steps suddenly faltered, his polite smile freezing on his face.


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes were dewy and dazed, making him look very innocent and childlike. His cheeks bore a slight flush due to intoxication, his lustrous pink lips slightly parted and glistening with traces of wine. His posture as he leaned on the bench¡¯s backrest was loose and languid, his every movement looking simple yet elegant. As the warm light from the orbs tenderly framed his stunningly beautiful face and traced along his perfectly proportioned figure, it made him look incredibly enchanting. Swathed in tranquility and temptation as he was, he overshadowed the gorgeous scenery of the garden around him that was filled with flowers in vivid colors blooming gracefully while bathed in the starlight. It instead seemed as if the garden was merely here to serve as his background and to accentuate his beauty.


    Yang Baoyu had to swallow to wet his suddenly dry throat. His dark green gaze flicking to the empty jars of wine beside Qinghe, he hypothesized that the other man had come here to drown his sorrows in drink. Remembering how just recently he¡¯d seen this person¡¯s lover coldly leave him behind to go work, Yang Baoyu couldn¡¯t help but wonder at the other man¡¯s stupidity. How could he even think of abandoning such an alluring being like this while there was a stranger in the house who could covet him? But Yang Baoyu felt very grateful that he was able to get some time alone with this beautiful person while his defenses were weak due to the wine.


    Suppressing his gleeful emotions, Yang Baoyu strived to look pleasant and charming as he walked up to the bench and sat beside Qinghe. Relocating the jars to the other side of the bench, he crept closer and spoke, ¡°Young Lord Feng? Did you drink all these jars on your own?¡±


    Qinghe turned to look at Yang Baoyu as if just noticing him and nodded. Sighing out an alcohol-tinted breath, he complained melancholically, ¡°He¡¯s still not here. I¡¯ve been waiting for so long and it¡¯s already night¡­but he¡¯s still not here.¡±


    Yang Baoyu showed an expression of understanding. ¡°Maybe Lord Wei is still busy with work, though I don¡¯t think the Offices of Judgment would be unfair enough to ask anyone to work this late¡­ No, how could Lord Wei leave you alone at night if it wasn¡¯t for something very important? I¡¯m sure he¡¯s just busy.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s expression grew even more dejected and sullen as he pouted. Then seeming to remember something, he looked up at Yang Baoyu and asked unsteadily, ¡°You¡­no, Fourth Prince Yang, why are you here?¡±


    Looking at Qinghe with eyes that expressed his sincerity while his lips bent in a teasing smile, Yang Baoyu answered, ¡°I was just taking a walk when I came upon a stunningly exquisite butterfly sitting here among these flowers. I wonder if the butterfly minds my company?¡±


    Blushing and looking away, Qinghe coughed delicately. His eyes seemed to gain more awareness as he replied, ¡°Your Highness praises me too much. Of course you are free to sit wherever you wish.¡±


    Yang Baoyu¡¯s expression turned intent as he admired how soft and inviting Qinghe¡¯s fair skin looked while flushing deeper with that tender pink. It made him want to brush his fingers over it to see if it really was as warm as it looked. Yang Baoyu¡¯s eyes deepened in color.


    In truth, he was only trying to seduce this person to create a rift between him and that Lord Wei, which would hopefully destabilize the Feng household enough to distract them. He would then undo those wards over the egg chamber where he¡¯d learned the Feng family kept a clutch of wyvern eggs. If he could steal even just a few of those eggs, he could use them as leverage and gain the favor of the true dragons who were also interested in getting their hands on them. Giving the eggs to the dragons and gaining their support would mean he would be increasing the negotiating power of the Wu Jin nation while it was discussing its merging with Heaven.


    But still¡­ Yang Baoyu couldn¡¯t help but feel that wooing this bewitching person called Feng Qinghe and having him for himself wouldn¡¯t be such a bad thing either. He¡¯d mulled over this possibility back in the Heavenly Palace itself. Considering Qinghe¡¯s performance in the throne room before and the rumored extent of his potential, he might even become an asset, not to mention his connections with this powerful Feng household and his status as the future Heavenly Emperor after his father. But what tempted Yang Baoyu the most was still that coldly beautiful yet strangely innocent face. If he could have such a person beneath him every night, crying out his name sweetly with those adorable lips¡­


    As Yang Baoyu¡¯s heated gaze fixed on his lips, Qinghe obliviously lifted a yellow petal from among the ones he¡¯d gathered on his lap and slowly nibbled on it. The contrast of the bright yellow with the dusky pink of his lips made Yang Baoyu swallow thickly. It looked so innocent and sultry at the same time. Clearing his throat, he asked, ¡°Does it taste good?¡±


    Qinghe chewed and swallowed the rest of the petal and turned to him with a smile. ¡°I won¡¯t say that it is delicious, but it has a uniqueness to its flavor nevertheless. It¡¯s an acquired taste, so I don¡¯t think Your Highness will like it all that much.¡±


    Yang Baoyu¡¯s eyes gleamed. ¡°Oh? Now I¡¯m curious.¡±


    As he lifted his hands and reached towards the petals on Qinghe¡¯s lap, Qinghe quickly gathered them up and held them away. In a teasing voice, he stated, ¡°Now, now, there are plenty of other things Your Highness can eat if you¡¯re hungry. These petals are min¨D ehem, I mean, these are not good for you.¡±


    Yang Baoyu chuckled. It seemed that his host had become much more playful and forthright under the influence of the alcohol. It was very endearing.


    Cocking an eyebrow, Yang Baoyu said with a grin, ¡°You just don¡¯t want me to eat your stash of petals, don¡¯t you, Young Lord Feng?¡±


    Qinghe puffed his cheeks, his body lightly swaying under the effects of the alcohol. ¡°N-No, why would I¡­¡± Lifting a hand, he rubbed it over his cheek as if to try and rub off his drunkenness.


    Seeing the other man looking even more dazed, Yang Baoyu couldn¡¯t help the lust shooting through him, blinding his reason. Raising a hand, he brushed it against one those flushed cheeks. Ah, it was even more soft and warm than he¡¯d imagined¡­


    Qinghe startled, his hand instinctively lifting to push away the other man¡¯s fingers as he frowned. However, his wrist ended up being captured by Yang Baoyu, who only seemed to get more excited at this sign of Qinghe¡¯s befuddled resistance.


    His smile turning heated, Yang Baoyu tightened his grip on Qinghe¡¯s slender wrist and pulled it towards his lips to place a soft kiss on his knuckles. ¡°Mm¡­ Young Lord Feng, your skin is so much more soft and fragrant than the petal of any flower I¡¯ve ever touched. It makes me want to feel all of your body against all of mine.¡±


    Despite being slowed due to the effects of the alcohol, Qinghe still tried to struggle harder while lifting his other hand to tug on Yang Baoyu¡¯s wrist. The flower petals clutched in that hand escaped from his fingers, fluttering everywhere. His cheeks turning even redder in indignation, Qinghe said, ¡°W-What are you trying to do? I¡­I already have a lover!¡±


    Yang Baoyu¡¯s eyebrow twitched at the mention of Wei Xiang, then his smile widened as he spoke in an enticing voice, ¡°Ah, but since your lover isn¡¯t here to give you the care and attention you need, why don¡¯t you let me show you how a proper lover should be? You¡¯re too young to waste yourself on someone who doesn¡¯t know how to treasure you. I promise I¡¯ll be much more gentle than some beast and treat you how you deserve to be treated.¡±


    Qinghe looked confused, his mind seeming too muddled to understand just what he should do. Just then, Yang Baoyu leaned forward, extending his tongue out to slowly lift one of the petals that had fallen onto Qinghe¡¯s shoulder. Qinghe¡¯s eyes widened as he jerked back. ¡°Ah! W-What are you¡­ Hey, that¡¯s my petal! I told you not to eat them! Spit it out!¡± Qinghe looked childishly angry, his eyes unfocused.


    But purposefully taking the little petal into his mouth and chewing it slowly, Yang Baoyu swallowed it and chuckled. ¡°Young Lord Feng, you¡¯re so adorable. Now I know for sure that you were purposefully misleading me about its taste just to keep me from eating it. This petal is actually sweet. Or is it because it was on you that it tastes so good?¡±


    No sooner had Yang Baoyu spoken so that he found the sweet taste on his tongue unexpectedly turning sharp and bitter, filling up the entirety of his mouth. A burning sensation began spreading from his throat and stomach as he suddenly felt his body weakening.


    The soft befuddlement and innocence in Qinghe¡¯s face were replaced by cold amusement. ¡°And here I was expecting more of a challenge. I wonder why Your Highness never considered that just like how you wanted to seduce me, I might have prepared a few traps of my own for you as well?¡±


    Yang Baoyu looked extremely confused. But before he could process the sudden change in the situation, he quickly lost all strength in his limbs. His body slumped down and fell onto the ground with a thump. No matter how he tried to struggle and stand up, his body remained unresponsive.


    Qinghe unperturbedly stood up from the bench and leaned down over the other man, his hands lightly clasped behind his back. Strands of his long hair slipped down, brushing the paved ground just beside Yang Baoyu¡¯s cheek.


    Smiling, Qinghe motioned towards one of the petals lying beside Yang Baoyu with an elegant tilt of his chin and explained, ¡°These petals are definitely edible for me, since my body has already built up immunity towards them after continuously eating them all this time. I¡¯ve even gotten used to the taste. But for a deity not yet habituated to it, eating a whole petal can be toxic. It¡¯s nothing much, just a few hours of paralysis, but I hope Your Highness learns his lesson and never touches someone who isn¡¯t willing to be touched.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ Were you¡­pretending¡­to be¡­d-drunk¡­?!¡± Yang Baoyu forced himself to speak.


    Qinghe chuckled uncaringly. ¡°I most definitely am drunk. I finished four whole jars, you know? But in front of someone untrustworthy, why would I let down my guard? Only my dear loved ones will ever have the opportunity of seeing me let go of my control even while I¡¯m drunk.¡±


    Yang Baoyu gritted his teeth. ¡°Y-You¡­can¡¯t¡­do this¡­ Th-The law¡­prohibits¡­p-poiso¡­ning¡­¡± With every word, his body turned more and more rigid until his jaws refused to move. Rings of light seem to dance in his vision, making it difficult to see.


    With a small smile, Qinghe calmly refuted, ¡°Oh, but I didn¡¯t poison you. No one from the Feng household did. You went and ate that petal on your own. I even tried to dissuade you and asked you to spit it out, didn¡¯t I? As such, I have fulfilled my obligation as your host. You are not a child, Your Highness. You should know better than to put random things in your mouth, no matter how tempting they may seem at that time. If you choose to take this to the heavenly court and accuse us, you will be laughed out of the throne room.¡±


    Straightening, Qinghe casually continued, ¡°By the way, this garden is my mother¡¯s. Did you really expect the flowers grown by the Heavenly General Feng Chunyi of all people to be normal?¡±


    Chuckling and shaking his head at Yang Baoyu¡¯s na?vet¨¦, Qinghe began walking towards the Feng residence leisurely, leaving behind the prone figure on the ground. Their guest would be safe enough there until the effects of the paralyzing toxin wore out in a few hours. Of course, his body might be incredibly sore and stiff after hours of lying on the hard ground without moving, but Qinghe blithely decided not to bother himself with the tiny details.


    Entering the house again, Qinghe headed straight to the egg chamber where he felt his lover¡¯s presence through the soul bond. After pretending to go to work, Wei Xiang had used the shadows to return and wait until Qinghe distracted Yang Baoyu before beginning to prepare the new egg chamber.


    After finding Wei Xiang, Qinghe finally let go of his control. Letting his drunkenness wash over him, he rushed into his beloved¡¯s arms with a wide smile while yelling, ¡°Chiaaaang!¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s lips twitched. ¡®Chiang¡¯¡­? Chuckling helplessly, he asked, ¡°I take that it went well?¡±


    Snuggled in his lover¡¯s embrace, Qinghe peeked up and nodded cutely, then buried his face back into Wei Xiang¡¯s chest. Then suddenly leaning back, he frowned and said, ¡°Xiang, he touched my cheek! I don¡¯t like it!¡± Diving back down, Qinghe promptly began rubbing his cheek against the fabric over Wei Xiang¡¯s chest.


    Raising an eyebrow, Wei Xiang teased, ¡°Then are you sure you want to rub it on my robe, love? When you hug me later, won¡¯t it get back on you?¡±


    Qinghe froze and looked up at Wei Xiang with a horrorstruck face. Wei Xiang wanted to burst out laughing, but suppressed the impulse and said in a reasonable voice, ¡°How about this, you can wipe your cheek on me all you want. I¡¯ll just go and change my outer robe later, alright?¡±


    Blinking his dewy eyes at him, Qinghe asked, ¡°It won¡¯t be troublesome?¡±


    Wei Xiang couldn¡¯t help smiling as he shook his head. After all, he didn¡¯t mind indulging his adorable little lover¡¯s drunken whims in the least.


    Reassured, Qinghe resumed rubbing the cheek Yang Baoyu had touched on Wei Xiang until the chafing turned it red. Meanwhile, noticing something yellow in his beloved¡¯s hair, Wei Xiang frowned and lifted it out with his fingers to examine it. It turned out to be a flower petal.


    His eyebrows rising up, Wei Xiang spoke, ¡°Qinghe, love, don¡¯t tell me¡­ Did you give our guest a petal from the sunbloom flower?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s smile oozed smugness as he replied, ¡°I didn¡¯t give it to him. He ate it all on his own!¡±


    Wei Xiang shook his head amusedly.


    For the past few years, Feng Chunyi had been forcing everyone in the Feng Household to take regular doses of various types of poison and toxins in small and harmless amounts so that they would build up immunity against them. But for some reason, Qinghe had ended up taking a liking to a few of those weird-tasting toxic flowers, munching on them like snacks.


    ¡°I hope you didn¡¯t leave him a way to blame our household for it,¡± Wei Xiang said.


    Puffing his cheeks and acting offended that his lover even needed to ask, Qinghe declared, ¡°Of course I didn¡¯t!¡± Then thinking of all the hard work he¡¯d done in acting and whatnot, Qinghe suddenly started to feel very tired. Letting out a long yawn, he leaned his weight lazily on his beloved and complained, ¡°Xiang, I¡¯m sleepy.¡±


    Wei Xiang pulled his little lover back by his collar and said, ¡°Now, now, love. Though I finished the rest of the preparations in the new chamber, we still have to move the eggs.¡±


    Qinghe pouted pitifully.


    Dipping his head to peck his beloved''s puckered pair of lips, Wei Xiang coaxed, ¡°Come on, we can use the shadow realm for now and quickly transfer the eggs. Then I¡¯ll change my clothes and we can go cuddle in our room. Your intoxication should¡¯ve worn out by then too, and we can have some fun on the bed. Wouldn¡¯t you like that?¡±


    Qinghe had already been won over at the mention of cuddling. His eyes lighting up, he enthusiastically nodded. ¡°Then let¡¯s move the eggs quickly!¡±


    And so the pair of lovers set off to do just that.


    ¡­¡­


    In the royal palace of Wu Jin, Feng Huixin sat in a darkened room, the light of the moon and stars that was flowing in through the open window the only source of illumination. As a deity, his eyesight was sharp enough that he could see clearly despite the lack of light, and so he had decided not to waste his hosts¡¯ lamp oil. Sitting in lotus position on the neat bed, Feng Huixin¡¯s back was straight and his face relaxed as he meditated to pass the time.


    An impatient knock suddenly broke the quiet.


    Feng Huixin opened his eyes and gracefully got up from the bed before heading towards the door and opening it. On the other side stood a coy-looking Yang Ruanyu, the third-born princess of the Wu Jin royal family.


    Yang Ruanyu was attired in layers of fluttery fabric the color of a freshly bloomed rose. Her bright blue belt was cinched tight around her waist, accentuating its slimness while simultaneously making her breasts and hips seem rounder and fuller. Her dusky skin was smooth and flawless, appearing especially soft, while her thick and curly hair was arranged into an elaborately complex knot atop her head, a simple and elegant jeweled hairpin holding it together. A subtle floral fragrance emanated from her, clean and feminine. Fluttering her thick lashes, the princess looked up at Feng Huixin with eyes the color of lustrous emeralds.


    In a smooth and lilting voice, Yang Ruanyu asked, ¡°Lord Feng, how have you been settling in? Is there anything you need? Anything I can do for you?¡±


    Feng Huixin shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m fine, thank you, Your Highness.¡±


    Yang Ruanyu tittered cheerfully. ¡°Now, now, there¡¯s no need to be so stiff, my lord. Sitting here in this dark room all alone must be terribly boring. Why don¡¯t I give you some company?¡±


    ¡°There is no need to trouble yourself. I am perfectly content with the current arrangements. If that¡¯s all, then please excuse me,¡± Feng Huixin said and immediately began closing the door.


    Yang Ruanyu quickly shot out a hand and stopped the door from shutting just in time. Fuck! It looked like she should stop dancing around and start seducing him straightforwardly. After all, with that serious face, this man didn¡¯t look like someone who¡¯d understand when a woman was trying to hint at intimacy. If she let him push her away now, she would fail to charm him with her seductive wiles and wrap him around her little finger like she wanted. If that happened, then how would she be able to fulfill her father¡¯s instructions of gaining this man¡¯s support in the negotiations of their nation merging with Heaven? No, she couldn¡¯t risk it. If she had to put aside her pride and be forthright, then so be it!


    ¡°L-Lord Feng, please, listen to me! I didn¡¯t come here to just chitchat. I¡­I want¡­¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s brows furrowed imperceptibly. ¡°Yes?¡±


    Yang Ruanyu tried her best to act like a demure and pure maiden as she shyly bowed her head, her slender fingers fiddling with her sleeve. ¡°Lord Feng, ever since I saw you, I-I was smitten with you. I couldn¡¯t think of anything but you for these past few hours. I finally gathered my courage to come and tell you that I w-want you.¡± Then looking up bashfully and blinking her limpid eyes with adoration, she asked, ¡°Lord Feng, will you please spend the night with me?¡±


    Feng Huixin wanted to sigh. ¡°I already have a wife.¡±


    With sparkling eyes, Yang Ruanyu proposed, ¡°She doesn¡¯t have to know.¡±


    His eyebrow twitching once, Feng Huixin firmly denied, ¡°Pardon me, but I refuse.¡± Not waiting for the shocked princess to regain her wits, Feng Huixin decisively closed and locked the door before walking to the bed and resettling himself on it.


    A muffled thud sounded as if someone had just hit their fist against the other side of the door, then the sound of footsteps getting farther could be heard. Feng Huixin sighed in relief, once again sinking into peaceful meditation.


    But a few minutes later, Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes snapped open, a faint hint of surprise in them as he turned to look at the open window. Without thinking, he raised a hand to summon the wind, then halted. Feeling the seven sets of bangles weighing his arms and serving as deity-suppressing restraints, he sighed. Getting up from the bed once again, Feng Huixin made for the window.


    On the other side, Yang Ruanyu had slipped off her dainty shoes and was climbing up the wall to Feng Huixin¡¯s window with grim determination. In her heart, she was grumbling angrily. How dare she, a princess, be rejected?! No matter how pretty a person was, what right did they have to turn her away so directly, without even leaving her a shred of dignity?! Did that Lord Feng think she would give up that easily after he treated her that way? Hmph! Dream on! Now she would climb into his room through the window and push him down on the bed. Let¡¯s see how he¡¯d resist her feminine appeal then!


    Her fingertips finally reaching the edge of the wide window ledge, Yang Ruanyu pulled herself up while trying not to make any sound to alert the person inside. Perched precariously on the ledge of the window, she panted lightly to recover her breath and lifted her head to sneakily peer into the darkened room¨D


    ¨Dand found Feng Huixin standing directly in front of her, looking at her with hints of exasperation in his gaze.


    Yang Ruanyu¡¯s eyes widened as her entire body jerked in surprise. She¡¯d just opened her mouth to say something when Feng Huixin suddenly closed the window and bolted it as if he couldn¡¯t even see her. Curtains were soon drawn over on the other side, leaving Yang Ruanyu with her mouth open awkwardly.


    For a moment, she could only stare.


    Then her hands clenching into fists in anger, she banged them against the window while shedding all pretense. ¡°Fuck this! Open the window, you damn bastard! Who do you think you are, shutting out the princess of this palace?! Are you that against fucking me, huh?! I¡¯ll have you know that I have a long line of men and women just waiting for me to even spare them a single look, and here you are acting so haughty against this great one! You arrogant ass! Just wait and see how I¡¯ll¡­¡±


    And so, as the dignified royal princess of Wu Jin squatted outside his window uncouthly while banging on the glass pane screaming obscenities and threats, Feng Huixin casually ignored the disturbance and went back to meditating.


    More than an hour of unceasing noise later, Yang Ruanyu felt her throat hurt from all the yelling while her hands ached from hitting the windowpane, so she finally decided to let it be. She didn¡¯t want to compromise her dignity any further by pressing on to seduce their guest after already being rejected so clearly. But still determined to make him pay, she instead decided to let her lecherous older brother, the first prince Yang Yehuo, have a go. And so, still muttering curses, she jumped down from the window and left.


    Inside the room, Feng Huixin heaved a breath in relief, but that relief was short-lived. Within ten minutes, someone knocked on the door again. The sound was heavier this time, the thumping knocks sending vibrations through the wood.


    Getting up once more, Feng Huixin made his way to the door, his patience running out. When he opened the door this time, he found a leering Yang Yehuo looming in the doorway. The first prince was taller than Feng Huixin by a head, his shoulders broad and his frame covered with bulging muscles that seemed about to rip apart his straining robes. Though he was neatly groomed and well-dressed, something about his posture and expression screamed that he was a thug who preferred to settle things with force. Standing in front of him, Feng Huixin looked like a petite child not even half his width.


    Keeping the door half-opened, Feng Huixin asked in an inflectionless tone, ¡°Yes?¡±


    Yang Yehuo grinned, the action a controlled baring of teeth meant to intimidate. ¡°Lord Feng, since I heard that you weren¡¯t satisfied with my younger sister, I came here to magnanimously offer myself.¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s brow twitched, but he showed no other reaction. ¡°There is no need for First Prince Yang to go so far. I intend to remain faithful to my wife, so I¡¯m not looking for a bed partner. If there¡¯s nothing else, then I will¨D¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to refuse me so hastily. Why don¡¯t you invite me in, Lord Feng?  Or if you don¡¯t want to do that, then you can just come out and talk here in the open. There¡¯s no need to hide in your room so shyly as if I¡¯ll rip those robes off of you at any moment.¡± Yang Yehuo threw back his head and laughed boisterously.


    Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes darkened with a dangerous emotion. It seemed that being polite wouldn¡¯t work. Stepping out of his room with measured steps, Feng Huixin carefully closed the door behind him. ¡°I¡¯ve already stated clearly that I have no interest in taking any of you to bed. It is nonnegotiable. What more do you want?¡±


    Yang Yehuo looked amused. ¡°Ooh, getting testy, are we?¡±


    Then moving forward suddenly, he pinned Feng Huixin¡¯s wrists to the wall, his muscled body pressing against the other man¡¯s smaller one. His smile stretching wide with glee, Yang Yehuo said smugly, ¡°Lord Feng, it¡¯s your fault for being so beautiful. Remember that you are the one who tempted me into doing this by crossing my line of sight. Flaunting such a fuckable face and figure in front of me, what else can I do but defile your delicious body until it breaks?¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes turned half-lidded as he spoke softly, ¡°Does First Prince Yang know that you will be breaking the law by attempting to force me to lie with you?¡±


    Yang Yehuo laughed without care, his head bending towards Feng Huixin¡¯s impassive face with lust clearly painted in his expression as he crooned, ¡°Of course I know. But who cares about the laws when there¡¯s such a good-looking beauty in my arms, eh?¡±


    ¡°If you know, then that makes this much easier.¡±


    Before the prince could digest his words, Feng Huixin twisted his wrists easily out of Yang Yehuo¡¯s hands and brought up his knee between the other man¡¯s thick thighs with force. A startled Yang Yehuo felt his fragile genitals being crushed into his groin while his pelvis shattered under the power of the sudden assault. Letting out a pained wheeze while his eyes seemed like they would pop out of his sockets in surprise, Yang Yehuo staggered back and crumpled onto the floor. As the pain finally registered, he let out a long, ululating screech, his body curling up while his hands tried to cup over the injured area protectively. But the pain was so horrible that even the slightest of touch felt like the torturous press of hot iron over the sensitive area. Though he wanted nothing more than to retrieve some pills for the pain and to heal himself, Yang Yehuo¡¯s mind was in too much disarray, his concentration completely scattered due to the agony, so he was unable to manipulate enough spiritual energy right now to reach into his storage space.


    Feng Huixin merely watched the desperately screaming man on the floor with cold eyes. ¡°Since it doesn¡¯t seem like First Prince Yang has anything more to say to me, I will retreat into my room. However, because this corner of the palace seems relatively isolated, Your Highness might have to shout a bit louder to summon help.¡±


    With that, Feng Huixin returned to his room and closed the door again. Ignoring the sounds of howling and writhing coming from outside, he calmly went back to meditating on the bed. Since he could easily justify Yang Yehuo¡¯s current predicament by citing the laws for self-defense, Feng Huixin didn¡¯t worry about this matter landing him in hot water.


    A few hours later, after a noisy Yang Yehuo was finally carted away, yet another knock sounded on the door. This time, it was hesitant and gentle.


    His opened eyes glinting in the darkness, Feng Huixin silently rose to open the door once more. If it was someone wanting to play games on him again, he had no qualms about being even ruder than he was to Yang Yehuo.


    ¡­¡­


    In the Feng residence, after carefully moving all the wyvern eggs from the old chamber to the new one, the drunken Qinghe fussed over them, insisting that each of them should be settled comfortably so that the eggs wouldn¡¯t hurt themselves while turning over in their sleep.


    Feeling endlessly amused at this strange reason, Wei Xiang decided not to argue and obediently helped his little lover with arranging plentiful of soft padding around each and every egg. Technically, the eggs wouldn¡¯t really move unless it was a few days before hatching, and even then they would only wiggle a little. But seeing Qinghe looking so happy to take care of his future children, Wei Xiang was content to leave it be.


    By the time they were done settling the eggs and Qinghe finished setting up something in the old egg chamber, a few hours had already passed. Qinghe¡¯s intoxication had almost worn off by now as well. Exhausted but satisfied that the eggs would at least be protected better now, Qinghe and Wei Xiang retired to their room to rest. Qinghe immediately flopped down onto the bed, while Wei Xiang dutifully changed his clothes as he¡¯d promised before.


    As Qinghe let the comfort of finally lying down soak into him, his eyes closing in bliss, he suddenly became aware of Wei Xiang standing by the bedside looking at him with an unreadable expression. Blinking his eyes open, Qinghe got up. ¡°Xiang? Is something wrong?¡±


    Pushing his little lover back on the bed, Wei Xiang got up on it as well to straddle him. Lowering his face to bury it in the crook of Qinghe¡¯s shoulder, he nuzzled his beloved.


    Feeling confused, Qinghe lifted his hand to pat the back of his lover¡¯s head. In an uncertain tone, he called, ¡°Xiang?¡±


    Pausing his nuzzling and leaning up, Wei Xiang complained in an aggrieved voice, ¡°Qinghe, be it that Black Fang leader Yuan Sheng from before or our guest today, you¡¯re able to act so seductive with them¡­but how come you never try to seduce me, your lover?¡±


    Qinghe blushed shyly while feeling strangely warm at how Wei Xiang seemed to be acting spoiled and pouting while asking for his affection. Coughing, Qinghe replied softly, ¡°Xiang, truthfully, I don¡¯t really know how to behave to make myself feel more seductive to you. After all, I am only able to put on an act that appears seductive to those other people because what they consider most tempting is me showing weakness. B-But with you¡­it¡¯s not like that, is it?¡± Qinghe looked up at Wei Xiang through his long lashes.


    Wei Xiang felt pleased at this reasoning and bent down to give his little lover a small peck on his cute nose. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. I like your weaknesses, but also your strengths¡ªyour cunning, your adorableness, your ability to empathize, your skills in martial arts, your competence¡­ there are too many things I like about you. But even without all those things, I feel that I¡¯d be just as drawn to you. No matter what aspect you show or don¡¯t, no matter your perfection or imperfection, I will still love you and find you incomparably attractive.¡±


    Qinghe turned a deep red with both bashfulness and pleasure as he turned his face away and nodded. In a barely audible voice, he whispered, ¡°Y-Yes, I know.¡±


    Wei Xiang quirked an eyebrow and playfully prodded, ¡°Oh? When did my dear little lover figure out that I was completely and irrevocably smitten with him?¡±


    Though it was spoken teasingly, Qinghe still looked into Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes and seriously answered the question, ¡°I knew for a while that you loved me. I thought I understood the depth of that emotion, but it turns out that you¡­you liked me more than I ever hoped was possible.¡± Qinghe looked away, an unfathomably deep emotion filling his eyes. Turning back, he cupped Wei Xiang¡¯s cheek and asked with a small smile, ¡°Do you know when I realized it?¡±


    Unable to look away from the emotions expressed in his beloved¡¯s eyes, Wei Xiang shook his head slowly.


    Qinghe let out a deep breath and confessed, ¡°It was back when my core was cracked.¡±


    Wei Xiang frowned, trying to remember if something notable had happened at that time that could have shown the extent of his affection for his little lover, but he came up blank.


    As if to answer his befuddlement, Qinghe explained, ¡°One day, after my core was damaged, I was bathing in the stream in my backyard when I realized that my skin felt a bit rougher and looked less healthy than usual. I¡¯ve never really paid attention to my skin or its appearance my entire life, and that was the moment I realized that not only would my ability to fight suffer due to my cracked core, but my physical appearance would also deteriorate due to my inability to circulate spiritual energy to keep my body healthy and in perfect condition. Because of that, for the first time, I feared that I wouldn¡¯t be attractive to you, even though I know that my physical appearance is only a small part of me. I¡¯ve never before wanted to be found attractive by someone before, so I was tensed and panicking. I didn¡¯t know if you would feel yourself becoming less interested in me because of that. I¡­I was very afraid I would lose some small part of you.¡±


    Wei Xiang gentled his expression and laid down on the bed beside Qinghe, silently holding him closer. ¡°You know that¡¯s impossible. My affections towards you are not that shallow,¡± he said with quiet confidence. Settling his head more comfortably on the pillow, he asked, ¡°What happened then?¡±


    Qinghe happily snuggled into Wei Xiang¡¯s warmth, his lips curving into a soft smile as he continued, ¡°After that, I went around to arrange a few things while you worked on something for the Order. When we met again that night, I was still very anxious. When we moved to the bed, it felt very difficult for me to remove my clothes and let you see my imperfect body. I was so scared that you¡¯d notice all the little ways my physical appearance had deteriorated till then and end up feeling less aroused.¡±


    Closing his eyes, Qinghe went on, ¡°But that night, you didn¡¯t say anything about the flaws in my body at all, as if you didn¡¯t even notice them. I kept trying to find signs that you¡¯d discovered some defect, some small thing that bothered you, but you acted as you usually do. Your eyes were fixed so deeply into mine, and I saw the same affection and need in them as was burning in me.¡±


    Hearing all this, Wei Xiang realized that he vaguely recalled that something like this had indeed happened. Back then, he¡¯d chalked his little lover¡¯s unusual behavior up to the stress of organizing the counterattack against Xie Xingye, but it turned out to be like this.


    Thinking back, Wei Xiang remembered how stiff Qinghe had kept his body that night, seeming uncomfortable and uneasy. When Wei Xiang had tried to prepare him with his fingers, Qinghe¡¯s passage had remained clenched tight as if he couldn¡¯t relax himself. And so, Wei Xiang had instead proposed that rather than doing what they usually did, they could take things a bit easier today so as to not tire each other out too much. Qinghe had hesitantly agreed, but after Wei Xiang had started touching him everywhere as if he couldn¡¯t have enough, painting his body with worshipful kisses while telling his little lover just how much he drove him crazy, Qinghe had looked like he would cry.


    Hugging Wei Xiang close, he¡¯d said, Thank you for giving me what I need.


    Wei Xiang hadn¡¯t known why his beloved was thanking him at that time, only patting Qinghe¡¯s back and soothing him. But now, after realizing how insecure his little lover must have been feeling then, Wei Xiang finally understood.


    Bringing his mind back to the present, Wei Xiang stated, ¡°Mn, I think I remember that incident now.¡±


    Qinghe hugged his lover and smiled wider. ¡°Yes, and because of that, I was finally made to understand how your love went much deeper than I could expect. It set my mind at ease and I¡¯ve never doubted you after that.¡±


    His chest filling with warmth as his eyes turned tender, Wei Xiang smiled. He knew that his beloved always had trouble believing that he was loved, not just by him, but also his master, fellow disciples, friends, and parents. But it seemed that slowly, even his stubborn little lover was beginning to realize how precious he was to the people he loved.


    And now, seeing his adorable Qinghe smiling with shy happiness as he spoke about Wei Xiang¡¯s love for him, Wei Xiang felt the need to shower more affection on him. Swooping down to kiss Qinghe on the mouth, Wei Xiang let his hands begin moving to undo his beloved¡¯s clothing. It turned out that his Qinghe didn¡¯t need to actively try and seduce him after all, because his little lover always ended up seducing him in so many little ways without even realizing it.


    Qinghe let out a surprised gasp at feeling Wei Xiang¡¯s lips over his while his lover¡¯s hands sneakily slipped into his quickly undone robes. Those familiar fingers trailed fire over his skin, awakening his own need. They caressed him with both gentle care and ruthless precision borne out of experience with his body, making him part his lips to let out a breathless moan. A slick tongue tasting of his Xiang thrust into his mouth, eagerly sliding over the soft and sensitive tissue inside before finding his tongue and playing with it. The scent of warm metal and woodsmoke suffused him, the familiarity of it making him feel more relaxed and comfortable as he let his mouth be energetically ravaged by his beloved. Qinghe felt his body softening under the sensual assault as his own hands rose to do away with Wei Xiang¡¯s clothes before starting to explore the lines of his lover¡¯s firm body.


    Disengaging from the kiss to slide his lips down the smooth column of Qinghe¡¯s arched neck, Wei Xiang murmured into the warm skin, ¡°Love, maybe I should worship your body with mine to show you how much more I love you now and work to set your mind at ease a bit more, just in case.¡±


    Qinghe let out an unsteady laugh. ¡°Xiang, you should stop finding excuses to do it and just start preparing me already.¡±


    His eyes turning molten, Wei Xiang decided to do just that.


    While the lovers were thus enthusiastically enjoying each other, outside the room, a certain green-eyed figure was expressionlessly listening to the loud moans and groans filtering through the door.


    His eyes boring into the wise and majestic silver-colored tiger inlaid into door whose eyes seemed to be staring right back at him, Yang Baoyu sneered. How dare that Feng Qinghe make a fool of him by pretending to not be on good terms with his lover, then just carefreely traipse off to have fun with said lover while he was left laying completely paralyzed in the garden! He thought himself so clever for outwitting him that once, did he? Well, he would show him that this Fourth Prince Yang wasn¡¯t to be messed with! The look of despair and regret that would twist that beautiful face when he realized what had happened to his children while he was off rolling in the sheets would definitely be a sight to see!


    His lips curling at the thought, Yang Baoyu walked towards the egg chamber to resume undoing the wards, not knowing that he was only stepping deeper into the trap Qinghe set for him.


    ¡­¡­


    Hearing someone knocking on his door for the third time this night, Feng Huixin went over to open it again. But his patience having already run out by now, Feng Huixin was determined to make the other person pay if they showed even the slightest sign of wanting to embroil him in their schemes or to force him into their bed.


    However, upon opening the door, he found that the one who knocked was a polite and slightly shy young man holding a woven basket full of fresh fruits. His face bore hints of immaturity while his eyes were wide and clear with traces of innocent honesty. His posture conveyed his hesitancy and anxiety openly.


    ¡°Second Prince Yang, is there something I can do for you?¡± Feng Huixin asked in an inflectionless tone.


    His head bowing while his shoulders curved unconsciously, Yang Xuehua expressed in a pleasant yet unsteady voice brimming with sincerity, ¡°L-Lord Feng, I¡¯ve come to apologize on behalf of my siblings. They might not think so, but I know that they must have caused you a lot of trouble and unpleasantness with their thoughtless words and actions. As one of your hosts, I beg your forgiveness for any offense they may have caused you. Please accept my apology!¡±


    Giving a deep ninety-degree bow, Yang Xuehua held out the basket of fruits seemingly in recompense.


    Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes narrowed as he used his senses to detect any threats or hidden weapons on the young man and the basket of fruits. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, he carefully accepted the basket. ¡°Please rise. Their actions are not Second Prince Yang¡¯s to compensate for. There is no need for you to apologize.¡±


    Straightening, Yang Xuehua gave an awkward laugh. ¡°Normally, that might be so. But considering that our nation is going to merge with Heaven again and how Lord Feng is in an important position in the heavenly court, wouldn¡¯t I be remiss as one of Wu Jin¡¯s princes if I didn¡¯t try to make amends and get on good terms with you?¡±


    Seeing him explaining his reasoning so openly, Feng Huixin relaxed a bit. This prince didn¡¯t seem like he had come with any ulterior motives this time, and he also seemed much more clearheaded than his siblings when it came to his duties as a prince. Encountering such a sensible child after all the senselessness from before, Feng Huixin felt a hint of appreciation for Yang Xuehua.


    ¡°And, L-Lord Feng, I must admit that I also had a selfish reason of my own for coming here¡­¡± Yang Xuehua confessed timidly while fidgeting.


    Feng Huixin raised an eyebrow. ¡°Yes?¡±


    Seeing that Feng Huixin didn¡¯t seem angry and was patiently waiting for him to continue, Yang Xuehua relaxed a bit and lifted up his head. His eyes shining with excitement, he said, ¡°Lord Feng, I already know that you are the Deity of Judgment¡­and I¡¯ve admired you for a long time! When I was a child, I¡¯d always dreamed of becoming an officer of judgment under you, protecting people and punishing bad guys. It sounds childish when I say it out loud, but, well, I still hope that I can fulfill my wish someday!¡±


    His enthusiasm fading to shyness again, Yang Xuehua continued, ¡°So¡­uh¡­Lord Feng, do you mind i-if I¡­well, could we talk for a bit in your room¡­please? Only if I wouldn¡¯t be disturbing you, of course! I completely understand if you don¡¯t want to let me inside your personal space, especially after the way my siblings behaved, so¡­I, uh¡­talking anywhere else is also fine¡­and, so¡­¡±


    By now, both of Feng Huixin¡¯s brows had risen up high in the face of these unexpected words. But feeling that this awkward child was somewhat adorable, he decided to agree to talk to him. He would still keep his guard up, of course, but there was no need to refuse such a harmless request.


    Opening the door fully in a silent invitation, Feng Huixin walked into the darkened room to light at least one lamp in a show of hospitality. Looking as if he was trying to suppress his bubbling happiness, Yang Xuehua entered the room and mindfully closed the door behind him before looking around. Spotting the only thing Feng Huixin had brought with him¡ªthe box of sweets given by Qinghe¡ªon the table, Yang Xuehua walked up to look at it curiously.


    ¡°Lord Feng, if it isn¡¯t too presumptuous of me, may I ask what is inside this box?¡±


    Feng Huixin easily answered, ¡°It contains the sweets my son made yesterday especially for me.¡±


    Speaking about it brought snatches of his son¡¯s clear voice to resurface in Feng Huixin¡¯s mind:


    Father, which flavor do you prefer? Peach or rose?


    Eh? Even that much sweetness feels strong to you? Father, your sense of taste really is too delicate! How did you even survive Mother¡¯s cooking till now?! You must really love her to put up with her toxic food!


    Father, here, I made a small sample for you. Open your mouth and say aah~


    You liked it? Then let me make you a box to take to work whenever I¡¯m home! No, it¡¯s no trouble at all. I¡¯ll be very glad if I can do this small thing and make your day even a little bit better!


    Thinking back to his son¡¯s cute and earnestly happy face when he¡¯d said that, Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes softened with love. Ah, how he wished he could pinch his Qinghe¡¯s cheeks or rub his round head right now¡­ He really missed his adorable son too much.


    Hearing the pride in Feng Huixin¡¯s voice when he spoke about Qinghe and seeing the affection in his face now as he seemed to be thinking about his son, Yang Xuehua asked wistfully, ¡°Lord Feng, you¡­do you love your son very much?¡±


    Breaking out of his thoughts, Feng Huixin looked at Yang Xuehua askance. ¡°Yes, of course. I love both of my sons very much.¡±


    Yang Xuehua¡¯s expression turned bitter. ¡°Your sons are really very lucky then. I wish my father could¡¯ve also¡­¡± Trailing away, he shook his head to clear it. Showing a bright smile again, he simply said, ¡°I wish Lord Feng could¡¯ve been my father too. Anyway, the sky outside is really clear and beautiful today. We can see so many stars. Lord Feng, do you want to stargaze on the windowsill? The windowsills facing this direction were all made thick and wide exactly for this purpose. We can even eat the fruits I brought as snacks.¡±


    Feng Huixin looked at the widely smiling young man with a deep gaze, then softened his expression while nodding in agreement.


    His smile turning more sincere, Yang Xuehua walked to the window and opened it. After climbing up to sit on one side of the windowsill, he placed the basket of fruits at the center and looked back. ¡°Lord Feng, come and sit here on the other side of the basket. I¡¯ve left plenty of space for you.¡±


    Feng Huixin nodded and walked over to gracefully sit down as well.


    And so, with the basket of fruits settled between them, Feng Huixin and Yang Xuehua looked up at the glittering stars covering the dark sky. The white dots twinkled with sharp light, each of those little points more brilliant than a diamond. As such, the many clusters of bright stars gathered densely above in the sky was even more dazzling, truly a sight to behold.


    As a comfortable peace settled over them both, Yang Xuehua smiled and turned to lift two pears from the basket, taking one for himself and offering the other to Feng Huixin. ¡°Lord Feng, would you like one?¡± Then suddenly seeming to realize something, he widened his eyes and stammered out, ¡°Ah, b-but if you don¡¯t trust me, you d-don¡¯t have to take it! I¡¯ll completely understand, so please don¡¯t worry about¨D¡±


    His eyes gleaming with silent amusement, Feng Huixin took the offered pear. ¡°Second Prince Yang, please don¡¯t worry.¡± Then right in front of Yang Xuehua¡¯s disbelieving eyes, he took a small bite from the pear, carefully chewing and swallowing.


    Seeing this sign of faith, Yang Xuehua¡¯s cheeks turned a faint pink in happiness as he lowered his head shyly. ¡°Th-Thank you for believing me.¡± Lifting his own pear to his mouth, he took a large bite, crunching the crisp and tart fruit.


    Feng Huixin remained placid as he continued to eat the pear. In truth, he still didn¡¯t trust the young man completely. But what he did trust in was his Chunyi. These past years, due to Feng Chunyi continuously feeding everyone in her family strange concoctions to make them develop a resistance to most types of toxins and poisons, Feng Huixin was confident that even if these fruits were poisoned, they wouldn¡¯t be able to do much to him. And this way, even if Yang Xuehua was planning something, he would think that Feng Huixin really had let down his guard and show his hand soon.


    But thankfully, the fruits were not poisoned, and the pair slowly munched on the fresh fruits while enjoying the calm night sky encrusted with sparkling stars spread over the world high above.


    Letting out a soft sigh of awe, Yang Xuehua turned his head and asked in a low voice, ¡°Lord Feng¡­can I ask you about the Offices of Judgment? Since I will not be a prince after Wu Jin merges with Heaven, I¡¯m really hoping to be able to join it someday, which is why I¡¯m very curious to know how it operates. Of course, rest assured that I¡¯m not asking about any secrets or things like that!¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s head was tilted back slightly, his deep black eyes reflecting the stars in the sky with crisp clarity. In a mellow voice, he stated quietly, ¡°Other than the confidential information pertaining to ongoing investigations that are kept from the public so as to not alert the suspects involved, the Offices of Judgment does not have any secrets. In any large organization, secrets left to rot in the darkness will create corruption. That is something I will not permit, especially in a law enforcement agency that is meant to protect the order of the realm.¡±


    Yang Xuehua looked at him with barely-hidden worshipfulness. ¡°I see. As expected, Lord Feng really is as righteous and impressive as they say! I wish I could become like you one day! If it¡¯s not too much trouble¡­can you tell me what the officers do every day?¡±


    Feng Huixin replied in the same quiet voice, ¡°The Offices of Judgment is a complex entity. There are too many people with different jobs and responsibilities, and each of them is equally important. But let me simplify it. The ones who are just coming off an assignment or those who need to file certain permits to continue their investigation need to submit the appropriate paperwork and gain approval. The ones who are going to head into a new case have to form a group if necessary, the most qualified officer getting assigned as the leader, and then they will research, interview the victims, eyewitnesses, and any persons of interest to gain a better idea of what they¡¯re dealing with. Some officers have the job of keeping an eye on certain people, organizations, and situations to know about any drastic changes in advance and suppress them when they get volatile to prevent any disturbance that could occur. Officers are also assigned routes to patrol according to a flexible schedule to prevent petty crimes or note suspicious activity. The officers off duty will either spar to keep in shape or spend time with their family, spouse, or lover. Meanwhile, there are also hearings for criminals in the justice court and other small things that take place every day.¡±


    Yang Xuehua stared at him agog. ¡°It sounds very busy and complicated¡­ And here I thought that catching troublemakers and punishing them was supposed to be simple. I suppose it only goes to show that I don¡¯t know much.¡± Giving a self-depreciating laugh, he continued, ¡°The biggest impression I have is of patrolling. It started as something I did as a kid to make myself feel important, as if I really was looking out for bad guys and keeping the people safe. I know, it sounds so silly. But the habit stuck, and even now, I take walks to ¡®patrol¡¯ the surroundings and try to see if there¡¯s anything suspicious¡­ Speaking of which, I noticed something strange just the other day.¡±


    Feng Huixin turned to look at the thoughtful young man. ¡°Strange in which way?¡±


    After taking a moment to think back, Yang Xuehua answered, ¡°I saw a cave in a rock face nearby, hidden behind loose branches and uprooted bushes. But I could swear there wasn¡¯t a cave in that place before. At least, not that I noticed in all these years of patrolling. For a moment, I even thought that it might be the secret hideout of the Dark Lotus, but that couldn¡¯t be, right?¡±


    Yang Xuehua tried to laugh it off, but hearing it, Feng Huixin sank deep into thought.


    The Dark Lotus was the underground organization that bore a large part of the responsibility for destabilizing the nation of Wu Jin. It had started out as a cult worshipping a certain very powerful demonic being that was supposed to have been vanquished by a previous Heavenly Emperor with great difficulty. This demonic being had then been sealed under an ancient mountain that later turned to plains, then rose back up to become hilly terrain naturally before being occupied by the deities who founded the nation of Wu Jin.


    By now, the Dark Lotus had developed from a simple cult worshipping that demonic being to a large underground organization that dealt in everything from smuggling the newly discovered materials for the deity-suppressing restraints to terrorism and assassination of high-ranked, powerful individuals. Unconfirmed rumors said that the ultimate goal of the Dark Lotus was to undo the seal on the demonic being they worshipped and set it loose on Wu Jin to ¡®cleanse¡¯ it, leaving only the members of the Dark Lotus to reign over these lands.


    Even if it sounded farfetched, it wasn¡¯t entirely impossible for the Dark Lotus to have carved a hidden cave or two for themselves in the capital, though it was difficult to believe that they would be gutsy enough to make one right under the nose of the royal palace.


    In a serious voice, Feng Huixin asked, ¡°Have there been any movements from the Dark Lotus here in the capital recently?¡±


    Yang Xuehua¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Lord Feng, do you think¡­it really might be them? But¡­ No, wait. Yes, there really have been a lot more assassinations of lords and ladies with important positions in the royal court recently, and they happened very close to the palace too. I¡¯ve heard Younger Brother Baoyu speaking about it with Father. All those assassinations were so smooth that they were suspecting that there might be a mole in the royal palace who was feeding the Dark Lotus information or something.¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s gaze turned sharp. ¡°We can¡¯t be sure it really is related to them, but it is still better to check and make sure. Does Second Prince Yang mind showing me to that cave tomorrow morning? I would like to asses it for myself.¡±


    His eyes turning wide, Yang Xuehua exclaimed, ¡°Eh?! But Lord Feng, I heard that you had those deity-suppressing restraints on you that won¡¯t let you use your power¡­ Is that really alright? If we really met someone from the Dark Lotus when you¡¯re in this state, wouldn¡¯t we be at a great disadvantage?¡±


    But Feng Huixin didn¡¯t seem bothered. ¡°Suppressive restraints like these only act on one¡¯s spiritual power. They have no bearing on my physical strength.¡±


    Though Yang Xuehua looked uncertain, he still nodded obediently. ¡°A-Alright then, if you¡¯re sure. I¡¯ll come by early tomorrow morning and take you to that place.¡±


    Feng Huixin gave him a grateful look. ¡°Thank you. For now, I feel tired due to the traveling today and would like to meditate to restore my equilibrium. Second Prince Yang, I will see you tomorrow.¡±


    Understanding that he wanted to rest alone, Yang Xuehua quickly said, ¡°Then I won¡¯t impose on Lord Feng anymore. Please rest well.¡±


    With that, he left.


    Alone in the room, Feng Huixin snuffed out the lamp and plunged the room back into comfortable darkness, the light of the stars and moon flowing in from the window the only illumination again. His gaze wandering to the box on the table, Feng Huixin considered finishing the last one-third of the sweets left as well, but decided to save it for later. Letting out a sigh, he went to sit cross-legged on the bed like before. But rather than meditating to center himself and calm his thoughts, he instead reached out with his mind to complete certain other types of preparations just in case.


    A few hours later, dawn hid away the stars and lightened the skies, heralding a new day. Yang Xuehua knocked on the door right on time. Getting up from the bed where he¡¯d sat unmoving till now, Feng Huixin opened the door and followed the young man to visit the suspicious cave.


    At the same time, in the capital of Heaven, Yang Baoyu stood with his hands pressed to the egg chamber¡¯s glowing wards and grinned. He was almost there. As an expert formation breaker, he had already finished undoing all layers of the barrier except one.


    But little did Yang Baoyu know that his own undoing laid just past that door, where Qinghe¡¯s traps eagerly awaited.


    Uncaring of all these different entrapments that were slowly closing over their prey, the morning sun rose languidly, casting its light upon the world.


    crimson_carnation

 Extra 16: A Political Exchange [Part 3]

    crimson_carnation


    Dawn broke, slowly flooding the world with its warm light. It was the beginning of another day, and it would be the end of many futures.


    In the Feng residence, Yang Baoyu stood in front of the egg chamber, his raised hands resting on the shining barrier that covered the chamber¡¯s thick door. Lines and circles, squares and polygons made of various types and colors of sigils flashed and flickered on the barrier in reaction to his fiddling.


    Yang Baoyu had been working on the wards of the egg chamber like this for the better part of an hour already. He spent every moment with the fear that he would be discovered by Qinghe or Wei Xiang, and yet he persisted with grim determination. He would do this and get Wu Jin¡ªand specifically the royal family¡ªanother bargaining chip in the negotiations, and he would show that arrogant Feng Qinghe that he was not to be looked down on! He would succeed!


    And so, gritting his teeth, he pushed on single-mindedly.


    As an accomplished formation breaker, Yang Baoyu could undo all manner of spells, arrays, barriers and the like if given the time. Till now, he had already undone the first few layers of this complex shell of protective barriers. They had been woven for the Feng household by the topmost masters of the craft in the heavenly realm. But as an accomplished formation breaker, Yang Baoyu had already trained himself to be as familiar with those masters¡¯ works as possible. After having thoroughly studyied the techniques in which those well-known masters created barriers and formations, Yang Baoyu was able to carefully unravel their spells and worm his way through.


    But even though the outer layers were easy to undo because of that, the last layer he encountered confounded him to no small degree. It seemed all too simple and straightforward at first, but Yang Baoyu soon realized that he had to be most cautious with this one or risk falling prey to it. Though he didn¡¯t recognize this formation as the handiwork of anyone from Heaven, he still had to admit that this formation crafter deserved his admiration and resentment for creating such a difficult and tricky one that had him on his toes the whole time he was trying to work his way through it.


    There were many types of defensive restrictions, but the most common and convenient ones were those with a key. The key would oftentimes be a single character or a phrase which, when cast into the restriction, would blend into its formation to release it temporarily. The most common keys were usually something along the lines of ¡®release¡¯ or ¡®open¡¯. Yang Baoyu had of course tried them all just to be sure, but he couldn¡¯t break in. However, that only showed that the weaver of this final barrier was not an amateur. And so, the prince had been trying to find the key for each layer of the barrier by tracing the spells and attempting to detect the tiny clues left in the formations themselves. He was now doing so for this final layer of the barrier as well.


    What really surprised Yang Baoyu, however, were the intricacy and the traps in unexpected places scattered throughout this last layer.


    For example, there were a lot of unnecessary spells woven into the formation that did nothing but negate themselves and lead to a trap, but Yang Baoyu hadn¡¯t figured that out until he tried to undo a particular part of the spell and almost triggered a trap. He¡¯d barely managed to stop it in time using up a very precious artifact. Since that almost-mishap, he¡¯d tried to be twice as careful, but he still couldn¡¯t be sure which thread of spells was meant to lead him into a trap and which was a genuine part of the defensive restriction unless he followed it to the end, which was quite problematic and caused him no small amount of headache. And so, was it any wonder that it was taking him so much time to carefully unravel even a small part of it?


    But thankfully for him, no matter how eccentrically made that last layer of the protective barrier was, Yang Baoyu was still able to just barely undo enough of it to squeeze in. Of course, he didn¡¯t know that that last layer, whose concepts had actually been constructed by Wu Xiao, was drastically simplified by Qinghe just recently so as to not discourage Yang Baoyu from working through the wards and entering the egg chamber.


    Unknowing of the jaws of the trap that were slowly closing around him, Yang Baoyu finally pushed open the door to the egg chamber and entered.


    The inside was dimly lit, the walls swept with golden light emitted from the line of fire burning along the edges of the room. High on the walls sat ornaments in the shape of wyvern heads made of gold, each one either looking profound and majestic or as if they were snarling with their sharp-fanged maws opened wide. Their eyes consisted of bright red gems that gave an eerie feeling as if the gold wyverns were really able to see, studying and judging everyone who entered the chamber. Small, cup-shaped indentations were spaced on the floor in neat rows. And in each indentation sat a large, knee-high egg with a softly shining shell.


    Filled with a sense of victory now that he could finally get his hands on that man¡¯s children, Yang Baoyu stepped toward the first egg with a wide grin filled with malicious intent. His eyes gleaming with violent rage, he lifted the silver-and-blue egg and threw it at a nearby green-and-copper one with force. The two eggs collided with a loud sound, but their shells only cracked. His fury igniting at the sight of even that man¡¯s children defying his expectations, Yang Baoyu retrieved a giant stone hammer from his storage space and brought it down with full force again and again on that silvery egg. The sound of his frenzied hammering filled the room for a few minutes. Then, with a sharp crunch, the egg finally broke apart before thick fluid gushed out, bringing with it a half-formed wyvern fetus with frail wings curved around its little body protectively.


    The defenseless pinkish fetus lay curled on the floor, its body quivering as it weakly tried to flop in the pool of amniotic fluid. Yang Baoyu smiled wider at the sight and raised a foot, stomping down mercilessly on the vulnerable flesh of the unborn wyvern and crushing it under his thick-soled boot. Sensing its fragile life being snuffed out, he happily ground his foot into it with gusto until the fetus was nothing but a pitiful paste of blood and ground meat. Feeling immensely satisfied, Yang Baoyu threw back his head and laughed heartily.


    After that, like a man possessed, he went into a frenzy of destruction and cruelty, ruthlessly breaking apart every egg and squashing the soft, half-formed wyvern babies that slid out. The once neat and immaculate floor of the egg chamber was now covered in egg fragments, viscous amniotic fluid mixed with blood, and the spitefully pulverized bodies of the unborn wyvern children.


    Once he was done unleashing his vengeance-driven destructive urges on the unresisting eggs, Yang Baoyu stood with his chest heaving, his eyes gleaming with glee at the sight of the gruesome devastation he¡¯d wrought upon that infuriating Feng Qinghe¡¯s children. Yes, this would teach him to look down on the fourth prince of Wu Jin! He couldn¡¯t wait to see the anguish and pain on that man¡¯s face when he saw this scene.


    Slowly recovering his breath, Yang Baoyu was just about to do another round to make sure he hadn¡¯t left even a single whole piece of flesh of the fetuses when he suddenly sensed someone behind him. Yang Baoyu quickly whirled around, his senses on high alert. ¡°Who¡¯s there!?¡±


    Leaning against the door with his hands folded and his face without any expression was Feng Qinghe. Only his eyes showed a deep, cold rage.


    Yang Baoyu stood stunned. When had this person snuck behind him? How could he, a centuries-old deity, not feel the approach of someone only four decades old?!


    Letting out a sharp chuckle, Qinghe finally spoke, his voice soft and smooth, ¡°Did Your Highness enjoy your rampage? Does killing unborn children give you pleasure?¡±


    Yang Baoyu snapped out of his shock and snarled, ¡°Unborn fetuses are not considered fully alive by your damn laws, so I can very well kill them as much as I want! And what proof do you have that I was the one who did it anyway? In the end, it will just be your word against mine!¡±


    Qinghe chuffed out an amused laugh.


    Because the wyvern eggs contained unborn spiritual beasts, they would be covered by the laws of spiritual beasts as well. And by spiritual beast laws, if an egg was irreparably harmed or destroyed by someone maliciously, then the closest kin of the eggs had the right to extract punishment directly from the offender. As in, if Yang Baoyu broke the wyvern eggs, as their closest kin, Wei Xiang could rightfully beat Yang Baoyu to within an inch of his life according to the laws of the spiritual beasts and not be penalized for it. Heaven would naturally not interfere in such a matter. And so, Qinghe had to wonder, just where this prince was getting his idiotic confidence from?


    Qinghe shook his head and sighed. ¡°Ahh, stupid, so stupid¡­ I do not wish to waste my time explaining it to the likes of you.¡± Calmly extending out a hand, Qinghe coated it with his spiritual force and molded it to form wind claws. His lips suddenly stretching into a mad grin, he slammed his hand into the wall beside him, sending cracks splitting outward as the whole room shook with a loud rumble due to the sudden impact. Yang Baoyu steadied himself on the trembling floor as he looked at Qinghe with wide eyes.


    His voice almost a growl, Qinghe spat, ¡°If there were no laws preventing murder, I would have very much liked to rip out your rotten heart to feed it to my children when they are born. But I am not murderous scum like you, and the flesh of something as filthy as you does not deserve to even touch my dear ones¡¯ lips.¡±


    Then slowly retrieving his hand from the wall and dispersing his wind claws, Qinghe let his expression return to its usual composed state. ¡°But it really does seem that you love to make a fool out of yourself a lot, Fourth Prince Yang.¡±


    Yang Baoyu clenched his hands and yelled out, ¡°Fuck you, Feng Qinghe! Whose children are scattered in this room as nothing but bloodied mush?! Who do you think suffered the most?! It¡¯s you! You are the one who lost! You are the fool in the end! How dare you still disrespect me in such a way?!¡±


    Qinghe laughed, a sound of genuine amusement. ¡°Is that what you think? Haven¡¯t you figured it out yet?¡± He sneered, his eyes filled with mockery. ¡°It seems you really are a fool.¡±


    Before a furious Yang Baoyu could reply, Qinghe lifted a hand and waved it at the room. And with it, the fragmented eggshells, bloody fluid, and ground flesh on the floor seemed to be swept away, revealing a pristine and empty room.


    Yang Baoyu looked around with shock, trying to figure out what just happened. Then realization finally hit him. Turning to Qinghe, he gritted out through clenched teeth, ¡°You! You played me! It was all an illusion?!¡±


    Tucking his hands into his sleeves and leisurely leaning back against the door again, Qinghe smiled elegantly. ¡°But of course. Or did you really think I was stupid enough to leave my dear children in a place where you could get to them this easily? Why else did you think I simplified the wards on this room if not to watch you make a fool of yourself by dancing into my trap? Your Highness sure is easy to manipulate. It¡¯s been quite entertaining. First you ended up poisoning yourself while trying to seduce me, and then you huffed and puffed in this chamber destroying what you thought were my children, but were in truth nothing but smoke and shadows, an illusion left here specifically so that you could feel all pleased with yourself about your non-existent cleverness in breaching through those simplified wards and bash defenseless children to a pulp. Tsk, tsk, Fourth Prince Yang is such a pitiful person, thinking he¡¯s oh-so-impressive all along even though he was dancing like a monkey in the palm of my hand.¡±


    Every word Qinghe had spoken till now was deliberately meant to anger Yang Baoyu, to push him off the edge of reason and into the pit of mindless fury, and it succeeded. Veins bulged in the prince¡¯s forehead and his hand holding the shaft of the giant hammer tightened. With a roar, He suddenly jumped forward. ¡°Feng Qinghe!¡±


    Seeing how easily Yang Baoyu was manipulated again, Qinghe felt pleased. He lightly leapt to the side to evade the giant hammer coming his way. The heavy hammerhead smashed against the sturdy doors, causing the wood to buckle outward. Yang Baoyu growled like an enraged animal and charged towards Qinghe again and again, swinging his hammer while aiming for him. But Qinghe sidestepped easily each time, his face calm with a slight smile.


    ¡°Fuck, stop dodging, you coward! Stand and fight, damn you!¡± Yang Baoyu howled.


    Qinghe chuckled. ¡°Why? So that your nation can charge me with assault? No, thank you.¡±


    Yang Baoyu seemed to not even hear his reply as he kept smashing down his hammer. Cracking the floor, the walls, and sometimes even the ceiling. Qinghe bounced around cheerfully while taking special care to lead Yang Baoyu to the gold wyvern heads on the walls so that he would damage all but one of them. The wyvern head mounted farthest from the doorway had only one eye cracked, the rest of it whole enough to satisfy Qinghe¡¯s purposes. But blinded by wrath, Yang Baoyu didn¡¯t notice that he was being lead around, his red eyes swirling with bloodthirst focused only on Qinghe.


    Finally bored of all the dodging, Qinghe landed on the floor lightly and held up a hand to gather wind and compress it into a barrier around him. The place he¡¯d halted at was just in front of the sole surviving wyvern head ornament.


    Seeing that his prey had stopped evading him, Yang Baoyu gave a shout of joy and lunged, hammering away at the wind barrier while Qinghe watched on amusedly. Understanding that the barrier wouldn¡¯t break so easily, Yang Baoyu injected even more spiritual power into the hammer before bringing it down on Qinghe¡¯s wind barrier again. The sound the impact made this time was much louder, sending ripples through the gradually weakening barrier. Grinning wide, Yang Baoyu madly beat away at it with renewed vigor.


    His smile spreading, Qinghe spoke in a measured and clear voice, ¡°Why are you so obsessed with reaching me, Fourth Prince Yang? What are you planning to do after you break my barrier? Surely you know that physically harming me will break the law?¡±


    But gripped in the throes of mindless rage, Yang Baoyu didn¡¯t care about logic and reason. ¡°I will crack this barrier like the shell of those eggs and pound you into the ground, then grind you under my boots until you become nothing but meat paste as well! Feng Qinghe, I will kill you! I will obliterate you! You dare try to make a fool of me!¡±


    Qinghe laughed. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t try to make a fool of you. You already set yourself up as a fool the moment you decided to target my household.¡±


    Giving an angry shout at hearing this, Yang Baoyu poured all of his power into the hammer before bringing it down onto wind barrier with all the force he could muster. The barrier cracked with a loud snap, hiding the sound of Qinghe¡¯s sly chuckle. His voice sounding amused, Qinghe spoke aloud, ¡°Oh, dear, my barrier has cracked. Whatever shall I do? Seems like I will need a big and strong officer of the law to come and save me from this murderous prince~¡±


    Laughter burst out of a nearby shadow before Wei Xiang materialized from it, fully attired in his uniform. ¡°I suppose I am that officer of the law this beautiful young man speaks about?¡±


    Yang Baoyu immediately spun around, his hammer making its way towards Wei Xiang. Wei Xiang ducked and caught the shaft of the hammer, and exerting a bit of power, wrenched it away from Yang Baoyu¡¯s grip. ¡°I¡¯m confiscating this as the potential murder weapon.¡±


    Roaring, Yang Baoyu tried to strike Wei Xiang with his fists, but Wei Xiang easily deflected his offensive by slapping it away with the back of his hand, then swept out a long leg to trip the prince. As Yang Baoyu struggled to stabilize his balance, Wei Xiang quickly swiveled to the side and brought down his elbow onto his back, sending the prince crashing down. With a wave, Wei Xiang sent out his golden strings to bind Yang Baoyu from his neck down to his ankles, cocooning him tightly.


    His voice remaining steady, Wei Xiang stated, ¡°Fourth Prince of the Wu Jin royal family, Yang Baoyu, you have broken the law by trying to murder a citizen of Heaven and a member of the heavenly court, the Deity Feng Qinghe. You will now be taken into custody to be processed in the Offices of Judgment for your crime. You have no choice but to cooperate. If you think you have been unfairly accused, you are free to ask for a trial in the halls of the Heavenly Palace. Do you understand what has been said to you?¡±


    Yang Baoyu grunted and wriggled on the ground, desperately trying to escape, but the golden threads remained unbudging.


    ¡°Tch.¡± With a sound of disdain, Wei Xiang crouched beside him and clamped his fingers over the prince¡¯s jaw in an iron grip before turning his head to face him. Letting his pupils grow slitted as his eyes turned a burning gold, Wei Xiang spoke in a deep and rumbling voice while stressing each word, ¡°I said, did you understand what I just told you, Fourth Prince Yang?¡±


    Faced with that menacing expression that clearly conveyed that Wei Xiang didn¡¯t mind twisting off his limbs gruesomely and taking a big bite out of his hide if he didn¡¯t answer quickly, Yang Baoyu froze as terror tried to blanket his mind. Trying not to lose control of his bladder while he desperately attempted to hold on to his reason, Yang Baoyu gave a short, jerky nod and whispered, ¡°Y-Yes.¡±


    Wei Xiang let go of his jaw and straightened again. Since Yang Baoyu was properly incapacitated, Wei Xiang left him lying on the floor and walked to his little lover. Dissolving his barrier, Qinghe ran up to Wei Xiang, happily opened his arms, and wrapped them tightly around his beloved.


    But pushing him back, Wei Xiang carefully studied him with a worried frown. ¡°Qinghe, how are you? Did he manage to hurt you anywhere?¡± After checking and seeing that nothing was wrong, Wei Xiang exhaled in relief. ¡°Good, you¡¯re fine. But love, you shouldn¡¯t have been so passive. The law at least permits you to fight for self-defense purposes, you know? You are more skilled in martial arts than I am, so you could¡¯ve easily taken him down.¡±


    Qinghe showed a cheeky smile and blinked seductively. ¡°Maybe I just wanted to be rescued by my handsome lover and held close while being comforted in different and interesting ways. And anyway, Xiang, what makes you say I¡¯m better at martial arts than you? We almost always end up in a draw in all our sparring sessions, don¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°You little imp,¡± Wei Xiang said while chuckling and brushed his fingers over Qinghe¡¯s cheek. ¡°And yes, that is so. But if you were against me in real combat, I have no doubt that your martial arts would win over mine.¡±


    Qinghe puffed his cheeks. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll never fight with you for real and risk hurting you, so there¡¯s no point in discussing it.¡± Leaning forward again, Qinghe buried his face in Wei Xiang¡¯s chest.


    With a helpless and pampering expression, Wei Xiang patted Qinghe on the back. ¡°Yes, yes, I know. But love, you still haven¡¯t answered me seriously. Why didn¡¯t you fight against the prince? It doesn¡¯t seem like you to focus only on defense.¡±


    Qinghe shrugged and answered, ¡°Unless one receives an injury from an attacker to prove that the other part has harmful intent towards them, a skilled talker could twist it around to make it seem that the victim, as the first one to strike, was the instigator. That is, the first one to attack is more likely to be seen as the one in the wrong. And while I trust the integrity of the Offices of Judgment and the Heavenly Emperor, I didn¡¯t want to risk that. Since I could make this case be more in my favor by holding back, I chose to only defend and extracted a clear confession that he meant me harm before calling you. If things didn¡¯t go as planned, I would of course have taken care of it myself or activated one of the many trap formations or protective arrays set in this room to capture him. To put it simply, I didn¡¯t attack because it would make things more convenient for us later. Now does this seem more like me?¡±


    Looking down at his little lover¡¯s smug face, Wei Xiang cold only chuckle and bend to press a loving kiss to his cheek. ¡°Yes, now that does indeed seem more like you.¡±


    Qinghe grinned happily and leaned back from his beloved¡¯s embrace. ¡°Well, now that we¡¯ve straightened it out, I think it¡¯s time to show a certain prince how his future accommodations inside a prison cell will look like.¡± As one, Qinghe and Wei Xiang turned their gazes towards the bound Yang Baoyu on the floor, their smiles sharp.


    His blistering anger having calmed a bit by now, Yang Baoyu had already come to understand just what a horrible situation he had landed himself in. Being pierced by the pair¡¯s gazes now, he gulped. He supposed there was no way for him to wriggle out of this¡­ He had truly messed up beyond repair.


    As Wei Xiang dragged him off to the Order of Judgment, Yang Baoyu gritted his teeth with abject regret, frustration, and despair. But as perfectly baited and trapped as he was, he knew that there was nothing he could do.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s this cave, Lord Feng,¡± Yang Xuehua dutifully informed. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem to have been found by anyone else till now, and the positioning of the branches and shrubbery trying to hide the cave mouth has also not changed. Maybe¡­no one¡¯s entered it after I found it? Or do you think it is being used by an organization like the Dark Lotus to store things rather than as a headquarters?¡± His expression brightening at that thought, Yang Xuehua optimistically guessed, ¡°Maybe there aren¡¯t any people inside at all and there¡¯s only black market goods stored away in the cave! This excursion of ours might turn out to be not dangerous after all!¡±


    Standing beside the young man, Feng Huixin frowned and said noncommittally, ¡°It might be so. But unless we go and see for ourselves, we won¡¯t know.¡± Then pausing to turn and look at Yang Xuehua, Feng Huixin noted, ¡°Perhaps it would be better if Second Prince Yang stayed behind for safety purposes while I go in to check.¡±


    Yang Xuehua hesitated as if considering this, then shook his head and spoke with suppressed excitement shining in his eyes. ¡°No, if I won¡¯t be too much of a bother, I¡¯d rather accompany you, Lord Feng. I want to see you in action with my own eyes! And I was also the one who showed you the cave, so I would like to take part in this.¡±


    Feng Huixin sighed but nodded. ¡°Very well, then. Let¡¯s enter.¡±


    After spending a few minutes to push aside the broken-off foliage blocking the cave¡¯s mouth, Feng Huixin and Yang Xuehua carefully stepped inside. A long tunnel stretched in front of them, leading deeper into the cave. The floor and walls were rough and uneven while the ceiling was even more rocky as it curved above them. With a thoughtful gaze, Feng Huixin stepped towards a wall and dragged his fingers over it in evaluation.


    ¡°Lord Feng? Is something wrong?¡± Yang Xuehua asked worriedly.


    Feng Huixin took back his hand from the wall, lightly rubbing the old dust and decayed cobweb that came away between his fingers. Turning back, he calmly replied, ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Yang Xuehua let out a breath in relief and confessed nervously, ¡°Lord Feng, I¡¯m actually not very good with spooky places like this. I-I feel a bit uneasy, so would you mind if we hurry up a bit?¡±


    Feng Huixin raised an eyebrow but nodded. ¡°Very well, let us get going then.¡±


    And so, they set off, walking deeper into the cave. The more they walked, the darker it became and the closer Yang Xuehua crept towards Feng Huixin, his eyes swiveling every which way as if expecting a ghost or ghoul to throw itself onto him at any moment.


    ¡°A-At least we haven¡¯t encountered any traps till now¡­¡± Yang Xuehua muttered as if to console himself.


    Suddenly, the faint and muffled rattle of chains echoed from further ahead, startling them both.


    Before he could rush forward to check, Feng Huixin felt trembling fingers pinching the edge of his sleeve. Feng Huixin turned to his companion, ¡°Yes?¡±


    Realizing what he¡¯d done, Yang Xuehua quickly took back his hands before hesitantly asking, ¡°Lord Feng¡­do you, um, mind if I hold on to your sleeve while we walk?¡±


    Feng Huixin raised his brows.


    Feeling awkward, Yang Xuehua coughed and stepped back. ¡°Ah, n-never mind. Please pardon my excessive forwardness.¡±


    Feng Huixin wordlessly began walking again. After a slight pause, Yang Xuehua followed after him, his head lowered.


    In a quiet voice, Feng Huixin suddenly explained, ¡°Second Prince Yang, we are in potential enemy territory. Danger might be lurking in any corner. And to protect you from it, I will need to keep my hands free. Having you holding my sleeve would impede my ability to move quickly, and even a single instant of delay might end up in me being unable to defend you in time.¡±


    Yang Xuehua lifted his head in surprise, then smiled at Feng Huixin¡¯s back. ¡°I see. Thank you, Lord Feng. And I¡¯m sorry for not thinking my request through.¡±


    Feng Huixin simply nodded without looking back. After a few moments of silence, he said softly, ¡°You remind me of my son, just a bit.¡±


    Yang Xuehua looked at the straight back of the man walking before him with unreadable eyes, remaining quiet as if not knowing what to say. Feng Huixin didn¡¯t speak anymore either and continued striding forward. A heavy, meaningful silence stretched between them.


    Less than an hour later, the tunnel in front of them widened into a large, circular chamber, its high ceiling disappearing into darkness. The floor curved downward in a smooth, concave bowl. Concentric circles of strange symbols were inlaid into this concave area, covering it completely. Surrounding this chamber on all sides were tall arches held aloft by weathered stone pillars carved from the cave walls. The darkened mouths of more passages were visible under each of the arches.


    ¡°What is this place?¡± Yang Xuehua exclaimed while looking around. He walked up to the edge of the large concave bowl and carefully peered down. His eyes widening, he hastily took a few steps back and suddenly called with a sense of urgency, ¡°Lord Feng! Come here and look at this!¡±


    Feng Huixin frowned but walked past the frantic young man and stood at the edge of the large concave bowl before looking down in puzzlement. ¡°Second Prince Yang, there seems to be nothing here. What did you see¨D¡±


    Feng Huixin suddenly felt the impact of someone strongly pushing him from behind. Rather than tumbling down, he used the force of the shove to leap up and land inside the concave area.


    Outside the bowl-like area, Yang Xuehua suddenly shouted, ¡°NOW!¡±


    The concentric circles of sigils in the concave area suddenly lit up with a blindingly bright glow. A transparent, cylindrical wall of power rose up from the outermost circle running along the edge of the bowl-shaped area. Squinting his eyes due to the sudden brightness, Feng Huixin immediately recognized it as the activation of a restrictive formation that aimed to trap him inside this concave space. The dormant torches embedded into the pillars and arches surrounding the central space also suddenly flared to life, throwing more light to illuminate the large chamber. People wearing heavy, tan-colored hooded robes slowly emerged from the passageways inside the arches, their footsteps muffled. All of their hoods were pulled up, and a single stylized lotus stitched in black thread decorated the chest part of their robes.


    Feng Huixin immediately recognized it as the mark of the underground organization Dark Lotus. It seemed that Yang Xuehua had led him into a trap.


    The only hooded person with a white robe in the group slowly made their way to Yang Xuehua with their hands clasped behind them. ¡°Prince, you did your job well as usual,¡± said a measured voice seeming to belong to a man in his thirties.


    After he retrieved a tan colored hooded robe of his own and put it on, Yang Xuehua¡¯s whole manner seemed to change from the nervous and honest youth from before into someone arrogant and sharp-tongued. ¡°Hmph, of course I did. This is the last piece we need to free the dark god, the only thing standing between us finally ruling this nation. I naturally took special care in my acting this time to make sure we could get him here without issues. Just don¡¯t mess up this final part, leader.¡±


    The white-robed man chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re as cold as always, but your competence and intelligence make you very valuable to us. And soon, you will be rewarded for all the information you brought us from the palace and the spy work you did these past years. After this, we can put a halt to those discussions regarding merging with Heaven, and then you can rule the nation of Wu Jin from beside us. With the dark god¡¯s grace on your side, even that talented younger brother of yours won¡¯t stand a single chance against you. Isn¡¯t that what you want, Prince?¡±


    Yang Xuehua clenched his hands into fists and snarled, ¡°Enough, I don¡¯t want to hear about him! Just get on with it. Or are you waiting for the Deity of Judgment to find a way out on his own?¡±


    The white-robed leader scoffed. ¡°As if he could.¡± Turning his head, the leader gazed with contempt at the Feng Huixin who was standing still and straight with a calm expression inside the restrictive formation, looking directly at them with half-lidded eyes.


    ¡°He sure doesn¡¯t look surprised for someone betrayed,¡± the leader observed.


    Yang Xuehua frowned and muttered to himself, ¡°It couldn¡¯t be¡­¡±


    Not thinking much about it, the leader leaned forward and whispered, ¡°Anyway, until the preparations for the extraction formations are complete, Prince, I want you to distract our guest so that he doesn¡¯t get up to something that will hinder us. I¡¯m counting on you now.¡± Clapping a hand on his shoulder, the white-robed man turned and left to bark commands at the others.


    Sighing, Yang Xuehua walked to the edge of the restrictive formation and faced Feng Huixin. His chin lifting up haughtily, he spoke ¡°Lord Feng, you¡¯re being awfully quiet for someone who just discovered that the obedient young man who¡¯d been accompanying them till now turned out to be a spy from an underground organization. Or have you gone speechless from shock?¡±


    Feng Huixin looked unperturbed as he explained, ¡°I never once put down my guard against you, Second Prince Yang. The moment I entered the cave, my suspicions towards you had already strengthened. So I simply don¡¯t feel the need to be surprised.¡±


    Yang Xuehua¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You really figured it out? How?¡±


    ¡°The cave walls,¡± Feng Huixin calmly replied. ¡°It was covered with dust and cobwebs as if this cave had existed for a long time. But you specifically stated yesterday that this cave was dug out recently. And when I paid attention to that inconsistency, you immediately attempted to distract me and urged me to head deeper.¡±


    Yang Xuehua showed an expression of displeasure. ¡°Tch, so it was that after all. But still, if you were always on your guard against me, why did you eat the fruits I gave you?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m confident in my immunity against poisons of most sorts,¡± Feng Huixin said.


    Gritting his teeth, Yang Xuehua looked miffed at being outsmarted. ¡°Are you always so wary with others? Or did I do something to make you keep your guard up against me from the beginning?¡±


    Feng Huixin tilted his head. From all these questions he was asking¡­ Was the prince trying to distract him? Why?


    But outwardly, Feng Huixin didn¡¯t show his thoughts as he cooperatively began to answer, ¡°Due to prior investigations, I was already aware that someone in a high position in the Wu Jin royal court¡ªprobably even someone of the royal family¡ªwas a part of the Dark Lotus. Knowing that you or one of your siblings could be the spy, I kept my guard up from the very beginning. But what made me feel more cautious towards Second Prince Yang in particular was the way you used your siblings. After they each came to make a commotion and were sent away, you then arrived with the justified reason of ¡®making amends in their stead¡¯. It was a reason that wouldn¡¯t raise suspicions at all if one wasn¡¯t already on their guard against exactly that sort of unassuming and subtle scheming worthy of being used by a skilled covert agent. Subsequently, you behaved in the exact opposite way your siblings did, as if purposefully showing me the contrast so that I would feel more favorable towards you.


    ¡°Later, after inviting me to stargaze, you tried to judge how much I¡¯d grown to believe in your harmlessness by offering the fruit as a test. Seeing that I accepted it, thus proving in your eyes that I had already come to trust you, you started conversing with me. After evoking my pity by revealing your dissatisfaction with your father and softening me further by pretending to revere the Offices of Judgment, you steered our conversation in the direction of this cave in such a way that no officer of the law would be able to ignore the potential danger this suddenly-appearing cave might present. Wasn¡¯t all this so that you could lure me in here and capture me for some reason?¡±


    Hearing his pretense till now dissected like this, Yang Xuehua could only look at him speechlessly.


    One had to know that even though Feng Huixin could be considered to be the least crafty person in the Feng household, for him to earn his position as the Deity of Judgment still meant that he didn¡¯t lack intelligence. It was only in certain aspects that he appeared too dense or befuddled, just like Qinghe sometimes was.


    Suddenly, Yang Xuehua burst into laughter and sneered, ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you a sly one, Lord Feng? You knew all that yet you still acted like nothing was wrong at all. And here I was so flattered when you said I was like your beloved son. Turns out it was all lies.¡±


    Feng Huixin sighed. ¡°No, I did not lie. Second Prince Yang, you truly do remind me of my son. He is also very clever and likes to use his skills in acting to lure people into his traps similar to you, though unlike you, he doesn¡¯t underestimate his opponents. He actually tends to overestimate them a bit and always prepares many, many countermeasures against things going wrong in advance. He is just like his mother in that aspect. But unlike them, I suppose Xiang-er likes to just directly toy with his prey for a few minutes before finishing them off quickly. The three of them together would be an exceedingly frightening combination to behold.¡±


    Seeing Feng Huixin¡¯s wistful expression that clearly said he missed his strange-sounding family, Yang Xuehua just silently glared at him.


    Breaking out of his reverie, Feng Huixin finally said, ¡°Second Prince Yang, I¡¯ve answered all your questions. Now I hope you will answer some of mine in return.¡±


    Yang Xuehua narrowed his eyes and rested his hands on his hips belligerently. ¡°Very well, ask and we will see.¡±


    Feng Huixin almost smiled. ¡°Once you¡¯re done distracting me and your companions finish setting up whatever they are working on now, what are you planning to do with me?¡±


    Yang Xuehua looked at him startled, then barked out a sharp laugh. ¡°Observant, aren¡¯t you? But that¡¯s what I¡¯ve come to expect from the famed Deity of Judgment. I really shouldn¡¯t have underestimated you. Fine, I¡¯ll answer you. It¡¯s not like it¡¯ll be of much use to you anyway. We are setting up a formation that will extract your power. The reason you were chosen for this is because of the sheer potency of your power and the way you are currently unable to use it to resist, which makes it most convenient for us. But though you can¡¯t use your power due to those deity-suppressing restraints, it still runs through your spiritual veins. We will simply force it out of you and combine it with the life energy we¡¯ve already harvested from all those powerful courtiers till now.¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s expression turned grave. ¡°For what purpose?¡±


    Chuckling, Yang Xuehua easily admitted, ¡°It¡¯s all a part of a huge ritual to free the dark god we worship from the seal the previous Heavenly Emperor put him under. Our dark god is a being that even the previous Heavenly Emperor couldn¡¯t kill. He was only able to seal him. If we could get the gratitude and protection of such an unimaginably powerful being, the Dark Lotus can easily fulfill its goal of conquering Wu Jin.¡± His tone turning sharper and more intent, he continued, ¡°Even that younger brother of mine will have to bow to me then and answer to my commands. So what if he was the most promising one among us? So what if Father favored him the most? I will stand above him and show Father that I am even more worthy than Baoyu!¡±


    Feng Huixin wanted to sigh. Unqualified parents were the cause of so much suffering. As an unfavored son himself, Feng Huixin could understand a bit of what Yang Xuehua felt. But even when he came into his powers, Feng Huixin had never once thought of using them to dominate his siblings and gain his parents¡¯ favor. Maybe that was because he had his nanny to teach and guide him down the right path while making up for whatever affection he didn¡¯t get from his parents. After that, he had his master, then his Chunyi and their family to fill that space. But did this young prince ever have anyone like that?


    Pushing away these thoughts, Feng Huixin spoke with regret, ¡°Second Prince Yang, your talents are wasted, both in this organization and in your royal court. If you had come to the Offices of Judgment before, you really could¡¯ve been trained to be a fine officer.¡±


    Yang Xuehua looked at him with surprise, then turned his face away with a cough. ¡°W-Well, whatever. It¡¯s too late now, and no matter what manner of sweet-talk you try on me, I won¡¯t be swayed from my path when victory is so near.¡±


    Feng Huixin could only shake his head while suppressing his amusement. ¡°Then let me ask you another question. Does your organization know the location of the demonic being you worship? If not, all of this would¡¯ve been in vain.¡±


    His expression melting into a smug smile, Yang Xuehua replied. ¡°Of course we do. In fact, our dark god is right here even now.¡±


    Frowning, Feng Huixin tried to sense any traces of demonic energy, but came up blank. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I do not understand.¡±


    Laughing, Yang Xuehua simply pointed upward.


    Feng Huixin tilted his head back, and his eyes widened imperceptibly in shock.


    Before, when he¡¯d first surveyed this chamber, the ceiling had been completely drowned in shadows. But after the restrictive formation became active and the wall torches were set ablaze, faint light finally illuminated the ceiling. With its back flat against the ceiling, something huge and monstrous seemed to be restrained under layers upon layers of chains. Each chain link itself was the size of a full-grown man, its color pitch black. From between the tightly bound coils of chains, Feng Huixin could make out hints of matted black fur, a wrinkled bovine face, pitch black horns, human-like furry hands, and dully shining cloven hooves. The flat, black horns curving up from the bull-like head looked like the petals of a dark lotus on the verge of blooming. From within the folds of the black hide on the creature¡¯s face, two glowing eyes filled with madness and bloodlust silently watched over the happenings in this chamber. The entirety of the ancient creature¡¯s body seemed to be hundreds of times larger than a human. But because of the seal, its presence and power were completely undetectable.


    Seeming to sense the weight of Feng Huixin¡¯s incredulous gaze, the demonic being¡¯s head slightly shifted to focus its insanity-filled eyes on him. Due to that small movement, the black chains lightly clanked. Feng Huixin realized that this was from where they¡¯d heard that sound before in the tunnel. Of course, Yang Xuehua had immediately distracted Feng Huixin after that, but Feng Huixin had still remembered the sound and had thought of investigating it afterward.


    Meanwhile, after seeing Feng Huixin¡¯s minimal reaction despite being faced with the chained body of such a formidable being, Yang Xuehua smirked. ¡°Lord Feng, I have to commend you for being so calm even in this situation. But what good will you being so composed do when we all know it¡¯s only a matter of time before your power is sucked clean and you¡¯re nothing but a dry husk?¡±


    Feng Huixin lowered his gaze from the ceiling to look at the confident young man. ¡°I assure you that such a thing will not happen.¡±


    Yang Xuehua peered at him unconvincedly. ¡°Oh? Are you saying you know how to get out of there? But if you had a way to escape, wouldn¡¯t you have already done so? Yet look at you. You¡¯re still trapped in the restrictive formation, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Feng Huixin earnestly replied, ¡°I only decided to stay here to hear you speak out your plans. In my experience, criminals tend to reveal their secrets and motives more easily and honestly when they think they have the upper hand in comparison to when they are locked up and interrogated strictly by the officers. But now that I¡¯ve gotten to hear everything I need to know, I suppose it¡¯s time I made my way out.¡±


    Feeling shocked yet again, Yang Xuehua ground his teeth. How could this person keep defying his expectations like this?! No, wait. Didn¡¯t he have seven sets of deity-suppressing restraints on him? So how was he planning on getting free?


    Just as Feng Huixin began calmly walking towards the edge of the restrictive formation to demonstrate exactly that, the white-robed leader from before suddenly yelled at Yang Xuehua, ¡°Prince, it¡¯s done! You don¡¯t have to stall him anymore.¡±


    The Dark Lotus members surrounding the formation chanted to activate the smaller formations they¡¯d just drawn on the cave floor and poured in their spiritual energy.


    Power abruptly punched Feng Huixin, targeting the barriers in his mind and trying to make him let go of his tight hold on himself. He froze mid-step and clamped a hand over his mouth. Pain squeezed his mind in a tight grip, trying to slowly grind away his mental barriers. No, he couldn¡¯t let go! He of all people could never let his hold over his control slip by even a little! Squeezing his eyes closed as his brows furrowed sharply, Feng Huixin fought the power battering the walls of his mind.


    Meanwhile, the people outside the restrictive formation all widened their eyes with bewilderment as the air in the chamber rippled and thickened. Their chests felt like it would explode while their sight seemed to blur. A strange pressure pressed down on them. It was as if the air was being condensed by some great force. The floor and walls of the chamber groaned and rumbled. Loose rocks and pebbles directly floated up from the ground and trembled as if being squeezed.


    Yang Xuehua clutched his chest and coughed as if trying to let out the discomfort. He stared at Feng Huixin with shock. Since he was unable to use his cultivation, was all this the result of their attempt to extract his power? Just how strong were his mental barriers to show such an effect?!


    ¡°L-Leader!¡± Yang Xuehua struggled to call out. ¡°Shut down the¡­extraction formations! A-At this rate¡­¡±


    But even as he was struggling for breath, the white-robed leader refused loudly, ¡°No! We¡¯re¡­so close! J-Just a¡­bit¡­more¡­¡±


    Yang Xuehua gritted his teeth at the other man¡¯s stubbornness, but could only give up. The people manning those formations wouldn¡¯t listen to him anyway, and if he tried to fiddle with it, it could just make things worse. Rubbing his eyes in an attempt to make them regain some clarity, he turned his gaze to Feng Huixin again and jerked in alarm.


    Feng Huixin¡¯s long hair had turned an eerie white along with his irises. Blood trickled through the fingers he had clamped over his mouth. No matter which way one looked at it, this was definitely not a good thing!


    Inside the concave area, Feng Huixin desperately struggled to keep hold over his mind. But after the chain of stressful and angering situations he¡¯d had to deal with just recently, what with various people trying to force him and take advantage of him, he hadn¡¯t had a chance to center himself yet. His equilibrium was slowly tipping.


    An arm curling around his stomach, Feng Huixin spat out another stream of blood. As much as he wanted to stubbornly deal with this on his own, the risk of him losing control and his power rampaging through this world was too high. His power was too great, an abomination of epic proportions that could tear through Heaven itself like it was wet paper. He¡¯d had to learn to strictly suppress it from the time he¡¯d started on the path of cultivation. But it was still too difficult to always regulate his emotions and keep a tight hold on his mental barriers to prevent leakage. Right now, that delicate balance was already slipping away. His emotions were turning agitated. He couldn¡¯t do this by himself. He needed external help.


    Gathering his strength, Feng Huixin called out with his mind, <Master¡­your disciple¡­needs your help¡­>


    In answer, a ball of heat suddenly flared in Feng Huixin''s dantian from where he''d secreted away the memento from his master that now contained his master''s spirit. Slowly, it pulsed in his dantian, burning hotter and hotter. Then, compressing itself into a small point, the heat slowly pushed its way out. A little speck of light floated out of Feng Huixin¡¯s lower belly and flew around him as if assessing his situation. Then, with a soft sigh of distress, the small speck of light swelled rapidly until it was the size of a small house. Under the incredulous gazes of the watching Dark Lotus members, the large ball of light dissolved to take the form of a giant white¨D no, a giant silver tiger.


    Jaws dropped open as eyes almost popped out of their sockets in shock. Someone muttered in a disbelieving voice, ¡°Is this a¡­Spirit Tiger?!¡±


    Another person whispered in awe, ¡°Weren¡¯t Spirit Tigers one of the heavenly beasts?! Wasn¡¯t it said that they went extinct long ago in a lower world?!¡±


    ¡°No, wait, this Spirit Tiger¡­it doesn¡¯t seemed to be giving off life energy. It¡¯s dead!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­is this its lingering spirit?¡±


    Wind suddenly lashed around the chamber, whirling around the large silver tiger and Feng Huixin as if shielding them from inquisitive gazes. Inside the swirling wind, the Spirit Tiger opened its jaws and spoke in a heavy voice that reverberated in Feng Huixin¡¯s mind, <It¡¯s been a while since I saw you in such a state, Xiao Xin.>


    But Feng Huixin couldn¡¯t muster any energy to reply.


    Sighing at his disciple¡¯s state, the silver tiger nudged Feng Huixin¡¯s head with his giant nose and huffed out a breath. If his disciple was wavering, he would be firm; if he was grieving, then he would comfort; but since Feng Huixin was now agitated, the silver tiger turned his voice soothing, <Xiao Xin, calm yourself. I can drain my reserves and suppress your energy for a few moments, but you will have to regain your balance soon.>


    Feng Huixin gritted his teeth and struggled to comply with his master¡¯s instructions. His agitation began to subside, but refused to completely go away. <Master¡­I c-can¡¯t¡­>


    The silver tiger¡¯s voice was unyielding. <Yes, you can. Xiao Xin, if your power explodes out, not only will the heavenly realm be torn to pieces, so will your precious family. That cheeky wife of yours and your sons will die.>


    Just the thought of it made another mouthful of blood spurt out of Feng Huixin. No! He wouldn¡¯t have that! No matter what, he would protect his family!


    <Then control yourself. Your mind is your domain and your emotions are the waters that fill it. Calm the waves, disciple. Exercise your will.>


    With the image of his family dying haunting his thoughts, Feng Huixin ruthlessly forced his mind under his control, not caring about the damage to his body.


    For a moment, the wind in the chamber surged even stronger, lifting up several people and throwing them against the cave walls. Then the cutting wind suddenly died, finally exposing Feng Huixin. That silver tiger was nowhere to be seen, as if it had simply been a figment of their imagination.


    Yang Xuehua studied Feng Huixin carefully and let out a breath in relief. Feng Huixin¡¯s hair and eyes seemed to have returned to normal, and his face was even blanker than usual, his emotions under rigid control. The strange power heavily pressing down onto them had also disappeared.


    The white-robed leader got up from where he¡¯d fallen on the floor and snarled, ¡°Strengthen the extraction formations! Don¡¯t give him time to recover!¡±


    The small formations around the larger restrictive formation had been steadily dimming due to the lack of spiritual energy input. But now that the people tending to those extraction formations had more or less recovered, they began to pour in their energy again.


    Feng Huixin felt the spell clamp onto his mind once more, but remained unperturbed this time. His defenses were solid now, and just the thought of his family suffering if he let go of his grip on his power was enough for him to hold on to it even tighter.


    ¡°Leader, it¡¯s not working!¡± one of the Dark Lotus members tending to the extraction formations shouted with alarm.


    Not giving them time to think of anything else, Feng Huixin pushed up his sleeves, exposing the seven sets of black deity-suppressing restraints that were covering his forearms, and shot out his power. The restraints on his arms creaked and managed to suppress his power for barely a moment before being ground to dust by the overwhelming energy forcing its way past them. The seven sets of deity-suppressing restraints turned to powder and shushed down from Feng Huixin¡¯s arms.


    The watching people all gaped at him. He was actually able to get out of even seven sets of restraints this easily?! Just what sort of monster was he to possess that much power?!


    The reason Feng Huixin had let the restraints remain on him this long was only so that anyone who wanted to scheme against him in Wu Jin would think that he was rendered powerless. He did not actually expect to have to remove the restraints on his own during this trip, since his physical might itself was enough to deal with most dangers. But now¡­


    Feng Huixin tilted his head back and studied the chained demonic creature on the chamber¡¯s ceiling. Its eyes glowed with bottomless hunger and insanity. As long as it was allowed to exist, it would cause chaos. Even if the Dark Lotus was dealt with now, another organization might just pop up to worship this being. And somewhere down the line, if this demonic creature was freed, then it would be disastrous.


    ¡°Since the being you worship is demonic in origin and poses a threat to the lives of the people in this world, it is my duty as the Deity of Judgment to eliminate it. Please maintain an appropriate distance in the meantime to prevent being injured.¡±


    The Dark Lotus members could only stare at him speechlessly.


    Not caring about them, Feng Huixin slowly released the tight grip on himself in a carefuly controlled manner. Unleashed, his power unfolded like massive wings, reaching below the ground, dissolving into the air, and rising high enough to brush the sky. The suffocating power was so potent, feeling as if it could suffuse the entirety of Heaven itself and still overflow. It was raw and primal. If the power of a normal deity was an ant, then Feng Huixin¡¯s was the world itself.


    Holding his arms away from his body, Feng Huixin summoned his spiritual artifacts¡ªthe golden whip Order and the black whip Punishment. The two whips appeared in his hand, the golden one with thin and flat, blade-like edges and the black whip looking like it was completely covered with sharp, curved spikes.


    Intimidated by the power flooding from Feng Huixin and his weapons, the watching Dark Lotus members all hurriedly backed away to put some distance between them and Feng Huixin. Just a small swing of those whips and they would die in pieces.


    Feng Huixin lifted the hand holding Order and lashed it towards the creature bound on the ceiling in a quick swing. Before those watching could register the motion, an arc of tremendous power flashed upward from the golden whip, cleaving through the black chains and carving a deep injury across the demonic being¡¯s body. Pieces of broken black chain links rained down as the restraints sealing the creature were undone. Letting out a roar that shook the chamber, the creature reached back to dig its fingers and hooves into the ceiling, maintaining its position while its gaze fixed on Feng Huixin.


    Feng Huixin narrowed his eyes. It seemed that even Order would be unable to quickly finish this demonic being. Its hide was too thick. In that case, it only left¡­


    Letting out another earth-shaking roar, the gigantic creature let go of the ceiling and leapt down towards Feng Huixin, sensing the vast stores of energy inside him and seeking to consume every drop of it.


    Quickly raising the black-colored Punishment that he seldom saw the occasion to use, Feng Huixin charged it with his power and swung it upward with force. A sharp, piercing whistle rent the air as the whip cut through it, sending a vast torrent of power rocketing up and slamming into the black-furred creature. The demonic being barely had the time to cross its arms to shield its face before it was hit. Its glowing eyes widened in horror¨D


    ¨Dand then it was erased from existence.


    The creature¡¯s body and the cave¡¯s ceiling, along with the top of the hill this cave was situated in, were all blown away into fine dust by that one strike of Punishment, not leaving behind even a single chunk larger than a particle of sand. Bright rays of sunlight showered down from the resultant hole in the ceiling, setting aglow the motes of dust showering down and bringing with it a strange sense of surrealism. Overhead, the clouds in the sky above the hill were all scattered or dispersed due to the strike, while powdery dust rained down softly on the surrounding areas.


    Inside the chamber, the horrorstruck members of the Black Lotus were startled out of their awe due to the falling dust, coughing and covering their nose and mouth with hands, arms, or sleeves before trying to flee. Seeing just how staggeringly powerful Feng Huixin was, they knew without a doubt that even all of their power combined and multiplied a thousand times wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against him. They could only hope to slink away now and hide, hoping for the rest of their lives that they would never be found by this monstrously strong and fearsome deity.


    But everyone who tried to escape through the main tunnel or the side passageways under the arches all found that there were stern-faced, black-robed officers standing guard. Anyone who charged at them to try and break through was easily dealt with by them.


    Yang Xuehua clenched his hands into fists after realizing that he wouldn¡¯t be able to escape. It seemed that Feng Huixin had long since called for his people from the Offices of Judgment to come and surround this cave, just in case there really was something related to the Dark Lotus going on in here. Yang Xuehua guessed that for the officers to have arrived in such a timely manner, all these preparations must have been arranged yesterday night at the earliest, right after he told Feng Huixin about the cave. Yang Xuehua felt reluctant respect blooming within him. Such thorough thinking¡­ there was no doubt that that man was suitable to bear a title as lofty as the Deity of Judgment, even being chosen to be the next Heavenly Emperor.


    Meanwhile, Feng Huixin had put away his spiritual artifacts and was wiping the trickle of dried blood from the corner of his mouth. Using his senses, he determined that the operation of stealthy infiltration and surrounding of the chamber and the hill outside was complete. Opening his mouth, he finally ordered, his voice steady and calm as always, ¡°The cultivation of all targets is still active. Deploy restrictive talismans and suppress.¡±


    Restrictive talismans functioned just like the deity-suppressing restraints, though the only ones in possession of these talismans were the people from the Offices of Judgment.


    Hearing Feng Huixin¡¯s command, the officers immediately took out the aforementioned talismans and flung them into the air. The talismans floated in place, making a neat circle in the air around the entire chamber. Before the Dark Lotus members could react, the characters drawn on the talismans glowed as they activated, and a giant cylindrical barrier much like the one that confined Feng Huixin came to life. The Dark Lotus members all felt themselves unable to use their power, some of them rushing towards the walls of the barrier to beat their fists on it in a futile attempt to break out. Due to his own power being insuppressible, Feng Huixin barely felt anything. Waving a hand, he easily dispersed the restrictive formation trapping him and walked out.


    ¡°Begin the procedure of taking the members of the underground organization Dark Lotus into custody. We will hold them in the royal dungeons until the negotiations between Heaven and Wu Jin are complete, then transfer them into the prison cells in headquarters.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lord Feng!¡± the officers shouted as one in acknowledgment, then quickly entered the restrictive barrier before setting about capturing everyone. Due to their greater numbers and strength, the officers weren¡¯t worried about their inability to use their powers within the barrier. Disorganized and disoriented as they had become due to the rapidly changing situation, the Dark Lotus members were easily handcuffed, restrictive talismans stuck onto each of them.


    Seeing everything proceeding smoothly, Feng Huixin gave the officers directly under him some more orders before deciding to head out of the cave. Just as he was about to step out of the chamber, he heard a loud commotion and looked in that direction. Flailing between the pair of officers holding him in place, Yang Xuehua was arguing stubbornly, ¡°I said I¡¯ll cooperate, so let me go already! I only want to talk to your leader for a bit, and then I¡¯ll come quietly!¡±


    Feng Huixin changed the direction of his steps and walked towards them. ¡°What does Second Prince Yang wish to talk to me about?¡±


    Yang Xuehua froze and turned around, looking at Feng Huixin with wide eyes due to being caught unawares. Then suddenly looking away, he coughed. ¡°I-I just¡­I wanted to say¡­¡±


    Feng Huixin cocked an eyebrow and expressionlessly asked, ¡°Yes?¡±


    Still looking away, Yang Xuehua got out with difficulty, ¡°I-I didn¡¯t completely lie to you. I¡¯m done pretending, so don¡¯t think I¡¯m trying to butter you up again. I will accept my punishment, so this is not about that. I just wanted to tell you that¡­that I r-really did admire you when I was a child¡­and maybe even now¡­ M-Maybe it wouldn¡¯t have been so bad if I had joined you and become an officer under you.¡± His face reddening, he burst out to cover his embarrassment, ¡°But things obviously didn¡¯t go that way, and it¡¯s definitely not my fault, you hear! I just didn¡¯t want you to think I was always lying, that¡¯s all! Hmph!¡±


    For a moment, there was only silence. Then suddenly, one of the stern-faced officers holding Yang Xuehua let out a suppressed chortle before clamping a hand over his mouth. Another officer sighed amusedly and expressed, ¡°How cute. It seems you have a devoted fan, my lord.¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes softened while Yang Xuehua yelled at the teasing officers indignantly, ¡°What the fuck are you talking about?! Who is his fan?! I just told you that I didn¡¯t want him to misunderstand, that¡¯s all! Tch, keep your weird thoughts to yourself!¡±


    In a soft voice Feng Huixin suddenly said, ¡°Second Prince Yang, after you¡¯ve finished serving your sentence in prison, if you are able to pass the psychiatric evaluation and are determined to no longer have criminal tendencies, then you will be free to attend the officers¡¯ academy to train before applying to become an officer of judgment. With your intelligence, I¡¯m sure you will be able to work with me soon.¡±


    Yang Xuehua looked at him with wide, hopeful eyes. ¡°R-Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Feng Huixin nodded. ¡°Can you hold on until then?¡±


    Snapping out of his daze, Yang Xuehua harrumphed again. ¡°O-Of course I can! You just wait, Lord Feng, and keep a space beside you empty for me. I¡¯ll finish my sentence quickly and join you before you even know it!¡±


    Feng Huixin looked at spirited young man warmly. ¡°Then I will be waiting.¡±


    Now that what he wanted to say was said, Yang Xuehua unresistingly let the officers take him away. Feng Huixin also began walking towards the tunnel and slowly made his way out. Since he was still serving as the exchange, he unhurriedly strode back to his room in the royal palace and closed the door.


    Bringing out the box of sweets Qinghe had given him from where he¡¯d hidden it in his spatial storage this morning, Feng Huixin opened the lid and stared at the last one-third of the sweets inside. Since he¡¯d had such a trying day, he decided that he deserved to eat the rest of them. And so, sitting cross-legged on the bed, Feng Huixin slowly finished the remaining sweets, his thoughts once again filled with longing towards his family.


    ¡­¡­


    The next morning, after the reports Feng Huixin and Wei Xiang had sent to the Heavenly Emperor were finished being processed, the heavenly court was called to session once again. The negotiations had already reached the final stages of planning and were brought to a temporary halt. The matter of exchanges was also put aside and Feng Huixin used the shadows to quickly return to the capital of Heaven while bringing along a few other people as instructed by the Heavenly Emperor.


    Currently in the throne room, the four members of the Feng household stood to one side while the Wu Jin royal family was situated on the other side. After being branded as criminals, several members of the royal family were kneeling on the floor with their heads bowed, their wrists and ankles shackled while an officer of judgment stood beside them vigilantly.


    First Prince Yang Yehuo was charged with the sexual assault of Feng Huixin and many other servants in the Wu Jin royal palace. His severe injury to the pelvic area had already been healed within a few hours by using copious amounts of medicine, and it still hurt him terribly. However, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and bear with it to attend the heavenly court now. Kneeling opposite to the Feng household as he was, Yang Yehuo didn¡¯t even dare to lift his head to look at Feng Huixin in the fear of remembering the brutal pain of the other man¡¯s knee driving itself between his legs just yesterday.


    The Second Prince Yang Xuehua who was kneeling beside him was charged with associating with an underground organization, theft of sensitive materials, and accessory to murder and the potential loss of life that would have occurred if that demonic being had really been set free, among various other things. His expression was strangely serene and unreadable. To say that his family had been shocked upon hearing that he was a spy from the Black Lotus was an understatement. But in the present situation, they had no choice but to put aside this matter to digest later.


    Fourth Prince Yang Baoyu was charged with attempted murder of Feng Qinghe and violence against an officer on duty while being taken into custody. Though his head was bowed, the veins in his neck and wrists stood out prominently as if he was barely managing to hold himself still. Bitter hatred and caustic rage burned within him as thoughts of how he had been outwitted and trapped by that Feng Qinghe kept spinning in his mind. But Yang Baoyu was determined to bide his time and use this opportunity given to him by his father to expose that wily man¡¯s trickery for all to see!


    Of the Wu Jin royal family present in the throne room currently, Yang Lingyun, the king of Wu Jin, was the only one standing. Even Yang Jian, the royal siblings¡¯ cousin, had been apprehended for his attempt to make the bald man assault Feng Huixin in the carriage while they were heading to Wu Jin. The bald man would¡¯ve also been present were it not for his severe injuries that rendered him unable to move at the moment. Meanwhile, without any charges against her, Princess Yang Ruanyu was left back in Wu Jin to manage the royal court.


    The reason for everyone¡¯s presence here in the throne room was because Yang Lingyun had asked for an open trial in the heavenly court and in front of the Heavenly Emperor. He desperately wanted to find some way out of this situation, and he theorized that since the Feng household must have used some sort of sneaky methods to get the Wu Jin royal family in this state, if he could just get them to spill their schemes out in the open, even if his family ended up being condemned, he could at least smear tar on the Feng household¡¯s name and drag them down as well. And what better place to do that than in the throne room where no one could speak lies?


    ¡°Your Majesty, I seek justice for my children!¡± Yang Lingyun declared self-righteously while looking at the Heavenly Emperor with burning eyes.


    The watching members of the heavenly court merely gazed at him with pity. This King of Wu Jin might think that he could trip up the Feng household, but they knew better. They were just waiting here out of curiosity to see what type of a show would be put on by both sides.


    The Heavenly Emperor sighed and spoke, ¡°Then we shall address the cases one by one without delay. First Prince, do you have any objections with the charges that have been placed against you that you wish to address in a trial here? I will warn you that if any of the accused wastes the time of the heavenly court, they will be judged with a harsher statement. Think carefully before you answer, First Prince.¡±


    Yang Yehuo gulped, not even daring to lift up his head to meet the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s weighty gaze. Sweating silently, he wracked his brains trying to make a choice. Though his father had reassured him that he would try to get him out if he pleaded for a trial in the heavenly court¡­after all these years of being treated like he was less than his younger brother Yang Baoyu, Yang Yehuo really had lost his faith in his father¡¯s care for him. If it meant saving Yang Baoyu, he knew that he would be sacrificed without even a thought. And if this failed, wouldn¡¯t he be the one to bear the extra punishment?


    Gritting his teeth, Yang Yehuo finally lifted his head and forced out, ¡°N-No, I don¡¯t need a trial.¡± Since he couldn¡¯t lie here anyway, the truth would be easily exposed, so it was better to admit defeat and choose the lesser evil.


    Yang Lingyun clenched his fists. This stupid son! Did he have to ruin his plans so easily?! In truth, Yang Lingyun had requested for these trials just to pull out the Feng household¡¯s schemes and make them show their true colors as revenge. He didn¡¯t think he would be able to save his two older sons anyway. He had already decided to focus his efforts on vengeance against the Feng household and to help Yang Baoyu out of his sentence. He didn¡¯t care what happened to his other two sons. As for his nephew Yang Jian, he didn¡¯t even enter his mind.


    On the Throne, the Heavenly Emperor nodded solemnly. ¡°A wise choice, First Prince. Now what option does the Second Prince pick? Do you feel that you have been accused unfairly?¡±


    Yang Xuehua looked up, his usually arrogant face calm. He saw his father try to send him signals telling him to nod, but he ignored him. He could easily see what Yang Lingyun was plotting and wanted no part of it. Instead, Yang Xuehua¡¯s eyes directly met Feng Huixin¡¯s on the opposite side, holding the other man¡¯s gaze that showed encouragement. Smiling softly, Yang Xuehua said in a clear voice, ¡°No, I am satisfied with the way I have been judged. I am willing to answer everything that will be asked of me and am prepared to accept my punishment.¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes slightly widened. Then his blank expression warmed slightly, approval in his gaze. Seeing it, Yang Xuehua felt that he had made the right choice. He smiled wider and bowed his head again, not bothering to look at his father¡¯s ugly expression.


    Yang Lingyun wanted to smack these disobedient sons of his! These dim-witted, ungrateful wretches! But at least he still had his Yu-er. He had always lived up to his expectations and listened to him as a filial son should. As long as he could somehow get his youngest child out of this mess, he would be happy.


    Seated on the Throne, the Heavenly Emperor nodded to acknowledge Yang Xuehua¡¯s words. Turning to Yang Baoyu, he asked, ¡°What does the Fourth Prince choose? Will you also cede your right to a trial in the heavenly court?¡±


    Yang Baoyu looked up and glared at Qinghe while spitting out, ¡°No! I feel that I have been treated very unfairly by the Feng household and Feng Qinghe in particular! I demand that he be judged as well for seducing me into eating something toxic and luring me into a trap to make me violent!¡±


    Yang Lingyun breathed a sigh in relief and commended Yang Baoyu in his heart for at least following the script.


    Meanwhile, Qinghe raised his brows in genuine surprise. What was wrong with this prince? Though he had indeed acted weak in an attempt to seduce Yang Baoyu in the beginning, he definitely hadn¡¯t been doing that when the prince ate that petal! Of course, as someone who wasn¡¯t able to judge a person¡¯s beauty from their facial features, Qinghe didn¡¯t understand the concept of sexual appeal based only on someone¡¯s appearance and how Yang Baoyu had been considering his drunken beauty seductive from beginning to end.


    Looking at his little lover¡¯s confused expression, Wei Xiang had to force down his chuckles while Feng Chunyi shook her head amusedly. Her son was really too weird to not understand his own allure. Ah, how innocent he was! Feng Huixin merely narrowed his eyes. After being told of all the things this Fourth Prince Yang had done, he really was very displeased.


    Hearing Yang Baoyu¡¯s accusations, the Heavenly Emperor remained calm and simply nodded. ¡°Very well, then Fourth Prince, please defend against all the allegations against you and state the reasons why you blame Deity Feng. Remember that only what you consider truth will be able to be spoken in these halls.¡±


    Yang Baoyu stayed silent for a minute, then took in a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I can¡¯t defend against any allegations without revealing how I have been schemed against by that Feng Qinghe and his lover. I would like to speak about the events that ended up with me like this from my point of view.¡±


    The Heavenly Emperor tapped a finger against his armrest in thought before finally saying, ¡°Then Fourth Prince, you may recite the events as you remember. If Deity Feng or anyone has an explanation to give or objection to make in between, they are allowed to raise their hand and state their case.¡±


    Yang Baoyu and Qinghe nodded to indicate that they agreed.


    The Heavenly Emperor turned to look at Yang Baoyu and said, ¡°Then please begin.¡±


    Yang Baoyu nervously licked his lips and started speaking, ¡°Their plot began the moment we met in the Feng residence. They were acting like they weren¡¯t close, and Feng Qinghe in particular acted the role of a scorned lover perfectly. Why would he do that if not for nefarious purposes?¡±


    Qinghe coughed and raised his hand to show that he had something to say. Pressing his lips together discontentedly, Yang Baoyu stopped speaking. In an amused voice, Qinghe observed, ¡°It seems that you are ignoring how you attempted to break into the egg chamber just before that, but let¡¯s put that aside for now. Fourth Prince Yang, why do you think that the way my lover and I acted with each other was nefarious and aimed at you? Are you perhaps not familiar with the term ¡®roleplay¡¯?¡±


    Chuckles and laughter sounded from the watching courtiers. This Feng Qinghe was really too bold! Meanwhile, Yang Baoyu had gone red in anger and embarrassment, not realizing that Qinghe had merely replied to a question with a question without really answering it. He had just skirted around the truth.


    Not wanting to give Yang Baoyu time to think and figure it out, Wei Xiang joined in with his own half-truths, ¡°Yes, my little lover and I partake in it quite often. However, we weren¡¯t aware that Fourth Prince Yang was clueless enough to not understand.¡±


    Yang Baoyu had veins bulging out of his forehead in anger while his lips peeled back to show his gritted teeth. Feeling worried that his son would end up doing something rash, Yang Lingyun patted his shoulder and advised, ¡°Yu-er, ignore them and just move on to the next one. Don¡¯t let them provoke you.¡±


    Yang Baoyu gave a tight nod to his father and took in deep breaths to calm himself. As long as things went his way, he was usually very composed. But the moment he felt uncertain or insulted, his anger would explode. Knowing this about himself, Yang Baoyu tried very hard to force down his rage and spoke in a taut voice, ¡°Even if we put that aside, how do you plan to explain the series of events that followed? You lured me into the garden and pretended to be drunk, then acted seductive so that I¡¯d be tempted into eating that yellow flower petal off of you. Wasn¡¯t all that deliberate?!¡±


    Qinghe raised his eyebrows. It seemed that this prince really believed what he was saying to be able to speak it out loud in the throne room like this. Lifting a hand to indicate that he wanted to speak, Qinghe began, ¡°I did not lure you into the garden. I was merely sitting on a bench, drinking wine, and eating my petals in peace. In which way did I lure Fourth Prince Yang?¡±


    Of course, that didn¡¯t mean that Qinghe hadn¡¯t deliberately let the other man see him entering the garden before he sat on the bench expecting the prince to come and bother him. But he had carefully made sure that he wasn¡¯t actively ¡®luring¡¯ the other man just so that he could express his innocence with conviction in the throne room.


    And so, after hearing Qinghe¡¯s words, though Yang Baoyu opened his mouth, he could say nothing. After all, it wasn¡¯t like Qinghe had told him to come in. Now that he thought about it, though Yang Baoyu was sure the other man had purposefully drawn him into the garden, he really couldn¡¯t point to any particular incident that could be considered ¡®luring¡¯.


    His eyes growing half-lidded, Qinghe didn¡¯t give him time to think things through and continued, ¡°Now, let me address the rest of Fourth Prince Yang¡¯s statement. I did not pretend to be drunk. I really did finish those four bottles of wine, so I was drunk. That is the truth. And I do not know why Your Highness would think I seduced you into eating that petal. You came to me and sat beside me uninvited, then showed interest in what I was eating. I specifically stated that it wasn¡¯t good for you. After that, you indecently implied how you would like to have sex with me, then touched my cheek and held onto my hand as I tried to forcefully make you let me go. I refused your rude advances by politely pointing out that I had a lover. Your Highness then proceeded to violate my personal space by picking up a petal that had fallen onto my person with your tongue. I warned you to spit it out, you chewed and swallowed it instead. Now, which part of this constitutes as me seducing you into eating that petal, I wonder? It rather sounds like you sexually harassing an intoxicated man younger than you by taking advantage of his drunkenness, then digging a pit for yourself by eating something I asked you not to. Yet now Your Highness is blaming me?¡±


    Surprised murmurs arose in the heavenly court as they cast disgusted or mocking gazes at Yang Baoyu. But rather than pity, they instead looked at Qinghe with admiration. They were almost sure that all of that was carefully orchestrated by him fully knowing the impact reciting it in the throne room would have.


    Meanwhile, no matter how much Yang Baoyu thought, he couldn¡¯t refute a single point Qinghe made. Since Qinghe was clearly able to state that he was drunk, it must be the truth. Yang Baoyu couldn¡¯t make a fuss about the other man scheming or seducing him while in such a state, since any argument that a drunken man had been able to plot like that would be laughable. Feeling endlessly frustrated, the prince gritted his teeth once again.


    Seeing Yang Baoyu stay silent in the face of thee accusations, Yang Lingyun felt disappointment claw his chest. He had hoped that his son would be able to refute at least some of what that Feng Qinghe said, but it seemed like that hope was futile. Pushing those thoughts down, he whispered, ¡°That¡¯s alright, Yu-er. Just move on to the next bit.¡±


    Yang Baoyu felt uncertain. Would he really be able to prove that he was schemed against? It seemed like¡­that Feng Qinghe really had thought through everything too thoroughly to let him get any foothold. But just thinking of his smug, smiling expression¡­ Yang Baoyu refused to let that man get away with making a fool of him! He was determined to find something that would condemn that hateful person!


    Letting out a breath, he once again began, ¡°A-After that, did you or did you not provoke me in that empty chamber?¡±


    With a smile, Qinghe raised his hand again to indicate that he was going to speak and said, ¡°Are we going to gloss over the situation of the eggs again?¡±


    Yang Baoyu burst out in anger, ¡°What¡¯s there to speak about?! It¡¯s not like any of the eggs were actually harmed!¡±


    Qinghe cocked an eyebrow. ¡°Oh? Then should I have ignored the sight of your happy and vengeful smile as you thought you were breaking apart my beloved children¡¯s eggs and crushing the blameless fetuses within? It might not have been real, but your hateful expression and attitude towards destroying unborn babies was definitely real.¡±


    Seeing that his son was only being beaten back again and again by this loathsome Feng Qinghe, Yang Lingyun stepped in. ¡°What proof does Young Lord Feng have that my son didn¡¯t already know that everything was an illusion? Either way, he didn¡¯t harm anyone. It must only be because you purposefully angered him that he attacked you. You must have provoked him on purpose!¡±


    But Qinghe didn¡¯t look cowed in the least. ¡°Pardon me, but am I supposed to grin and bear it when I see a man not only forcefully break into the place where we keep our future children for safety, but also attempt to destroy their eggs? I am only human. Of course I got angry, said harsh things, and started a verbal fight with him. But I did not provoke him physically. I controlled myself from harming him even though I had just seen him happily destroying my children, illusion though they might have been. I never lifted a finger to hurt him, and yet he leapt towards me and tried to kill me. There is no law that says that you are allowed to kill someone just because they were mean to you with words.¡±


    Yang Baoyu bowed his head. He couldn¡¯t think of what to say against this, and he really was too tired. No matter what he tried, they all failed against that Feng Qinghe. He was no match for the other man¡¯s ability to twist everything to make sense in his favor while not telling a single lie. Maybe¡­he should just give up.


    But Yang Lingyun was not content. ¡°I demand proof! What good are your words without proof! Maybe you just believe what you¡¯re saying because you¡¯re insane! Maybe you hypnotized yourself before coming so that you will believe your own lies!¡±


    Everyone looked strangely at the king as he threw around wild accusations.


    Feng Chunyi harrumphed and said coldly, ¡°Doing things like self-hypnosis would constitute cheating, and any sort of cheating is impossible here. Stop accusing my son if you don¡¯t know your shit, you bitter old man.¡±


    Yang Lingyun¡¯s eyebrows spasmed as he controlled his burning rage. He would not have this! He would not watch his son be silently beaten back! He would deny these people¡¯s words till the very end!


    Suppressing his urge to shout, Yang Lingyun forced out in a slightly calmer voice, ¡°My previous statement stands. Where is the proof that my son attacked that Feng Qinghe first? How can you be sure that he was trying to kill him and not just spar with him? Maybe that young man himself believes what he is saying, but matters might be different in my son¡¯s perspective. Unless I am given irrefutable proof that my Yu-er was the first one to be violent and was trying to kill that person, I will not be satisfied!¡±


    Yang Baoyu looked up at his father with hope. Maybe there really was a way out of this attempted murder charge!


    Standing on the opposite side, Qinghe smiled and felt faint appreciation at Yang Lingyun¡¯s ability to still be able to refute him with a halfway reasonable sounding argument. But would Qinghe even be Qinghe if he hadn¡¯t prepared for something like this already?


    His voice calm, he said, ¡°I can provide the proof Your Majesty is asking for. I just hope you will finally be able to accept the truth after seeing it.¡±


    Yang Lingyun felt his heart grow cold. He really had proof?!


    Not waiting for him to recover from his shock, Qinghe waved a hand and retrieved a large wyvern head made of gold. One of its red eyes was cracked through while the other was whole. Holding it up, Qinghe explained, ¡°Ornaments similar to this were mounted on all the walls of the egg chamber where the incident occurred. For safety purposes, we decided long ago to install one image recording crystal and one sound recording crystal in each of the wyvern heads¡¯ eyes. But unfortunately, Fourth Prince Yang¡¯s indiscriminate attacks ended up destroying almost all of them. Only this one was left whole except for slight damage to the sound recording crystal, as you can see. If we retrieve the images it captured and whatever sound it was able to record, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll find the proof that His Majesty Yang is seeking.¡±


    Yang Lingyun didn¡¯t know what to say. If it really had proof¡­


    The Heavenly Emperor spoke, ¡°Very good, then. Deity Feng, please release the recordings for the court to peruse.¡±


    Qinghe nodded, ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    Pointing the golden wyvern head towards the free space at the center of the throne room, Qinghe activated the spell that would make the recording crystals show its contents. The two eyes of the wyvern glowed a bright red as the space before it lightened to show a large three-dimensional image of the inside of the hatching chamber. The vantage point was high up in the corner far away from the doorway. Settled in neat rows on the floor, the illusion of eggs was visible. Though the image was of crisp clarity, the crackling of the fire at the edges of the room sounded very blurry and disjointed. But the closer the fire was to the wyvern head, the clearer its sound was as well. This must be the result of the damage in the sound recording crystal. Suddenly, the door to the chamber opened slowly as the figure of Yang Baoyu sneaked in.


    In the throne room, Yang Lingyun and the Yang Baoyu of the present looked at the image with tightening expressions.


    The Yang Baoyu in the image showed an evil smile and began wreaking havoc, bashing the eggs with his hammer to break their shells, then stomping with glee on the pitiful fetuses that slid out to lay helplessly on the floor.


    The gazes of the heavenly court as they looked at the Yang Baoyu currently kneeling at the side became saturated with disgust and loathing. Such a heartless and vile person! No wonder that Feng Qinghe had become so angry. Even though they knew that what Yang Baoyu was destroying was only an illusion, they still felt sick in their stomach at the way Yang Baoyu so ruthlessly went about carrying his vengeance on helpless eggs that he thought were real while grinning so happily.


    Inside the image, while Yang Baoyu was busy, the door slightly opened as a white-clad figure soundlessly slipped in. Leaning back against the door, Qinghe watched Yang Baoyu going on a rampage with deep eyes. Once Yang Baoyu was done, he suddenly spun around to see Qinghe and said something. They were too far away to hear their exchange, the damaged sound recording crystal only offering blurry voices.


    Suddenly, the entire heavenly court jerked as the Qinghe inside the image slammed his wind claws into the wall near him, his wide grin tinged with madness. The courtiers couldn¡¯t help but feel cold sweat at how similar he looked to Feng Chunyi right before she went berserk. But surprisingly, the Qinghe in the image slowly reined in his anger and put away his claws.


    After speaking for a few moments, Qinghe waved his hand and revealed that everything was an illusion. Yang Baoyu looked furious. After they exchanged more words, Yang Baoyu could very clearly be seen to jump towards Qinghe first, his hammer lifted and aimed to smash into the other person¡¯s head. Qinghe dodged nimbly and Yang Baoyu chased, their movements so fast that it appeared to blur. But the watching courtiers could still see that Qinghe only evaded, he never fought back. Witnessing Yang Baoyu insistently chasing him with his hammer, not caring about the walls or the wyvern ornaments he was destroying in the process, it only deepened their impression of the prince as a violent and irrational man.


    Soon, seeming to have run out of energy, Qinghe stopped near the only undamaged wyvern head ¡®coincidentally¡¯ and set up a barrier. Yang Baoyu began beating at that barrier while Qinghe only looked amused.


    Opening his mouth, the Qinghe in the image suddenly asked, ¡°Why are you so obsessed with reaching me, Fourth Prince Yang? What are you planning to do after you break my barrier? Surely you know that physically harming me will break the law?¡±


    Due to his nearness to the sound recording crystal, his voice was unmistakably clear this time.


    The next moment, Yang Baoyu¡¯s growling voice answered, ¡°I will crack this barrier like the shell of those eggs and pound you into the ground, then grind you under my boots until you become nothing but meat paste as well! Feng Qinghe, I will kill you! I will obliterate you! You dare try to make a fool of me!¡±


    This was without a doubt a confession of Yang Baoyu¡¯s intent to murder Qinghe.


    In the image, Qinghe let out a laugh and mocked, ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t try to make a fool of you. You already set yourself up as a fool the moment you decided to target my household.¡±


    Hearing this, the people from the heavenly court had complex expressions on their faces. Though it couldn¡¯t be used to prove that Feng Qinghe had planned this whole thing, they could still very clearly hear the meaning behind his words. It was a direct warning against trying to scheme against the Feng household. Sure enough, the Feng household was really not something one should anger. Even their youngest member was capable of being so sly and grinding you down methodically like what was being done to Yang Baoyu.


    Meanwhile inside the image, Yang Baoyu seemed to have become incensed at Qinghe¡¯s words and increased his efforts, managing to crack the barrier. Qinghe¡¯s playful voice leisurely called out, ¡°Oh, dear, my barrier has cracked. Whatever shall I do? Seems like I will need a big and strong officer of the law to come and save me from this murderous prince~¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Speechless, the heavenly court could only shake their heads. This Feng Qinghe¡­ he was truly just as incomprehensible, bad-natured, and eccentric as his mother!


    The series of events after that showed how Wei Xiang appeared out of the shadows and Yang Baoyu attacking him unprovoked, which then lead to Wei Xiang taking him down and cocooning him in his golden strings. Because of the distance, they could only barely hear Wei Xiang formally reciting to Yang Baoyu about how he was now taken into custody and how, after some prodding from Wei Xiang, Yang Baoyu acknowledged that he understood.


    Now that all that had finished playing out, in the throne room, Qinghe waved a hand to stop the recording. Turning to the white-faced Yang Lingyun, Qinghe asked, ¡°Well? Is Your Majesty satisfied?¡±


    After everything was shown so clearly, no matter how unwilling he was, even Yang Lingyun couldn¡¯t say anything more. Meanwhile, the still-kneeling Yang Baoyu¡¯s face twisted as he bowed his head in defeat. They could make no more excuses. He could beg and scream but there was nothing more that could be done. Even if he brought back the previous matters about the toxic flower petal to demand proof and somehow won the argument, it would change nothing, since the most serious allegations of attempted murder and resisting arrest by using violence against an officer of judgment were already proven beyond doubt.


    Yang Lingyun¡¯s clenched fists trembled as he tried to refute, ¡°N-No, this can¡¯t be¡­ There has to be¡­ M-Maybe the recording was altered. Yes, it must be altered! Feng Qinghe what is the proof that you didn¡¯t¨D¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Feng Chunyi shouted, startling Yang Lingyun out of his babbling. ¡°Tampering with evidence would once again be cheating, which is impossible in the throne room of Heaven. Stop trying to find excuses. You are only humiliating yourself, your royal family, and your nation! Just accept your loss with grace. It was your fault for being too greedy and grabbing for more power. Even if you lost your status as a royal, you would still have been able to stay on as a courtier in the heavenly court, so what¡¯s the point of you trying to make a political power play by targeting the Feng household?¡±


    Yang Lingyun gritted his teeth, his head bowing and hiding his expression. His body stood taut with strain, but he remained silent.


    From the Throne, the Heavenly Emperor gave his verdict, ¡°The Fourth Prince is proven guilty. He will now be made to undergo additional punishment for wasting the court¡¯s time. Deity Feng, please submit that recording to the Offices of Judgment to be used as evidence.¡±


    Qinghe nodded and handed it over to his father. Feng Huixin solemnly placed the golden wyvern head with the cracked eye into his storage space.


    ¡°Now, there is one more person left,¡± the Heavenly Emperor stated and turned his heavy gaze towards Yang Jian. ¡°Do you also wish for a trial here?¡±


    After seeing just how the Royal Cousin Yang Baoyu he had once feared so much had been whittled down steadily, with even Yang Lingyun being defeated so thoroughly, would someone as cowardly as Yang Jian even dare to lift his head?


    Feeling the entire court focusing its sharp gaze on him, Yang Jian shuddered in fear and almost wet himself. He frantically shook his head, ¡°N-N-No!¡±


    The Heavenly Emperor nodded. ¡°Very well, then this issue is concluded. All accused parties are guilty and will be incarcerated as per the law. The Fourth Prince will be penalized additionally. That is all.¡±


    The matter was thus declared over.


    The court buzzed as discussions began about what just happened. Seeing the sly way Feng Qinghe seemed to have manipulated everything from the beginning, many people expressed their awe. Now, the heavenly court would have more power in their negotiations against Wu Jin. With this incident, the Feng household had also demonstrated its intelligence through Feng Qinghe and its power through Feng Huixin, making everyone gain new respect for the family of four. At the side, the officers began leading away the convicted members of the Wu Jin royal family.


    Suddenly, the silent Yang Lingyun burst out, ¡°Not yet! I¡¯m not giving up my son yet! Forget your court, I demand that we use another traditional test! We¡¯ll use something even more ancient that the trial of Testing Will through Fire from before! And if we win this time, then you will rescind your accusations and¨D¡±


    Qinghe interjected, his beautiful face cold and his voice flowing clearly, ¡°Everything that needs to be done is done. We are already finished playing games, Your Majesty. But if you still insist¡­¡±


    ¡°We will play and win and leave you with a fate far worse than mere defeat and humiliation,¡± Feng Chunyi pronounced, her grin eager as her gaze glinted sharply.


    With slitted eyes gleaming gold, Wei Xiang¡¯s opened his fanged mouth to say, ¡°This time, we will go directly for the kill.¡±


    ¡°Do you still wish to challenge the Feng household?¡± Feng Huixin asked, his back straight and voice steady.


    His eyes widening, Yang Lingyun let out an involuntary shudder and stumbled back. Pinned under those four gazes, each piercing in its own way, he felt as if his soul was being crushed. Alarm bells rang in his mind, telling him that if he went against these dangerous beings, losing his life would be least of his worries.


    The Heavenly Emperor chose this moment to ask, ¡°Does King Yang have any more objections?¡±


    Yang Lingyun turned away from the Feng household and shook his head. ¡°No. I¡­ There¡¯s nothing else I have to say.¡±


    In a ringing voice, the Heavenly Emperor declared, ¡°Then court is now dismissed.¡±


    Hearing this, people began to make their way out in groups, still talking about the happenings today. Some walked towards the Throne and the Heavenly Emperor seated on it to discuss important things. The Feng household started moving towards the open doors leading out of the throne room. On the way, they saw a dispirited Yang Lingyun. His shoulders were hunched, his figure seeming very pitiful and fragile. His eyes had turned dull while his face bore a lost expression. Overnight, almost his entire family was sent off to prison. The only one left was his daughter. But since he hadn¡¯t bothered educating anyone other than Yang Baoyu, he didn¡¯t know what use she would be. Here he had come to gain something for himself and his nation, but he had instead ended up losing even more than he¡¯d hoped to gain.


    As the Feng household passed by Yang Lingyun, they heard him mutter, his voice trembling and weak, ¡°¡­I¡¯m such a failure of a king¡­¡±


    Unexpectedly, Feng Huixin stopped and replied, ¡°No, the very fact that you support the merging of your nation with Heaven to prevent your people¡¯s further decline is the proof of you being a good king. You are instead a failure of a father. If you had educated and loved your children equally as you should have, this would not have happened.¡±


    Yang Lingyun jerked his head up, his startled gaze meeting Feng Huixin¡¯s deep one.


    Not waiting for him to say anything, Feng Huixin turned away and kept walking, his family following behind. They were not the kind to kick a person when they were down, so there was no mockery or smugness in their faces as they silently moved on. Unless someone stepped in their path to make trouble on purpose, what need was there to go out of their way to brandish their power?


    And so, with neither pride nor humility in their features, they calmly made their way home.


    ¡­¡­


    As soon as the family of four stepped into the Feng residence, they directly made their way to the new egg chamber. Rather than being accessible through a door, this new chamber could instead only be entered through a hidden formation drawn in an unassuming corner of the house. The protections here were also manifold than in the previous one.


    Walking into the chamber with quick steps, the four people immediately set out hugging, patting, crooning, and otherwise lavishing affections on the eggs. After having just seen the sight of Yang Baoyu gleefully destroying these eggs, they all needed to reassure themselves that the wyvern eggs were indeed whole and safe.


    Once their restless hearts had calmed again, they retired to their respective rooms to change into simpler and more comfortable clothing, then set about preparing to eat lunch. It had been more than a day since the family got together, so they planned to make up for it. After Wei Xiang made lunch and the family of four polished off their plates and bowls, Qinghe declared that they would all now assist him in making sweets.


    And that¡¯s what they were doing now.


    On one side of the table, Qinghe and Wei Xiang sat. Wei Xiang was put in charge of looking after the bottles and jars of ingredients while also taking care of a large vessel of sugar and milk that was slowly condensing. The vessel was placed on an impromptu stovetop that Qinghe fashioned with a campfire talisman as usual. Meanwhile, Qinghe had little bowls of the condensed milk waiting in front of him. He added combinations of flavoring into each one and had Feng Huixin taste it to choose the one he most liked. After hearing during lunch just now about how his father had finished all the sweets he''d boxed for him, Qinghe had felt excessively happy and wanted to make his father another box with more flavors, hence the current situation.


    Directly opposite Qinghe was Feng Huixin, patiently waiting to fulfill his role as the flavor tester. Beside him was a frowning Feng Chunyi, slowly picking mint leaves from fresh stalks with nimble fingers. Below the table, her legs swung in a quick rhythm to vent her need to be active and spend her excess energy. Puffing her cheeks, Feng Chunyi expressed her dissatisfaction petulantly, ¡°Why do I have to do this boring task? Anyone can pick these leaves. I want to do something more exciting!¡±


    Without lifting his head, Qinghe chuckled and replied, ¡°Mother, that¡¯s what you said when I asked you to look after the ingredients too. Isn¡¯t that why you and Xiang switched places?¡±


    Feng Chunyi pouted and slumped down into the table, her cheek buried in the pile of lush mint stalks. ¡°But all this is so boring! I want to eat sweets, but making them isn¡¯t fun at all!¡±


    Wei Xiang laughed and reminded, ¡°But Mother-in-law, if we exclude you and start working on the sweets by ourselves, you¡¯ll feel left behind and start complaining again anyway, won¡¯t you?¡±


    Just as Feng Chunyi wanted to open her mouth to refute, she spotted something wiggling on her face from the corner of her eyes. She suddenly straightened and peered down at her nose with crossed eyes. In a misleadingly calm voice, she stated, ¡°There¡¯s a worm on my nose. There¡¯s a fucking worm on my nose. If someone doesn¡¯t get it off right this second, I¡¯m going to smush this little piece of shit and take my revenge on the world for all this boredom.¡±


    Qinghe hurriedly spoke, ¡°No, Mother, don¡¯t do anything rash! Xiang, can you pick it up?¡±


    While he continued stirring the vessel of condensing milk, Wei Xiang extended out a single golden string and carefully wrapped it around the small green worm, then lifted it up and to the side so that it wouldn¡¯t be over any of the food. ¡°Where do you want me to put this, love?¡±


    Qinghe searched around in his storage space and brought out an empty glass jar. ¡°Here, put it inside.¡±


    After Wei Xiang deposited the worm into the glass jar, Qinghe dropped a few mint leaves into it to keep the worm comfortably occupied. Then keeping it open to allow air to pass, he put the jar in a clear place on the table. With an innocent expression, Qinghe said, ¡°I¡¯ll release the worm outside later.¡±


    Wei Xiang shook his head and chuckled while Feng Chunyi snorted in disbelief. ¡°Yeah, right. As if you won¡¯t add it to your little insect kingdom in the garden, feed it weird stuff, and play with it like a gleeful kid.¡±


    Qinghe turned his face away and said lightly, ¡°I have no idea what you mean, Mother. Ah, I wonder which flavors I should combine this time. Maybe some honey and peach?¡±


    Feng Chunyi huffed, then grinned evilly, ¡°Oh? You don¡¯t know what I¡¯m talking about, son of mine? Then maybe I should just go right now and destroy that insect sanctuary you oh-so-sneakily constructed right inside my garden. Those stupid insects have been eating my poor plants, and destroying them will at least be more entertaining than picking leaves.¡±


    His head shooting up at that threat, Qinghe glared at her. ¡°Mother! Don¡¯t be mean to my insects!¡±


    Feng Chunyi laughed delightedly and leaned into the silent Feng Huixin beside her before saying with playfulness, ¡°Ah-Xin, look at your son! He¡¯s so disobedient towards his own mother, even calling me mean! Is this how you raised him, hmm?¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s gaze turned amused. ¡°He¡¯s perfect as he is. Chunyi, stop making trouble.¡±


    But Feng Chunyi hugged her husband tight and wriggled her whole body while protesting, ¡°No! I don¡¯t wanna stop! Ah-Xin, we should punish that bratty son of ours for talking back to this great heavenly general for my entertainme¨D ehem, I mean to teach him good manners. I mean, he doesn¡¯t respect me like his elder at all! Tell me, how should we punish him?¡±


    Qinghe merely laughed and rolled his eyes at his mother¡¯s silliness. ¡°I will treat you like my elder if you stop behaving like a child, Mother.¡±


    Feng Chunyi puffed her cheeks. ¡°See? Ah-Xin, you have to punish him for me!¡±


    Feng Huixin shook his head and patted his wife on her head affectionately. ¡°Chunyi, wouldn¡¯t you rather I reward you for being good instead?¡±


    Perking up, Feng Chunyi asked eagerly, ¡°What type of reward? Is it an alcohol-related reward or an ¡®I won¡¯t be able to get out of bed the next day¡¯ type of reward?¡±


    Feng Huixin coughed. ¡°Which one would you like?¡±


    Grinning happily, Feng Chunyi declared without hesitation, ¡°The latter type, of course! Come, Ah-Xin, let¡¯s leave the kids to pluck leaves and stir pots. We can go and have fun in our bedroom the way adults do.¡±


    Both Qinghe¡¯s and Wei Xiang¡¯s lips twitched, but they deigned to say nothing. It was better to let Feng Huixin deal with Feng Chunyi¡¯s ridiculousness.


    Sure enough, Feng Huixin said, ¡°Chunyi, you can only have your reward if you be good, remember?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Th-Then what should I do to be considered good?¡± Feng Chunyi tilted her head and asked confusedly.


    With suppressed humor in his gaze, Feng Huixin solemnly stated, ¡°You have to finish plucking as many leaves as our son wants.¡±


    Qinghe chuckled gleefully while Feng Chunyi pouted. ¡°Ah-Xin, that¡¯s not fair! I wanted to punish him and here you twisted it all around to make me reward him instead!¡± But despite her mouth complaining like that, her fingers had already begun working on the mint stems to divulge them of their leaves.


    Feng Huixin lifted a hand to brush it tenderly against his wife¡¯s puffed cheeks. As his ears slowly reddened in embarrassment at what he was about to say, he spoke in a low voice, ¡°If you are good, then you can be the one to pick what we do tonight in bed.¡±


    Feng Chunyi¡¯s eyes seemed to glow after hearing that. ¡°He he he~ You better not regret it, Ah-Xin! For the sake of tonight, I will definitely pluck all these stupid leaves until these stems turn bald!¡±


    Qinghe shook his head with a smile at his mother''s ridiculousness and swept back a loose lock of hair from his face. As he carefully poured a little bit of peach puree into the condensed milk in one of the little bowls, he pondered over how even his restrained father became brazen when it came to his wife and how even his willful mother became acquiescent when it came to her husband. Mixing the puree into the condensed milk, he decided that his parents were truly suited to each other.


    Suddenly, Qinghe felt Wei Xiang leaning towards him and looked up. ¡°Xiang?¡±


    Wei Xiang extended his warm tongue and carefully licked his cheek. Qinghe felt his face growing hot as the pleasant sensation spread over his skin before languidly sinking underneath. Warmth suffused him. ¡°X-Xiang!¡±


    Chuckling merrily, Wei Xiang said, ¡°A little bit of the condensed milk seemed to have gotten onto your face when you brushed back your hair, so I simply chose to remove it without wasting it. And because it was on my little lover, it tasted especially sweet and delicious.¡±


    Qinghe blushed harder. His lover was really unfair! Then slowly lifting his fingers, he deliberately brushed some of the condensed milk on them onto his other cheek as well. Blinking up with both bashfulness and mischievousness, he pointed to the smear on his cheek. ¡°Xiang, there¡¯s some here too.¡±


    His eyes gleaming at the invitation, Wei Xiang happily dipped his head to thoroughly lap it up as well, taking far more time than necessary to Qinghe¡¯s delight. As they both finally separated, the couple had satisfied expressions.


    Feng Chunyi stewed in envy at how her sons were having fun with each other. She then peeked to the side at her own husband with assessing eyes. Hmm, maybe she could pretend there was something on his lips too and¡­


    Before she could realize her scheme for sneaking in a kiss, Wei Xiang spoke out, ¡°Master, the matter this time was really troublesome. Do you need my help with filing the reports?¡±


    Feng Huixin shook his head. ¡°I already finished writing most of it yesterday, since I had nothing else to do while staying in the Wu Jin palace after the incident at the cave. I should be able to complete the rest this evening and send it for review.¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded. ¡°Then let me help you with the clean-up at least. I have to say though that it¡¯s very convenient that you were able to deal with the Dark Lotus and that demonic being before Wu Jin finished merging with us. If the Dark Lotus had more time, they might have been able to hide everything away and make things difficult for us when we set out to take care of them later.¡±


    ¡°I was lucky,¡± Feng Huixin simply said.


    Meanwhile, Qinghe had finished mixing all the flavorings he wanted to add and stood up. Dipping the end of a chopstick and swirling it inside the small bowl to gather the flavored condensed milk on it, he bent over the table and extended the chopstick towards Feng Huixin. ¡°Father, tell me how this one tastes. Now say ahh¡­¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes warmed with a smile as he parted his lips to carefully take the end of the offered chopstick into his mouth. After a moment, he observed, ¡°It tastes very good, but there seems to be a bit too much honey this time.¡±


    Qinghe widened his eyes. ¡°Ah! I think I forgot I added it once and ended up adding it a second time.¡± Then, showing a smile towards his father, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll fix it in a minute and make another sample, then I¡¯ll ask your opinion again.¡±


    Feng Huixin nodded, his expression softening.


    Beside him, Feng Chunyi¡¯s eyes brightened as she spotted some of the sample sweet still stuck to the corner of Feng Huixin¡¯s mouth. Aha, an opportunity! Reaching out an arm to pull her startled husband towards her, Feng Chunyi slowly licked away the smear of sweetness, then unabashedly began suckling Feng Huixin¡¯s lips. Her eyes closed in bliss at how sweet he tasted.


    After the initial surprise, Feng Huixin started participating as well. His palm rose to cup the back of his wife¡¯s head and pull her closer. His lips opened before he extended a tongue to push into his Chunyi¡¯s mouth. Feng Chunyi eagerly sucked at it, savoring the lingering milky sweetness mixed with her husband¡¯s own flavor. Hmm, tasty¡­


    On the other side of the table, Qinghe and Wei Xiang shook their heads with helplessness and amusement even as they continued what they were doing.


    Bright sunlight poured in through the windows, vividly illuminating the scene of the Feng family spending their day with happiness and contentment as usual.


    crimson_carnation


    The next extra will focus on Feng Huixin and Feng Chunyi having some special fun together¡­but you know how Feng Chunyi is~ (* ? ??)

 Extra 17: The Parents Indulge

    crimson_carnation


    On the very edge of the heavenly realm was a certain nameless town ungoverned by Heaven. Cast in the light of the dying day, its streets and buildings held a mysterious charm while the people lurking by the streets and under the shadowed eaves of buildings looked that much more wretched.


    The darkened back alleys of this town were where dreams and hopes came to life, where the various pleasures of the flesh were satisfied. That which cannot be achieved through reality will be made obtainable in pleasant dreams through the influence of drinks and substances. In here, one could always find barely legal ways to temporarily fill up the emptiness in one¡¯s life for at least one night. But the cost of depending on such things might be too much to bear once dawn broke. But the ones who come to the back alleys barely ever consider such things.


    Walking through these alleys currently was a cloaked figure with the hood drawn up.


    The denizens of this area were good at reading people. With just one glance, they could guess that under that cloak was a petite and healthy woman who probably knew martial arts. By the long bulge by her waist ending with the tip of a sheath poking out past the cloak¡¯s edge, they could tell that she must have a sword of some sort strapped to her, which implied that she must know how to use it. She didn¡¯t keep her hand on the sword¡¯s hilt vigilantly despite being in such a seedy back alley teeming with people of the predatory sort, which could only mean that she was either overly stupid or very confident that she could draw her sword out for her defense the moment she was in danger.


    However, the thing that truly indicated that she was dangerous was the part of the sheath peeking out. It was unadorned, as if it was a weapon for regular use rather than a decoration. And despite looking clean and well cared for, the sheath bore countless nicks and scratches as if its owner had had to use it to block attacks many times. Someone seeming to be so experienced with combat was better not to be messed with. And so, the people of the back alleys made way for this strange woman while following her with cautious gazes.


    But would they afford her the same courtesy if they knew that the sword in that battle-weathered sheath was not made of metal, but wood?


    Walking with swift yet balanced steps, Feng Chunyi made her way forward until she reached the end of the alley. In front of her was a long and opulent building with a luxuriously large flower garden sprawling around it. The building and the garden were guarded behind golden gates encrusted with gems that even the most experienced back-alley-dweller knew better than to even think of touching. The aura of leisure wealth the entire structure emitted stood out in this back alley like a plump dove among starving crows.


    Entering through the gilded gates, Feng Chunyi made her way over the smooth flagstone path and stood before the tall doors of the building. Tilting her head up, she silently gauged the gleaming silver plaque with whimsical black characters etched into it that proclaimed ¡®The Flower Garden of Spring Dreams¡¯.


    ¡°Such a redundant and pretentious name. Why doesn¡¯t she just call it ¡®Fuck House¡¯ and be done with it?¡± Feng Chunyi muttered uncharitably and pushed open the door to slip into the building.


    The building was long and consisted of large halls laid one after another. If one wanted to reach the end, they had to pass through all the halls one by one.


    The first hall Feng Chunyi walked through had carpeted floors teeming with naked bodies twisting and writhing around each other. Heated moans and low grunts filled the space. At the edges of the hall, curtained rooms were set aside for people who preferred to engage in their debauchery with more privacy. Despite the messy knot of sweaty human and human-like bodies reveling in constant carnal festivities, the air was suffused with a pleasant fragrance reminiscent of a flower garden rather than the musk of sex.


    Ignoring it all, Feng Chunyi made her way over the cleared path in the middle and went on to the next hall.


    This one was fitted with elaborate stages and various tools in the front end, all of which were currently being put to full use. The sounds of whips cracking over flesh and the sound of sharp shouts and shrill screams rang piercingly, with throaty cries and desperate pleas soon accompanying them. Deeper in the hall, sturdy and plain wooden doors lined both sides of the wall, hiding specially equipped soundproofed playrooms to be used for various types of kinky plays.


    Feng Chunyi uncaringly passed through this hall as well and proceeded to the next one. But seeing what was ahead, even she had to lift a brow in surprise.


    The walls here were a dark burgundy, with the floor lined with some type of soft and worm-like purple grass that seemed to eagerly absorb any drop of moisture that touched it. Lined on either sides of this bizarre room were gigantic plants and monstrous flowers.


    One of these flowers grew on the ground, it¡¯s petals a meter long and very thick. Though its outside looked velvety soft, dark pink flesh quivered on the inner surface of the petals. Slippery fluid pooled in the middle, and a sucker-like protrusion grew from the center of the bloom with long and thick tentacle-like things extending from it. Naked men and women laid on the flesh-like insides of the petals, letting themselves be caressed and ravaged by the tentacles as they shuddered with ecstasy and moved their hips with vigor.


    In another area, the wall was covered with flexible green vines rustling with long, dark green leaves. The vines wrapped around the top halves of more naked bodies, exposing only their heads and small glimpses of skin to the air. The vine¡¯s rough leaves rubbed and kneaded the sweaty flesh of these people, stimulating their sensitive points and making them shudder with bliss. The sight appeared as bizarre as one would expect, but that was not all. Below them grew plants with strange, ridged fruits the size and length of an arm that stood upright. These fruits were being inserted into and withdrawn from various orifices of the vine-bound people. Using the stem connecting the plant to the fruit¡¯s underside, the ridged fruit was made to bob up and down by the plant itself, rubbing the people¡¯s sensitive passages raw while eliciting shouts of pleasure.


    Feng Chunyi didn¡¯t know what to make of this scenery and simply chose to stop looking at this weirdness altogether.


    The strange plants used here were all plant spirits that had developed a consciousness of their own. They were perfectly aware of what they were doing and seemed happy enough to employ themselves in this way.


    Understanding this, Feng Chunyi could only shake her head. She herself had grown quite a lot of plants of the same species as some of the plant spirits here, though she only used her plants for poisons and concoctions. But after seeing this scene, she couldn¡¯t help but despair. How would she be able to meet her precious plants¡¯ eyes now after seeing their older versions being used in this way? But then again, since her plants didn¡¯t have eyes in the first place, maybe she didn¡¯t need to worry about that after all.


    As her mind floated with frivolous thoughts like this, Feng Chunyi suddenly saw a tall, long-limbed woman with barely any clothes on sashaying up to her. Her unbound hair was the color of hay, her skin a smooth alabaster and her large brown eyes limpid. With a sultry smile, the tall woman walked up to Feng Chunyi while swinging her hips and reached out her slender fingers. Lifting the edge of Feng Chunyi¡¯s hood lightly to peer at her face, the other woman whistled. ¡°Ooh, aren¡¯t you a pretty little miss~ Why don¡¯t you come and play with this big sister today? I promise I¡¯ll show you the best time of your life, you sweet little thing~¡±


    Feng Chunyi¡¯s mouth twitched. The hell?! She wanted to punch her fist into that delicate face and wipe that patronizing expression clean off. But struggling for calm, Feng Chunyi slowly said, ¡°You¡¯ll show me the best time of my life? I doubt that. But that¡¯s not why I¡¯m here anyway. I came to meet your mistress, so either show me the way or get lost.¡±


    The tall woman giggled. ¡°Feisty one, aren¡¯t you? I like it! Come, come, I¡¯ll teach you a fun little adult game~ Wouldn¡¯t you like to feel oh-so-good?¡±


    Feng Chunyi¡¯s eyelids lowered over the bottomless pools of her eyes as her hand calmly crept towards her sword hilt. But just before she could pull out her wooden sword and skewer it through the tall woman¡¯s annoyingly smiling face, another figure hurriedly approached them.


    This woman had smooth, ebony-colored skin and a stunning face framed with curly black hair. Her clear eyes exuded steadiness with a hint of tempting bewitchment. Walking towards them with quick and graceful steps, she immediately began scolding the tall woman the moment she reached them. ¡°Shang Cuiju, what are you doing slacking off? You can¡¯t take it easy just because you¡¯re new. You have clients already waiting for you in¨D¡± As her eyes turned to the cloaked figure beside her wayward junior, the newly-arrived woman¡¯s eyes widened with shock as she recognized Feng Chunyi.


    ¡°M-Madam Feng, forgive us for not greeting you properly!¡±


    She immediately went down to bow on her knees, pulling the confused tall woman with her as well. Looking at the two bowing women, Feng Chunyi blinked in befuddlement for a second before remembering that she¡¯d seen that curly-haired woman before in the heavenly court as a certain person¡¯s assistant.


    ¡°Yes, yes, get up already. And aren¡¯t you¡­Lin Xueqing? It¡¯s good that you¡¯re here. I¡¯m here to see your mistress. Take me to her,¡± Feng Chunyi said without aplomb.


    The ebony-skinned Lin Xueqing looked conflicted as she got up. ¡°B-But mistress is a bit busy curren¨D¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s probably having an orgy or something, isn¡¯t she? It doesn¡¯t matter, take me to her,¡± Feng Chunyi commanded proudly.


    Lin Xueqing had no choice but to obey her. After sending off her errant junior to do her job, she led Feng Chunyi through this hall and to a hallway next. The quiet sound of their steps was the only thing heard in this quiet space. After a few minutes, Lin Xueqing stopped and motioned to a nondescript door. ¡°Mistress should be inside. This is the office she uses whenever she visits her properties here. May Madam Feng please not mention my name when you disturb her.¡±


    With that, Lin Xueqing hurried off as if not wanting to dawdle a second more.


    Feng Chunyi shrugged and tried to push open the door, but it didn¡¯t budge. Sighing, she lifted her hand and knocked politely. But even after ten minutes, there was no answer. Sighing once again, she lifted her fist and pounded on the door as if wanting to break it. Another fifteen minutes passed without any signs of the door opening.


    Veins bulged in Feng Chunyi¡¯s forehead as she thought to hell with it and lifted her leg, her thick-soled boot directly kicking the door. Wood crunched and splinters flew as the door crumpled inward, startling the busily engaged people inside.


    In the center of the room was a startlingly beautiful woman wearing a creamy-yellow robe with a light-pink-colored belt. She sat with her bare foot raised and placed on the exposed buttocks of a naked kneeling woman. The dressed woman¡¯s toes lightly kneaded the pliant flesh, making the kneeling woman let out soft gasps as she offered her backside by lifting it up higher. The dressed woman¡¯s other foot was slowly sinking deep into a man¡¯s prepared entrance, it¡¯s every twitch making his bare body tremble tautly while his face was flushed with shyness and lust. Another naked man served as her seat, an expression of devotion and bliss on his face.


    Being so abruptly interrupted, the enchanting woman raised her head with a scowl and growled, ¡°Who the fuck dares to interrupt me when I¨D¡± Seeing Feng Chunyi, her tone abruptly turned sweet and coy, ¡°Chunyi! What a surprise to see you here, sister of my heart! Just give me a moment to clean up and I¡¯ll be right over~¡±


    Quickly retrieving both her feet and standing up to the disappointment of the three naked people, she gently but firmly shooed them out the doorway. Lifting the warped door, she attempted to stand it up against the doorframe for some measure of privacy before turning to Feng Chunyi all smiles. ¡°So Chunyi, I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re here for that item I told you about before?¡±


    ¡°What do you think? Why else would I trudge through your den of debauchery?¡± Feng Chunyi huffed bad-temperedly. ¡°Ai Li, what you have better be worth it or I¡¯ll shove my sword down your throat and make sure it leaves splinters!¡±


    The Deity of Romance Ai Li tittered delicately. She deliberately walked closer to her friend and leaned forward to breathe into Feng Chunyi¡¯s face. ¡°Now, now~ If it¡¯s you, I¡¯ll let you push your sword up other openings too~ Or would you rather I push my ¡®sword¡¯ up your¨D Ow, ow, oww! I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    As her hand pinched Ai Li¡¯s cheek harder, Feng Chunyi looked unamusedly at her howling friend. ¡°Just tell me if it¡¯s ready or not, you degenerate.¡±


    After Feng Chunyi finally let go of her cheek, Ai Li blinked pitifully, her thick lashes gathering sparkling tear droplets with each blink. Her tender face looked unimaginably sad and adorable, enough to soften anyone¡¯s heart and make them pamper her just to see her charming face light up with a smile again.


    But Feng Chunyi only scowled harder. ¡°Speak, or I¡¯ll use more force next time,¡± she threatened while making squeezing motions with her fingers.


    Ai Li pouted and cradled her cheeks with her delicate fingers. Seeing that her threat was effective, Feng Chunyi grinned with sharp satisfaction.


    As she walked to her desk at the side and sat on the chair behind it, Ai Li said in a wronged voice, ¡°Chunyi, you¡¯re such a sadist. Not that I don¡¯t like that about you¡­ but you never play with me even though I¡¯ve invited you to bring your husband too!¡±


    Her mouth twitching, Feng Chunyi pulled out a chair and unceremoniously sat in front of the desk. ¡°He¡¯s my Ah-Xin. I already told you that I won¡¯t share him with anyone in that way!¡±


    Ai Li rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Fine, fine, but what about your sons? They¡¯re such fine specimens~ Just imagining them participating in one of the events has me drooling~¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Feng Chunyi slapped her hand on the table with a bang, making the things on it clatter and shudder. ¡°You won¡¯t touch my adorable sons either!¡±


    Sighing, Ai Li grumbled something under her breath before finally relenting. ¡°Alright, since you¡¯re being so commanding, I¡¯ll leave it be now, Heavenly General. Seriously, you have such good potential to dominate, and yet you don¡¯t agree to even try it out with me.¡±


    Feng Chunyi stuck out her tongue. ¡°As if you¡¯ll let anyone dominate you. You¡¯re the one who goes around sticking that sword of yours into people, but you¡¯ve never received anyone into those two lower holes of yours, have you?¡±


    Ai Li¡¯s cheeks flushed a pretty peach as she protested with affected shyness. ¡°Hey, now! You¡¯ll make even me blush if you speak so crassly!¡±


    As for Feng Chunyi¡¯s words just now, they were a reference to the fact that Ai Li was intersex. That is, she had both male and female reproductive organs. Despite her preference for only using her male organ till now, she identified as female and proudly cited the two small mounds on her chest as the proof.


    Shaking her head at her shameless friend¡¯s shy beauty act, Feng Chunyi spoke, ¡°Really, you¡¯re more suitable to be called the Deity of Lust than the Deity of Romance.¡±


    Ai Li chuckled. ¡°But most types of romance require lust, do they not? And as someone who loves and cherishes all my pets equally, I think I¡¯m very qualified for the title of Deity of Romance~ Or do you want to say there can¡¯t be love if there¡¯s more than one lover at once?¡±


    Feng Chunyi rolled her eyes. ¡°Of course I didn¡¯t mean that. Anyway, we¡¯ve digressed enough. Where is that thing you said you were making the last time?¡±


    With a grin, Ai Li retrieved a small glass bottle and placed it on the desk. ¡°Here it is~ Remember that the effect lasts for only six hours. I don¡¯t have many samples of this yet, so I can only give you this one.¡± Then sighing wistfully, she said, ¡°Your husband is so lucky to get you that way. Chunyi are you sure you won¡¯t¨D¡±


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t,¡± Feng Chunyi brusquely refused before standing up. ¡°Now that I have what I came for, I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    Ai Li pouted. ¡°So soon? Won¡¯t you at least stay to see a performance or two in the Second Hall¡¯s stage?¡±


    Feng Chunyi gave her a wry smile. ¡°The sooner I go, the sooner you can get back to doing what you were doing, isn¡¯t it so?¡±


    Ai Li perked up. ¡°That¡¯s true. Well, I won¡¯t hold you back then~¡±


    Shaking her head amusedly, Feng Chunyi left.


    ¡­¡­


    Night came and went, and the next morning saw Feng Chunyi relaxing in one of her gardens in the Feng residence.


    Feng Huixin had gone off the previous day to take care of business in the Offices of Judgment and was due back any minute now, while Qinghe and Wei Xiang had run off to help the Order of Sentinels with something a week ago and would only return this evening. Left alone, Feng Chunyi happily plotted away about how to use the time between her husband¡¯s arrival and her sons¡¯ return.


    Currently, she sat reclined on a wicker chair with an eager smile, throwing and catching the small glass bottle Ai Li had given her yesterday again and again. The glass bottle¡¯s outer surface was cut into facets that shone brilliantly when light filtered through them, sending reflections scattering around it. The walls of the little bottle were very thick, able to hold only a thin line of pomegranate-colored liquid inside it. But this much liquid was more than enough for her purposes.


    With half-lidded eyes, Feng Chunyi continued throwing and catching the glass bottle while her mind wandered to her husband and the world they were from. In that place, men were expected to be daring and prideful creatures who bedded females left and right while women were expected to be obedient and demure, their worth tied to how much they could please men with their presence. But neither Feng Huixin nor Feng Chunyi fit the mould of their respective genders and were perfectly fine with that.


    When Feng Chunyi was first rescued and taken back by Feng Huixin to his place in the mountains, she had acted as cheerful as usual while keeping her vigilance up at all times. After all, despite her lack of her memories back then, her impression about men was that they were carnal creatures that couldn¡¯t control their lower halves. If they rescued a woman, it was a certainty that they would expect her to be grateful enough to throw herself at them or have other ulterior motives. Surely this Feng Huixin was biding his time to take advantage of her as well.


    And so, Feng Chunyi waited for this demigod cultivator to show his true colors.


    But the more time she spent with him, understanding what type of person this Feng Huixin was, the more she¡¯d found herself letting down her guard. After all, as powerful as he seemed, the other person was soft and seemed easy to bully, someone who never once showed anger or even raised his hand against her despite all the ways Feng Chunyi teased him. And more than that, he was a child compared to her!


    Feng Chunyi had first thought that as someone at the demigod stage and on the verge of ascending, Feng Huixin would be thousands, if not millions of years old. She guessed that he must have been hiding in this mountain perfectly all this time for no one to know of him till now, which was also what the others in the cultivation world at that time thought. But it had turned out that Feng Huixin was barely older than two decades and had only started cultivating a little more than a decade ago! The Feng Chunyi who had spent more than a century cultivating and had still not yet caught up to this brat in his twenties had felt very incredulous and bitter. But it also told her a lot about this genius cultivator. Despite coming into his power so quickly, he still maintained his personality without letting it get warped or getting drunk on his newfound strength. Apart from his staggering powers, he must have an extremely strong mind as well then.


    Feng Chunyi thus began to feel both interest and a bit of respect for this person, and so she harassed him even more. Once, she even went so far as to anger a dangerous beast just to see Feng Huixin¡¯s flustered appearance due to his lack of combat abilities. But rather than panicking and fleeing, he had instead protected Feng Chunyi with his own body, since his control over his powers at that time was not precise enough to defend someone. Till then, the only pain the young Feng Huixin had faced had been the switches and canes his father had used on him as punishment for being a disappointment. But the agony of a dozen spikes the width of a wrist skewering through him was on a whole another level altogether, and yet he shielded Feng Chunyi, not knowing that she had the skills to protect herself. He then used a brute blast power to destroy the attacking beast, coughed out several mouthfuls of blood, before concernedly asking her if she was alright. Feng Chunyi had been incredulous!


    After that, seeing Feng Huixin unsteadily make his way back, his robe with a dozen holes and his still-blank face whiter than a sheet due to the pain and blood loss, Feng Chunyi finally understood something. Unlike the rest of this rotting world where people prioritized their own convenience and comfort over others¡¯ lives, this young man made his way forward with sincerity, kindness, and integrity. He was innocent and inexperienced, but not na?ve to this world¡¯s cruelties, and yet he chose to be this good. He was someone who cast away the shackles of self-centeredness this society required of its denizens and lived far above everything, not letting the dust and filth of the world touch him.


    Realizing this, something like awe and eagerness filled Feng Chunyi¡¯s chest.


    Trudging through the muck and filth of the mortal world as she herself was, Feng Chunyi couldn¡¯t wait to pull this aloof man down into the mud with her. Defiling his purity and letting him accompany her would make her life so much more worth living. He was someone she was growing to like and trust, and so she was determined to possess him.


    But in the end, remaining untainted, it was Feng Huixin who ended up lifting Feng Chunyi out of that filth, letting her walk the skies with him as equals.


    Feng Huixin never caged her, and despite his disapproval for the careless way she treated others¡¯ lives, he was never snide or cruel to her, only advising her with a distressed expression. He treated her with respect and let her toy with him, understanding that she felt threatened at the thought of staying with a male who held more power than her. And because of these thoughtful actions, though Feng Chunyi¡¯s reservations against others remained strong, Feng Huixin alone was deemed as the exception.


    He was steady and calm, he was honorable and righteous, and he was rational and polite, but he was also so sincere and pure, without selfishness or malice clouding his gaze. Even when Feng Chunyi deliberately behaved in a provocative and tempting manner with him, Feng Huixin would merely blush and act awkward before politely putting some distance between them. And until Feng Chunyi herself gave him permission, he hadn¡¯t so much as touched her on his own. After all, he more or less understood from her behavior that she might have been forced to lie with or treated very badly by men before.


    And so, inevitably, the hardhearted Feng Chunyi was slowly won over by the oblivious Feng Huixin¡¯s sincere care.


    After Feng Chunyi confessed and Feng Huixin accepted, they fell in love and slowly discovered each other. Feng Chunyi taught Feng Huixin to be more lighthearted and have fun while Feng Huixin taught Feng Chunyi compassion and empathy. Despite the cutting chaos of her thoughts, with Feng Huixin, Feng Chunyi knew peace. And no matter what she¡¯d thought before, she was unable to taint the purity of their relationship. She realized that she liked seeing happiness in her lover¡¯s eyes, and she liked how happy she herself was growing to be with him.


    After that, once the whole deal with being chased by, then annihilating the Feng household was over, they¡¯d gotten married with Feng Huixin¡¯s master¡¯s blessings, then ascended shortly after.


    A long time later in the heavenly realm, Feng Huixin and Feng Chunyi found and used a special dual cultivation manual to bind their souls together for eternity. The Feng Chunyi who¡¯d once have laughed at the possibility of her willingly tying herself to a man now only felt contentment at binding her fate to her dear husband¡¯s through dual cultivation.


    And it was in that night that Qinghe was conceived.


    Despite the fearsome reputations they¡¯d made for themselves in Heaven by that time, both Feng Huixin and Feng Chunyi had panicked like little children when they realized that Feng Chunyi was pregnant. But after calming down, the joy they felt was insuppressible. They would have a child, one that they made together, a precious new life that they would love and raise together.


    But unlike most mothers, rather than a craving for weird food, Feng Chunyi randomly developed the urge to kill strange beasts and monsters with unique characteristics. Knowing that so much exertion wasn¡¯t good for his wife while she was pregnant, Feng Huixin had instead redirected Feng Chunyi¡¯s interest towards growing plants instead, and Feng Chunyi had taken to her new hobby quickly with enthusiasm. Of course, the plants she took a fancy to were not exactly normal or even safe unless handled with extreme care, but it was still far less strenuous than fighting beasts, so Feng Huixin decided to trust his wife with her own safety and left her to grow her plants.


    Months later, the time finally came for her to give birth. Uncaring of the customs of their world, Feng Huixin had diligently stayed beside his wife throughout the process. He held her hand and let her crush it, suppressing his own nervousness while soothing her with gentle words and loving kisses. The agony of childbirth had even a veteran warrior like Feng Chunyi screaming and railing at the heavens for making the process of giving birth so painful. But after it was over, everything she went through in her life seemed worth it when she held her tiny son for the first time and watched him lazily lift up a curled hand towards her. And seeing her husband¡¯s face light up with joy and awe as he held their son, then his look of wonder as he said, ¡°Thank you for giving birth to our child, Chunyi,¡± the warmth and contentment she¡¯d felt was indescribable.


    However, the pain of losing that child and the loneliness she felt after her husband departed to search for their precious Qinghe had been just as indescribable. Feng Chunyi had never felt such acute loneliness before. Even murder and mayhem weren¡¯t enough to cure it, so she¡¯d constantly gone to harass the heavenly court and the Heavenly Emperor instead. After all, that was far better than hearing the empty silence in this house that had once echoed with her husband¡¯s voice and her child¡¯s laughter.


    Now, however, Feng Chunyi was very happy with her life. There wasn¡¯t a single aspect of it that she would change. She could spar with her son and sneak her son-in-law some goods to spice up their love life. She could tease and play with her husband until he blushed, or rouse his ardor enough that he would come at her with single-minded focus. She could spend nights trying out different things and using different toys to the point where even her shy Ah-Xin had turned deviant. Everything was blissful.


    Feng Chunyi smiled up at the sunny sky and let her mind drift to what she and her husband would be trying today. As passive as her husband seemed, she knew that he wasn¡¯t submissive like people would expect. But thinking about how he might look today while at her mercy¡­ Now that was an aspect of her Ah-Xin that she was eager to see!


    While Feng Chunyi thus gleefully let her imaginations run wild, a clueless Feng Huixin finally returned to the Feng residence, not knowing what was awaiting him. Sensing that his wife was out back in one of the gardens, Feng Huixin directly headed in that direction.


    Seeing Feng Chunyi giggling to herself in the garden while holding a strange little bottle, Feng Huixin walked up to her and asked, ¡°Chunyi, what is that?¡±


    Feng Chunyi grinned at her poor, unsuspecting husband. ¡°It¡¯s another thing Ai Li made. I managed to get us one of the very few samples, so you should be grateful that you have such a wonderful wife, Ah-Xin!¡±


    Taking a step back immediately after hearing where it came from, Feng Huixin looked at that bottle with wariness.


    Feng Chunyi chuckled. ¡°What is that expression for? Ah-Xin, don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t enjoy what I got from her the last time? You seemed to really like it when I put it in my¨D¡±


    Feng Huixin coughed loudly to interrupt his wife before she said something that would make him feel embarrassed again. No matter how long they¡¯d already spent together, his wife never failed to find new ways to make him blush.


    In a hesitant voice that showed just how much he dreaded her answer, Feng Huixin asked, ¡°So¡­what does it do?¡±


    Seeing the wicked smile blooming on her face, Feng Huixin already regretted asking. In a cheerful voice, Feng Chunyi said, ¡°This? Its effects are somewhat similar to an appearance changing talisman, but also very different.¡±


    Feng Huixin swallowed apprehensively and forced himself to prod further, ¡°Different in which way?¡±


    Feng Chunyi¡¯s eyes grew half-lidded as she explained, ¡°Well, for one, it is not us who decides the shape we change into. This liquid here flips the physical sex of anyone who drinks it to the opposite one for six hours. That is, if a male drinks this, his body will become the female equivalent of his original body for six hours.¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes widened. Just how was his wife planning to use this?


    Giving out a fake sigh, Feng Chunyi said, ¡°It¡¯s too bad that we only have a single dose of this. I would have loved to see how my dear Ah-Xin would look like as a lady~¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s lips twitched, but alarm bells soon began ringing in his mind. Wait, did this mean that¡­


    With a bad feeling churning in his stomach, Feng Huixin asked, ¡°Chunyi¡­what are you planning to do with it?¡±


    Feng Chunyi smiled enchantingly, relishing her husband¡¯s look of vigilance. Slowly rising from her chair, she strode toward Feng Huixin and wrapped her arms around him. Her smiling eyes peering into his deep ones that showed hints of unease, she used the heel of one of her feet to pull forward her husband¡¯s leg, then clamped his firm thigh between her own legs. Pressing the soft mounds of her chest to her Ah-Xin¡¯s front, she deliberately licked her lips, exuding seduction.


    Feng Huixin felt his desire rising, his hands lifting to hold his Chunyi closer. But he still remembered to keep prodding, his voice deep and husky, ¡°Chunyi? What do you want to do?¡±


    ¡°I think you already know what I want to do,¡± she murmured softly. ¡°Ah-Xin, if I drink that liquid and temporarily become a man, will you let me take you?¡±


    Feng Huixin stiffened and looked away. Though embarrassment bubbled inside him, his blank face gave nothing away. But Feng Chunyi was able to see through her husband nevertheless.


    Feng Chunyi pulled down her Feng Huixin¡¯s head by his nape and brushed her lips against his cheek, slowly sliding it to the side until she reached his ear. Placing a tender, coaxing kiss on her husband¡¯s earlobe, Feng Chunyi whispered, ¡°Both you and I are virgins when it comes to this. Ah-Xin, let me have your first time in this way. Then you can take me however many times you want after that~ I even have a few extras of that thing you liked using on me the last time. Come on, let¡¯s consider this our second wedding night~¡±


    His hold on his wife tightening, Feng Huixin hesitated.


    Pressing another gentle kiss to his cheek, Feng Chunyi relented, ¡°But if you don¡¯t feel comfortable with it, then I don¡¯t mind. Ah-Xin, you should only agree if you really want to.¡± Then leaning back, she declared proudly, ¡°Don¡¯t let anyone say that I, the great Heavenly General, actually bully my husband in bed!¡±


    Feng Huixin felt his gaze softening as his heart warmed. His Chunyi really was too ridiculous, and her ideas were just as absurd, but it was because it was his wife that he wanted to agree. Well, this wouldn¡¯t the most embarrassing thing they¡¯d ever done. Feng Huixin couldn¡¯t help but bemoan that his tolerance towards these sorts of things was getting progressively higher. But he didn¡¯t really feel regretful, since he found that he quite enjoyed their adventures in bed once he got over his initial embarrassment, though he felt like he couldn¡¯t meet anyone¡¯s eyes for days afterwards.


    After letting out a breath, to Feng Chunyi¡¯s delight, Feng Huixin finally nodded in agreement. ¡°Very well, let¡¯s do it.¡± Then frowning, he expressed hesitantly, ¡°But Chunyi, I¡­I¡¯m not very familiar with what to do. So¡­I¡¯ll have to rely on you for instructions.¡±


    Feng Chunyi was beaming happily as she nodded her head quickly. ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯ll guide you! Except for where we¡¯ll be connecting our bodies, everything from the preparation beforehand to the foreplay and the eventual climax is the same. But Ah-Xin, you don¡¯t have to worry about it too much. After all, I¡¯ll be the one doing all the work.¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s ears reddened as he coughed and looked away. ¡°I-I see.¡±


    Seeing her husband being so adorably bashful, Feng Chunyi chuckled happily, then leaned forward to rest her head on Feng Huixin¡¯s shoulder. In an earnest voice, she said, ¡°Ah-Xin, thank you. I will treat my dear husband gently.¡±


    Bending to place a kiss on his wife¡¯s head, Feng Huixin replied with warmth in his eyes. ¡°I know you will.¡±


    Feng Chunyi raised her head and cupped her husband¡¯s cheeks before saying amusedly, ¡°I¡¯m happy that you¡¯re still able to trust me even after all the mishaps in bed we encountered after trying something new I suggested.¡±


    Suppressing his embarrassment again, Feng Huixin simply nodded. ¡°Of course I trust you.¡±


    The color in her eyes deepening, Feng Chunyi¡¯s smile turned more heated. Ah, her husband¡¯s solemnity was too tempting! She wanted to see his struggling to keep him calm as she ravaged his body!


    And so, with impure intentions, Feng Chunyi let her hands slide down to slowly begin kneading her husband¡¯s shoulders as she crooned, ¡°Ah-Xin, now that we decided that, it¡¯s time to begin~ You should prepare yourself~¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes widened as his face was suffused with pink. Looking down at his own hand, he asked unsteadily, ¡°P-Prepare¡­myself¡­?¡±


    Feng Chunyi blinked, then almost fell over laughing. ¡°Oh, Ah-Xin! I¡­I didn¡¯t realize¡­I¡¯d corrupted you¡­th-that much!¡± she got out between her unceasing giggles. ¡°I meant mental preparation¡­not¡­¡±


    Seeing his wife trail away as her laughter increased, Feng Huixin felt more and more heat climbing up his face in sheer mortification. But other than the clear embarrassment in his eyes, his face still remained as blank as a steel wall.


    Such a sight only made Feng Chunyi want to laugh even more, but she eventually controlled that impulse with monumental effort. After her chuckles trailed off, she finally straightened and pinched Feng Huixin¡¯s red cheeks and remarked gleefully, ¡°Aww! Is the great and imposing Deity of Judgment shy? Is the future Heavenly Emperor blushing?¡±


    Feng Huixin pulled away his wife¡¯s fingers from his face and plunged down for a kiss. His lips glided over his Chunyi¡¯s smiling ones as his tongue pushed into her warm mouth. His wife¡¯s familiar taste and scent flooded his senses as he retaliated against his Chunyi¡¯s teasing with his actions rather than words.


    Her body softening automatically, Feng Chunyi leaned into her husband and enthusiastically returned the kiss. She loved getting a rise out of him like this and reaping the rewards by the way of heated passion. Her hands began wandering, mapping her Ah-Xin¡¯s slender body before rubbing and kneading all the places she knew he was most sensitive in. Exhaling softly into his wife¡¯s mouth, Feng Huixin began moving his own palms over his wife¡¯s soft curves, carefully and tenderly igniting her arousal.


    Feng Chunyi pulled away from her husband before she was lured into doing it as they were now. No, she didn¡¯t want to waste this time when the kids were away in this way! She would definitely have her Ah-Xin as a man today!


    As the couple held each other while lightly panting, their gazes locked deeply into each other¡¯s, Feng Chunyi finally said, ¡°Ah-Xin, let¡¯s start. You go and wait in our bedroom. I¡¯ll drink the potion and come to you after I¡¯ve changed sex.¡±


    Feng Huixin stared at her blankly for a moment before giving a jerky nod. Carefully tucking away his rioting thoughts, he gave his wife one last kiss on her cheek before turning and walking towards the residence.


    Feng Chunyi watched her husband striding away with eyes still deepened with lust. Then stepping towards the wicker chair nearby, she sat down again. With efficient motions, she undid her belt and put it aside, leaving her robes open so that her clothes wouldn¡¯t constrict her when her body changed. Then picking up the crystalline glass bottle she¡¯d placed on the armrest, Feng Chunyi unstoppered it and downed the pomegranate-colored liquid inside in one go.


    Within moments, Feng Chunyi felt her entire body buzzing pleasantly. Sighing and closing her eyes, she leaned back into the backrest and waited for the transformation to begin.


    ¡­¡­


    The master bedroom in the Feng residence was only slightly bigger than Qinghe¡¯s. It contained a similar four-poster bed as well that supported a wooden frame on top, fitted with hooks and chains for ease of use. Manacles and restraints dangled from the four thick posters so that they could be put on at any time. On either side of the bed were a chest of drawers and a cupboard, both of them containing various instruments that the couple had collected till now.


    Sitting on the bed, Feng Huixin waited anxiously.


    He wondered if he really would be able to adjust to his Chunyi¡¯s new body and if he really would be able to go through with his wife taking him like this. After all, he was the one who¡¯d always entered his Chunyi, holding her close and driving into her molten softness while she touched him everywhere and teased him with her voice grown husky from pleasure. But now their roles would be reversed. Having never thought of such a possibility before, Feng Huixin felt unprepared.


    The first person he¡¯d ever had sex with was Feng Chunyi, and he was unashamed to say that she had been far more experienced that his own virgin self. But despite her cheeky comments and playfulness that first time, she had guided him patiently, teaching him that lying with someone you loved was not a solemn affair, but something fun that could also be lighthearted. Messing up now and then was natural. Feng Huixin had never known he could grow that comfortable with his own skin until he found himself just lying naked on a bed with his Chunyi as they held each other, smiling and chatting casually.


    Now, after all these years, he didn¡¯t feel awkward in the least while getting naked with his wife. He trusted her enough and knew without doubt that if he truly did feel uncomfortable participating in any new methods of mutual exploration his beloved came up with, he could just refuse to do it. Both he and his wife had taken advantage of that fact and neither held it against the other. After all, the most important part was pleasure and satisfaction. If whatever they were trying couldn¡¯t give them that, then there was no point in going on.


    And so, Feng Huixin knew that even if he didn¡¯t like letting his wife enter his body that way, he could just ask to stop. But if he really did end up liking it even a little and decided to keep going¡­ The nervousness started churning inside him again.


    Before Feng Huixin¡¯s thoughts could go on in an endless loop, the door to the bedroom slowly began to open. Feng Huixin snapped his attention to it, waiting with bated breath to see how his Chunyi would look as a male.


    The person who entered the room was a naked man with a defined body more muscled than Feng Huixin¡¯s own androgynous one, but not bulging with muscles by any means. It was lean and well-proportioned, obviously the body of someone who practiced martial arts regularly. Unbound black hair spilled down a firm back while long legs were held slightly apart as if for better balance. Etched abdominal muscles decorated a flat stomach while a long neck supported a beautiful and almost-familiar face that was tilted up seemingly in pride.


    Before Feng Huixin could recover, Feng Chunyi placed her hands on her hips and shook her midsection. In a voice slightly deeper and more husky than her usual one, she declared, ¡°Ah-Xin, see! I have a new dangly part that¡¯s all wobbly~¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Feng Huixin¡¯s eyebrow twitched. Yes, without a doubt, this was his wife alright. Although¡­was it really alright to call this person his ¡®wife¡¯?


    Opening his mouth with difficulty, Feng Huixin asked, ¡°Chunyi¡­how would you like for me to refer to you?¡±


    Feng Chunyi blinked. ¡°Eh? You mean pronouns? I might be in a male body now, but I¡¯m still female~¡±


    Feng Huixin woodenly nodded.


    ¡°But I have to say Ah-Xin, I¡¯ve always been curious about which of us that son of ours inherited his physical aspects from. Seeing how muscled I am¡­it turns out he takes after you more,¡± Feng Chunyi observed merrily.


    Seeing her silly yet mischievous grin along with those eyes glittering with playfulness and glee, Feng Huixin felt the shock of his wife looking like a man lessening, though he wasn¡¯t yet used to it.


    Sighing suddenly, Feng Chunyi lowered her hands from her hips. In a more serious voice, she asked, ¡°Ah-Xin, are you having trouble with adjusting to my male appearance?¡±


    After a moment of hesitation, Feng Huixin nodded honestly. ¡°Yes¡­but I do think I can inure myself to it if I have some time.¡±


    Grinning again, Feng Chunyi easily said, ¡°We have plenty of time, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Walking up to Feng Huixin and sitting beside him on the bed, Feng Chunyi hugged him close. ¡°Will it be easier to get used to me this way?¡±


    Feng Huixin closed his eyes and rested his head on his beloved¡¯s shoulder. He realized that they seemed to be the same height. It felt strange, everything felt too different. But even though this body holding him was too unfamiliar, he knew without a doubt that the person beside him was the one who bore the soul that was bonded with his own. As long as there was this one thing that was the same, Feng Huixin was sure that he could get used to any other changes.


    Feng Chunyi and Feng Huixin stayed like that for the better part of an hour as Feng Huixin slowly accustomed himself to this new form of his Chunyi¡¯s. Though the size, shape, and even smell of his beloved¡¯s body was different than what he was used to, Feng Huixin still recognized the expressions, breathing pattern, and mannerisms of his Chunyi. Slowly, his reservations subsided.


    Lifting his head, he looked at Feng Chunyi seriously. His wife peered back at him with the face of a male. ¡°Ah-Xin?¡±


    Feng Huixin cupped the back of Feng Chunyi¡¯s head and pulled it towards his own. After a moment of startlement, Feng Chunyi eagerly cooperated, opening her lips and closing her eyes. Feng Huixin clamped his mouth over his Chunyi¡¯s and sent his tongue to explore inside. The familiar taste was now underscored by a stronger, masculine flavor, but the way his beloved kissed him back was exactly the same. Though the hands that touched him were slightly bigger, they were just as calloused as before, and they caressed exactly the same areas as his Chunyi usually did, using her experience with his body to slowly kindle his need.


    After a few minutes, Feng Huixin pulled back and let out a deep breath, his eyelids lifting to half-mast. In a slightly breathless voice, he finally stated, ¡°Chunyi, I think I¡¯ve adjusted.¡±


    Feng Chunyi¡¯s face expressed her lust loud and clear. ¡°Good. It was becoming really unbearable for me to keep waiting, you know? This new meat rod of mine is too troublesome! It¡¯s throbbing so much and feeling so stiff and hot¡­¡±


    Feng Huixin swallowed thickly, his breathing deepening.


    Seeing this, Feng Chunyi showed a pleased expression. It seemed that no matter her sex, she was still able to seduce her husband. How great!


    Leaning closer, she smiled bewitchingly and asked, ¡°Ah-Xin, I want us to begin now~ Can we?¡±


    Feng Huixin stiffened for a moment, feeling apprehensive at the thought of letting himself be invaded in that way. But since it would be his Chunyi doing it¡­ Feng Huixin pushed aside his doubts and slowly nodded. Not one for dilly-dallying, he lifted his hands and quickly began undoing his clothes. Turning his head away, Feng Huixin kept his face blank even as his eyes churned with nervousness.


    Leaning back, Feng Chunyi studied her husband with a small, sensual smile.


    Once Feng Huixin was undressed, he carefully gathered up his clothes before folding them neatly and placing them on a side table as usual. Then turning towards the Feng Chunyi who had been waiting patiently, he nodded. ¡°I¡¯m ready. I¡­ How do you want me to lie down?¡±


    Feng Chunyi¡¯s gaze eagerly roved over her husband¡¯s naked body as it usually did. His features might be androgynous and even somewhat delicate, but the way he held himself was as far from coquettish as it could get. There was a solemnity and quiet dignity in his posture, along with a sense of forthrightness. His body was beautiful and well-proportioned, and the familiarity she felt with it, along with all the different states she¡¯d seen her husband¡¯s body in as they did various shameless things together all these years, only fanned the flames of need higher.


    Licking her lips, Feng Chunyi finally answered, ¡°There¡¯s no particular position for this sort of thing, Ah-Xin. Just lie down however is most comfortable for you.¡± Then looking up his face, she said, ¡°There¡¯s one small thing though¡­ Ah-Xin, do you mind if I restrain you?¡±


    Feng Huixin faced his wife¡¯s burning eyes that were gleaming with eagerness and wanted to sigh. Then slowly, he nodded. Why not? It wouldn¡¯t change much anyway, and he didn¡¯t mind.


    And so, as Feng Huixin finally lied down on his back on the bed, he held up his hands cooperatively while Feng Chunyi clasped the soft yet firm leather manacles dangling from the bedposts over her husband¡¯s slender wrists. Seeing Feng Huixin¡¯s uneasy gaze as his body tensed, she soothed, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Ah-Xin. I¡¯ll take care of you. If you want to stop or want me to do better somehow, just tell me. This is a first time for me too, after all.¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s taut expression warmed slightly before he nodded. His stiff body gradually eased into the sheets. Seeing this, Feng Chunyi smiled happily and climbed on top of her husband. Living with him for so many millennia, she already knew that Feng Huixin felt uncomfortable facing new situations. Whenever they tried something new in bed, he would stiffen up at first and seem reluctant. Whenever it happened, Feng Chunyi always made sure to give her husband some time to adjust, after which Feng Huixin would start participating with increasing enthusiasm as well. Preparing herself to keep watch for these signs, Feng Chunyi finally began.


    Meanwhile, lying on the bed with his hands lifted up and bound to the bedposts, Feng Huixin was mortified to find that he felt a sense of familiarity. This was not the first time he was in such a position after all. But as he felt a male body settling on top of him while wide palms began to touch and drag over his skin, he shifted restlessly. This was the first time his Chunyi¡¯s body felt this way against his skin and the first time she was caressing him with such hands. But sensing the soul bond between them, Feng Huixin¡¯s discomfort once again subsided. No matter what, this was still his beloved Chunyi. As long as it was her, everything was alright.


    Gradually, Feng Chunyi¡¯s wandering fingers moved to his chest and began kneading the small nubs steadily while she lowered her mouth to begin nipping at his neck. Feng Huixin felt his arousal burning hotter as he hissed in a breath. He could feel his Chunyi¡¯s satisfied smile against his skin as she brushed her lips downward. Feng Huixin let his head fall to the side and parted his lips to draw in more air. He felt a hot mouth settle on one of the sensitive buds on his chest as the fingers playing with the other one began pinching and pulling aggressively. Feng Huixin gritted his teeth, the muscles in his arms bulging with the strain of holding back his reactions.


    Giving a sweet and long lick to the little nubbin in her mouth, Feng Chunyi teased in her husky male voice, ¡°Ah-Xin, you taste as good as usual~ But how come you¡¯re not making any sound again? It¡¯s always like this with you. But don¡¯t worry, by the end, I¡¯ll make you cry out loudly as always~¡±


    Feng Huixin panted lightly, words escaping him as the two sensitive points on his chest continued to be tormented. Feng Chunyi¡¯s mouth lowered to suck hard on the small bud, her teeth clamping over it while her fingers ruthlessly wrenched the other one. Feng Huixin jerked at the sudden stimulation and let slip a soft gasp. ¡°¡­Ahh¡­¡±


    Her eyes gleaming with satisfaction, Feng Chunyi made her free hand slide downwards, past her husband¡¯s smooth stomach and down to his member. Wrapping her rough fingers around it, she slowly began pumping it up and down.


    Feng Huixin squeezed his eyes closed as his brows furrowed. The rate of his panting increased with the rhythm of the strokes, his breathing growing shallower. Warmth flushed his cheeks a bewitching pink while his pupils dilated. His lips parted wider as he panted breathlessly. He wanted to get up and push down his wife, not caring about his Chunyi¡¯s appearance as he thrust into his beloved and felt that tight, wet heat clamp around his shaft. But as he tried to move, the restraints binding his wrists rubbed against his skin, reminding him that he was not the one who would be doing the thrusting today.


    Feng Chunyi smiled wider, feeling her own member growing stiffer. Her hand moved faster and faster over her husband¡¯s familiar hardness as her lips and the other palm began tracing over her Ah-Xin¡¯s smooth skin. Her mouth left a trail of small bites, following it with gentle suckling and tender kisses, painting her husband¡¯s body with red marks and making it look that much more delectable. As she felt Feng Huixin¡¯s straining body finally begin to tremble as he neared release, Feng Chunyi abruptly stopped.


    Feeling the hand on his member that had been providing him such delicious friction till now suddenly halt and pull away while the fingertips and lips on his skin also withdrew, Feng Huixin looked up dazedly. In a hoarse voice, he asked, ¡°Chunyi¡­why did you stop?¡±


    Feng Chunyi chuckled. When he was filled with passion, her husband became surprisingly forthright sometimes, though he himself never seemed to realize it. ¡°Now, now, Ah-Xin. Don¡¯t be so selfish. I want to feel pleasure too~¡±


    Feng Huixin frowned, then stiffened as he understood what she was implying. But seeing that he didn¡¯t make any move to stop her, Feng Chunyi happily retrieved a small bottle of lubricant that her husband usually used on her and poured it onto her fingers. After rubbing the slick digits against each other to spread the liquid and warm it, she put the bottle away and grinned. ¡°Ah-Xin~ It¡¯s time to show me that virgin hole of yours now~¡±


    Feng Huixin gulped, then forcefully pushed down the raging embarrassment and shame evoked by those words. He took a moment to consider before lifting up his knees and hesitantly widened his legs. His toes curled nervously into the bedcovers, but his face remained expressionless as he asked in an even voice, ¡°Is this alright?¡±


    Feng Chunyi felt her heart thumping wildly at this tempting sight of her husband¡¯s compliance. She wanted to tease him more, but realizing that he must already feel very nervous, she decided to take pity and simply nodded in answer. Settling down between his legs, she rested a palm on his raised knee and rubbed it comfortingly while a slickened finger from the other hand reached towards her husband¡¯s unused entrance.


    Feng Huixin felt the unfamiliar sensation of a wet fingertip pressing against his opening and grew tense, his whole body tightening. His hands tried to move to capture his Chunyi¡¯s nudging finger and stop it, but the tug of the soft leather against his wrists once more reminded him to be obedient. The measured caress of his wife¡¯s hand on his knee steadied him a bit. Feng Huixin let out a deep breath, pushing out his anxiousness with it, and began consciously relaxing his body.


    In a soft and warm voice, Feng Chunyi praised, ¡°Good. Ah-Xin, you¡¯re doing very good. Apparently, it can be a bit uncomfortable in the beginning stages, so bear with it, alright?¡±


    Feng Huixin nodded.


    Having gained his acknowledgment, Feng Chunyi immediately began pushing her slick fingertip into her husband. Struggling not to stiffen again, Feng Huixin tried to keep at least his lower body relaxed. He felt his Chunyi¡¯s fingertip slowly intruding into his entrance and felt strange. That slippery finger kept steadily squeezing itself into him, claiming ground bit by bit. It didn¡¯t feel pleasant at all, but he forced himself to stay still and accept it nevertheless. Once lodged in fully, the slick digit began withdrawing, then pushing back in again.


    Feng Chunyi¡¯s eyes went half-lidded as she observed, ¡°Ah-Xin, do you know how hot and tight you are here? Mmm, it feels so good to put even just a finger in¡­ I wonder how it¡¯ll feel when this new hard and throbbing thing of mine is completely wrapped within your heated flesh inside that soft and tight space~¡±


    Feng Huixin couldn¡¯t help the rush of blood that shot up his cheeks. But a certain area of his down below also seemed to have gotten increasingly invigorated, standing up eagerly. Feng Chunyi chuckled delightedly, but simply kept her finger moving without saying anything else.


    Once she felt that she had waited enough, Feng Chunyi added in another finger, carefully inserting them both in and trying to widen the tight passage. Feng Huixin shifted restlessly and bit his lower lip. This sensation really was too strange. He didn¡¯t feel it was that bad anymore, but he still didn¡¯t like it all that much. It felt too foreign to him. The feeling of something stuck inside that place and moving like this was too weird. But as his beloved said, he should give himself some time to get over this discomfort before deciding if he wanted to go on.


    Soon, Feng Chunyi added yet another finger and began pushing it in steadily. Feeling the width of the intruder increase, Feng Huixin squeezed his eyes closed and breathed in deeper, trying to compose himself. But his passage still ended up clenching tightly in instinctive rejection.


    Feng Chunyi looked up with worry. But since her husband hadn¡¯t asked her to remove her fingers, she left them inside him and leaned over Feng Huixin. Bending down, she pressed gentle kisses to his cheeks, then another two to his closed eyelids, and then one more to the small frown between his brows. ¡°Ah-Xin, it¡¯s alright. Take your time to adjust. I promise I¡¯ll make it up for all this discomfort later.¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s brows automatically relaxed as he gave a short nod. He labored to loosen his body. He would wait for a bit more, and if he still felt no pleasure¡­then he should ask to stop. There would be no sense in forcing himself anymore, and his Chunyi also wouldn¡¯t want that.


    Feeling her beloved¡¯s passage relaxing, Feng Chunyi once again began slowly pushing in the three fingers. She felt Feng Huixin¡¯s inner walls spasm as if struggling to stay open. Once all three of the slick digits were fully inside, she began moving them to and fro. Seeing the frown return to her husband¡¯s face, she asked concernedly, ¡°Ah-Xin, does it still not feel good? Do you want me to stop?¡±


    Feng Huixin silently shook his head, then added, ¡°Let¡¯s wait¡­some more.¡±


    As she kept her hands moving, Feng Chunyi thought hard about some way to make this pleasurable for her husband. Then suddenly remembering something she¡¯d once heard her brother say long ago, Feng Chunyi stopped pumping the fingers and instead pressed them upward, the slick fingertips rubbing into the wall of the soft passage as if searching for something.


    ¡°Chunyi¡­?¡± Feng Huixin called uncertainly. What was his beloved doing? This felt even more stranger than¨D


    His thoughts screeching to a halt as he felt a sudden burst of pleasure ripping up from below, Feng Huixin jerked, his body almost leaping off the bed before beginning to shudder. This type of pleasure was unfamiliar and strange, strongly echoing out from somewhere deep within his body. The chains connecting his hands to the bedpost strained tautly as Feng Huixin twisted helplessly. He struggled to accustom himself to these new sensations sending out bursts of ecstasy from where his wife was touching inside him.


    Feng Chunyi felt triumphant at finally finding her husband¡¯s sweet spot. And watching her beloved Ah-Xin losing his cool like this was also very alluring, arousing her even more until her member felt too thick and painful. But it went without saying that until her husband was suitably prepared, she couldn¡¯t fulfill her wish of finally having her Ah-Xin like this.


    And so, before Feng Huixin had a chance to recover, he felt his wife ruthlessly taking advantage of his vulnerability, those rough fingertips rubbing and massaging that small knot of oversensitive tissue until it was all he could do to stop himself from letting out any unreserved sounds. His body still shuddered and shifted as wave after wave of pleasure washed over him, battering his self-control. Even his inner walls felt more sensitive than before, as if his awareness over that part of him had just awakened. There was no more discomfort to be found there now.


    By the time she brought her husband to the brink of release again, Feng Chunyi realized that the soft passage wrapping around her fingers had already loosened enough. Anticipation burned inside her as she withdrew her fingers.


    In the absence of the stimulation, Feng Huixin¡¯s tautly trembling body suddenly lost its tension and slumped back into the sheets. As he laid there panting, he felt a strange sense of loss at the removal of those fingers from inside him, along with frustration at his orgasm once more being thwarted. His skin felt too sensitive and his body glistened with a thin layer of clear sweat due to his exertion just now. Thick, whitish drops had begun dripping from the slit at the head of his member as if weeping for his unsatisfied need.


    As Feng Huixin blinked up with unfocused eyes, he suddenly felt something hard and blunt nudging his prepared entrance. Her body taut with the strain of holding back, Feng Chunyi¡¯s asked, ¡°Ah-Xin, I want to enter you now. I-Is it¡­alright?¡±


    But rather than stiffening this time, Feng Huixin felt his body softening instead. As warm currents of molten heat languidly flowed through him, he realized that he even felt a little anticipatory. And so, giving a slow nod, Feng Huixin finally replied, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Having gained his permission, Feng Chunyi immediately began pushing forward enthusiastically. Feng Huixin felt the thick head of his beloved¡¯s member pressing into him and opened his lips to let out a deep, heated breath. His sensitive inner walls were forcefully pried apart as the hard length slowly fought its way into his tightness. The intruding member felt thick, heavy, and far bigger than what he had prepared himself to accept. His channel was being stretched to its limits as it clamped tightly around the hard shaft that steadily forced its way deep into him. The queer sensation of something large digging into his gut like this had him shifting helplessly. The feel of those throbbing, pulsing veins pressing tightly into the walls of his passage was strange yet titillating. As his sensitive channel was stimulated like this, a small, breathless moan involuntarily slipped out of him.


    From what he¡¯d seen, his Chunyi¡¯s shaft was of similar dimensions to his own, with only their shapes differing. Yet the hard length driving into him right now seemed at least three times thicker than its actual width. Was this how his wife felt when she accepted him into her? But this feeling¡­was definitely not bad.


    Meanwhile, Feng Chunyi was having similar realizations. The slickened passage was oh-so-wonderfully tight and soft as it wrapped around her shaft. It felt like if she decreased the force of her thrust by even a little, her member would be squeezed right out by that tight channel. The feeling of pushing inside her husband and seeing him struggling to maintain his composure, the sensation of burying a part of herself inside her beloved Ah-Xin¡¯s body, and the realization that he even seemed to like it more than she¡¯d expected, all of it felt so good. Was this what her Ah-Xin felt when he usually took her?


    But Feng Chunyi bemoaned that this male organ of hers was far more sensitive than she¡¯d expected, driving her mad with the need to pump her hips, to piston in and out of that hot and tight channel and plunder it with vigor. But she still struggled to keep it in check, not willing to risk hurting her husband, especially during his first time like this. Even if he would heal easily, she¡¯d still never be able to forgive herself. And so, she pushed on steadily with utmost care.


    By the time Feng Chunyi¡¯s member was fully seated inside Feng Huixin, the couple was already panting with exertion as blistering needed thundered through them. Feng Huixin felt that his lower belly was too full and heavy, the sensation of something long and hard stuck deep inside him making him shift restlessly. He didn¡¯t want the thing that had invaded his depths to stay so still like this. He was already craving the friction its movements could provide and the resulting pleasure it would bring. But before he could express any of this, Feng Chunyi suddenly bent down and buried her face into the crook of Feng Huixin¡¯s shoulder. Feng Huixin could feel hot breaths on his neck as his beloved panted.


    ¡°¡­Ah-Xin¡­Ah-Xin¡­¡± Feng Chunyi chanted softly. ¡°It feels so burning hot and tight and soft inside you¡­ It feels too good¡­ Ahh, it¡¯s so good that¡­I don¡¯t know how to deal with this¡­¡±


    Despite the heated lust burning him up, Feng Huixin still put aside his own need. He wanted to hug his beloved and pat her back in comfort, but his hands were still bound. Lifting his legs, he wrapped it around his Chunyi¡¯s waist and held her tightly in lieu of a hug. Turning his head to press a kiss to his wife¡¯s flushed cheek, he spoke in a husky voice, ¡°It¡¯s alright. We can just stay like this for a while until you feel like continuing.¡±


    Feng Chunyi gave a grateful nod and luxuriated in the familiar scent of her husband, the feel of his warm skin pressing against hers, and the throb of his pulse under her cheek. Once she felt more accustomed to the overwhelming sensation of the liquid heat completely wrapped around her sensitive shaft, she slowly leaned back. Since her lust demanded that she feed it, she would do exactly that.


    Feng Huixin was just about to ask his wife if she was alright when he felt his Chunyi pull back, her member sliding almost completely out. Feng Huixin¡¯s inner muscles instinctively tightened as if wanting to prevent the thick shaft from leaving its confines. But before Feng Huixin could relax it, Feng Chunyi thrust in all at once.


    Feng Huixin¡¯s body arched up in surprise at the sudden friction dragging over his sensitive walls and flooding him with pleasure. His passage automatically relaxed as if in acceptance as Feng Chunyi drew back her hips and slammed in again, drawing her heated length in and out swiftly. Feng Huixin turned his head and buried his face into his upper arm, panting and moaning soundlessly.


    Just then, remembering the pleasure point she¡¯d discovered before, Feng Chunyi began angling her hips, driving her shaft in slightly different directions each time and monitoring her beloved¡¯s responses. When she hit a certain spot, Feng Huixin let out a startled shout muffled by his arm. As Feng Chunyi continued to hit that same spot again and again, Feng Huixin made a soft sound of helplessness, his hands clenching into fists as his head fell back on the pillow, exposing the long column of his neck. Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes were glazed and his cheeks flushed, his expression dazed. As more and more pleasure filled him unceasingly, his lips unconsciously parted to let out barely audible moans and groans in a hoarse voice while his body began following the tempo of their coupling on its own.


    Bewitched at the sight of such an uninhibited Feng Huixin, Feng Chunyi¡¯s own ardor increased impossibly more. Her hands gripped her husband¡¯s hips tightly as she moved to the rhythm of the desperate and insistent need pulsing inside her. The friction of those soft walls wrapping and dragging over her shaft felt so inexpressibly wonderful that her thrusts grew faster and faster, their hips colliding harder and the stiff length reaching deeper and deeper into her beloved¡¯s gripping heat each time.


    The lewd sounds of a hard member forcing its way in and out of a moistened passage filled the room along with the slap of skin against sweaty skin. The chain binding Feng Huixin¡¯s wrists to the bedposts creaked with strain as he pulled at it while twisting his body as Feng Chunyi bowed over her husband¡¯s body and groaned helplessly, pushing herself to move as quickly as she physically could.


    The heat wound tighter and tighter as their need to reach the peak grew more desperate. With a hoarse shout, Feng Chunyi finally stilled as her orgasm exploded through her, her body shuddering as it slumped down onto her beloved. His legs around his Chunyi¡¯s waist clamping more tightly, Feng Huixin moaned softly as he felt liquid heat drenching his insides while the thick fluid spurted into him. His body stiffened at the sensation as his own climax finally enveloped him, drowning him in ecstasy. His member twitched between their bodies, sending out scalding streams of release. The pleasure rocketing through them seemed to go on and on, wracking their bodies with wild ecstasy before it gradually melted into peaceful bliss.


    Once the orgasm receded, it ushered in the euphoria of the afterglow. For a while, the sound of panting was the only thing heard in the gentle calm.


    With her softened member still buried inside her husband, Feng Chunyi slowly raised herself back up on her arms and peered down into the flushed and relaxed face of Feng Huixin. In a husky voice, she said, ¡°Ah-Xin, I know that I said I¡¯d let you take me later¡­but can I have one more round, please? so I promise you''ll still have plenty of time to do me afterwards.¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s mind was still buzzing with the pleasure he¡¯s felt just now. And since his wife was offering to give him that pleasure again, why would he refuse? His lips stretching into a soft smile while his eyes looked up warmly, Feng Huixin said, ¡°Alright.¡±


    Seeing her husband¡¯s rare smile, Feng Chunyi¡¯s desire ignited. Feng Huixin felt the shaft inside his release-filled channel slowly growing large and stiff again. His eyes growing half-lidded, he raised a hand to pull down his Chunyi¡¯s face, their lips meeting each other.


    And so they continued on passionately for the next few hours, with Feng Chunyi not keeping to her promise of stopping after just one more round. Lost in the frenzy of exploring each other in this new way, the couple did not stop until the potion¡¯s effects finally receded.


    ¡­¡­


    When evening arrived, Qinghe and Wei Xiang returned to the Feng residence as expected.


    After a look at the kitchen, Wei Xiang went off on a little errand to buy something for dinner. Left behind, Qinghe decided that it had been too long since he did his last carving project and settled down at the table to begin making another grotesque fish sculpture. With various tools spread out on his side of the table, he happily began work. While Qinghe was thus engrossed in his carving, he suddenly noticed his father¡¯s arrival and turned to greet him, but ended up frowning confusedly instead.


    Feng Huixin wasn¡¯t dressed as neatly as he always was and lacked his usual smoothness while he walked. His feet stepped forward gingerly as if afraid the floor was covered with invisible landmine spells that could erupt at any time. And if Qinghe didn¡¯t know better, he would swear that his father looked sullen.


    After slowly trudging his way to the chair nearest to the doorway, which also happened to be the one exactly opposite to Qinghe, Feng Huixin stood beside it and peered at it with distress in his eyes.


    ¡°¡­Father?¡± Qinghe called hesitantly. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Feng Huixin sighed and nodded. In a voice that remained raspy even after several dozens of minutes of regeneration, he spoke, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyebrows shot up. For such a powerful deity as his father to sound like this along with moving as if his very bones were paining him¡­ Was he sick?


    Before Qinghe could give voice to his concern, a cheerful Feng Chunyi strode into the room. Even though she moved a bit stiffly as well, she still seemed very pleased about something, her face practically glowing with satisfaction.


    Feng Huixin turned towards his wife and shot a look at her that Qinghe could only describe as a glare, no matter how unlikely it sounded.


    Halting mid-step at that glare, Feng Chunyi¡¯s expression suddenly turned guilty. She quickly retrieved a super-soft cushion from her storage space and rushed to place it on the seat of the chair her husband was standing by. ¡°A-Ah-Xin, here, sit down on it. It¡¯ll feel much better than sitting on that hard wood. My dear husband¡¯s adorable ass only deserves the gentlest of treatments today~¡±


    At the side, Qinghe froze, then desperately poured all his concentration to continue carving as if he¡¯d heard nothing.


    Meanwhile, Feng Huixin stiffened, his ears slightly reddening, then sighed. Gritting his teeth, he slowly lowered himself onto the chair with the cushion. The soft padding really did reduce most of the agony he expected, but his backside still felt quite a bit sore. And so, he was once more reminded of how his wife didn¡¯t keep to her promise of just one more time, sweeping him up in a rushing stream of pleasure continuously until those six hours were completely used up and her body returned to being female. He would admit that he did enjoy every moment of it, but she broke her promise to him! That was what irked him!


    Knowing that she had touched one of her husband¡¯s rare troublesome points, Feng Chunyi could only watch helplessly as Feng Huixin turned his face away from her, his expression gloomy. She felt that such a childish way to express disapproval was rather cute, but rubbing his head under the current circumstances wouldn¡¯t exactly endear her to him.


    Feng Chunyi spoke in a coaxing voice, ¡°Ah-Xin, don¡¯t be like that. I¡¯m very sorry I broke my promise. The next time I get more of that potion from Ai Li, I¡¯ll let you do me in that form the whole six hours, alright?¡±


    The moodiness in Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes eased somewhat. He found it difficult to maintain his anger for long anyway, and his wife had also sincerely apologized.


    Seeing him relenting, Feng Chunyi continued with a small smile, ¡°To make up for it, how about I feed you those sweets that you¡¯re so fond of? Would you like that?¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes narrowed in consideration, then he nodded. Bringing out the box of mild sweets that Qinghe had made specifically to suit his taste, Feng Huixin placed it on the table and pushed it towards his wife. In a firm tone, he said, ¡°Take care to not use more than one-third of it.¡±


    Feng Chunyi grinned and cheerfully nodded. Pulling up a chair and seating herself beside her husband, she opened the box and lifted one of the sweets. As she raised it to her beloved¡¯s lips, Feng Huixin opened his mouth and accepted it. His expression softened further. Being fed by his wife like this was also not such a bad thing. It gave him the rare feeling of being pampered.


    Seeing her husband looking happy to be fed, Feng Chunyi¡¯s heart melted. Did her Ah-Xin even understand how cute he was being? And so, with an adoring smile, she continued to feed him the sweets.


    Once she was done, she blinked up at Feng Huixin and asked, ¡°Ah-Xin, I finished exactly one-third. Did I do good? Do you forgive me?¡±


    Feng Huixin had already forgotten his wife¡¯s misconduct. Looping an arm around his Chunyi and pulling her close, he lowered his head to bury it the crook of her neck before nuzzling it. ¡°Mn, yes. You did very good, so I¡¯ll let it go this time.¡±


    Feng Chunyi smiled cheerfully and patted her beloved¡¯s head. Her Ah-Xin was so easy to appease.


    After a few minutes, Feng Huixin raised his head to sit straight again. But as his gaze met his wife¡¯s, he caught the warm love filling his Chunyi¡¯s eyes. His own eyes deepened in reaction. Understanding the mood her beloved was in without exchanging a single word, Feng Chunyi raised a hand to pull close her husband¡¯s head. Feng Huixin parted his lips and clamped them over Feng Chunyi¡¯s open mouth. The newly reconciled pair of husband and wife thus indulged in each other once again.


    Compared to this couple covered in happy pink bubbles, the Qinghe on the other side of the table didn¡¯t know how to feel at having to witness all this. Seeing another couple being so happy with each other while his own lover was away really made him want to stand up and walk off in a huff. But since he¡¯d already laid out all his carving tools on the table, it would be too much of a hassle to collect everything and set it out again.


    And so, determined to block out the kissy noises being emitted from the other side of the table, Qinghe poured his entire concentration into his carving. As a result, the fish sculpture this time came out looking even more unnecessarily detailed that usual, the dead expression in the animal¡¯s eyes and its twisted, tortured appearance more unnecessarily realistic than ever before.


    An hour later, Wei Xiang and Qinghe were in the room reserved for Qinghe¡¯s crafts, standing in front of a shelf filled with grotesque fishes.


    Qinghe smiled happily, pleased that his newest creation came out so perfect. Beside him, Wei Xiang struggled to hold in his pained laughter as he asked, ¡°Love, why do you always make fishes?¡±


    His eyes gleaming, Qinghe answered merrily, ¡°Because fishes love water just like me, so I feel a sense of comradeship with them. Oh, and I also love how they taste.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Wei Xiang¡¯s lips twitched. Did his little lover feel nothing at the thought of eating his comrades then?


    But not wanting to keep discussing this, Qinghe dragged his beloved to their bedroom soon after. His parents being so lovey-dovey was still fresh in his mind, so he was determined to be even more lovey-dovey with his Xiang today!


    And so, though Wei Xiang didn¡¯t know just what had made his little lover so enthusiastic, he still reaped the rewards throughout the long, passionate night.


    crimson_carnation

 Extra 18: Helping with Work

    crimson_carnation


    On a certain sunny day, Qinghe decided to visit Wei Xiang in his office in the Order of Sentinels¡¯ headquarters. For a long time now, he¡¯d wanted to observe the place his lover spent his time in while working, and he also wanted to see if they could squeeze in some pleasurable activities in between. And so, Qinghe descended to the mortal realm and cheerfully headed to meet his Xiang in the Order.


    But as he entered the outer gates of the headquarters and walked towards the solemn black building that housed the Order¡¯s offices, Qinghe was faced with the strange scene of Wei Xiang striding out purposefully while another Sentinel was hugging his waist, being dragged behind him while still on his knees. But Wei Xiang seemed uncaring, irritation flickering in his gaze as he sped up.


    The Sentinel who¡¯d latched onto him wailed loudly, ¡°Please, oh please, I¡¯m begging you Senior Officer Wei! Big Brother Wei! Great Deity Wei! I know, I know, it¡¯s my fault that the papers about that series of dream haunting cases haven¡¯t been processed, I¡¯ll admit my mistake! So can¡¯t you please just take pity and help a brother out here? It¡¯ll take you less than an hour with your speed! Please, please, please, plea¨D Ah, Little Bro!¡±


    The Wei Xiang who had been frowning in annoyance while determinedly marching forward unheeding of his fellow officer imitating a waist pendant suddenly stopped and looked at Qinghe, surprised.


    Before Wei Xiang and Qinghe could greet each other, the Sentinel hugging Wei Xiang immediately let go of him and jumped towards Qinghe, going down on his knees and shamelessly hugging his legs. Qinghe jerked in startlement and looked down. The Sentinel begged, ¡°Little Bro, please save me! Now you¡¯re the only one who can convince this hardhearted, cruel lover of yours to show me some pity!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Both Qinghe¡¯s and Wei Xiang¡¯s lips twitched. Should this Sentinel really be saying such things right in front of the person whose help he sought? Or did he really trust that no matter what he said, as long as Qinghe supported him, Wei Xiang would put aside the memory of his insulting words and help him?


    Qinghe sighed and spoke, ¡°Sentinel Huang, this is unseemly. Please rise and tell me the situation first.¡±


    Sentinel Huang happily sprung upright and bowed to Qinghe, his personal sense of shame seeming non-existent. ¡°We¡¯ve been especially busy this past week, so my teammates and I will be unable to hand in an important report about a certain case we recently completed in time. I admit that I and a few others were at fault for making some mistakes in one of our other tasks that ended up eating up our time and resulting in us unable to finish this report. But what¡¯s done is done and we can¡¯t turn back time. Since Senior Officer Wei was also one of the people who coordinated with my team to complete that recent case, he has enough of an understanding to finish those reports even without us. That is why we wanted to ask for his help in this matter.


    ¡°But who¡¯d have known that Senior Officer Wei was heartless enough to ruthlessly reject my request and happily abandon us like this in our time of need just so he could go and have fun with you? While you both will be cavorting between the sheets, I and my team will be struggling under the agony of that much unfinished work. Little Bro, isn¡¯t it unfair? Don¡¯t you want to help us? Don¡¯t you feel like persuading that inhuman beast called Wei Xiang to save us in our time of desperate need?¡±


    Faced with this ridiculous Sentinel Huang blinking his tearful eyes pitifully at him, Qinghe really didn¡¯t know what to say.


    Having reached them by now, Wei Xiang rolled his eyes. ¡°¡®Desperate need¡¯, my ass. You created this problem, so you fix it. And yes, I am quite literally an inhuman beast, so my conscience shall remain free of burden as I and my little lover happily ¡®cavort between the sheets¡¯, as you put it.¡± Then turning to Qinghe, Wei Xiang showed a warm smile and said, ¡°Come, love. Let¡¯s go and enjoy ourselves and leave this useless idiot to go clean up his own mess.¡±


    Sentinel Huang clutched his chest dramatically as if his heart had been struck and staggered back a step. In a pleading voice, he called, ¡°Little Bro¡­¡±


    Qinghe had on a helpless and amused smile. Turning to Wei Xiang, he finally said, ¡°Xiang, why don¡¯t you help him out this time?¡±


    Wei Xiang frowned, his expression turning sullen. ¡°Love¡­ Are you saying you don¡¯t mind spending less time with me because of this stupid fellow officer of mine? It¡¯s already been a few days since we last had some time together alone, and¡­¡±  Lifting a long lock of Qinghe¡¯s hair, Wei Xiang rubbed it between his fingers as his gaze stayed fixed deep into his beloved¡¯s eyes, ¡°¡­Qinghe, I really missed you.¡±


    Qinghe felt his body responding to the heat and need in his lover¡¯s eyes and licked his lips unconsciously. In a soft voice, he spoke, ¡°Xiang, we can do both at the same time. If you agree to help out with that report, then I¡¯ll clear my schedule for today and stay with you the whole time.¡± Then stepping closer to his beloved and leaning up, Qinghe whispered into Wei Xiang¡¯s ear, ¡°In the meantime, you can do whatever you want to me. You can use me and toy with my body however you please while I¡¯m in your office~¡±


    Wei Xiang stiffened, and along with him, a certain lower body part of his also began to stiffen as if wanting to stand at attention. As this sign of his lover¡¯s interest poked his belly, Qinghe showed a pleased expression.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Wei Xiang finally agreed. Then wrapping his arms to pull Qinghe closer, he warned huskily, ¡°But love, I hope you won¡¯t regret your words later when I make you beg and plead for more.¡±


    A shiver of excitement went through Qinghe¡¯s body. He already couldn¡¯t wait to be taken advantage of in all sorts of ways. He wondered just what sorts of interesting things his Xiang had planned for him.


    Leaving a hand still hugging his little lover¡¯s waist, Wei Xiang turned and started walking towards the black building again. Turning his head slightly, he casually instructed a wide-eyed Sentinel Huang, ¡°You can come and collect the finished report within a few hours.¡±


    The Sentinel Huang who was forced to swallow lethal amounts of dog food just now looked at the couple¡¯s retreating backs with a complicated expression. If they began doing it in Wei Xiang¡¯s office, would they even separate enough to get to starting the report?


    Maybe asking the help of such a passionate pair of lovers wasn¡¯t a good idea after all¡­


    ¡­¡­


    Wei Xiang¡¯s office was a wide rectangular room, the space clean and neat. A row of small, square windows was situated high above on the wall opposite to the door. Just below the windows was a heavy desk. An inkstone, its accompanying inkstick, a couple of brushes, and loose sheaves of papers sat on one side of the desktop. Tall stacks of papers with neat rows of characters occupied the other side of the desk. The center part was left empty with enough room for two people to sit side by side and still have some space left.


    Placed against the walls on either side of the room were chests of drawers, cupboards, and bookshelves stuffed with scrolls and books. Odd-looking knickknacks were scattered on the top of the drawers, looking both decorative and curious. A single golden longsword seeming to be made with material resembling Wei Xiang¡¯s strings hung vertically on the wall behind the desk. It was ornate to the point of seeming unusable and looked very heavy, but it nonetheless shone with an oppressive and majestic brilliance.


    But Qinghe was unable to appreciate any of this.


    The second the couple stepped into the office, Qinghe wasn¡¯t even given the chance to take a look around before Wei Xiang shut the door and swiftly pressed him against it. He pinned Qinghe¡¯s wrists overhead against the door with one hand while the other cupped one of his beloved¡¯s buttocks, kneading it steadily.


    His body beginning to soften, Qinghe blinked confusedly. Were they beginning already?


    Wei Xiang bent to nip his tempting little lover¡¯s earlobe and spoke, ¡°Qinghe, since you gave me permission to do whatever I want with you, let¡¯s make this into roleplay.¡±


    Feeling his Xiang¡¯s warm voice filling his ear and whispering enticingly, Qinghe gave out a shuddering breath and nodded jerkily. ¡°O-Okay.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, good,¡± Wei Xiang said with a smile. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be the diligently working Sentinel that I am while you can be my personal assistant who¡¯ll devote his body to me wholeheartedly, letting me use it for my convenience, be it to help me with my work, accept the outpouring of my lust, or as a piece of furniture.¡±


    Qinghe turned red, his lips parting as he lightly panted. If anyone else said such things to him, he¡¯d feel offended at being treated like an object. But he knew without a doubt that every word his Xiang said was deliberate and meant to get him in the mood, and as Qinghe felt himself hardening, he knew that it was working quite well too.


    Before he could get back his bearings, Wei Xiang¡¯s hand on his butt slowly slipped between his cheeks, those strong fingers rubbing over his entrance through the layers of clothes. ¡°As your employer, I¡¯ll thoroughly make use of this.¡± Then his hand dipping further between his legs to cup his balls and the base of his member from the back, he continued, ¡°And I¡¯ll also get to play with this however I want.¡±


    Qinghe moaned, then bit his lip. His hands held above in Wei Xiang¡¯s grip clenched in reaction as his lover brought his fingers to the front, sliding over Qinghe¡¯s clothed stomach and abdomen, over to his chest. After unerringly finding the two little buds even under all those layers of clothes, those familiar fingers began to caress and stimulate one nub, then the other point, sending out sparks of pleasure.


    Qinghe shuddered, his chest instinctively pushing forward. ¡°X-Xiang!¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s voice was low and smooth, ¡°I¡¯ll make good use of even these. All of you will be utilized to motivate me to finish that report.¡± His lips stretching into a wicked smile, Wei Xiang continued, ¡°How do you feel knowing that you¡¯ll be very intimately helping a Sentinel of the Order complete his work, love? Having to listen to everything I say and submitting yourself to me to toy with as I wish¡­¡± His tongued extending to trace the edge of Qinghe¡¯s ear, he murmured, ¡°Do you feel indignant? Ashamed? Or¡­do you feel aroused?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s chest heaved with deep breaths, his eyes glazed with want. Not giving him a chance to answer, Wei Xiang¡¯s hand slid down and squeezed the bulge between his beloved¡¯s legs, making Qinghe let out a choked gasp.


    ¡°Hmm, definitely aroused,¡± Wei Xiang observed amusedly.


    Being played with to this extent, Qinghe felt hot and flushed, his body suffused with throbbing need. ¡°Xiang¡­¡± he called, his voice soft and pleading.


    Deciding that he¡¯d teased him enough, Wei Xiang let his little lover go and stepped back. Using his strings to quickly close all windows in the office, Wei Xiang said, ¡°It¡¯s time to start working, my adorable little assistant. I think you should start by removing all your clothes first.¡±


    For a minute, Qinghe could only stay leaning against the door while panting with flushed cheeks. Then collecting himself, he unsteadily stood straight and looked up at his lover¡¯s deep gaze before nodding shyly in response. Lifting his hands, Qinghe began slowly undoing his clothes as instructed. His belly fluttered with need and excitement.


    That first time they¡¯d tried roleplay in the Sentinels¡¯ underground prison, Wei Xiang had been very careful and gentle despite his role. It had reassured Qinghe in those unfamiliar circumstances and made him more comfortable with the idea of roleplay itself. But a few more nights of roleplay later, Qinghe found that he wanted his Xiang to be stricter with him while playing these kinds of roles, and Wei Xiang also slowly let his true personality in this aspect shine through. His words always made Qinghe blush with embarrassment while he moaned in need. His lover¡¯s firm touches always made him writhe uncontrollably. And the feeling of absolute trust Qinghe felt with his Xiang always made him come undone willingly.


    As Wei Xiang behaved with increasing wickedness while ruthlessly playing with his body, Qinghe began loving this sort of roleplaying more and more. And knowing that no matter what was being done to him, no matter how embarrassed he himself felt, Qinghe knew that his Xiang would never disrespect or humiliate him. Even as he asked Qinghe to do things that had him blushing and stumbling with bashfulness, Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes would always contain affection, his touches always careful. His teasing words would never grow hurtful or demeaning.


    Of course, there were times Qinghe would grow uncertain and want Wei Xiang to show his affection even while his lover was roleplaying as someone harsh. But Wei Xiang always seemed to sense his beloved¡¯s hesitation and would wordlessly reassure him before resuming. Slowly, Qinghe also understood that no matter what roles his lover played, his Xiang was always his Xiang, someone who cared for him, respected him, and loved him with all his heart.


    While Qinghe was pondering all this, his hands kept moving, removing his belt, robes, hair stick, shoes, and pants. At the side, Wei Xiang simply drank in the sight of his little lover slowly baring his body for him, his beloved¡¯s fair cheeks flushed while his eyes gleamed with a shy kind of need.


    Once Qinghe was completely naked, he looked at Wei Xiang as if asking him for further instructions.


    The edges of his lips curling up in a strange smile, Wei Xiang said, ¡°Now, I want my little assistant to grind me some ink so that I can start working.¡±


    Qinghe blinked, a hint of hesitation on his face. Was that all? Was his Xiang not going to do anything to him? But pushing aside these thoughts, Qinghe obediently walked to the desk situated opposite to the door and bent to begin grinding the ink. His concentration soon became occupied with the task even as his mind kept racing with expectations of what might come.


    Meanwhile, Wei Xiang let his eyes rove over his beloved¡¯s delectable body for a minute before turning and heading towards one of the chest of drawers. Pulling out the second drawer from the top, Wei Xiang surveyed his carefully arranged ink brush collection with gleaming eyes. Choosing one of the brushes, he lifted it up and studied it. Snowy white rabbit hair was used for the medium-sized brush while the slender handle was carved out of bone. The handle was the width of a finger, and it bulged into a round shape once near the head of the brush and twice near the end, with the second bulge tapering off into a blunt tip.


    If he remembered right, this brush had been a gift from a few cheeky Sentinels, including his senior brother Kong Min, after a certain incident a while ago. It was unlike the traditional ink brushes, and the officer who carved it had been heavily influenced by the culture of a certain island country near the north of the continent. This brush had never been used till now, and was clean and meticulously maintained.


    His eyes growing half-lidded as he thought of what he wanted to do with this brush, Wei Xiang nodded to himself with a pleased look.


    At the table, Qinghe was seriously engrossed with grinding the cylindrical inkstick on the slanted surface of the inkstone, rubbing out ink powder and letting them slide down to the water pooled on one side of the inkstone, dissolving within. Since his Xiang wanted him to prepare the ink, he was determined to grind enough to turn the water a nice, deep black.


    As he was thus dutifully working, Qinghe suddenly became aware of Wei Xiang striding towards him. His heart fluttered. What did his Xiang want to do?


    After reaching him, Wei Xiang lifted an ivory-colored ink brush and pressed its end to his lips. Qinghe stopped what he was doing and looked at his beloved with bafflement. In a low voice, Wei Xiang explained, ¡°Open your mouth and lick the handle thoroughly. The more you lubricate it, the easier it¡¯ll be for you later.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes widened as he realized what he meant, his face flushing with pink. ¡°B-But Xiang¡­ I¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled. ¡°I know. You don¡¯t like taking inanimate objects into you. You only want me to touch you that way.¡±


    Qinghe coughed and lowered his head, then nodded. ¡°Yes, s-so¡­¡±


    His smile widening, Wei Xiang asked, ¡°But love, would that apply even if I said that this brush was once a part of me?¡±


    Qinghe looked up with surprise. A part of him?! The only thing in the brush that could be a part of his lover was¡­


    Wei Xiang chuckled. ¡°Once, during a case, one of my arms ended up getting torn off due to an accident while I was in my wyvern form. It grew back within a week, so it wasn¡¯t much of an issue. Kong Min and the other officers who had been with me at that time kept that arm and extracted the bone before one of them carved it to make a pair of brush handles. One of those handles carved out of my bone was used for this ink brush. The other one I gave to Master. So technically, though this brush is an inanimate object, it was also a part of me. So will you accept it into you?¡±


    Qinghe hesitated, considering for a few moments. He didn¡¯t feel any aversion to the thought of it entering him, so he slowly nodded in acceptance.


    His eyes shining happily, Wei Xiang rubbed the tip gently against his little lover¡¯s upper lip and said in a deep voice, ¡°Good. Then open your mouth and wet it properly.¡±


    His eyelids lowered over his eyes as Qinghe obediently parted his lips and clamped the end between them. His red tongue peeked out, carefully sweeping over the tip of the brush handle and wetting it thoroughly. Opening his lips further, Qinghe leaned forward to take in more of the brush into his mouth, suckling it and using his tongue to coat it with as much saliva as he could. Then moving back, he turned his head and carefully licked the rest of the handle that he hadn¡¯t been able to fit into his mouth as well.


    Judging that it had been lubricated enough, Wei Xiang pulled the brush away from Qinghe¡¯s mouth and moved to stand behind his beloved. Qinghe tried to straighten and look back, but Wei Xiang halted his movements with a palm on Qinghe¡¯s back. ¡°As a devoted assistant, shouldn¡¯t you continue grinding ink for me? Keep doing it until I ask you to stop.¡±


    Qinghe paused, then once again bent to keep moving the inkstick even as his heart beat faster with anticipation. As he¡¯d expected, Qinghe felt Wei Xiang using the fingers of a hand to part his buttocks before the tapering end of the brush handle was pressed against his entrance. Qinghe¡¯s fingers trembled, but he tightened his grip on the inkstick and continued grinding it on the inkstone.


    The brush poised at his opening slowly pushed in, the first round bulge at the handle¡¯s end stretching the edges of his entrance as it slid in. Qinghe took in a shuddering breath, his body instinctively bending forward to accept that straight handle into him. He could feel his passage being forced open by that round end as the hard bone of the handle rubbed against his soft inner walls. As Qinghe kept his hand moving, the first bulge entered him fully, the second one slowly pushing into him.


    Qinghe took deep breaths, his hand with the inkstick slowing as he labored to contain his arousal.


    Meanwhile, the handle unrelentingly kept sliding into him, its tip pushing open his tight inner ring of muscles and going in further. Gradually, the second bulge also finished entering him. For a while after that, all Qinghe could feel was the narrower middle of the handle with the width of a finger slipping into him smoothly even as the two round bulges at the tip made their way deeper into him. Then he felt the press of another round bulge against the edges of his opening as it slowly stretched his entrance. By the time it fully slipped into him, leaving only the brush made of white rabbit hair showing outside, Qinghe had to stop grinding ink and stabilize himself on the desk as he panted hard.


    Now that the brush handle was completely seated inside his beloved, Wei Xiang slid his hand up to smooth over Qinghe¡¯s spine. ¡°Having my dear little assistant warm my brush for me like this would certainly motivate me to write reports more.¡±


    Qinghe bit his lower lip to swallow down his grievances at this sort of reasoning while his passage kept clenching and unclenching over the brush handle inside him. He wanted it to move and give him pleasure through friction, but it simply remained lodged inside him unobligingly.


    Sensing his agitation, Wei Xiang smirked and began circling his fingertip around the brush and over Qinghe¡¯s opening. ¡°If my little assistant keeps working diligently, then I will naturally reward him well.¡±


    Understanding what he meant, Qinghe let out a deep breath and lifted the inkstick again. As he slowly began moving the inkstick over the inkstone, Wei Xiang also started pulling out and pushing in the brush handle over and over again in a steady rhythm. Qinghe shuddered and let out a soft moan, but kept his hand moving. As if in reward, Wei Xiang rotated the brush, twisting it inside Qinghe before increasing the tempo of its movements.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± Qinghe groaned and panted, his body beginning to tremble. He had to focus on locking his softening knees so that they wouldn¡¯t buckle. His body bent lower as he leaned an elbow on the desk for support. His fingers shook, the motions of the inkstick growing unsteady over the inkstone.


    ¡°Oh? Is it becoming difficult to work now?¡± Wei Xiang spoke amusedly, then stopped thrusting the brush.


    Qinghe stilled and bowed his head, trying to recover his breath. Strands of his long hair slid down and brushed over his arms. His passage felt full with the handle again. But before Qinghe could ask for more, he felt Wei Xiang¡¯s fingers massaging around his entrance as if coaxing before those fingertips firmly pushed into the hollow right above the stretched opening. Qinghe felt his entrance suddenly relax and loosen, the handle lodged inside him beginning to slip out.


    Panicking, he quickly tightened his inner muscles, but once it was on its way out, the smooth handle wasn¡¯t that easy to stop. Despite his efforts, Qinghe could feel the bone handle slipping out of him steadily until only the bulges at the end remained inside him. And then he suddenly felt Wei Xiang take ahold of the brush and thrust it completely in with one smooth motion.


    Qinghe jerked and cried out, ¡°Ah!¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s fingers began massaging around Qinghe¡¯s entrance again as he said, ¡°What is it, my little assistant? Why did you stop again? Is this distracting you? Should I pull it out completely?¡±


    But Qinghe was unable to answer as he let out choked gasps. Due to Wei Xiang¡¯s ministrations, the handle once more slipped out, and then it was thrust in again in a quick and pitiless motion. Then Wei Xiang¡¯s fingers once more began playfully massaging around the brush in his opening¡­


    Qinghe¡¯s hands turned to fists, his voice hoarse with need as he called out pleadingly, ¡°X-Xiang¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled. ¡°It seems it really is very distracting. I¡¯ll remove it then. The ink seems properly prepared as well, so you need not continue with that. Now that the ink is ready and my brush suitably warmed, I¡¯ll need your help with writing the report next.¡±


    Qinghe swallowed down his complaints and nodded. Whatever his beloved had planned for him would probably arouse him even more, so he shouldn¡¯t refuse. And on top of that¡­he was also looking forward to being played with by his Xiang further.


    Wei Xiang slowly pulled out the brush from within Qinghe and held it in his hand. The warmth of his beloved had soaked into the bone handle, making Wei Xiang indeed look forward to writing with it. Walking behind the desk, rather than sitting on the chair, Wei Xiang pushed it away and motioned to Qinghe. ¡°Come here, my adorable little assistant, and lie down on the desk for me, won¡¯t you? I think there should be enough space.¡±


    Qinghe blinked uncomprehendingly, then shrugged and walked to stand between his lover and the desk. Then sitting on the desktop, Qinghe slowly leaned back until he was lying on the wooden surface, his legs hanging over the edge. Repressing a shiver as he felt the cold of the wood sinking past the layer of his spread hair and into his naked back, Qinghe asked, ¡°I-Is this okay?¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled and nodded. ¡°Yes, this is perfect.¡±


    Then, to Qinghe¡¯s surprise, Wei Xiang began removing his belt, his lapels parting, before he pushed down his pants.


    As Qinghe curiously watched, wondering what his lover was planning, Wei Xiang reached down to pull up Qinghe¡¯s legs and wrapped them around his waist. Qinghe cooperatively tightened his legs to let them remain in that position. Retrieving a bottle of oil, Wei Xiang then began slicking up his fingers and member, clearly preparing to enter his beloved.


    Qinghe shifted uncertainly. ¡°Xiang? Are we going to do it now itself?¡± He¡¯d hoped his lover would play with him a bit more.


    But Wei Xiang simply smiled with a hint of anticipation. ¡°Let¡¯s have a test of endurance to see which of us lasts longer. Also, letting such an important part of my body be warmed inside my beautiful little assistant will naturally make me feel better while I work.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Qinghe could only speechlessly wonder where his beloved was getting these sorts of strange reasons from to use as excuses.


    By now, Wei Xiang had finished coating everything in oil, so he promptly began pushing his fingers inside his little lover¡¯s entrance, ponderously preparing him. Qinghe arched back and twisted on the desk, his fingertips turning white as they pressed on the tabletop. His heels dug into Wei Xiang¡¯s back as he tried to deal with the sensation of his lover¡¯s strong digits thrusting inside his passage, rubbing against the sensitive tissue and slowly widening his tight inner walls. Wei Xiang steadily increased the number of fingers inside his beloved until he felt that Qinghe was ready.


    Qinghe felt the slickened digits withdrawing from within him and immediately felt excitement clamping his stomach. He already knew what would come next. And sure enough, the blunt tip of his Xiang¡¯s member pressed against his entrance before slowly pushing in. The hard length dragged over the walls of his passage, the delicious friction sending a wave of molten pleasure spreading through his body. Qinghe shifted restlessly on the desk, a long and low moan drawn out of him. His body felt loose and hot as his channel welcomed the thick and familiar length forcing apart the tight inner walls and sliding inside.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s face was flushed with desire, his eyes glinting brightly. But even though he wanted nothing more than to drive in deep and hard, thrusting his hips in a mad and hectic rhythm, he forced himself to go slowly until his member was completely seated inside his little lover. He wanted to know that he could still control himself. He had to prove it to himself that no matter how desperately he wanted to give in to the insistent temptation of mindless pleasure, he could still maintain his self-restraint and deny his own lust.


    Pushing aside these thoughts, Wei Xiang let out a deep breath. The liquid heat and supple softness wrapped around his shaft throbbing with need was indeed too tempting. But he was determined to ignore it for now. Lifting a blank sheet of paper from the side, he settled it on Qinghe¡¯s heaving chest and abdomen. Then dipping the tip of the recently warmed brush into the prepared ink, he began writing on the paper.


    Lying on the desk, Qinghe tried hard to control his breaths and make his chest stay still. He could feel his Xiang¡¯s thick and hard member filling his passage while lodged deep inside him. But even though he really, really wanted his lover to start moving, he forced down his own lust, not willing to be the first one to admit defeat and beg for more. And since Wei Xiang had finally started on that report, even though their current positioning was beyond weird, Qinghe still wanted to encourage his lover to work.


    And so, Qinghe tried to stay still, not writhing or twisting his body to vent his need as he wanted to. Due to the paper placed directly on his skin, he could feel the steady strokes of the brush as Wei Xiang wrote, along with the trail of wetness the ink left in the brush¡¯s wake. It felt like his skin was being caressed ever so gently by the brush¡¯s thin tip through the paper.


    Suppressing his need to shift restlessly, Qinghe lifted his gaze to look at his beloved. Wei Xiang¡¯s face was still flushed due to arousal, but his expression was calm and intent as he concentrated on writing the report. His gaze as it was fixed on the paper was deep and seemed filled with countess thoughts while he contemplated on his work. With the brush poised vertically, he kept his hand moving constantly except for pausing every now and then to collect his thoughts. He never seemed to make any mistakes, the characters flowing across the papers in a steady rhythm. He didn¡¯t at all look like someone who was currently buried to the hilt inside his beloved¡¯s body.


    Just seeing his lover immersed in work like this was enough for Qinghe¡¯s need to ratchet up a couple of levels more. He wanted his Xiang to take him while wearing that same focused expression, his eyes looking at him with just as much piercing intensity. It was all he could do to stop himself from squeezing his passage around Wei Xiang¡¯s member to entice him to start pumping into him.


    Meanwhile, Wei Xiang finished the first page of the report and put it aside to dry, then lifted another sheet of paper to place on his beloved¡¯s chest. But this time, a corner of the paper ended up covering one of Qinghe¡¯s sensitive buds. Though Qinghe didn¡¯t pay any attention to it a first, as his lover began writing and the wet tip of the brush passed over the section of the paper directly above the little point, Qinghe felt a current of heat unexpectedly spreading from the stimulated nub. Parting his lips, he panted, trying not to move. However, due to the stimulation, the bud slowly stiffened and rose up as if to ask for more attention, pushing up the paper and making its presence clearly known.


    Seeing this, Wei Xiang paused and raised an eyebrow in amusement, but didn¡¯t say anything. However, from then onwards, every new paper ended up being placed on one little point or the other on purpose before being relentlessly taunted by the brush as it wrote over it. Wanting to tease his little lover like this more and more, Wei Xiang also focused on finishing each paper faster so that he¡¯d quickly get another chance to slide his brush over those sensitive points on his beloved¡¯s chest, covered with nothing but a thin sheet of paper.


    This new type of torment had Qinghe biting his lip as he struggled to endure it. He couldn¡¯t move lest he disturbed Wei Xiang as he wrote, but he also didn¡¯t want to give in and beg for more. His hands fisted tightly as he gasped and panted helplessly, feeling like he had no choice but to let himself be played with by his wily lover. Every stroke of that brush and every character Wei Xiang wrote on the paper atop him only increased Qinghe¡¯s desperate need, his body burning hotter and hotter. The presence of the long and thick member buried inside his body added to this yearning for more. And unlike Wei Xiang with his report, Qinghe didn¡¯t even have anything to distract him from this growing fire within him


    And so, in the end, Qinghe ended up being the first one to give in after all.


    ¡°X-Xiang! Please¡­please, touch me¡­¡± he called out in a pitiful voice full of need.


    Wei Xiang paused writing, a tender smile claiming his lips. He¡¯d already finished writing several papers in quick succession, so he decided he¡¯d teased his little lover enough and finally put aside the brush and paper. ¡°It looks like my little assistant needs a break. What would you like to do now, love?¡±


    Qinghe frowned frustratedly. Then squeezing his channel tightly around his beloved¡¯s thick shaft inside him and drawing a startled hiss from Wei Xiang, Qinghe growled in answer, ¡°I¡¯d like to be fucked, thank you very much.¡±


    Wei Xiang burst out laughing, his voice deep and husky, then bent to place a small kiss to his Qinghe¡¯s nose. ¡°Very well then, this employer of yours shall dutifully fuck you as requested.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s cheeks flushed as he twisted. ¡°Hurry, hurry, hurry¡­¡±


    Chuckling, Wei Xiang relented, ¡°Alright, then. Let¡¯s start.¡±


    With that, Wei Xiang pulled Qinghe¡¯s hips closer, then drew himself out before languorously sinking back in again. Qinghe gasped and relaxed back, letting himself drown in the sensations of his lover¡¯s member slowly, sensually tormenting his slickened passage. The feeling of that hard length descending deep into his gut before once again being pulled out almost completely, only to slide back into him lazily was almost too much to handle. Soft waves of pleasure pulsed through him, gaining in intensity as Wei Xiang gradually increased the tempo of his movements.


    Qinghe tightened his legs around his lover¡¯s waist, his hips lifting up to receive the powerful thrusts as he continuously moaned, ¡°¡­Ahh¡­X-Xiang, deeper¡­yes¡­mn¡­go faster¡­faster¡­ah-aahhh¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang raised the speed of the strokes, his hips plunging in and out of that tight channel with vigor. His hands glided up from Qinghe¡¯s hips to press and drag over his little lover¡¯s sweaty skin, firmly tracing his sides, abdomen, stomach, chest, and shoulders with those slightly rough palms. Qinghe¡¯s chest heaved with deep breaths, his eyes wide open and glazed with lust. Hoarse groans and whimpers kept spilling unceasingly from his parted lips as his body writhed.


    The slap of flesh slamming against flesh increased in frequency as the pair of lovers felt their need soaring impossibly higher, their desperation to reach the peak deepening further. Intense heat flowed through them, filling every line and crevice of their bodies and urging them on and on, to connect deeper and harder, to move faster and faster, until they stood on the very brink of orgasm.


    Qinghe¡¯s straining neck arched back as he squeezed his passage, tightly gripping his lover¡¯s shaft in an attempt to push him over the edge. Wei Xiang let out a rumbling growl, his body bending to lie over his beloved¡¯s as he stiffened with his climax. Relentless waves of ecstasy poured through him in blistering streams as his shaft released thick liquid into Qinghe¡¯s soft and slickened channel.


    The feeling of his Xiang¡¯s burning hot fluid filling him up and drenching all the folds and creases in his inner walls drew out Qinghe¡¯s own orgasm. Wrapping his arms tightly around Wei Xiang, Qinghe shuddered and cried out, tears slipping from the corners of his eyes as he tried to tide through the overwhelming pleasure blasting through him in a torrent. Slippery fluid spurted out of his twitching member, coating both of their bellies and abdomens as they held each other tightly.


    A few moments later, the strong currents washing through them slowly receded, leaving warmth and bliss in its wake. Qinghe and Wei Xiang slowly let themselves relax, panting to regain their breath as they luxuriated in the feel of their beloved¡¯s body pressed against theirs.


    After a few minutes spent to recover, the pair of lovers reluctantly separated. Wei Xiang wordlessly went to prepare a tub of hot water and placed it at the side, then carried Qinghe over and eased him into it.


    Qinghe sighed happily. The water felt so good against his sweaty skin. Turning so that he could get on his knees in the tub, Qinghe lifted up his backside in a silent demand. With a chuckle, Wei Xiang held Qinghe¡¯s hip with a hand while the fingers of his other hand slowly pressed into his little lover¡¯s entrance.


    Feeling his own release so thoroughly coating his beloved¡¯s passage always gave Wei Xiang an immense sense of satisfaction. It was the sign that of all the people in the world, it was he that his Qinghe allowed to enter is body, and it was only he who was loved enough to be permitted this much intimacy with him. Who else would his beloved trust enough to show such vulnerable and helpless aspects of him? To whom else would he expose his body and his weaknesses to such a degree? Who else would his little lover feel comfortable enough with to actually accept defeat and ask for more? And each of these things was something Wei Xiang treasured immensely, and he was determined to never let his beloved down.


    As Wei Xiang thus smiled contentedly while drawing out the translucent white liquid out from the depths of Qinghe¡¯s body, Qinghe relaxed with his hands folded on the edge of the tub and closed his eyes. He loved feeling how careful and gentle his Xiang could be as he cleaned him thoroughly. The feel of his lover¡¯s long fingers inside him, moving and working to pull out the thick liquid within him, inevitably stimulated Qinghe. But it also had a comfortable sense of familiarity by now after all the times they¡¯d gone through this same routine. His body felt loose and languid, and he was willing and pliant in his Xiang¡¯s hands, prepared to allow his beloved to do anything he wanted with him next as they continued playing their game of roleplay in their own way.


    After the pair finished washing up, Wei Xiang forewent his uniform to just pull on a loose black inner robe while Qinghe remained naked. Wei Xiang sat down on a chair by the desk to finish the rest of the report. But before continuing, he looked up and smiled at his little lover, beckoning him with a finger as he said, ¡°Since I¡¯m going to work hard, shouldn¡¯t my little assistant come here and show his support?¡±


    Qinghe walked gracefully towards Wei Xiang and asked with anticipation, ¡°Then how would you like me to show you support?¡±


    Wei Xiang patted his lap. ¡°Nothing much, just sit here and let me feel your body against mine. The thought of doing you again will definitely spur me on to finish my report faster.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Qinghe was almost getting used to these silly excuses by now.


    Shaking his head amusedly, Qinghe went to sit sideways on his lover¡¯s lap, then lifted his legs to agilely insert them through the narrow gap under the armrest so that they could dangle freely on the other side of the chair. Leaning to the side on Wei Xiang¡¯s chest and resting his head on his beloved¡¯s shoulder, Qinghe snuggled into his Xiang¡¯s warmth happily. ¡°Is this okay? Will this hinder your writing?¡±


    Wei Xiang curled an arm around Qinghe¡¯s waist and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll just be looking through certain documents to get some relevant information before writing the next part of the report.¡±


    ¡°Mm, okay then,¡± Qinghe said, his cheek rubbing into Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulder.


    And so, Wei Xiang began reading through a certain stack of papers from the right side of the desk, his expression calm and relaxed. The soft rustle of papers sounded as Wei Xiang went through them one by one rapidly. As his concentration was occupied by that, his hand absentminded kneaded Qinghe¡¯s waist, the motions slow and ponderous. Qinghe closed his eyes and let out a breath. Though he could feel his desire being stirred awake again, his lover truly was immersed in his work, so he didn¡¯t want to disturb him for this. As a result, Qinghe decided to silently bear the sensation of his Xiang¡¯s hand taking liberties with his waist, gradually awakening his just-sated need.


    But it seemed that Wei Xiang¡¯s hand wasn¡¯t content with just that. It slowly slid down, massaging Qinghe buttocks, slowly nearing a certain freshly cleaned part. The tip of a finger dipped between the round mounds, brushing over Qinghe¡¯s entrance. Qinghe felt his face heating as he suppressed a soft gasp. His body leaned further into an oblivious Wei Xiang, his hip instinctively tilting up to expose more of his opening. Taking the invitation, Wei Xiang¡¯s finger leisurely wandered in, pushing into the tight and soft heat of Qinghe¡¯s body.


    Qinghe¡¯s hands clenched on Wei Xiang¡¯s clothes, his lips parting as his breathing deepened. He felt that familiar finger slowly inserting itself up into his passage, pressing in deeper and deeper. Once it was as far in as it could go, that rough fingertip unhurriedly rubbed circles into the sensitive walls of Qinghe¡¯s channel, carefully, steadily, and in a measured rhythm. Qinghe bit his lower lip, swallowing down a heated moan. It seemed that his lover was so skilled that even a single finger of his could arouse him this much without even being under his conscious control!


    Meanwhile, that strong finger stopped rubbing circles and began slowly rotating inside him. Qinghe squeezed his eyes tighter and buried his face deeper into Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulder. Ahh, what was he even supposed to do with such a blissful sort of torment? Should he bring it to his Xiang¡¯s notice? But he really didn¡¯t want it to stop¡­


    And the finger didn¡¯t seem like it was about to stop either. As it slightly glanced over a certain spot, Qinghe had to suppress a shudder with all his might. As if recognizing that it had discovered his pleasure point, the fingertip circled and teased around the sensitive spot, but didn¡¯t touch it directly. Qinghe¡¯s body tightened, his teeth gritted as he tried his best to not begin screaming and thrashing. Even his Xiang¡¯s finger was so mean, bullying him like this!


    Pleasure languidly bubbled up inside Qinghe, fanned slowly into a silently burning flame that was as intense as it was noiseless. The more that finger teased around his pleasure point, the more desperate Qinghe grew, and the more his need built. His toes curled and trembled slightly. He was steadily being pushed to the limit of his endurance, his mind desperately scrabbling to keep ahold of itself. As tolerant as Qinghe was against pain, it seemed he was just as weak against pleasure.


    At last, Qinghe¡¯s self-control finally broke under the constant assault of stimulation. His entire body flushed as it melted into Wei Xiang¡¯s hard one. A long, pleading moan broke out of Qinghe¡¯s throat, sounding rough and helpless.


    The unexpected sound by his ear suddenly brought Wei Xiang out of his work. The tight warmth wrapping around his finger startled him. Just how long had he kept his finger inside his beloved like this? Seeing Qinghe¡¯s face twisted with unbearable pleasure and the frustration of being unable to reach the edge of orgasm, Wei Xiang guessed that it must have been quite a while.


    ¡°Qinghe, love?¡± Wei Xiang called worriedly and made to pull out his finger. But Qinghe tightened his inner muscles as if not wanting it to withdraw, so Wei Xiang decided to leave it there for now.


    In a husky voice, Qinghe begged, ¡°Xiang, please, touch me there¡­give me more¡­ I need you to¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes grew heated as he bent forward to press a soft kiss to Qinghe¡¯s cheek. ¡°Yes, yes, I will. Come now, straddle my thighs so that I can reach inside you better.¡±


    Qinghe trembled with unfulfilled need, but he obediently pulled up his legs and let himself be positioned with his knees on the edges of the chair¡¯s wide seat, placed on either side of Wei Xiang¡¯s thighs. His front facing Wei Xiang¡¯s, Qinghe bent down to hug his lover tightly and felt one of Wei Xiang¡¯s palms brushing up and down his back soothingly. The finger of the other hand that was already inside him gained a companion, and the two fingers began slowly moving in and out, stroking over his sensitized inner walls.


    Meanwhile, Wei Xiang¡¯s palm moved up to cup the back of his beloved¡¯s head, pulling it down before pressed his lips to his little lover¡¯s soft ones. Qinghe eagerly opened his mouth, welcoming Wei Xiang¡¯s tongue before beginning to lick and suckle it. Wei Xiang extended his tongue deeper into his beloved¡¯s soft mouth, delving into that wet heat and indulging himself. His fingers began moving faster and faster inside Qinghe¡¯s passage, rubbing with strong strokes over his pleasure point.


    Qinghe gasped and shuddered at the sudden burst of stimulation, his hips jerking. As a result, he felt the underside of his shaft rubbing against his Xiang¡¯s cloth-covered thigh and groaned helplessly. His hips moved as if on their own, seeking pleasure through friction as his member rubbed over his lover¡¯s firm and muscled thigh. Wei Xing let Qinghe take his pleasure from him in that way as his fingers pressed with increasing firmness while dragging over that sensitive spot inside his beloved¡¯s warm and soft passage.


    Leaning back from the kiss due to a lack of air, Qinghe sobbed and pressed his flushed cheek into the crook of Wei Xiang¡¯s neck, his shoulders hunching. His hips kept moving faster and faster, the friction on the underside of his member pushing him closer to the edge. The strong fingers also slammed into his passage harder and harder, unrelentingly pushing on his sweet pleasure point again and again.


    Suddenly, Qinghe felt the rough fingertips curling inwards, digging into his sensitive spot and sending him screaming into an orgasm. Raw ecstasy ripped through him in one brutal wave, wringing his member dry as it shot out another stream of hot liquid to cover Wei Xiang¡¯s thigh and waist. Wei Xiang kept his fingers moving within his beloved¡¯s channel to draw out his climax even as he gently rubbed a hand over Qinghe¡¯s arched back.


    As the ruthless tides of pleasure slowly ebbed, Qinghe¡¯s body lost strength and slumped into Wei Xiang¡¯s embrace. Qinghe panted and whimpered, snuggling into his lover¡¯s arms and trying to recover his breath. Wei Xiang pressed a kiss to the top of his head and removed his fingers from within Qinghe while continuing to rub his back reassuringly.


    After he managed to gather himself, his usual calm returning, Qinghe slowly straightened and rubbed his cheeks with the back of a hand. Wei Xiang smiled at the adorable gesture he mostly only saw his beloved make when he was drunk. Taking out a cloth already dampened with cold water from his storage space, Wei Xiang carefully cleaned Qinghe¡¯s release from his little lover¡¯s body and his own black robe. But the stain seemed like it would be difficult to remove from the robe.


    Also realizing this, Qinghe got off from Wei Xiang lap and stood before the chair, then extended his hands to undo his beloved¡¯s robe. ¡°Since it¡¯s stained, you should just remove it,¡± he said in a husky voice as he blinked at Wei Xiang with a charming smile.


    Wei Xiang swallowed thickly. After bringing his beloved to climax, his own member had become hard and throbbing, so being shown such a smile certainly wasn¡¯t helping him rein in his desire. But not showing it outside, Wei Xiang simply replied, ¡°Oh? And aren¡¯t you such a good assistant for helping me remove my stained clothes.¡±


    Qinghe cheerfully nodded. ¡°Yes, I am.¡±


    After undoing his Xiang¡¯s belt and pushing apart the lapels of the dark inner robe, Qinghe looked down at his lover¡¯s stiffened shaft and observed, ¡°Ah, it looks like a certain part is all roused and ready. Whatever shall we do?¡±


    Wei Xiang chuffed out a laugh. His beloved was really too adorable. ¡°As a responsible assistant, shouldn¡¯t you take care of it so that I can return to writing that report?¡±


    Qinghe smiled wider. ¡°Well, if you say so, I have no other choice, now do I?¡± Then his gaze creeping towards his lover¡¯s firm chest, Qinghe licked his lips and said, ¡°But there¡¯s something else I want to do first.¡±


    Bending his head, he quickly captured one of Wei Xiang¡¯s brown buds into his mouth and sucked. Wei Xiang let out a low groan at the sudden feeling of his little lover¡¯s hot mouth wrapped around that sensitive point. Qinghe lifted a hand to begin rubbing and pulling the other perky nub while his lips and tongue played with the one in his mouth.


    Wei Xiang pressed his palm to the back of his beloved¡¯s head as if to urge him on, and Qinghe obeyed by gently nipping, then sucking strongly on the small point. Wei Xiang let out a shuddering breath, his palm stroking Qinghe¡¯s head as he murmured teasingly, ¡°That¡¯s right, my lovely little assistant. Suck it hard. If you do it hard enough, maybe you¡¯ll even get some milk.¡±


    Qinghe burst into laughter and had to abruptly pull back. ¡°X-Xiang!¡± he protested between gasps.


    Even though his eyes gleamed with the heat of desire mixed with mischievousness, Wei Xiang showed an innocent smile. ¡°What? I thought you loved milk.¡±


    Qinghe only laughed harder, his head bowing and resting on Wei Xiang. Slowly managing to pull himself together after a few moments, Qinghe shook his head. His Xiang was too ridiculous.


    Leaning back and crouching down between Wei Xiang¡¯s legs, Qinghe looked up and batted his eyelashes with an impish smile, ¡°Yes, I really do love milk. And I especially love a certain type of milk that only comes out of here in special circumstances.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s expression grew heated. ¡°Oh? Then why don¡¯t you harvest some milk to drink? You can consider it payment for being such a good little assistant today.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s smile turned sultry as his hand reached for Wei Xiang¡¯s member, his gaze already fixing on it as he nodded, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll definitely wring out lots of tasty milk from it.¡±


    Wei Xiang cooperatively moved his hips to the edge of the seat to give access to his hard shaft. Qinghe slid his hand down the rigid length and slowly massaged its base before opening his lips and taking in the large head into the slick heat of his mouth. His slippery tongue curiously poked into the small slit before wrapping around the head and rubbing all over the sensitive tip. Wei Xiang groaned and let his head fall back on the backrest of the chair. His little lover¡¯s mouth felt so soft and warm, the moist tissue wrapping around him so unbearably good. As Qinghe slowly slid the throbbing member deeper into his mouth, Wei Xiang had to grip the chair¡¯s armrests, his fingers clenching tight.


    Qinghe swallowed Wei Xiang¡¯s shaft until it reached the back of his throat. With a frown, he tried to push it in deeper, uncaring of the discomfort or the pain. But Wei Xiang¡¯s warm palm suddenly came down to rest on top of his head, gently pushing it back as he cautioned patiently in a hoarse voice, ¡°Love, no. You can¡¯t take it in that deep. I don¡¯t want you choking on it or tearing up your throat.¡±


    Qinghe paused. Since his Xiang said so, he obediently stopped trying to force the thick head down his throat, instead focusing on sucking the hot length in his mouth while his tongue rubbed the underside of the vein-corded member.


    Wei Xiang retrieved his hand and gripped the armrest again, his breathing turning deep as increased lust heated his bloodstream. He could feel his little lover¡¯s throat contracting and releasing against the sensitive tip of his member. He could feel that slippery and flexible tongue teasing and exploring the length of his shaft. Those soft cheeks pressed against the sides as Qinghe sucked with his mouth. Slowly, Qinghe began moving, his lips sliding up and down the rigid and straining length, his tongue dragging over the underside as his teeth very lightly scraped over the surface. Wei Xiang shuddered and panted. These pleasurable sensations combining with the moist heat enfolding his member steadily pushed him towards the edge.


    Qinghe gradually increased the rhythm, moving in time with Wei Xiang¡¯s increasing urgency. He could feel his Xiang¡¯s veins pressing into the soft tissue of his mouth. He could sense them throbbing harder and harder, so he increased the tempo of his mouth¡¯s movements to keep up, sucking and pressing up his tongue to give his beloved¡¯s thick organ as much friction as he could.


    With satisfaction, Qinghe felt Wei Xiang¡¯s thighs bulging with strain under his hands due to the ministrations of his mouth. Above him, his lover¡¯s firm and muscled abdomen contracted and rippled restlessly while his arms stayed taut with tension. Wei Xiang clenched his jaw, his eyes squeezing closed and his head falling back to expose the straining cords of his neck. A thin sheen of sweat covered his flushed body, shining over that honey-tinted skin enticingly.


    Qinghe murmured in pleasure at the sight of his tempting beloved. Feeling the light sound vibrating through his shaft, Wei Xiang groaned. As if taking this chance, his orgasm exploded, sending out a deluge of pleasure through his nerve endings and washing his insides with boiling heat. His shaft pulsed in Qinghe¡¯s mouth, thick streams of fluid erupting out. Qinghe eagerly swallowed the salty and bitter liquid suffused strongly with his Xiang¡¯s unique flavor, trying not to spill even a drop. But a thin white line of fluid still ended up dripping down from the corner of his lips.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s climax seemed to extend on and on as his beloved expertly sucked and licked his member, squeezing out every drop he could give. The sensual torment only eased after Wei Xiang slumped down into the chair panting, his member wrung out with nothing left to give.


    Qinghe let go of his Xiang¡¯s softened member and leaned back with satisfaction, licking his lips. ¡°Mm, I got a lot of milk this time, and I also took care of your little dragon. Aren¡¯t I an excellent assistant?¡±


    Wei Xiang opened his eyes and looked at his little lover¡¯s smug expression, his gaze moving to the line of liquid extending down from the corner of those dusky pink lips. With a soft smile, he reached out and brushed away his release from Qinghe¡¯s mouth and jaw. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re an excellent assistant. And I¡¯m very, very lucky to have you.¡±


    Qinghe blushed, his eyelids trembling as he looked away bashfully. But not content to let it go, he turned his head to capture his Xiang¡¯s thumb into his mouth, sucking it clean of the smear of release. Then tilting his chin up haughtily, he puffed out his chest and declared proudly, ¡°Hmph! You¡¯re only saying that because you¡¯re awed by my skills and sexual prowess!¡±


    Wei Xiang struggled to suppress his chuckles. How could is little lover be so cute? Even as his eyes gleamed with laughter, Wei Xiang nodded solemnly. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. Your employer trembles in front of your sexual might.¡±


    Qinghe nodded as if accepting his due. ¡°As you should.¡± Then standing up from his crouch, he said, ¡°And now that we¡¯re done with that, as your responsible assistant, it¡¯s my duty to remind you to quickly get to writing that report again.¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled indulgently. ¡°As my assistant commands then.¡± His smile then turning into a smirk, he continued, ¡°But I¡¯ll need some motivation to help me with my work. How about my helpful little assistant lie down on the desk again and let me write on you?¡±


    Qinghe puffed out his cheeks and shot a distrustful look at Wei Xiang. Turning his body away as if afraid that Wei Xiang would begin tormenting the little points on his chest with his gaze alone, he used his hands to shield the little buds that had been teased so much the last time. ¡°I won¡¯t let you bully me like that again!¡±


    Wei Xiang felt the sudden need to pinch those fair cheeks and hug his adorable little lover. ¡°Alright, alright, we don¡¯t have to do it exactly like last time. How would you like to help me then?¡±


    Qinghe tilted his head and thought for a moment before stepping towards the desk and bending over the edge, his front pressed to the tabletop. ¡°How about this?¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s gaze wandered down to his beloved¡¯s buttocks presented to him so obliviously. Even though his need had just been sated, he still felt the urge to part those elastic mounds, revealing the puckered entrance in between and thrusting inside directly in one smooth motion. He wanted to feel his Qinghe¡¯s tight inner walls clamp onto him, that soft, heated flesh wrapping him up and sucking him in, dragging over his sensitive member as he pushed in and out in quick strokes, his little lover squirming and writhing on his desk, his sweet voice desperate as he pleaded for more¡­


    Halting his imagination as he felt his desire rearing its head again, Wei Xiang swallowed and looked away. ¡°Hmm, I guess I can make do.¡±


    Not knowing of his poor lover¡¯s struggles, Qinghe impatiently wriggled his butt. ¡°Then come and start writing again. Don¡¯t slack off now!¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s lips parted as his deep gaze fixed on those temptingly round mounds. His mouth curling up into a slow, heated smile, he finally said, ¡°Very well, then. But first, let me use my adorable assistant¡¯s lovely little posterior to warm a certain important part of mine that¡¯s grown to miss being inside you already.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s head shot up from where he¡¯d been pressing his cheek on the desk. In a surprised voice, he asked, ¡°Eh? You¡¯ve gotten hard again so soon? How did that happen?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I wonder how indeed,¡± Wei Xiang murmured as he stepped towards his little lover, his hands reaching forward to carefully knead those warm cheeks before pulling them apart. His eyes fixed on the small pink entrance, Wei Xiang tilted his hip forward to press the head of his stiff shaft against it, slowly bearing forward to begin pushing it in.


    Qinghe sighed softly and closed his eyes, resting his head back down on the desk and parting his legs to welcome his lover into him. Once Wei Xiang finished sheathing himself inside completely, they both let out a long breath in satisfaction. But rather than drawing out and slamming back in again as he expected, Qinghe felt a paper settle over his back.


    In a low voice filled with both desire and wicked amusement, Wei Xiang spoke, ¡°Since my little assistant has asked me to stop slacking off and start working again, how can I let myself indulge in the pleasures of flesh now? I can only endeavor to finish soon if I want to play with my lovely assistant¡¯s body again. It¡¯s indeed very motivating.¡±


    Qinghe let out a breathless chuckle at his lover¡¯s weird reasoning again. It seemed that his Xiang was far from finished teasing him. He couldn¡¯t wait to see what else his beloved had in store for him.


    And so the couple spent their time happily indulging in both pleasure and productivity.


    ¡­¡­


    A few hours later, after everything was completed, Wei Xiang opened the windows to let in some fresh air and let out the scent of sex saturating the room. The couple dressed properly again in fresh clothes and finally stepped out of Wei Xiang¡¯s office.


    Outside, Sentinel Huang waited with a couple of junior officers who had also been a part of the case Wei Xiang had to write that report for. Seeing how Qinghe and Wei Xiang stepped out with faces as if they¡¯d come fresh from their honeymoon, the three Sentinels felt their stomachs drop with apprehension. These two definitely looked like they did nothing but make love for the past few hours! They must have definitely forgotten about the report while merrily gamboling around the room naked!


    But to their surprise, Wei Xiang handed a thick stack of papers to Sentinel Huang and said, ¡°Here¡¯s your report, and also a few other things. Since I did you a huge favor, I¡¯ll trouble you to submit the documents unrelated to the report to the appropriate sections.¡±


    Sentinel Huang dazedly took the offered stack of papers and looked through them. Not wanting to wait, Wei Xiang quickly began leading Qinghe away. But before they could get far, Sentinel Huang called out with shock, ¡°Senior Officer Wei, how were you able to finish this much?! Many of these other documents don¡¯t even need to be addressed till three months later! As expected of the great Sentinel Wei and the famously efficient Little Bro! Together, you both can even finish this much work ahead of time!¡±


    The other two junior Sentinels also looked at them with impressed gazes.


    Hearing the implication in Sentinel Huang¡¯s words, Qinghe stilled and slowly turned to his lover. ¡°Xiang, you¨D¡±


    Not daring to let his beloved continue, Wei Xiang pulled him along and swiftly walked away from his idiotic fellow officer with an unnecessarily big mouth. Who knew what all he''d give away next?


    As they walked out of the black building holding the offices, Qinghe slowed down his strides, forcing Wei Xiang to also match his pace. Sighing, he turned his face away and said softly, ¡°Xiang, if you wanted to play with me more, you didn¡¯t have to extend our time in the office by sneakily doing more work after finishing your report. You could have just said you wanted to keep going and I would have agreed.¡±


    Wei Xiang raised an eyebrow. ¡°It seems my little lover is growing bolder.¡±


    Qinghe playfully stuck out his tongue at him said, ¡°What makes you think I wouldn¡¯t have agreed even if it was before? My lack of boldness was only because I didn¡¯t know that much about sexual matters. Now that I have gained more knowledge, I¡¯m naturally confident in accepting whatever you want to do to me.¡±


    Chuckling affectionately, Wei Xiang wrapped an arm around Qinghe¡¯s slender waist and pulled him closer. ¡°Ah, yes, that¡¯s true. I still remember how innocent and shyly curious you were in the beginning. I even had to teach you how to make love bites. Thinking about how far you¡¯ve come now, I feel very pleased that I¡¯ve corrupted you to this extent.¡±


    Qinghe blushed and coughed to dispel his embarrassment. ¡°W-Well, someone had to teach me little things like that.¡±


    Wei Xiang placed a small kiss on his little lover¡¯s flushed cheek and murmured into the soft skin, ¡°Yes, and I¡¯m glad I was the one who had the privilege to teach you.¡±


    His eyelids lowering, Qinghe turned his head to press his lips to Wei Xiang¡¯s jaw. ¡°You are the first and last person I will ever need to learn things like that from.¡±


    Understanding what his beloved was implying, soft affection filled Wei Xiang¡¯s chest, along with the slow heat of awakening need. His palm cupping Qinghe¡¯s cheek, he gazed deep into his little lover¡¯s eyes. ¡°There¡¯ll be no other for me as well,¡± Wei Xiang solemnly promised.


    Qinghe let out a shuddering breath, then closed his eyes and tilted his face up, his lips parting. Accepting the invitation, Wei Xiang slowly lowered his head, his lips covering his beloved¡¯s. Warmth and contentment filled the space around them as they slowly lost themselves in each other, hands holding their lover tight as their bodies pressed close, rubbing together sensually.


    ¡°Junior Brother! Little Bro! What are you both doing right in front of the esteemed Order¡¯s headquarters?!¡± came Kong Min¡¯s disgruntled shout from the building¡¯s doorway, abruptly interrupting them. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of seeing you both fucking each other with your eyes and mouths. Spare all of our poor eyes and at least go back to your house before you start fucking each other¡¯s bodies too, you shameless pair of lovebirds!¡±


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang parted before bursting out into laughter, their good mood undiminished. Despite how long they¡¯d already spent together, their hunger for each other seemed to have only increased.


    And so, quickly making their way back to the Feng residence, Qinghe and Wei Xiang decided to take Kong Min¡¯s advice to start another round of passionate lovemaking in their room.


    crimson_carnation


    The next extra will finally be Kong Min''s~ Because of its length, it will be released in parts.


    As for An YaLing and Li Yingzi''s story¡­ it ended up with too much content, so I''m planning on making that a spin-off short story of this series. I''ll probably start working on it after the extras are over. If you are interested in reading it in the future, then you can follow me in my profile page to get notified when I start posting that story~ Following an author will also let you know whenever that author starts a new story or posts an announcement on their profile page~ (?? ¦Ø ??)

 Extra 19: The Forest’s Cradle [Part 1]

    Situated on the outskirts of a certain flourishing city was a small brothel called Yuese Lian. It had been running for a handful of years and was a lively and cheerful place. The people working there wore bright red robes with small silver bells stitched to the hems. As they ran around and danced joyfully, the bells made clear and pleasant tinkling sounds, inviting one to smile along and share in the happiness. The prostitutes in Yuese Lian treated one another as siblings and operated as a large family, always being there to support and help each other. The proprietress of the brothel also encouraged this atmosphere of friendly openness.


    One day, the most popular prostitute of the establishment, Kong Mei, fell unexpectedly pregnant. Due to her line of duty, the father was uncertain. But Kong Mei didn¡¯t mind that at all, and with the help of her fellow sisters and brothers in the brothel, gave birth to a healthy baby boy and named him Kong Min.


    Kong Min was a jolly and mischievous little brat. He loved to run around and sneak into places he shouldn¡¯t be getting into by climbing trees near windows or hoisting himself on top of the roof. As such, the little boy came to know the secret of making babies very soon in his life. Even though he didn¡¯t have a father, due to all the people of the brothel collectively helping his mother and raising him like a large family, Kong Min never felt curious about his other parent, content to stay here and be spoiled by the adults.


    One day, when Kong Min was three years old, he came down with a terrible illness. Healers were called, but all deemed the illness incurable. When matters looked particularly hopeless, a passing by righteous cultivator kindly offered to help. He knew of a cure from an ancient scroll in his possession. However, one of the ingredients needed was the seed of a very rare herb, and it could only be found in the dangerous depths of the Spirit Bewildering Forest. The area the herb was speculated to grow in was one from where none who ventured returned alive. The cultivator stipulated that as long as they were able to provide him that seed somehow, he would be able to make the medicine to cure Kong Min. Otherwise, the child would die.


    Gritting her teeth, Kong Mei decided to brave the Spirit Bewildering Forest and try her luck. If she died, then so be it. It was much better than sitting on her hands and watching her son die. Therefore, ignoring the well-meaning words of her fellow sisters and brothers in the brothel, Kong Mei snuck out at night to get those seeds. She discussed with the righteous cultivator about the best way to navigate the mystical forest, then quickly made towards the Spirit Bewildering Forest¡ªa place that was said to be full of unimaginable wonders and unspeakable horrors.


    Using various talismans that the cultivator had given her for protection, Kong Mei carefully made her way through the forest, running and hiding from the monsters and staying wary of the plant life. Keeping in mind the cautioning words of the cultivator as he warned how even the most minuscule particles of sand in the Spirit Bewildering Forest had the potential to be deadly, Kong Mei maintained her vigilance and slowly headed deeper into the forest.


    But little did she know that all this while, she was being watched by an entity much older than the ancient forest itself.


    A few hours after she entered the Spirit Bewildering Forest, while she was just on the verge of reaching the valley where the herb she sought grew, Kong Mei ended up being ensnared by a wily old monster and was on the verge of being ripped apart and eaten. As she was about to be devoured, she shouted out into the depths of the forest with all her strength, ¡°If someone helps me save my son, I will be willing to trade even my life in exchange!¡±


    Surprisingly enough, her desperate gamble paid off. A heavy power as old as the land itself shifted within the mystical forest, making the ground rumble and the skies turn darker than ink, as if the stars themselves had been snuffed out. The very air thickened with primordial magic that was ancient even back when humans hadn¡¯t yet learnt to make fire. Soon, all the various creatures and plants that could move fled away in panicked droves. The wily monster that had just been about to kill Kong Mei was flung out into the sky by this newly-arrived power, blown away like a speck of dust in a storm.


    Green vines suddenly extended up from the ground in front of a dazed and disbelieving Kong Mei before taking on a humanoid form. The vines on this strange being¡¯s face parted and dark green eyes looked at Kong Mei with inhuman intelligence. From this creature, a deep voice calmly asked, ¡°Mortal, do you speak true? Will you really give me your life if I cure your child?¡±


    Kong Mei froze, then slowly nodded, her expression firming with determination. ¡°Yes.¡±


    The being narrowed its eyes and murmured, ¡°How intriguing. Very well, what do you seek?¡±


    Without any other choice, Kong Mei decided to see if this strange creature could help her. ¡°There is an herb in the valley beyond here, and I need that herb¡¯s seeds to make medicine that will save my child.¡±


    The being made of vines tilted its head. ¡°Oh? And if I do such a simple thing as letting you have those seeds, will you give away your life so easily?¡±


    Kong Mei was not a stupid woman. Understanding that she could probably bargain for more, she spoke, ¡°Since my life is valuable, I would like to ask for more than just a few seeds. I want to make sure my son will live a happy and worry-free life. Is there something you can do regarding that in exchange for my life?¡±


    The being looked at her consideringly, then said, ¡°Joys and sadness, worries and contentment, all of them are a part of human life. Taking away one side will result in your precious child being unable to obtain the other. But I can still give your child the opportunity to live the best life it can.¡±


    Saying so, the being held out a hand, and thick tree sap seeped out from between the vines making up its palm. Gleaming streams of dark green sap floated up and gathered before flashing with bright light. When the light subsided, the sap had condensed into an oval-shaped crystalline gemstone the color of the powerful being¡¯s eyes.


    With a wave of its hand, the being sent the oval gemstone over to Kong Mei. Holding out a palm, she received the floating gem and gripped it tight. In a hopeful yet hesitant voice, she asked, ¡°How will this help my son?¡±


    ¡°Press it into your child¡¯s chest so that it will not be lost. If your child has any wish it wants fulfilled, then it may ask me using that gem as a conduit. But in return, I will demand compensation for any wishes granted. Caution your child to be very sure that its wishes are worth whatever payment I choose to ask of it.¡± After it was done explaining, the vines forming the body of the being untangled, drawing back into the earth. But even without a body, its deep voice reverberated in the space, ¡°The way to the valley with the herbs you seek will stay clear for you. None will dare bar your path now. Go and get your seeds, take it to your child to cure it. Give your offspring my gift and spend three days with it, then come back to this place and fulfill your promise of giving me your life. I shall await your return.¡±


    With that, the powerful being¡¯s presence receded.


    Kong Mei¡¯s eyes stayed wide, her body trembling lightly with both trepidation and relief. Her son could be saved, and he would even have this being¡¯s strange gift to help him through his life. However, in return, she would die. She would not be there to see her child grow up, to support him, to see him find happiness¡­


    But within minutes, Kong Mei decisively pushed aside these thoughts and collected herself again. No, she couldn¡¯t think about that now. Her son needed her. He was sick and every second wasted would only push her Xiao Min closer to death¡¯s door. With grim determination, she set out towards the valley, her fingers clenched tightly over the being¡¯s gift¡ªthe dark green gemstone.


    As the being had promised, nothing tried to stop her or get in her way as Kong Mei went to the valley, collected the seeds, and walked back out of the Spirit Bewildering Forest. When she took the seeds to the cultivator, he was beyond shocked. But after learning of the steep price she had to pay, he could only shake his head sadly. He didn¡¯t know which old power had chosen to help Kong Mei on a whim, but now that the deal was already made, he knew that there was nothing more to be done.


    Using the seeds Kong Mei brought, the cultivator prepared the medicine and administered it to the unconscious Kong Min. Within two days, the fever and other symptoms greatly decreased. On the third day, the unconscious child finally woke up, his eyes bleary and unfocused. He could hear his mother sigh in relief and feel her kiss his face. He could feel her pulling apart the lapels of his robe and pressing something round and smooth to the middle of his chest. He grimaced and cried out at the sudden flash of pain, but then it was gone as soon as it had come, leaving behind a strange feeling as if something was stuck in his chest.


    Her fingers brushing the dark green gem that was now embedded halfway into Kong Min¡¯s chest, Kong Mei showed a conflicting expression. This past couple of days, she¡¯d thought long and hard about whether she should tell her son about the significance of this gem. In the end, she decided it was better if he didn¡¯t know. She did not want her son to ask silly wishes of that being only to end up owing it something great. No, it was better that her mischievous son didn¡¯t know. But she had still embedded the gem into him just in case he ever did have a great need for that being¡¯s favor. Sighing, Kong Mei bent to press a soft kiss brimming with motherly affection on her little child¡¯s forehead.


    That night, at the end of the third day, Kong Mei left the brothel and never came back. She had promised to give her life to that being in return for helping her son, so she dutifully went to the Spirit Bewildering Forest to pay her due and died.


    Not knowing this, the people of the brothel frantically searched for her. But after learning from the cultivator about what happened, they could only mourn her death and make sure Kong Min would grow up knowing that he wasn¡¯t abandoned by his mother, that Kong Mei had in fact given up her life for his. Together, the people of Yuese Lian raised the boy among the lively hustle and bustle of the brothel, making sure he wouldn¡¯t want for anything.


    And so, Kong Min slowly grew up, pampered by the ones around him. When he came of age, he gladly drowned himself in the pleasures of the flesh, expecting that he would one day become a prostitute as well, sampling various clients while giving and taking pleasure. He looked forward to working along with the others in the brothel when that time came.


    But all this time, Kong Min remained unaware of the attention he had caught.


    ¡­¡­


    In the deepest part of the Spirit Bewildering Forest was a small clearing called the Forest¡¯s Cradle. This clearing was where the creator of the Spirit Bewildering Forest, the Master of Land, lived.


    The Forest¡¯s Cradle was a circular clearing a few hundred meters in diameter. Its ground was completely covered with the tangled roots of trees. The clearing gradually sloped inward from the edges, forming a shallow depression. At the boundary of the clearing, tall and straight trees rose up to several kilometers in height and grew close to each other. Their branches wove together far above, forming a natural canopy that let honey-colored rays of warm sunlight filter through, dappling the ground. At the border, small white flowers grew, their pointed petals translucent. Thin black strands extended from the flowers¡¯ middle, a single bright white point glowing at the end of each strand. As the wind blew, these luminescent specks of pollen floated away, forming streams of radiant white dots as they flew through the air lightly. The atmosphere here seemed ethereal, a place filled with deep peace and old magic.


    Standing at the center of the Forest¡¯s Cradle was a being crudely formed with green vines. Unbothered with taking a proper human form, this was how the Master of Land chose to look currently. As he stood with his uneven face tilted upward, his dark green eyes seemed to be focused somewhere else.


    After he gave the gift of that dark green oval gemstone to Kong Mei and she embedded it into Kong Min¡¯s chest, whenever the Master of Land grew bored or curious, he would take a look through that gem. He was able to see what Kong Min was doing and even feel his emotions sometimes by using that gem as a conduit. And though spying like this had only been a not-so-interesting hobby at first, the Master of Land slowly began to grow curious about the child at the other end of the connection.


    Kong Min was like a ray of bright sunshine, grinning widely and bouncing around all over the place. He became curious easily and would go around poking his nose into various situations and often get into trouble. But even after getting thoroughly lectured, he seldom changed his attitude for more than a few hours. He was cheerful and kind, but also shrewd with a glib tongue. He was very outspoken and could be really infuriating when he wanted to, but he also knew how to squirrel his way out of any sticky situations he ended up in. He had an accurate assessment of danger and knew exactly how far he could push someone before they¡¯d turn violent, using this to toy with tempers and tease people.


    His bubbling and energetic personality was incomprehensible to someone like the Master of Land who was the manifestation of the earth that was so slow to move or change. He was someone who was used to staying still for millennia, letting plants grow over him as he remained in place serenely. For a being like him, Kong Min¡¯s activeness seemed too shocking. But the child¡¯s exuberant personality also hid interesting fragments that slowly drew him in.


    Once, through the gemstone, he saw how Kong Min found an injured non-venomous snake by the roadside and brought it back to the brothel to look after. Watching him attending to the snake diligently and getting attached to the animal, the prostitutes also tried to help. But within the week, the snake died, its wounds too severe. Kong Min had been devastated¡ªthe Master of Land could feel that through the connection¡ªbut the child hadn¡¯t cried or made a fuss. Smiling melancholically, he dug out a grave and made everyone in the brothel attend the snake¡¯s funeral. After that, he spent several months by the snake¡¯s grave, reading it stories or talking to it. Eventually, he declared that the snake¡¯s spirit must have already gone to Heaven and stopped accompanying it as religiously, though he still went to visit the snake¡¯s grave every now and then.


    Seeing all this, the Master of Land had grown fascinated with this child¡¯s strange way of coping with grief. It seemed oddly mature, yet also childish at the same time. He couldn¡¯t help but think that this child¡¯s mind was very strong.


    After witnessing a few more incidents like that as Kong Min grew older, the Master of Land had grown hooked to spending time watching him going about his life. He had never deigned to notice all the small things humans did in their day-to-day life before, so watching it all through Kong Min felt new to him.


    One day, realizing that the usually indifferent Master of Land was getting more and more occupied with observing a human boy, the Master of Oceans advised,


    <I know,> the Master of Land replied unconcernedly. <Innumerable living things are born and die every moment. Is it so bad if I get attached to one of them for a while?>


    The Master of Oceans paused, then reminded solemnly, <If you grow so attached to him, will it not hurt you when he passes away? Their kind always die, Brother. You know that.>


    The Master of Land tilted his head, confused. <Yes, I know. But I have also seen the children of several beasts being born, grow, wither, then die in this forest of mine. I loved them, nurtured them, and worried about their wellbeing. You could say I was attached to them as well. But I have never mourned their passing. The endless cycle of life and death is natural. I have no reason to object to it. If this boy dies, then so be it. You do not have to worry about it affecting me, Brother.>


    The Master of Oceans didn¡¯t know what to say. For all his kindness, his brother was strangely heartless and lacking in empathy. But in the end, the Master of Oceans could only sigh and give in. <¡­As you wish then.>


    After all, for beings as old as them, wasn¡¯t it a very rare treat to find something interesting to occupy even a little bit of their time with? Their sister, the Master of Skies, was already so bored of living that she chose to spend all her time sleeping. The Master of Oceans himself liked to go ashore and mingle with humans, making trouble and whiling away his time however he wanted. The Master of Land was the only one who seemed unbothered by the passage of time, content to stay in solitude and pass millions of millennia without doing anything. But even he must have felt bored. So now that he found some way to occupy himself for a bit, the Master of Oceans decided to leave him be.


    And so, the Master of Land continued to watch Kong Min with increasing fascination, his indifference slowly giving way to interest.


    In this way, years passed.


    ¡­¡­


    One day, an incident involving one of the regular customers of Yuese Lian put them under the Order of Sentinels¡¯ scrutiny. To find out more about the victim directly from the prostitutes, the Sentinel Grandmaster himself came to the establishment. But though the people of Yuese Lian were courteous, they remained tightlipped and wary of Feng Huixin.


    While the brothel¡¯s proprietress was debating on what to do, Feng Huixin was provided with refreshments and made to wait in one of the well-furnished receiving rooms. Understanding their dilemma, Feng Huixin patiently waited.


    It was then that a curious Kong Min came by. Seeing that their guest from the Order was actually someone so beautiful, Kong Min happily went and sat opposite to Feng Huixin, resting his chin on his hands and gazing at him with interest.


    Meanwhile, seeing the fresh-faced slender youth peering at him with shining eyes, Feng Huixin only felt that this child was a bit cute. His inquisitive expression really reminded him of his own little son. Thinking of his adorable Qinghe, Feng Huixin¡¯s frozen expression warmed, his eyes softening.


    Seeing the strict and forbidding man showing such an expression, Kong Min¡¯s eyes brightened as he directly asked, ¡°Hello! Mister, you¡¯re really very beautiful. Want to have sex with me?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Feng Huixin had to take time to wonder if he had actually heard correctly. But as a deity, his hearing had never once failed him. So with shock, he had to come to the realization that yes, this adorable young man had really just asked to¡­


    Coughing uncomfortably, Feng Huixin replied, ¡°I¡¯m married.¡±


    Kong Min tilted his head confusedly and blinked his light brown eyes like an innocent doe. But his words were anything but. ¡°So¡­are you suggesting a threesome with your spouse? I¡¯m okay with that!


    ¡°¡­¡± When had he suggested that?! Feng Huixin was rendered speechless once again.


    With difficulty, Feng Huixin finally got out, ¡°¡­I¡¯m happily, monogamously married.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Kong Min exhaled in disappointment, finally understanding. Then brightening again, he asked, ¡°Then do you have a kid who¡¯s legal to bed?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Feng Huixin could only helplessly think to himself: Was this how people this age were in this world? How come he didn¡¯t realize this before?!


    Sighing, Feng Huixin finally said, ¡°No, I am afraid my son is still too young and¡­not available.¡±


    Seeing that he couldn¡¯t get a good romp in the bed anytime soon, Kong Min slumped down on the table listlessly. ¡°Eh¡­ Then why did you come here if you didn¡¯t want to screw anyone?¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s eyebrow twitched, but he still courteously explained in detail his reason for coming here. Hearing that he was here to search for clues to find one of their clients who seemed to have gone missing, and that the prostitutes from Yuese Lian might know something that could help, Kong Min perked up again. Springing up to stand proudly, Kong Min declared, ¡°Alright, then. Leave it to me! Auntie Wang will probably take a few hours to decide, so I¡¯ll try to gather as much information I can in the meantime and help you find out more about that missing guy.¡±


    Feng Huixin frowned worriedly. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to make things difficult for you.¡±


    But giving him a grin full of youthful confidence, Kong Min said, ¡°It¡¯s alright, this is nothing. I¡¯m just doing this to stave off my boredom for a bit.¡± Saying so, Kong Min jauntily sped away.


    At first, Feng Huixin didn¡¯t think the cheerful young man would be able to find anything. But surprisingly enough, the information Kong Min brought to him an hour later contained the statements of not only the prostitutes who¡¯d seen and served the missing man, but also witness testimonies from several people in the city that vaguely hinted at the place in which the abducted man might be being held.


    Feng Huixin quickly mobilized the Sentinels, and using the information Kong Min provided, the missing man was quickly rescued.


    After things were settled, Feng Huixin returned to Yuese Lian to recruit Kong Min. With abilities like his, Feng Huixin wanted Kong Min to undergo further training and work for the order as an information gathering agent.


    But hearing the proposal, Kong Min frowned doubtfully. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind hiring a prostitute¡¯s son for your prestigious organization, then I don¡¯t mind accepting the job either, but¡­ one of the things I love to do the most is sleep with lots of people. However, as strict as the Order seems, I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll give me the freedom to do that.¡±


    Feng Huixin took a sip of tea from the cup in his hands and calmly replied, ¡°As long as you properly complete your training and the tasks assigned to you, you will be free to spend your free time as you see fit. As long as it isn¡¯t something illegal, no one will have the right interfere.¡±


    Kong Min was lost in thought for a while before he finally said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll agree. But if I feel stifled or too restricted, then I want to be able to get out at anytime.¡±


    Feng Huixin raised an eyebrow at that request, but still nodded. ¡°The Sentinel compound is not a prison. You will be free to come and go as you like. If you ever wish to permanently leave, then I only ask that you inform me before you go.¡±


    Kong Min happily agreed to this.


    And so it was decided.


    After Kong Min joined the Order of Sentinels, he was instated as the Sentinel Grandmaster¡¯s direct disciple and began his training. After several decades, Kong Min barely managed to pass the rigorous training and it was finally time for him to be put through a round of testing so that he could graduate from a junior officer to a full-fledged officer. After going through the various trials, there was only one more left. But it was also the most dangerous of the tests there was.


    The final test was displaying one''s mastery of using the shadow realm.


    Kong Min was not too confident in this, since despite reading through all the manuals given to him by his master, he was still unable to comprehend the technique. But now he had to show proof that he was able to do it or he wouldn¡¯t be able to become an actual officer of the Order and would remain stuck in the trainee phase. And so, Kong Min entered the testing area determined to do his best.


    The testing area was a windowless room with a few high-level officers standing at the edges. Some of them were even officers who had helped found the Order beside the Sentinel Grandmaster. Apart from them, there were also a few officers here who Kong Min was familiar with. As a junior officer, he had taken part in missions along with these officers¡¯ teams and had been looked after by them, causing him to become close to them. And so, Kong Min turned to give them a cheerful smile and waved at them carefreely. The officers waved back and grinned with gleeful anticipation as if looking forward to something. Kong Min only felt puzzled at this, but his attention was soon diverted.


    ¡°Junior Officer Kong, please enter the shadow realm through here and begin your test,¡± announced one of the senior officers and motioned to the center of the room.


    There, in the middle of the testing room¡¯s floor, was a meter-wide pit teeming with pitch-black shadows. Ominous curls of smoky black extended upward while threatening darkness undulated silently as if eagerly looking forward to swallowing him whole. Hearing that he had to jump into this pit of shadows to enter the shadow realm and begin his test, Kong Min gulped and immediately began wondering if he should perhaps quit thinking about becoming a Sentinel and just give up here.


    Turning to the officers overseeing this test, Kong Min gave a forced laugh and said mock-cheerfully, ¡°Y-You know what? I don¡¯t feel up to it after all. Maybe this Sentinel business isn¡¯t for me.¡±


    After saying so, Kong Min was just about to turn around and flee when two of the officers he was familiar with from training suddenly took him by the arms, one holding each, and began dragging him towards the pit.


    ¡°Now, now, Junior Brother. Just think of it as taking a swim, but in shadows instead of water,¡± said one of the heartless bastards with a happy grin.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t know how to swim!¡± Kong Min refuted as he desperately began to struggle.


    As if not hearing him, they continued dragging him by his arms until they reached the edge of the pit. Smiling affectionately at him, the other Sentinel merrily said, ¡°Then just relax your body and try not to drown. Don¡¯t forget to hold your breath now!¡±


    With that, the two Sentinels carefreely tossed Kong Min into the pit full of shadows as he let out a long, despairing screech.


    And so Kong Min¡¯s test began.


    After several grueling days spent in the shadow realm, Kong Min finally managed to grasp the concept of dissolving his physical body into shadows and emerged from the pit again. He was completely exhausted mentally, and his need for vengeance against those bastards who tossed him in burned brighter than the sun. But the second Kong Min stepped out of the pit of shadows, he saw the officers who threw him into the pit sitting outside along with a few other Sentinels, including his master.


    ¡°Min-er, you did well,¡± Feng Huixin sincerely praised.


    ¡°Yes, Junior Brother. We weren¡¯t expecting you to make it out on your own, so we were just considering coming down to rescue you. But it¡¯s good that you made it out,¡± said one of the people who¡¯d tossed him in.


    ¡°Congratulations on becoming an officer, Kong Min!¡± yelled another of those heartless bastards exuberantly.


    Kong Min looked at their smirking faces expressionlessly, then serenely turned to Feng Huixin and bowed. ¡°Master, now that your disciple has become an officer, I would like to ask you for a favor.¡±


    Feng Huixin was confused, but still nodded. ¡°What do you want, Min-er?¡±


    Lifting his head and shooting a piercing glare at the two cheerful officers who¡¯d thrown him in, Kong Ming said, ¡°Master, I want you to pretend that you can¡¯t see what I¡¯m going to do next.¡±


    Before Feng Huixin could understand what he meant, Kong Min threw himself onto those two officers who¡¯d wronged him and began brawling. The other Sentinels only laughed and made way for the three people to let them beat each other up with more freedom. Feng Huixin sighed and shook his head. As disciplined as the Sentinels were on the outside, inside headquarters, they still played around like children. But maybe them not having to hold themselves back at least while here was a good thing.


    On the other hand, despite Kong Min¡¯s rage at being forcefully thrown into the pit, when the time came for his own junior brother Wei Xiang to undergo this test, he had been all too happy to do the same. As an unsuspecting Wei Xiang stood at the edge of the pit of shadows peering in with a considering look, Kong Min and a few other senior officers happily pushed him in, laughing as Wei Xiang fell with a growl promising vengeance.


    But after getting out of the pit, rather than simply settling this grievance with a brawl as most other officers who received this treatment did, Wei Xiang instead only smirked with malicious intent and walked away, confounding the others. However, from then on, Wei Xiang continuously exacted his vengeance by bullying his fellow officers during their sparring sessions, beating them into the ground repeatedly and making them taste regret. And thus began his habit of bullying his fellow officers in the guise of sparring. On the other hand, Kong Min and the rest could only bemoan their bad luck at becoming the targets for Wei Xiang venting his petty ire like this.


    But despite all this, Kong Min and Wei Xiang steadily grew closer as brothers, learning to take care of each other.


    A few centuries later, just before Wei Xiang¡¯s first heat period, he came across yet another hurdle that he had to pass. Unexpectedly, this would also serve as the incident that led to the first meeting between Kong Min and the Master of Land.


    Similar to the dragons they were descended from, the early generation wyverns had different stages in their life where their beast qualities manifested one by one in their humanoid form. Though they could transform between their full wyvern and full human forms from birth, their half-beast forms took time to develop, the many half-beast attributes slowly manifesting step-by-step in stages that could span centuries.


    For example, a newborn wyvern had the capability to form a layer of scales on top of its skin as a type of self-defense. A wyvern that had reached adolescence can bring out claws and fangs, as well as use sharpened vision in their half-beast forms. After reaching adulthood and right before experiencing their first heat period, a wyvern nearing maturation will manifest their wings for the first time.


    But wyverns were after all not dragons. They also had the blood of the wingless metal serpents from the mortal world mixed in. Because of this, while manifesting wings, even though the dragon blood would keep attempting to push out the wings, the blood of the wingless serpents would suppress it. As the two opposing aspects fought for dominance like this, the wyvern would have to strive for balance and methodically push out their wings. Manifesting wings and forcing it out of one¡¯s body under such difficult conditions could sometimes even prove fatal for the wyvern. As a result, it often turned into an unimaginably strenuous and painful process.


    And such was the case for Wei Xiang currently.


    With his upper body bare, Wei Xiang was covered in sweat as his muscles trembled with strain. His long hair limply stuck to the slick skin, scattered haphazardly. As his head rested on Feng Huixin¡¯s lap, the rest of his body laid curled on the bed with his bare back facing outward.


    Crouching by the bedside, Kong Min frowned worriedly. Following the instructions his master had just given him, Kong Min carefully pushed two of his fingers into the middle of his junior brother¡¯s upper back, at the center of the thoracic spine. Right now, Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulder blades seemed to be bulging out, the newly-formed wings underneath stretching the skin and muscle as they tried to tear their way out with force.


    As Wei Xiang panted, his eyes dilated with the pain, Feng Huixin stroked his arm in comfort as he murmured soothingly, ¡°Focus on your breaths, Xiang-er. Try to manage the pain. It¡¯ll be alright. We¡¯re here. We¡¯ll help you.¡±


    His master¡¯s soothing voice was the only thing keeping Wei Xiang tethered to his sanity. His upper back was a huge knot of burning, stabbing agony. Pulses of pain washed over him as the wings strained to burst out from either side of his spine. He could feel his fledgling wings being formed inside him, the bony joints pushing against his muscles and skin from within his back. It felt very uncomfortable and hurt so much that Wei Xiang wanted to go on a rampage and tear at everything he could with his claws just to assuage his helplessness at having to go through this torture.


    Feng Huixin¡¯s deep and calming voice filtered through the haze in his mind, ¡°¡­Think of your training. Take control of the pain and maintain your self-restraint. Xiang-er, it will be over soon. You only have to bear it until then¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang dazedly closed his eyes and buried his face deeper into his master¡¯s lap, silently taking strength from those words. Yes, just a bit more and he could be free of this misery¡­


    Suddenly, another pulse of pain tore through him. Wei Xiang stiffened instinctively and let it wash through him with gritted teeth. His face turned white with strain as cold sweat beaded his forehead. Waves of raw agony flowed through him in ragged bursts, then slowly settled into the throbbing pain from before. As soon as the torment abated, Wei Xiang¡¯s taut body slumped as his chest heaved with deep breaths. Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes showed acute distress, but his voice remained calm and soothing as he continued to comfort his third disciple steadily.


    As easy as it would be to just neatly cut Wei Xiang¡¯s back open to let these wings out, they couldn¡¯t do that. If the wings didn¡¯t strain and make their own way out, they wouldn¡¯t develop enough strength as a result and would remain weak. If it were not for this, Feng Huixin would have used the most painless way possible to let out Wei Xiang¡¯s wings rather than watch his beloved disciple struggle with pain like this.


    Meanwhile, behind Wei Xiang, Kong Min kept pressing between the growing lumps on his junior brother¡¯s shoulder blades, his fingers seeming to be waiting for something. His voice light and quavering with nervousness, he spoke, ¡°I think I¡¯ve got it. I¡¯m almost there¡­ Just hold on for a bit more, Junior Brother. Your wings will pop out any second now¡­¡±


    As he kept muttering tense reassurances, Kong Min suddenly felt something give way under his fingertips. Not wasting time, he quickly injected a small amount of spiritual energy to stimulate a particular point. Wei Xiang¡¯s back snapped straight as he let out a pained groan. Before Kong Min could react, something exploded out of Wei Xiang¡¯s back, flinging him away with of force.


    Crossing his arms in front of him in time to shield himself, Kong Min flipped mid-air to land on his feet and crouched low on the ground for stability. Lowering his arms, his sleeves strangely drenched in blood, he looked up to see what happened. But the sight in front of him made Kong Min¡¯s eyes widen in horror.


    A gigantic pair of golden wings extended out of Wei Xiang¡¯s back, having burst through skin and flesh. They left two large rips on his back, the raw and ragged edges of torn skin curling outward and glistening crimson. Bloody flesh and pale bone were visible through these gruesome injuries. But even more shocking was the sight of all the blood and gore splattered around Wei Xiang as if his back had literally exploded outward. Since his wings had burst out from within his back, strings of muscles had been torn through in the process and bits of flesh were still stuck to the fledgling wings, some gobs of meat even flung onto the floor and walls, leaving red trails behind them. Bright blood dripped off the wings, dying the shining golden appendages and the pale pearly membranes stretched in between with a frighteningly vivid crimson.


    As Kong Min and Feng Huixin stared wide-eyed with shock at this gory scene, Wei Xiang felt himself getting weaker and weaker due to the large quantities of blood he¡¯d just lost. Ragged stabs of pain drilled in from his back, making him turn pasty white from pain. Forming and manifesting his wings for the first time had drained his vital energy quite a bit, leaving him dangerously weak. His core seemed to be steadily getting colder, the fire in him dimming.


    Sensing Wei Xiang¡¯s pulse weakening as his spiritual energy ineffectually tried to repair the monumental damage to his back, Feng Huixin¡¯s gaze grew alarmed. He quickly tried to give his disciple several pills and elixirs, but nothing worked. Using his connection with the Sentinels, Feng Huixin quickly called Hou Yu to come and transfer some of his potent fire-based energy to Wei Xiang. Appearing through the shadows, Hou Yu only had to take one look at the situation to understand the direness and hastily began doing as told. But even though he sent in every drop of fire element based spiritual energy he could muster into Wei Xiang, it did absolutely nothing. Something deep inside Wei Xiang¡¯s spiritual self seemed to have gotten broken, rendering him unable to process energy in itself.


    Still crouching on the floor at the side, his sleeves soaked in his junior brother¡¯s blood, Kong Min dazedly watched his master getting more and more desperate as Wei Xiang¡¯s presence seemed to turn lighter and lighter.


    This couldn¡¯t be happening, could it? Was he really going to lose his junior brother just like that? Someone as powerful and intelligent, as petty and sly, as workaholic and dependable as his junior brother¡­was going to die like this? No, he couldn¡¯t accept this. He wouldn¡¯t accept this! There had to be something, anything they could do! That was his junior brother, his responsibility! The person he¡¯d promised his master he¡¯d take good care of! That was his precious and precocious junior brother who¡¯d finally started treating him as a real senior brother, learning to depend on him. He couldn¡¯t just let him die like this!


    But no matter how much he railed against the situation, Kong Min soon became aware that it was useless. There was nothing he could do. He had no power to change fate.


    His eyes squeezing close and his head bowing, Kong Min raised a hand to his chest, feeling the hard bump of the gemstone under his clothes that his mother had embedded into his chest for some reason before she died. In a fit of desperation, he prayed with all his might, Mother, I wish I could find some mysterious way to save my junior brother just like how you managed to save me all those years ago. I don¡¯t want to lose Wei Xiang. What do I do? Mother, please, tell me what to do!


    Unexpectedly, he really did receive an answer.


    <Though I am not your mother, I can grant your wish. But I will ask you payment in return. Are you willing to make this pact with me?>


    Kong Min jerked upright, his eyes flashing open. There was no one around him, and the voice just now, brimming and sparking with potent and powerful old magics, seemed to speak directly into his mind. His hand pressing more firmly onto the gem in his chest, Kong Min tentatively asked, <Are you¡­speaking from inside this gem? And since this gem was given to me by my mother, are you related to her somehow?>


    The voice replied, deep and calm, <The gem is a part of me and a conduit for us to communicate through. It was the gift I gave you through your mother and one of the things I provided her in exchange for her life. The other thing I gave her was the seeds used in the medicine that saved your life.>


    Kong Min had suspected as much, but hearing it still shocked him.


    But before Kong Min could spend too much time in his astonishment, he heard the voice of one of the resident healers who seemed to have been called over sometime saying urgently, ¡°Grandmaster, it¡¯s not good. The wound isn¡¯t healing at all, and the weight of the wings is only dragging it open further. He¡¯ll die very quickly at this rate. Is there any way to get him to put the wings away?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there is. But in his condition, I¡¯m unsure if Xiang-er will be able to follow my instructions. But we will try,¡± Feng Huixin replied. Then seeing Wei Xiang looking sleepy and weak due to blood loss, he called to him pensively, ¡°Xiang-er? Xiang-er! Don¡¯t close your eyes. Focus on me. Are you able to regulate your energy? Try to feel for the pathways in your wings and use them to suffuse your wings with spiritual energy. Yes, like that, good. Now slowly dissolve the physical form of your wings, turn them into a part of your spiritual body with the rest of your wyvern form, then put them away.¡±


    Seeming to struggle, Wei Xiang did his best to comply. Now that he had pushed out his wings once already, folding them against his back and slowly letting them dissolve into his spiritual body seemed much easier. From now on, he would be able to manifest them directly from his spiritual body, not needing to go through this process of tearing open his back ever again. But for this to be useful, he would first have to live.


    Even though several more healers quickly congregated around Wei Xiang to keep him alive, his condition still kept worsening. Feng Huixin looked frantic, his face exceedingly pale with worry and fear. He¡¯d already lost one son, he couldn¡¯t bear to lose another!


    In a leisurely yet indifferent tone, the voice on the other side of the gemstone spoke to Kong Min, <The beast has strong vitality, but he doesn¡¯t have much time left. Make your choice quickly, for not even I can bring someone back from the Netherworld.>


    Kong Min gritted his teeth. There was no choice at all. <Fine, I agree. Take whatever you want from me, but please, save my junior brother and make him healthy again. And don¡¯t play any tricks! Just give him back to me, and I¡¯ll do anything you want.>


    For a moment, the voice said nothing. Hearing his junior brother¡¯s breaths growing shallower with every passing moment, Kong Min was on the verge of bursting with anxiety. Then the voice said, <I swear on Heaven¡¯s name that I will do nothing more or less this time than heal that heavenly beast Wei Xiang¡¯s injuries and help him regain his health. Does this satisfy you?>


    Kong Min blinked in surprise, then woodenly nodded. A vow made using Heaven¡¯s name couldn¡¯t be broken, lest the oathbreaker be struck down by heavenly punishment. Though he didn¡¯t know why this strange being took pains to be so considerate, he wasn¡¯t in the mood to question it either. <Can you heal him now?>


    The voice calmly stated, <Yes. Since you seem to wield the wood element, you will be a suitable channel for my power. Go and touch the wounded beast¡¯s back. Though indirectly, he was still born in the place I call home. That much of a connection should suffice to let his body accept my healing energy into it despite the foreign nature of my power.>


    But uncaring of the explanations, Kong Min had already gotten up and was quickly walking forward. Pushing aside the healers crowding around his junior brother, Kong Min ignored their strange looks and directly pressed his hand to Wei Xiang¡¯s torn-up back. His junior brother¡¯s usually warm skin felt cool to the touch.


    ¡°Min-er?¡± Feng Huixin called to him concernedly, but Kong Min only shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll explain later, Master.¡±


    The gemstone embedded in the middle of Kong Min¡¯s chest seemed to fill with sizzling energy. Raw power overflowed from the gem and suddenly shot out through his arm, leaving the impression of damp soil, fresh leaves sprinkled with dew, and the warmth of sunlight filtering through branches in its wake. The powerful yet gentle energy poured into Wei Xiang, quickly suffusing his weakened body. The jagged wounds immediately began healing at a visible rate, the ends of the torn skin slowly fusing together again. Wei Xiang¡¯s skin gradually grew warmer while regaining its healthy pallor, his vital energy finally becoming able to recover.


    But the outpouring of this rich energy meant that Kong Min¡¯s spiritual pathways were overfilled. Within a few minutes, they began splitting and tearing, incurring horrible damage. Kong Min grimly bore through it, his entire concentration only on staying still and letting the power being channeled through him reach his junior brother.


    Once Wei Xiang had fully healed, the amount of power flowing through Kong Min¡¯s arm also decreased. As the last few wisps of the clean-tasting energy entered his arm, it suffused Kong Min with nurturing warmth and healed all the damage that had been done to his spiritual pathways as if in apology. And then the flow completely stopped, leaving Kong Min yearning to feel that tingling warmth again.


    The deep voice from the other side of the gem spoke, not sounding the least bit tired even after spending that much energy, <I have held up my end of the bargain. To fulfill your promise and make your payment, come alone to the Spirit Bewildering Forest within three days. I will have the forest lead you to the Forest¡¯s Cradle where I abide.>


    With that, the connection finally went silent. But Kong Min felt too exhausted to care. His junior brother was saved, that¡¯s all that mattered for now. The sudden rush of relief made his knees go weak, causing Kong Min to slump down onto his knees on the floor.


    Things moved quickly after that. A fully conscious Wei Xiang was made to rest and recover on his bed while all the various healers with their shocked expressions and inquisitive gazes after witnessing the miracle just now were shooed out. Kong Min then recited what happened and unreservedly told Feng Huixin and Wei Xiang everything. They all agreed that whoever was on the other side of that gem must be a very old power indeed.


    Understanding that they had to be cautious, Wei Xiang suggested that Kong Min take someone with him to the Spirit Bewildering Forest to make his payment. But Kong Min refused, not wanting to break his word. That powerful being had asked him to come alone, and so he would go alone and face whatever waited for him. Since this was a contract willingly agreed to by both parties, Feng Huixin didn¡¯t think the Order could reasonably get involved either, though he himself was very willing to interfere for his second disciple¡¯s sake.


    However, in the end, Kong Min managed to convince them both to let him go to the forest alone.


    They decided that Kong Min would go at the end of the third day and spend the time until then trying to figure out just what manner of creature would be awaiting him in the forest. After all, the Spirit Bewildering Forest was home to many great powers and twisted monsters. Some were ancient and peaceful beings, guiding lost travelers or providing treasures to righteous people, while others were old and crooked fiends, sowing chaos and devouring the flesh of unwary humans. The creature Kong Min had interacted with could be any of these things.


    Right on the third day, Kong Min suddenly remembered a certain report he was due to submit soon and went to ask Wei Xiang¡¯s help with it. But to his dismay, he discovered that Wei Xiang had started his first heat period. Since he had just recently manifested his wings, which usually happened just before a wyvern reached maturity, Feng Huixin had expected that this might occur, so he had already briefed Kong Min on what to do just in case.


    And so, as Kong Min accompanied his junior brother and watched over him throughout the night as Wei Xiang spent his heat period in Yuese Lian, the third day was already spent and the fourth day dawned.


    Kong Min had broken his promise.


    But undaunted, after he had Wei Xiang settled, Kong Min still headed to the Spirit Bewildering Forest the next morning, intending to apologize and make his payment.


    After reaching the border of the Spirit Bewildering Forest through the shadows, Kong Min looked around quizzically. Hadn¡¯t that being said that the forest would show him the way?


    Before Kong Min could wonder for long, the brush directly in front of him parted, the vegetation seeming to slide to either side as their roots crawled under the ground. Kong Min¡¯s eyebrows rose. After the plants and trees shifted to make a clear path for him in the middle, tiny white mushrooms popped up simultaneously at the border of the newly-created trail. The mushroom caps lit up with a soft blue-green glow, lighting the way into the gloomy forest. Several fist-sized cottony clouds of luminous vapor, their colors shifting between warm yellow, mild pink, and mellow peach, hovered at eye-level, waving and dancing playfully in the air. They floated over to Kong Min and circled around him, then began flying over the path as if trying to lead him along it.


    After recovering from his surprise, Kong Min chuckled with amusement. Why did it seem like he was a child being purposefully lured into the monster¡¯s den? Shaking his head, he started walking forward, his feet keeping to the path laid out for him.


    As he strolled along it, the lit trail and the glowing clouds accompanying him made the path look magical and welcoming. In contrast, dark mists swam outside the trail¡¯s confines, hovering menacingly throughout the Spirit Bewildering Forest. The maniacal howls of beasts, the eerie laughter of some creature, the unsettling chittering of small animals, and the scuttling of strange insects sounded in the background. But as Kong Min kept following the path, nothing dared try to interrupt him as if knowing not to meddle with the being that had laid out this trail to welcome him.


    Already trained to grasp information from his surroundings, Kong Min¡¯s mind automatically kept trying to figure out the type of plants and animals he saw. But after barely recognizing one or two species heavily mutated by high concentrations of spiritual energy, Kong Min had to give up, instead focusing on at least memorizing the route he was being led through.


    After for close to an hour of walking, the trail ended, leading to the narrow space between two tall trees. With curiosity, Kong Min strode forward and stepped through the gap.


    On the other side, ensconced by trees, was a large and round clearing. The ground here was completely covered in overlapping tree roots while branches intertwined far above. The thick gloom and sense of unease permeating the rest of the forest were absent here. Instead, fresh and cool air filled the space while rays of morning sunlight slipped through the interlaced branches above and floated down gently to dapple the ground, lending a warm radiance to the glade.


    But what caught Kong Min¡¯s attention the most was the strange being at the center of the clearing.


    Standing with a calm air about him, the humanoid being carefully petted the head of some huge monster, his figure partially hidden by its ragged, half-furled wings. The monster¡¯s head was taller than two men standing on top of each other. It¡¯s thick, black skin was wrinkled and sagging, its snout appearing squashed into its face. As its wet lips peeled back a bit, it exposed rows of sharp yellow fangs with bits of meat and blood still stuck in between. But despite all that, the monster¡¯s slitted eyes looked strangely peaceful as the humanoid being gently stroked its head. There was an unhurried, measured cadence to his movements, as if he had all the time in the world to spend on petting the monster. And despite its ferocious appearance, the monster also looked very docile and obedient, like a small puppy reveling in its owner¡¯s affections. The gaze with which the humanoid being looked at this creature brimmed with tranquility and fatherly love.


    Hearing Kong Min enter the clearing, the being stopped his petting and slowly turned to face him. The monster whose head he had been stroking gave a short growl of dissatisfaction in Kong Min¡¯s direction before retreating from the clearing and loping away.


    As he finally got a good look at the being, Kong Min sucked in a breath.


    Though having taken the form of a man, Kong Min could sense without a doubt that this was an ancient eldritch creature. Extending from either side of the being¡¯s head were slender, translucent horns like that of a stag that shone gold, seeming to be made of condensed, crystalline sunlight. His unbound hair was long and wavy, it¡¯s color a rich, dark brown. A few strands of his thick hair gradually segued into dark green vines in the middle, adorned with small leaves and tiny white flowers that grew out of it. His evenly toned skin was smooth and tinted with gold. His face was very well-proportioned and perfectly symmetrical, with dusky red lips turned down at the corners to give him a solemn air, a long and straight nose adding a touch of nobility to his features, and lush eyelashes framing dark green phoenix-shaped eyes that reflected the eerie magic of an ancient enchanted forest.


    The being wore a long and unadorned sleeveless outer robe in dark purple, with a wide-sleeved inner robe in a lustrous black. Rather than a belt, he seemed to have extended one of the vines from among his flowing hair to casually tie around his waist, holding his robes together. His feet were bare and showed thickened joints, with tough and sharp nails curving from his toes. The same nails tipped the ends of his long fingers as well.


    His posture as he stood was graceful yet without pretense. With a still and calm air about him, he seemed like a natural part of the forest, someone who could have grown out of the ground. The intermittent rays of mild light glided down from between the tightly woven canopy of branches above, gently brushing his figure and bathing him in a peaceful, solemn radiance. He looked unearthly and ageless, a being that had stood here for countless eons unmindful of the ceaseless passage of time.


    The first thought Kong Min had after seeing him was: Damn, even though he wore casual clothes rather than his Sentinel uniform, he still felt overdressed for this meeting!


    His second thought was: If this weren¡¯t an old being capable of crushing him without even having to think about it, he would have definitely liked to take this delicious-looking man for a blissful week or two of continuous fucking.


    However, as much as he wanted to jump him, Kong Min knew better than to put himself in that much danger. After all, for him, physical attraction was something he was sure he could feel for even a humanoid statue. But sleeping with a powerful, unknown being such as this, no matter how beautiful he was, would be a far worse idea than just drunkenly trying to bed a statue. And as someone who had experienced the latter, he could truly attest that attempting to sleep with a statue was a very bad idea.


    Pushing aside these frivolous thoughts, Kong Min maintained his caution and nervously waited for the being to say something. Would he be condemned for taking more than three days to come here? Would his payment be increased?


    Not knowing of his worries, the Master of Land simply looked at this new guest. His eyes drank in Kong Min¡¯s smooth copper-hued skin, his black hair tied above in a bun with the curling ends trailing down his nape, his light brown eyes that looked almost translucent, his handsome face and masculine features, and the lazy ease with which he held himself that belied the cautiousness and vigilance he felt. The Master of Land eagerly took it all in.


    This was the first time he had invited a human into the Forest¡¯s Cradle, his home. And seeing that Kong Min had really come here, his heart began thudding faster in his chest. It was such a strange sensation. The Master of Land wondered if this was what excitement felt like. After all, this was the person he had been interestedly spying on all this while; that cheerful, energetic child who had grown up to become a mischievous and seemingly irresponsible, yet also a kind and upright adult. Thinking about how he was finally meeting him face to face, the Master of Land felt a small smile stretching his lips on its own, warming his still gaze.


    On the other hand, seeing that expression that made it look as if this ethereally beautiful being was glad to see him, Kong Min grew dazed for a second. This man was really too enchanting for his own good!


    Having gotten his fill of looking at Kong Min, the Master of Land finally parted his lips, exposing pointed fangs, and spoke through a proper mouth for the first time in millennia, ¡°Kong Min, you¡¯ve come.¡± Being able to call this person¡¯s name sent a soft sweetness through his chest. How strange. He¡¯d never felt this sensation before. It was quite novel and nice.


    Hearing his name being spoken by this strange being in his deep and pleasant voice, Kong Min felt a tingle run up his spine. No, no, he couldn¡¯t think of this man in that way. Forcing down his reaction, he gave a small bow and spoke courteously, ¡°I didn¡¯t get the chance to say this earlier, but thank you for saving my junior brother. I also want to apologize for coming late to make my payment. I had an emergency that I had to attend to.¡±


    As Kong Min straightened after speaking, he saw the being nod unconcernedly. ¡°Yes, I know.¡±


    Kong Min blinked. ¡°Wait, you knew that I had an emergency? How?¡±


    The being answered simply, ¡°I watch you often through the conduit.¡±


    Kong Min¡¯s lips twitched. This guy¡­ But truthfully, he didn¡¯t mind the thought of such a strange stalker all that much. First of all, he didn¡¯t know this being. So no matter what this man thought or felt after peeping at him, Kong Min didn¡¯t care. And being raised in a large and overly concerned family like his that spanned an entire brothel, the first thing Kong Min had had to get used to while growing up was the lack of privacy. Also, it wasn¡¯t like he himself hadn¡¯t gone around peeking through window cracks. As a child, it had been to assuage his curiosity and see what the grown-ups were doing. As an adult, it was for his job of collecting information on various dangerous organizations and finding out what they were plotting. Either way, he himself was no better, so why would he judge someone else for the same thing?


    Sighing, Kong Min finally spoke, ¡°I won¡¯t make an issue of you invading my privacy, but I hope you know to not reveal whatever information you gleaned through watching me working for the Order. Other than that, I really don¡¯t care if you are a shameless peeper who likes watching me bathe. After all, it isn¡¯t like I haven¡¯t engaged in exhibitionism every now and then.¡± Then blinking playfully at him, Kong Min teased, ¡°But I¡¯d still like you to limit that peeping tendency of yours to only when I look my best. I wouldn¡¯t want such a handsome man to see me when I¡¯m all frazzled and unattractive. Actually, you really should reduce how much you peep at me, because otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t be able to gush about your beauty to my brothers and friends behind your back without feeling shy.¡±


    The ancient being simply looked at him with deep eyes, making Kong Min wonder if he even understood his flirting. Then finally, the other man nodded. ¡°Very well, I shall limit the time I watch you from now onwards.¡±


    Kong Min let out a breath, then flashed him a grin. ¡°Good. Since you seem to find me that irresistible to watch, I suppose that¡¯s all I can ask for.¡±


    The Master of Land felt a strange itchy sensation softly sweep over his heart as he kept hearing Kong Min¡¯s teasing voice. He felt uncertain. What was this sensation? But before he could examine it too much, it was gone.


    ¡°I¡¯m curious about something,¡± Kong Min began, his lips still curved up in a carefree smile as he stood in a loose and relaxed posture. ¡°Who are you? And what is your name?¡±


    The being lightly lifted his chin, his lashes lowering over deep green eyes. ¡°I am the manifestation of all earth. I believe you humans call me the Master of Land,¡± he replied, his voice low and smooth.


    Kong Min looked at him with shock. He was the Master of Land?! So it turned out that the being that had helped him was even more old, powerful, and troublesome what he and the others had imagined. And the fact that he owed this type of being a favor made Kong Min feel that his situation was that much more uncertain and dangerous now.


    ¡°As for a name¡­¡± the Master of Land continued serenely, ¡°I suppose you can call me Ying Xulin. It is the name I once used long ago when I ventured out of the forest.¡±


    Kong Min resolutely pushed aside his astonishment. No, he couldn¡¯t succumb to it now. Putting on a carefree expression, he repeated, ¡°Ying Xulin¡­ Hmm, yes, I guess it suits you.¡± Showing a roguish smile, he continued, ¡°Do you mind if I call you Xiao Lin then? Or would you prefer something like Ah-Xu? Or do you want to be stuffy and insist I call you by your full name?¡±


    The Master of Land, now going by the name Ying Xulin, didn¡¯t know how to answer. After considering for a while, he finally replied, ¡°I will give you leave to call me whatever you like.¡±


    Kong Min¡¯s smile turned more cheerful. ¡°How generous! Let¡¯s settle on Ah-Xu then.¡±


    Ying Xulin felt that strange itchy sensation from before return, dragging across his heart like the soft strands of feathers. Not knowing how to deal with it, he simply nodded and said, ¡°So be it, then.¡± Changing the topic, he went on, ¡°We have yet to discuss your payment. Since you are late, I should ask you to provide me more compensation.¡±


    Kong Min¡¯s expression turned serious. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s fair. I was the one who failed to uphold my end of the bargain, so I won¡¯t disagree. I already told you that I will do anything in exchange for you saving my brother, and I meant it. What do you want from me in return for your assistance?¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s eyes narrowed as he asked in return, ¡°What are you able to give me?¡±


    ¡°What I can give you?¡± Kong Min repeated with surprise. Then with a wry smile, he joked, ¡°Well, I have a lot of experience in sex, for one thing.¡±


    But seeming to not understand that he was just teasing, Ying Xulin solemnly nodded. ¡°Then I shall sample your experience in bed as payment.¡±


    Kong Min¡¯s eyes widened. What?! He was really going to take him up on that?! He had only meant it as a joke! But even though he felt panicked, since it was his own blasted mouth that had spouted the idea in the first place, he didn¡¯t think it would be fair of him to refuse. Well, this was better than him being asked to be the torture toy of this old being, wasn¡¯t it?


    And so, gulping anxiously, Kong Min nodded. ¡°A-Alright, then.¡± After a second of hesitation, he asked, ¡°Do you want to do it now?¡±


    Ying Xulin looked at him intently. ¡°Yes, let us begin.¡±


    Under Ying Xulin¡¯s piercing gaze, Kong Min raised his hands and slowly undid his own belt, pulling it away and letting it drop down. His lapels fell apart, exposing a stretch of smooth copper-tinted skin. Situated a small distance below the hollow of his throat, the dark green oval gem embedded into his chest gleamed with a deep radiance.


    Not waiting for the reluctant Kong Min to continue disrobing, Ying Xulin strode over quickly, his gaze as deep and lustrous as the gem. Kong Min froze. Reaching him, Ying Xulin extended a hand and slipped it into Kong Min¡¯s half undone clothes, his arm encircling his waist and drawing the younger man closer. Kong Min stiffly allowed himself to be pulled over. His eyes fixing on Kong Min¡¯s face, Ying Xulin raised his other hand and cradled Kong Min¡¯s jaw ever so gently.


    Kong Min felt unsettled and uncomfortable with this sudden sense of intimacy shared with someone he had just met, someone he hadn¡¯t yet had a chance to properly assess like he usually did. He raised his hands as if to push the other man away, but ended up simply resting them on Ying Xulin¡¯s shoulders and looked away nervously. He¡¯d very literally asked for this, so there¡¯d be no backing away now. He should just suck it up and obediently let himself get fucked.


    Seeing that he wasn¡¯t being pushed away, Ying Xulin felt a sense of satisfaction he himself couldn¡¯t explain. His hand on Kong Min¡¯s waist tightened while he tenderly stroked his cheek. His magnetic gaze still fixed intently on the younger man¡¯s face, Ying Xulin rubbed his thumb over Kong Min¡¯s lips, then slowly bent forward. Startled, Kong Min instinctively leaned his head back, avoiding the kiss in time, but Ying Xulin simply redirected his lips to land on Kong Min¡¯s long neck, softly kissing it. His mouth was warm and gentle, sending pleasant currents rippling outward from that small point of contact. Kong Min sighed out a heated breath, his body beginning to soften.


    As he felt his lust beginning to stir, Kong Min wanted to scold himself for being in heat all the time. He was both cautious and afraid of someone as powerful and ancient as the Master of Land. He obviously didn¡¯t trust him, especially to be this close to him. No matter what his fellow Sentinels and his nagging junior brother thought, Kong Min really did have at least some standards about the people he slept with. His safety was definitely an important consideration for him each time. And yet¡­


    As Ying Xulin¡¯s hand began kneading his waist coaxingly while those warm lips tenderly explored the column of his neck, Kong Min moaned. Damn, after all these years of unrestrained debauchery, his body really was too conditioned to receive pleasure from the slightest of things.


    Meanwhile, even as his hands and lips continued what they were doing, Ying Xulin moved forward and slowly led Kong Min towards a nearby tree trunk, pressing the younger man¡¯s back against it. Before Kong Min could react, Ying Xulin opened his mouth and sucked on the smooth skin on his neck. Kong Min¡¯s knees felt somewhat weak and his body automatically leaned back on the rough yet sturdy tree trunk. He wanted to protest and push the other man away before he lost his reason, but Kong Min controlled himself. He might indeed be very afraid of letting this ancient creature be so intimate with him while he had to lay vulnerable before him, but along with fear, there was also arousal. Perhaps he should just focus on that as he made his payment.


    In the meantime, as if impatient to feel more of him, Ying Xulin¡¯s hand slowly began to move, pressing and dragging over Kong Min¡¯s skin that was slowly growing more sensitive. That broad palm swept up under his clothes and over Kong Min¡¯s spine as Ying Xulin¡¯s hot mouth carefully nibbled his throat. His warm tongue trailed up and down the side of Kong Min¡¯s neck, sweeping over the blooming pink marks, and making him arch back with a gasp. Ah, this really felt too good¡­


    Ying Xulin leaned back and temporarily retrieved his fingers from inside Kong Min¡¯s clothes, then pulled away Kong Min¡¯s hands from where it was resting on his shoulders. Before Kong Min could realize what was happening, Ying Xulin flipped him around so that his front was pressing to the tree trunk. Kong Min felt the rough bark against his cheek and the exposed skin of his chest and belly. He could feel the gem pressing deeper into his chest. The perked up buds on his chest rubbed against the rough trunk, only stimulating him more. Kong Min gave a light shudder. As the haze of arousal slowly clouded his mind, he felt Ying Xulin lift his arms up and use a hand to pin his wrists to the tree. Ying Xulin pressed his body forward and Kong Min felt an unmistakable bulge poking his butt. He squirmed restlessly, not knowing if he wanted to refuse or accept the clear intention being conveyed by that hot thing pushing against his backside. Reluctance and desire fought against each other in his mind.


    At this time, Ying Xulin lowered his head to begin carefully scraping his pointed incisors over the side of Kong Min¡¯s throat, feeling the pulse of life throbbing under his lips.


    Despite himself, Kong Min froze.


    Sensing the press of sharp fangs on his vulnerable artery, terror surged through him, turning his once pliant body stiff with tension. If those sharp teeth wanted, they could easily puncture his neck like a needle through thin cloth and rip out a chunk of flesh. The blood loss alone would kill him within minutes. Kong Min was distinctly made aware that in this position, he was utterly helpless and at the mercy of this powerful being. No matter how much he tried, how could he relax his vigilance in such a state? How could he just accept that his asscheeks would be splayed open and his body entered by someone he didn¡¯t even trust?


    As Kong Min¡¯s insides twisted with anxiety, he suddenly felt Ying Xulin letting him go and stepping away. Kong Min blinked and lowered his arms. After a moment of hesitation, he turned around with a tremulous smile and asked, ¡°What is it, Ah-Xu? Did you run out of ideas for foreplay already?¡±


    But Ying Xulin only frowned harder, a hint of confusion in his eyes. ¡°I can sense that you clearly do not wish to lie with me. So why did you accept?¡±


    Kong Min first felt surprised, then sighed. Leaning back against the tree trunk and pulling his lapels closed, he said, ¡°I am in no position to make demands. Since that is what you agreed to have as your payment, I acquiesced.¡±


    Ying Xulin looked offended. ¡°My forest might shelter beasts, but I am not one of them. I take no pleasure in forcing someone in this way.¡±


    Kong Min blinked. Who knew that this Master of Land was actually this humane? And here he¡¯d thought he¡¯d only care about making Kong Min pay and not how he felt about said payment. Finding that he was unable to grasp this being¡¯s personality, Kong Min asked with puzzlement, ¡°Then¡­what do you want from me? What should I give you?¡±


    Ying Xulin tilted his head in thought. Then his hypnotic green eyes suddenly gleamed with anticipation at some idea. It made Ying Xulin look especially eerie and alien. In a light voice, he spoke, ¡°Then how about you give me your life in repayment just like your mother?¡±


    Kong Min¡¯s heart filled with ice. He shouldn¡¯t have doubted himself. His initial assessment had been exactly right! This being really was very dangerous! Anger and fear bubbled inside him, but he quickly forced them down. His mother had died by her own choice, and she only chose to do so to save him. As frustrating and unfair as that had felt, he¡¯d had centuries to get used to that fact. In the beginning, he had of course blamed the creature that took his mother¡¯s life in return for saving his. But he slowly grew to understand that such feelings were useless. He had long chosen to let it all go. After all, his mother was already gone. But his junior brother was still alive, and it was thanks to this man in front of him. As much as he didn¡¯t want to, he owed this being, and he needed to take responsibility for that and pay up.


    Letting out a deep breath, Kong Min nodded. ¡°Very well, then. I did say I¡¯d do anything.¡± Honestly, this was not the way he expected to die, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. A deal was a deal. And as a Sentinel trained directly by the Sentinel Grandmaster, his honor and integrity were unimpeachable.


    Kong Min¡¯s palms pressed against the tree trunk behind him, his body relaxing back. Lifting up his chin, he exposed his neck to Ying Xulin silently and closed his eyes.


    Ying Xulin reached out his hands, his claw-tipped fingers wrapping around the offered throat. He saw Kong Min¡¯s eyelashes tremble ever so slightly and smiled. He realized that he liked Kong Min, and he liked spending time with him even more than watching him. The thought of killing this intriguing person and burying him under his home to forever keep him company strangely satisfied Ying Xulin. This way, he could have this person all to himself, not needing to share him with anyone from the world outside. It was a very pleasing thought. But as to why this thought pleased him¡­ Ying Xulin wasn¡¯t the type to bother wondering about such trivialities.


    Under his fingers, Ying Xulin could feel the throb of Kong Min¡¯s pulse, much faster than what he¡¯d felt under his lips before. As his fingers slowly began squeezing, restricting Kong Min¡¯s breath and the blood supply to his brain, Ying Xulin felt the pulse grow frantic, throbbing quickly due to increasing fear and in the representation of life, as if stubbornly declaring that this person was alive. Ying Xulin squeezed tighter, his fingers pressing strongly into the muscle and flesh of his throat, and saw Kong Min struggling to keep still, to not claw at his hands or thrash in an attempt to escape. How admirable. He truly did like this person. And after he killed him, he would let his body accompany him through the eons¡­


    ¡­but this person called Kong Min that he liked so much would probably cease to exist by then.


    The thought was sudden and shocking. But once he began contemplating down that line, it was difficult to stop.


    He would no longer be able to see through the gem to Kong Min¡¯s life. He would no longer hear him laugh and tease people, getting into trouble and barely managing to make it out. The warm skin under his hand would turn cold. This throbbing pulse would grow still. Those bright eyes would turn dull. His copper-hued skin burnished by the sun, so smooth and lustrous now, would gain the pallor of death, like a layer of dull ash covering it. An unspeakable sense of loss pinched Ying Xulin¡¯s heart. He felt strange and desolate, as if something within him that had slowly grown full of this person¡¯s presence was about to become empty again, and it felt¡­unbearable.


    Ying Xulin finally realized that the thought of owning this person after death was not nearly as satisfying as seeing this person go on living, smiling, laughing¡­


    Ying Xulin¡¯s hands automatically let go of Kong Min¡¯s throat as he looked at him with a dazed, uncomprehending expression.


    But Kong Min was hardly in a position to care. Suddenly being let go of like this after being choked, Kong Min fell to his knees coughing, his hands cradling his bruised neck. His throat burned and the bones in his neck hurt terribly. His eyes teared up with the force of his coughs that were making his body shudder. His belly churned with the fear of impending death that was still fresh in his mind, causing Kong Min to retch onto the ground covered with knotty tree roots. Thankfully, he hadn¡¯t eaten anything for weeks, so there was nothing except some watery bile left in his stomach. Once he was done heaving it out, Kong Min retrieved a damp cloth from his storage space and lifted it up with trembling fingers. But the cloth slipped from his weak grip and fluttered down.


    However, before it could touch the ground, another, fairer hand caught it easily.


    Kong Min jerked in startlement as Ying Xulin lifted the cloth and gently helped him wipe his mouth and jaw. But after the initial surprise, Kong Min remained still and let Ying Xulin attend to him silently, his heart still thrumming with primal fear and filled with uncountable grievances. Choosing to ignore the fear, Kong Min instead groused grumpily in his mind¡ªthis damned bastard had almost killed him, so the least he could do was help clean up, hmph!


    Ying Xulin took a peek into Kong Min¡¯s emotions through the gem and didn¡¯t know what to feel after sensing that the younger man seemed strangely displeased with him. This person was so complex and puzzling, but perhaps that was what made him seem interesting to him.


    Once Ying Xulin finished wiping Kong Min¡¯s face, Kong Min put the used cloth away and leaned back. He opened his mouth to say something, but only a miserable croak emerged. Kong Min winced. It seemed his throat would take some time to be able to produce sounds properly again.


    Meanwhile, Ying Xulin frowned worriedly and extended a hand. Kong Min instinctively flinched back, then forced himself to stay in place. Seeing this, Ying Xulin realized he didn¡¯t like this person behaving with fear towards him. It strangely made his chest ache. But he also couldn¡¯t undo what had been done, so he simply decided to make sure not to do anything that would make this person even more afraid of him.


    As Kong Min held himself stiffly, he felt Ying Xulin¡¯s fingertips touch the bruises the other man had just left on his neck. A soft warmth spread from those fingers, suffusing the injuries and gently healing him. Kong Min felt his skin tingling at the pleasant sensation, and unexpectedly, he felt his recently extinguished desire rise again. He scowled. What the fuck?! He had just been almost killed and yet he was reacting this way! It seemed that after so many days of freely indulging in pleasure, his body had turned really too responsive and lustful.


    Now that his throat was healed, Kong Min coughed once to clear it, then glanced up into Ying Xulin¡¯s eyes and spoke, ¡°I thought you wanted my life, so why did you not kill me?¡±


    Ying Xulin looked into those light brown eyes and felt a prickle run down his spine. These human emotions were too varied for him to understand what it meant, but he did know that he liked it. The feeling of looking directly into this person¡¯s eyes made him feel like he was being wrapped in his presence, and the thought that Kong Min was also looking into his eyes this deeply in return made Ying Xulin feel a light joy. At this moment, they seemed to share a tenuous connection.


    On the other hand, seeing how Ying Xulin¡¯s expression seemed to turn warm, Kong Min didn¡¯t know what to think. This man was so strange! One second he was poking him in the butt with his erection, then the next second he was squeezing the life out of him, and then he flipped to touching him ever so gently and looking at him like he was the love of his life. Speaking of which, Kong Min realized that Ying Xulin had still not retrieved his fingers from where he¡¯d placed it on his throat to heal it before.


    However, before Kong Min could remind him to take back his hand, he felt Ying Xulin¡¯s fingertips beginning to glide upward. They swept up his throat and over his jaw, then moved up his cheek, resting below his eye and carefully tracing just under his lower eyelid.


    In a soft, intimate voice, Ying Xulin breathed, ¡°You have beautiful eyes. It would be a shame to see them grow dull.¡±


    Kong Min felt both the thrill of pleasure at the touch and fear at what this new statement might lead to. This man wouldn¡¯t ask him for an eyeball next, would he?


    Gulping nervously, Kong Min quickly said, ¡°Uh, thank you. You have pretty eyes too. But you still haven¡¯t answered me. Why did you not kill me?¡±


    Ying Xulin blinked. ¡°I just answered you. It was because it would be a shame to see your eyes turn dull with death. I think I prefer you alive after all. And I do not want our connection to end so soon.¡± The fingertips caressing Kong Min¡¯s face slid down over his skin to rub the bulging oval gem on his chest. His mellow voice flowing, Ying Xulin said, ¡°Use this conduit and call me when you have need of something again. I will help you and await payment three days later in this place.¡±


    Kong Min wanted to directly say that he would never risk asking for Ying Xulin¡¯s favor again, but curbed himself. The future was uncertain, so it was better not to block off such a convenient option, though he would of course only use it if matters became too dire to handle.


    Giving a jerky nod, Kong Min gingerly pushed away the hand still fondling the gem on his chest and stood up. ¡°Well, I will depend on you in the future then, Ah-Xu. For now, I think it¡¯s time I took my leave. My master and junior brother must be quite worried by now. Thank you for your hospitality, and goodbye.¡±


    The color in his eyes swirling with unreadable thoughts, Ying Xulin watched Kong Min as he dusted himself off and bent to lift his belt from the ground. Tying it back properly, Kong Min was about to turn and leave the clearing when he heard Ying Xulin say leisurely, a hint of amusement in his smooth voice, ¡°Little Squirrel, you have still not fully paid for the aid I rendered your junior brother this time.¡±


    Kong Min halted. ¡°¡­Squirrel?¡± Turning to Ying Xulin, he scowled and asked, ¡°What, exactly, makes you think I resemble a tree rodent of all things?!¡±


    Ying Xulin seriously answered, ¡°The way you scurry up high to spy on people.¡±


    Kong Min¡¯s lips twitched. What could he even say to that?


    But thinking that Kong Min felt insulted, Ying Xulin earnestly continued in a reassuring tone, ¡°But squirrels have fluffy tails and big eyes, so they¡¯re also cute like you.¡±


    The Kong Min who was just called cute, ¡°¡­¡±


    Well, at least he didn¡¯t say something perverted like ¡®It¡¯s because you love nuts¡¯.


    Kong Min shook his head with a wry smile. ¡°Then what does the eminent Master of Land want as payment from a lowly squirrel such as myself? Chestnuts from my stash?¡±


    Seeing Kong Min¡¯s being playful again, something in Ying Xulin¡¯s chest eased. The small smile on his face unconsciously spread wider, his eyes glowing with quiet happiness. ¡°Keeping in mind everything that I have taken from you till now, I will not ask for much. Just a lock of your hair will suffice.¡±


    Kong Min shot him a strange look. With anyone else, he¡¯d suspect that his hair would be used for some strange ritual to curse him or the like. But someone like Ying Xulin hardly needed to resort to such methods to hurt him. So why did he make such a request? Was it because¡­that was the easiest thing he felt he could reasonably ask from him?


    Shrugging, Kong Min pulled out a blade from his sleeve and reached back, cutting off a long lock of his hair at the base and pulling it out of his bun before giving it to Ying Xulin. ¡°Here you go. What are you going to do with it?¡±


    Ying Xulin blinked, looking strangely lost. ¡°I¡­don¡¯t know.¡± He truly didn¡¯t know why he wanted a piece of Kong Min to keep with him like this. But the thought of having it made him happy, so he¡¯d asked for it without thinking much.


    Kong Min shrugged again. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll figure out some way to use it.¡± Then giving him a wink, he suggested playfully, ¡°Maybe you can braid it into your hair to remember me by or something. Anyway, I¡¯ll be going now. I hope you¡¯ll leave a path open for me again. I do hate having to fight. It¡¯s so physically exhausting.¡±


    Ying Xulin nodded. As Kong Min gave him a smile of gratitude and began walking out of the clearing, Ying Xulin¡¯s eyes never left him. Once Kong Min had exited the Spirit Bewildering Forest less than an hour later, Ying Xulin remembered his promise to not spy on him frequently and retrieved his consciousness from the gem. Unless Kong Min reached out on his own, he would try his best not to use their connection too much.


    Sighing sadly, Ying Xulin looked down at the lock of black hair in his hand. Thinking about Kong Min¡¯s suggestion to braid it into his own hair, he nodded to himself. Extending his consciousness, he ¡®knocked¡¯ on his brother¡¯s, the Master of Oceans¡¯, mental barriers.


    <How rare for you to reach out to me. What do you need, Brother?> the Master of Oceans asked, his voice drawling and leisurely.


    Ying Xulin frowned and spoke, <Can you teach me how to braid hair?>


    <¡­> Was this really his quiet and anti-social brother? Just what in the world made someone like him uncharacteristically ask to learn about such a common skill?!


    And so the Master of Oceans asked, and the Master of Land answered, talking about Kong Min¡¯s visit and all the strange emotions Ying Xulin had felt.


    Meanwhile, Kong Min was doing much the same with Wei Xiang and Feng Huixin, reciting everything that happened in detail while leaving out the part where he almost got strangled to death. He didn¡¯t want to burden them with that and risk them blaming themselves for letting him go alone.


    After everything was said, Wei Xiang told his senior brother firmly, ¡°The Master of Land seems a bit unstable, so it¡¯s better if you never meet him again.¡±


    Kong Min nodded and assured, ¡°Unless I¡¯m desperate, I don¡¯t plan to either.¡±


    On the other hand, after understanding that his brother had finally seen the light and that Ying Xulin was actually interested in someone romantically, the Master of Oceans sincerely advised, <This Kong Min seems to make you happy, so it¡¯s better if you can invite him over and spend more time with him. But I suppose it might be difficult, what with you almost choking him to death. That was very mean of you, by the way.>


    Ying Xulin sighed. <We are forces hovering on the edge of fate. Us interfering in the happenings of the mortal world causes an imbalance. Asking for something in return for our favors is necessary to keep the balance, and it also prevents mortals from taking for granted the aid we provide them or from considering taking advantage of it. This is why the price we ask must be steep so that only those who truly need it will ask our help.>


    <What a nice way to say that you simply don¡¯t care about empathizing with the people you make deals with, Brother,> the Master of Oceans observed with helpless amusement. <But if you want that man you like to keep coming back, then you should behave better.>


    Ying Xulin said noncommittally, <I will try.>


    The Master of Oceans had to sigh. He just hoped his brother wouldn¡¯t screw it up in some major way and end up alienating the person he liked further. Ah, he really should have taken him out to learn more about how humans thought. He couldn¡¯t help but worry that something might go wrong again.


    And so, with each of them hoping for opposite things from their futures, Kong Min and Ying Xulin¡¯s first meeting ended.


    crimson_carnation

 Extra 20: The Forest’s Cradle [Part 2]

    Time flowed quickly and years passed. After their first meeting, Kong Min never saw a need to use the gem to ask the Master of Land for any favors. And as someone who never left his abode in the Spirit Bewildering Forest, Ying Xulin had no chance to meet Kong Min either.


    Now, in his home at the Forest¡¯s Cradle, Ying Xulin finally gave in to temptation and connected to the gem embedded in Kong Min¡¯s chest again, wanting to see just what the other man was up to. All these years spent without hearing Kong Min¡¯s voice or his laughter dragged on even Ying Xulin¡¯s patience. He who could stand still and silent for millennia could barely hold himself back for a few years before succumbing to the temptation of watching Kong Min again.


    But as he eagerly connected to the gem and spied on him, Ying Xulin realized that Kong Min seemed to be quite¡­occupied. It wasn¡¯t that he hadn¡¯t seen Kong Min having sex with others through their connection before, but it seemed strangely grating this time.


    On the other side of the connection, a woman¡¯s voice sounded, thick with desire, ¡°Ah¡­ahhh¡­ Yes, mnn, there¡­Kong Min, just like that¡­.uhh, deeper, deep¨D Ah!¡±


    Kong Min chuckled and murmured, ¡°Is it deep enough now?¡±


    The woman could only groan breathlessly.


    A man¡¯s voice rumbled, ¡°Hnn, Kong Min, you¡¯re so tight¡­ It makes me forget that I¡¯m also being plowed¡­¡±


    Kong Min let out a husky laugh while the man further behind grumbled something in complaint at that statement before seeming to increase the tempo of his thrusts. The man directly behind Kong Min groaned thickly, his own member staring to pump more furiously into Kong Min. But even as Kong Min received his thrusts, the movements of his own hips remained as slow as before, pushing languidly and without hurry into the woman before him. The woman gasped and shuddered, holding on tight to Kong Min¡¯s shoulders while the man working behind her reached over his hands to squeeze and knead the lush mounds on her chest sensually. Meanwhile, another man began dragging his hands over Kong Min¡¯s skin, his eyes blinking sultrily as his lips began nibbling Kong Min¡¯s shoulder, heading down towards the stiff nubs his chest. Kong Min sighed with pleasure and reached out a hand to press the other man¡¯s head into his skin, silently asking for more.


    As he witnessed this scene, Ying Xulin¡¯s irritation kept mounting more and more, until he suddenly cut the connection and began pacing furiously in the clearing. The gentle sunlight spilling down into the glade slowly diminished as the tree branches intertwining high above squeezed closed tightly. The flowers with translucent petals and glowing pollen that littered the edge of the Forest¡¯s Cradle slowly closed up into buds. A grim atmosphere filled the clearing in a reflection of its master¡¯s mood.


    The more Ying Xulin thought of the scene he just saw, the angrier he got. Before, he hadn¡¯t felt much more than curiosity when he saw Kong Min sleeping with others. But now, after he¡¯d had a chance to touch Kong Min, to know how soft his skin was, how warm and supple his body felt against his, how he tasted on his tongue¡­Ying Xulin realized that he didn¡¯t like how other people were currently learning that too. Only he wanted to know that special feeling! Only he wanted to be able to touch that person! But instead, Ying Xulin was forced to think about how those other people were currently not just touching Kong Min, they were also kissing him, entering him, being entered by him¡­


    Ying Xulin felt a cutting surge of rage. This was unacceptable! His hand suddenly swung out and punched a nearby tree to vent his roiling emotions, shattering its trunk to pieces and bringing it down with a groan and a crash.


    The loud sound startled him out of his boiling anger.


    Ying Xulin slowly lowered his hand and looked at the destroyed tree with a blank expression. With a small wave of his fingers, he made the roots covering the clearing¡¯s floor part and let the broken tree trunk sink into the ground. The earth and the roots slid back into place.


    Ying Xulin then turned to look at the remaining stump of the tree. Though it looked pitiful, most of its trunk aboveground shattered, its roots were still safe and deeply embedded into the ground. As long as the roots of a tree were still alive, the tree could be revived. Sending a bit of his healing energy into the stump, Ying Xulin urged it to grow upward, accelerating its development by several folds until the tree was restored to its previous height.


    Ying Xulin studied the tree that now had a different shape from the tree that had stood here for centuries. His eyes looked melancholic as he raised a hand and rested it on the newly regenerated trunk, patting it gently in apology. How rare was it for him to hurt those under his care like this¡­ He couldn¡¯t help but ponder over it.


    He was the manifestation of this planet¡¯s land, calm and steady, immovable like the ground. And yet he had abruptly burst into rage like a volcano. The suddenness of this emotion confused him. Why was he behaving so strangely? Why did he feel so¡­unpleasant at the thought of that person letting someone else be more intimate with him than he¡¯d allowed Ying Xulin himself? Was it because it made him think that Kong Min liked those people more than him?


    The realization made his chest grow heavy and tight, puzzling Ying Xulin yet again.


    It seemed that what he¡¯d asked from Kong Min was not enough. He needed more, something different than the superficial exchange of bodily fluids those other people were getting, something Kong Min would give only to him.


    His eyes narrowing in thought, Ying Xulin plotted, patiently waiting for Kong Min to ask for his aid and fall into his clutches again.


    ¡­¡­


    That time came soon enough.


    A few weeks later, Kong Min took part in a dangerous task where he and a few members of his team had to infiltrate one of the bases of Black Fang. Their objective was to get some vital information that would help them track down the underground routes through which the black market organization traded beasts. Their target was a certain branch that specialized in breaking and taming powerful beasts through illegal methods like torture and brainwashing, then lending them out to lowlifes who wanted to use these beasts as tools to kill. For example, they would set them upon their rivals or enemies to make it look like they were mauled by rampaging animals and avert suspicion from themselves.


    But after Kong Min and his team finished their infiltration into the base, got the information they wanted, and were on their way out, they ended up triggering a trap by sheer bad luck and alerted a few guard beasts to their presence. They had previously split up and had planned to meet outside the facility. Because he was able to use shadows, Kong Min ended up being the only one who could make it out. But he naturally couldn¡¯t just leave his teammates inside and flee.


    However, if he entered the compound, there was a high chance he would also get caught, which would only end up with them failing their mission while Black Fang gained them as hostages. His master was currently on the other side of the world and Wei Xiang was in his room recovering from a serious injury. The other senior officers who had founded the Order along with his master had all long gone deep into seclusion by now. No one else in the Order would be able to pack enough of a punch to tear through those guarding beasts and rescue the captured Sentinels without causing them harm.


    Knowing that every moment wasted would only make things worse, Kong Min decided in desperation to finally ask for Ying Xulin¡¯s aid.


    His hand touching the gem on his chest, he called with his mind, <Ah-Xu, I need your help.>


    After a moment of tense silence, Ying Xulin¡¯s deep and mellow voice flowed out, a hint of sullenness in it, <Here I thought you were so busy mating that you¡¯d forgotten about me.>


    Kong Min¡¯s lips twitched. <So you¡¯ve still been peeking at me. How naughty, Ah-Xu.> Then shaking his head, he quickly brought the topic back on track, <Let¡¯s put that aside for now. I¡¯m in an emergency. I need your help with getting back four Sentinels from within an enemy¡¯s base. Can you help?>


    Hearing that he was in a hurry, Ying Xulin also didn¡¯t waste any time. <Yes. But it will depend on how you want to save them. Shall I send a strong beast to flatten the place? Or would you like me to let a volcano erupt under¨D>


    <No, rejected!> Kong Min stated firmly. <I don¡¯t want my teammates¡¯ dead bodies! I want them to be alive and as healthy as possible. Is there any way you can distract those beasts? And meanwhile, I could¡­> Kong Min suddenly trailed away and sighed, realizing he didn¡¯t have much of an offensive ability to speak of that he could use. <I wish I had proper arrows¡­> he said glumly.


    Confused, Ying Xulin asked, <Is your spiritual weapon not a bow? Why would you not be able to use the arrows that come with it?>


    Kong Min gave a bitter laugh. <Yes, my spiritual artifact is indeed a bow, but it does not come with arrows. I cannot master the art of forming arrows with my spiritual force either, which really is very ironic and absurd. My bow only makes sure that my aim can never go wrong. So all I can use is normal arrows with it and never miss my target, but the arrows I have won¡¯t even make a dent on these beasts¡¯ thick hides. I suppose I¡¯ll have to see if I have any useful artifacts that can help me against spiritual beasts.>


    <No need,> Ying Xulin said calmly. <I can lend you some of my power and help you mold it into arrows if you let me. Since your cultivation is wood-based, it will make it easily possible.>


    Kong Min hesitated, but since they¡¯d already taken too much time discussing, he decided to just agree, <Alright, then. Can you also please distract them while I go and find where they¡¯re holding my teammates?>


    <Yes,> Ying Xulin replied simply.


    <Then let¡¯s begin immediately,> Kong Min told him and summoned his spiritual artifact¡ªa plain-looking wooden bow with a thin glowing amber string connecting the tips.


    Ying Xulin responded, <Very well. I will now pour my power into you. It might feel a bit intrusive. Please do not resist it.>


    Hearing this, Kong Min barely had the time to brace himself before warm energy came flooding into his body from the gem, suffusing every nook and cranny with a pleasant buzz as if from being drunk, but his mind was completely clear. The scent of freshly tilled earth and green leaves painted with sunlight suddenly seemed to surround him, smelling of spring days and comfort. Kong Min felt his skin tingling and his desire rising at the pleasurable sensation. He gritted his teeth and forced down his reaction. Damn, why did it seem like he got so easily turned on whenever it came to the Master of Land? His junior brother might be right, he really needed to practice more self-control.


    After the warm power had finished fully filling him, Kong Min decided not to waste time and directly snuck into the base again.


    Meanwhile, near the border of the base, trees were pulling up their roots from the ground, their branches waving menacingly as they knocked down the boundary walls and strode into the compound. Startled screams and shouts of alarm sounded as the members of Black Fang hurriedly tried to deal with these bizarre trees. But the trees seemed to be filled with mindless rage, rampaging across the base and either killing or incapacitating everyone it came across.


    With Ying Xulin¡¯s version of distraction thus underway, Kong Min was able to easily avoid most of the members. He unfortunately still encountered a few beasts and their handlers on his way. But with Ying Xulin¡¯s guidance, he manifested his power and used it to make glowing hunter-green colored arrows of pure spiritual force before quickly shooting it at those who obstructed him. After searching around for around an hour, he was finally able to find his teammates. He incapacitated the Black Fang members standing guard over them and the five Sentinels quickly escaped together.


    After they returned to the Order, the five Sentinels caught their breaths and began the arduous process of writing reports and submitting the information they found. As their leader, Kong Min naturally had the most work to do, much to his despair.


    ¡°Hey, Team Leader, we have a group event going on at that newly opened brothel in the city. Are you going to join us for some naked fun?¡± asked one of the Sentinels while on his way out of the office set aside for Kong Min¡¯s informatical team.


    Kong Min let out a sigh filled with misery and slumped down on his desk. Oh, how he wished he could indulge himself in an orgy or two like some of his teammates¡­ In a dispirited voice, he answered, ¡°Wei Xiang is down, so I¡¯ll have to finish my own paperwork today. I can¡¯t come this time. To all those people who won¡¯t be able to bask in my magnificent presence, please send my sincere regrets.¡±


    The Sentinel laughed and rolled his eyes. ¡°Yes, yes, I will.¡± Then waving his hand, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t die under those piles of paper now, Team Leader.¡± Then the Sentinel left, leaving Kong Min alone in the office.


    Letting out a breath, Kong Min sat up and decided to start working again.


    Just then, Ying Xulin¡¯s voice sounded from the gem, his tone strange, <If you had time, you would have gone and lain with many people again, wouldn¡¯t you?>


    Kong Min sighed. <Are you still spying on me, Ah-Xu? Seeing me do paperwork is very boring, you know?>


    <On the contrary, I find the many varieties of sighs, groans, grumbles, and threatening growls you direct at the papers to be very entertaining. But you have still not replied to my question.>


    For some reason, Kong Min wanted to smile. What was so amusing about the way he complained during work? This Master of Land really was strange. <Then I¡¯ll answer you: Yes, if I had time, I indeed would have joined them. It was a very stressful day today, so an orgy or a dozen would have been a nice way to blow off steam. I suppose I can only do it after I finish with this dratted paperwork then.>


    For a few moments, Ying Xulin said nothing. Then he spoke, his tone slightly cold, <I have decided that for my aid this time, you will pay me tomorrow itself. I would advise you against delaying.>


    <Ehh?! But I won¡¯t have any time to play around then! Ah-Xu, you know how hard I worked today. Shouldn¡¯t you cut me some slack here?>


    But Ying Xulin remained unrelenting. <I will await your presence at the Forest¡¯s Cradle tomorrow morning.> With that, he disconnected.


    Kong Min wanted to cry at the injustice. He wasn¡¯t sure he¡¯d be able to finish his work even if he pulled an all-nighter. This was so unfair!


    After giving himself a few minutes to rant in his mind and pity himself, Kong Min set back to work, albeit a bit faster than before.


    Damn, he couldn¡¯t wait for his junior brother to get better so that he could saddle him with his work again!


    ¡­¡­


    The next morning, Kong Min went to the Spirit Bewildering Forest as asked. He was shown the way by the same glowing mushrooms lining the cleared path and the same luminescent clouds floating playfully along the way. After walking for some time, he arrived at the border of the Forest¡¯s Cradle and entered the clearing.


    As if waiting for him, Ying Xulin stood at the center. This time, he¡¯d put away his crystalline golden stag horns and the vines growing from his hair. If not for his sharp claws, fangs, and that ethereal aura about him, he would look completely human.


    The moment he saw Ying Xulin, Kong Min began to grouse, ¡°Ah-Xu, what gives? What made you so grumpy that you decided to take revenge on me by calling me out so early? I¡¯ll have you know that I had to work extra hard to finish everything by this morning! For someone as inefficient with paperwork as me, do you know how horrible such an experience was?¡±


    But Ying Xulin did not react, his expression unfathomable as his dark green eyes kept staring at Kong Min intently.


    Kong Min suddenly felt the pit of his stomach clench with trepidation. Ying Xulin felt¡­dangerous somehow. But since Kong Min always had his guard up against the Master of Land anyway, he just pushed the warnings of danger aside and went over to stand before the silent man. ¡°What is it? Are you mad at me for something?¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s eyes narrowed. He suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Kong Min¡¯s upper arms tightly, pulling him closer. Kong Min stiffened, but didn¡¯t struggle. Seeing this, Ying Xulin smiled a small, sharp smile.


    His dusky red lips parting, Ying Xulin exposed his sharp white fangs as he said, ¡°It¡¯s good that you kept to your promise this time.¡±


    Kong Min pressed down his unease and showed a casual smile as he chattered carefreely, ¡°Did you think I¡¯d be late every single time? I feel wounded. Now, what do you want as payment this time? Sex again? My hair? Or are you going to go for my fingernails? If so, I¡¯ll have to warn you that I always keep them short, so you¡¯ll have to wait for them to grow back before I can get you some.¡±


    His fingers tightening on Kong Min¡¯s upper arms, Ying Xulin simply answered, ¡°I want your blood, to drink it fresh from the source.¡±


    A shiver rippled up Kong Min¡¯s spine. Even he didn¡¯t know if it was because of fear or¡­excitement. Well, it was probably not the latter¡­or at least he hoped it wasn¡¯t. Because that would be a whole new level of messed up even for him. After all, he¡¯d never been interested in blood play before.


    Taking in a deep breath and letting it out to compose himself and set his rampaging thoughts in order, Kong Min gave a short nod. ¡°Okay, then. Just don¡¯t kill me.¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s sharp expression eased and he finally let go of Kong Min. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be that careless. Now please undress completely so that I can choose where to bite you.¡±


    Kong Min froze, then forced himself nod. He hadn¡¯t known Ying Xulin would want to directly drink from him. But as freaky as that was, it was still not as bad as it could be. Lifting his hands, Kong Min dutifully began undressing, removing everything, even his hair stick.


    Meanwhile, Ying Xulin waved a hand and brought up brown vines from under the ground, letting them extend up from between the tree roots on the clearing¡¯s floor. The wooden vines knitted together to form a chair. Turning to Kong Min, he assessed his body with his gaze as it was slowly revealed, considering where to draw blood from.


    Once Kong Min had removed his clothes, Ying Xulin motioned to the newly made chair. ¡°Sit down.¡±


    Kong Min looked at the rough wooden vines making up the chair and decided that it would definitely not treat his bare butt with the tenderness it deserved. So, gathering up his soft inner robe and folding it, he placed it on the chair¡¯s seat and sat down happily, even wriggling his butt to ascertain that it was indeed comfortable.


    Seeing this, Ying Xulin¡¯s face unconsciously softened.


    ¡°So? Are you going to start sucking my blood like a mosquito now? Do you have a needle-like thing that you¡¯re going to roll out of your mouth to pierce my skin and suck blood from?¡± Kong Min curiously asked.


    Ying Xulin¡¯s eyebrow twitched. This person¡­ he was so ridiculous. But his displeasure from before had already reduced a fair amount by now.


    Ying Xulin went over to crouch before Kong Min, then pushed apart his knees to settle between them. Kong Min stiffened. What was this guy trying to do in this position? If he got hard again because of this man breathing directly on his dangly bits, he wouldn¡¯t even be able to hide his reaction!


    Meanwhile, tracing a fingertip diagonally up over Kong Min¡¯s thigh, from just above the inner side of his knee, Ying Xulin stated, ¡°I will drink from here.¡±


    Kong Min blinked. ¡°The femoral artery?¡± Giving a nervous laugh, he joked, ¡°Ah-Xu, isn¡¯t that a bit too intimate for a second date?¡±


    With his unblinking dark green eyes looking into Kong Min¡¯s light brown ones, Ying Xulin said, ¡°This is nonnegotiable.¡±


    Kong Min stared enraptured into Ying Xulin¡¯s deep gaze for a moment. Who¡¯d have known that the Master of Land would have such hypnotic eyes? He felt that if he kept looking into that gaze, it could suck in his very soul. Shaking it off, he finally replied, ¡°¡­Alright, then. Just don¡¯t let me bleed out.¡±


    Ying Xulin solemnly nodded.


    Seeing him sitting between his legs, Kong Min felt a sense of vulnerability and fear, but he pushed it away. Remembering how this being had helped save his junior brother first, and then his teammates yesterday, Kong Min resolved to submit himself under those sharp teeth and let Ying Xulin chew him or bite him or do whatever he wanted. It might hurt enough to make him scream and curse at the heavens, but he could heal it all anyway. Keeping to his word and giving the Master of Land his payment was more important.


    Meanwhile, Ying Xulin was staring fascinated at the sight of Kong Min¡¯s member right in front of his face. Without thinking much, he reached out and brushed the back of his hand against the tip.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Kong Min immediately jerked upright, startled. Then reaching out to clamp Ying Xulin¡¯s wrist to stop him from doing anything else, he admonished, ¡°A-Ah-Xu! Don¡¯t touch me there!¡±


    Clearly understanding his rejection, Ying Xulin felt his anger bubbling up again. Why was he not allowed to touch this person like this while Kong Min let others do all those things to him? Ying Xulin¡¯s eyes gleamed as something hungry and wild peeked out. He wanted to hold this person down and possess him! He wanted to make Kong Min say that he was more important to him than all those other people!


    But no matter how appealing such thoughts were, Ying Xulin still pushed them down. No, he couldn¡¯t take this person with force. Not only did he know that it was wrong, he also didn¡¯t like how it might hurt and push Kong Min away from him even more. And so, he let his hand be led away from between Kong Min¡¯s legs.


    Sensing that Ying Xulin was being cooperative, Kong Min let go of his wrist. He hesitated, then extended a hand to pat Ying Xulin¡¯s head. ¡°Thank you for stopping when I asked you to.¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s dissatisfaction and resignation at not being able to touch him however he wanted gave way to quiet happiness at Kong Min¡¯s careful touch. Hmm, this wasn¡¯t so bad¡­ Being touched by him felt good, and the thought of touching him felt just as nice.


    And so, turning his head, Ying Xulin brushed his lips over Kong Min¡¯s inner thigh. He murmured softly into the warm skin, ¡°I¡¯m going to begin now.¡±


    Kong Min tried to relax his thigh muscles and nodded. Making his voice sound light and cheerful, he teased, ¡°Alright. But unsurprisingly enough, this will be my first time being bitten like this. So Ah-Xu, please be gentle with me~¡±


    Ying Xulin nodded with a serious expression and opened his mouth, revealing his pointed incisors and carefully positioning them on the dusky thigh. Kong Min felt four sharp points pressing into his skin right above his artery and had to force himself to remain still. He placed his hands on the armrests of the chair and clenched down on the rough wooden vines so that he wouldn''t unconsciously push Ying Xulin''s head away.


    Ying Xulin slowly bit down, and four bright points of pain came alive in Kong Min¡¯s thigh. He could feel the sharp teeth slide through his skin and sink into his flesh, sending out pulses of agony combined with a deep ache from within. He could feel those fangs puncture his artery, then draw back a bit to let the hot blood rush out and flood Ying Xulin¡¯s mouth. With his lips clamped tightly around the wound, Ying Xulin greedily swallowed the coppery blood that was flowing into his mouth in time with each beat of Kong Min¡¯s heart. He could taste the vivid flavor of Kong Min¡¯s life force mixed in, evoking the sensation of sun-warmed trees, wildflowers waving in the breeze, and slate cooling in the shade. Ying Xulin¡¯s grip on Kong Min¡¯s thigh tightened as he drank deeper.


    Kong Min grimaced, his face taut. He began to feel lightheaded, his body weakening. He was losing too much blood. Opening his mouth, he called, ¡°Ah-Xu, enough. You¡¯re taking too much.¡±


    Ying Xulin immediately stopped. Withdrawing his fangs, he quickly licked over the puncture wounds and sent in his healing energy. As the strong warmth washed over his injury and melted under his skin, Kong Min let out a deep sigh and settled back into the chair. The blood loss made him tired and drowsy, and this gentle warmth spreading through his body was like a soft blanket enfolding him, lulling him to sleep. But Kong Min forced himself to stay awake. The thought of sleeping here in front of the Master of Land whom he didn''t yet feel familiar or trusting with wasn''t restful at all.


    Sighing, Kong Min lazily retrieved a few pills to replenish blood loss and popped them in. Then, while he rested in the chair for a few minutes with his eyes closed, he circulated his spiritual energy to accelerate the effects of the pills. Once he felt steady enough, he opened his eyes and straightened again.


    Ying Xulin was looking at him with an intent gaze as usual while his tongue licked over his lips with satisfaction.


    ¡°Was I tasty?¡± Kong Min asked amusedly.


    Ying Xulin honestly nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Kong Min chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s good then.¡± Getting up, he stretched his body once, then began putting his clothes back on after lightly dusting them.


    Ying Xulin studied how loose and languid Kong Min¡¯s body seemed, his motions casual and lazy as he slowly dressed. He knew that once Kong Min was done, he would leave. His heart clenched. He didn¡¯t want to let him go.


    Without conscious thought, Ying Xulin called out, ¡°When will you come back?¡±


    Kong Min looked up from the belt he was tying on with surprise. His lips bending into a carefree smirk, he asked, ¡°Ah-Xu, I¡¯m not even gone yet and you¡¯re already starting to miss me? How adorable~¡±


    But Ying Xulin was unamused.


    Seeing that he was waiting for a serious answer, Kong Min sighed and turned away. He finally spoke in a rare honest and serious tone, exposing his real thoughts for the first time, ¡°Ah-Xu, it¡¯s dangerous for me to keep coming here. I never know what you¡¯re going to ask. I¡¯m glad that you wanted things only from me till now, be it my blood, sex with me, or even my life. But I can¡¯t help but think that there might come a day when what you ask from me will hurt the people I care about or compromise my integrity as a Sentinel. I cannot split loyalties. I have to be someone who solely belongs to the Order of Sentinels with no loopholes whatsoever. And so, while I truly am grateful to you for helping me when I needed you most, I¡¯m afraid I will have to try my best to not ask for your help again.¡±


    Every word was like a stab to his chest, making Ying Xulin¡¯s emotions spiral further downward while his expression turned more and more unfathomable. His eyes grew cuttingly sharp, the light in them unearthly.


    But with his face still turned away, Kong Min didn¡¯t notice. Giving a self-depreciating laugh, he continued obliviously, ¡°But I suppose whether I¡¯m here or not won¡¯t matter to someone as powerful and old as you. I¡¯m sure that if you get bored, you can find some other human to gift this sort of gem to and start playing with them instead. I realize that I don¡¯t matter much at all. I still feel like I was the one who profited the most from our dealings. Anyway, thank you for everything, but I have to go now.¡±


    Kong Min bowed deeply towards Ying Xulin, then straightened and quickly began walking away without daring to meet the other man¡¯s gaze. For some reason, Kong Min felt a strange sense of guilt and unwillingness. But everything he¡¯d said was his true thoughts in a nutshell. He might smile playfully and flirt with the Master of Land, but he never felt safe enough to bring his guard down around him. Even though he casually called him Ah-Xu while talking with him, Ying Xulin had never been anything less than the Master of Land, a primal and fearsome being, in his mind.


    But Kong Min didn¡¯t realize that right now, Ying Xulin was feeling this alienation and distance deep in his heart.


    Choking down his storm of emotions, Ying Xulin suddenly asked in a deceptively calm voice, ¡°After you leave here, what are you going to do?¡± After leaving him behind with such unintentionally cruel words, would he just go about his day like nothing happened? Content to forget Ying Xulin¡¯s existence while he stayed back alone in the Forest¡¯s Cradle able to do nothing but watch him through the gem?


    Kong Min paused his steps and tried to sound lighthearted, ¡°Well, since you didn¡¯t let me have time to relax after all that work, I¡¯m planning to let out some steam now. I¡¯ll probably hit a few brothels in town and have some orgies~ Why? Do you want to join me or something?¡±


    Trying to appear unconcerned, Kong Min turned back to wink at Ying Xulin.


    The air in the clearing turned still and heavy.


    Before Kong Min could realize what was happening, the Ying Xulin who had been so still till now suddenly leapt towards him and pushed him down. Kong Min¡¯s eyes widened as he felt the abrupt and unexpected sensation of bumpy tree roots digging into his back while the face of an enraged Ying Xulin filled his vision.


    Ying Xulin¡¯s hair writhed around him as if with a will of its own, each strand a green vine decorated with leaves and tightly furled white buds. Large translucent horns glistening gold extended from his head, looking like the spread branches of a tree rather than the horns of a stag like before. The angles of his face appeared harsh and too sharp, his phoenix eyes tilted up too much at the outermost ends. Bottomless rage and savageness turned his dark green eyes almost black. His lips were peeled back to reveal a mouthful of sharp fangs that descended down directly upon Kong Min¡¯s throat, tearing into it.


    All Ying Xulin cared was to appease this anger and hurt inside him somehow. He couldn¡¯t think of anything else, his senses clouded with fury and the need for violence. And the taste of blood in his mouth, filled with the essence of this person he craved to be near to so much, satisfied that urge.


    Meanwhile, Kong Min panickily tried to push away the man on top of him, but Ying Xulin didn¡¯t even seem to notice. His clawed fingers dug into Kong Min¡¯s shoulders and held him firmly in place without signs of budging. Kong Min was in too much of a shock to be able to think straight. Ragged blasts of absolute agony tore up from his throat. He could distinctly feel the shape of every fang digging into his flesh. It chewed into him, ripping his throat and shredding his jugular. Blood spurted out from the jugular veins due to the force of his heart pumping and air escaped his trachea with a shrill whistle. He couldn¡¯t breathe, choking on his blood. His struggles weakened, his body feeling too heavy. Cold began to claim his extremities, slowly crawling up from the tips of his fingers and toes.


    With the last of his strength, Kong Min pushed his hand between their bodies and dragged his palm to lie on his own chest. Struggling to focus his thoughts, he sent a desperate plea directly to Ying Xulin¡¯s mind, <¡­Ah-Xu, you¡¯re¡­killing me¡­ Please, stop¡­ It hurts¡­so much¡­>


    As the words filtered their way through the haze of violent rage and hurt, Ying Xulin slowly came to a halt, awareness once again flooding him. He felt pulsing flesh and hot blood in his mouth. His vision cleared, showing him Kong Min¡¯s mangled throat and his bloodless face.


    Ying Xulin froze in utter disbelief.


    But hearing Kong Min wheeze as he struggled for breath, Ying Xulin hastily let go of his throat and retrieved the claws he''d embedded into the younger man''s shoulders before leaning back in shock. Bright red blood covered Ying Xulin''s mouth and dripped from his chin. Panic gripped him as he realized just what he¡¯d ended up doing. He¡¯d almost killed Kong Min. He¡¯d almost taken away the life of this precious person in a few moments of uncontrollable rage. And seeing the severity of the injury he caused¡­he really might lose him if he didn¡¯t do anything.


    Understanding this, Ying Xulin hurriedly pressed his hand to Kong Min¡¯s throat and quickly sent in a large rush of his healing power. But even as the torrent of warm energy began knitting closed the damage, it overfilled Kong Min¡¯s spiritual pathways and strained them to the point of bursting. As jagged pain suddenly cut through his spiritual pathways, Kong Min gave out a ragged scream and flinched back from Ying Xulin¡¯s hand. Ying Xulin''s fingers remained hovering in the air. But faced with such a reaction, his frantic desperation and the pain in his mind only grew.


    Though not fully closed, by now, Kong Min¡¯s wounds had healed enough for him to at least be able to access the shadow realm. Even though it would be risky to use the shadows in a place like the Spirit Bewildering Forest, it was the only way he could escape while in this state.


    And so, his heart still thudding in fear and agony, Kong Min quickly opened up a pathway and vanished into the shadows, leaving behind the Forest¡¯s Cradle and a frenzied Master of Land.


    ¡­¡­


    Kong Min arrived at a dry and deserted plain without any trees and shrubberies in sight. Because his mind was too muddled to be able to specify a particular place, the shadows had deposited him in a random location.


    As Kong Min fell down onto the hard ground without strength, the wounds on his throat opened up again. Blood swiftly began pooling under him. His sight was dizzy and his limbs grew colder by the minute, but his mind felt strangely clear.


    Sending a tendril of thought towards the familiar presence of his junior brother¡¯s mind, Kong Min called with a lot of effort, <Wei¡­Xiang.>


    Kong Min felt Wei Xiang¡¯s attention turning in his direction before his junior brother replied, <Since you finished your work properly this time, I¡¯ll try to be polite and bear with your bullshit. So tell me, what do you want?>


    Kong Min felt too dull, unable to even muster much of a reaction. Closing his heavy eyelids, he squeezed out, <I need¡­you to¡­pick me¡­up.>


    Wei Xiang¡¯s exasperated voice sounded, <Did you get yourself caught in another orgy gone bad? I keep telling you to choose where you go more carefully. Damn it, you¡¯re always so reckless. I should refuse to pick you up this time at least so that you can learn your lesson.>


    Kong Min wanted to sigh at how his centuries of frivolousness seemed to have caught up with him. Forcing out some more energy, he pleaded, <Junior Brother¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­but I¡¯m¡­dying¡­ I¡­need¡­you¡­>


    Wei Xiang¡¯s tone immediately changed, <Kong Min?! Where are you? Why does your telepathic voice sound like it¡¯s getting weak?>


    Kong Min felt the strange urge to cry, but didn¡¯t have the strength for even that. <I¡¯m¡­hurt¡­badly,> he managed to get out. The world suddenly began to spin more vigorously, making Kong Min frown as he clutched at the ground. If he weren¡¯t in eighth realm already, he doubted he would¡¯ve been able to keep going for so long without conking out.


    With audible urgency, Wei Xiang asked, <Second Brother, where are you now?!>


    <¡­I¡­I don¡¯t¡­know¡­>


    <You are the leader of the Order of Sentinel¡¯s informatical group. You must be the one who knows the most about geography and the various terrains. If you are outside, see around you and try to figure it out. I can¡¯t help you if I don¡¯t know where you are, and I won¡¯t have you dying on me either! Now analyze your location and tell me!> Wei Xiang commanded heatedly.


    Kong Min felt like grumbling. Damn it, he was so hurt, and his junior brother still took the time to be bossy with him. As someone who was mostly used to just sneaking around and gathering information, he wanted to yell that he had never been subjected to this much physical agony before! Where in all the hells was he supposed to find the strength to deal with this pain while also analyzing his environment?


    But strangely enough, realizing that his junior brother must be frantically worrying about him gave Kong Min the strength to open his eyes and study his blurry surroundings. He could barely make out the outline of an ashy brown mountain range. He couldn¡¯t detect any obvious vegetation nearby with his wood ability. The ground under his hands and cheek was split with thin yet defined cracks, and the soil dusting over it felt dry and grainy. Closing his tired eyes once again, Kong Min sifted through the information in his mind, trying to match his location with a similar area on the map.


    Ah, he felt so dizzy and sleepy¡­ Even the pain was turning to numbness now¡­ Maybe he should take a teeny tiny little nap and¡­


    <Kong Min! Don¡¯t you dare die!> Wei Xiang voice suddenly thundered in his mind, jerking him awake.


    Collecting himself, Kong Min grumbled in his mind and replied weakly, <I¡¯m not¡­dead yet. And I¡¯m on¡­the southwestern¡­border of¡­the Barren Plains.>


    Wei Xiang spoke with relief, <Good. You did very good. Now keep the connection open for as long as you can and try to stay awake. Don¡¯t move or do anything that worsens your wounds! I¡¯m already searching for you. I¡¯ll be there soon, don¡¯t worry.>


    <¡­Okay¡­> Even as weariness weighed down his bones, Kong Min felt his previous fear and uncertainty fade away. His junior brother was so dependable. Now that he was looking for him, he would definitely find him and take care of him. Everything would be alright again¡­


    An image of Ying Xulin¡¯s face suddenly flashed in Kong Min¡¯s mind, that inhumanly beautiful visage twisted with anguish and horror as if he himself didn¡¯t realize what he had done. Those deep green eyes filled with ancient power had shown such fear and despair, as if finally understanding the severity of the injuries he¡¯d inflicted, that Kong Min could die because of him. Or maybe all that was his own imagination, Kong Min reflected. But that image was too vividly imprinted in his mind for him to have mistaken anything.


    However, none of it mattered now. After today, he most definitely wasn¡¯t going to be making any deals with the Master of Land.


    Kong Min ignored the inexplicable feeling of loss that thought evoked and instead tried to focus on the very important task of not dying.


    ¡­¡­


    By the time Wei Xiang arrived, Kong Min had already passed out due to blood loss. He only regained consciousness again several minutes later after Wei Xiang forced him to choke down various healing and blood replenishing pills. And rather than awakening due to being healed, it was the absolute agony of his damaged and bleeding throat being forced to swallow the medicine that brought him to awareness.


    Afraid to move him in this condition, Wei Xiang waited until Kong Min¡¯s wounds had at least stopped bleeding before lifting him up and using the shadows to transport them both back to the Sentinel headquarters. After getting Kong Min looked at by a healer and giving him more medicine, Wei Xiang finally asked his senior brother about what happened. After some hesitation, Kong Min recounted the meeting with the Master of Land.


    Once he finished saying everything, Kong Min anxiously tried to burrow deeper into the bed in preparation for a scolding. He expected his sharp-tongued junior brother to severely berate him for being so careless in the presence of someone as old and inhuman as the Master of Land. But instead, Wei Xiang carefully covered him with a quilt and silently left, his expression unreadable. Kong Min was baffled. But soon, his injuries took their toll on him and he drifted off into an exhausted sleep.


    Meanwhile, being the calm, rational, and forgiving person that he was, Wei Xiang furiously stormed towards the Spirit Bewildering Forest to confront Ying Xulin and try to rip out his limbs for hurting his senior brother. Did he know that the Master of Land was a being who was actually powerful enough to kill him with a single thought? Yes, of course he did. But just remembering the sight of his senior brother when he found him, lying on the ground limply, his skin white as paper, with blood pooling under him as he slowly bled to death, ignited enough fury in Wei Xiang to fuel him.


    Unconcernedly barging into the Spirit Bewildering Forest, Wei Xiang assumed his wyvern form and roared, the noise loud enough to reverberate through the forest. A few minutes later, he felt a tendril of potent and primal power brush him as if beckoning. It smelled of peat and moss and growing green things. His eyes narrowing, Wei Xiang turned back into a human and followed the tendril of power until it led him into a clearing carpeted with roots and filled with the scent of his senior brother¡¯s blood and fear.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s expression darkened further. But before he could start shouting and demanding for the Master of Land, Wei Xiang froze. The atmosphere in this clearing felt wrong. An uneasy sense of dreadful stillness permeated it. Gloomy shadows pooled in the hollows between the roots while the translucent flowers at the edges had all closed their petals tightly, the buds bowed down as if in mourning. There was no breeze to shift the air and the leaves of the trees around the clearing were unnaturally silent.


    Feeling cautious, Wei Xiang looked around and spotted a man crouching by a patch of blood, looking down with revulsion and horror at his own clawed hands stained red. His face was bone-white as if he¡¯d just received a terrible fright, making the blood covering his chin and mouth stand out starkly. His figure was deathly still as if frozen in time. Not even a strand of his hair moved.


    Before Wei Xiang could say anything, the overwrought figure of the Master of Land spoke, his voice hoarse and whispery, ¡°Do you think I will feel better if I rip off my arms? Do you think he will forgive me then? Or should I offer him my throat to tear into as recompense?¡± His head turning woodenly, Ying Xulin looked at Wei Xiang with blank eyes. It was as if he couldn¡¯t comprehend what was before him at all, his mind stuck in the moment everything went wrong.


    Wei Xiang sighed. This was not how he thought he¡¯d find him. ¡°What good will your self-mutilation do him? Do you really think he is the type to gain pleasure from hurting someone or seeing them hurt themselves for him? Nothing you do will change the fact that you screwed up. All the regret in the world isn¡¯t going to help you fix it.¡±


    Ying Xulin looked back down at his hands and stared for a few moments. ¡°Then¡­ Then what do I do? I am only the land, and all I know is my forest. I can understand plants, I can understand beasts, but I do not understand humans. What do I do?¡±


    Hearing the naked vulnerability in his tone, the Wei Xiang who¡¯d actually come here to yell at and fight with this being could only shake his head and give up. Leaning against a nearby tree and folding his arms, he said, ¡°If you ever have the good fortune of meeting him again after what you did to him, you better get down on your knees and apologize with all the sincerity you can muster. But since Kong Min never seemed to have trusted you in the first place¨Dand it turns out it was with good reason¨Dnow that you hurt him so badly, I doubt you¡¯ll ever see him again. No matter how stupid and irresponsible he seems, my senior brother is not a complete fool. He will not take unnecessary risks after knowing the dangers firsthand like this. If you¡¯ve really been observing him all this time through that rock he¡¯s got stuck to his chest, then you should have already known that. So why did you still hurt him at the risk of not seeing him again?¡±


    Ying Xulin let out a shuddering breath. ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ It wasn¡¯t¡­intentional. I seem to have lost control after he¡­he said he didn¡¯t want to see me anymore. He said he won¡¯t call for me anymore. He lets all those other people touch him in all those ways, but why does he refuse only me? Why does he not allow me closer? Why does he not like me when I like him so much that I wish to keep him here with me forever? I¡­I do not understand.¡±


    Wei Xiang sneered. ¡°If you like him so much, the first thing you should have done is to think about making him happy and how to make him want to stay with you of his own volition rather than just thinking of trapping him beside you. Why would anyone wish to be liked by someone who thinks so selfishly? If you like him, then you could have done him favors for free when he truly needed them. That would have let him trust you. But you instead took advantage of those favors he owed you to injure him to the point of death. It is not wrong to ask payment for services rendered. But if you truly cared about him as deeply as you claim to, you wouldn¡¯t have asked him to pay such a high price in the first place.


    ¡°And why should he sleep with you just because he sleeps around freely with others? They are people whom Kong Min already knows and trusts. He knows he can defend himself even if things go wrong with them. He has no such guarantee with you. He does not even know you or trust you. He would have to be stupid beyond belief to still let you bed him. Him not wanting to see you anymore is only a given. And haven¡¯t you already proven with your actions that his decision to not come to you again was the right one?


    ¡°You say you don¡¯t get humans. But all you need to do is take a look at them through that gem and at least try to understand them. Have you ever done that? You seem to lack empathy. It can easily be fixed if you were only willing to think of others instead of just yourself. Did you try to get closer to Kong Min or did you just expect him to do all the work? Did you even try to show him that you liked him? Did you try to convey that with words or actions? No wonder he only thinks of you as a stranger. Everything that happened was because of your lack of understanding. You should fix that and try again with someone else. You¡¯ve hurt Kong Min enough.¡±


    Straightening from where he had been leaning on the tree, Wei Xiang unfolded his hands and continued in a harder voice, ¡°If you truly like him and care for him, then don¡¯t set your sights on Kong Min ever again. And stop stalking him through that gem.¡±


    Ying Xulin looked at him with wide eyes, unable to say anything. His face seemed even paler than before.


    Shrugging, Wei Xiang turned and walked out of the clearing. It might not have been the kind of discussion he¡¯d expected to have with the Master of Land, but he felt that he¡¯d said all he needed to. As pitiful as that man had looked, Wei Xiang¡¯s biggest priority was still his own senior brother¡¯s safety rather than someone else¡¯s hurt feelings. He had at least succeeded in telling the Master of Land off.


    Now, he could only hope that his senior brother would truly stay away from this inhuman being as well.


    ¡­¡­


    When Kong Min woke up, the first thing he saw was his master¡¯s blank face and the worry in his eyes as he sat by the bedside.


    Opening his mouth, Kong Min croaked, ¡°Master.¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s brows furrowed lightly in a distressed frown. ¡°Min-er, are you alright? Does it still hurt anywhere? What happened? How did you get hurt like this?¡±


    Struggling to keep the pain and dizziness he still felt from showing on his face, Kong Min laughed hoarsely and tried to speak in a lighthearted tone, ¡°I guess this is what I get for unknowingly angering something as ancient as the manifestation of all land in our world. As it is, I feel like I got off easy without having my limbs and head ripped off. Don¡¯t worry, Master. I¡¯ll heal quickly.¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s expression grew grim as he asked in a low and furious voice, ¡°This was done to you by the Master of Land?¡±


    Kong Min winced but still honestly nodded.


    Looking at the apprehension visible in his second disciple¡¯s face, Feng Huixin¡¯s expression softened. He reached out a hand to gently pat Kong Min¡¯s head. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Min-er. I¡¯ll take care of it now.¡±


    Kong Min blinked confusedly as he saw Feng Huixin get up and begin heading towards the door. Then suddenly realizing what his master was planning, Kong Min shot upright on the bed and reached out to grab one of Feng Huixin¡¯s sleeves to stop him. ¡°Master, wait! Don¡¯t¨D Ouch! Ow ow ow, my neck!¡±


    Feng Huixin immediately halted and turned around with concern. Seeing Kong Min clutching his throat as he grimaced, he quickly walked back to the bedside and pressed his second disciple back onto the bed. ¡°Min-er, lie down. You¡¯re in no condition to be moving now.¡±


    Relaxing back into the mattress, Kong Min panted with strain. All the aches and pains in his body seemed to have multiplied in intensity due to this small exertion. After taking some time to regain his breath, he finally looked at Feng Huixin and said, his voice seeming even rougher than before, ¡°Master, I knew the risks when I requested those favors from him. I knew he might ask for my life as payment or something even worse. So please, don¡¯t be angry on my behalf, alright? Even though I do feel miffed at getting my throat torn up despite already paying my due, I¡­I still don¡¯t like the thought of him being hurt.¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes widened slightly, then he sighed and sat back down on the chair by the bedside. He carefully stroked Kong Min¡¯s head and chided in a gentle and reprimanding tone, ¡°Silly child, how can you expect your master to not be angry when someone hurt you this terribly? How can you expect me and your junior brother to behave rationally?¡±


    Hearing such care from his Master, Kong Min felt warm. Then as the implication registered, he suddenly shot upright in alarm. ¡°Wait, what? My junior brother?! What did that crazy bastard do? Master, please tell me he didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    Pushing Kong Min to lie back down on the bed, Feng Huixin sighed yet again. ¡°Yes, Xiang-er did indeed say that he was going to confront whoever hurt you. I suppose he meant to talk to the Master of Land.¡±


    Kong Min gaped at him. ¡°Master, this is bad! We have to get to Wei Xiang before he angers that guy and gets himself hurt!¡±


    A sneering voice suddenly spoke from the doorway, ¡°Who are you saying is going to get hurt? Do you think I¡¯m a defenseless little squirrel like you?¡±


    Kong Min and Feng Huixin turned to see Wei Xiang striding into the room, utterly unharmed. For some reason, he looked slightly dissatisfied.


    ¡°Junior Brother, how did it go?¡± Kong Min quickly asked, his expression apprehensive.


    Wei Xiang rubbed his forehead tiredly. ¡°I expected to face down a vicious monster and engage in a difficult, life-threatening battle. Instead, I feel like I kicked a puppy when it was down and scolded it on top of everything.¡±


    Kong Min looked uncomprehending. How could someone like the Master of land, an old being who¡¯d ripped his throat so ruthlessly, give the impression of a pitiful little puppy? It was illogical! Maybe Wei Xiang was the one who had bullied him into that state! Yes, that certainly made sense. Kong Min nodded to himself. Then, after some hesitation, he asked, ¡°That guy¡­how was he when you found him?¡±


    Wei Xiang raised a brow at the hint of concern and inquisitiveness in his senior brother¡¯s voice, but still gave his truthful impression, ¡°He looked wretched and miserable, as if he had murdered his dearest person with his own hands without realizing it and was now regretting it to the point of wishing for death and eternal damnation.¡±


    Kong Min grew dazed with shock. He couldn¡¯t even imagine such a scenario. His expression turned thoughtful, then pained. Just what did Ying Xulin really think of him to show such a reaction? Or was it not because of him at all? But¡­


    When will you come back?


    Ying Xulin had sounded so hopeful when he¡¯d asked that. He¡¯d thought he was misinterpreting things. But¡­maybe he wasn¡¯t. Maybe¡­Ying Xulin really did like him enough to seek his company.


    Kong Min¡¯s hand rose to his chest, unconsciously rubbing the gem embedded there.


    Wei Xiang scowled. ¡°Second Brother, don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re sympathizing with the one who ripped out your throat? If you already forgot how that must have felt, then I can demonstrate it again and tear out your throat to refresh your memory.¡±


    Feng Huixin sighed. His third disciple always tended to say such violent things¡­ But he supposed that was how he showed his brotherly affection.


    Kong Min gulped and said, ¡°O-Of course there¡¯s no need for that! I was just wondering about him, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Unconvinced, Wei Xiang walked up to Kong Min before pinching him by the nose and wiggling it. ¡°Stop thinking about him. He hurt you, so you¡¯re not going to meet him again, that¡¯s final.¡±


    Kong Min slapped at Wei Xiang¡¯s hand, but he was too weak to put much force behind it. Pushing and pulling, he finally managed to get those fingers off of him. Kong Min rubbed his nose with an aggrieved expression and finally spoke irritably, ¡°Yes, I know, I know. You don¡¯t have to tell me, you little nose-abusing brat. I¡¯m not a masochist to voluntarily go back for more beatings, so stop worrying so much.¡±


    Wei Xiang narrowed his eyes. ¡°That better be the truth.¡± Then turning to Feng Huixin, he said, ¡°Master, let¡¯s leave Senior Brother alone now to rest and reflect alone on his mistakes.¡±


    Kong Min pouted childishly while Feng Huixin nodded, amusement lightening his eyes. Patting Kong Min¡¯s on his head again, he said, ¡°Min-er, be good and rest up so that you can get better soon.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m always good,¡± Kong Min groused, but still obediently pulled up the quilt to his chin and settled in to sleep for a while.


    Wei Xiang and Feng Huixin left him to rest in his room. Walking to Feng Huixin¡¯s office, they sat down on opposite sides of the desk.


    Feng Huixin looked at Wei Xiang quietly. ¡°Is there something you wish to discuss, Xiang-er?¡±


    Wei Xiang leaned back into the chair bonelessly and sighed. ¡°Yes, Master. I wanted to talk about the Master of Land¡¯s motivation behind hurting Second Brother and his thoughts towards him.¡±


    Feng Huixin sat up straighter, alertness tightening his features as he nodded for him to go on.


    In a serious voice, Wei Xiang began, ¡°From what I observed, the Master of Land seems to be just a clueless lovestruck idiot who does not even know that he has fallen for that just-as-clueless senior brother of mine. Seeing how idiotic the both of them are in their behavior towards each other, I would love to say that they really do deserve to be together, but the Master of Land¡¯s idea of liking someone isn¡¯t healthy. As a lover, he seems like he might be controlling, violent, and lack empathy. On the other hand, despite how much that idiot senior brother of mine sleeps around, he barely has any experience with romantic relationships. As sympathetic as he is, he could easily end up in an abusive relationship without even realizing it. It¡¯s better if we keep Kong Min away from that Master of Land as much as possible.¡±


    Feng Huixin listened with a small frown, sunken into thought. For a few minutes, there was only silence. Then Feng Huixin spoke, ¡°Xiang-er, things are seldom so cut-and-dry. While I agree that the Master of Land seems dangerous and even unstable, it should not be up to us to keep Kong Min away from him. I trust in Kong Min¡¯s ability to judge people. If he decides to accept the Master of Land¡¯s pursuit, then we can only let him know that we support him. If he thinks we disapprove, he might not feel comfortable in confiding his troubles in us, which might end up with us being unable to help him if something goes wrong in their relationship.¡±


    Wei Xiang frowned. What his master said made sense in one way, but still¡­ ¡°Master, what if that guy turns toxic and abusive? As much as he seems to regret hurting Kong Min, the way the Master of Land thinks is still too selfish and inhuman. I¡¯m not sure if such an old being can change himself just to get together with Kong Min.¡±


    ¡°If that is the case, then we will intercede,¡± Feng Huixin said calmly. ¡°But until then, let us leave it to Kong Min. As it is, it is unlikely that he will seek out the Master of Land or try to ask for a favor from him again. We might be worrying for nothing.¡±


    Wei Xiang hesitated, then nodded. But his expression still showed that he was dissatisfied.


    Feng Huixin smiled. Despite the way he bickered with his senior brother, his third disciple obviously cared much about him. ¡°Xiang-er, I understand that you might not be pleased with my decision. But the reason I wish to give this Master of Land a chance is because he reminds me of how my wife used to be before she mellowed out. No, I¡¯m sure she was far worse than him.¡±


    Wei Xiang blinked in surprise. His master only spoke of his family back in Heaven very rarely. And when he spoke of them, it was always with affection. But Wei Xiang had never expected that the wife his master remembered so fondly would turn out to have such a¡­difficult-sounding personality.


    Feng Huixin went on, ¡°But despite how unlawful and cruel she was towards others, and despite how much she caused me to be hurt due to her actions as well, in the end, she was still able to change for the better for me. She learned to abide by the rules and laws for my sake. If my own master had refused to let me spend time with her due to her personality, then I would have missed out on the greatest blessings of my life. I do not want to make that mistake with Min-er either.¡±


    Faced with his master¡¯s earnest words and expression, what could Wei Xiang do but agree? ¡°Very well, I understand. Since Master feels so strongly, I will also try not to interfere if anything develops between Second Brother and the Master of Land. However, I will still look out for any signs of abuse.¡±


    Feng Huixin nodded. ¡°Yes, that is reasonable. Thank you.¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled wryly. After a few more minutes of chatting, the master and disciple parted ways to start attending to their respective work. Occasionally, they went over to check on Kong Min as well.


    Within a few more days, Kong Min was fully healed, and he merrily began going on reconnaissance missions and collecting information as usual. For all intents and purposes, nothing seemed to have changed in his life at all.


    ¡­¡­


    Centuries passed by peacefully without Kong Min falling into any more dangerous situations. But strangely enough, he found himself unable to forget the Master of Land. His face would pop up in his mind at the oddest of times, reminding Kong Min of his strangely intent gaze filled with deep, unfathomable emotions, his hesitant yet eager touches, his small smiles that lit up his expression with warmth, or the way he looked standing alone in the middle of the clearing, his chin tilted up as the gentle rays of light cascaded over him, his dark green eyes unfathomable and still. He was such a strange, ethereal being. Yet he was also like a sheltered child in the way he couldn¡¯t fathom the mundane world of humans.


    Each time such thoughts intruded into his mind, Kong Min would have to forcefully push them away. No, he couldn¡¯t think of such things. It almost made him feel like he missed Ying Xulin. It was better not to go down that road.


    And so his life went on without incident.


    Yet suddenly one day, he was faced with a crisis that once more brought him into contact with the Master of Land, albeit forcefully.


    Kong Min and a few others were out in the ocean, traveling by way of ship to a nearby clump of frozen islands while pursuing a powerful criminal who¡¯d used his water-wielding ability to flee that way. Kong Min¡¯s group was in charge of scouting as usual. With a few water- and ice-wielding officers of their own onboard, they sailed the ocean waters with relative confidence.


    The air was bitingly cold in this part of the ocean. Increasing numbers of large icebergs floated by, having broken off from the frozen island ahead. Some of the chunks reached several times higher than the mast of the ship, making the Sentinels steer the vessel with utmost caution as they squeezed their way through the fields of icebergs.


    But despite their caution, just as they managed to reach an area of clear water, they ran into trouble. The wind suddenly began to blow with more vigor and the skies turned grey. The ship creaked and groaned, then slowly began tilting one way. Shouts of alarm sounded and someone soon discovered the cause.


    At the side, standing on the surface of the ocean nonchalantly, was a figure. It was of a man wearing loose robes in green and blue that were opened all the way at the front, proudly displaying his solidly muscled chest and abdomen. His skin was bronze and his unbound hair wild and curly. With a ruggedly handsome face and a chiseled jaw, he looked untamed and roguish. His eyes were a deep, dark blue like the very depths of the ocean, and they swirled with unrestrained laughter. His dusky peach lips were pulled in a wide smile at the sight of the ship helplessly dancing and swaying in front of him.


    Now that the Sentinels noticed his existence that seemed to strangely blend with the ocean itself, they realized that strands of power seemed to flow down from him, dissolving into the water and making it churn and rise up with force. The officers who wielded water all tried to wrench away control of the ocean around their ship from this man¡¯s ability, but they all failed without managing to make the slightest difference.


    ¡°This is unnatural!¡± one of the officers exclaimed frustratedly, slumping down onto the wet deck in exhaustion. The wind whistled shrilly, violently whipping about their hair and robes.


    Yet another officer with the ability to manipulate the water element nodded and explained to the others, ¡°Normally when two people wielding water struggle to capture control over the element, the command over that body of water sways back and forth until one of them overpowers the other. But this time, the water doesn¡¯t listen at all! It¡¯s like my ability became null, unable to affect it even a bit.¡±


    Several other officers with the ability to manipulate water nodded, expressing their own helplessness.


    ¡°Who is this person? Why is he blocking our way? Is he a helper that Su Dong called over to buy him time to escape from us?¡± one of them asked.


    A thoughtful silence descended as they pondered on this.


    ¡°We should stop dillydallying and use elements other than water on him,¡± a hot-tempered Sentinel suddenly declared. Then turning to Kong Min, he said, ¡°Team Leader Kong, please give us the order to start bombarding him with spells and projectiles. He might have very good mastery over manipulating water, but I refuse to believe he can ward off other forms of offense as well.¡±


    Kong Min sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s not be hasty now. Despite his seemingly monumental ability, he hasn¡¯t sunk our ship yet, so he might be waiting for something. We should ask if he has any terms he wants fulfilled for letting us through. It is better not to risk attacking him and earning his ire when we might be able to choose a more peaceful route.¡±


    The Sentinels nodded thoughtfully.


    Sudden laughter rang out in interjection, loud and exuberant as it was carried over by the ocean waves. Seeming to have heard their conversation, the man standing on the ocean surface said in a cheerful, booming voice, ¡°I¡¯ve been quite fortunate in getting you lot over my waters. You want to speak terms? How about you try to get your ship out of my control. You can ask help from any being you want. Someone who governs fire might be able to evaporate the waters and raise up your ship on clouds of steam. Someone who has mastery over the wind might be able to sweep up your vessel on salty winds and take you to your destination. And someone who rules the earth¡­¡± As he trailed away meaningfully, the man¡¯s deep blue eyes seemed to fix directly on Kong Min. In a casual tone, he continued, ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you curious to see how such a being might come to your aid in the middle of the ocean?¡±


    Kong Min froze. This man¡­ What he was implying was very clear. He wanted him to ask help from the Master of Land. Kong Min felt his heart beating frantically. Why would he want him to do that? And how did he even know of his connection to Ying Xulin?


    ¡°If you keep wasting time, I might just get bored and capsize this little vessel of yours and eat you all up with my waters,¡± the man said with humor dancing in his eyes. Following his words, the right side of the ship suddenly rose, almost flipping over as if in demonstration.


    The Sentinels glared at the man even as they clutched at the nearest stable support. Some of them tried to fly up, but glistening streams of water quickly leapt out of the ocean, swatting them back into the ship. Using the shadow realm over waters was also impossible. It was clear that there would be no escape.


    Seeing that the officers understood this, the man on the water grinned and went on, ¡°Of course, if you manage to escape me, I will do you all the favor of presenting your prey to you directly without fuss and promise to not bother you on this journey again. So how about it?¡±


    While the other Sentinels gritted their teeth and tried to find some way to wrench their ship out of this man¡¯s control, Kong Min¡¯s mind raced. Did he really have no choice but to ask for Ying Xulin¡¯s help again? Was this man really so unbeatable that he¡¯d have to ask the Master of Land¡¯s aid? But even if he did, this was the ocean. Would Ying Xulin even be able to help in this environment?


    The man standing on the ocean grew impatient. ¡°How much longer will you have me wait? Do you think I, the Master of Oceans, have that much free time that I would spend it playing with you land-dwellers all day long? Decide what you¡¯re going to do within the next three minutes, or you can all take a visit into my kingdom in the Deep Waters. I promise it¡¯ll leave you absolutely breathless.¡±


    The Sentinels all looked at the man with wide eyes. He was the Master of Oceans?! How the fuck were they supposed to beat him then?!


    Kong Min felt just as shocked. But hearing the time limit, he didn¡¯t dare dally any longer. He quickly lifted his hand to his chest, right over the gem. Before he could chicken out, he called out with his mind, <Ah-Xu, I-I need your help! The Master of Oceans has our ship in his grasp and he¡¯s threatening to drown us all. C-Can you please¡­help us?>


    As soon as he was done making his request, Kong Min felt strange and awkward. Would Ying Xulin even answer? Did he even remember him after these many centuries? After all the things Kong Min had said to him the last time, would he even care about continuing this game of offering aid and receiving payment? Even if he did¡­just what sort of payment would he ask?


    Pushing it all aside, Kong Min once again called out hesitantly, <A-Ah-Xu? Can you¡­hear me?>


    Ying Xulin¡¯s familiar voice flowed through the connection, sounding somewhat unsteady and filled with inscrutable emotions, <I¡¯m here. I will take care of it.>


    Kong Min leaned into the wall beside him in relief. Though he knew that the Master of Land might not necessarily win against the Master of Oceans, especially while they were surrounded by his waters, Kong Min realized that he still trusted in Ying Xulin. As long as they made a bargain like this, Ying Xulin always kept up his end. Since he agreed, he must be able to do it this time as well. Though Kong Min felt that such strong belief was sudden and unexpected, he still held onto it and hoped. If this didn¡¯t work, he really didn¡¯t know what else he could do.


    Meanwhile, the Master of Oceans received an irate knock on his mental barriers before his brother asked, <What are you doing? Why are you harassing Kong Min¡¯s ship? Leave him and his people be!>


    The Master of Oceans smirked. <Now, now, you should be thanking me, Brother. If not for me, you really might have never gotten to see your Kong Min again.>


    Ying Xulin felt stunned. So his brother had actually done this to give him another chance to meet with Kong Min? In a quieter tone, he finally replied, <You¡¯re right. Thank you, Brother.>


    The Master of Oceans showed a smug expression. <It is what I should be doing. After all, it is my duty as your brother to help you with your romance.>


    Ying Xulin felt as if he¡¯d heard something earthshaking. His¡­romance? So what he felt towards Kong Min was¡­romantic attachment?


    Not knowing how to deal with this realization, Ying Xulin pushed these thoughts away to sort out later and went back to talking with his brother. <Now that you¡¯ve secured another meeting between us, please let go of Kong Min¡¯s ship.>


    <Nope.> The Master of Oceans replied cheerfully. <If you want it, why don¡¯t you show off a bit in front of your beloved and try to take the ship from me? It¡¯s more fun that way, isn¡¯t it?>


    Ying Xulin sighed, but said, <Very well, then.>


    As Ying Xulin mobilized his power and sent out a command, the Master of Oceans chuckled.


    Large pillars of sand suddenly burst out of the water surface right under the ship, extending upwards from the ocean floor. They supported the ship, lifting it up and out from the waters that were under the Master of Oceans¡¯ control. When streams and spouts of water tried to target the ship, the pillars of sand turned flexible and battled with the water.


    However, the Master of Oceans remained undaunted as he chuckled. <Do you think that¡¯s all I have? I am the oceans. I can easily swallow one puny little ship. All I have to do is slap it down with a big enough wave.>


    Sure enough, a gigantic wave rose in front of the ship, like a wall of water, its size unfathomable as it reached up towards the heavens. As its shadow covered the ship, the people within looked up at it with horror.


    Suddenly, one of the pillars of sand formed into a fist, and quickly slipping into the Master of Oceans¡¯ guard, punched him straight in the gut.


    The watching Sentinels, ¡°¡­¡±


    Faced with the unexpected offensive, the Master of Oceans stumbled. The gigantic wave immediately crashed down, its momentum less than expected. The pillars of sand lifted the ship higher so that it wouldn¡¯t be affected by the turbulence of the waters, keeping it safe.


    In an annoyed voice, Ying Xulin snapped,


    The Master of Oceans wheezed, <Such an uncooperative brother you are, not even letting me play with you a bit! Fine, fine, have it your way. I¡¯ll stop meddling now. Treat your beloved well this time and don¡¯t give him a reason to get away again.>


    With his work thus done, the Master of Oceans simply jumped into the ocean and vanished.


    The water streams and spouts that were fighting with the pillars of sand stopped and melted back into the ocean as well, the waters calming once again. The pillars of sand also gently lowered the ship into the water before disappearing under the water surface.


    As the ship peacefully rocked to and fro once again, there was only silence for a minute.


    Then a tendril of water extended out of the ocean with an unconscious man held in its grip and deposited him onto the ship¡¯s deck before disappearing. The Sentinels immediately recognized it as the criminal Su Dong they were pursuing.


    The Sentinels burst into action, some dealing with properly taking the partially frozen criminal into custody while the others reported back to headquarters with updates on the situation, analyzing what had just happened. To be able to stand up against the Master of Oceans, the being that had helped them must be very powerful. Some even speculated that it might be the reclusive Master of Land whose true location remained unknown to them till now.


    But after Kong Min finished commanding that the ship be turned around to head back to shore and gave out some orders to deal with the mess, he removed himself from these discussions and found a quiet place for himself. Reaching up, he gently touched the gem through his clothes and said softly, <Thank you, Ah-Xu. I truly didn¡¯t know how else I¡¯d get my people out of that situation if you didn¡¯t help. I¡¯m glad you could keep up your end of the deal. So¡­when would you like me to make my payment this time?>


    For a few moments, there was only silence. Then Ying Xulin answered, <You may come to me when you next have time.> Without saying anything else, he cut the connection.


    Kong Min was stupefied at such lax terms. But as someone came to call him to deal with some remaining issues, Kong Min had to put away his confusion for now and concentrate with giving out more instructions.


    It took a few days for the ship to return to shore and for Kong Min to finish his reports and duties. Throughout that time, he didn¡¯t hear from Ying Xulin at all. Yet it only made Kong Min think about him more. After the way their last meeting went, how would Ying Xulin behave this time? What would he ask as payment? Thinking about the way he¡¯d given him some slack about when he could pay, Kong Min could only hope that Ying Xulin would be a bit more understanding than before in other ways as well.


    A little less than a week after the incident with the ship, Kong Min nervously made his way to the edge of the Spirit Bewildering Forest again. The familiar sight of small mushrooms lining a cleared path and warm glowing clouds frolicking in the air greeted him¡ªbut there was a new addition this time.


    Perched on one of the soft and fluffy clouds was a small, glowing squirrel. Its fur was a soft russet with hints of orange and luminescent gold. It blinked up at Kong Min with large purple eyes that looked solemn, its whiskers twitching.


    Kong Min, ¡°¡­¡±


    Remembering Ying Xulin¡¯s comment at the end of their first meeting when he called him a squirrel, he wanted to burst out with both indignation and laughter.


    Reaching out a hand with a smirk, he said, ¡°Did he send you to keep me company, you funny little tree rat? Come here and let me squeeze your tail for a bit. It looks so fluffy.¡±


    The squirrel shot him a glare and quickly jumped to another cloud to escape his grabby hands. Kong Min only grinned and followed it, reaching out again. The squirrel flicked his tail at him as if in challenge and kept swiftly evading his hands while leaping from cloud to cloud. The glowing cottony clouds had already started moving along the path, causing Kong Min to start walking behind them as well as he chased the squirrel with an evil grin. After a while of this, the guide-squirrel gave Kong Min a triumphant twitch of its little nose and flounced off the glowing cloud before zipping away and quickly disappearing into the murky dark forest.


    Kong Min looked at it puzzled, then realized he¡¯d already reached the edge of the Forest¡¯s Cradle. Kong Min froze. That sneaky little squirrel had tricked him! It conspired with those floating clouds and lured him to Ying Xulin while he was still uncertain about this situation! Damn, he should¡¯ve known a tree rodent would be untrustworthy¡­


    Sighing and putting away these silly grievances, Kong Min decided to just give in and walked forward slowly, entering the clearing. Nothing much seemed to have changed in all these centuries. Ying Xulin also stood at the center as usual, looking keenly at Kong Min as he stepped in.


    Kong Min gave him an awkward smile. He wanted to tease and joke his way out of this awkwardness, but he found that he was unable to. He didn¡¯t know what attitude Ying Xulin would show him.


    Not seeming to sense his hesitancy, Ying Xulin kept his dark green eyes intently focused on Kong Min, his gaze roving as if drinking him in. As their eyes locked, he began walking towards Kong Min with long, purposeful strides.


    Kong Min stumbled back a step in alarm, but stopped himself from outright fleeing. His heart beat too fast. He remembered the terror of feeling this man¡¯s fangs in his throat, his claws digging into his shoulders to pin him in place. He remembered the pain and helplessness, the fear of being killed. The sharp edge of these emotions had already grown dull after centuries, but the sense of danger he felt when seeing Ying Xulin was still there. This person was too unpredictable for him to feel at ease in his presence.


    Ying Xulin reached him, and before Kong Min could decide whether or not he wanted to run away, Ying Xulin went down on his knees, his head bowing.


    Kong Min blinked at him uncomprehendingly.


    His mellow voice husky with emotion, Ying Xulin sincerely said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for hurting you last time, although it was not my intention to do so. I couldn¡¯t bear the thought of you leaving me and never coming back. I didn¡¯t want to think of you lying with those other humans while you refused to let me touch you the same way. I apologize for not conveying that properly and being violent instead. I realize that thinking that way was selfish of me, and I promise to do better from now on. I hope you will understand that I¡­I really like you. I will not hurt you. And no matter when you call for me, I will try to help you as much as I can. So please¡­don¡¯t leave me alone again.¡±


    Kong Min¡¯s lips parted, but he couldn¡¯t say anything. His eyes were wide as he stared at the top of Ying Xulin¡¯s bowed head. He tried to process what he¡¯s just heard, but his mind felt unable to comprehend it. This was too illogical!


    Drawing in a shuddering breath and letting it out, Kong Min tried to regain some composure. ¡°Ah-Xu¡­that¡­ I¡¯m not sure what you mean but¡­ Um, why don¡¯t you get up first? We can take our time to discuss whatever you want to say after that.¡±


    Ying Xulin obediently rose up. Kong Min was alarmed to find that Ying Xulin¡¯s eyes were red-rimmed, his gaze inexpressibly sad.


    His voice a low murmur, Ying Xulin tried to explain further, ¡°What I meant to say was that I¡¯ve come to realize your importance to me. You are someone who cannot be replaced in my life. I have failed to show you the appropriate care before, but I will make sure to do so from now on.¡± Reaching out, he clasped one of Kong Min¡¯s hands in his. Looking deeply into the younger man¡¯s startled eyes, he continued, ¡°I only ask that you give me another chance.¡±


    Kong Min continued to look at him confusedly, then chuckled uneasily. ¡°Ah-Xu, if you say it that way¡­it almost sounds like a romantic confession.¡±


    Ying Xulin earnestly nodded. ¡°Yes, it really is. My brother made me understand that what I feel for you is romantic love. Since that is so, I wish to ask you to become my lover and let me take care of you and spend time with you. But it is alright if you do not agree now itself. I understand that after all that I did to you, I am undeserving of your affections. I will try to court you properly from now on. All I ask is that you give me the chance to win your favor. Are you willing to do that?¡±


    Kong Min felt like he was in a surreal dream. After hearing from Wei Xiang about how distraught Ying Xulin had been after hurting him last time, Kong Min had come to realize that Ying Xulin might not be all that indifferent towards him. But he still hadn¡¯t expected that what Ying Xulin felt for him would actually be romantic attraction! How was he supposed to react to this?!


    Kong Min floundered for a minute before finally finding the words to say, ¡°Ah-Xu, I¡­I don¡¯t mind giving you a chance¡ªor at least, as much a chance as anyone gets. But you should understand that I am still free to sleep with whoever I want. If I ever agree to become your lover, then I will naturally stop looking at others. But until then, you are not allowed to behave jealously or restrict me in any way. Before even thinking of being lovers, we should become equals and each other¡¯s friends. We can see if our affections will develop and deepen after that.¡±


    His expression then turning stern, he warned, ¡°However, I will have you know that if you ever hurt me again despite claiming to like me, I will not stick around. You are much more powerful than me, which puts me at a disadvantage and makes me cautious. I do not blame you for it, but after what happened the last couple of times, I feel that my caution is only justified. I do not know you or understand how you think, which makes me feel like I have to walk on eggshells or risk setting you off into violence. But I am still willing to put all that aside and trust you this once. Please, do not break that trust.¡±


    Ying Xulin quickly nodded to show that he agreed, his smile filled with disbelief and relief. He honestly had not expected Kong Min to agree to give him a chance, so he was more than happy.


    Seeing him smiling, Kong Min felt his own expression easing. Damn, but this man really looked too good. And the way his eyes turned warm when he gazed at him, his whole face lighting up, really made Kong Min want to just agree to become his lover. But no, he couldn¡¯t make such a commitment lightly. He would take his time and assess him carefully. He was not against becoming lovers with Ying Xulin, but at the same time, he himself wasn¡¯t all that romantically attracted towards him right now. Though Kong Min felt sexually interested in Ying Xulin, he couldn¡¯t see them together as a couple. But who knew, maybe if he gave Ying Xulin a chance and spent more time with him, it might change.


    At that thought, Kong Min unconsciously smiled, his expression as he looked at Ying Xulin turning soft. Faced with such a look, Ying Xulin¡¯s heart beat faster, his cheeks slowly warming. He really liked it when Kong Min looked at him like that.


    Shaking his head to break out of his thoughts, Kong Min finally asked, ¡°So Ah-Xu, how do you want me to pay you back this time?¡±


    Ying Xulin blinked. ¡°Well, if you do not wish to, then¡­I am willing to think of some other way to maintain the balance of this transaction.¡±


    Kong Min raised an eyebrow. ¡°How generous. But we are not lovers yet, so I would feel like I was abusing your¡­affections towards me by not paying you for your help. Is there something you want?¡±


    Ying Xulin hesitated, then looked away. The color in his cheeks deepened as he replied, ¡°Then would you permit me a kiss?¡±


    Kong Min stiffened. ¡°I¡­¡± he trailed away uncertainly. However, just as Ying Xulin started looking disappointed, Kong Min suddenly said, ¡°Well, as long as you assent to a few conditions, I¡¯ll agree.¡±


    His eyes shining with hope, Ying Xulin nodded.


    Letting out a breath, Kong Min began, ¡°First, I need you to understand that just because I¡¯m acquiescing to this doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m agreeing to become your lover. Second, I want you to sit down and let me kiss you. If you can promise not to move your hands, then it¡¯s even better. I just need to make myself feel safe. Is that¡­alright?¡±


    Ying Xulin thought for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Yes, I do not mind these conditions.¡±


    Waving a hand, Ying Xulin brought out wooden vines from the ground again and made them weave together to form a wide chair. Sitting down, he placed his arms on the armrests and let a couple of vines bind his wrists and hold them down. Leaning into the backrest, he looked up at Kong Min, an expectant invitation in his eyes.


    Kong Min swallowed. Seeing Ying Xulin lying back in the chair languidly, his hands bound as he waited for him, really made Kong Min feel like taking advantage of this delicious looking man. He wondered how Ying Xulin would look like when naked¡­


    Pushing aside such thoughts, Kong Min licked his lips once and walked up to Ying Xulin. Instinctive fear welled in him as he stood before him. However, seeing that Ying Xulin was only looking at him without moving and that his hands still remained bound to the armrests with thick vines, Kong Min¡¯s fear slowly calmed. He wished he could just shed his caution towards Ying Xulin already, but all he had to do was get close to him and Kong Min could already feel the memory of hands wrapping around his neck or teeth embedded into his throat. He couldn¡¯t help it. But he also wanted to see if he could get closer to Ying Xulin, so he would try to battle his own fear and give this person a chance.


    Kong Min reached out hesitantly and placed his hands on Ying Xulin¡¯s shoulders. He lifted his legs one by one and rested his knees on either side of Ying Xulin¡¯s thighs. He settled there while straddling Ying Xulin¡¯s lap before leaning forward. They pressed against each other, the hard oval gem on Kong Min¡¯s chest distinctly felt by them both. As they stayed this close, the warmth of their bodies began to seep through their clothes. They were face to face, peering into each other¡¯s eyes and reading each other¡¯s thoughts. There was hesitation, hope, curiosity, and so many more emotions swirling in those depths as one pair of dark green and another pair of light brown eyes remained locked. It was as if the two people were drowning in each other.


    ¡°Close your eyes,¡± Kong Min suddenly breathed.


    Ying Xulin complied.


    Kong Min took a moment to let his gaze rove over the beautiful face in front of him. Then lowering his own eyelids, Kong Min leaned forward until their lips touched. Ying Xulin¡¯s lips were smooth as satin and warm. Kong Min tilted his head and pressed their mouths together with more force. One of his hands lifted to cup the back of Ying Xulin¡¯s head, letting the thick strands of hair slip between his long fingers.


    Ying Xulin leaned into him as if asking for more, so Kong Min obliged by opening his mouth and suckling the other man¡¯s lips. His tongue explored their shape and texture before slipping in between to tease the seam. Kong Min pushed insistently, clearly asking for entry, and after remembering to retract his fangs, Ying Xulin unhesitatingly parted his lips to allow him in. Kong Min immediately extended his tongue into Ying Xulin¡¯s mouth and slid it over the warm and slick tongue waiting inside.


    Ying Xulin hesitated, not knowing how much he was allowed to reciprocate. He didn¡¯t want to scare Kong Min away with too much enthusiasm. But as Kong Min kept drawing the tip of his tongue over the roof of his mouth, sweeping the flat of it against the inside of his cheeks, tracing the line of his sensitive gums, and reaching deeper as if wanting to shove it down his throat, Ying Xulin felt his need becoming uncontrollable. He stopped being passive and let his own tongue into Kong Min¡¯s mouth to learn its shape and flavor. Despite being older by an unfathomably large margin, he clearly wasn¡¯t as experienced as Kong Min. But he saw no reason to be daunted by that as he sucked Kong Min¡¯s tongue with vigor, his lips locked tightly with the younger man¡¯s. And as Kong Min moaned, Ying Xulin delighted in the vibration he felt through their melded mouths.


    Kong Min felt slow heat filling his body and let it flow through him. He softened against Ying Xulin, leaning into his chest. One of his hands massaged the bound man¡¯s shoulder while the other palm was pressing into the back of his head, loathe to let it retreat and cause even a little bit of space to separate their mouths. The more their tongues danced together and the more their breaths mingled, the more heat pooled in Kong Min¡¯s belly. Instinct took over and Kong Min shifted restlessly, rubbing his body against Ying Xulin¡¯s in slow, sensual motions. His hips lowered as if of their own accord, trying to find the bulge between Ying Xulin¡¯s legs with his own throbbing hardness.


    Ying Xulin¡¯s chest heaved, his mouth and tongue busily working. Lust thundered through his veins, but he forcefully held it back, content to enjoy whatever Kong Min was prepared to give. The sensation of the younger man pressing into and moving against his body of his own accord already gave him endless satisfaction. Then feeling Kong Min beginning to rub their arousals together through the layers of their clothes, Ying Xulin cooperatively widened his legs, letting the younger man have more access.


    Kong Min pumped his hips forward with more vigor, his throat vibrating as he let slip a deep groan. Ying Xulin eagerly swallowed the sound and moved his own hips while keeping to the rhythm of Kong Min¡¯s body. Swollen with desire and sensitized by it, their aroused members pressed into each other through the robes, pushing and rubbing together in concert. Pleasure rioted through them, the molten heat pulsing through their veins in an increasing tempo. Their mouths grew desperate, sucking and sliding against each other without finesse, devouring each other with raw hunger. Their bodies moved with increasing fervor, seeking more and more pleasure, more and more stimulation from one other.


    Gasps and pants intercepted the sound of fabric rubbing together and the wet noises of passionate kissing. Kong Min¡¯s palms moved to cup Ying Xulin¡¯s jaws, his thumbs rubbing circles into the older man¡¯s cheeks as he pulled his face as close into his own as possible. The pleasure mounted, ragged bursts of intense sensations exploding just under their skin. Their robes were an entwined mess, the fabric churning together as their hips drove into each other¡¯s with vehemence, seeking with mindless frenzy to ignite the spark that would take them over the edge.


    As Ying Xulin tried to suppress his release, Kong Min¡¯s climax erupted. He shuddered and hugged Ying Xulin, his mouth finally separating from his. Kong Min¡¯s reddened lips stretched wide open as he let out a strangled cry. Ying Xulin kept his own hips moving against Kong Min¡¯s. He felt the younger man¡¯s hardness twitch and pulse under his clothes before a patch of wetness spread under the thick robes. The very thought that he¡¯d brought his beloved to orgasm pushed Ying Xulin over the edge. With Kong Min¡¯s warmth wrapped around him, his hands clutching at him, Ying Xulin released, not caring that it was into the inside of his pants. His head arched back, his eyes squeezed closed as Ying Xulin rode the waves of ecstasy along with Kong Min.


    As their orgasms finished ravaging them, the violent pleasure withdrew, leaving calm and peace in their wake. The stillness that claimed them was a stark contrast to their hectic movements just now.


    Bowing down, Kong Min buried his head in the crook of Ying Xulin¡¯s shoulder and basked in the bliss of the afterglow. The smell of Ying Xulin¡¯s sweat filled his nose, earthy with a hint of musk. It felt masculine and pleasant. Meanwhile, Ying Xulin simply tilted his head to let it rest on Kong Min¡¯s, also content to be silent and soak in the serenity.


    After a few minutes, Kong Min shifted and leaned back. His body feeling languid and at ease, he slowly got up from Ying Xulin¡¯s lap, then stretched his body and yawned.


    As he turned and saw that Ying Xulin was still sitting in the chair while keeping his own hands bound, Kong Min smiled. In a husky voice, he teased, ¡°Ah-Xu, how obedient! But you don¡¯t have to keep yourself tied up now.¡±


    Ying Xulin nodded and the vines unbound themselves from around his wrists. His body still felt heavy and lax after being freshly sated, so he remained sitting for now.


    Kong Min sighed and remarked, ¡°Well, it was only meant to be a kiss, but it ended up going in a very¡­unexpected direction. Well, think of the extra payment as a bonus.¡± Kong Min grinned at him.


    Ying Xulin could only stare. Seeing Kong Min finally smiling so openly and being so cheerful with him made him feel fully relieved. What he had done the last time thankfully didn¡¯t push this person away permanently. And yet, it also felt different from before. Kong Min¡¯s smiles and teasing felt more genuine, the distance between them having lessened by a lot.


    With hesitation, Ying Xulin finally spoke, ¡°Kong Min¡­ Did you like it? Did you¡­enjoy what we did?¡±


    Kong Min looked surprised. Then his cheeks slowly reddened. Coughing, he said in a low voice, ¡°If me spilling myself within my pants wasn¡¯t clue enough, then let me spell it out: Yes. I enjoyed it very much.¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s apprehension dissolved into happiness. Smiling, he said, ¡°Then I¡¯m glad. From now onwards, please don¡¯t hesitate to ask me for help with anything. Since you insisted, I will request payment, but it will not be much. I will let you decide if you wish to pay me the way I ask or choose something else. If I can help you be happy, if I can make you feel that being with me is not unpleasant, then that in itself is enough for now.¡±


    Kong Min just stared at him entranced, his heart suddenly thundering faster. He could feel his face growing hotter as his recently-appeased desire tried to awaken again. After taking in a deep breath to try and clear his daze, he unsteadily nodded. ¡°Yes, well, good. That¡¯s an admirable attitude to have!¡± After quickly nodding a couple of times more, Kong Min said, ¡°Well, I¡­I¡¯ll be returning now. If something comes up, I¡¯ll definitely ask for your help. I, uh, I¡¯ll go.¡±


    Turning around, Kong Min strode away as if in a panic.


    Ying Xulin looked at his swiftly retreating back with puzzlement. But when he connected to the gem in Kong Min¡¯s chest to take a peek at his emotions, he unexpectedly felt warmth and awe towards him blooming within Kong Min, along with an unexpected burst of shyness.


    Ying Xulin¡¯s smile turned soft and joyful as he closed his eyes and leaned back into the chair before cutting the connection again. It seemed that wooing his beloved wasn¡¯t as hopeless as he¡¯d thought after all.


    crimson_carnation


    There was a mishap with my meds recently, so I''m not feeling too well. It''ll take me a few days to get back on my feet, so the next chapter might be slightly delayed. I''ll still try to get it out in a week or so though (??? ? ???)?


    And as always, thank you for the support! (*?¡ä ? `?)?

 Extra 21: The Forest’s Cradle [Part 3]

    Once Kong Min decided to give Ying Xulin a chance, his thoughts towards the Master of Land began to slowly change. Whenever he remembered their kiss that had turned into something more, Kong Min would feel a bit breathless, with warmth and hints of sweetness beginning to tinge his thoughts of Ying Xulin.


    As powerful as that man was, he seemed just as earnest and straightforward. Once he decided that he was pursuing Kong Min, he¡¯d shed all his mysteriousness and had begun trying his best to communicate openly so that Kong Min would know his thoughts and be more at ease. He¡¯d clearly taken to heart what Kong Min had said before while he laid the conditions for Ying Xulin to follow if he wanted to court him. Faced with Ying Xulin¡¯s sincere efforts in following those conditions, Kong Min had been more than a little moved.


    After that day at the Forest¡¯s Cradle, Kong Min would use the gem embedded in his chest to often chat with Ying Xulin using his mind while going about his day, asking for Ying Xulin¡¯s opinions on random topics or commenting about the things that happened to him. And when Kong Min faced something difficult, he hesitated only a bit before asking for Ying Xulin¡¯s help. Of course, Ying Xulin gladly gave it to him.


    Later, when Kong Min went to the Spirit Bewildering Forest to make his payment, he would be lying if he said he didn¡¯t feel apprehensive. But after greeting him with a small smile, Ying Xulin merely asked Kong Min to braid his hair as payment.


    And so, a relieved and amused Kong Min set about braiding Ying Xulin¡¯s long hair as the other man obediently sat on a chair made of wooden vines. Due to how he was brought up in a brothel, Kong Min had learnt several skills like this and had often used them to help the prostitutes of Yuese Lian ready themselves before meeting clients. As he brushed and separated Ying Xulin¡¯s hair before beginning to braid it, the familiarity of utilizing these almost-forgotten skills made him feel both comfortable and nostalgic.


    While he was thus working, Kong Min suddenly found the lock of his black hair that he¡¯d given to Ying Xulin that first time they¡¯d met carefully braided into Ying Xulin¡¯s dark brown hair. The sight of it unskillfully added to Ying Xulin¡¯s hair made Kong Min¡¯s heart soften. But without saying anything, Kong Min merely undid it and braided it properly back into the thick brown tresses before continuing.


    Wanting to test his own skills, Kong Min decided to have some fun and braided Ying Xulin¡¯s hair very elaborately. He even picked some of the translucent-petaled flowers growing at the edge of the round clearing and added it in to make it look more beautiful. The white pollen glowing at the tips of the black stalks extending from the center of the flowers made it appear especially enchanting, the specks of luminescence causing the dark brown hair to shine even more.


    After Kong Min was done, Ying Xulin was beyond pleased that Kong Min went through such effort for him. He found himself unable to stop admiring his beloved¡¯s handiwork on a pair of mirrors, their functions having been enhanced with spells.


    Kong Min was naturally happy to see that his work was being appreciated a lot. But witnessing Ying Xulin admiring his own reflection this much, Kong Min couldn¡¯t help but tease, ¡°Ah-Xu, look at you preening so happily in front of the mirror like a peacock. I reckon I should¡¯ve tucked some peacock feathers into your braid to make it feel more fitting.¡±


    Ying Xulin smiled at his beloved¡¯s playfulness and replied, ¡°Peacocks only show off their feathers when attracting a mate. In that sense, considering how I¡¯d like to show you my best side as well, maybe I really am similar to those birds.¡±


    Kong Min could only sputter at this smooth answer as his ears burned red. It made him feel all the more shy knowing that Ying Xulin wasn¡¯t just playfully flirting back, but actually meant what he said.


    Suddenly, Ying Xulin asked, ¡°Kong Min, was it very troublesome to arrange my hair like this? This seems like it must¡¯ve required a lot of effort.¡±


    Waving a hand, Kong Min simply said, ¡°It might have taken effort but it was no trouble, really. It¡¯s been a while since I put my formidable hair wrangling skills to use, so it was fun being able to play with your hair like this.¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s smile widened. Looking at how Kong Min also seemed to have enjoyed himself, Ying Xulin decided that from now on, he¡¯d ask Kong Min to do such small chores in areas he was skilled at as payment every time he asked for a favor.


    And so, as Kong Min began asking for Ying Xulin¡¯s help with difficult or dangerous tasks with more frequency and confidence, Ying Xulin requested simple things that he thought Kong Min would have fun doing and that he himself would enjoy receiving. For example, he would ask Kong Min for favors like patching a small tear in his robe, painting him something simple, cooking him a small dish, asking for a copy of Kong Min¡¯s favorite book and the like. It was never anything sexual.


    Kong Min attended to each of these requests with gusto, trying to always exceed Ying Xulin¡¯s expectations by putting in extra effort. Seeing Ying Xulin¡¯s face light up when he realized how much importance he had placed into finishing the payment made Kong Min feel a sense of satisfaction unrivaled by anything else. Ying Xulin might be the Master of Land who¡¯d seen countless wonders throughout his long life, yet he was still so easily touched by his efforts. It made Kong Min feel pleased that he was someone this man considered that special.


    Of course, that didn¡¯t mean that he didn¡¯t take every opportunity to tease Ying Xulin as well. For example, when he was asked to bring him a copy of his favorite book, Kong Min unabashedly gave him a volume of The Profound Ways of the Sword and Chrysanthemum. With a cheeky grin, he¡¯d said, ¡°Since you seemed somewhat inexperienced before, I decided to choose this out of all my favorite books to give you. It explains sex between men from the basics up and includes some really useful information. It also shows some pretty creative ways in which two men can attain pleasure. Ah-Xu, why don¡¯t you thoroughly study it? If I ever agree to become your lover, I will certainly benefit from your knowledge in this subject.¡± Kong Min had then waggled his brows suggestively.


    Ying Xulin had given him a solemn nod and said, ¡°Since you wish me to learn from it, I will thoroughly peruse it and commit its contents to memory.¡±


    Kong Min¡¯s lips twitched. How was he supposed to tease and bully this person when he listened to everything he said so earnestly! This was utterly unfair! But the happiness he felt at realizing that Ying Xulin gave his words so much importance was undeniable as well.


    In this way, the millennia passed.


    ¡­¡­


    One time, Ying Xulin asked Kong Min to make a garland of flowers for him as payment. Kong Min decided to request the Sect Master of the Silver Moon Sect to allow him to pick flowers from one of their enchanted gardens. He also asked Wei Xiang to accompany him and help him choose the best flowers.


    Thinking of Ying Xulin¡¯s aesthetic in having those transparent flowers with glowing pollen growing at the border of the Forest¡¯s Cradle, Kong Min wanted to see if he could find any interesting flowers that would look similar enough to appeal to him.


    The enchanted gardens of the Silver Moon Sect housed many varieties of odd and ethereally beautiful flowers. Some were mythical herbs or rare plants, while others were simply there to add to the whimsical beauty. As Kong Min searched for the kind of flowers he had in mind, he spotted several unusual ones that almost tempted him into picking them. For example, there were little bell-like flowers that resembled lily of the valley, but were ice-blue in color and chimed softly when the wind brushed by. Floating in a small pond at the center of the garden were plump, peach-colored lotuses with a tender blush of pink at the base. Dozens of long tendrils of light extended up from their centers, curling and swaying languidly while remaining upright in the air. Growing within round pots in another section were small bushes with tiny roses less than three centimeters in size. Each white petal seemed to have a dusting of glittering frost over it, sparkling mildly in the fading evening light.


    But in the end, the flowers Kong Min picked were something else. The blossoms he chose were large, with delicate fluted petals in a translucent black. Glowing white lined their edges, with a cluster of radiant white dots sprinkled in the middle of the flower. It looked like the soft black of the night sky lit at the horizons and cradling stars at its center.


    Once Kong Min made his choice clear, he and Wei Xiang began picking the fullest blooms with the strongest glow. Taking care not to cut the stems too short, they carefully gathered the flowers in a basket they¡¯d hung nearby.


    After working silently for a few minutes, Wei Xiang suddenly asked, ¡°Second Brother, for what purpose do you need to collect these flowers?¡±


    Kong Min paused, hesitating.


    After that incident where the Master of Oceans kept hold of their ship and made him call Ying Xulin for help, Kong Min had relayed the events faithfully to his master and Wei Xiang. When he went to make his payment that time, they were naturally very worried and tried to convince Kong Min to take various precautions against being hurt, even asking him to allow them to shadow him to ascertain his safety. Kong Min had rejected it all, but he had been touched by their care nevertheless. It also made him feel guilty for the worry he¡¯d caused them. As a result, he kept the matter of Ying Xulin wooing him¡ªand he himself asking for the Master of Land¡¯s help often recently and subsequently paying him back¡ªa secret. Thus, Feng Huixin and Wei Xiang didn¡¯t know of Kong Min¡¯s dealings with Ying Xulin yet.


    Now, being asked why he was collecting these blossoms by his junior brother, Kong Min could only laugh awkwardly before replying, ¡°I¡¯m picking flowers to make a garland for a certain person to fulfill his request.¡±


    Wei Xiang raised his eyebrows. ¡°Oh? And did that person also ask you to pick such rare flowers?¡±


    Kong Min shook his head, his expression unconsciously warming. ¡°It¡¯s my own decision to choose the best flowers I could for this task. Because I know that the thought of me making such effort to fulfill that person¡¯s request will make him happy.¡±


    Wei Xiang grew silent, slight surprise visible in his gaze. After a few moments, he asked ¡°Then the person you¡¯re picking these flowers for¡­ is he someone you¡¯re trying to court?¡±


    Kong Min froze. Growing flustered, he asked, ¡°W-Why would you think that? It¡¯s actually the other way round! It¡¯s that person who¡¯s courting me!¡±


    Wei Xiang looked thoughtful, then clapped Kong Min on his shoulder. ¡°Whichever it is, since you care about making him happy, I¡¯ll naturally help you. Of course, I¡¯ll also need you to take over some of my work next week to pay for my help now.¡±


    Kong Min rolled his eyes, but nodded.


    After that, as he returned to choosing and plucking flowers, Kong Min¡¯s mind churned as Wei Xiang¡¯s words echoed in his mind. Could the way he wanted to see Ying Xulin smile with delight really denote his own romantic interest? Even if it was to a smaller degree, was he really reciprocating Ying Xulin¡®s affections? Did he¡­like Ying Xulin?


    Later, after Kong Min finished the garland and watched Ying Xulin¡¯s smile lighting up his face as his eyes glowed with joy, Kong Min decided that yes, he liked this man. He liked seeing him smile and he liked doing things for him. It wasn¡¯t to the point of love yet, but it was definitely heading in that direction.


    And rather than panicking or trying to control the course of his emotions, Kong Min decided that he was okay with that.


    ¡­¡­


    This was yet another day when Kong Min was paying Ying Xulin back for a favor. They were currently crouched together on the ground that was covered with knotty roots, their outer robes removed and the sleeves of their inner robes pushed up to their elbows.


    ¡°Rub it with more force,¡± Ying Xulin said with a frown.


    ¡°But I am rubbing it with a lot force already! If I use more, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll bruise it,¡± Kong Min groused. But he still dutifully tried to increase the pressure of his palm.


    Ying Xulin nodded, then instructed again, ¡°Move your hand back and forth more vigorously. It¡¯s supposed to feel nicer whe¨D Yes, just like that.¡±


    A growly rumble of satisfaction vibrated the air in the clearing from under Kong Min¡¯s palm. A few moments later, the rumble turned into loud snoring. Kong Min grinned. Aha! Success at last!


    Lying in front of Ying Xulin and Kong Min currently was a pile of furry young beasts. For his payment this time, Ying Xulin had asked Kong Min to help take care of these little beasts for a few hours while their parents took on their human forms to spend some time together in town. The baby beasts had furry spherical faces, soft round ears, wet little noses, and wide eyes like two clear black marbles. Their fur ranged from medium to dark grey with little black rosettes decorating the back. Their chubby bodies resembled that of a baby bear¡¯s, with little tails almost constantly wagging as if in excitement. Immature and wrinkled black wings, their shape resembling a bat¡¯s, hung from their back, trailing down like limp and tattered cloth.


    With grim determination and perseverance, Kong Min and Ying Xulin had just finished feeding them the plant mulch mixed with ground worms that served as their lunch and were now trying to rub their backs until the little beasts fell asleep. To avoid the beasts staining their outer robes as they ate messily, Ying Xulin had already warned Kong Min to take it off and to pull up his sleeves. And Kong Min was so very glad for the heads-up when one of the little rascals threw up a large gob of its foul-smelling dinner onto his chest and abdomen.


    Now, after changing his inner robe, Kong Min was trying to faithfully follow Ying Xulin¡¯s instructions to rub these little beasts to sleep so that they could finally have some peace. Ying Xulin worked quick and steady, already having a pile of snoring fur stacked up before him. Some of the furry little beasts rolled and tumbled about restlessly, unconsciously gravitating towards Ying Xulin¡¯s calm presence.


    On the other hand, Kong Min swore that the beast brats he was in charge of were making things difficult on purpose! They wriggled and cried and scratched and urinated on him constantly! How in all the hells was he supposed to put these little bastards to sleep when they were so hyperactive?!


    But with Ying Xulin¡¯s patient guidance, Kong Min was gleeful to realize that he was learning how to finally conquer these brats¡¯ sleeplessness regardless of their tantrums. Within an hour, he had finally put three little beasts to peaceful sleep! Happily ignoring the pile of twenty-four baby beasts that Ying Xulin had already helped doze off within that time, Kong Min basked in the satisfaction of his own tiny achievement.


    With a pleased smile, Kong Min leaned back on his arms as he stretched out his legs in front of him. Finally letting out a breath, he joked, ¡°Is this why this place is called the Forest¡¯s Cradle? Because little beasties of the forest are lulled to sleep here?¡±


    Ying Xulin had just moved to sit beside Kong Min with his legs folded, back straight, and palms resting on his thighs. Hearing Kong Min¡¯s statement, Ying Xulin hesitated before replying, ¡°¡­No. This glade gained its name because this is where I curse the beings who come to ask my aid.¡±


    Kong Min¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°Eh?¡±


    Ying Xulin turned his head away. ¡°The type of payment I ask is always¡­harsh, I suppose. Asking your mother for only her life was a kindness on my part.¡± His gaze lowering, Ying Xulin lifted one of the fluffy beasts that had rolled up to him and placed it onto his lap before stroking its undulating belly as it snored. In his smooth and flowing voice, he continued, ¡°Once I granted their wishes, the beings who asked for my favor were required to come here and pay me. I would then curse them by infusing them with the forest¡¯s magic, and they would slowly warp into creatures that sought to feed on the blood and raw meat of others, hungering to experience the thrill of the hunt as they chased down their victims, to revel in the struggle of their prey under their claws, the feel of life draining out of the quarry clutched in their jaws.


    ¡°Some chose to kill themselves rather than live as such inhuman beasts. But most went on living, carving out their own territory in the forest, hunting and procreating. And since this is the place where I cursed them in the beginning¡ªthe place they were reborn as creatures of the forest while their former selves slept forever¡ªit came to be known as the Forest¡¯s Cradle.¡±


    Turning to Kong Min, Ying Xulin showed a rueful smile, ¡°I must appear quite cruel and inhumane to you.¡±


    Kong Min folded his legs and placed his elbows on his knees, then cradled his jaw in his palms. Peering thoughtfully at Ying Xulin, he said, ¡°That depends on the reason behind you choosing such a method of payment. Why did you feel the need to curse them in the first place?¡±


    Ying Xulin titled his head consideringly as if he¡¯d never before thought of the reason behind it. His expression turned confused. ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t like how the forest echoed emptily. This is my home. Feeling the emptiness here made me feel like something in me was empty as well. I did not like it, so I suppose I felt that I must create more creatures to fill the forest, steeped in the forest¡¯s magic so that they would feel like they only belonged here, unable to leave my home and turn it empty again.¡±


    Kong Min¡¯s heart clenched even as goosebumps pulled his skin taut. ¡°It sounds like you were very lonely. And rather than taking care of it the human way¡­you filled that space in the manner of a being as old as dust. Your logic might be inhuman, but you didn¡¯t know better, did you?¡±


    Ying Xulin looked at Kong Min with a vaguely puzzled expression. His gaze slipping to the side, he frowned. ¡°I suppose¡­you are right. And inhuman I might be, but unless the way I think makes you dislike me, I do not see any reason to change myself.¡±


    Kong Min let out a small laugh and shook his head. This person would never be human. His reasoning was too alien for that. But he still tried. He was prepared to try so hard for him. Just what had he ever done to deserve such devotion from this being?


    Kong Min reached out with a hand and turned Ying Xulin¡¯s face towards him. He could see Ying Xulin¡¯s surprise and worry in his expression as if he was uncertain about what Kong Min¡¯s verdict would be. As they looked into each other¡¯s eyes, Kong Min¡¯s expression turned gentle. ¡°Ah-Xu, I would like you to be kinder to people, but I won¡¯t hate if you aren¡¯t. I understand that you have your own way of looking at the world, and I don¡¯t want to impose my own view over that. Well, just don¡¯t kill anyone who doesn¡¯t deserve it, alright? And also¡­even if I don¡¯t agree to be your lover in the end, I will still remain your friend and visit you often. So please don¡¯t worry about being lonely anymore. You don¡¯t have to curse people and force them to remain here. You have me to accompany you now, and I will do it willingly.¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s eyes grew wide, the corners reddening. He slowly closed his eyes and nodded, a palm rising up to cup the back of Kong Min¡¯s hand that was resting on his jaw. Ying Xulin¡¯s fingers clenched on Kong Min¡¯s hand for a moment as if wanting to hold on and keep the younger man tethered to him forever. But he slowly, deliberately let go, and Kong Min retrieved his palm.


    A soft silence stretched between them, filled with subtle thoughts.


    Kong Min held out for a few minutes before finally opening his mouth again to break the quiet. ¡°Well, since my casual question ended up with you having to reveal something personal about you, how about I let you ask me something as well? We can also deepen our understanding of each other this way. Tell me, Ah-Xu, is there something you want to know?¡±


    Ying Xulin opened his eyes and hesitated. He wanted to ask if Kong Min felt any more favorable towards becoming his lover now, but stopped himself. He didn¡¯t want to seem like he was forcing or hurrying Kong Min in that direction. He then thought of asking if Kong Min still felt any hate towards him for taking away his mother. But thinking that he might not want to know the answer, Ying Xulin discarded that as well. Was there anything else he wanted to know?


    After a few more minutes of deliberation, Ying Xulin finally asked, ¡°What does that beast, the one called Wei Xiang, mean to you?¡±


    Kong Min blinked. That was not the question he had been expecting. But thinking about it, the person he talked to Ying Xulin about the most was his junior brother, though it was mostly just to complain about him. And it was because he desperately wanted to save Wei Xiang that he¡¯d asked for Ying Xulin¡¯s help that first time as well. So he supposed he understood why Ying Xulin might want to know more about him.


    Kong Min shifted to settle himself more comfortably and began, ¡°The short answer is that Wei Xiang is my junior brother. And as my brother, he naturally means a lot to me. But if you want a fuller explanation, then Wei Xiang is the first person I was ever given responsibility for, and it¡¯s a responsibility I take very seriously. He is my brother, he is my friend, and he is one of the people closest to me, a part of the family I made for myself in the Order.¡±


    Ying Xulin looked at Kong Min¡¯s soft expression. It seemed that that beast meant a lot to him. And thinking of how that beast had come to scold him when he hurt Kong Min so badly that one time, Kong Min must also mean a lot to that beast. Ying Xulin looked down. He felt a strange sensation of exclusion. But since that beast was this important to Kong Min, rather than thinking about how to make that beast disappear, he should probably learn more about him. If Kong Min considered that beast family, then he would most likely be happy with Ying Xulin if he treated that beast as family too.


    And so, Ying Xulin turned to Kong Min and asked, ¡°What is your opinion on that be¨D that Wei Xiang?¡±


    Kong Min smiled wryly at that timely correction, but still answered after a few moments of contemplation, ¡°That junior brother of mine is a sadist, plain and simple. He likes beating people up and he¡¯s very petty. Once you get on his bad side, you¡¯ll often find him smirking at you, and then you¡¯ll keep getting into inexplicable and unfortunate situations. If you ever incur his wrath, the worst thing you can ever do is agreeing to spar with him.¡± Kong Min gave a shudder at that memory. ¡°That fellow is truly a beast with a beast¡¯s strength ah. So even a well-trained human stands no chance against him most of the time.¡± His expression slowly warming, he then continued, ¡°But he is also one of the most emotionally strong people I¡¯ve ever met. I admire him for his ability to weather all the sufferings that life gave him. Even though what happened to him made him keep people at a distance, unwilling to trust them, I¡¯m glad and feel honored that he lets me close to him, even when he is vulnerable. He is my precious little junior brother, and I want him to be happy.¡±


    His warm smile then turning into a grin, Kong Min went on, ¡°But of course, I also like messing with that workaholic brat. It¡¯s really entertaining to see him scowl and growl with frustration whenever I call him to join me in orgies, especially right after he gets swamped with the work that I left to him.¡± Throwing his head back, Kong Min let out an evil laugh full of glee. However, once his laughter subsided, his face softened with affection, ¡°But despite his sharp tongue and all his threatening, Wei Xiang still covers for me whenever he can so that I can retain my freedom to wander around. He knows that being restricted too much will make someone as jittery as I feel caged in. Even though that impudent junior brother of mine very literally chains me to the desk sometimes to make me do at least the minimum of work, he never forces me to do more than I can bear. Under that growling, snarling, threatening face of his, my bratty junior brother has a soft and earnest heart. Isn¡¯t he adorable?¡±


    Seeing Kong Min turn to him with a wide smile, Ying Xulin¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Turning away with a harrumph, Ying Xulin said, ¡°I don¡¯t know about that beast, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯re much cuter.¡±


    Kong Min had to stifle the sudden giggles threatening to erupt out of him. His smile turning more cheerful, he said, ¡°Thank you! I¡¯m glad Ah-Xu finds me cute~¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s ears reddened in reaction, delighting Kong Min into grinning widely. No matter what Ying Xulin said, he was definitely the cutest one of them both!


    Deciding to take pity on Ying Xulin and save him from the embarrassment he obviously didn¡¯t know how to deal with, Kong Min spoke, ¡°Alright, you asked your question. It¡¯s now my turn to ask you something now. Are you ready?¡±


    Ying Xulin coughed and quickly nodded. ¡°Yes, ask whatever you want.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then I won¡¯t hold back,¡± Kong Min warned playfully. Tired of sitting, he leaned backward, lying down on the bumpy roots covering the ground. Ying Xulin frowned and waved a hand, turning the roots under Kong Min more even so that his beloved would be comfortable. Kong Min shot him a grateful look and shifted to settle himself cozily before beginning, ¡°What I want to ask might get a bit personal. So, Ah-Xu¡­what¡¯s your sexual history?¡±


    Seeing Kong Min¡¯s intent gaze focused on him, Ying Xulin grew dazed. He had to take a moment to collect his thoughts before replying, ¡°I¡¯ve only ever tried to have sex three times, and that was only because my brother urged me to. He said it would be fun, but I only found it bothersome.¡±


    Kong Min¡¯s eyebrows flew up. ¡°Your brother? Is that the Master of Oceans? Are you both on such good terms then?¡±


    Ying Xulin nodded. ¡°Yes, more or less.¡±


    His eyes narrowing, Kong Min asked, ¡°Ah-Xu, is that why the Master of Oceans targeted our ship that time? I remember that he was quite insistent that I call you.¡± Kong Min couldn¡¯t help but wonder if his impression of Ying Xulin been wrong all this time. Had Ying Xulin actually conspired together with that brother of his to force Kong Min to contact him back then?


    But Ying Xulin¡¯s expression didn¡¯t bear the slightest hint of craftiness as he nodded. ¡°Yes, my brother indeed said that he held your ship captive to make you call me so that I¡¯d have another chance with you. But don¡¯t worry, I scolded him for doing that to your ship. He was always very unbridled and loves to cause trouble. But he promised not to meddle anymore.¡±


    Kong Min laughed. He should¡¯ve known that as inhuman as this guy¡¯s mind was, he was still too honest to have thought up such a scheme. ¡°That¡¯s good then. Whatever our relationship might turn out to be in the end, I¡¯d rather we develop it on our own. If it can only be held up because of someone else¡¯s constant interference, then that relationship is not one that was meant to last.¡±


    Ying Xulin nodded in agreement. He wished for Kong Min to want him on his own as well. It wouldn¡¯t be nearly as satisfying otherwise.


    ¡°Alright, enough of that,¡± Kong Min said and turned to lie on his side so that he could see Ying Xulin better. ¡°Ah-Xu, you still haven¡¯t told me the story of your sexual escapades fully. You said you only ever tried sex three times, yes? Did you choose to sleep with men or women? If it was with men, then what were your positions and how did that turn out?¡±


    Kong Min¡¯s gaze oozed interest. He had a difficult time pinning down Ying Xulin¡¯s preferences in bed, so he decided to just directly ask him about it.


    Ying Xulin didn¡¯t feel the least bit self-conscious as he satisfied his beloved¡¯s curiosity. His was voice tinted with remembered confusion as he recalled, ¡°The first time was with a woman. At that time, it was considered more normal for a man to lie with a woman, so it was the least troublesome option. It was alright, I suppose. The woman was angry that I got bored and yawned halfway through though. But she still seemed to enjoy herself at the end. She was certainly very noisy. I myself felt that the experience was quite lacking, but perhaps that was only because I didn¡¯t know how to take pleasure from that sort of thing. I still do not understand how rubbing the skins and mouths of strangers with my own and joining my flesh with theirs is supposed to be pleasurable.¡±


    Kong Min burst out laughing. This guy was so innocent! He almost felt sorry for the woman for having faced this utter lack of enthusiasm from her partner. She surely must¡¯ve expected that a virgin would be more excited during his first time. Getting his chuckles under control, Kong Min finally said, ¡°Ah-Xu, that¡¯s too good. But, well, your brother should have waited for you to gain interest in sex before making you go through that.¡±


    Ying Xulin nodded. Yes, his brother clearly didn¡¯t understand him! Look how easily his beloved seemed to have recognized the problem with the situation!


    ¡°So? What happened during your second time?¡± Kong Min prodded with a grin. He was greatly anticipating his answer now.


    Ying Xulin thought back for a few moments before replying, ¡°After I told my brother that I found my first time bothersome and boring to the point of almost dozing off, he suggested that I try letting a man take me while I just lay down instead so that I wouldn''t have to put in that much effort. But¡­I didn¡¯t like how much it hurt when that man entered me, and it continued to feel uncomfortable even after that. Also, the way it felt like that man was only using me for his own pleasure was unpleasant. I felt irritated, so I kicked him away. I suppose I used a bit too much force, because the man¡¯s chest caved in. Well, my brother smoothed things over and decided letting a man do it wasn¡¯t for me.¡±


    Kong Min frowned after hearing that and remarked, ¡°It isn¡¯t actually supposed to hurt that much, you know? If that man didn¡¯t prepare you enough and just rushed to do the deed to satisfy himself, then he certainly deserved to have his chest kicked in. During sex, it¡¯s important to reciprocate the pleasure one receives from their partner, especially when one is serving as the top with an inexperienced bottom who might be feeling too vulnerable during the deed. But from what I gathered, most men from that time long ago had been too impatient and got lost in their own pleasure too easily. People are much more considerate these days. Having to face that when it was the first time you were laying with a man must have been very shocking and dissatisfactory.¡±


    Ying Xulin once again nodded in agreement. As expected of his beloved, he understood his point of view the most after all! Shame on his brother for scolding him back then about sending that man crashing through the walls and bringing down the building. The humans had many other buildings, so surely losing one or two shouldn¡¯t have been such a big issue? Hmph, his brother had no need to be that dramatic when none of the mortals had even died.


    Seeing Ying Xulin¡¯s expression of righteous indignation mixed with petulant dissatisfaction, Kong Min felt affection suddenly welling within him. This person seemed to get more adorable the more time he spent with him. His lips unconsciously curving into an indulgent smile, Kong Min prodded, ¡°So, how did the third time go? I¡¯m assuming your brother hooked you up with another man, but to serve as your bottom this time?¡±


    Ying Xulin nodded. ¡°Yes, it was indeed so. I do not know what my brother told him, but this man was much more accommodating and focused on my pleasure. It was barely passable, I suppose.¡±


    Kong Min looked at Ying Xulin silently. For some reason, hearing how Ying Xulin seemed to have enjoyed his time with another man made him feel an irritable prickle of something. Was it¡­jealously?


    ¡°Kong Min? Is that all you wished to know?¡± Ying Xulin asked, interrupting his thoughts.


    His lips stretching into an automatic smile, Kong Min nodded. ¡°Yes. But now I¡¯m feeling curious. Ah-Xu, compared to all that, how was your experience with me? We didn¡¯t sleep together, but we still did something sexual, didn¡¯t we? Did you like it more than your third time?¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s eyelids lowered, his dark green eyes deepening as he leaned towards him. ¡°It is incomparable. That person merely showed me the possibility of what one might feel when their flesh is stimulated. But with you¡­ it was much, much more than that. It was very pleasurable, and it wasn¡¯t the least bit tedious. Unlike all those times before that I felt were bothersome, with you, I wanted to keep doing things like that again and again and again until neither of us could move anymore. I¡¯d never imagined that it was possible to feel such bliss just due to physical stimulation. And seeing you enjoying yourself with me was far more satisfying than anything I could¡¯ve imagined. It was so the first time we met, and it was even more so when we kissed.¡±


    Kong Min felt his face warming, but he still felt very pleased with this answer. Turning his body so that only his back would face Ying Xulin, Kong Min huffed, ¡°Good. It seems that the skills in bed I honed all these years didn¡¯t go to waste. Alright, enough about that. Ah-Xu, now it¡¯s your turn to ask me something again.¡±


    Ying Xulin blinked. He felt that Kong Min was behaving a bit strangely. But deciding that it wasn¡¯t anything serious, he put it out of his mind. Now, what question should he ask this time? He very badly wanted to ask about Kong Min¡¯s experience with sex as well, but Ying Xulin already knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it. He would inevitably get jealous of all those people Kong Min slept with. Then what else should he ask?


    After several minutes of consideration, Ying Xulin finally chose to ask something that he¡¯d been curious about for a while, ¡°I¡¯ve always wondered, but what do the people in the¡­group sexual events you attend think when they see my gift on your chest? Do they not find it strange?¡±


    Kong Min chuckled and rolled onto his back again. ¡°Now that¡¯s a random question. Yes, they do ask me about the gem quite often, so I have fun making up all sorts of false explanations for that. For example, I once told them that it was a top-secret artifact given only to the Sentinel Grandmaster¡¯s direct disciples. Since neither my senior sister nor my junior brother was available at such an event, there was no chance of them being able to deny it anyway. And another time, I told them that I was born with it, and yet another time, I hinted that it was a seal on an apocalyptic curse that I carried in my body. Their horrified expressions were hilarious!¡± Kong Min laughed at that memory. ¡°I gave different excuses to different people, and I changed the lie I told them quite often without even trying to hide that it was a lie. So people eventually gave up and stopped asking me after realizing that I had no intention of giving them an actual answer. Well, it was entertaining while it lasted. Now it makes me want to think about more fun things to tease them with.¡±


    Ying Xulin shook his head. This person was always like this, so playful and carefree, passing his days as he wanted and enjoying every moment that he could. But he was never in a hurry to live his life, instead taking each day as it came with leisurely ease.


    Folding his hands behind his head to serve as a pillow, Kong Min looked up at the canopy of intertwined branches far above, the mellow sunlight that filtered through it setting its gaps and crevices aglow. Suddenly, his view was blocked by Ying Xulin as the other man crouched over him. His face was calm and solemn as always, his deep green eyes churning with unfathomable emotions. His long hair slipped down, forming a curtain around Kong Min that blocked everything in his view except Ying Xulin¡¯s bewitching face.


    Kong Min blinked. ¡°A-Ah-Xu?¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s face slowly descended on Kong Min¡¯s chest, his lips gently pressing onto the gem through the layers of robes. ¡°This gift from me to you was made from the sap contained in the body I was using at that time, condensed from what was the equivalent of my blood. For you to have it in your body is as if I¡¯ve marked you as my own. Maybe it is selfish of me to feel happy about that, but I am glad it is so. I am glad that you always carry a part of me, just like I always carry a part of you as well.¡±


    Kong Min felt dazed. A part of him¡­ The image of a lock of black hair braided into dark brown hair flashed in his mind. Did he mean that lock of hair Kong Min gave him at the end of their first meeting? He had only given it casually, but to think Ying Xulin treated it as such an important connection to him¡­


    Unfolding one of his arms from behind his head, Kong Min patted Ying Xulin. ¡°Ah-Xu¡­¡± he sighed, then smiled. ¡°What am I going to do with you?¡±


    Ying Xulin earnestly answered, ¡°Make me your lover?¡±


    Kong Min chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re well on your way to reaching that destination.¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s eyes widened. Did this mean that¡­Kong Min had already started feeling romantically attracted towards him?


    ¡°Don¡¯t think so much,¡± Kong Min chided after seeing Ying Xulin¡¯s disbelieving expression. ¡°For now, let¡¯s just enjoy each other¡¯s company and let things develop as they will, alright?¡±


    Saying so, Kong Min pulled Ying Xulin¡¯s head down to rest on his chest, his hand stroking the back of the older man¡¯s head. Ying Xulin shifted for a while, then slid his head further down to lay on Kong Min¡¯s stomach. Rubbing his cheek against the belt, he explained, ¡°The gem on your chest pokes, but your stomach is flatter and more comfortable.¡±


    Kong Min¡¯s lips twitched. And who was the one who asked his mother to put that gem there in the first place? Was it not him?!


    But not willing to change the mood, Kong Min let it go and resumed rubbing Ying Xulin¡¯s head as the mild sunlight cast warm shapes on their bodies.


    ¡­¡­


    After Kong Min left due to being called to attend to some emergency in the Order, Ying Xulin remained lying on the ground, staring up at the canopy of branches over the clearing. A stream of glowing dots floated by, looking like a group of tiny stars gliding through the air.


    After their talk today, Ying Xulin felt warm inside, but also a bit restless. He wanted more of Kong Min, but he didn¡¯t know how to ask for it. But more than that, seeing how his beloved felt satisfied with what they had, he didn¡¯t want to just selfishly force Kong Min in the direction he wanted their relationship to develop in either. But maybe¡­he could nudge his beloved a little. That way, it would be up to Kong Min to decide whether he took a step in that direction, wouldn¡¯t it?


    Getting up from the ground, Ying Xulin fetched the copy of The Profound Ways of the Sword and Chrysanthemum that Kong Min had given him and carefully studied a certain page near the beginning. Nodding to himself, he decided that he would request this as payment from his beloved next time.


    And so, when Kong Min later asked for a favor from Ying Xulin then came to pay, Ying Xulin seriously said, ¡°Kong Min, I would like to swallow your seed.¡±


    Kong Min froze and sputtered. ¡°B-But I¡¯m not a fruit!¡± He then immediately began berating himself for his stupid reply. Fuck! Would it have hurt him to take a moment to understand what Ying Xulin meant?


    Taking a breath and releasing it, Kong Min said with more composure, ¡°Ah-Xu, you want to¡­suck me off?¡±


    Ying Xulin tilted his head as if trying to decide if Kong Min¡¯s words matched with what he wanted, then nodded. ¡°Yes, but it is not compulsory. If you don¡¯t want to pay in such a way, I can always think of something else.¡±


    Kong Min hesitated. He surprisingly found that there was less uncertainty and more excitement at the thought of doing such a thing with Ying Xulin. Since when had he begun feeling so comfortable with him? Since when had he begun trusting him this much? But since there was so resistance towards the thought of paying Ying Xulin in such a way, Kong Min finally nodded. ¡°Very well, I agree.¡±


    His eyes gleaming, Ying Xulin smiled happily. ¡°Thank you. I will take good care of you.¡± Stepping forward, he cupped Kong Min¡¯s face with a palm and looked into his eyes.


    Kong Min felt himself blushing at the sudden intimacy of the moment. Turning away, he quickly began undoing his belt and pulling apart his robes. ¡°Th-then let¡¯s start. Ah-Xu, can you make me a bed or something? I don¡¯t think a chair will cut it this time.¡±


    Ying Xulin nodded and stepped back. Waving a hand, he brought out wooden vines from under the ground as usual before shaping them into a flat rectangular surface reaching up to knee height.


    By now, Kong Min had removed everything on his lower body, remaining with only the layers of robes hanging from his shoulders. After all, he would need padding for his back when he lay down on that rough vine-bed or he might get splinters when he moved. And it was not like he needed to remove everything for this.


    Ignoring the wild beating of his heart, Kong Min casually laid down on the vine-bed. After adjusting his robes a bit to let them cover his entire back without wrinkles, he looked up at Ying Xulin and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m ready. So, Ah-Xu, why don¡¯t you now show me what you learned from the book I gave you?¡±


    Ying Xulin swallowed, his gaze deepening with desire. He stepped forward and climbed up, settling himself over Kong Min. One of his hands reached towards Kong Min¡¯s exposed belly, the fingers spreading wide as if to soak up the warmth from directly touching his skin. His expression turning dazed and worshipful, Ying Xulin slid his hand up, dragging over Kong Min¡¯s midriff, up his chest, over the gem and reaching his throat¡­


    Kong Min instinctively stiffened, his eyes widening. The memory of this hand wrapping around his neck and cutting off his breath suddenly flashed in his mind. Against his will, his body shuddered with fear. His hands clenched while his chest heaved as if struggling to breathe even though there was nothing obstructing his breath this time.


    Ying Xulin stopped, his expression turning worried. ¡°Kong Min?¡±


    Letting out a strained laugh, Kong Min said, ¡°It seems¡­my body has not forgotten, Ah-Xu. I-It¡¯s still¡­afraid of you touching my neck.¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s eyes widened as cutting remorse and panic fluttered in them.


    As he forcefully brought his breath under control, Kong Min shook his head. ¡°Now, this won¡¯t do,¡± he said quietly, then reached out to suddenly pull Ying Xulin¡¯s head down, pressing his mouth to his throat. Kong Min pushed away the recollection of his throat being torn open by Ying Xulin and disregarded how his trembling increased. Yes, he knew how this man¡¯s fangs had felt as they ravaged his throat, but he also trusted him. His Ah-Xu had grown to love him so much, why would he hurt him now?


    ¡°Kong Min, maybe¡­this isn¡¯t a good idea,¡± Ying Xulin said, trying to gently pry away the hand his beloved¡¯s was using to push down his head.


    But Kong Min held on stubbornly. ¡°No, I¡­I don¡¯t want to be afraid of you. Ah-Xu, just run your teeth over my throat. I trust you, so I want you to help me get rid of this fear of you. Please?¡±


    Ying Xulin hesitated, then nodded. If this would truly help his beloved stop fearing him, then he would do this.


    Heaving out a shuddering breath, Kong Min let go of Ying Xulin¡¯s head. Clenching his hands into fists, he pressed them down on the vine-bed. Kong Min felt Ying Xulin very gently and carefully scraping his fangs across his throat and felt his body twisting as if to get away. But Kong Min held himself in place. Maybe it was because of his Sentinel training, but his mind felt strangely clear despite the pulses of fear battering his psyche. As his eyes grew unfocused, his panting picking up speed, Kong Min realized that he was beginning to get dizzy. Not good. If this went on, he¡¯d lose consciousness. He had to hurry it up.


    Unclenching one of his hands, he reached up and pushed Ying Xulin¡¯s head down with sudden force. Ying Xulin¡¯s fangs sank just a bit into his throat, drawing a few drops of blood. Ying Xulin immediately leaned back, his eyes wide. ¡°Kong Min?¡± he called frantically.


    But Kong Min couldn¡¯t hear him. The fear was too much, the sense of danger all-consuming. It swallowed his mind, trying to break apart his sense of reason.


    ¡­Enough.


    It made him want to thrash and scream, to push away Ying Xulin and scuttle back, to cover his throat and flee in panic.


    Enough!


    It filled him to bursting, making him hyperventilate. Black circles swam in his vision, layering over Ying Xulin¡¯s anxious face.


    ENOUGH!


    He¡¯d indulged this fear enough. It was now time for it to go away.


    Kong Min forcibly wrenched his skittering mind into order and thought about Ying Xulin¡¯s tender touches, the look of deep affection in his gaze, his gentle temperament, the inhuman yet innocent way he thought, his small smiles filled with happiness, his sometimes adorable expressions¡­ This man was not a threat. He wouldn¡¯t hurt him. He was someone he trusted. There was no need to be this afraid. Yes, he didn¡¯t have to be afraid anymore¡­


    Ying Xulin peered anxiously at Kong Min¡¯s face. His beloved looked so pitiful and fearful. But even as he seemed like he was flinching away in fear, Kong Min had wrapped his legs around Ying Xulin¡¯s waist instinctively as if to keep him near as well, preventing Ying Xulin from moving away to give his beloved some space. But soon, to Ying Xulin¡¯s relief, Kong Min¡¯s expression began easing, regaining its composure.


    ¡°Kong Min? Are you alright?¡± Ying Xulin asked worriedly.


    Kong Min blinked his eyes and looked up at Ying Xulin. He nodded unsteadily, still seeming a bit dazed. His gaze suddenly focused on the red tipping Ying Xulin¡¯s fangs. Fear tried to rise up, but he was able to quickly push it away. It might not be fully gone yet, and it might try to swallow him up again, but he would not let it completely take over him. He knew how to deal with it now, and that was to focus on the present Ying Xulin rather than how he was in the past. Kong Min smiled and pulled down Ying Xulin¡¯s head, his tongue venturing into his mouth that had just opened as if to say something.


    Feeling Kong Min¡¯s tongue teasing around his fangs, Ying Xulin stilled. Since he hadn¡¯t had the chance to retract his pointed incisors, he didn¡¯t want to move and end up cutting Kong Min with them.


    After Kong Min was done licking up his blood from Ying Xulin¡¯s mouth, he retrieved his tongue and said, ¡°Well, now that that¡¯s done with, we can move onto more fun things, don¡¯t you agree?¡±


    Ying Xulin blinked at him uncomprehendingly. ¡°But, you¡­you just¡­ Are you really alright?¡±


    Kong Min smiled wider and nodded. ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry. I might still need some more time to get over it, but it¡¯s manageable. And now that I finished bravely battling my fear and got it under control, shouldn¡¯t I get some benefits? Ah-Xu, don¡¯t you want to reward me?¡±


    Seeing Kong Min fluttering his eyelashes at him while smiling sultrily, Ying Xulin finally felt his concern easing as the desire from before reignited. He carefully brushed away a lock of hair from Kong Min¡¯s face, then nodded. ¡°Yes, you did well, so I will reward you.¡±


    Bending down, Ying Xulin kissed his beloved. Kong Min eagerly opened his mouth, his tongue once again tracing Ying Xulin¡¯s sharp incisors before being captured and caressed by the other man¡¯s tongue. After a few minutes of passionate tongue wrestling, Ying Xulin drew back. Kong Min¡¯s tongue slid along his own, then wrapped around a fang before finally withdrawing from his mouth fully.


    Before Ying Xulin¡¯s mouth could close, Kong Min stuck a finger in. Ying Xulin cooperatively widened his mouth again and let his beloved fondle and caress his sharp incisors to his heart¡¯s content.


    Kong Min studied the pointed fangs with a fascinated expression. In a husky voice, he observed, ¡°It¡¯s so sharp¡­ Ah-Xu, if you don¡¯t blunt your teeth, I¡¯m not letting your mouth anywhere near my precious family jewels.¡±


    Kong Min immediately felt the fang under his fingertip retract, then the tip turned rounded and blunt like the incisor of a human¡¯s. Kong Min took back his hand and grinned, ¡°Now that¡¯s more like it. You may proceed then.¡±


    Ying Xulin licked his lips and slowly moved back until he was crouching between Kong Min¡¯s legs. Without him having to do anything, Kong Min pulled up his legs and parted them as if in a silent demand for him to get started. Ying Xulin smiled, his eyes gleaming with both amusement and increased arousal at his beloved¡¯s eagerness. He reached down, one claw-tipped hand resting on the inside of Kong Min¡¯s thigh while the fingers of the other hand carefully wrapped around the base of his beloved¡¯s member.


    Kong Min hissed in a breath, but didn¡¯t move.


    Ying Xulin slowly drew his hand up and down over the quickly hardening shaft, his fingers maintain a slight pressure. His other hand slid further down, cupping and rolling the balls hanging below.


    Kong Min let out a ragged moan and squeezed his eyes closed. Maybe it was because of the fear that had just filled him and sharpened his awareness, but Kong Min felt that his body was especially sensitive under Ying Xulin¡¯s hands right now. The other man¡¯s slightly hesitant touches along with the light scrape of his nails on his skin suffused Kong Min with insistent heat. This sudden increase in desire was too fast even for him! But¡­it also felt too good.


    Meanwhile, as he continued stimulating it with his palm, Ying Xulin studied Kong Min¡¯s member with interest. This was the thing that gave his beloved pleasure. How curious. It was hot and throbbing in his hand, seeming alive and demanding. But like the rest of the human body, it was also fragile. Yet something like this could cause his beloved to let out such sounds of pleasure, making the muscles in his stomach flex and roll while his thighs bulged with the strain of holding still. The thin layer of sweat shining on Kong Min¡¯s copper-hued skin only highlighted the straining of his limbs and the shifting of his muscles. Ying Xulin¡¯s eyes glinted at the pleasing sight as he increased the tempo of his hand.


    Kong Min panted, his body beginning to move restlessly. His hands clenched and unclenched as he tried to control his reactions and continue lying down cooperatively. This was probably Ying Xulin¡¯s first time trying to pleasure someone like this. So Kong Min was determined to lie still and make this as easy as possible.


    Suddenly, Ying Xulin stopped. Now that Kong Min¡¯s member had grown fully erect, he decided it was time to start using his mouth as he¡¯d wanted to from the beginning.


    Kong Min had yet to recover from Ying Xulin¡¯s previous ministrations when he felt warm breath bathing the sensitive tip of his member before a moist and hot mouth closed over it. Kong Min let out a gasp. Ying Xulin bore down, steadily taking in more of his beloved¡¯s shaft into his mouth until it touched the back of his throat. He paused for a moment, his expression turning inquisitive as he tried to see if he could taste anything. Moving in the tight space of his full mouth, Ying Xulin¡¯s tongue rubbed the underside of Kong Min¡¯s member, assessing its taste and texture curiously.


    Kong Min let out a throaty groan and praised, ¡°Ah-Xu¡­nh¡­you feel so good¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Ying Xulin made a sound of acknowledgment. But as that murmur lightly vibrated up his shaft, Kong Min couldn¡¯t help the shudder that rippled through his body.


    Ying Xulin felt wetness beginning to come out of the tip of Kong Min¡¯s shaft and swallowed, feeling the strangely flavored liquid sliding down his throat. Ying Xulin blinked. What was that just now? Leaning back, he let the shaft slip out of his mouth and studied it. More liquid welled at the tip. Ying Xulin extended out his tongue and licked it, then tilted his head as he studied its taste. It was salty and a bit bitter. It wasn¡¯t tasty at all, but it was something his beloved¡¯s body was producing for some reason, so he wrapped lips around the head of Kong Min¡¯s member and sucked, trying to get out more of it so that he could analyze it further.


    Kong Min jerked at the sudden burst of strong sensation and cried out.


    Using his tongue, Ying Xulin explored the small slit through which the strange liquid was coming out. As even more of that fluid flowed out, Ying Xulin scraped his tongue over it to lap it all up. Unable to bear it while staying still any longer, Kong Min began to writhe. But Ying Xulin reflexively used a hand to hold Kong Min¡¯s hips in place, still absorbed in intently studying his beloved¡¯s member with his mouth. It felt fascinating to touch something so private with his tongue. Deciding to examine this sensation further, he let his tongue trace the hard length, running down along the veins and over the smooth and ruddy skin.


    Letting out a breathless moan at the sensual way Ying Xulin¡¯s tongue caressed all over his shaft, Kong Min let his head fall back. The heat flowing through him turned thick and liquid, slowly washing over his body and pulsing through his bloodstream. Whimpering, Kong Min hoped that Ying Xulin would pick up the pace. He didn¡¯t know how much more of this slow torment he could take.


    Meanwhile, Ying Xulin leisurely marveled at how the surface of his beloved¡¯s organ felt so soft, but the flesh that lay underneath seemed firm. He suddenly felt curious. Was this how his own organ would feel if he were to touch it? He¡¯d never thought about it before. But no matter how his own shaft was, Ying Xulin felt much more intrigued by Kong Min¡¯s. He licked and sucked and toyed with the stiff organ, watching with shining eyes as it wept more of that translucent white liquid before eagerly taking it into his mouth. It had the same flavor as Kong Min and it had a bit of his life essence in it too. Its taste notwithstanding, Ying Xulin decided he liked drinking it.


    After a few more minutes of being tortured by his clueless lover¡¯s mouth, Kong Min decided he¡¯d had enough of it. ¡°A-Ah-Xu! You¡­ah¡­you should s-stop¡­playing with me already!¡± As pleasurable as this was, he wanted his climax, dammit!


    Regretfully letting go of his beloved¡¯s member, Ying Xulin lifted his head to peer at Kong Min. Finding that his beloved had grown too tense, his body flushed a ripe red and his expression tinted with desperation, Ying Xulin felt puzzled. How mysterious. Just what had gotten his beloved so agitated?


    Kong Min let out a breathy moan and pleaded, ¡°Ah-Xu, please¡­hurry¡­¡±


    Ying Xulin blinked at him with confusion. ¡°What should I hurry with?¡±


    Kong Min¡¯s mouth twitched. This guy¡­ ¡°With sucking me. Do it harder¡­quick¡­¡±


    Showing an expression of realization, Ying Xulin bent down to take Kong Min¡¯s member into his mouth again. He¡¯d almost forgotten why he¡¯d started this. As he moved his mouth up and down with vigor, he couldn¡¯t help but surreptitiously use his tongue to feel more of his beloved¡¯s shaft. He sucked deeply, hoping to draw more liquid out of the hard length.


    Every oblivious movement of Ying Xulin¡¯s mouth sent cascades of pleasure through Kong Min. His body arched back and squirmed as he felt the soft and hot mouth wrapping around his member, sliding and moving and giving him an endless stream of delicious friction. The sensations pushed him higher and higher, sending him to the very edge before bursting. As the orgasm ripped through him, Kong Min let out a long gasp. His spine snapped straight while his body shuddered lightly.


    As thick release suddenly jetted out of the shaft in his mouth, Ying Xulin was pleasantly surprised. He eagerly drank it in, savoring the fact that he was taking in so much of his beloved¡¯s essence. So it turned out that Kong Min¡¯s seed also contained his flavor and his life essence. How interesting.


    By the time his climax receded, Kong Min was wrung out. His body felt heavy and sated, too lazy to move. His eyelids drooped. He always got sleepy after a good orgasm, which was why he usually tried to limit his releases to just once. Ah, this feeling of being completely satisfied and tired really was too comfortable¡­


    Straightening from between Kong Min¡¯s legs, Ying Xulin saw his beloved beginning to doze off and felt confounded. After a moment of hesitation, he tapped into his connection with the gem to read Kong Min¡¯s emotions. He was surprised to find that rather than boredom, what Kong Min felt was a relaxed warmth, peace, and deep contentment. Even after he closed the connection, just the remaining echo of those emotions made Ying Xulin¡¯s expression soften. Hmm, maybe he should sleep too¡­


    Once he finished gently cleaning all traces of Kong Min¡¯s release, Ying Xulin removed his outer robe and covered his beloved with it. It would be evening soon and he didn¡¯t want Kong Min to have to suffer the cold air. After snuggling beside Kong Min then carefully holding him without disturbing him, Ying Xulin closed his eyes and drifted off into sleep with a small smile.


    This feeling of being able to doze off with his beloved in his arms was really too blissful.


    ¡­¡­


    The millennia passed and Kong Min felt more and more comfortable with Ying Xulin.


    In this time, due to various reasons such as an increase in Black Fang activity and more recruits in the informatical department to manage, train, and lead, Kong Min ended up having to ask more favors from Ying Xulin with less time to pay them back immediately. Out of concern for his beloved, Ying Xulin decided to club the payments together and let Kong Min pay them together once every few months by listening to one large request of his. Even though this would reduce their time spent together, just the thought of Kong Min running himself into the ground because of him made Ying Xulin feel reluctant to push the issue. He was slowly learning to put Kong Min first and his own needs second. Though it meant that he wouldn¡¯t get what he wanted, the feelings of relief and gratitude Kong Min had felt when he¡¯d suggested this was enough to let Ying Xulin know that he¡¯d made the right decision.


    But because of this, Ying Xulin also came to know acute loneliness. As a result, he once again started to look through the gem in Kong Min¡¯s chest, though it wasn¡¯t sneaky anymore. He would directly tell Kong Min when he connected and disconnected, and if Kong Min ever asked him to retrieve his consciousness for a bit, Ying Xulin would obediently comply without complaint.


    All this time, Kong Min hadn¡¯t stopped attending orgies or sleeping with other people, but the amount of time he spent in such events significantly lessened. Though the fact that his beloved still went to bed with others irked Ying Xulin, he had also come to realize that it was a sort of release for Kong Min. He needed to let out steam like this every now and then or he was prone to get antsy and irritable. As much as Ying Xulin wanted to ask Kong Min to sleep with only him, he also realized that Kong Min might view it as a form of restraint right now. After all, they hadn¡¯t become a couple yet. His beloved had already warned him that until they got together, he would sleep with others. So Ying Xulin decided to tuck away his jealousy and be satisfied that Kong Min seemed to have begun sleeping with those other humans less and less after spending time with him.


    One of the days Kong Min came to pay him, they both began chatting as usual, and Kong Min told Ying Xulin with a bitter expression about how his junior brother had taken a lover.


    Ying Xulin blinked. ¡°So you¡­used my power to bully that beast¡¯s chosen mate?¡±


    Kong Min¡¯s lips twitched and he turned his face away. ¡°Th-That¡¯s not¡­ I didn¡¯t¡­¡± Letting out a sigh, he finally nodded and said with vehemence, ¡°Yes, damn it, that¡¯s what I did. I¡¯ve been by my junior brother¡¯s side and saw him go through millennia! Of course I¡¯m going to want to vet his lover! I don¡¯t want my junior brother to get taken by some pretty face cultivator with only some skill!¡±


    Ying Xulin felt amused. ¡°And how did that assessment turn out?¡±


    Kong Min huffed. ¡°He passed, I guess. I don¡¯t like that I got my butt handed to me, but I¡¯m not petty enough to hold it over that brat either. There¡¯s no chance I¡¯d hand my junior brother over to someone when they can¡¯t even beat me despite being from the topmost martial arts sect of the current world! But, well, that Feng Qinghe also turned out to be more suitable than I expected, so I gave in and succumbed to the thought of my little Xiang-er finally having achieved romantic bliss.¡±


    But despite all his blustering, Ying Xulin could still sense that Kong Min felt melancholy. Ying Xulin wrapped a hand around Kong Min¡¯s shoulders and gave him an unpracticed hug. ¡°Your junior brother might have gotten a lover, but I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t leave you behind. Was it not you who told me just the previous week that the bonds between brothers are stronger than that? In the meanwhile, I will also be here. I will not let you get lonely.¡±


    His expression easing, Kong Min gave Ying Xulin a smile of gratitude. Then he said in a playful voice, ¡°Yes, my Ah-Xu is definitely right. Even if Wei Xiang betrays me for that brat, I still have you~¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s heart beat faster. He decided he liked being called his beloved¡¯s. It made him feel like Kong Min was slowly closing the distance between them. Maybe at this rate¡­


    Ying Xulin smiled and continued from before, ¡°What made you decide to give that beast¡¯s mate a chance?¡± He wanted to try to understand more about how Kong Min thought and what criteria he felt was outstanding enough that he decided that human was suitable to be with his beloved junior brother.


    Kong Min pressed his lips together and looked away, seeming strangely shy. Coughing, he replied, ¡°It was a simple reason, actually. That Feng Qinghe reminded me a bit of you.¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s eyebrows flew up. ¡°Me?¡±


    Nodding, Kong Min explained, ¡°Yes. You both are monstrously powerful beings who are actually deceptively cute. Sometimes, you¡¯re both also innocent in a clueless way. And, well, once I thought that he was like you, I couldn¡¯t feel hostile towards him anymore.¡±


    Seeing how Kong Min¡¯s expression had unconsciously warmed, Ying Xulin felt his heart beating even faster. He¡¯d liked this person for the longest of time. Never had millennia felt so long to him until he had to spend that much time unable to fully have this person. But all these days with him felt so very precious, like an unexpected treasure that grew more valuable with time. And now, it was becoming clearer and clearer that the more time they spent together, the more his beloved was feeling affectionate towards him as well.


    Maybe at this rate, Kong Min would grow to reciprocate his love soon.


    ¡­¡­


    A few weeks later, Kong Min¡¯s secret of still keeping in touch and asking favors from Ying Xulin was oh-so-casually revealed by Feng Qinghe when he talked about Kong Min shooting those green-colored arrows at him during their first meeting. Having been just outside the building at that time, Wei Xiang seemed to have sensed him using those arrows and guessed his continuing connection to the Master of Land already, but he still took the time to scold Kong Min about it. His master had been clueless, but Kong Min sensed more worry than disapproval from him. In the end, what he feared hadn¡¯t happened. Wei Xiang and Feng Huixin didn¡¯t pry too much or try to pull him away from Ying Xulin, just seeming to be concerned about him.


    Seeing all this, Kong Min had no doubt that it must be his sensible master who¡¯d reined in his hotheaded junior brother in advance!


    And so, Kong Min heaved a breath of relief and stopped hiding how close he¡¯d gotten with Ying Xulin as well, though he did keep it a secret from the rest of the Sentinels. After all, he didn¡¯t want people to find out that he, the second disciple of the Sentinel Grandmaster, had that sort of a connection with one of the Three Masters of this world who were considered a mythical existence by even most cultivators. And of them, the Master of Land was said to be the most mysterious, someone who was rarely, if ever, seen in the mortal world. Kong Min did not want to bring attention to the reclusive Ying Xulin by declaring how close they were.


    After that, not even a few peaceful months had passed when the demonic deity Xie Xingye attacked the Battle Arena.


    The sect masters, Elders, and disciples focused on the ghouls while a few disciples, with Feng Qinghe at the forefront, managed to hold off the demonic deity for long enough that the Sentinels could get there. Feng Huixin then drove off the demonic deity and his black dragon while the officers methodically cleared away the ghouls and handled the aftermath.


    When Kong Min had time, he contacted Ying Xulin and quickly shared the details of the situation with him, ending with <¡­and so, Ah-Xu, can you use your power to help us against that guy? I know you don¡¯t like to interfere in things, but if you think of it as doing the world a favor, then I¡¯m sure I could ask Master to make those old fogeys at the top of the cultivation world cough up any payment of your choice. And if the demonic deity¡¯s plan succeeds, as the manifestation of parts of this world, won¡¯t you and your siblings be devoured as well? So please, won¡¯t you help us?>


    For a second, there was only silence. Kong Min knew Ying Xulin must be deep in thought and patiently waited. A few moments later, Ying Xulin¡¯s familiar voice spoke, unwaveringly calm, <If we die, then so be it. I am not one who cares about life and death. It is but one of the natural laws of the worlds and is inevitable. It is nothing to be feared. If I, you, my siblings, and everyone die, then that is what is meant to be. I will not interfere in the order of things.> After all, if he was forced to live in a world without Kong Min, then that would be unacceptable. But if both of them were to perish at the same time, he wouldn¡¯t have to be lonely, would he? It might hurt a bit, but they would soon be beyond that. There was nothing to worry about. It was a given that the journey of every living being would always end in death. What was there to protest about that?


    For a moment, Kong Min was too shocked to say anything in reply. He supposed that for an inhuman being like the Master of Land, someone who had never needed to or cared to understand mortality, the notion of fearing death must be laughable. But for him¡­ In a quiet voice, Kong Min asked, <Ah-Xu, but what if I said I was afraid of death? What if I said I didn¡¯t want to die? What if I said I didn¡¯t want to be unable to see or speak with you, my junior brother, my master, and everyone else ever again? I¡­> Kong Min trailed away. What was the use of saying things like this? If Ying Xulin didn¡¯t want to, then what more could he do?


    On the other side of the connection, Ying Xulin was too stunned to be able to answer.


    Letting out a deep breath, Kong Min forced some cheer into his mental voice and brushed it off, <It¡¯s alright, I understand. I¡¯m sorry for being so pushy, Ah-Xu. I should¡¯ve known that a being who is literally as old as dirt would view things like death and gloom differently. Don¡¯t let it bother you.> Then regaining his seriousness, he said, <But you see, Ah-Xu, even if you didn¡¯t care about your own life and death, I care about it a lot. So I will do my best to protect you in the ways I can and make sure that demonic deity won¡¯t get to devour you. I¡¯ll go and see what I can do now. Remain safe for me, alright?>


    With that, Kong Min finally cut the connection, leaving a very baffled Ying Xulin standing in a daze in the Forest¡¯s Cradle.


    Though death would mean nothing to him, for his beloved, it seemed to be a very undesirable thing. What should he do? Interfering in the balance of things, especially to such a degree, was an anathema to him and his siblings. But for Kong Min¡­maybe he could bend the rules a little.


    A few days later, the planning of how to reseal the demonic deity began and efforts were soon underway. In this time, Kong Min had led a few skilled officers under his charge to scope the Castle of Echoes and its surroundings. Working along with a few people from the Silver Moon Sect, they successfully removed traps and created holes in the protective barrier around the castle. Then using the shadows, invisibility talismans, and various other stealth spells, they infiltrated the castle and disabled any other troublesome traps they could find. Of course, some of these spells might be re-cast again, but there wouldn¡¯t be enough time for the demonic deity to finish erecting a fresh set of defenses after this much of the castle¡¯s inbuilt protection was taken down.


    Once that was done, Kong Min continued to sink himself into carrying out his part of the plan by gathering helpful information or leading teams to methodically clear out the ghouls.


    On one such task taking place in a desert, Kong Min and his team encountered a horde of ghouls much larger than what they had anticipated. After all, who would have guessed that the ghouls would try to hide from the desert heat by burrowing under the sand? But since they were dead, the ghouls were still able to function even with dry sand in their stomachs and lungs. But it wasn¡¯t the same for the shocked Sentinels the ghouls tried to pull into the sand one by one. Buried in hot sand, they could stay alive for a while, but just how long could they survive without taking in any air or avoid being cooked alive due to the heat?


    Like the few officers who''d still managed to remain aboveground, Kong Min was currently running full tilt, his feet churning up clouds of sand behind him. If he paused, he knew that he might be pulled in. The remaining officers were also busily trying to dodge the ghouls by constantly keeping in motion, all of them already having drifted away far from each other so that they wouldn''t be caught all at once. But even then, their safety was uncertain. Most of the powerful officers had already been taken into the sand in the first wave of attacks. The rest couldn¡¯t pinpoint the ghouls while they were moving so silently under the sand. And if they attacked the sand indiscriminately, they might injure or kill their fellow officers buried under it. But if this went on, there would be no survivors.


    Understanding the direness of the situation, Kong Min raised his hand to touch the gem on his chest without thinking, then paused. Ying Xulin had already said that he wouldn¡¯t interfere with this battle. Would that apply to these ghouls too?


    But this second of hesitation proved dangerous to Kong Min.


    The sand under him shifted and sank suddenly. Bony fingers rose out and strongly gripped his ankle from below, then jerked him downwards. Kong Min stumbled, falling to his knees. He quickly pulled out a blade from his sleeve and sliced off the hand on his ankle, but it was too late. More bony hands had already thrust out of the sand, gripping his legs in various places. Before Kong Min could cut away even half of them, arms pushed out of the sand to clutch at his forearms and wrap around his torso. Kong Min struggled, trying to reach for the gem in his chest, but his arms were pulled down so forcefully that he couldn¡¯t lift them at all.


    Kong Min grunted in frustration and growled, ¡°Fuck you and your bony asses! Let me go, you festering assholes! Just because you look whole on the outside doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t know how rotten you have to be on the inside. And everyone knows that it¡¯s the inside that matters!¡±


    <¡­Kong Min? What are you talking about?> a familiar voice asked with puzzlement.


    Kong Min¡¯s eyes widened. Before he could call out Ying Xulin¡¯s name in surprise, thick tendrils of earth burst out of the sand, each holding a Sentinel. Most of them were coughing out sand and had been toasted to an even red by now. They seemed to be the officers pulled under by the ghouls. Kong Min felt one of the rough tendrils wrapping around his waist and trying to lift him up as well. He felt the pull of the ghouls¡¯ hands and arms increase for a moment as they tried to hold him down. Kong Min cried out in pain. But as cartilage began to tear in the ghouls¡¯ sockets that had already grown weak with death, they were finally forced to let go. The tendril of earth then quickly raised Kong Min up, making sure the ghouls couldn¡¯t get him.


    The sand under them, now containing only ghouls, churned and thrashed, looking like the surface of a golden ocean disturbed by a storm. Thick red liquid and torn off ghoul limbs sprayed and spurted up here and there, dying the sands red. Sometimes, tendrils of earth would appear and disappear like dolphins diving in and out of ocean waters. Within minutes, the movement under the sand subsided and the tendrils carefully placed the wide-eyed and cautious Sentinels back on the sand. But this time, not a single ghoul stirred the dunes.


    After making sure that the danger passed, the Sentinels quickly took care of their injuries and swallowed the appropriate medicinal pills to regain their combat effectiveness. Who knew if they¡¯d have to face something else again?


    Kong Min took a moment to get his breath and did the same, then quickly looked around, counting. Only after determining that all sixteen officers from his team were safe and alive did Kong Min direct his consciousness into the gem and call, <Ah-Xu, you came!>


    Ying Xulin¡¯s voice was tinged with concern as he replied, <Yes, but are you alright? Does it hurt anywhere?>


    Giving a hoarse laugh, Kong Min replied, <It¡¯s nothing a couple of healing pills won¡¯t cure. I¡¯m more worried that I¡¯ll have to wash sand out of my hair and buttcrack for days.>


    Kong Min could hear Ying Xulin¡¯s sigh of relief. <That¡¯s good then. And I can always help you wash out your body if it¡¯s that troublesome.>


    Kong Min¡¯s mouth twitched. <That¡¯s a generous offer, but I¡¯ll have to decline. For now, I''d like it if you could continue to help us eradicate the ghouls under the sand in other areas as well while keeping us all as safe as possible. Or¡­would that also be interfering?>


    There was a pause. Then Ying Xulin said solemnly, <I¡¯ve decided that since you dislike dying, I will help you a little. I will not directly interfere with the humans¡¯ handling of that deity unless you all fail. But until then, I might be able to assist with clearing out these undead pests. Of course, to maintain balance, I must still collect payment from you. Is that¡­alright? Is this much enough?>


    For a moment, Kong Min could only blink in disbelief. Then his lips softened into a smile. <Ah-Xu, the fact that you are willing to do this much despite your own thoughts is more than enough for me. Thank you, both for helping us now and for offering to do so again in the future. It will make everything much safer.>


    Ying Xulin¡¯s voice sounded pleased as he said, <I am glad to be able to help you. I will wait for payment as usual. Take your time.>


    Ying Xulin¡¯s presence receded from the gem


    Kong Min felt his stomach flutter at the thought of seeing and speaking to Ying Xulin again. It seemed that his affections for him were increasing. At this rate, he might feel comfortable with agreeing to be Ying Xulin¡¯s lover within a few more weeks of spending time together. But not yet. For now, the threat of the demonic deity hung too close on the horizon, it was too prominent to ignore. But after that¡­maybe he could finally accept Ying Xulin¡¯s affections.


    Letting out a breath, Kong Min turned to the Sentinels to begin organizing them again before they all started their work once more.


    ¡­¡­


    From that day on, Ying Xulin helped the Sentinels with clearing the ghouls. Kong Min explained the situation and asked his master to somehow give a reason for Ying Xulin¡¯s assistance to the others without revealing his identity. And so, Feng Huixin issued a statement saying that the mysterious person helping them with the ghouls was an old and reclusive cultivator who didn¡¯t wish to show his face. No more questions were asked and the tasks went on smoothly.


    Soon, the cultivators marched to the Castle of Echoes and directly confronted the demonic deity, his black dragon, and his army of ghouls. They emerged victorious, but Feng Qinghe had to leave for Heaven with his father to recuperate from his grave injuries. It was uncertain if he would return.


    Left behind, Wei Xiang grew grimmer and grimmer by the day. Given full command of the Sentinels now, Wei Xiang¡¯s work increased several-fold as well. Kong Min felt his heart aching for his junior brother. He tried his best to be cheerful with Wei Xiang in an attempt to bring his spirits up. Kong Min would also get into little troubles on purpose so that his junior brother would at least turn more lively when scolding him and threatening to beat him up. But despite his outward cheer and his seemingly endless positive energy while with Wei Xiang, whenever Kong Min talked with Ying Xulin using the gem, he always seemed mentally exhausted and drained.


    Ying Xulin wanted to hug his beloved. It had been months since Kong Min visited him, since not only was he too busy with work, he also constantly kept an eye on his junior brother paranoidly just to make sure Wei Xiang wouldn¡¯t do anything reckless and drastic in case he lost hope in his situation with his lover. But after a few weeks of such observation and witnessing the fervor with which Wei Xiang cultivated for the sake of quickly ascending, Kong Min was at least glad to see that Wei Xiang¡¯s belief that he would be reunited with Feng Qinghe seemed unfaltering.


    During this time, Kong Min had to ask for a lot of favors from Ying Xulin since the Sentinels¡¯ manpower was stretched too thin all over the continent. Dealing with the aftermath of the demonic deity¡¯s battle with the cultivation world seemed to be never-ending. And then there was also the issue of having to clear out the Valley of the Terrified Dead. That many bones and bodies mixed together would not do anything good, so it had to be quickly dealt with. To lessen the cumulative workload of the Order, Kong Min stopped slacking off and put in his own share of effort, completely wringing himself out in the process. But wanting to lessen the burden on his junior brother and give him sufficient time to cultivate as he wanted, Kong Min didn¡¯t take it easy on himself, shouldering as much of the responsibility as he could and going out of his way to tackle even Wei Xiang¡¯s share of the paperwork.


    Due to this, Wei Xiang was able to quickly ascend within three years of his lover¡¯s departure to Heaven.


    Thankfully, after Wei Xiang ascended and Feng Qinghe woke up from the healing pool, Feng Huixin descended to run the Order temporarily and help them with their workload in Wei Xiang¡¯s absence. Noticing his second disciple¡¯s plight, Feng Huixin also reduced Kong Min¡¯s responsibilities by a lot. Soon, Wei Xiang and Feng Qinghe also descended to help out with the Order¡¯s work often. After a few hectic years of this, the overworked officers finally heaved breaths of reliefs as their burdens eased. They were finally able to take breaks and start winding down. Similarly, Kong Min was also finally able to carve out a few days of freedom for himself and promptly went to pay Ying Xulin for all his help on a certain afternoon.


    Truthfully, Ying Xulin didn¡¯t want to ask anything from Kong Min. But knowing how stubborn Kong Min usually was about paying him back, Ying Xulin decided that rather than being cooped up in the Forest¡¯s Cradle as always, they would go outside and let Kong Min take in some fresh air.


    And so, as an exhausted Kong Min stood in front of him waiting for him to state his payment, Ying Xulin said with solemnity, ¡°I wish to take a stroll in the world outside. Kong Min, will you accompany me?¡±


    Kong Min blinked. ¡°¡­That¡¯s all? I guess it¡¯s alright. Where do you want to go?¡±


    Seeing the tiredness his beloved was trying to suppress, Ying Xulin stepped forward and hugged him. Kong Min startled. Ying Xulin patted his back and kissed the top of his beloved¡¯s head, then replied in a soft voice, ¡°We will go wherever you want to. The important thing is for you to be able to unwind and relax. Kong Min, you¡¯ve worked yourself into such a worrying state. Please take better care of yourself. If there¡¯s something I can do, don¡¯t hesitate to ask me for help.¡±


    Kong Min swallowed thickly, then leaned into Ying Xulin¡¯s embrace and nodded. ¡°Yes, I will. Thank you. And I¡¯m sorry for worrying you.¡± Letting out an unsteady chuckle, he then commented, ¡°My Ah-Xu is too good to me. What will you do if I start getting evil thoughts of taking advantage of your kindness?¡± But even as his mouth teased like this, Kong Min¡¯s chest was so filled with warmth at this man¡¯s care that he wanted to cry.


    Ying Xulin didn¡¯t even need to think as he replied serenely, ¡°As long as it¡¯s you, I will do anything you ask. Even if it is to destroy the world, I will do it as long as it can make you happy.¡±


    Kong Min¡¯s eyes widened, then he laughed, bending his head and burying it in Ying Xulin¡¯s shoulder. His voice came out muffled as he said, ¡°My Ah-Xu is really too good to me!¡± He didn¡¯t know why this man showed him this much devotion, but he was determined to cherish it. He would cherish his Ah-Xu from now on.


    Once Kong Min made his decision, it was strangely relieving.


    Straightening with a smile, he looped an arm around one of Ying Xulin¡¯s and began dragging him towards the place from which he usually entered the Forest¡¯s Cradle. ¡°Come on then, let¡¯s go and have our official first date!¡±


    And after that, Kong Min was determined to finally enter his first romantic relationship as well!


    crimson_carnation

 Extra 22: The Forest’s Cradle [Part 4]

    crimson_carnation


    The late afternoon sun was bright and cheery, lighting up the sky in a happy blue. Underneath, Kong Min and Ying Xulin strolled along leisurely on a well-worn path. On their left was a line of shops and on their right was a weathered wooden railing. Past the railing stretched the sparkling greenish-blue surface of a large lake, appearing boundless.


    His hands folded behind his head, Kong Min looked around with a smile. ¡°This place has changed a lot in the last hundred years or so. The colors look more vivid somehow. Ah-Xu, have you ever come here?¡±


    Ying Xulin had put away all his nonhuman features for this excursion to the world outside. Except for a faint sense of otherworldliness, he seemed almost completely human now. Hearing Kong Min¡¯s question, Ying Xulin seriously peered at the buildings and the people around them, then turned to look at the lake. With a confused expression, he said, ¡°I do not know. Human places all look the same.¡±


    Kong Min chuckled. ¡°Come now, Ah-Xu. You should at least remember if the places you went to had a lake like that.¡±


    But Ying Xulin only frowned. ¡°The last time I ventured out was sixty thousand years ago, so the lake might very well have shifted its position or shape, or formed only after my visit. I cannot say. All the vegetation here is also only a few thousand years old. As for the land itself¡­it¡¯s difficult to make it talk. It always tends to be uncooperative.¡±


    Kong Min¡¯s eyes gleamed with helpless mirth. This man was always so strange. But he couldn¡¯t deny that he liked it nonetheless and found him interesting.


    Lowering his hands, Kong Min clasped them behind his back and shifted closer to Ying Xulin. ¡°It¡¯s alright if you don¡¯t remember this place. After spending time here together with me, I will make sure you¡¯ll make memories that you¡¯ll never forget. Even if this place is forgettable, this day with me will not be.¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s eyes widened, his heart skipping a beat. Why did it feel like his beloved was insinuating something? Just what was he planning to do to make him remember this day?


    Seeing Ying Xulin¡¯s confused expression, Kong Min smirked to himself. Sure enough, teasing this man was always fun.


    Just then, a voice cut into the subtle atmosphere between them. ¡°Kong Min, is that you? What are you doing here?¡±


    Kong Min and Ying Xulin turned their heads in the direction of the voice. A group of two men and a woman wearing casual clothes in dark colors exited a restaurant and quickly made towards them. When the group finally reached them, a man with a mole on his jaw¡ªthe one who had just called out to Kong Min¡ªbegan talking, ¡°The last time I saw you, you were so busy that you were on the verge of death. Did you finally decide to take a break now that things eased up? But if you¡¯re going to the red-light district to have some fun, why are you taking the longer route?¡±


    Sensing Ying Xulin¡¯s scowl without even having to look at him, Kong Min coughed. ¡°No, I¡¯m not going that way. I¡¯m just taking a stroll to relax my nerves from that horrendous mountain of paperwork I just finished. It was so endless that I swear the papers were either haunted or breeding.¡±


    The two men laughed while the woman shook her head in sympathy. ¡°Yes, I know what you mean. Our logistics department had been grossly overworked until recently too. We just got a new batch of juniors, so we were busy training them on top of everything. Thankfully, things are starting to smoothen again now that the Grandmaster and Senior Officer Wei are working together, with Disciple Feng also helping out. Just because of those three, everyone¡¯s workload has decreased by a lot in these past few years.¡±


    The others all nodded. It sure felt great to have some time to themselves now.


    ¡°But still, it¡¯s been too long since you joined us to let out some steam, Officer Kong,¡± the other man who had a wiry thin body and wildly curly black hair protested. ¡°The people in the backrooms have all been missing you. Especially that Lord Tai you introduced last year.¡±


    Kong Min quickly replied, ¡°No, I¡­I¡¯m not going to be participating in any group events.¡± He was planning on finding a proper time and finally telling Ying Xulin that he would like to become his lover. As such, he was naturally going to be faithful to him and never sleep with another person again from now on.


    But thinking that Kong Min was only worried about finishing work and that it would be temporary, the others all nodded in understanding. It was rare for this fellow brother of theirs to take work this seriously, so they would support him and not tempt him further.


    Meanwhile, Ying Xulin felt very pleased at hearing that Kong Min hadn¡¯t lain with anyone for a while. And seeing how unenthusiastic Kong Min seemed when that idea was brought up again now, his happiness only increased. As his lips curled into a small smile, the group of people suddenly turned their attentions to him as one, as if irresistibly drawn to him.


    Getting a proper look at Ying Xulin for the first time, the three Sentinels sucked in their breaths with wonder.


    ¡°This¡­ Who is this man? Kong Min, how come I didn¡¯t know that you had such a handsome friend?¡± the man with the mole who first called out said. His gaze stayed fixed on Ying Xulin¡¯s face the whole time he spoke.


    ¡°If you introduce him to the backroom, everyone will want to have a taste,¡± sighed the woman.


    The thin man with curly hair stepped forward while holding his chin and peered up at Ying Xulin¡¯s face. ¡°Hmm, he¡¯s absolutely exquisite. Where did you find such a treat?¡±


    Kong Min scowled, irritated. Stepping before Ying Xulin as if to shield him, he declared, ¡°He¡¯s off-limits. Stop staring.¡±


    The three Sentinels widened their eyes. When had Kong Min ever refused to share anyone with them? Had their dear promiscuous Officer Kong finally set his sights on one person?


    ¡°Oho, how interesting,¡± the woman said with a smirk. She tilted her head to get a good view and looked Ying Xulin up and down. ¡°So this is your fatal type.¡±


    Kong Min pressed his lips together and forced down his blush, unwilling to give anything more away.


    The man with the mole clapped Kong Min on the back. ¡°You have very good taste, Kong Min.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a pity we won¡¯t get to invite him to play with us. But hey, it¡¯s even more entertaining to see you of all people fall,¡± the man with curly hair grinned cheekily.


    Kong Min felt like covering his face or diving behind the nearest bush to hide. How could he have forgotten how nosy these guys were!


    At the side, Ying Xulin was utterly baffled at how the gazes directed at him seemed more intense than before. He didn¡¯t understand what they were talking about and didn¡¯t try to either. But being stared at like that with such gleeful expressions still made him feel cautious. Turning to his beloved, he asked, ¡°Kong Min, why do these humans stare at me so?¡±


    Kong Min sighed at his blatant impoliteness. ¡°¡­Ah-Xu, ¡®these humans¡¯ are right here, you know? They can hear you.¡±


    Ying Xulin blinked confusedly. ¡°Yes, I am aware. So what?¡±


    Kong Min sighed again. He supposed it was too much to expect normal manners from a reclusive being who had minimal experience in interacting with humans. ¡°Ah-Xu, talking about someone right in front of them is rude. If you have a question about why someone is doing something, you might as well directly ask them.¡±


    Ying Xulin swept a gaze at the group of three. He had to speak to these humans? Why? With a huff, he turned back to look at Kong Min. ¡°No, humans have too many complicated things they have to keep in mind while conversing. I¡¯d rather talk only to you. I have no need to be friendly with anyone else.¡±


    The three Sentinels suppressed smiles, their eyes glittering. Rather than taking offense, they only felt more interested in this person. From the way he referred to them as humans repeatedly, he didn¡¯t seem to be a human himself. As such, they didn¡¯t mind his lack of etiquette. They were more curious about what sort of a being he was and what his thoughts towards Kong Min were. From the way he always kept near to their senior officer, he must be pretty close to Kong Min.


    Meanwhile, Kong Min looked at Ying Xulin with an exasperated smile. ¡°Alright, why do you not want to speak with others? Is it because they¡¯re unfamiliar?¡±


    Ying Xulin nodded, then paused. In an aggrieved voice, he said, ¡°Except you, I also can¡¯t distinguish between other humans. Mixing up names and misgendering humans is considered bad. But how do I know whether to address them as a male or female? They are all too similar with their number of limbs, the features of their faces, their long hair, and other aspects. Different sexes of humans do not have any defining markings like some of the beasts to distinguish between them as well. I do not understand the differences between their clothing. And I¡¯ve also been told by my brother that it is impolite to look down at a person¡¯s chest or between their legs to try and determine their gender. Asking them is also considered rude. But how else is one supposed to distinguish between them? Hmph, humans are too confusing. Interacting with them is troublesome.¡±


    Kong Min massaged his head. He really didn¡¯t know how he could answer this. What Ying Xulin said wasn¡¯t all that unreasonable after all. And what humans considered common sense wasn¡¯t something that could be easily taught either. He had to admit that he had no choice but to give up on this subject for now.


    On the other hand, the three Sentinels all had to look away or clamp their hands over their mouths to force down their laughter. This person had such delightful views! As expected, the person who could capture the heart of a renowned manwhore like their beloved senior officer had to be special in some way!


    The man with the mole grinned and elbowed Kong Min playfully, ¡°Your companion is pretty amusing. Make sure to pursue him properly so that you can keep this interesting person tied to your side.¡±


    Kong Min felt his cheeks warming and opened his mouth automatically to argue, but then he closed it again without refuting those words. Well¡­they were not wrong.


    From beside him, Ying Xulin glared at the man with the mole dissatisfiedly and declared, ¡°I am the one pursuing him. Why would someone as good as Kong Min have the need to pursue anyone?¡± Then reaching out and looping a hand around Kong Min¡¯s waist, Ying Xulin pulled him close as if saying that he didn¡¯t want him to get any more closer to these humans who had such silly thoughts.


    But far from being offended, the three Sentinels chuckled happily and let out whistles.


    ¡°It seems you don¡¯t have much work to do to trap the beauty, Officer Kong!¡± the curly-haired man said.


    ¡°Just what did you do to him to make him fall for you this hard?¡± the woman teased.


    ¡°Now I¡¯m getting jealous. Just admit that you came here today to make us suffer by publicly displaying your affections this much!¡± the man with the mole playfully grumbled.


    Kong Min buried his head in Ying Xulin¡¯s shoulder and laughed. ¡°Ah-Xu, you¡¯re getting really smooth with you compliments.¡±


    Ying Xulin tilted his head. Compliments? But he just said the truth.


    Seeing his clueless look, Kong Min¡¯s face softened into an affectionate smile. This man was too adorable! Hooking a hand behind his neck, Kong Min pulled down Ying Xulin¡¯s head and gave him a peck on his nose before leaning back. Ying Xulin raised his fingers to carefully rub at his nose with an expression of wonder.


    Kong Min had already turned to face the others to smile cheekily and say, ¡°Alright, you¡¯ve interrupted our date enough. I and my Ah-Xu shall now depart in search of more romantic pastures where we won¡¯t be disturbed by errant officers. Enjoy your break and then work hard, my diligent little ducklings.¡±


    The three Sentinels had some choice things to say in reply before finally letting the pair go. As they were walking away, Kong Min turned back to give them a smile and placed his index finger on his lips in a ¡®hush¡¯ gesture.


    The man with the mole raised his eyebrows while the woman showed a wry smile. The curly-haired man rolled his eyes dramatically. But all three nodded to show that they understood. For someone as unrestrained as Kong Min, it must have been difficult to come to the decision of tethering himself to one person like this. He might need some time to come to terms with it, so they would keep his relationship a secret for now. He would reveal it when he felt it was time.


    Giving them a grateful look, Kong Min turned back to Ying Xulin, continuing to talk to and tease him as they walked leisurely. As their bodies stayed close, their shoulders and upper arms occasionally rubbed together. Their faces remained turned towards each other, their attention focused only on the person before them while excluding the rest of the world.


    In this way, they continued on.


    ¡­¡­


    Kong Min led Ying Xulin to eat together in a secluded table at a restaurant to let him sample some human food before they resumed their journey. Kong Min took time to enjoy certain street foods or fruits on the way, cheerfully munching on them and sharing some with Ying Xulin. By the time Kong Min decided he felt full, the afternoon had already given way to the dimness of evening.


    As they both continued along the path, the atmosphere gradually changed. Oil lamps and paper lanterns hung across the street while fluttering banners lined with golden tassels decorated the houses. The sparkling brilliance of the lanterns stood out in the fading light, dazzling the eyes and gladdening the spirit. A soft golden glow seemed to suffuse the air, casting a feeling of cheer and wonder unique to the celebration of festivals.


    Seeing how the locals were letting little paper lanterns shaped like lotuses float into the lake, Kong Min¡¯s eyes gleamed. Wanting to see the stream of floating lights from up close, he dragged Ying Xulin into an empty house¡¯s back garden and leaned over the wooden railing to peer into the lake below.


    Floating quietly on the dark surface of the lake, the paper lotuses were lit softly from within, seeming mesmerizing as they gently swayed back and forth with the waves. The way their lights reflected on the water and shimmered as if with a life of their own made the scene look even more magical. Illuminating only a small portion of the dark waters, the lanterns were like a sprinkling of stars at the corner of the night sky¡¯s vast expanse, feeling all the more precious for the smallness of their existence.


    As Kong Min watched this scene, Ying Xulin studied his beloved¡¯s expression fixedly. He drank in the curve of Kong Min¡¯s happy smile and the awe glittering in his gaze. Such a simple thing could bring his beloved so much joy. How strange. But Ying Xulin reflected that the pleasure he felt at seeing his beloved¡¯s delight was even stranger.


    After half an hour, the lotus lanterns had drifted so far away that all Kong Min could see were a few specks of light. When he finally turned back, Kong Min was greeted with Ying Xulin¡¯s intent gaze and his small smile. Coming out of his surprise, Kong Min chuckled and teased, ¡°Am I really that captivating that you¡¯re ignoring all the wonderful scenery in this place in favor of gazing at me?¡±


    Ying Xulin earnestly nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Kong Min blushed and turned away, grumbling, ¡°Damn, it¡¯s so difficult to tease you sometimes. But your cuteness gets me every time¡­¡±


    Ying Xulin felt the inexplicable urge to laugh at his beloved¡¯s complaining tone.


    As he stepped away from the railing, Kong Min studied the garden they were in. Most of the plants here had plump flower buds adorning them. Due to the descending night, the buds were more or less closed.


    Kong Min observed, ¡°It seems that all these flowers are the variety that bloom at dawn and close by night. They must all look glorious when fully open. It¡¯s a pity that despite being wood-based, my ability does not include making flowers blossom.¡± Turning to Ying Xulin, he grinned, ¡°Otherwise, I could have made the entire garden flower at once as a romantic gesture towards you~¡±


    Hearing this, Ying Xulin¡¯s eyes suddenly brightened. So doing such a simple thing could also count as a romantic gesture?


    Turning to Kong Min, Ying Xulin solemnly stated, ¡°If you wish to see it, then I will make them bloom for you.¡± Without looking away from his beloved, he waved a hand. Tendrils of his power spread out to convey his command and the plants obeyed.


    The garden bloomed.


    Kong Min¡¯s eyes turned wide with wonder as he saw the brightly colored flowers opening their petals for him, blossoming into large, full blooms. Ying Xulin did this for him. He did this just to make him happy. Kong Min couldn¡¯t suppress the smile stretching his lips. After a few minutes of drinking in the gorgeous sight, he turned to Ying Xulin and breathed softly, ¡°Ah-Xu, thank you.¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s gaze was tender. ¡°Is this sight as beautiful as you hoped?¡±


    Seeing Ying Xulin¡¯s gentle and loving expression directed at him, Kong Min felt a flash of bashfulness. Suddenly pulling Ying Xulin towards him, Kong Min buried his face in his shoulder to hide his silly grin and silently nodded. After a pause, Ying Xulin lifted his arms and wrapped them around his beloved, carefully hugging him and patting his back. ¡°Then that¡¯s good. I¡¯m glad if I could make you happy.¡±


    Feeling a blush warming his face, Kong Min pressed his face deeper into the crook of Ying Xulin¡¯s shoulder. If he hadn¡¯t already decided to agree to accept Ying Xulin¡¯s proposal, then this might¡¯ve been the moment that convinced him.


    As the dusk slowly darkened to night, the two embracing figures finally parted. Turning away from Ying Xulin with his ears still burning, Kong Min resolutely took the older man¡¯s hand and began marching out of the garden. ¡°There are still a lot of things left to see! Nighttime is when festivals gain the most color! Come, Ah-Xu, we¡¯ll go and take a look!¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s expression remained gentle as he nodded. ¡°Mn.¡±


    Kong Min dragged him over to wander through the festive atmosphere in the street and commented on the various food stalls and entertainments. But since Ying Xulin didn¡¯t show as much interest in them as he did in Kong Min, Kong Min decided to keep moving on in an attempt to find something that could grab Ying Xulin¡¯s attention. He was afraid that if the older man kept looking at him with so much affection, he might blush such a vivid red that he¡¯d rival the glow of even the brightest of lanterns.


    But after walking for hours, Kong Min finally had to give up on redirecting Ying Xulin¡¯s gaze. His Ah-Xu¡¯s attention showed no signs of budging and he was only exhausting himself even more. Stopping, Kong Min leaned on the railing still lining the right of the street and sighed. ¡°Ah-Xu, I¡¯m a bit tired. Let me rest on you.¡± Saying so, he promptly plopped his head on Ying Xulin¡¯s shoulder and closed his eyes.


    Ying Xulin blinked, then wrapped a hand around Kong Min and let him lean more of his weight on him. He murmured softly, ¡°Do you wish to go back?¡±


    Kong Min frowned and shook his head. ¡°No. It¡¯s been a while since we got to spend this much time together. I missed you. Can we stay like this for a bit more?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we can remain like this as long as you wish to.¡± Ying Xulin then turned his head and placed a kiss on the top of Kong Min¡¯s head. He realized that he liked learning such gestures from his beloved, then lavishing them back on Kong Min with affection. It settled him and made him feel a serene contentment he¡¯d never felt before.


    Kong Min smiled, his consciousness blurring with sleepiness despite him remaining standing. Being with Ying Xulin felt so relaxing¡­


    And so, as Ying Xulin held his beloved close and made sure he wouldn¡¯t topple, he felt Kong Min beginning to drowse. Ying Xulin didn¡¯t dare to move much, remaining still and increasing the warmth produced by his own body so that his beloved would be as comfortable as possible.


    Minutes passed slowly by and Ying Xulin gradually shifted his attention to the humans energetically scurrying about in front of him.


    The majority of the people seemed to consist of couples and families. Plenty of the families towed around little children who giggled and laughed, skipped and ran around, acted noisily or threw tantrums. Ying Xulin studied the children for a few moments before suppressing a sigh. These little humans were the most difficult to distinguish between. Even the small identifiers in gender that were present in adults were missing in these small ones.


    As Ying Xulin continued to study the stream of brightly dressed humans on the street, he spotted a certain child running while clutching onto the hand of a parent. The child and parent laughed together like co-conspirators and looked around before finding a small crevice between two stalls and crouching there. They made ¡®shh¡¯ motions at the stall vendors and peeked out. A bearded man with a small, helpless smile was looking around, calling out to someone. Ying Xulin guessed that he was calling the names of those two hiding people. Were they playing a game? He remembered Kong Min once explaining a similar game where people hid and one of them had to find them all. Maybe this was something like that.


    After the bearded man passed them by cluelessly, the parent and child stood back up from their hiding place and laughed to themselves happily. One of the vendors smiled along and shook their head before offering something flat and round to the little child. The child looked at the parent, and seeing them nod, accepted the food and began eating with relish. The food left crumbs on the child¡¯s cheeks and mouth, prompting the parent to chuckle amusedly and wipe the child¡¯s face.


    The child grinned and lifted up the snack. ¡°Mother, do you also want some?¡±


    Ying Xulin tilted his head. So the parent was a mother? That meant¡­they were a female? But what about the child?


    The mother smiled and nodded. ¡°Since it¡¯s so rare for my glutton of a daughter to offer me food, how can I refuse?¡±


    Ying Xulin nodded to himself. So the child was also a female.


    The girl looked at her mother quizzically and asked, ¡°Does that mean yes?¡±


    Laughing, the mother nodded. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a yes. Now give me a bite.¡± Bending, she nibbled off a small bit and made a big show of chewing it and swallowing, then said exaggeratedly, ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s very delicious! As expected of something my darling daughter shared with me!¡±


    The girl grinned happily and went up on her tiptoes to smack a loud, wet kiss on her mother¡¯s cheek, then continued to eat. The mother smiled affectionately and lifted up the child. ¡°Come, let¡¯s go and find your father. Now I¡¯ll see how he¡¯ll refute me when I say I was better at hide-and-seek than him when we played together as children.¡±


    Seeing her mother¡¯s smug smile, the child giggled. She only knew that her father was in trouble again.


    As the mother and daughter pair began walking in the direction the father had just gone in, Ying Xulin looked at their retreating figures with thoughtful eyes.


    ¡°Playing with family is always fun, isn¡¯t it?¡± Kong Min suddenly said without lifting his head from Ying Xulin¡¯s shoulder.


    Ying Xulin turned his head to see Kong Min peering at the mother and daughter too before redirecting his gaze to him. ¡°Ah-Xu, I think I rested enough. If I stay here like this anymore, I¡¯ll fall deep asleep. Let¡¯s go and see if there¡¯s something else that can catch our eye.¡±


    Saying so, Kong Min smiled cheerfully as usual and straightened.


    Ying Xulin frowned. With hesitation, he asked, ¡°Kong Min, you¡­do you miss your mother?¡±


    After giving him a look of confusion, Kong Min shrugged. ¡°Everything I know about my mother, I heard from the people at Yuese Lian. Because I was only three when she died, I don¡¯t retain many memories of her¡­or at least not enough to miss her now. But what I know about her made me respect her as a person.¡± Kong Min¡¯s voice sounded wistful, but if he felt any pain, it was too well-hidden for Ying Xulin to sense even through the conduit.


    Thinking about how he was the reason Kong Min didn¡¯t get to know his mother, Ying Xulin felt the sudden weight of guilt and the stab of remorse within his chest. The Kong Min right now might not miss his mother, but what about when he was a child? Did he ever see other children talking about, being spoilt by, or having fun with their mothers and feel pain? When Ying Xulin first met Kong Mei and asked for her life in exchange for helping her son, he hadn¡¯t thought or cared about the impact losing a mother would have on her child. But now¡­he couldn¡¯t help but wonder: How many smiles and laughs had Kong Min missed because of him? How many games was he unable to play with his mother in cheerful human festivals like this one? How many happy memories was he unable to make because Ying Xulin decided to indulge on a whim and ask Kong Mei for her life?


    But all his regret wouldn¡¯t bring back Kong Min¡¯s mother. She was gone forever. Human lives were that fragile and fleeting. For the first time, Ying Xulin understood how weighty the sin of taking a life was. No recompense he could pay would suffice to make up for such an injustice. No wonder murderers were so reviled by humans. And didn¡¯t he deserve to be treated like that as well? Wasn¡¯t he just another callous murderer?


    Yet, despite taking away something so precious and irreplaceable from Kong Min, he still had the gall to want him to be his lover. He still dared to think of him as his beloved. What right did he have to expect Kong Min to treat him as his most important person when he had been so inadvertently cruel to him? The fact that Kong Min was this good to him till now rather than hating him was in itself far more than anything he had a right to dream of.


    Feeling it was weird how silent Ying Xulin was being, Kong Min turned to ask him if something was wrong, but froze in shock. Clear trails of tears rolled down Ying Xulin¡¯s face. Ying Xulin made no attempt to cover them or wipe them away, just unabashedly showing his sadness. His dark green eyes seemed to reveal emotions that flowed out from the depth of his soul, expressing his sorrow, helplessness, and self-loathing.


    ¡°A-Ah-Xu?!¡± Kong Min called in alarm. ¡°What happened? Why are you crying?¡±


    Ying Xulin blinked pitifully and replied in a slightly choked voice, ¡°I¡­I did something so terrible to you. I killed your mother and now I can¡¯t bring her back. When I think of how sad you would have felt as a child without a mother¡­I¡­I really¡­hate myself¡­¡±


    Kong Min could only stare at him blankly for a moment. Where had all this suddenly come from?! But seeing how despondent Ying Xulin looked as his head hung down, tear after tear rolling down his damp cheeks, Kong Min felt his heart clench. He couldn¡¯t bear to see this person looking so miserable, especially because of him.


    Kong Min held Ying Xulin¡¯s chin with one hand while he used the sleeve of the other hand to gently wipe away the tears. ¡°Ah-Xu, don¡¯t be like this. I actually had a happy childhood. If you looked through the gem often at that time, you would have seen it too. Though I will admit that there were times I wished I had a mother, it wasn¡¯t nearly as heart-wrenching as you¡¯re imagining.¡±


    Ying Xulin let Kong Min dry his face and lifted his head. ¡°Really? But¡­how can that be?¡±


    Kong Min stepped closer, peering into Ying Xulin¡¯s eyes to convey his honesty. ¡°I had a large family. Everyone in Yuese Lian took care of me as if I was their own child. I had enough familial affection to spare and I never once felt lonely or unloved there. They didn¡¯t just feed, clothe, and shelter me. They also taught me, helped me when I needed them to, listened to me seriously, and let me grow as a person. We played and teased and laughed with each other. There were different types of people in Yuese Lian and they all had their own ideas of how to raise a child, so I¡¯ll admit that it was pretty chaotic most of the time. And of course, mistakes happened, but that¡¯s how it is in every family. However, I never wanted for anything while I was with them. And while I can¡¯t say if it would have been better if I had a mother, I can certainly say that it was no worse.¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s expression eased. Knowing that Kong Min was able to be happy as a child despite what he did stabilized his mood a bit. ¡°Then¡­do you hate me for taking away your mother? Do you think I¡¯m a murderer?¡±


    Kong Min raised his brows. Just what sort of things even went on in his Ah-Xu¡¯s head to make him think of such questions? Taking a deep breath and letting it out, Kong Min replied, ¡°No, I do not hate you for any reason and I don¡¯t think you¡¯re a murderer either. My mother made the choice to give you her life, and I know that she thought it a cheap price in return for me being saved. On top of that, at the time when you made that deal with my mother, you were not familiar with human laws, ethics, or morals. You were not raised as a human surrounded by people teaching you human principles. You thought as differently from humans as humans do with beasts. That is not to say that you are similar to beasts, but that you are just as different from humans as they are. I don¡¯t feel that it¡¯s fair to judge you by human standards when you don¡¯t think like one.


    ¡°But if we were to judge you in that way, then wouldn¡¯t we also have to reward you for all the land we use, all the food we harvest, all the minerals we mine, and all the trees we cut to make houses and furniture from? You are the earth and everything that comes with it, and we humans only flourish because of you. So tell me, Ah-Xu, does that mean that you will accept the gratitude and worship of all humanity?¡±


    As Kong Min finished speaking, his eyes twinkled with suppressed chuckles. As he¡¯s expected, Ying Xulin wrinkled his brows and shook his head. ¡°It sounds troublesome.¡±


    Kong Min solemnly nodded. ¡°So you see? That is why we shouldn¡¯t judge you by human standards. You are not a murderer. In fact, you are actually a very good being who has helped far more than he has hurt.¡±


    Ying Xulin looked doubtful, but still nodded. Since his beloved went through so much effort to try and convince him, he would believe it. After all, the only opinion he cared about was Kong Min¡¯s.


    Now that the discussion was closed, Kong Min was eager to divert the topic. ¡°Alright, now let¡¯s go and enjoy some more of this festival before getting back. I still have work in a few hours.¡±


    Wanting to spend more time with his beloved, Ying Xulin also quickly nodded. And so they both once again joined the stream of people walking through the well-lit street and continued onward. Whenever Kong Min saw something curious, he would nudge Ying Xulin and point it to him. But the same problem as before persisted. Ying Xulin showed only minimal interest in things, preferring to gaze more at Kong Min¡¯s expressive face or making small and understated gestures of affection.


    Kong Min felt both bashful and frustrated. He wanted Ying Xulin to enjoy his time with him. He wanted to dazzle his Ah-Xu with new sights and sounds, letting him make special memories before finally asking to become his lover to deliver maximum impact. But Ying Xulin seemed determined to ignore everything except Kong Min. How was he supposed to work with this?!


    Just when Kong Min was wracking his brain once again to come up with something that would catch Ying Xulin¡¯s attention, Ying Xulin suddenly stopped and looked back. Just now, he¡¯d caught the gleam of something gem-like in a familiar shape from the corner of his eye, piquing his curiosity.


    Realizing that Ying Xulin had stopped, Kong Min halted as well and turned to ask, ¡°Ah-Xu? What is it?¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s eyes were fixed on a certain stall selling varieties of sweet snacks. ¡°Kong Min, what are those colorful things on sticks?¡±


    Kong Min looked in the same direction as Ying Xulin and spotted a small jar with candies on thin sticks. The candies sitting atop the bamboo sticks were shaped like little animals, flowers, butterflies, and even a peach-colored hand. There were some that looked like simple rectangles with blunted edges as well. The colors ranged from a mild tea green, pink, yellow, and brown to vivid red, purple, and translucent white.


    After studying it for a few moments, Kong Min explained to Ying Xulin, ¡°They appear to be hard candies of some sort made into shapes. I¡¯ve never seen their like before. It must be something the mortals started making recently. Do you want some?¡±


    Ying Xulin nodded.


    Giving him an indulgent smile, Kong Min led him to the stall and told him, ¡°Choose whichever you like. I¡¯ll pay for it.¡±


    Ying Xulin picked one of the candies without hesitation. It was shaped like a golden-brown squirrel with eyes that seemed to glint with mischievous laughter. ¡°I want this one,¡± Ying Xulin stated.


    Kong Min¡¯s lips twitched. This guy¡­ Remembering that one time Ying Xulin compared him to a squirrel, Kong Min shook his head wryly. Then reaching out, Kong Min chose a candy for himself too. This candy was more delicately shaped than most. It had a brown candy branch that wound around the end of the bamboo stick and extended from it, with small five-petaled red flowers, also made of candy, blooming along this branch. The tiny translucent petals shone like rubies in the bright light of the lanterns hanging above, looking very vivid.


    After paying the shopkeeper, Kong Min and Ying Xulin set out again, walking along with the flow of the crowd with a candy each. Kong Min looked at the one in his hand with a tender smile, amusement and anticipation gleaming in his eyes. Then lifting his gaze up, he turned to see how the little squirrel was being treated¨D


    ¨Djust in time to witness Ying Xulin unhesitatingly chomping down on it, breaking off the top half of the squirrel and chewing it with crisp crunching sounds. His expression held curiosity as he seemed to be assessing the candy in his mouth.


    Kong Min, ¡°¡­¡±


    Ying Xulin continued to bite down on the rest of the candy until he finished eating the entire squirrel. To Kong Min¡¯s horror, Ying Xulin then went on to eat the bamboo stick as well before looking down at his empty palm with regret. ¡°The wood was dry and old, but it had good flavor.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Kong Min was once more rendered speechless.


    After taking a moment to gather himself, he finally burst out, ¡°Ah-Xu, that stick was not for eating!¡±


    Ying Xulin looked at him with puzzlement. ¡°Then why was it stuck into the food?¡±


    Kong Min sighed and explained, ¡°It was just to hold up the candy and serve as a handle so that our hands don¡¯t get sticky.¡±


    Frowning disapprovingly, Ying Xulin expressed, ¡°That is a wasteful use of such fine wood.¡±


    Kong Min¡¯s lips twitched, but he couldn¡¯t really refute his words. And since eating the wood didn¡¯t seem to give Ying Xulin any problems, he chose to let it go as just another eccentricity of his soon-to-be lover.


    ¡°That may very well be,¡± Kong Min finally conceded, then spoke, ¡°But I have to say, Ah-Xu, I expected you to treat that squirrel candy more gently because it reminded you of me.¡±


    Ying Xulin nodded. ¡°Yes. That is why I chose to consume the little squirrel so that I could absorb it into my body rather than leave it outside and risk it becoming damaged or rotten.¡±


    Kong Min shook his head in helpless amusement. So he had a reason after all.


    Looking down at the flower-shaped candy in his hand, Kong Min smiled as his expression turned soft. Lifting his gaze to meet Ying Xulin¡¯s, Kong Min suddenly asked, ¡°Ah-Xu, did you know? In a certain kingdom in the past, there was a custom where one would present a bough of fresh flowers to the one they fancied as a way of declaring romantic interest. If the flowers withered without the sender getting a reply in return, it meant that the receiver was declaring that they were not interested. But if they wished to take it further, then the receiver would invite the sender to spend time together.¡±


    Ying Xulin tilted his head, not understanding the point of this story. But he still dutifully nodded to show he was listening.


    Kong Min¡¯s eyes gleamed as he solemnly presented the stick with the red flower-shaped candies to Ying Xulin. ¡°Here, Ah-Xu. This is my version of a flower-laden bough. With this, I¡¯m declaring my romantic interest in you now.¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s eyes went wide with disbelief and shock. It took him a moment before he could lift his trembling fingers to accept the candy. ¡°Kong Min¡­you¡­ Are you saying that¡­?¡±


    Kong Min smiled warmly. Reaching out, he held Ying Xulin¡¯s free hand and began walking. Ying Xulin followed along in a daze, his gaze never leaving Kong Min¡¯s face as he waited for an answer with both anticipation and apprehension. Crowds of people surged around them, smiling, talking, and laughing. But the pair seemed to be ensconced in their own bubble filled with a tense yet hopeful atmosphere.


    After gathering his thoughts for a few minutes, Kong Min began to speak, ¡°Ah-Xu, it¡¯s been so long, more than thirteen thousand years or so, since you first asked me to give you a chance. I did, but I also know that it wasn¡¯t easy for you to keep pursuing me for so long. I am someone who hates being restrained emotionally. And the notion of being tied down to only one person without being able to sleep around with whoever I like whenever I want did indeed feel very restricting to me. That is why I was unable to decide whether the like I felt for you was strong enough to push past that and truly evolve into love.


    ¡°And yet, I won¡¯t deny that there were times when I felt that I was being very cruel to you by sleeping with others to sate my physical needs. However, if I¡¯d stopped doing that and decided to become your lover due to my guilt or because I felt sorry for you, then the emotion driving our relationship would not be love, but pity. You deserve better than that.¡±


    Ying Xulin grew thoughtful, yet his gaze didn¡¯t leave Kong Min¡¯s face for even a moment.


    Kong Min continued, ¡°Another thing that made me hesitate is that I often need to blow steam and spend my energy rolling around on the bed with other similar-minded people. It¡¯s something I loved to do and I didn¡¯t want to give it up so easily. Also, I was used to the noise that came with being surrounded by so many others, since I was after all raised in a lively place where people gave and received bodily affections openly. The Order of Sentinels that has become my home might not provide for my sexual needs in that way, but it is also a bustling place. Time always seems to rush forward in the midst of so much movement, chatter, and action. In contrast, Ah-Xu, you¡¯re so quiet and reclusive. Whenever I¡¯m with you, time seems to stop and the world seems to grow still.¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s heart clenched, making him want to look away. But he still forced himself to keep his gaze on Kong Min. If that sort of atmosphere was what his beloved preferred, then maybe he didn¡¯t like spending time with him after all¡­


    However, Kong Min then went on, ¡°But I realized that I like it. The silence and calm around you is warm and comforting. And the more time I spent with you, the more I realized I liked you as well. I like seeing you smile that small smile of yours. I like how peaceful you seem in the Forest¡¯s Cradle. I like how you¡¯ve grown more open with me and how much importance you place in my needs and the words I say. I like how despite all the power you have, you live such a simple life. You are not a human, and the way you think is not something I will ever be able to fully understand, but that is okay. You are perfect as you are. I wouldn¡¯t want you to force yourself to become more human or change yourself in any way you don¡¯t feel comfortable with. No matter what, I will like you.¡±


    Turning to Ying Xulin, Kong Min finally stopped and said, ¡°Ah-Xu, after being able to thoroughly think through it all, I¡¯ve realized that I also love you.¡±


    Ying Xulin froze, his mind going blank. He was unable to do anything but stare at his beloved. Such sweet words¡­ It felt unreal that he was finally able to hear them. He found that there were so many emotions thundering through him that he couldn¡¯t even react. What was he supposed to do to convey what he felt? How should he express these incomprehensible human emotions filling him?


    But not minding his apparent speechlessness, Kong Min continued smiling as he spoke, ¡°The way our first couple of meetings went might not have been ideal, but after that, you have been so patient with me. You didn¡¯t restrict me or urge me. You let me decide in my own time, at my own pace. Ah-Xu, you¡¯ve always been there for me, and I realize that I always want to be there for you as well. It isn¡¯t pity or just friendship I feel for you. I¡¯ve grown jealous when I hear of you sleeping with others, and I¡¯ve felt the need to tie you to me as well.


    ¡°The thought of being restricted by my own feelings was scary, I¡¯ll admit that, but I want to do this. Spending time with other people in or out of bed has become so lackluster compared to the time I spend with you. Knowing that I can always access you through the gem feels so reassuring. Whenever I let my thoughts drift, they always float to you. And knowing that you already love me enough to let me take my time figuring it all out despite how uncertain you must feel only makes me more confident in my decision.¡±


    Lifting his hands, Kong Min framed Ying Xulin¡¯s face and smiled softly, ¡°Ah-Xu, I love you. I want to be your lover. I will never again sleep with anyone else by my own will. From now on, if you want, you and I will be together.¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s eyelashes trembled before squeezing closed. His lips opened, but no sound came out. Ying Xulin abruptly pulled Kong Min into a hug, his arms tight around his beloved¡¯s body. In an unsteady whisper, he said, ¡°I love you, too. I love you a lot. I love you very, very much.¡± Even this much was not enough. He needed to somehow express more of his bubbling emotions, but Ying Xulin didn¡¯t know how, so he could only hug Kong Min tighter.


    Ignoring the creaking of his bones, Kong Min chuckled and patted his new lover¡¯s back. ¡°Yes, yes, I know, I know.¡± His Ah-Xu had already conveyed more than enough of his devotion to him with his words and actions, time and time again. That was the one thing he wouldn¡¯t doubt.


    Seeking to lighten the mood, Kong Min said, ¡°Ah-Xu, loosen up a little. You¡¯ll crush the candy in your hand at this rate and then we¡¯ll both have sticky candy fragments all over us.¡±


    Ying Xulin quickly let go and looked at the candy in his hands. The petals of some of the red flowers had indeed cracked. Ying Xulin frowned. It was so fragile. This was his beloved¡¯s declaration of romantic interest. He couldn¡¯t have it getting damaged and missing pieces. He wanted to always own all of it!


    And so, Ying Xulin opened his mouth and directly stuffed the candy flowers in.


    Crunch, crunch, crunch. And then the candy, along with its bamboo stick, was gone.


    Kong Min, ¡°¡­¡± Well, this was the man he was tied to now. He should just try to get used to it.


    ¡­¡­


    After spending some more time in the festival by walking hand-in-hand on the street, cuddling together while resting at the sides, and kissing passionately in shadowed corners, it was finally time for the date to end. Kong Min asked Ying Xulin to accompany him back to the Sentinel compound and Ying Xulin agreed. Kong Min used the shadows and transported them both to just inside the compound¡¯s doorway.


    Within the Sentinel compound, officers milled about as usual, some still garbed in their uniforms while others were dressed in casual clothes. The atmosphere here was relaxed and friendly, with people talking, laughing, teasing, taunting, playfully heckling, or enthusiastically yelling at each other. A small square training area was situated at the side, surrounded by many officers who were looking at the ongoing training match with considering eyes. One of those officers was Wei Xiang. He sat on the low wall bordering the training area and critically assessed the two juniors who were currently sparring with each other to gain experience.


    Sensing the arrival of Kong Min and someone else, Wei Xiang turned around. He was just about to offer a sarcastic greeting to his senior brother when his eyes landed on Ying Xulin. Wei Xiang froze, his eyes widening. While he was surprised at Ying Xulin¡¯s presence, it was not what startled him. What Wei Xiang felt shocked about was Ying Xulin¡¯s soul and how it seemed to have gone through a significant change from the last time he saw him.


    When Wei Xiang had gone to the Spirit Bewildering Forest millennia ago to confront Ying Xulin after he tore out Kong Min¡¯s throat, he had gotten a look at Ying Xulin¡¯s soul. It had been a deep, hypnotic green with wisps of black curling at the edges and strong rays of golden light shining from within, pouring out through the gaps. But now, there were bright hints of white and silvery grey as well. Grey and white were colors Wei Xiang had only ever seen in the souls of humans, including deities. To see those colors in the Master of Land¡¯s soul signified the increase in his humanity, reflecting just how much Ying Xulin had changed from that time.


    Shaking these thoughts away, Wei Xiang tried to understand why his senior brother would bring the Master of Land here. Thinking about how Kong Min had sped away this afternoon to make yet another payment, Wei Xiang wondered: Could it be that the payment that Kong Min had been asked for this time was to bring the Master of Land here to the Sentinel compound? Deciding that that must be it, Wei Xiang sighed.


    By now, Kong Min had already spotted Wei Xiang and pulled Ying Xulin towards the training area to talk to him. In a cheerful voice, Kong Min greeted, ¡°Junior Brother, how nice to see you after half a day! Are you here to thrash someone in the guise of sparring again?¡±


    Wei Xiang narrowed his eyes. ¡°If you have the time to prance around like this, then I hope you had the time to finish your work as well.¡±


    Kong Min rolled his eyes. ¡°Tch, yes, I already finished it. Junior Brother, you¡¯re so uncute! Here I was hoping that after going at it all the time with Little Bro, some of his cuteness would rub off on you.¡±


    Before Wei Xiang could respond, the Hou Yu who was standing nearby earnestly nodded and stated, ¡°Yes, Little Brother Feng is very cute. He¡¯s the cutest person!¡±


    The Qian Ming standing beside him also nodded seriously. ¡°I agree. And compared to our Little Bro, Senior Officer Wei really is too uncute!¡±


    Wei Xiang, ¡°¡­¡±


    His eyes glinting, he remarked with a sharp smile, ¡°Officer Qian seems to have a lot of free time to be able to comment on your senior officer like this. Maybe we should once again increase your responsibilities to fill up your free time appropriately and make your work feel more challenging for you.¡±


    With an expression of dismay, Qian Ming gaped at Wei Xiang before exclaiming, ¡°Senior Officer Wei, you are always so petty!¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded to himself cheerfully. ¡°I see. So you want me to assign even more work to you. Duly noted.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± The Qian Ming who randomly blurted out his thoughts finally managed to keep his mouth closed this time. His heart wept tears of blood. Why was he always being targeted by this bad-natured senior officer of his!


    At the side, Kong Min was grinning gleefully. See? He wasn¡¯t the only victim of his junior brother¡¯s bullying! And watching Wei Xiang tormenting others was really entertaining!


    ¡°By the way, how¡¯s Little Bro doing? Did you bring him with you today?¡± Kong Min asked.


    Wei Xiang nodded. ¡°Yes. And Qinghe insisted on bringing the wyvern egg we¡¯ve decided to try and hatch first.¡±


    Kong Min blinked with surprise. ¡°He brought it here?! What does he want to do by bringing an unhatched egg here?¡±


    As if answering his incredulous question, Qinghe walked out into the hall from within the building. Holding up a bluish silver egg, he seriously explained to it in his clear and pleasant voice, ¡°¡­and this is the training area. This is where your Father Xiang beats up¨D ehem, trains new recruits. When you grow up, you have to come and help him here and try to get along with everyone too, alright?¡±


    Smiling helplessly, Wei Xiang enlightened his stupefied senior brother, ¡°He¡¯s giving a tour of the Sentinel compound to the egg.¡±


    Kong Min, ¡°¡­¡± Why was it that every person he knew was such a weirdo?! He¡¯d admit that they were all adorable in their own way, but they were still undeniably odd!


    Meanwhile, seeing Qinghe enter, the officers watching the match all suddenly got up and surrounded him. Even the two fighting junior disciples stopped what they were doing to turn towards him. The group of officers immediately began pleading with Qinghe to let him touch the egg. This was after all an egg laid in ancient times by the Sovereign of the true dragon clan! Not only that, but it also contained their Senior Officer Wei¡¯s sibling by birth! When this egg hatched, Wei Xiang and Feng Qinghe would adopt the newborn wyvern as their child and probably bring it here to play a lot. Just thinking about a lively little toddler or baby wyvern waddling around here in their headquarters was enough to bring a smile onto the officers¡¯ faces. They couldn¡¯t help but feel affectionate and protective towards this egg. And so, they all wanted a chance to pat and rub the egg, to coo endearments at the baby inside, and to lavish their care on it.


    Unable to refuse in the face of their hopeful expressions, Qinghe gave them the egg after warning them to be extremely careful. Only after getting their repeated assurances did he leave the egg to them before walking to Wei Xiang and sitting down beside him.


    Looking up, Qinghe smiled at his lover¡¯s senior brother and his companion. ¡°Hello, Sentinel Kong. And¡­who is the person with you? You seem to be quite close.¡±


    Kong Min chuckled and proudly introduced, ¡°This is the Master of Land, Ying Xulin, who I¡¯ve managed to charm with my irresistible seductive wiles.¡±


    After shaking his head at Kong Min¡¯s joking tone, Qinghe smiled up at Ying Xulin. ¡°Hello, Master Ying. I hope Sentinel Kong hasn¡¯t been bullying you too much.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Kong Min burst out in mock-indignation.


    Ying Xulin tilted his head and said sincerely, ¡°Kong Min is very good to me.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s gaze danced with mirth, but he seriously nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good then. It seems like Sentinel Kong really does behave much nicely towards you than with most others.¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s expression immediately brightened. So his beloved was especially nice to him? Hmm, his beloved¡¯s junior brother¡¯s mate seemed like he was a good person.


    Kong Min could only watch his lover¡¯s increased cheer wryly. His Little Bro¡¯s skill with making good impressions on people was really too scary sometimes.


    Done with greeting them, Qinghe turned to Wei Xiang and saw his lover staring fixedly at the egg being petted and passed around by the officers. Qinghe sighed and smiled. Leaning into the side of Wei Xiang¡¯s body, he looped an arm around his beloved¡¯s waist and rubbed his cheek on his shoulder to get his attention. In a soothing voice, he reassured, ¡°Xiang, it¡¯s alright. I already have the wind keeping watch over the egg. If the force used to touch the egg approaches even a third of the amount necessary to damage its shell, then I will immediately have the wind take it away from them.¡±


    Hearing this, Wei Xiang¡¯s tense body relaxed and his gaze finally left the egg. Since his little lover was keeping watch, he could rest assured. Kissing the top of Qinghe¡¯s head, Wei Xiang murmured, ¡°Thank you, love.¡±


    Qinghe smiled happily and snuggled closer to Wei Xiang.


    Meanwhile, after having gotten his chance to play with the egg, Qian Ming detached from the group of Sentinels and headed towards them. Stopping in front of Qinghe, he spoke up, ¡°Little Bro, I realize I haven¡¯t seen that demoness for a while. She hasn¡¯t been unleashed into some poor, unsuspecting mortal town, has she? Do you have any idea where she is?¡±


    Hearing this, Kong Min immediately exclaimed with horror, ¡°Little Bro, your mother is here?! Oh dear heavens!¡±


    Qinghe chuckled and cheerfully nodded. ¡°Yes, Mother is here. If I remember right, she took Father with her and said she was going to go spar with some of the officers in the larger training area located in the northeast section.¡±


    With an expression of terror, Qian Ming immediately fled in the opposite direction to avoid crossing paths with her.


    Meanwhile, Kong Min winced and said, ¡°The medical office is going to be clogged up by the end of the day with all the poor sods she beat up again. If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d really think Wei Xiang and that woman are related by blood. The way they both like to thrash people to within an inch of their lives in the guise of sparring while smirking evilly is exactly the same. This pair of sadists¡­¡± Kong Min shivered seemingly in dread. ¡°They¡¯re too terrifying.¡±


    Turning to Kong Min with a perfectly innocent face, Wei Xiang spoke, ¡°What do you mean ¡®smirking evilly¡¯? I merely smile to express my enthusiasm at being able to spar with my fellow officers. Senior Brother, please do not slander your junior brother like this. It¡¯s unfair.¡±


    Still leaning against Wei Xiang, Qinghe dutifully nodded to back up his lover. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s unfair!¡±


    Kong Min¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Are you both ganging up on me again?¡±


    Their faces splitting into grins, Qinghe and Wei Xiang nodded.


    Kong Min sullenly turned away. ¡°Hmph, I refuse to be teased like this. Who cares about you two evil brats. I still have my pure and innocent Ah-Xu to play with.¡±


    Ying Xulin blinked at him confusedly. His beloved thought he was pure and innocent?!


    Wei Xiang narrowed his eyes, looking between his senior brother and the Master of Land suspiciously while Qinghe chuckled. Gazing up at Ying Xulin, Qinghe curiously asked, ¡°Master Ying, do you mind if I ask you something? I¡¯m not sure if it might be a personal question, so feel free to not answer if you don¡¯t wish to.¡±


    Ying Xulin frowned and nodded. ¡°Ask your question and we will see.¡±


    Qinghe smiled wider and turned his body to face him. ¡°Of the three of you¡ªthe Master of Land, the Master of Oceans, and the Master of Skies¡ªwho is older? Was there any particular order you were all born in?¡±


    Kong Min looked at his beloved with interest, also anticipating the reply. Wei Xiang just raised a brow. His little lover was being as inquisitive as always, but this was nevertheless an interesting line of questioning.


    Not seeming to be much bothered, Ying Xulin answered, ¡°There is no older or younger among us. I and my siblings were all born at the same time. We are of equal age. However, the level of our maturities, as humans perceive the concept, varies according to the way we interact with the world and its lifeforms. To put it simply, based on the life each of us prefers to lead and the experiences we¡¯ve gained, we three have different levels of maturity.¡±


    Kong Min nodded thoughtfully. He supposed the way the Master of Oceans seemed more seasoned than his own Ah-Xu made sense now. It was because Ying Xulin had too little experience in the world outside the Spirit Bewildering Forest.


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes grew half-lidded as he pondered for a few minutes before speaking, ¡°Then may I ask how you and your siblings came to be?¡±


    Wei Xiang shot his beloved an amused look. His Qinghe sure wasn¡¯t holding back with his questions. Beside Ying Xulin, Kong Min perked up his ears, eager to hear his lover¡¯s response again.


    Ying Xulin contemplated for a few moments, his dark green eyes swirling with unfathomable thoughts. In his smooth voice, he answered simply, ¡°We came from Mother.¡±


    Wei Xiang frowned. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re referring to this world? But why call it ¡®Mother¡¯? Why not ¡®Father¡¯ or ¡®it¡¯?¡±


    ¡°There is a reason we call her Mother,¡± Ying Xulin calmly said. The color in his eyes seemed to deepen, the air of unearthliness he¡¯d kept suppressed spilling out. It made the skin of those in the vicinity prickle with awareness. The weight of eons filled his words, the stillness of eternity shrouding him. But seemingly unaware of the change in atmosphere, Ying Xulin continued to explain, his voice bearing a measured cadence, ¡°Of the heavenly beasts, there is one species called the world turtles. They float through time and space, wading through the stars, and when they wish to, they settle inside a lifeless, barren world. They burrow deep under its layers and sleep. In their slumber, they emit boundless spiritual power. Their vital energy suffuses the world and sparks the beginning of life.


    ¡°Our world had existed for a long time. At some point, it developed its own land, water, and air. But it was not until a female world turtle made her home within the earth of this world that it started to gain life. The first existence to be given life by her was the world itself, and as a result, we three siblings were born as the manifestation of the world. That is why we consider the world turtle slumbering in the depths of this world as our mother.¡±


    Kong Min looked at him with fascination. It seemed there was a lot he had left to learn about his Ah-Xu. But that was alright. They had all the time in the world to slowly understand everything about each other.


    Meanwhile, as he was sunken in contemplative thoughts, Wei Xiang suddenly saw his little lover smiling slyly. Lifting a brow, Wei Xiang asked, ¡°Love, what are you plotting now?¡±


    Qinghe chuckled happily and shook his head. ¡°Nothing. I just thought of a more proper and delightful new name for a certain friend.¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled in helpless amusement. Whoever Qinghe was planning on teasing had his sincere sympathies.


    Pulling on Ying Xulin¡¯s sleeve, Kong Min asked, ¡°Ah-Xu, when you and your siblings were born, how did you look? Did you have human forms or¡­?¡±


    Ying Xulin took a moment to think back to those distant memories before answering, ¡°No, we did not have physical bodies. We were nothing more than the sentience of the land, waters, and the skies. Our consciousnesses were simple and we did not have the ability to form thoughts. But after millions and billions of years, our consciousnesses grew more complex and we developed minds and egos of our own. After plants and beasts came to be, we fashioned physical bodies similar to them out of curiosity to experience what they did. It was only much later after humans started propagating in the world that we took on human forms. We do not have genders, so we experimented with taking on various types of bodies until we settled on the ones we felt the most comfortable with.¡±


    Kong Min¡¯s eyes sparkled as he took a step back and looked his lover up and down. ¡°Hmm, I like the way you turned out then. No, the truth is, no matter how you ended up, I would still like you. My Ah-Xu will always look the best.¡±


    A warm pink suffused Ying Xulin¡¯s cheeks, dissipating his mysterious atmosphere as he looked away shyly. ¡°I¡­I also think the same about you.¡±


    Kong Min grinned. Seeing the almighty Master of Land blushing and speaking so sweetly was really too adorable for his heart to handle!


    Suddenly, a commotion broke out, redirecting everyone¡¯s attention. From deeper inside the building, Feng Chunyi was striding out towards the training area while dragging a harried Feng Huixin by his hand. Spotting her son and son-in-law, Feng Chunyi wordlessly turned to march in their direction.


    Meanwhile, Feng Huixin spotted Ying Xulin and narrowed his eyes. Even if he had never seen the Master of Land in person, he could feel this person¡¯s connection to the land easily enough to guess his identity. However, Feng Huixin soon noticed how, when standing beside the Master of Land, his second disciple seemed even more buoyant and cheerful than before. But there was also an unexpected sense of Kong Min being grounded without being tied down, bringing out the maturity in him. He seemed like he¡¯d finally found a person who could balance his flighty personality.


    Feng Huixin¡¯s gaze softened. So it turned out that his second disciple had chosen a place for himself that he was content with, and that place was beside the Master of Land. This was not an unexpected revelation, so Feng Huixin merely felt happy for his disciple and accepted it.


    By now, Feng Chunyi had almost reached her sons. But as she got close enough, she finally realized that there was a person she¡¯d never seen before standing here. Her gaze fixed on Ying Xulin and her face split into a wide smile. ¡°Who is this? He looks strong. Can he fight?¡±


    Ying Xulin felt like he was prey being pinned under the sight of a predator. It was a new and strange sensation, and not one he was sure he liked. As the woman¡¯s eyes stayed fixed on him with piercing intensity, Ying Xulin had to suppress a shiver.


    Sensing Feng Chunyi¡¯s interest in his lover, Kong Min turned to quickly start pushing Ying Xulin towards the entrance of the Sentinel compound without bothering with being polite. ¡°Ah-Xu, run! If you remain here any longer, you might get stuck with having to spar with that madwoman!¡±


    Ying Xulin felt confused, but still obediently listened to his beloved and made his way out swiftly.


    Kong Min finally heaved a breath in relief and wiped his sweat at that close call.


    Having missed her opportunity to secure a new playmate to abuse¨D ehem, she meant to play with, Feng Chunyi was dispirited. Feng Huixin felt amused as he patted his pouting wife to appease her while Qinghe had to suppress his laughter. Wei Xiang simply sighed and shook his head, but didn¡¯t say anything. After all, he didn¡¯t want his mother-in-law¡¯s attention to get diverted to him. In the mood she was in, she¡¯d probably ask him to spar with her.


    Deciding to take one for the team, Qinghe stood up and motioned to the empty training area. ¡°Mother, why don¡¯t you help me train for a bit?¡±


    Feng Chunyi perked up again and happily went to clash swords with her son. Wei Xiang and Feng Huixin stayed at the edge of the training area to watch them. Wanting to make their escape while Feng Chunyi¡¯s attention was occupied by Qinghe, the group of officers silently returned the wyvern egg to Wei Xiang before leaving.


    Kong Min stayed to watch the fight for a while before deciding he was too tired to remain standing. Choosing to be lazy, he simply used the shadows to get to his room and slumped down on the bed. He¡¯d need to get up and work in less than two hours, so he might as well rest as much as he could.


    As he thus began to doze, he dreamed of a certain enchanted clearing and the man who was always there to welcome him. Kong Min smiled peacefully and sank deeper into sleep.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Team Leader, are you free enough to participate in a group event tonight? We have all the usual people gathering there,¡± asked an officer with an anticipatory expression. He and Kong Min were currently standing outside the black building housing the Order¡¯s offices, having just come out after finishing up their work.


    Kong Min blinked to clear his daze and shook his head. ¡°No, I won¡¯t be coming. Actually, can you help me by telling the others that I¡¯m not open to sleeping around anymore? I¡¯m in a very serious relationship now.¡±


    The officer¡¯s mouth dropped open. ¡°Wait, what?! So¡­you¡¯re never going to be available for any naked fun with us ever again?!¡±


    The Wei Xiang who happened to be passing by at just this time halted in his tracks and turned to look at his senior brother. Did he just hear that right? Kong Min was going to stop sleeping around?!


    Meanwhile, Kong Min patted the distraught officer on the shoulder and nodded. ¡°Yes, so can you please tell everyone? I don¡¯t want any misunderstandings.¡±


    The officer nodded sadly. He wondered just who the lucky bastard who was able to successfully woo their Senior Officer Kong was. But understanding that it wasn¡¯t his place to ask, he silently slunk away.


    Kong Min sighed. Now that that was done, there was just one more thing he had to do.


    Suddenly, he heard his junior brother¡¯s voice asking from up close, ¡°Second Brother, what¡¯s wrong? For you of all people to say you¡¯re never going to orgies again¡­ Are you sick?¡± Wei Xiang pressed the back of his hand to Kong Min¡¯s forehead as if assessing his temperature.


    Kong Min slapped his hand away with a huff. ¡°What do you mean ¡®me of all people¡¯? You¡¯re acting as if I can¡¯t live without fucking. I¡¯ll have you know that it¡¯s been months since I last had sex!¡±


    Wei Xiang took a step back, his eyes widening in shock. ¡°Kong Min, just what happened to you?! Did you end up getting some well-deserved disease that makes you unable to get it up at all? Have you been cursed due to how carelessly you sleep around?¡±


    Kong Min snarled, ¡°No!¡± Then he grumbled, ¡°I just don¡¯t feel interested in doing it with other people now.¡±


    His eyes narrowing, Wei Xiang asked astutely, ¡°Other people? Other than who, exactly?¡±


    Kong Min froze, then sighed. Reaching out, he clamped his fingers around Wei Xiang¡¯s wrist and began dragging his junior brother into the black building again, walking straight to his office. Wei Xiang looked surprised, but still decided to stay quiet and see what his senior brother was up to.


    Pushing the door to his office open, Kong Min entered with Wei Xiang and closed the door. Pulling his junior brother over to the desk and making him sit on the chair resting perpendicular in front of it, Kong Min began pacing in the small clean space left on the messy floor.


    Wei Xiang leaned back on the chair and looked around at the various piles of items, mostly maps and geographical texts, pushed to the corners of the room. Sighing, he commented casually, ¡°Your office is as cluttered as always. This is why I was against giving you a personal one. I knew you¡¯d keep it as messy as your room.¡±


    Kong Min stopped his pacing and looked around the office. Then rolling his eyes, he muttered, ¡°Leave off, will you? I didn¡¯t drag you here to nag at me to clean again.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you drag me here?¡± Wei Xiang asked.


    Kong Min stayed silent for a few moments before finally saying, ¡°I and Ah-Xu decided to become lovers.¡±


    Wei Xiang pressed his lips together, but nodded. ¡°I suspected as much. You were awfully friendly with him when you brought him here. Just make sure that bastard doesn¡¯t hurt you again.¡±


    Feeling relieved that his junior brother didn¡¯t react as strongly against it as he¡¯d feared, Kong Min walked to his desk and finally sat down behind it in his seat. Resting his elbows on the table, he leaned forward. ¡°Thank you, Junior Brother. Do you mind if I¡­ask for some advice? It¡¯s regarding my and Ah-Xu¡¯s relationship. I think you¡¯re more qualified in that aspect.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°By all means, go ahead.¡±


    Kong Min spoke, ¡°Can you help me think of an idea to make our first time special?¡±


    Wei Xiang looked at his senior brother incredulously. ¡°All these thousands of years and you¡¯ve both never once slept together?!¡±


    Looking away, Kong Min coughed. ¡°We might have done sexual things, but I thought Ah-Xu might prefer to save having sex for when we truly became lovers.¡±


    Shaking his head, Wei Xing rested his chin on a hand and asked, ¡°What exactly do you have in mind for your first time then?¡±


    Kong Min straightened with shining eyes. ¡°I was thinking that maybe I should ask some meaningful favor from Ah-Xu so that I can then go to his clearing and use paying with my body as an excuse. I can¡¯t think of anything romantic to ask for though. What request do you suppose I should make this time?¡±


    Wei Xiang sighed. ¡°Kong Min, first tell me this. Have you ever gone to the Master of Land¡¯s clearing for a reason not related to paying him for favors?¡±


    Kong Min¡¯s racing thoughts screeched to a halt. Tilting his head in consideration, he finally replied, ¡°¡­Actually, no. I don¡¯t think I ever have.¡±


    Wei Xiang rolled his eyes. ¡°Then the answer is simple. It will be more meaningful for your first time if you go to his place and directly ask him to sleep with you, not for any payment but because that¡¯s what you want to do.¡±


    Kong Min looked at him blankly, then suddenly grinned. ¡°Yes! As expected of my Junior Brother! You¡¯re really more experienced in romance and making thoughtful romantic gestures.¡±


    Wei Xiang was unimpressed. ¡°And here I was thinking it was only common sense.¡±


    But Kong Min was too happy at finally figuring it out to let his words dampen his mood.


    Seeing his senior brother smiling like a fool, Wei Xiang sighed again, his expression softening. Kong Min already had so much experience in matters of bed. And yet he looked so happy and excited at the prospect of sleeping with his lover as if it would be his first time. No matter what he said outwardly, Wei Xiang still felt his heart grow warm at this sight.


    ¡°If that¡¯s all you needed, then I¡¯ll be going now. I was about to answer Master¡¯s summons when I got sidetracked by you.¡± Wei Xiang informed as he got up and headed for the door.


    But before he could open the door, he felt his senior brother forcefully tackle him from behind and hug him tight. Wei Xiang maintained his balance and asked with exasperation, ¡°Kong Min, what is it now?¡±


    Kong Mn chuckled and said sincerely, ¡°Thank you very much for your help, Wei Xiang.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s expression eased unconsciously. Coughing, he patted his senior brother¡¯s arms that were wrapped around his torso. ¡°Alright, enough, I didn¡¯t do anything special. Now get off me and get back to work. You have a reconnaissance mission today, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Kong Min let go and laughed, ¡°Fine, fine, I¡¯ll start on it. You go and see what Master wants then, Junior Brother.¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded and opened the door before finally leaving the room.


    Kong Min smiled to himself. His junior brother could be so adorable sometimes. As he thought back to their conversation, Kong Min¡¯s mind drifted to Ying Xulin. Soon, they¡¯d have their first time together. Smiling eagerly at the thought, he set out to work as well.


    ¡­¡­


    Kong Min stood on the outskirts of the Spirit Bewildering Forest and reached up to press his hand over the gem. <Ah-Xu, I¡¯m here to visit you. Can you make a path for me?>


    <¡­Kong Min?!> Ying Xulin¡¯s voice sounded surprised. <You¡­ Why are you¡­? Why did you come here today? I don¡¯t think you have anything left to pay for.>


    Kong Min smiled and teased, <Are you saying I can¡¯t come visit my lover without a reason?> His tone turning self-reproaching, he went on, <That brat Wei Xiang made me realize that I haven¡¯t been treating you as well as I hoped I was. From now on, I¡¯ll visit you even if I don¡¯t have any favors to pay back. And you are free to visit me whenever you want as well as long as I¡¯m not in the middle of field work.>


    <Really?> Ying Xulin¡¯s voice sounded excited. <You wouldn¡¯t mind?>


    Kong Min chuckled. <No, I won¡¯t. Even if you visit me when I¡¯m taking a bath, I¡¯ll only ask you to join me~ Now, won¡¯t you prepare a path for me, please?>


    The vegetation in front of Kong Min parted in answer, with the usual tiny mushrooms with caps glowing blue-green lining the cleared pathway on either side. However, the floating clouds of luminescence and the cheeky little guide squirrel that generally accompanied the mushrooms didn¡¯t show this time. Kong Min didn¡¯t mind and started walking along the trail.


    Since the connection with Ying Xulin was still open, Kong Min began chatting. <So, Ah-Xu, I have something important to ask you when I arrive. Are you in the Forest¡¯s Cradle?>


    After a moment of silence, Ying Xulin replied, <No, I was visiting the border of my brother¡¯s territory that runs along the eastern side of the forest. But I¡¯m on my way there now. I will be there to greet you when you arrive.>


    Kong Min¡¯s eyebrows shot up. <So you were at the beach? Do you go there to talk to your brother often?>


    <No. He was the one who called me out of the blue this time. He said he wanted to see me since it¡¯s been too long since we met physically,> Ying Xulin explained.


    Feeling intrigued, Kong Min asked, <Oh? How do you interact with each other usually then?>


    <We talk telepathically.> After a brief pause, Ying Xulin informed, <I¡¯ve arrived at the Forest¡¯s Cradle. I will wait for you.>


    Kong Min smiled. <I¡¯m almost there too.>


    After a couple of minutes, Kong Min reached the clearing and entered it. At the center, Ying Xulin was waiting for him as always. His gaze was fixed on Kong Min, shining with happiness at being able to see his lover so unexpectedly.


    Kong Min walked up to Ying Xulin and unceremoniously pulled his head down for a kiss. Ying Xulin quickly retracted his fangs and eagerly complied, his hands pressing onto Kong Min¡¯s back to pull him closer. Their mouth eagerly melded over each other¡¯s, their tongues enthusiastically reaching out to entwine and caress one another. After a few minutes, Kong Min leaned back, his face flushed. Seeing Ying Xulin trying to follow his lips with his own while wearing a hungry expression, Kong Min let out a husky laugh and pushed back on his lover¡¯s shoulders. ¡°No, wait. Ah-Xu, I have to ask you something.¡±


    Ying Xulin straightened and took in deep breaths, waiting.


    Composing himself, Kong Min spoke, ¡°Ah-Xu, I want us to have out first time now. Is it alright?¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s eyes widened. Anticipation began to gleam in them as he nodded, ¡°Yes, I would like that very much. But Kong Min, are you sure?¡± His gaze searched his beloved¡¯s face for the slightest sign of hesitation. He had to suppress the urge to connect to Kong Min¡¯s emotions again just to confirm that his lover really wanted to do this.


    Kong Min smiled and nodded. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve been wanting to do this for the longest time.¡±


    Stepping back, Kong Min retrieved a thick quilt he¡¯d prepared just for this moment and spread it onto the ground covered by bumpy roots. Understanding what he wanted, Ying Xulin waved a hand and quickly smoothened the roots under the quilt as well. Kong Min folded his legs and settled down on the quilt. Then reaching out and spreading his arms in welcome, he looked up at his lover. ¡°Ah-Xu, come here. Let¡¯s start.¡±


    Ying Xulin took a step forward, then suddenly froze. ¡°I¡­¡±


    Kong Min tilted his head in confusion before realization dawned. Smiling widely, he said, ¡°It¡¯s alright if you¡¯re nervous or uncertain, Ah-Xu. I¡¯ll start and slowly show you what to do. I can take the lead this time. Is that okay?¡±


    Ying Xulin let out a breath in relief and nodded. He¡¯d only lain with three people before and he¡¯d never been particularly enthusiastic with any of them. As a result, he hadn¡¯t paid attention to what he should do to give his partner pleasure. But it was different with Kong Min. He wanted his beloved to feel good with him. However, his lack of experience made Ying Xulin unsure if he could achieve that.


    He was afraid he would end up making it feel as unpleasant or painful as Ying Xulin¡¯s own first time lying under another man had been. But he should¡¯ve known that his Kong Min wasn¡¯t the sort of person to just lie down and expect him to please him selfishly. His beloved would share his burden and be beside him, teaching him anything he didn¡¯t know. For the first time, Ying Xulin felt relieved that Kong Min was more experienced than him and that he would know what to do to make this enjoyable for them both.


    Meanwhile, Kong Min got busy with removing his clothes and setting them aside. Ying Xulin¡¯s attention snapped to him, his gaze intensifying as layer after layer of fabric fell off his beloved¡¯s shoulders. Ying Xulin eagerly took in the sight of the exposed copper-hued skin stretched tight over defined muscles that shifted and rolled as his Kong Min moved. Kong Min stood up to do away with his boots and pants as well. Once he was completely naked, he sat back down on his knees, his legs slightly parted. His posture was relaxed and unselfconscious. Ying Xulin swallowed, his eyes growing deep.


    Kong Min smirked and said, ¡°Ah-Xu, you should sit there and watch as I prepare myself for you, alright?¡±


    Ying Xulin felt his breathing growing deeper with lust and nodded. But before he could sit down, Kong Min spoke again, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to take off your clothes? I want to appreciate my lover¡¯s body too~¡±


    Ying Xulin halted, then slowly began to undo his clothes. Feeling his beloved¡¯s gaze pinned on him made his body grow hotter and hotter with every item of clothing he removed. The more skin he exposed, the more the sensation of Kong Min¡¯s eyes brushing over his body increased. It made his skin feel more sensitive. Once Ying Xulin was naked as well, he sat down and folded his legs before placing his clenched hands on his thighs. His gaze then fixed on his beloved again.


    Kong Min licked his lips as he looked Ying Xulin up and down. Hmm, now he really wanted to get started soon. But he should first put on a show to get both of their appetites stoked.


    His actions slow and languid, Kong Min lifted a hand to lightly brush against one of the nubs on his own chest. His lips curled into a sultry smile as his eyes grew half-lidded, remaining locked on his Ah-Xu¡¯s gaze. His fingers rubbed the small bud, causing it to perk up, before lightly squeezing and pulling it.


    Ying Xulin¡¯s lips parted, his breaths feeling too warm. As his eyes stayed fixed on his beloved¡¯s fingers, watching them stretching and rolling that little point, Ying Xulin¡¯s body grew tense with the stirrings of arousal.


    Kong Min lifted his other hand to start working on the remaining berry, pinching, twisting, and rubbing the two nubs while he observed Ying Xulin¡¯s captivated expression with interest. Currents of pleasure spread from the little nubbins as Kong Min kneaded them, but the way Ying Xulin''s gaze was fixed on him made it feel even more titillating. He pushed his chest up, making the two erect points protrude even more, causing Ying Xulin¡¯s breathing to speed up.


    As his own arousal increased, Kong Min slid one of his hands down from his chest, passing over his midriff and stomach. Seeing his lover¡¯s gaze following it, Kong Min flexed his abdominal muscles, making them tighten and roll under his skin temptingly. Ying Xulin unconsciously licked his lips. His hand dipping down between his thighs, Kong Min gripped his own hardness and began moving his palm up and down. He widened his thighs to both get better access to his member and to show an unimpeded view to his beloved¡¯s hungry gaze. Ying Xulin leaned forward without realizing, his vision filled only with his lover¡¯s bewitching figure.


    As one hand kept moving on his shaft while the other played with the buds on his chest, Kong Min began to pant. The steady friction he gave himself combined with his beloved¡¯s obvious interest in him pleasuring his own body pushed his arousal higher. Languid heat filled his limbs, making him increase his pace, his fingers growing more insistent. His eyes remained fixed on Ying Xulin¡¯s face, his need soaring higher at the sight of his lover drinking him in so intently. The liquid heat spread through him in quick pulses, slowly pushing him towards the edge. Kong Min felt his climax beginning to rush at him and abruptly stopped. His body felt too hot with desire, but he was unwilling to release this soon.


    Ying Xulin frowned. Why wasn¡¯t his beloved continuing? Seeing him stimulating himself had been so fascinating!


    After taking a moment to bring his raging need under control, Kong Min got up on his hands and knees and went up to Ying Xulin. In a husky voice, he spoke, ¡°Ah-Xu, it¡¯s time for me to prepare myself now. Won¡¯t you help me?¡±


    Ying Xulin felt confused. ¡°How do you want me to help you?¡±


    Kong Min lifted a hand and pressed three fingers to Ying Xulin¡¯s mouth. ¡°Here, suck them. The wetter you can get them, the better.¡±


    Ying Xulin nodded and parted his lips. He felt his beloved¡¯s fingers slipping in and clamped his mouth around them. Lifting a hand, he wrapped his fingers around Kong Min¡¯s wrist to keep it in place as he began sucking and licking the digits in his mouth. He made his tongue sweep all over them, even sliding it between the fingers, before finally pulling his lover¡¯s wrist away. ¡°Is it okay now?¡±


    Kong Min let out a heated breath. ¡°Hmm, yes. Ah-Xu, your tongue felt so hot and wet. I want you to use it to lick all over inside me later.¡±


    Ying Xulin felt heat creeping up his neck even though he didn¡¯t quite understand what his beloved meant. But he still nodded. No matter what Kong Min wanted to try, he was willing to do it.


    Kong Min chuckled and put some distance between them before lying on his back. Folding up his knees, he parted them to give his Ah-Xu a good view before reaching down with his wet fingers. ¡°Ah-Xu, pay attention now. This is how you¡¯ll have to prepare me in the future.¡±


    But Ying Xulin didn¡¯t need to be told. His eyes were already fixed on the little pucker revealed between his lover¡¯s buttocks, intently watching one of the fingers that had just been in his mouth pushing into that small opening. Ying Xulin clenched and unclenched his hands. He very badly wanted to use his own fingers to explore inside Kong Min. But feeling uncertain, he decided to first watch and learn this time. He would have the chance to use this knowledge and touch inside his beloved later.


    Meanwhile, Kong Min finished pushing in one finger and slowly began thrusting it in and out. It had been so long since he¡¯d taken anything into him that he¡¯d become very tight. After he felt his passage grow to accept one finger, he pushed in another and tried to widen his channel. He could feel Ying Xulin¡¯s burning gaze on him and swallowed. He wanted to hurry and welcome his Ah-Xu into him already. His brows tightening, Kong Min let out heated breaths as he sped up the preparation. His fingers moved in and out, occasionally spreading open to widen his passage until all three of the wetted fingers fit inside without issue.


    Kong Min removed his fingers from his entrance and simply laid panting on the quilt for a few moments. Then slowly getting up, he looked at Ying Xulin¡¯s flushed face and piercing gaze. Kong Min felt a mixture of shyness and pleasure. He hadn¡¯t even touched him, yet his lover was already so aroused just from watching him.


    Before Kong Min could say anything, Ying Xulin spoke, ¡°Is the preparation done? Can I come and touch you now?¡±


    Kong Min grinned. ¡°My, very eager, are we?¡± Patting the space before him, he said, ¡°Ah-Xu, come and lie down here. Let me ride you in the beginning this time until you get the hang of it, alright?¡±


    Ying Xulin didn¡¯t waste any time on lying down on his back before looking up at Kong Min with an anticipatory gaze. Kong Min grinned and straddled his lover¡¯s hips. Bending down, he framed Ying Xulin¡¯s face with his palms and kissed him once on the lips before straightening. Ying Xulin¡¯s hands reached out to touch and caress Kong Min¡¯s thighs. Wonder and appreciation bloomed in his face as he felt the smooth skin and firm muscle under his hands. ¡°Kong Min¡­you feel very good.¡±


    Kong Min smiled wider. His palms slowly slid up his beloved¡¯s abdomen and chest as he remarked, ¡°So do you. And let me now reward my Ah-Xu for generously complimenting me~¡±


    Lifting his hips up, Kong Min reached down to position the head of Ying Xulin¡¯s hardened member right under his opening before bearing down. Ying Xulin hissed out a breath as the heat of his beloved¡¯s body slowly enveloped him. It felt so soft and tight and wonderful that it was all Ying Xulin could do to stop himself from thrusting up.


    Meanwhile, Kong Min bit his lower lip, his pupils expanding at the sensation of a thick and hot shaft slowly burrowing its way inside him, stretching his entrance wide open and forcefully pushing apart the walls of his passage. It dug in deeper and deeper, squeezing its way into him. By the time Ying Xulin¡¯s member was fully seated within him, Kong Min had to steady himself by placing his hands on his lover¡¯s abdomen for support. His Ah-Xu¡¯s throbbing length felt too big, the penetration in this position making it reach in too deep. Groaning, Kong Min said, ¡°Ah-Xu, you feel so good inside me. How does being within me feel to you?¡±


    Ying Xulin shifted and panted, his fair cheeks reddened with intense arousal. ¡°K-Kong Min¡­ You¡¯re so tight and hot. I¡­I like it very much.¡±


    Kong Min chuckled with satisfaction. Leaning down, he gripped and kneaded one of the stiff buds on Ying Xulin¡¯s chest while his mouth descended on the other one. He nipped and licked the little point before sucking it strongly while his fingers twisted and pulled the other nub. Ying Xulin arched back and moaned helplessly. His chest thrust up on its own as his head arched back into the quilt while his hands curled into the fabric. Bursts of pleasure spread out from the two sensitive points on his chest. Such strong sensations were too unfamiliar to him, rendering him unable to prepare or defend against them.


    Kong Min lifted his head up and smiled charmingly. ¡°Ah-Xu, you¡¯re so sensitive. I¡¯m afraid that if I keep going, you¡¯ll end up coming right away.¡±


    Ying Xulin panted and looked up at Kong Min dazedly, not understanding. He only knew that his beloved seemed to be enjoying tormenting him with this sort of stimulation, so he remained still while waiting for Kong Min¡¯s ministrations obediently.


    Kong Min¡¯s expression softened with affection at seeing this. Straightening again, he let his palms drag down Ying Xulin¡¯s smooth chest and stomach. In a thoughtful tone, he commented, ¡°Ah-Xu, now that I¡¯m feeling you up, I¡¯m realizing that you¡¯re muscled more like a scholar who exercises regularly than some experienced warrior.¡±


    Ying Xulin frowned. ¡°Does my physical form displease you?¡±


    Kong Min shook his head and leaned down to peck his beloved on his chin. ¡°Of course not. I love you as you are.¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s expression eased into a shy smile. Kong Min felt it tug at his heartstrings and couldn¡¯t help but dip his head for another quick kiss.


    Sitting up again, Kong Min decided to tease his Ah-Xu a bit more. He reached back and cupped his lover¡¯s balls in a palm. And as he gently pressed and rolled them within his hand, he simultaneously squeezed and released his inner muscles around Ying Xulin¡¯s thick shaft. Ying Xulin shuddered and moaned softly. His chest heaved harder. ¡°Kong Min¡­please¡­ It feels too good, but¡­¡±


    Kong Min smirked. ¡°But you want even more?¡±


    Ying Xulin shifted restlessly and nodded.


    Kong Min stopped his playful torment and chuckled. His gaze roved over his lover, eagerly drinking in his helpless state. By now, Ying Xulin¡¯s control over his body had begun to slip. His hair had fully turned to thin vines, their color the same green as his eyes. The little leaves growing from the vines curled and uncurled in agitation while the tiny white flowers were in full bloom. In the meantime, the vines had begun to writhe and twist, scrabbling around on the quilt as if searching for purchase. Ying Xulin was panting, his expression dazed. A thin layer of sweat covered his defined body, highlighting all the dips and hollows. His Adam¡¯s apple kept bobbing restlessly as he struggled to control himself so that he could let Kong Min do as he wanted with him.


    Kong Min felt enchanted by this sight of his lover, his ardor increasing.


    Deciding to stop playing and begin, Kong Min slowly rose up. He groaned as he felt Ying Xulin¡¯s member drag its way out of him. Then lowering his hips again, Kong Min took the hard length fully into him once more. As Kong Min thus began moving up and down in a steady rhythm, Ying Xulin¡¯s hips began accompanying him on their own. Kong Min gasped, his head bowing. His hands wandered on his beloved¡¯s skin, stroking and massaging the firm flesh. Kong Min traced the tense lines of his lover¡¯s body and drove Ying Xulin mad with need. Ying Xulin¡¯s hands moved up and down Kong Min¡¯s straining thighs, sliding over his supple hips and waist, seeking to touch as much as he could. As the heat in their bodies burned stronger, they both tacitly increased the tempo, slamming their hips together harder and harder. A whirlwind of desperate need and sweet pleasure drowned them, gradually whipping them into a frenzy.


    Ying Xulin¡¯s voice grew deep as he gasped and groaned. His lips peeled back from his teeth, exposing his sharp incisors. His hair thrashed about with more urgency, his muscles bulging. He felt so lost in this unfamiliar tide of powerful sensations. But when he gazed up, he saw his lover pumping his hips up and down with the same franticness. It made Ying Xulin felt grounded again. As he looked at his beloved through eyes glazed with passion, the sight of Kong Min riding atop him made Ying Xulin overflow with awe and affection.


    Kong Min¡¯s loose hair that was usually pulled up now freely flowed down his shoulders, framing his face and sticking to his sweaty skin. His copper-hued skin was flushed with arousal, looking warm and inviting. His muscles bunched and rolled as he moved, his tight passage gripping and releasing the hard member as his hips moved up and down in concert with the pulses of need shooting through Ying Xulin. Kong Min¡¯s breathing sounded hoarse, intercepted with little moans and soft groans. He didn¡¯t hide the enjoyment he felt from Ying Xulin¡¯s body at all even as he pleasured Ying Xulin with his own.


    Seeing this, Ying Xulin felt satisfaction filling him. This was now his person, his Kong Min. After so long, his lover had finally, fully accepted him. This man always teased and played with him while grinning mischievously, his eyes sparkling with liveliness and humor. He always grumbled and acted dissatisfied with his junior brother, but when the people he loved needed him, he would always be there trying to do his best to help them. He might act willful or irresponsibly sometimes, but he could also be as calm and mature as the situation required.


    Whenever Ying Xulin felt lost with human emotions and customs, Kong Min would guide him patiently and explain things in an unassuming way. Even when he¡¯d hurt him, Kong Min had still chosen to forgive him and gave him another chance while telling him what lines he should not cross in a reasonable manner. It made Ying Xulin grow less uncertain and feel more comfortable and closer with his beloved. It made him understand that he was allowed to make mistakes as long as he took responsibility for them and apologized, then learned from them. He would not be hated or pushed away as long as he explained himself and made suitable amends. Knowing that reassured Ying Xulin.


    His Kong Min was so good to him. He was so bright and wonderful and full of life. He was so beautiful and tempting, the emotions expressed in his face and the fluid movements of his body mesmerizing. The way his beloved looked lost in the waves of pleasure right now, his body moving faster and faster, the way he made Ying Xulin¡¯s need rise higher and higher, feeding the taut thread of desperation and yearning that connected them both, flowing through them, pushing them into a more frenzied state¡­all of it made Ying Xulin want to hold him down and drive into Kong Min as his lover twisted and writhed with uncontrollable pleasure under him. He wanted to be wild and unrestrained with the person he loved.


    As these urges brimmed over, filling him up and overflowing, Ying Xulin gave in with a growl.


    The Kong Min who was completely absorbed with satisfying his insistent desire yelped as he was suddenly flipped over and pressed down. Before he could get back his bearings, he felt a strong hand settle on the middle of his back to firmly hold him down while another gripped his hip to keep him in place. A stiff organ abruptly pushed into his entrance, prying apart his inner walls to thrust in deep with one powerful stroke. Kong Min¡¯s body jerked forward due to the forceful motion. But before he could steady himself, the intruding organ quickly began to drive in and out of him relentlessly, sliding through his tight channel and providing unbearably pleasurable friction.


    Kong Min arched his back and gasped breathlessly. His Ah-Xu was so intense! Giving out a hoarse laugh filled with unrestrained joy, Kong Min encouraged, ¡°That¡¯s right, Ah-Xu. Fuck me nice and hard!¡±


    Ying Xulin gave out another growl and complied, his hips pumping with more force as his hand clenched on his beloved¡¯s hip. The sweet heat gripping and wringing his member felt too good. The feeling of his lover¡¯s slick skin shifting and sliding under his hands was too satisfying. Every hoarse cry and drawn-out moan that slipped out of Kong Min¡¯s lips pushed him to increase his speed. Ying Xulin¡¯s eyes filled with mad desperation, his thick member continuing to ruthlessly plunder his beloved¡¯s soft tightness.


    Meanwhile, Kong Min felt the hand on his hip slide down to his inner thigh to pull his legs open wider. He groaned and widened his legs before tilting his hips to receive each thrust more fully. His fingers clenched on the quilt under him as he sucked in deep lungfuls of air. His mind was completely filled with the sensation of his Ah-Xu pumping into him, that hard shaft diving deep inside him and rubbing over his sensitive inner walls. Gasping and panting, Kong Min instructed, ¡°Ah-Xu, make it go a bit deeper¡­mn, yes, on the lower side¡­a bit to the right and¨D Ah! Ahhh¡­yes, yesss¡­¡±


    As his pleasure point was hit, Kong Min¡¯s body melted into the quilt. He let out low moans and shuddered, his eyes squeezing closed tightly. His body shook with the impact of Ying Xulin continuing to plunge in and out of him, their hips colliding together. Kong Min began to writhe helplessly as wave after wave of pleasure flooded him. It seemed that once his Ah-Xu found a way to make him come undone, he wasn¡¯t content to let it go. Ying Xulin made sure to slam the tip of his shaft on that pleasure spot again and again, ruthlessly taking advantage of it to push his beloved to the peak.


    Kong Min let out a long, broken scream as his orgasm suddenly crashed over him. He shuddered and twisted as his member released thick streams of white liquid onto the quilt and his belly. His thighs trembled with strain as he pressed his cheek into the fabric under him.


    But before the waves of brutal ecstasy could recede, Kong Min felt Ying Xulin loop an arm over his waist and straighten, pulling him upright to sit down heavily on the thick organ that still pulsed vigorously while buried within him. Feeling the rigid length suddenly being shoved even deeper into him, Kong Min arched back and shouted hoarsely, ¡°A-Ah-Xu!¡± More release rushed out of his shaft as his climax extended.


    Ying Xulin did not allow the thundering pleasure crashing through Kong Min to abate as he used his hands to raise and lower his beloved onto his member. He could feel Kong Min¡¯s body against his, the exhausted muscles of his beloved¡¯s back twitching and quivering while Kong Min let out helpless cries.


    Under the relentless barrage of pleasure, Kong Min¡¯s body had long lost its strength, kept moving purely by the strength of Ying Xulin¡¯s arms as Kong Min leaned back into his lover limply. While Ying Xulin¡¯s member continued to hit his pleasure point again and again, another intense deluge of ecstasy surged through Kong Min¡¯s powerless body, making his back snap straight as his head fell back. A thin scream scraped its way out of his raw throat as he trembled weakly. More release spilled out of his shaft and flowed down.


    Kong Min felt tears trickling down the corners of his eyes as he was overwhelmed by the pleasure battering him again and again. He wasn¡¯t sure how much more he could take. ¡°A-Ah-Xu¡­I c-can¡¯t¡­it¡¯s too much¡­¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s lips pressed to his cheek, his voice sounding rough as he asked, ¡°Should we¡­stop?¡±


    Kong Min gritted his teeth, but shook his head. The sensations were too overbearing, but he didn¡¯t want to stop yet. He could probably go on for a bit more.


    Reassured, Ying Xulin breathed into his beloved¡¯s skin, ¡°Good.¡±


    As Kong Min trembled harder at the feel of his Ah-Xu¡¯s warm breath brushing over his damp skin, he suddenly felt Ying Xulin reach over with a hand to pump his member. Kong Min moaned brokenly, another spurt of release erupting from his already wrung out shaft. Kong Min whimpered, ¡°Ah-Xu¡­please¡­¡±


    By now, Ying Xulin was already pushed to the brink of orgasm. His hands moved to grip Kong Min¡¯s hips tighter, lifting and lowering his beloved onto his member at a frenetic pace. Ying Xulin¡¯s breathing felt hot and heavy. He was almost there, almost at the edge¡­


    Sensing it, Kong Min gathered his scattered wits and turned his head. He brushed Ying Xulin¡¯s cheek with his own and whispered intimately, his voice croaky and quavering, ¡°Ah-Xu, even though I feel scraped raw, you still feel so good. Being held by you feels too wonderful. Ahh, my Ah-Xu¡­I love you so much¡­¡±


    Hearing such words of endearment, Ying Xulin bowed his head to press his forehead against Kong Min¡¯s shoulder as he finally went over the edge with a hoarse shout. He plunged one last time into his beloved and stilled, holding him tightly. Kong Min felt blistering streams of release geysering into him in thick bursts and groaned at the strong heat drenching his tender insides. Unseen to them both, the flowers at the edges of the clearing sent out explosions of luminous pollen at the same time.


    Held in his lover¡¯s arms, Kong Min could feel his Ah-Xu¡¯s body shuddering with the force of his climax. A deep moan slipped out of Ying Xulin. Kong Min could feel trickles of fluid dripping from his filled passage and trailing down his inner thighs as Ying Xulin¡¯s orgasm went on and on. It was more than a minute before the seemingly unending eruption of liquid shooting forcefully into him finally stopped. Ying Xulin¡¯s hold on him slackened, his body slowly relaxing while he panted irregularly.


    Kong Min lifted a heavy hand and stroked his beloved¡¯s arm in comfort. Ying Xulin finally let go and Kong Min labored to get up. His lover¡¯s member made squelching noises as it finally slipped out of him. Kong Min felt liquid gushing out of his entrance, but ignored it for now.


    ¡°Ah-Xu, you really wrung me out. Now I¡¯m so tired and sleepy¡­¡± Kong Min groused in a soft voice. Flopping down on a clean stretch of fabric, he closed his eyes and patted the space beside him, ¡°Come, lie down. We can sleep together.¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s deep green eyes stayed fixed on his beloved as his breathing slowly grew regular. Going over to crouch beside Kong Min, he reached out a hand to touch his lover¡¯s flushed cheek. It was so soft and warm. It was just like how the rest of his skin had been when he¡¯d caressed him all over just now. Immense satisfaction at that thought filled Ying Xulin.


    Kong Min opened a single bleary eye and looked up. ¡°Ah-Xu?¡±


    ¡°The book you gave me said that you should clean up properly afterward,¡± Ying Xulin explained.


    Kong Min yawned and turned onto his back. Pulling his legs up, he parted them. ¡°Here, you can help me by cleaning me up. I¡¯ll just sleep.¡±


    Ying Xulin smiled affectionately and nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± Retracting his claws, he reached out towards his lover¡¯s dripping opening.


    But as Kong Min felt his Ying Xulin¡¯s long fingers sinking into him, rubbing over his sore passage while trying to draw out the liquid from within him, he grew restless and more awake. Kong Min shifted his bottom and decided to help his beloved. Widening his legs, he strained and pushed out with his inner muscles, expelling some of the thick fluid from inside him. He felt Ying Xulin quickly wipe it away with a cool and wet cloth before trying to remove the rest of it. But the more he was touched, the more Kong Min felt his need raising his head. Fuck, would his lecherous body ever have enough?! How could it not be satisfied even after getting fucked so much?!


    But what else could Kong Min do except stay like this and bear it?


    Within a few minutes, Ying Xulin was done with cleaning up his beloved and put everything away. Not bothering with clothes, he laid down beside an equally naked Kong Min and snuggled close, preparing to sleep. But feeling his Ah-Xu¡¯s bare skin, so smooth and warm, sticking to his body like this and inadvertently rubbing over him, Kong Min felt his kindled lust increase even more. Ahh, what should he do? He could probably just take care of it by hand, but¡­his Ah-Xu was right here! Maybe he could just ask him if he felt like going another round?


    Kong Min¡¯s mind whirled with thoughts, the haze of sleep having long flown away. Sensing his lover¡¯s restlessness, Ying Xulin blinked his eyes open to look at him inquisitively. ¡°Kong Min? Is something the matter?¡± Then as something occurred to him, Ying Xulin¡¯s voice grew anxious as he asked, ¡°Did you not like something we did today?¡±


    Kong Min realized he was frowning and smoothened his brows. Turning to Ying Xulin, he smiled and reached out to poke his beloved¡¯s nose. ¡°Do I look like the sort of person who wouldn¡¯t say what was on my mind if I didn¡¯t like something?¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s worry eased and he smiled back. ¡°Then what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Kong Min hesitated, then spoke, ¡°Ah-Xu, for our first time, you did me in your home. For our second time, would you let me reciprocate?¡±


    It took a moment for the meaning to sink in, but when it did, Ying Xulin¡¯s eyes widened as he stiffened with reluctance. ¡°I¡­ Do we...have to do it?¡±


    Kong Min reached out to cup his Ah-Xu¡¯s jaw, his thumb gently brushing his cheek. ¡°No, we don¡¯t. But I realize that you must have a shadow in your heart against being taken by anyone due to your experience with that inconsiderate man before. I want to dispel that. Of course, I won¡¯t like you any less or feel angry with you just because you refuse. You can also take your time to think about it if you are uncertain now. But Ah-Xu, I want you to believe me when I say that if you do agree, I will treat you with as much affection and love as I am capable of giving. I will take care of you like the wonderful treasure you are.¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s face grew red. He looked away from Kong Min¡¯s sincere expression and collected his thoughts. After a few minutes of careful contemplation, Ying Xulin finally nodded. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll let you do it. But¡­can we stop if it hurts?¡±


    Kong Min¡¯s heart melted as he quickly nodded. ¡°Yes. If it hurts you or makes you feel too uncomfortable, then we should definitely stop. However, the beginning might hold some discomfort, so I want you to give it a chance before deciding to stop. Is that okay?¡±


    Ying Xulin nodded and pulled Kong Min closer, then buried his face in his beloved¡¯s hair. ¡°I¡¯m only agreeing to this because it¡¯s you,¡± he clarified.


    Kong Min chuckled. ¡°Yes, I know. My Ah-Xu is so good to me.¡±


    Ying Xulin nodded again. After a few minutes of relaxing together, he leaned back and asked, ¡°When should we do it?¡±


    Kong Min¡¯s smile widened into an eager grin. ¡°There¡¯s no time like the present~¡±


    Getting up, Ying Xulin set about gathering his clothes in preparation to dress and set out. But Kong Min sat up and said, ¡°Ah-Xu, there¡¯s no need to put on our clothes. We¡¯ll have to remove it again anyway. Come here, I¡¯ll transport us over directly to my room through the shadows.¡± Kong Min held out a hand.


    Ying Xulin turned to him and nodded. Walking towards him with his clothes still clutched in his arms, Ying Xulin unhesitatingly took his beloved¡¯s hand. Kong Min looked up and smiled at him. The pair¡¯s figures turned to smoke and dissolved into shadows, leaving the Forest¡¯s Cradle empty of everything but the used quilt.


    ¡­¡­


    Kong Min¡¯s room was shaped like a long rectangle. On one of the long sides of this rectangle was a row of windows that spilled the diluted golden light of evening into the room. Pinned to the wall adjacent to the one with the windows were various small pieces of paper with handwritten notes, large spreads of practically illustrated maps, and torn pages from a book with detailed building layouts drawn by hand.


    The corners and edges of the room were occupied with neat piles of various things like stacks of books and scrolls, compasses, spyglasses, and strange, unidentifiable apparatuses, along with flat boxes filled to bursting with paper talismans of all shapes and sizes. Securely locked trunks and mystically warded boxes in black color sat here and there, looking mysterious and ominous. Chests of drawers and a wardrobe rested against the wall opposite to the windows and beside the bed. Some of the drawers were carelessly left open, papers haphazardly spilling out of their overstuffed confines.


    The moment Kong Min and Ying Xulin appeared in the room, Kong Min made a sound of surprise and quickly strode over to the papers that had fallen down. As he gathered them, Kong Min groused under his breath, ¡°Damn, I have to give these to Wei Xiang by tomorrow morning in good condition or he¡¯ll chew me out again. That pedantic junior brother of mine¡­ Does he have to get so bent out of shape just because of a few crinkles on the papers?¡±


    As Kong Min kept muttering while gathering and binding the papers together with twine, Ying Xulin looked on with amusement. Walking forward, he curiously peered around the room, taking in the orderly chaos of the place where his beloved lived. The only part that remained without clutter was the bed. The sheets were without a single wrinkle and the quilt was folded and placed neatly at the side.


    After Kong Min finished reordering his drawers, he closed them with a sigh of relief and turned to see his lover staring inquisitively at his bed. Smirking, he said, ¡°Ah-Xu, if you¡¯re that curious, why don¡¯t you lie down on the bed and see how comfortable it is for yourself?¡± Standing up, Kong Min languidly strode towards Ying Xulin as he continued, ¡°If you do, we can start right away.¡±


    Kong Min could see Ying Xulin tense. He was just starting to wonder if his beloved needed some more time when Ying Xulin let out a deep breath and placed the bundle of clothes in his arms down beside the cot. Ying Xulin then climbed onto the bed before stiffly lying down on his back. His voice sounding strained, he said, ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±


    Kong Min¡¯s lips stretched into a helpless smile. Walking up to the bed, he crouched beside it and poked Ying Xulin¡¯s cheek. ¡°Ah-Xu, are you nervous?¡±


    Ying Xulin blinked, then nodded honestly.


    Kong Min stroked his fingers up and down Ying Xulin¡¯s arm reassuringly. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be. It¡¯s not some stranger you¡¯re going to sleep with. It¡¯s only me.¡±


    Ying Xulin considered his words and nodded slowly. His beloved was right. His previous experience with that other man hadn¡¯t been pleasant at all, but his Kong Min wasn¡¯t like that person. His lover had never once behaved callously or selfishly towards him, especially when they were doing anything sexual.


    Seeing Ying Xulin frowning deep in thought, Kong Min silently got up to climb on top of his beloved. Ying Xulin¡¯s eyes widened as he snapped to awareness, but he didn¡¯t push Kong Min away. Kong Min straddled his waist and leaned down, framing Ying Xulin¡¯s face with his palms before pecking him once on the mouth. Remembering how Kong Min had done the same thing before in the clearing, Ying Xulin relaxed. Familiarity bred comfort, making his dread of the upcoming situation lessen.


    Straightening, Kong Min said, ¡°This doesn¡¯t have to be just me doing things and you lying down and taking it. Ah-Xu, you can touch me too. In fact, I¡¯d greatly enjoy it.¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s eyes shone as he immediately reached out and pulled Kong Min closer. Kong Min quickly stabilized himself by placing his elbows on either side of Ying Xulin¡¯s head. He chuckled huskily at his Ah-Xu¡¯s enthusiasm, then moaned as he felt Ying Xulin¡¯s lips trail from his shoulder to over his collar bone, spreading soft warmth in their wake. When Kong Min felt his lover¡¯s mouth settle on his throat, a spike of instinctive fear shot through him, left over from before. But Kong Min undeniably trusted Ying Xulin. He knew that his Ah-Xu would never hurt him. That trust combined with his current stimulated state caused the fear to turn to sharp thrill, heightening his arousal. Kong Min panted and cupped the back of Ying Xulin¡¯s head, his fingers stroking through the thick hair.


    After confirming that Kong Min wasn¡¯t terrified like before, Ying Xulin began to nip and suck his beloved¡¯s throat. Kong Min shuddered and let out a low groan. Ying Xulin felt the sound thrum under his lips, making them tingle. He slowly slid his mouth down, tasting and savoring his lover¡¯s smooth skin with his tongue, lips, and teeth along the way. When he reached Kong Min¡¯s chest, Ying Xulin eagerly took in one of the light brown buds into his mouth, assessing its texture with the tip of his tongue. The skin here wasn¡¯t smooth, but it was very soft and felt delicate in his mouth, making him lick and suck it with care. Not wanting to leave the other nub unattended, Ying Xulin teased it with his hand, rubbing and pinching it gently. Kong Min shuddered and let out breathless gasps, his body twisting restlessly. Ying Xulin wrapped an arm around his beloved¡¯s waist to hold him in place as he continued to happily feast on the two cute little points perked up on his lover¡¯s chest. By the time Ying Xulin was satisfied enough to let go, the two berries had turned a ripe red, glistening in the faint light.


    Kong Min bent his head to snuggle into the crook of Ying Xulin¡¯s neck, taking in large gulps of air. When he managed to steady himself, he lifted himself up and edged backward. Reaching Ying Xulin¡¯s legs, he carefully parted them to settle in between. Kong Min looked up to see if his beloved was okay with this.


    Ying Xulin¡¯s eyes had grown half-lidded, his dark green irises almost taken over by the expansion of his pitch-black pupils. His dusky red lips were wet and parted slightly. His cheeks were dusted with a faint pink. There was no fear or rejection in his gaze, making Kong Min feel relieved. Using his hands, Kong Min slowly bent Ying Xulin¡¯s long legs upward and pulled them further apart. His eyes darkened at the sight of his lover¡¯s aroused member standing in front of him, but Kong Min quickly brought himself under control. He¡¯d have plenty more opportunities to play with it later. His gaze slipped further down, past the hanging balls and to the small opening that looked tightly scrunched closed.


    Licking his lips, Kong Min lifted his head to meet Ying Xulin¡¯s gaze before saying, ¡°Ah-Xu, I want to begin now. Is that alright?¡±


    Ying Xulin barely hesitated before nodding. His experience till now already differed so much from what happened before that he understood it would be different this time. There was a sense of intimacy, consideration, and tacit understanding between him and Kong Min that he hadn¡¯t had with that man before. He knew that if he wanted to stop or do something specific, he could simply communicate that to Kong Min, and not minding his own needs, Kong Min would listen to him. There was nothing for him to worry about.


    Having gained Ying Xulin¡¯s permission, Kong Min turned his head to press a kiss to the top of his lover¡¯s thigh. Taking out a bottle of lubricant from his spatial storage, Kong Min poured some of its contents onto his fingers before rubbing them together to spread it evenly.


    Ying Xulin frowned at the bottle. It was shaped like a small vase the size of a palm. It had a round bottom that was connected to a long and thin stem at the top. The end of the stem was blunt, with a small hole at the very tip to let out some strange, clear liquid. In an uncertain tone, Ying Xulin asked, ¡°Kong Min, what is that?¡±


    Kong Min smiled and explained, ¡°It¡¯s lubricant. When you apply it on certain surfaces, it makes them slippery. If I put it on my fingers, I can push them more easily into you. I can then spread it inside your passage so that when I enter you later, it¡¯ll be much smoother with lesser discomfort.¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s eyes narrowed. So this liquid was actually this useful. If just applying it can make it less painful, then¡­ In a contemplative voice, Ying Xulin suggested, ¡°Then is there a way to pour it into me so that it¡¯ll make my insides even more slippery and easier to enter?¡±


    Kong Min¡¯s head jerked up in surprise at this bold and utterly unabashed statement. His wide eyes met his beloved¡¯s gaze, but Ying Xulin only blinked back at him innocently, waiting for an answer. Kong Min laughed. ¡°Ah-Xu, it¡¯s just our second time and you¡¯re already getting kinky. But yes, we can do that too if you¡¯re okay with it.¡±


    Ying Xulin confusedly nodded. He hadn¡¯t thought much before making his suggestion. It had only felt logical to him to want to have more of that liquid coating his passage to make it less painful and troublesome for himself. Had he done something strange again?


    But soon, the sensation of something cold pressing onto his entrance quickly redirected his thoughts. Ying Xulin stiffened instinctively and frowned. ¡°What¡­?¡±


    He felt Kong Min¡¯s hand stroking his thigh soothingly before his lover¡¯s voice said, ¡°It¡¯s alright, Ah-Xu. Since you want me to pour it into you, I decided to directly use the bottle to do it. Just relax.¡±


    Ying Xulin forcibly loosened his body. Immediately, he felt something thin poking into his opening and sliding inside. He had to struggle to not clench up again. It felt so strange and uncomfortable, but it was also small enough that it didn¡¯t feel like too much of an intrusion. Ying Xulin sensed it steadily traveling into him, parting his tight inner walls until it reached a tighter inner ring of muscles. Ying Xulin took in deep breaths, trying to relax it.


    Meanwhile, rather than forcibly pushing through the tight ring of flesh, the slender tip began rocking back and forth gently. The feeling of the slender length rubbing the walls of his channel made Ying Xulin want to shift restlessly, but he managed to hold himself still. The small motions of the thin length managed to loosen the inner ring of muscles enough that the tip of the bottle could finally slip through.


    Once the entire stem had finished entering him, Ying Xulin felt the bottle slowly being tilted up. He cooperatively raised his hips to go along with the motion. Cold liquid began trickling into his passage, startling him. It slowly filled his insides, making him instinctively clench his inner muscles. But it didn¡¯t halt the feeling of being steadily filled by the cold liquid at all. After a few moments, the liquid gradually started to warm due to the heat of his body. It felt more comfortable now.


    Ying Xulin began to pant, his body feeling hot for some reason. He shifted on the sheets, the sensation of the fabric rubbing against his skin making him want to moan. ¡°Kong Min¡­it feels odd,¡± he complained, not realizing how his voice sounded low and languorous with need.


    Kong Min swallowed. His Ah-Xu sounded too tempting for his own good. ¡°Do you want me to stop,¡± he asked his lover.


    Ying Xulin pondered for a moment before shaking his head.


    Kong Min raised an eyebrow and asked, ¡°Then do you want me to take the bottle out?¡±


    Ying Xulin frowned and nodded.


    Kong Min immediately slipped the slender spout out of his beloved. As a thin stream of wetness trickled out of Ying Xulin¡¯s entrance, Kong Min watched it with a mesmerized gaze. Reaching out, he pressed a fingertip to the small opening to halt the flow of liquid before asking considerately, ¡°Ah-Xu, I¡¯m going to prepare you now, alright?¡±


    Ying Xulin let out a breath and nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± With so much of that lubricating liquid inside him, it shouldn¡¯t be that painful now, should it?


    Receiving his agreement, Kong Min slowly pushed in a finger. The hot flesh gripping his slickened digit felt exceedingly wet and soft. Kong Min watched with fascination as his finger sank into his beloved¡¯s bottom. Once he felt his fingertip breach the inner ring of muscles, the tight channel seemed to eagerly suck him in. Kong Min¡¯s eyes gleamed brightly at the feeling. He looked up to gauge Ying Xulin¡¯s reaction.


    Ying Xulin was pressing his lips together, his brows scrunched tightly. Worried, Kong Min temporarily took out his finger from within Ying Xulin and moved forward to settle over him. Ying Xulin blinked up at him with glazed eyes. Kong Min placed an affectionate kiss to Ying Xulin¡¯s forehead and asked in a soft voice, ¡°Ah-Xu, do you want me to stop?¡±


    Ying Xulin shook his head. ¡°It felt strange, but it didn¡¯t hurt.¡±


    Kong Min chuckled. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be painful for you to not like it.¡±


    But Ying Xulin shook his head again. ¡°No, it¡¯s alright. I would like you to continue, but¡­can you remain like this? I want to be able to touch you.¡±


    In the face of Ying Xulin¡¯s hopeful expression, how could Kong Min refuse? He quickly nodded and resettled himself so that he could touch below while still staying within his lover¡¯s reach. Ying Xulin pulled him closer and ran his lips over Kong Min¡¯s jaw while murmuring, ¡°Now you can continue.¡±


    Kong Min let out a husky chuckle and complied. His finger once more entered his beloved¡¯s opening, steadily pushing in as deep as it could. Kong Min felt Ying Xulin¡¯s breathing deepen and smiled, beginning to thrust his finger in and out. Ying Xulin¡¯s toes dug into the sheets as he exhaled in surprise at the sudden stimulation. The movement of his lover¡¯s finger within him made the liquid inside him ripple and slosh against his inner walls, some of it even spilling outside. Ying Xulin couldn¡¯t help but tighten the muscles in his back and waist in reaction. The sensation was too strange, but the steady rhythm of the swaying liquid didn¡¯t feel too bad.


    Ying Xulin let out another deep breath. It had been too long since the first time he had been entered, so Ying Xulin didn¡¯t remember much about how it had been back then. But right now, being able to be intimate and sense his beloved¡¯s care was enough to make being invaded from below more easy to accept. He did not feel the same sense of rejection as before. Maybe it was due to the lubricant he¡¯d already had inside him, but it seemed very effortless and even somewhat pleasurable to receive his beloved¡¯s finger into him.


    After a few more minutes, Kong Min added in another finger, carefully inserting it in. Ying Xulin let out a soft sound at the feeling of being stretched and wrapped his arms around Kong Min. His hands restlessly mapped over his lover¡¯s back, taking comfort from the way Kong Min¡¯s muscles shifted under his smooth skin.


    Kong Min let out a moan at the sensation of his beloved¡¯s warm hands and the sharp tips of his nails dragging over his back, spreading ripples of pleasure wherever they went. Ying Xulin¡¯s palms slid down to knead Kong Min¡¯s firm buttocks before slipping further below to caress the backs of his thighs. Kong Min kept his fingers moving inside Ying Xulin while burying his face in his lover¡¯s chest. Ying Xulin felt hot puffs of breath on his skin and glided his hands up to hold Kong Min closer.


    Maintaining his position, Kong Min increased the number of fingers again, carefully thrusting three of them into his beloved. Ying Xulin let out a heavy breath and shuddered as he felt his insides being forced open so wide. He could feel more of the excess liquid being squeezed out of his channel due to the increased size of the intruder pushing into him. His legs widened unconsciously, his knees pulling up even more as if to cradle Kong Min¡¯s body with his own. Kong Min turned his head to place a small peck on Ying Xulin¡¯s chest in encouragement. Ying Xulin gave out a short groan, his mind completely focused on the increasingly pleasurable friction in his passage along with the feel of his beloved¡¯s warm body pressed against his.


    Kong Min kept moving his fingers, twisting and spreading them to stretch open Ying Xulin¡¯s tight inner walls as much as he could before finally taking them out. Most of the lubricant had already flowed out by now while the rest thoroughly coated Ying Xulin¡¯s inner walls to turn them slick and slippery. Just the thought that he would soon be able to feel his beloved¡¯s soft flesh wrapping around his stiff and throbbing member had Kong Min¡¯s need increasing. He carefully brought it under control before pushing himself up and off of Ying Xulin¡¯s chest.


    Kong Min peered intently into Ying Xulin¡¯s eyes. ¡°Ah-Xu, shall we begin?¡±


    Ying Xulin was panting, his body beginning to flush a faint pink. He nodded unsteadily and sighed out a hot breath, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Kong Min¡¯s gaze heated up, his eyes turning hooded. Licking his lips, he held his shaft in one hand and placed the other hand on Ying Xulin¡¯s hip, massaging it in reassurance. Moving forward, Kong Min pressed the thick head of his member against Ying Xulin¡¯s glistening entrance and pushed in.


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Ying Xulin let out a helpless sound. His spine stretched taut as he tried to deal with the sensation of something big and blunt forcing him open and slowly pressing in. He breathed harder, trying his best not to resist. The sensation of his insides being expanded to their limit to accommodate his beloved¡¯s organ was strange. But as the hard length continued inching into him, dragging over his already stimulated passage and pushing in steadily, Ying Xulin felt waves of pleasure slowly spreading outwards, gaining intensity. There was no pain or discomfort, making him exhale in relief. He relaxed further at the thought that the person currently entering his body was his Kong Min. As more and more of his channel was thus conquered, molten heat began flowing through Ying Xulin, making his body feel languid and heavy with lust. He shifted and moaned as pleasure softly lapped at his senses.


    Kong Min panted with the strain of holding back and continued to study Ying Xulin¡¯s expression, making sure his lover was alright. The tight, wet heat of his beloved clamped onto his shaft, trying to greedily suck him in. It felt so good, the thought of slamming into the welcoming softness making him dizzy with need. But Kong Min forced himself to go slow, his muscles bunching with the strain of controlling himself. Satisfying his own hunger wasn¡¯t as important as taking good care of his beloved.


    Ying Xulin¡¯s eyes were glazed with desire, his hands clenching on the sheets. He felt like his body was burning up from the inside. Fidgeting restlessly, Ying Xulin automatically searched for Kong Min with his gaze. His eyes locking onto his lover¡¯s face, he unclenched his fingers and reached out with a hand while calling out softly, ¡°Kong Min¡­¡±


    The feathery sound tugged at Kong Min, making him bend down and take his Ah-Xu¡¯s hand. As his hips kept pushing forward, he pressed a gentle kiss to Ying Xulin¡¯s palm before lowering his head and capturing his lips. Ying Xulin gasped breathlessly and opened his mouth. Kong Min secured his lips over his beloved¡¯s and their breaths mingled. Their tongues ventured into each other¡¯s mouths, sliding and caressing one another sensually.


    Below, Kong Min¡¯s hips finally met Ying Xulin¡¯s as his member grew fully sheathed. The feeling of being completely enveloped in his beloved¡¯s hot and slick flesh, his shaft being squeezed strongly by those tight and twitching inner muscles, was almost too much for Kong Min. He let out a low groan into Ying Xulin¡¯s mouth, prompting Ying Xulin to stroke his lover¡¯s back soothingly. His hands began roving over Kong Min¡¯s skin, his palms sliding along his spine before smoothing over his shoulders and down his sides. Ying Xulin kneaded and massaged his beloved¡¯s defined body, tracing over the taut skin and straining muscles. His mouth continued to suck at Kong Min¡¯s while his passage was filled to the brim with his lover¡¯s hot member.


    Kong Min¡¯s arms and thighs trembled as they went soft with pleasure. But he forcefully steadied his limbs to continue holding himself up. Kong Min leaned back from the kiss and gasped for breath. Not wanting to separate, Ying Xulin slid his lips down to trace them over Kong Min¡¯s jaw and throat, making his beloved shudder and moan hoarsely. Kong Min felt too hot as burning need filled his body to bursting. He needed more of this heat. He needed more of his Ah-Xu.


    Kong Min gripped Ying Xulin¡¯s hip with a hand and pulled his shaft out before driving it back in. Ying Xulin¡¯s lips parted against his lover¡¯s skin as he hissed at the sudden spike of pleasure. Kong Min gritted his teeth and continued to move his hips, thrusting in and out in a quick rhythm. His hand clenched on Ying Xulin¡¯s hip before making its way up his waist, pressing and rubbing firm circles into the sensitive skin. Ying Xulin let out a shuddering breath, his body arching. His hands clutched onto Kong Min¡¯s shoulders for stability as the relentless friction of his passage being plundered by his beloved¡¯s thick member wrenched a string of moans out of him.


    Kong Min swung his hips madly, his strokes smooth and powerful. The sound of his thundering heartbeat felt too loud to his ears, almost covering the slap of flesh against flesh. Kong Min bent his head to eagerly sweep his tongue over Ying Xulin¡¯s arched neck before sucking the sweaty skin, leaving little red marks. Trailing down, he traced his Ah-Xu¡¯s prominent collarbones with his teeth before pressing soft kisses to the hollow of his throat.


    Ying Xulin twisted, his hands holding on tighter to Kong Min¡¯s shoulders as he cried out louder. His legs lifted of their own accord to wrap tightly around his beloved¡¯s waist. Pleasure gathered under Ying Xulin¡¯s skin and wound tighter and tighter. The relentless wash of stimulation pushed him to the peak before his orgasm exploded. Ying Xulin trembled and gasped, his body bowing backward. Translucent fluid shot out of his member, splattering both of their bodies with its liquid heat.


    As Ying Xulin¡¯s slick and soft channel clenched and pulsed due to his climax, it tightly wrung Kong Min¡¯s thrusting shaft. Letting out a short yell, Kong Min let go of his control and erupted. Hot streams of liquid surged out of his member and poured into Ying Xulin¡¯s passage. The realization that his beloved was releasing into him sent Ying Xulin tumbling into another orgasm. His arms and legs wrapped around Kong Min, holding him close. Kong Min buried his face in his Ah-Xu¡¯s shoulder and let the continuing tides of ecstasy sweep him away.


    The pair of lovers stayed like that, their bodies shuddering as helpless gasps and ragged moans intercepted the sounds of their labored breathing. Their trembling slowly eased as their climaxes receded, leaving them panting in each other¡¯s arms, their sweaty skins stuck together tightly. The light outside the windows had long faded away, leaving only a lingering warmth in the room.


    Kong Min wanted more than anything to simply drop off into blissful sleep right on top of Ying Xulin. But mustering some strength, he sat up with a groan and got off the bed.


    ¡°Kong Min?¡± Ying Xulin rose up on his elbows and called hoarsely.


    Shooting him a reassuring look, Kong Min said, ¡°I¡¯m just going to draw up a bath. I can clear out your passage there before we bathe together.¡±


    Ying Xulin nodded and settled back down into the bed. His gaze stayed fixed on his beloved as Kong Min brought out a large tub from his storage space already filled with steaming water. Kong Min hung a few cloths over the edge to use later and turned back to Ying Xulin with a playful smile. ¡°Do you want to come over yourself or do you want me to carry you?¡±


    Ying Xulin gave it a moment of serious thought before deciding not to trouble his lover. Getting up, he slowly made his way to the tub. A stream of whitish liquid dripped down his thigh, making him instinctively tighten his inner muscles and frown.


    Kong Min chuckled. ¡°Leave it. You can just clean it up in the tub.¡±


    Ying Xulin nodded and stepped into the warm water with Kong Min following behind. As Kong Min lifted and positioned Ying Xulin¡¯s legs on the tub¡¯s edge and extracted his release from within his lover, his fingers remained careful and gentle. Though Ying Xulin felt restless, he didn¡¯t feel awkward at all, continuing to stare intently at Kong Min. Once they were done, Kong Min put away the used cloth and began washing himself up with practiced movements, removing the sweat and release on his body accrued from all their couplings. After drinking in his beloved¡¯s movements for a few more seconds, Ying Xulin also followed suit, his hands slow and methodical as they moved over his skin.


    In the peaceful silence, the sound of splashing water was the only thing heard.


    Ying Xulin felt contentment filling him. Just a small thing like sharing a bath with his beloved in this dim light felt like an intimate and close moment. The calm and still atmosphere felt soothing and comfortable.


    Breaking the quiet, Kong Min asked in a soft voice, ¡°So, Ah-Xu how was the sex? Did you enjoy it better than with that man your brother set you up with before?¡±


    Ying Xulin nodded and earnestly answered, ¡°Yes, it was incomparably great. If it will always be like this, then I don¡¯t mind doing it again. It didn¡¯t even hurt or feel very uncomfortable.¡±


    Sensing his surprise, Kong Min shot him an amused smile. ¡°As I said, it¡¯s not supposed to be painful, Ah-Xu. But it does make me wonder, just how horrible was that man in bed to make you have such low expectations? Why did the Master of Oceans even choose such a person for you?¡±


    After taking a few moments to recollect that unpleasant memory, Ying Xulin replied, ¡°That man wasn¡¯t as kind or caring as you. There was no mutual affection or respect there. And it was also painful and very bothersome to bear. That man seemed to have been introduced to my brother by someone he trusted, and that man also showed interest in me during our meeting, so my brother was sure he¡¯d treat me well. I don¡¯t think he¡¯d have asked me to lie with him otherwise.¡±


    Kong Min¡¯s eyes narrowed. In a serious voice, he asked, ¡°Ah-Xu, you don¡¯t have to answer me if you don¡¯t want to think about that day. But I feel like I have to ask: What all did that guy do to you?¡±


    Ying Xulin blinked confusedly. Why did his beloved get so serious all of a sudden? But since Kong Min wanted to know¡­ Thinking back to that time, Ying Xulin recalled, ¡°The second the door closed, that man pushed me down face-first onto the bed. It was very rude. He didn¡¯t use that strange liquid you used to prepare me, and he barely took a minute to ready me. It was very uncomfortable and I told him to stop. But he started laughing smugly for some reason and held my hands down before directly entering me. It was painful. I even felt blood coming out. Really, that man was beyond inconsiderate.¡± Ying Xulin frowned in displeasure. After being treated so nicely by his beloved, Ying Xulin felt even more indignant at that man¡¯s behavior.


    Flickers of anger burned in Kong Min¡¯s gaze, but Ying Xulin was too busy thinking about that day to notice. He continued, ¡°That rude person even tried to pull my head back by my hair. But after I used my free hand to twist his wrist and almost dislocated it in warning, he changed his mind very quickly. After that, I was mostly just trying to bear it until it was over. I wanted to use force to break free and leave that place, but I wasn¡¯t sure if I could do that without hurting that man. My brother told me that I shouldn¡¯t hurt humans unless they deserved it, and I wasn¡¯t sure if this man deserved being hurt, so I decided to just get through it and complain to my brother later and let him make the judgment.


    ¡°But then that man got too excited and ended up being the one who used too much force. I had reduced the regenerative capabilities in my body back then to avoid suspicion, so when that man ended up causing internal bleeding, my body was unable to repair the damage as quickly as usual. It hurt a lot and I felt very irritated at his carelessness, so I unthinkingly kicked that man away. I thought I¡¯d held back quite a bit, but his chest still caved in. Brother was in the building too and came rushing over to take care of everything. However, he later scolded me for using too much force.¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s face reflected his dissatisfaction with that outcome. He had been the one who suffered the most, and yet he was scolded! After grousing about his brother a bit more, he brought his mind back to the present. However, Ying Xulin realized with surprise that Kong Min was wearing a furious expression.


    Ying Xulin hesitated. Was Kong Min angry at him too? ¡°¡­Do you think I used too much force as well?¡± he asked uncertainly.


    Kong Min felt like his heart was both breaking into pieces and burning with immense rage. Despite the unfathomably long time he''d lived for, his Ah-Xu was such an innocent and inexperienced soul. How could someone treat him like that?! It was clear how oblivious his beloved had been, not even understanding how wrong what happened to him was! Just thinking about him being so helpless while he was being hurt so terribly made Kong Min¡¯s chest ache with a fierce protectiveness.


    Leaning forward, Kong Min gently enfolded his lover in a hug and patted the back of his head. ¡°No, I¡¯m not angry at you. I am, however, extremely furious at your brother and that bastard who sexually assaulted you! Ah-Xu, you shouldn¡¯t have had to go through such a thing. If that man was able to somehow survive till now, I¡¯d have torn him apart with my bare hands¨Dor even better, I¡¯d have set my torture-happy junior brother loose on him! I¡¯d like to have a word with that brother of yours as well for letting you get treated so badly, then allowing that scum to roam free without consequences!¡±


    Ying Xulin felt both puzzled and distressed at his lover¡¯s agitation. Though that memory gave him a bad taste even after so many hundreds of thousands of years, Ying Xulin still didn¡¯t understand why Kong Min seemed to hate that incident this vehemently. But what he did realize was that his beloved was only angry because he cared for him very much.


    Wrapping his arms around Kong Min and rubbing his back soothingly, Ying Xulin said, his voice as smooth and calm as usual, ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m fine. And my brother didn¡¯t let him go without consequences. After that incident, I remembered to complain to him about how painful and unpleasant it had felt, how that man didn¡¯t stop when I wanted him to, and how injured my body had ended up getting. My brother immediately went off to find that man again while saying something about how he¡¯d castrate him very slowly by cutting it off one thin slice at a time.¡±


    Tilting his head with confusion, Ying Xulin went on, ¡°He even asked me if I wanted to watch him torture that man, but I don¡¯t understand why he thought I would find that interesting. It would have been very messy and noisy. I also didn¡¯t want to see that man¡¯s face again, so I declined. My brother later said that the payback had gone even better than he¡¯d expected and began laughing in a very pleased manner. I don¡¯t understand why he was happy at all. But after that, my brother also began behaving guiltily. It was confounding. After all, he wasn¡¯t the one who hurt me, and he didn¡¯t know that that man would behave so terribly either. I do not see the point in my brother taking the blame. He is very strange.¡±


    Kong Min¡¯s anger wasn¡¯t completely gone, but the satisfaction of knowing that the person who¡¯d hurt his Ah-Xu had suffered was enough to dissolve most of it. Grinning viciously at the thought, Kong Min said, ¡°I¡¯m glad that man got what he deserved. Ah-Xu, maybe your brother isn¡¯t that bad after all.¡±


    Ying Xulin seriously nodded. ¡°Yes. Apart from a few mischiefs, my brother has been good to me.¡±


    Kong Min frowned. ¡°I can sense that. But still¡­ Why did he force you through those sexual experiences in the first place?¡±


    Ying Xulin hesitated and lowered his gaze. Looking at the reflection of their embracing figures on the rippling water, he slowly spoke, ¡°A long time ago, after my brother came to know about the reason I was cursing people in the Forest¡¯s Cradle, he visited me. He hugged me and said he wanted to help me not be alone anymore. He asked me to live with him, but I didn¡¯t want to leave my home. And so, he advised that if I had a lover and formed a family of my own, I wouldn¡¯t have to leave the forest and I also wouldn¡¯t feel so empty again. That was why I reluctantly agreed to let him help me with finding my sexuality first. But after trying those three times, the thought of staying with those incomprehensible humans and having to have regular sex with a human lover felt too troublesome, so my brother¡¯s advice went unimplemented.¡±


    Ying Xulin then affectionately nuzzled Kong Min before continuing, ¡°But that is alright. I have you now.¡±


    Kong Min held him tighter, his eyes squeezing closed as he whispered, ¡°Yes, you have me now.¡± Ah, his Ah-Xu was really too precious for words! Forget sleeping, at this rate, Kong Min was afraid he¡¯d end up wanting to pamper his lover with his body and go for another few rounds of intense and passionate fucking. And, well, since they had become lovers already, why shouldn¡¯t he?


    Therefore, letting go of Ying Xulin and leaning back on the tub¡¯s wall, Kong Min lifted his legs and widened them, placing his feet on the tub¡¯s edge. Ying Xulin blinked. His gaze was inevitably drawn down to the view under the surface of the clear water, towards his beloved¡¯s member and the little opening between his buttocks. Covered with water, the already tempting view gained a hazy quality, making Ying Xulin want to reach out and touch his beloved again to ascertain that it was indeed real. He wanted to run his hands and lips over Kong Min¡¯s skin, slowly exploring the lines of his supple body. He wanted to watch his lover¡¯s light brown eyes grow hazy with need, his lips swollen with kisses. He wanted to hear him cry out with pleasure as his body quivered and writhed.


    Ying Xulin let out a deep breath as he felt his need rising. But before he could get his reaction under control, Kong Min tilted his hips up and beckoned him with a finger. ¡°Come here, Ah-Xu. I want you to let me comfort you with my body. I¡¯ll show you just how much more pleasurable sex can be.¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s eyes grew dark as he looked deep into Kong Min¡¯s gleaming gaze. He immediately leaned forward as if bewitched. Since his beloved was inviting him¡­


    Their reaching hands met each other¡¯s skin, touching and caressing while their lips devoured one another. Ying Xulin¡¯s growing hardness soon found his lover¡¯s softness, plunging in. The couple¡¯s figures entangled once more, their bodies making lewd sounds as they joined together and parted again and again. The tub rocked back and forth while clear water cascaded over its edges in large splashes. They moaned and gasped and screamed each other¡¯s names as they came undone under the onslaught of excruciating pleasure. And then they started it all over again after moving to the floor, standing up against the wall, bent over the edge of the bed, before finally landing on the bed itself.


    In this way, the night passed, giving way to dawn.


    ¡­¡­


    The bright morning light lit up the corridor, throwing glowing shapes on the walls and floors. Wei Xiang strode through it, his boots making nary a sound as he made for his senior brother¡¯s room. As the current leader of the Order of Sentinels, he was now in charge of collecting and going through high profile reports, and Kong Min was supposed to provide him one such report today. Knowing how frivolous his senior brother was, Wei Xiang wanted to see if he needed any extra time or some extra incentive in the form of threats to finish that report.


    Reaching Kong Min¡¯s door, Wei Xiang knocked and waited. There was no response. Sighing, he simply pushed it open and entered. His usual admonishments had already surfaced to the tip of his tongue before Wei Xiang had to close his mouth. This senior brother of his was really too incorrigible.


    Kong Min¡¯s room was currently suffused with the scent of sex. A bathtub filled halfway with water stood forgotten at one side, the floor around it still wet. Suspicious splatters and whitish patches laid scattered on the floors and walls.


    On the bed, Kong Min sat on Ying Xulin¡¯s lap, the pair facing each other. Their bodies were sweaty, their chests heaving with deep breaths. They were clearly joined below, but Wei Xiang was glad that he wasn¡¯t subjected to that view at least. All he could see was Ying Xulin¡¯s back and his head bent over Kong Min¡¯s chest. His teeth were clamped over one of Kong Min¡¯s perky nub, pulling on it gently while his fingers played with the other one. Kong Min had his head thrown back, his Adam¡¯s apple rolling up and down the column of his arched throat. His fingers were tangled in Ying Xulin¡¯s hair, an endless stream of deep groans and sensual cries slipping out of his reddened lips along with instructions, ¡°¡­un¡­ah¡­ahhh¡­Ah-Xu, more¡­yes, suck it more¡­hnn¡­use your tongue¡­mm, just like that¡­feels so good¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang sighed. In truth, he had already witnessed this senior brother of his in far more compromising situations than this while he had to retrieve Kong Min from orgies that had employed some very creative methods of seeking pleasure. And so, even though Wei Xiang had to see his senior brother like this, and even though Kong Min noticed his junior brother¡¯s presence in his room, neither of them cared about it particularly. And understanding that Kong Min wasn¡¯t bothered, Ying Xulin blissfully continued his ministrations on his lover¡¯s little buds as well.


    But seeing how Kong Min barely spared him a single peek before blithely carrying on with what he was doing, Wei Xiang felt veins throb in his head. He growled with dissatisfaction, ¡°Kong Min, fucking seriously?!¡± As the current leader of the Order, didn¡¯t he deserve a little bit more respect than that?!


    Kong Min¡¯s hands dragged down Ying Xulin¡¯s smooth back, savoring the feeling of his lover¡¯s slick skin and shifting muscles before looking up at Wei Xiang with a cheeky smile. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fucking very seriously right now. So, Junior Brother, why don¡¯t you leave for now and come back again in a few hours?¡±


    Wei Xiang massaged his forehead and reprimanded, ¡°I cannot believe that you brought one of our most important targets for surveillance right into the Order¡¯s headquarters! Kong Min, you¨D¡±


    Kong Min interrupted him with a drawn-out moan as he felt Ying Xulin¡¯s hot mouth sweep up to nibble on his neck. But he didn¡¯t forget to wave a hand at Wei Xiang to dismiss his worries while saying huskily, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry. Ah-Xu isn¡¯t a threat.¡±


    Ying Xulin gave Kong Min¡¯s neck a long lick before turning his head towards Wei Xiang. His dark green eyes churned with hunger and deep emotions. In a raspy voice, he stated, ¡°As long as Kong Min doesn¡¯t ask me to, I will not interfere with your organization. I will also not do anything illegal that could put Kong Min in a difficult situation. So you can be at ease, beast.¡±


    Kong Min smiled and affectionately rubbed his cheek against Ying Xulin¡¯s. ¡°Aww, Ah-Xu! You¡¯re so sweet towards me!¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s eyes gleamed with quiet joy as he pressed a soft kiss to his beloved¡¯s jaw. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s lips twitched as he witnessed their shameless canoodling. Why did their words not feel reassuring at all? Sighing again, he decided that just in case his senior brother¡¯s lover did indeed create any problems in the future, he had to start preparing countermeasures and appropriate procedures in advance. Maybe he could also enlist his master¡¯s and little lover¡¯s help. After all, due to his relationship with Kong Min, the Master of Land could be said to have become family as well.


    Seeing Kong Min and Ying Xulin continue to cuddle, Wei Xiang gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Fine, whatever. You both can keep snogging and screwing each other all you want. I¡¯m just here to get that finished document about the incident of demonic fog leakage from that crack in the ground near Zifan Village. Second Brother, you did finish that, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Kong Min had just started moving his hips up and down. Feeling the slow drag of his lover¡¯s thick member inside him, he moaned throatily. He squeezed his eyes closed while more sweat beaded on his forehead. As Wei Xiang words filtered through his haze of arousal, Kong Min nodded and replied, ¡°Yes, yes¡­I finished it.¡±


    Patting Ying Xulin¡¯s shoulder, Kong Min called hoarsely, ¡°Ah-Xu, can you please¡­get the bundle of papers¡­in the left chest¡¯s¡­second drawer for me? It¡¯s the one I put away¡­first thing¡­yesterday evening¡­ Hng¡­deeper¡­ah, yes¡­you feel so good¡­hmm¡­¡±


    Ying Xulin¡¯s eyes darkened, his hands raising and lowering his lover¡¯s buttocks with more vigor. Meanwhile, one of his locks of hair turned in a green vine, slowly extending towards a certain bureau before pulling out the indicated drawer. After lifting the papers at the top that were wrapped into a bundle with twine, the vine brought it to Wei Xiang. All the while, Ying Xulin¡¯s gaze was fixed only on Kong Min, drinking in his beloved¡¯s expression that was filled with naked lust and heated with passion.


    Wei Xiang paid them both no mind and took the bundle of papers offered to him by the vine. He cursorily flipped through the top of the papers to check it.


    Meanwhile, Kong Min ran his teeth along the curve of Ying Xulin¡¯s ear before whispering in a raspy voice, ¡°Ah-Xu, seeing how flexible your vines can be, I¡¯m getting all sorts of deliciously naughty ideas~ After this, will you hold me down using your vines and take advantage of my defenseless body? Will you use my hole and come into it again and again until it¡¯s filled to bursting with your essence? Will you tease and torment me and deny me release until I¡¯m begging you and screaming your name?¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyebrow twitched, but he determinedly kept ignoring them.


    Hearing such blatantly provocative words from his beloved¡¯s mouth, Ying Xulin almost climaxed right then and there. Hugging Kong Min closer while panting, Ying Xulin earnestly replied, ¡°If you do not mind¡­then I would very much like to do all that to you.¡±


    Kong Min chuckled and nibbled his lover¡¯s ear. ¡°Yes, I¡¯d love it if you could do that. And after that, I can be the one to tie you down with my set of restraints and play with your body until you¡¯re engulfed in pleasure. Would you be okay with that?¡±


    Ying Xulin hesitated. But thinking about how intuitive and considerate Kong Min¡¯s treatment of him always was, Ying Xulin¡¯s worries were dispelled. He nodded, ¡°Yes. As long as it¡¯s you, I will let you do anything you want to me.¡±


    Kong Min groaned. ¡°Ah-Xu, do you even know how enticing you sound? It makes me want to eat you up right this instan¨D¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m done,¡± Wei Xiang interjected. ¡°Everything seems to be in order this time at least. Since I got what I came for, I¡¯ll leave you both to your fucking then.¡± With that, he quickly opened the door and strode out before firmly closing it behind him again. He was not interested in witnessing his senior brother slowly corrupting the Master of Land. And to think he had actually been worried about how Kong Min¡¯s lover was treating him¡­


    Shaking his head, Wei Xiang started walking back to his office, his steps as steady as before. But his mind began drifting towards a certain thought, making him frown contemplatively. The junior officers along his path all bowed respectfully while sneaking a peek at his expression. Seeing him wearing such a serious face as if pondering about some great issue while a hefty bundle of paperwork rested in his arms, it made them all think about how hard their senior officer was working these days. No, they couldn¡¯t let their Senior Officer Wei carry all the burden! They had to work hard too! And so the officers went about carrying their responsibilities with renewed determination.


    Little did they know that the important thought Wei Xiang was pondering upon was something completely unrelated to work.


    Thinking back to Kong Min¡¯s comments about how Ying Xulin could use his vines, Wei Xiang had been hit with the sudden epiphany that he could do the same to his little lover with his golden strings. Unknowing to the officers who cast him their respectful gazes, Wei Xiang continued to think about all the wonderful ways he could torment his Qinghe with the golden strings, his expression deceptively solemn and deep with concentration.


    ¡­¡­


    Kong Min and Ying Xulin¡¯s days were filled with happiness. They slowly began sharing their lives with each other, giving way to a deeper understanding between them.


    For example, Kong Min had taken Ying Xulin to visit Yuese Lian, showing him around the place and recalling memories. He took him to visit the grave of a certain wounded snake he¡¯d once brought home, only for it to die due to its injuries. He led him to the natural pond of white lilies he used to love splashing around in when he was a child. He pointed out the tree from where he¡¯d liked to spy on the people chatting below in the shade. But once, a squirrel had bitten his butt while he was crouched on one of the tree¡¯s branches, making him yelp and fall down into the midst of the people he was spying on. Needless to say, he never used that tree again. He also developed a dislike for squirrels.


    Hearing the story, Ying Xulin had laughed, his voice light and pleasant. It seemed that despite his tendency to constantly watch Kong Min through the gem at that time, he had still missed many little instances like this.


    In return for the tour of Yuese Lian, Ying Xulin took Kong Min on a tour of the Spirit Bewildering Forest, introducing him to some of the most humane and intelligent monsters dwelling within. Ying Xulin showed him various wondrous sights and delighted in his beloved¡¯s astonished or awed expressions.


    Kong Min took Ying Xulin to formally introduce him to his master as his lover. For the first time, Ying Xulin had felt nervous at the thought of meeting someone. After all, he knew that his lover placed a lot of importance on his master¡¯s opinion. But seeing how accepting and supportive Feng Huixin was, Ying Xulin¡¯s worries slowly subsided.


    Later, Ying Xulin and Kong Min went to the beach to meet with the Master of Oceans as well. Learning from how Kong Min introduced him to the people he considered family, Ying Xulin also dutifully introduced his lover to his brother. After bickering for several minutes, Kong Min and the Master of Oceans struck an accord about protecting and caring for Ying Xulin together. He might be the powerful Master of Land, but they both agreed that he was too inexperienced with the world and its people to be left alone for too long. The Ying Xulin who didn¡¯t want to be lonely was naturally happy with their decision, though he didn¡¯t understand the basis for their worry. If someone acted badly with him, couldn''t he just use his monsters to tear them up a bit or use his vines to catapult them a few kilometers away to punish them? However, this only strengthened Kong Min and the Master of Oceans¡¯ belief that they had to always keep an eye on him to avoid him inadvertently causing trouble for himself.


    Kong Min and Ying Xulin also had many more dates, both within the forest and outside in the mortal world. But no matter what new things they experienced together, their dates would always end up with an enthusiastic romp in the sheets.


    Whenever they had free time between Kong Min working for the Order and Ying Xulin tending to the forest, the couple spent most of it either at Kong Min¡¯s room or in the Forest¡¯s Cradle, just talking or doing things together. This meant that their belongings were now spread between their places. Some of Ying Xulin¡¯s clothes and certain other items could now be found in Kong Min¡¯s room, and some human furniture filled with Kong Min¡¯s things could also be found in the Forest¡¯s Cradle, giving the enchanting glade a more homey look. For example, there was a bed piled high with thick and comfortable quilts and soft pillows at the center, some plush chairs around a large table at the side, and a few chests of drawers wrapped and held in place by vines near the edge of the round clearing.


    Currently, Kong Min was sitting atop the large table, weaving and knotting several ropes together to create a hammock. Ying Xulin rested on a chair near him, his posture straight as he stared intently at how Kong Min¡¯s defined fingers nimbly worked with the ropes. And since Kong Min was speaking, Ying Xulin listened to him carefully as well.


    As his hands kept moving swiftly, Kong Min was saying in a leisurely tone, ¡°¡­and so, Wei Xiang will be going to off to help Master and play with his little lover in the heavenly realm for a few weeks again, which means his lieutenants and I will be left to take care of things. It might get a bit busy, so I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ll be able to get any significant time off work. So Ah-Xu, can you come and live in my room until I can get time to visit here again?¡±


    Ying Xulin tilted his head in consideration. ¡°So your master will not be there?¡±


    Kong Min shot him a wry look. ¡°It seems you¡¯ve taken a liking to him. If I weren¡¯t so sure of your fidelity, I¡¯d suspect you were starting to like him romantically~¡±


    Ying Xulin shook his head. Even though he knew that Kong Min was only teasing, he still felt the need to clarify, ¡°No, I only like you in such a way. I will only ever love you.¡± Then pausing, he confessed, ¡°But I like the way your master explains human things to me properly rather than expecting me to understand everything. For example, he explained to me about the confounding human ritual of drinking tea while talking, or the concept of why certain things are considered tasty and why some are not. It was very enlightening and easy to understand.¡±


    Kong Min chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s good then. I think Master is able to explain such vague concepts because he had to teach them to his son before. Knowing Little Bro, he¡¯d have definitely asked for lots of explanations and the logic behind each of those things. And when one learns how to explain those concepts to a child, they will be able to explain it to almost anyone else. Speaking of which, Ah-Xu, if you want to learn about more human things, I could get you some children¡¯s books. They have explanations that are easier to understand.¡±


    Ying Xulin nodded. ¡°If you think it¡¯ll help me learn more, then I¡¯d like to take a look at them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, they¡¯ll definitely be helpful,¡± Kong Min reassured.


    As Kong Min realized that he was nearing the end of the ropes, he put in more concentration into weaving them together. His tongue peeked out from between his teeth, his eyes narrowing.


    Seeing it, Ying Xulin¡¯s gaze warmed with affection. He remained silent, waiting for Kong Min to finish with what he was doing.


    A few minutes later, Kong Min finally tied the other end of the ropes together tightly and stood up on the table. ¡°Aha! Behold my finished hammock! Now all that¡¯s left is to secure it. Ah-Xu, can you tie it between those two trees?¡±


    Ying Xulin curiously looked at what only seemed like a tangle of ropes, but still nodded. Making the trunk of the two trees Kong Min pointed to extend out its wood in thick tendrils, Ying Xulin helped Kong Min secure the two ends of the hammock. Kong Min went to get some quilts and pillows to line its rough rope surface, making it into a cozy, swinging haven. He eagerly climbed into the hammock and wriggled happily. Then extending a hand, he called, ¡°Come, Ah-Xu. Lie down beside me. We can snuggle together and sleep. It¡¯ll be blissful.¡±


    Ying Xulin gave the hammock a dubious look, but still climbed onto it, his motions careful. But when he lied down beside Kong Min and sent the hammock swinging again, Ying Xulin felt his stomach lurch. He wanted to get off and have his feet on solid ground again. This contraption seemed too unstable!


    Kong Min chuckled at Ying Xulin¡¯s anxious expression and hugged him close. ¡°Ah-Xu, it¡¯s okay. I won¡¯t let you fall. Here, hold onto me and everything will be alright.¡±


    Ying Xulin squeezed his eyes closed and buried his head into Kong Min¡¯s shoulder, not daring to look at the swaying scenery. Thankfully, the rocking of the hammock soon subsided, making Ying Xulin brave a little peek through slitted eyes. Seeing that everything was still and stable once again, he breathed a sigh in relief. He tried not to move much lest this unstable thing be sent swinging again.


    Kong Min suppressed his laughter at Ying Xulin¡¯s cautious expression. ¡°Ah-Xu, do you want to get off?¡±


    Ying Xulin shook his head. ¡°Since you are here and you enjoy this, I will also stay here with you.¡± After all, his life that had once been as stable and still as the ground had been sent swinging into disorder because of Kong Min. Slowly, Ying Xulin had come to enjoy that. So maybe he would one day come to enjoy this rocking contraption too. He would never know unless he tried. And even if this thing did give away and sent them falling, he was sure that he and Kong Min would protect each other. They would always be there for one another.


    Ying Xulin held Kong Min tighter, closing his eyes and relaxing his body in preparation for sleep. Kong Min smiled and did the same. Their heads rested together, the sensation of their lover¡¯s warmth soaking into each other as they dropped off into pleasant sleep. A stream of glowing dots flowed past their slumbering figures. In the distance, strange beasts howled and roared, their voices sounding muffled and distant from the clearing. Leaves rustled high above the hammock as a gentle breeze brushed their peaceful faces.


    In this way, the couple slept while wrapped in the timeless tranquility of the Forest¡¯s Cradle, content in the knowledge that they would remain together for as long as they lived.


    crimson_carnation

 Extra 23: Frolicking Outdoors

    The forest behind the Feng residence was peaceful this morning. Light filtered through the tree branches, speckling the ground. Animal calls and bird chirps rang. A pleasant breeze blew, stirring the leaves lazily.


    A quick figure suddenly whooshed past this scene, disturbing nary a rock or leaf in its path.


    His steps lighter than air, Qinghe sped through the forest, his toes barely touching the earth. He was wearing a greyish brown cloak that was the same color as the ground, letting him blend in with it. Its hood was pulled up as the rest of the fabric flared behind him. As he ran, Qinghe moved through the interconnecting chain of shadows cast by the trees so that his form wouldn¡¯t be visible from above the tree canopies. He knew that the one hunting him might have other means of tracking him, but Qinghe refused to give up and be caught so easily.


    The wind brushed his cheek, whispering a warning.


    Qinghe halted and immediately pressed his back to a nearby tree. He cast a quick glance upward to make sure the foliage above him was thick enough to block him. His heart galloped in his chest with both exertion and excitement. In contrast, his surroundings were calm. Birds and insects chittered as usual. Wind gently threaded through the trees, making the shapes of light cast on the ground shift and sway.


    Nothing happened.


    Qinghe maintained his vigilance while keeping himself as still and unnoticeable as possible.


    A hush slowly descended on this part of the forest. The animals that had been enthusiastically moving about and calling out to each other gradually grew quiet as they sensed the approach of a dangerous predator. The leaves rustled with increasing urgency, the sound loud and frantic as the tree branches were whipped about by the increasingly agitated wind. Animals huddled still and motionless in corners while loose leaves rained down from the trees.


    Qinghe pressed his back more firmly into the tree trunk, trying to erase his presence. He held the ends of his cloak with a hand to prevent it from fluttering around.


    Something large suddenly swept through the sky, blocking the sun. It cast the entire space in shadow as it passed over this part of the forest. The sound of huge, leathery wings beating could be heard, sending out concussions of wind. The flaps of those wings stirred up the air, sending it ripping through the trees.


    Qinghe tried his best to imitate a rock, staying utterly motionless.


    The large being swam through the sky overhead without pausing. The giant shadow slid over the ground, moving away. Qinghe waited until the being was far enough before he let himself breathe a sigh in relief.


    But just as he was about to move away from the tree to resume his escape, the sound of the huge wings beating suddenly ceased. Qinghe paused, waiting. The wind blew back his hair and whispered again. The one hunting him had assumed human form, and he was now coming his way.


    A shudder of thrill ran down Qinghe¡¯s spine.


    He turned in the opposite direction to where the large being had been headed before and ran, his feet flying over the ground. Though he was confident that he could beat his pursuer in speed alone, he knew that his endurance would be no match. Qinghe brought up the layout of the forest in his mind and rapidly went through his surroundings. Was there a place he could hide? Some place to set up an ambush? He focused on a particular cave system nearby and narrowed his eyes. If he remembered right, then it had a small pond in the middle of one of its tunnels. Maybe he could¡­ Qinghe¡¯s lips curled up in a smile. Yes, this would do.


    He turned and sped towards the location of the cave system, his long legs eating up ground. Wind whooshed past his ears. His body was almost horizontal now.


    As he ran, Qinghe suddenly felt a familiar presence at the edge of his spirit sense and almost stumbled. His pursuer was too fast! He pulled in his spiritual awareness to avoid alerting the one chasing him and quickened his pace. He contemplated leaving behind traces of his scent or some trail to make sure his pursuer wouldn¡¯t lose him. After all, his newly-formed plan required the one after him to eventually catch up. But Qinghe quickly discarded the thought. That person didn¡¯t need his help. He would find him on his own.


    Within minutes, Qinghe arrived before the entrance to the cave system. The cave opening was situated in a rock face, gaping open like a gigantic maw. Without hesitation, Qinghe dived inside and sped forward.


    The cave floor was layered with loose sand near the entrance. Yet Qinghe¡¯s toes flew above it light and fast, leaving no marks. He knew that his pursuer would be able to sniff out his scent easily enough and use it to follow him. He didn¡¯t need to leave any other deliberate signs.


    The tunnel split into two in front of Qinghe. He unhesitatingly took the left one and kept running. The cave tunnel kept dividing, and Qinghe had to suppress an anticipatory grin as he continued choosing one of them decisively and kept going. He was almost there. Just a few more turns and he could set up his trap.


    A few moments later, he arrived at a large cavern connecting two tunnels. Qinghe stopped and looked around the cavern appraisingly as he caught his breath. The walls and floor were made of hard rock. The ceiling here was just as high as the rest of the tunnel, which meant it was so far away that it couldn¡¯t even be seen. A wide pond bisected the cavern, its edges touching the walls on either side and effectively blocking the way. Its waters were a deep black and without ripples. The only way to continue on this path would be to swim through the pond or fly over it to reach the other side.


    Qinghe smiled, satisfaction flashing in his eyes.


    But before he could begin implementing his plan, Qinghe heard the unhurried footsteps of his pursuer steadily growing closer, the footfalls deliberately left to echo loudly through the spacious cave system.


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes widened in surprise at how quickly the one following him had found him. In a low voice, he cursed, ¡°Fuck!¡±


    The person chasing him chuckled, the deep and mellow sound vibrating off the cave walls. ¡°Oh, yes. ¡®Fuck¡¯ is definitely what I¡¯m going to do after finding you, love.¡±


    Qinghe had to press his hand to his mouth to stop himself from letting out a startled bark of laughter. His lover was so ridiculous! And who was he kidding? Of course he would be the one to win this round of their Hunter and Prey game!


    And so, unwilling to let Wei Xiang get the upper hand this time, Qinghe determinedly set to work, putting his plan into action.


    ¡­¡­


    A few minutes later, Wei Xiang ambled into the cavern with leisurely steps. He looked around cursorily, already knowing that his beloved wouldn¡¯t be hiding in any obvious place. To keep the game fun, both Qinghe and Wei Xiang had temporarily blocked off the ability to sense each other through their soul bond. If Wei Xiang wanted to find Qinghe, he could only use his own wits to track him. And since it was Qinghe, Wei Xiang knew that it would be no easy feat.


    Suppressing a smile, Wei Xiang slowly strode forward, following his beloved¡¯s scent.


    The only thing of note in this cavern was the pond stretching from wall to wall, blocking the way. Qinghe¡¯s scent led into the pond and seemed to stop there, so Wei Xiang walked up to its edge and peered down. The water¡¯s dark surface showed large ripples. Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes narrowed. There were no wind currents this deep inside the cave system, so the water should not be able to move unless stirred up by someone. But he also didn¡¯t believe that his beloved would leave such obvious traces of his passage.


    His lips pressing together, Wei Xiang tried to peer into the pond¡¯s depths. But despite having the enhanced vision of a beast, he was unable to look far into the black waters. He wanted to discard the notion of Qinghe hiding within, passing through the pond, or flying over it to go to the other side since it was too obvious. But Wei Xiang really couldn¡¯t discount that possibility. What if this was a bluff? What if Qinghe expected him to dismiss this and thus used it as a ploy? After all, his little lover was sneaky enough to do just that!


    Meanwhile, Qinghe silently watched his beloved¡¯s pondering expression with amusement.


    Wei Xiang showed a wry smile as he kept trying to guess Qinghe¡¯s mind. He turned to survey the rest of the cavern. His gaze roved over the craggy walls with thin cracks here and there, the relatively smooth floor that seemed to have been worn with time, and the ceiling covered in black shadows. Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes turned golden, the slitted pupils expanding to take in as much light as possible. With this, he was finally able to see the cave ceiling situated far above, but he still didn¡¯t spot traces of his little lover anywhere. Blinking to return his irises to normal, Wei Xiang frowned.


    Logic said that he should first dive into the pond to check it before swimming to the other side to continue looking. But his intuition tingled, insisting that his beloved was nearby. Wei Xiang could almost feel his little lover¡¯s mischievous gaze trained on him, watching him with an impish smile. But no matter how much he surveyed the cavern with his senses on full alert, Wei Xiang couldn¡¯t find Qinghe. If they hadn¡¯t already agreed to not borrow the aid of external resources like weapons, talismans, artifacts, and the like, Wei Xiang would have almost suspected his beloved of using an invisibility talisman.


    Just where was Qinghe hiding?


    Wei Xiang looked into the pond again, his mind racing.


    Just then, the waiting Qinghe finally used this chance to pounce on Wei Xiang from behind¨D


    ¨Dand right at that moment, under the guidance of his instincts, Wei Xiang suddenly turned around.


    Their eyes widened as their gazes met each other¡¯s. But Qinghe was already hurtling towards his lover, unable to stop his momentum. Wei Xiang automatically opened his arms and wrapped it around Qinghe while Qinghe simultaneously did the same. They ¡®captured¡¯ each other at the exact same time.


    The game thus ended in a draw.


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang stayed stunned in their embrace for a moment. Then Qinghe leaned back with a scowl. ¡°I almost won!¡±


    With his palms resting on his little lover¡¯s waist, Wei Xiang tried his best to hide his smug smile. ¡°Too bad that you couldn¡¯t evade my instincts, love.¡±


    Qinghe looked away with a huff. This was so unfair! He was just about to win but his Xiang stole his victory at the very last moment! Tch, luck should be outlawed in their games!


    Wei Xiang chuckled and kneaded Qinghe¡¯s waist placatingly. ¡°It¡¯s alright. You¡¯ll always have another chance.¡±


    With glinting eyes, Qinghe nodded determinedly. ¡°Yes. And I won¡¯t go easy next time!¡±


    Raising an eyebrow, Wei Xiang asked, ¡°Love, are you saying you went easy on me this time?¡±


    His sullen expression turning playful, Qinghe grinned. ¡°In a way, yes. I did leave you a scent trail to follow, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    Wei Xiang shook his head helplessly. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll admit it.¡± Then pulling Qinghe closer, he smiled and asked, ¡°I¡¯m curious about something. Just where did you hide?¡±


    Qinghe smirked and turned to tilt his chin towards the cave wall. Wei Xiang turned as well. In the formerly smooth cave wall, a large gouge big enough to fit an adult human was now revealed. Just beside it, a slab of rock rested against the wall. It seemed to be what Qinghe had used to cover himself with while hiding in the gouge.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°You¡­hid inside the cave wall?¡±


    Qinghe cheerfully nodded and began explaining, ¡°I used my wind to first slice off a thin slab from the wall, then scooped out a deeper section to hide myself in. After I fit myself inside the hiding space, I placed the thin slab I sliced off in the beginning over the opening to serve as a lid. As for the scoop of the wall I removed later and whose space I was occupying, I used my wind to lift and throw it into the water to hide its existence. It also served to confuse you about whether I jumped into the pond or swam through it.


    ¡°Since the section of the wall I hid in already had several thin cracks, the edges of my hiding place blended in. I also used the cracks to peek outside and see what you were doing. Meanwhile, after deliberately leaving a scent trail leading to the pond, I hid my scent and prevented any sounds I made from reaching you by making the air around me remain utterly still. This way, neither the scent-stained air nor the vibrations of sound would carry over to you. All I had to do after that was wait for my chance, then silently jump onto you to capture you, but¡­¡± Qinghe sighed. ¡°You turned towards me right at that time, so we ended up in a draw. I suppose I was too hasty in my excitement.¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled and praised, ¡°Nevertheless, you were still very clever and sneaky. You almost got me.¡±


    Shedding his melancholy, Qinghe beamed happily. He dived forward and hugged Wei Xiang again, rubbing his cheek against his beloved¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Yes. And I¡¯ll definitely be even sneakier next time.¡±


    Wrapping his arms around his little lover¡¯s waist again, Wei Xiang rested his cheek on top of Qinghe¡¯s head and smiled. ¡°I already tremble with fear and anticipation at the thought of seeing how formidable you¡¯ll be.¡±


    Hearing those exaggerated words said in such a calm tone, Qinghe¡¯s body shook with silent laughter, making Wei Xiang smile wider. As they remained embracing, the warmth of their bodies soaked into each other. Wei Xiang held his little lover tighter, the curve of his lips turning sultry with heat as he felt the distinct shape of his beloved¡¯s body pressing into him. He could feel Qinghe¡¯s heart beating in his chest, feeling just as fast as his own. The thrill remaining from chasing his little lover and seeing his mind in action sent thrums of excitement through Wei Xiang. His eyes gleamed with slowly awakening need, then flashed as he suddenly thought of something. A hint of wickedness sparkled in his gaze before being hidden away.


    Just then, Qinghe lifted his head from Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulder and spoke, ¡°Now that our game ended in a draw, how should we judge it? Did we both win or did we both lose?¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s hands gently glided up and down Qinghe¡¯s back, making him let out a sigh in pleasure. ¡°Why don¡¯t we take it as both of us winning? This way, we can each ask a favor of the other and satisfy both of our wishes.¡±


    Qinghe tilted his head thoughtfully and nodded. ¡°Alright, then. We both won. I already know what I want to ask. Xiang, what about you? What do you want from me?¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s smile widened. He leaned down and whispered in a deep voice, ¡°Oh? Are you that eager to fulfill my wish?¡±


    Qinghe felt a shiver of eagerness shoot up his spine. What did his lover have planned? Was it something fun?


    ¡°Xiang, what do you want to ask me to do?¡± Qinghe questioned again, his eyes already shining.


    Wei Xiang chuckled. Bending further, he traced the shell of Qinghe¡¯s ear with his teeth before following it with his tongue. His strong hands kneaded his beloved¡¯s hips while his thumbs drew circles on the sides of his stomach. Qinghe almost moaned at how good it felt. Wei Xiang¡¯s breath was warm as it brushed his ear. ¡°I want to see how close I can bring you to the very brink of release without our skins touching. Do you want to try it?¡±


    Qinghe let out a shuddering breath. His skin felt too warm and tight as a wave of desire washed over him. He gave a shaky nod. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s try it.¡±


    Wei Xiang let go and pulled back with a chuckle. Qinghe looked up to meet his lover¡¯s keen gaze that seemed heated with anticipation and felt his face flushing. Wei Xiang lifted a hand to brush his beloved¡¯s pink cheek. ¡°Then you should remove your clothes while I prepare a place for you to lie down.¡±


    Qinghe blinked to regain his bearing and nodded. As he began undressing with quick and efficient motions, Wei Xiang looked around the cavern¡¯s floor. He chose the flattest place he could find, which happened to be situated right by the cave wall, and spread a large and thick quilt on it before beginning to undo his own clothes. But seeing that Qinghe was already fully naked and was preparing to lie down, Wei Xiang¡¯s hands paused on the last few layers of his robes, his attention focusing on his little lover.


    Qinghe lay down on the quilt on his back, his arms by his sides and his legs lifted up and parted slightly. He peered up at Wei Xiang uncertainly and asked, ¡°Xiang, is this okay?¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes darkened. He leaned back into the wall and faced Qinghe with a smile. ¡°Yes, this is fine. Love, I want you to raise your hands over your head and put your wrists together.¡±


    Qinghe unhesitatingly did so. Lifting his head after positioning his hands above him on the quilt, he gave Wei Xiang a puzzled look. ¡°Xiang, what are you planning to do?¡±


    Wei Xiang didn¡¯t answer. However, seeing the golden strings that had begun extending from his beloved¡¯s arms, Qinghe¡¯s eyes widened in understanding of what was going to happen. His belly clenched with anticipation.


    The two golden strings, one from each of Wei Xiang¡¯s arms, split into four, then eight, and then to even more strings. Some stayed thin while others gained mass to form thicker, finger-length ropes. Some of these ropes also flattened to form metallic ribbons, and all of it headed directly for Qinghe''s prone form. Seeing them all extending towards him purposefully, Qinghe had to suppress a shiver of apprehension and excitement, forcing himself to lie still.


    As they reached him, Qinghe felt one of the strings wrapping around his wrists to hold them in place above his head while another pair of strings slid up his legs, winding around them until they finished wrapping up his limbs from ankle to mid-thigh. Qinghe let out a sound of surprise as the strings lifted his legs up into the air and pulled them apart to expose the view between his thighs to Wei Xiang¡¯s hungry gaze. Qinghe bit his lip and shifted on the quilt. He could feel the cold of the rock floor seeping up through the fabric, but the liquid arousal spreading through his body seemed enough to keep him warm.


    Now that he had been bound, the flat golden ribbons settled on Qinghe¡¯s skin. They felt smooth and warm to him, just like the strings. They slowly began moving, their metallic surfaces dragging firmly on Qinghe¡¯s heated flesh. They caressed and slid over his body the same way Wei Xiang¡¯s fingers usually did, touching and stimulating the sensitive places that his lover knew would arouse him the most.


    Qinghe let out a gasp, his body turning taut. His eyes began glazing over with lust. He tried to lift his head to see Wei Xiang. He spotted his beloved leaning on the cave wall, watching him with hooded eyes turned deep and dark with need. Wei Xiang¡¯s cheeks were flushed while his arms were folded as if to restrain himself from reaching out and touching him. As Qinghe felt the ribbons sliding over his body with more force, his head fell back down to the quilt and he groaned. Though what caressed him were not his beloved¡¯s fingers, he knew that it was still a part of his Xiang.


    Seeing his little lover taking such pleasure from his strings, Wei Xiang¡¯s own desire increased. He unfolded a hand and retrieved a bottle of oil. Upon his direction, several of the strings and thick ropes came to dip themselves into it, coating their lengths and making them glisten even brighter. One of the strings went over to Qinghe¡¯s member and cinched the base of his shaft.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Qinghe jerked and let out a sound in surprise, but the strings holding his limbs down didn¡¯t allow him much movement. More golden strings slickened with oil affectionately wrapped around Qinghe¡¯s erect member and squeezed before starting to pump up and down along the rigid, pulsing length. Qinghe trembled, the sheen of sweat beginning to coat his straining body. He panted and moaned thickly at the vivid sensation rolling through him due to the steady and spirited ministrations on his sensitive organ. All the while, the ribbons continued to explore his body, rubbing and drawing themselves over his slick skin.


    Another thin string glistening with oil slowly extended towards the head of Qinghe¡¯s shaft. Lowering, it teased around the little slit at the very tip, tracing its edges before carefully slipping inside the tiny opening. Qinghe gasped and froze. As he felt the thin string gradually inching into his member, Qinghe shuddered and pleaded flusteredly, ¡°X-Xiang, please, no, stop¡­i-it feels too strange¡­ I d-don¡¯t want it¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang immediately withdrew the string and comforted in a husky voice, ¡°It¡¯s alright, love. See? I removed it. If you don¡¯t want to, then we won¡¯t do it.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s stiff body relaxed back into the quilt, reassured. As if to soothe him further, a pair of strings slid over to Qinghe¡¯s heaving chest, firmly winding around the top of the two perky points situated there. Qinghe¡¯s chest rose up on its own as he let slip a soft groan. The strings pulled up the little nubs by their tips, stretching them to their limits and drawing them taut. Another pair of strings took this opportunity to securely wrap around the stretched lengths of the dusky pink buds, enfolding them tightly from base to tip. Now that they had the delicate little points in their firm grasp, the four strings constricted and released the small buds in a steady rhythm as if massaging them.


    Qinghe cried out in a low voice, his body trying to twist and writhe helplessly despite being held down. The strings working around his member and the ribbons gliding over his skin were already driving him mad with need, and this extra stimulation only served to push him further towards the edge.


    The warm metallic texture of the golden strings was everywhere, ratcheting Qinghe¡¯s need higher and higher. They swept over his skin, some moving up to trace his jaw lovingly while others rubbed over his chest, sides, and belly. He felt the smooth surfaces of the flat ribbons dragging over the sensitive insides of his thighs and over their backs. Another one stroked along his collarbones, sliding down the middle of his heaving chest and continuing over his rippling abdominal muscles before slipping into his navel. As it decisively pushed into that small indentation, Qinghe felt its press echoing somewhere deep in his gut and whimpered. His belly trembled at this strange and new sensation, his body arching up. The golden strings continued to relentlessly caress, squeeze, knead, push, and pull at his sensitive areas, making sparks and waves of pleasure shoot throughout him in an endless flow.


    But though all this was already enough to overwhelm Qinghe, Wei Xiang was far from done yet.


    Another two metallic ribbons curved around Qinghe¡¯s buttocks, rubbing and massaging them firmly before slipping in between. Qinghe let out a soft sound, but didn¡¯t resist. Seeing that he was willing, the pair of flat ribbons gently pried open the soft mounds of flesh to expose the little bud hidden in the middle. Three slickened finger-sized ropes came together to hover over the revealed opening seemingly in anticipation. One of the ropes moved forward to carefully nudge the trembling little entrance with its rounded tip, then slowly pushed inside.


    Qinghe gasped and shifted restlessly as he felt the smooth object entering him. The rope extending into him was warm and flexible, its slickened surface sliding into his body smoothly. But it was unable to provide the same friction as his Xiang¡¯s finger, and it also didn¡¯t possess the familiar girth and weight of his beloved¡¯s member. Nevertheless, just the thought that a part of his beloved was currently held inside him gave Qinghe the pleasure he sought.


    Once the slick rope had pressed deep enough into Qinghe¡¯s passage, it began wriggling and rotating in an attempt to loosen the tight inner walls in the way Wei Xiang¡¯s fingers often did. Feeling the sudden, stimulating movements within him, Qinghe¡¯s mouth opened wide to let out a startled gasp.


    Taking this chance, a pair of thick and metallic ropes pushed past his parted lips and dived into his soft and wet mouth from either side, not letting him close it. Qinghe let out a choked cry, but showed his acceptance to the invasion by opening his lips wider. Triumphant, the blunt ends of the ropes uninhibitedly rubbed over the delicate tissue inside, carefully exploring Qinghe¡¯s mouth before nudging his tongue experimentally. Qinghe shuddered, letting out a whimper. Sensing that he liked it, the metallic ropes pulled and twisted the slick tongue between their blunted ends, playing with it like gleeful children with a new toy. Qinghe moaned heatedly, clear liquid dripping down from the corners of his mouth.


    But his attention was soon diverted as he felt another finger-sized rope pushing its rounded tip into his entrance, joining the first one. The two slickened ropes were soon settled alongside each other. The pair of flexible ropes then entwined with one another before twisting and wriggling inside the tightly closed passage. They pushed and rubbed against the elastic walls, sliding along the sensitive flesh. Qinghe let out stifled moans through the metallic ropes in his mouth. The intense stimulation in his passage piled up on top of the already unbearable pleasure suffusing the rest of his body.


    Once the two finger-sized ropes inside Qinghe had made sure that his passage had loosened enough, yet another slickened rope entered him. It joined the other two and they twisted together into one thick bundle. Slowly, the large and slick bundle of ropes began pushing into the stubbornly tight channel while rotating to force their way through. Qinghe writhed helplessly as he felt the three ropes drilling further into his body than Wei Xiang¡¯s fingers or member ever could. He could feel them dive in deep into his belly, deeper than he thought anything could enter him. Held aloft in the air, his legs trembled with strain while his toes curled and uncurled agitatedly.


    Just as Qinghe began worrying that they¡¯d go on forever, the three entwined ropes gradually came to a stop within him. They slowly unwound from around each other, separating completely before pushing apart his inner walls in three opposite directions to expand them. Qinghe gave out a strangled scream around the ropes in his mouth as he felt his innermost depths being ruthlessly stretched apart like this. His member strained and twitched as a thin stream of whitish fluid dripped down languorously. The slender string wrapped around the base of his shaft clenched tighter, refusing to let any more of the liquid through.


    Qinghe¡¯s dazed eyes listlessly stayed fixed on the dark cave ceiling, his pupils dilated. His muscles bunched and flexed under his sweaty skin as he felt the entirety of his passage being expanded to its limits. The metallic ribbons and thin strings were still busily working on him, sliding over his skin, massaging the buds on his chest, and dragging up and down his painfully hard member.


    After a few minutes, the three ropes inside Qinghe had finally finished stretching him out, so they slowly withdrew from inside him, sliding over his slickened passage again. But rather than fully drawing out, the three ropes stopped just inside the boundary of Qinghe¡¯s dusky opening. The trio of blunt-ended ropes pulled the edges of the entrance wide open in opposing directions to expose the reddish flesh twitching within. The excess oil left over from the preparations just now slowly trickled down from the gaping hole, painting a shining line down the valley of Qinghe¡¯s buttocks.


    Feeling his inner walls suddenly being exposed to the air, Qinghe tried to close his legs instinctively. But the strings that were hoisting his legs up pulled them open even wider. Qinghe twisted desperately, feeling strange and vulnerable as his body was mercilessly opened and displayed to his lover¡¯s scrutiny in such a way. Qinghe let out a soft whimper through the ropes still playing in his mouth, sounding pitiful and uncertain. He felt the sudden, all-consuming need to hide himself from Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes.


    Sensing his beloved¡¯s hesitation, Wei Xiang pushed away from the cave wall he was leaning against and stepped towards his little lover lying splayed in front of him. Kneeling between Qinghe¡¯s legs, Wei Xiang lifted a hand to hold the ankle wrapped with the golden band that he had given to Qinghe long ago to confirm his status as his mate. He could feel the armband Qinghe gave him in return currently encircling his upper arm, feeling pleasantly cool where it rested against his skin. Wei Xiang''s thumb lightly brushed over the smooth anklet on Qinghe''s leg. Turning his head, he placed a small kiss to the side of Qinghe¡¯s foot.


    In an affectionate and kind voice, Wei Xiang finally spoke, ¡°Qinghe, no matter which angle I see you from, you look so beautiful and wonderful to me. Do you know that? I feel very lucky to have you as my mate. I feel honored that you choose to let me see you even in your most unguarded moments.¡±


    Qinghe suppressed a sob and clamped his lips tightly over the ropes in his mouth to prevent any sound leaving him. He blinked his eyes to clear the layer of wetness covering them. Hearing his Xiang say such things made his uncertainty and stirrings of shame about being in such a helpless position slowly subside. A shy warmth slowly bloomed in his chest, filling him up.


    Qinghe felt Wei Xiang leaning closer, his lover¡¯s hot gaze focused on his entrance that was currently stretched wide open. In a voice filled with wonder, Wei Xiang softly stated, ¡°Even your insides are so beautiful. Love, won¡¯t you show more of them to me?¡±


    Qinghe felt the strings holding his legs apart lose their strength. He knew that his Xiang was giving him the choice to close his legs and hide himself away. Qinghe hesitated. His flushed cheeks suddenly grew redder as he came to a decision. Feeling embarrassed and self-conscious, he shakily pulled his knees up as much as he could so that Wei Xiang could see inside him better. Though Qinghe felt exceedingly bashful, he was also pleased that his Xiang unexpectedly liked even this aspect of him.


    Sensing that his little lover was receptive now, Wei Xiang massaged one of his Qinghe¡¯s buttocks comfortingly while using two fingers to carefully touch the exposed flesh inside his beloved. He gently rubbed his fingertips over Qinghe¡¯s glistening and quivering insides, marveling at how soft and warm it felt. These inner muscles were what clamped around his member so lovingly, trying to suck him deeper into his beloved¡¯s body every time they had sex. They were what massaged and wrung his shaft strongly, giving him immense pleasure and extracting his release.


    Feeling his Xiang¡¯s loving touch, Qinghe squeezed his eyes closed.


    Wei Xiang caressed and stimulated Qinghe¡¯s inner walls with his fingers until Qinghe was shuddering with the effort of bearing the sensual torment. Feeling that his own need was growing uncontrollable, Wei Xiang regretfully withdrew his fingers and stood up again. As he stepped back to lean against the cave wall once more, he asked in a low voice, ¡°Love, I see that you¡¯re still not quite near release yet. Do you want me to push you further? Knowing how much you like taking me deep into you, would you like me to send a thick string into your body to test how deep you can take it?¡±


    Qinghe let out a muffled groan and nodded. He felt the strings around his legs taking ahold of them before raising them up again and relaxed his muscles. His body was filled with heat and flushed with pleasure. Yes, he wanted more, he wanted his Xiang to fill up the very depths of his body.


    While the three ropes continued to hold Qinghe¡¯s entrance open, another three finger-sized ropes fused together to form a larger, thicker rope. Its surface glistened slickly as it slowly extended towards the trembling opening and pushed inside. Due to the edges of the entrance being stretched wide open, Qinghe felt its smooth and blunt tip bypassing it and directly squeezing in between the twitching walls of his passage. He squirmed and cried out in a quavering voice. The thick end dug in deeper and deeper, filling the tight confines of his intestines as it kept pressing in further. Qinghe began to feel a vague ache in the depths of his body that slowly grew stronger.


    Suddenly, Qinghe stiffened and let out a pained cry.


    The heavy rope stuffing his insides immediately stopped and began withdrawing. Qinghe¡¯s tensed body loosened again.


    Now knowing the limits to which it could enter the tight passage while avoiding hurting Qinghe, the thick rope began pushing in and out of Qinghe¡¯s body again and again in slow and measured strokes, its slick and smooth surface dragging to and fro over Qinghe¡¯s delicate walls in a languorous rhythm. Qinghe shifted and writhed, his chest heaving. His cheeks were suffused with red while his eyes were dazed. His lips were still being kept open as the thick strings continued to fondle and caress the inside of his mouth, causing saliva to drip out in clear streams. The flat ribbons and thin strings kept stimulating his flushed body, caressing and dancing over his skin sensually. Qinghe was slowly being pushed higher and higher, to the very brink of climax, before he finally toppledover the edge.


    Qinghe shuddered and arched back as pleasure twisted inside him. A soundless scream stretched his lips wide open. Unbearable ecstasy exploded and washed over his nerve endings in blisteringly hot waves. But due to the string still squeezing the base of his member, his release was unable to erupt, only a thin trickle spilling out. Held above his head, Qinghe¡¯s fingers clenched tightly while his body trembled under the continuing dry orgasm. Qinghe sobbed and moaned helplessly, his body thrashing uncontrollably. With tears trickling out from the corners of his eyes in an unending stream, he struggled to lift his head up, looking at Wei Xiang with a desperate, pleading expression.


    After watching his beloved being relentlessly teased and played with by his strings till now, Wei Xiang had also reached his limit. Except for the thin string wrapping around the base of Qinghe¡¯s shaft, Wei Xiang slowly withdrew everything and began shedding the robes still hanging from his shoulders. His member felt painfully hard, but Wei Xiang¡¯s movements remained unhurried.


    Meanwhile, freed of all his restraints, Qinghe¡¯s body slumped down powerlessly into the quilt. Ragged pants wheezed out of his freed mouth, his body still shuddering as the waves of his orgasm began to recede under the lack of stimulation. As he sensed Wei Xiang nearing him, Qinghe turned towards him with effort and uninhibitedly begged, ¡°X-Xiang, please, hurry¡­ I¡­I want to feel you inside me¡­¡±


    Reaching Qinghe, Wei Xiang crouched between his legs and pulled them up to wrap around his waist. Bending over Qinghe and pressing a kiss to his flushed cheek, Wei Xiang said softly, ¡°Patience, love. How do you feel? Do you need any extra preparations?¡±


    Qinghe shook his head and whimpered, ¡°I¡¯m fine. This is enough. Xiang, please, enter me, quickly¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled. Sensing his beloved¡¯s urgency, he decided to not delay any longer and held his shaft with a hand to guide it forward. He carefully pushed into Qinghe¡¯s entrance and plunged in. The familiar warmth and tightness greedily swallowed his member, eliciting a deep groan out of him.


    Qinghe felt his lover¡¯s hard length filling him up and sinking in to the hilt before starting to move. As the thick shaft dragged over his inner walls, the ensuing pleasurable friction sent out waves of heat. Qinghe moaned and tightened his legs around Wei Xiang. Lifting his hips up, he moved in concert with his beloved¡¯s movements, his body swaying with each thrust. His hands clenched on Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulders, his head falling back with a groan.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s arms and thighs bulged with strain, sweat shining on his forehead. His dark eyes glinted, fixated on Qinghe¡¯s expression twisted with pleasure. Knowing the location of his little lover¡¯s sensitive sweet spot, Wei Xiang angled his hips and hit it head-on with the blunt tip of his member, then ruthlessly drew it over that pleasure point repeatedly.


    As the deluge of sensations drowned him suddenly, Qinghe let out a short sound of startlement. His body began to thrash and writhe as the waves of his extended climax from before battered him over and over again. His member twitched and strained, yet produced no release, unable to ejaculate due to the golden string still clenching its base. Qinghe clutched Wei Xiang tightly, wrapping his arms and legs around him as his body buckled. His voice sounded hoarse and broken, unable to even scream.


    Wei Xiang pumped in and out of his beloved¡¯s slick channel in a frenzy, his tempo increasing with every thrust. Feeling a shuddering Qinghe wrapping his entire body around him, Wei Xiang let out a growl of satisfaction. He used an arm to hold his little lover closer and bent his head to bite one of the smooth and round shoulders. Qinghe jerked and gasped, his orgasm gaining more strength.


    Feeling his own release nearing, Wei Xiang finally unwound his string from the base of Qinghe¡¯s member. Qinghe let out a strangled scream, his back suddenly arching. Jets of hot fluid rushed out of Qinghe¡¯s straining length in a rapid torrent, spraying over their bodies. Feeling his beloved¡¯s passage clenching tightly and pulsing strongly around his shaft, Wei Xiang pressed his forehead to Qinghe¡¯s curved shoulder and let his orgasm rip out of him as well. His taut body trembled as he shot a stream of thick liquid into his lover¡¯s spasming passage. Qinghe gave a soft cry and let out a shiver of pleasure. The pair of lovers clutched each other and rode the waves of ecstasy together until their climaxes slowly subsided.


    Qinghe lost all strength in his limbs and lay back down limply on the quilt. His body was slicked with sweat and flushed with exertion. His chest heaved with deep breaths.


    After taking a few moments to regain his composure, Wei Xiang stretched out on the quilt beside his beloved and held him close. Feeling his little lover¡¯s warm body against him calmed Wei Xiang further.


    In the wake of the pleasant afterglow, the mood around them settled into one of contentment and languidness.


    Opening his lips with difficulty, Qinghe reminded, ¡°Xiang, soul bond.¡± His voice sounded husky and lazy.


    Wei Xiang kissed his beloved¡¯s forehead, ¡°Yes. We should stop blocking it now that we¡¯re done playing.¡±


    Qinghe nodded and released his tight hold on the bond. Wei Xiang did the same. As they felt each other¡¯s presence flood back into them, the couple groaned and held the person in their arms tighter. Relief flooded them as they regained their ability to sense their lover through the bond.


    For a few moments, they basked in each other¡¯s presence in blissful peace and silence.


    Suddenly realizing that he could smell blood, Wei Xiang leaned back and worriedly studied Qinghe. Spotting a small prickle of red on his little lover¡¯s shoulder, Wei Xiang pressed his lips together in consternation. He brushed the wound with his fingertips and said, ¡°It seems I used too much force. Love, I¡¯m sorry for hurting you.¡±


    Qinghe turned to look at his shoulder to see what great injury Wei Xiang was talking about. Seeing the speck of red, he tilted his head, confused. ¡°Xiang, it¡¯s nothing. It already healed. Besides, it felt good when you bit me, so I didn¡¯t even notice.¡±


    Wei Xiang hesitated, then nodded. But his brows were still furrowed in worry. His beast instincts seemed to be getting stronger recently despite his attempts to keep it in check. And maybe playing the Hunter and Prey game had ended up exciting his beast further this time, letting it temporarily slip his control while he was overcome.


    Seeing Wei Xiang¡¯s expression, the light in Qinghe¡¯s eyes deepened. But before he could prod about whatever was bothering his lover, Wei Xiang suddenly got up into a sitting position. He retrieved a basin of warm water and a cloth before gesturing at Qinghe to get up too. ¡°Come, love. We need to clean you up.¡±


    Qinghe cooperatively got up on his knees and showed his backside to his beloved. Looking at the still waters stretching nearby, he asked, ¡°Can¡¯t we do this in the pond? It¡¯s right here.¡±


    Wei Xiang set about carefully cleaning out Qinghe¡¯s passage while answering, ¡°Since we don¡¯t know how clean the waters are or what all lives in there, it¡¯s better not to wash your insides with it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Qinghe murmured contemplatively. ¡°Then let¡¯s use it to take a bath afterward instead.¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled amusedly, but nodded. ¡°Very well.¡± The water smelled clean enough to him, so it should be okay. He just didn¡¯t want to risk anything by letting it get into his little lover.


    And so, after Qinghe was cleaned up, the pair swam and played in the pond for a while before bathing themselves. They came out only after half an hour of fun, then quickly dried off before donning a single loose robe and lying back down on the quilt to cuddle.


    Peaceful silence descended on them.


    Qinghe nuzzled the side of Wei Xiang¡¯s face and softly inquired, ¡°Xiang, I want to ask you something. Why do you seem to be touching me increasingly less these days?¡±


    Wei Xiang raised a brow languidly. ¡°Oh? I haven¡¯t noticed any decrease in the frequency we have sex in.¡±


    Qinghe sighed. ¡°That isn¡¯t what I mean. You seem to be developing more of a hands-off approach recently. For example¡­ that time in your office. You played with my body while keeping your touches to the minimum. And even if you did touch me, it felt as if you were trying to see how much you could hold yourself back. Is there a reason you¡¯re testing your endurance like this?¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled wryly at how astute his beloved was. But outwardly, he brushed it off, ¡°It¡¯s nothing you need to worry about love. I¡¯m just trying to explore certain new ideas. And I¡¯m only holding back so that I don¡¯t release too early. After all, you¡¯re too alluring for me to control myself for long. I dare not indulge myself by touching you too much.¡±


    Qinghe blushed even as he tried to glare at his lover. His Xiang was too good at sweet-talk! But though he was still unconvinced, Qinghe didn¡¯t push Wei Xiang. He just silently resolved to himself that he would be there whenever his beloved needed him.


    Not knowing this, Wei Xiang tried to come up with a different topic to quickly distract his little lover. With that clever mind of his, who knew what all his Qinghe would find out? Suddenly thinking of something that had been bothering him for a while, Wei Xiang asked, ¡°Love, I¡¯ve always wondered about this, but what sort of person did you imagine yourself with before we got together?¡±


    Qinghe blinked, startled. Then shifting to settle himself against Wei Xiang more comfortably, he grew thoughtful. ¡°I never really fantasized about romance much, especially after my teenage years. But if I had to choose¡­my ideal partner at that time was someone younger that I could pamper and protect. I would sometimes imagine how it would be if I had a lover who would wait for me at home and help me wrap my injuries if I had any, then cutely kiss it to make me feel better. Maybe they would also be a healer or an alchemist, since it would certainly be more convenient. But because I already had the twins to accompany me and help me tend my wounds at that time, I didn¡¯t really give much thought to it.¡±


    Though Qinghe¡¯s tone was casual, Wei Xiang took it all in very seriously. He suddenly felt the urge to ask what was so good about a healer or alchemist. He could heal with his tongue too, and in much more interesting ways than just slathering on medicine or wrapping bandages. But realizing how childish and competitive it would sound, Wei Xiang didn¡¯t voice it out. He instead redirected his thoughts and settled on another question, ¡°Did you have preferences for any particular gender?¡±


    Qinghe waved a hand indolently. ¡°I was fine with any gender. I wouldn¡¯t have differentiated between human, a spiritual beast in human form, or a humanoid being for that matter.¡±


    Wei Xiang wrapped an arm around his beloved. ¡°I see. Then if you had hypothetically been with a male, what position would you have preferred in bed?¡±


    Casting his lover an amused glance, Qinghe replied without hesitation, ¡°If it were according to my preferences before, I would¡¯ve definitely been a top. The thought of taking care of a younger man in bed, patiently teaching and guiding him, then praising him when he was able to accept me completely into his body, had all felt very satisfying to my past self.¡±


    Hearing this made Wei Xiang feel undeniably jealous, but he was also smug that in the end, this imaginary male wasn¡¯t the one who ended up with Qinghe. It was him that Qinghe chose. But he had to admit that his beloved indeed was very suitable to have a younger lover to pamper.


    Frowning, Wei Xiang tried to see how Qinghe would look from the perspective of, say, a young disciple.


    To list a few of his lover¡¯s obvious qualities from his own observations, Qinghe was kind, mature, dependable, upright, intelligent, elegant, refined, confident, experienced, and also in-control of himself. It was easy to see that he would be very considerate and gentle while guiding a younger partner in bed. He was powerful and strong both ability-wise and psychologically, and he had made quite a name for himself in the cultivation world, meaning that he was popular. But he wasn¡¯t arrogant, instead giving serious importance and consideration to others¡¯ words and treating even the youngest disciple like an equal while conversing.


    For some, Qinghe¡¯s occasional coldness and aloofness would only make the thought of attaining his affections more exciting. But despite his apparent iciness now and then, he was also very good at empathizing and was very courteous and helpful to everyone. Not to mention that he was also exceptionally good-looking, graceful, and had an excellent temperament.


    No matter how one looked, he was the ideal lover that little boys and girls dreamt of being bedded by during their adolescent years when they were beginning to explore their sexuality and wished for someone to lean on. It was no wonder that so many disciples, especially juniors, had stars in their eyes when they looked at Qinghe¡­


    Wei Xiang broke off that line of thought with a huff. Refocusing his gaze on Qinghe and hugging him even closer, Wei Xiang stated, ¡°I¡¯m glad I got to you first before you decided to take some pipsqueak as your lover.¡±


    Qinghe burst out laughing. His Xiang had been the one to ask all these question in the first place, yet now he ended up being jealous because of it! Gasping for breath, Qinghe got out, ¡°Xiang¡­you¡¯re so¡­adorable!¡±


    His dissatisfaction dissolving, Wei Xiang¡¯s lips softened into an affectionate smile. Getting up halfway and supporting himself on an arm, he pinched one of Qinghe¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Having fun at my expense, now are we, love?¡±


    Qinghe giggled and pried open his lover¡¯s fingers to release his poor cheek. Wei Xiang chuckled and moved to lay his face over Qinghe¡¯s stomach, the rest of his body lying on the quilt. Using his fingers to open up the lapels of his beloved¡¯s robe, Wei Xiang happily buried his cheek in the soft skin of Qinghe¡¯s stomach. Qinghe smiled contentedly and threaded the fingers of a hand through his lover¡¯s hair.


    In a quiet voice, Wei Xiang said, ¡°Qinghe, if you wanted to top me one day, I want you to know that I will agree.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes opened wide, his body stiffening in surprise. Then he slowly closed his eyes, his heart growing warm. In a calm voice, he replied, ¡°Then I¡¯ll hold you to it if I feel like it one day.¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded.


    Qinghe opened his eyes, a helpless smile in them. His tone growing light and playful, he teased, ¡°But Xiang, without experience, will you even be good at receiving me?¡±


    Chuckling at his little lover¡¯s cheekiness, Wei Xiang turned his head and kissed Qinghe¡¯s navel. Qinghe felt hot breath brush his skin and suppressed a shiver. He heard Wei Xiang say huskily, ¡°If such a time came, then I would willingly submit myself to be trained by you.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s face burned a bright red. He could feel blood rush downwards, quickly rejuvenating his slumbering member. His beloved¡¯s mouth was becoming more and more unrestrained!


    Seeing a bulge suddenly growing before his eyes, Wei Xiang laughed quietly with satisfaction. Reaching out, he brushed his fingers over the hardened arousal. ¡°Oh my, what do we have here? Does a certain little imp want my help?¡±


    Qinghe coughed in embarrassment. ¡°N-No, I¡­ Just leave it and it¡¯ll go away. I feel too lazy to move right now.¡±


    Wei Xiang got up and held himself over the bulge, his elbows on either side of Qinghe¡¯s hips. Lowering his head until his breath brushed the stiffness, he asked smilingly, ¡°Are you sure? I can satisfy it without you having to move at all.¡±


    Qinghe wavered, then gave in. ¡°Well, if you insist¡­¡± His palm lifted to rest on the back of Wei Xiang¡¯s head. Wei Xiang smirked and reached out to fully undo Qinghe¡¯s robe and quickly got to work.


    And as usual, their recreational activities didn¡¯t end there.


    ¡­¡­


    For his share of the reward for their game ending in a draw, Qinghe wanted Wei Xiang to let him fly atop his wyvern form. And so, the pair of lovers cleaned everything up and headed outside the cave system. They stopped in the clearing just outside the cave mouth and Wei Xiang assumed his true form for Qinghe to marvel upon.


    Qinghe walked circles around Wei Xiang, inspecting every scale, talon, horn, and body part with wonder and inquisitiveness. He touched and rubbed everything he could, eagerly learning this new shape of his beloved. He even got Wei Xiang to open his mouth and stuck his upper body and arms inside, fearlessly feeling up his lover¡¯s long and sharp fangs along with his forked tongue and soft tissue. Qinghe then yelled out Wei Xiang¡¯s name into the wyvern¡¯s huge mouth, seeing if his shout would echo like it would in a cave or tunnel. Wei Xiang could barely suppress his laughter at his beloved¡¯s obvious disappointment when it didn¡¯t. But not letting his failed experiment keep his mood down, Qinghe went on to explore his Xiang¡¯s long tail next. Wei Xiang felt both pleased and helpless in the face of his little lover¡¯s limitless enthusiasm in studying his body.


    Seeing that Qinghe had no intention of stopping even after an hour, Wei Xiang asked amusedly, ¡°Are you still not done molesting me, love?¡±


    Qinghe blinked. Even though Wei Xiang looked completely different now, his voice remained the same for the most part, just seeming deeper with a vibrating, rumbling undertone. And when Wei Xiang spoke, his words and intonation also sounded very distinctly like himself. Qinghe wondered if maybe he just felt that because he¡¯d had such a long time to get used to his lover¡¯s speech patterns. All in all, for Qinghe, his Xiang was still very obviously his Xiang, even in this form.


    Walking over to stand in front of Wei Xiang¡¯s long snout again, Qinghe peered up into his beloved¡¯s slitted golden eyes and complained in response, ¡°But Xiang! There are so many new things for me to study about you. How can it be over in just a few minutes?¡±


    Wei Xiang chuffed. ¡°Then does that mean you don¡¯t want to go flying today?¡±


    Qinghe paused and showed a conflicted expression before conceding, ¡°I¡¯ll have to postpone examining you for later then.¡±


    Wei Xiang let out a rumbling chuckle.


    ¡°Then Xiang, will you take me to fly now?¡± Qinghe asked expectantly.


    Wei Xiang nodded his huge golden head. ¡°Yes. The sooner we can set off, the more time we can spend together in the air. I¡¯d like to ask you to be careful since it will be your first time riding me, but¡­¡± Wei Xiang smirked, flashing his pearly fangs. ¡°You¡¯ve already ridden me plenty of times before, haven¡¯t you, love?¡±


    Qinghe looked confused for a moment before the meaning sank in. His face flushed a bright pink as he lightly swatted his mischievous lover. ¡°You¡¯re growing more and more shameless!¡±


    Wei Xiang laughed and flicked out his long and thin tongue, brushing Qinghe¡¯s bared leg through the slit in his robe. Qinghe gasped in surprise. Rather than leaving it at that, Wei Xiang extended his tongue further to tease his beloved, gradually winding it upwards. Since his little lover thought he was shameless, he might as well live up to his opinion and prove him right.


    Meanwhile, as he felt the flexible, warm, and sneaky tongue sliding up his leg and caressing his inner thigh, Qinghe shuddered and called out huskily, ¡°Xiang! E-Enough¡­ We¡­we have to fly¡­¡±


    Already scenting the revival of Qinghe¡¯s desire, Wei Xiang drew back his tongue in satisfaction. His expression grew even more pleased at the sight of his little lover¡¯s flushed, disoriented, and aroused state.


    Qinghe quickly forced himself to think about several non-exciting things to calm down his ardor, like the paperwork he had left to do, the training regimens he had to draft for the juniors, that time he caught his parents having sex using complex instruments¡­ Yes, that last one definitely did it. Taking several deep breaths, Qinghe carefully straightened his robe while trying to compose himself. His roaring pulse slowly calmed. Once he was done, Qinghe let out a breath in relief that his erection had completely gone down.


    Noticing it, Wei Xiang observed playfully, ¡°Oh? You¡¯ve got yourself under control already? A pity.¡±


    ¡°Xiang!¡± Qinghe shot a glare at his smug lover. But since his clear eyes still looked dewy with remnants of lust, his cheeks retaining a hint of pink, it only made him look alluring and tickled Wei Xiang¡¯s heart.


    Wei Xiang chuckled affectionately and teased Qinghe further, ¡°Now, now, love. No need to get testy. I only thought it would be nice to feel your arousal rubbing against me when you mount me. And if you hump against my neck, my scales¡¯ edges will provide enough friction for you to gain pleasure. Wouldn¡¯t it be wonderful if I could make you release one more time while in my wyvern form?¡±


    ¡°X-Xiang!¡± Qinghe admonished again. He felt both his face and body flushing in shame! Yes, it was definitely shame and not something else, he assured himself.


    Wei Xiang grinned, showing off the two rows of his sharp fangs while saying, ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t tease you again. Come and climb up. We can start flying soon.¡±


    Qinghe huffed to show he was still miffed and took a step forward towards Wei Xiang, then froze as he remembered something. A sly smile suddenly spread over his lips. Looking up with twinkling eyes, he spoke, ¡°I almost forgot. Xiang, didn¡¯t I once tell you that I want to hug your member while you are in your wyvern form?¡± His gaze drifting over to his beloved¡¯s hindquarters, Qinghe continued contemplatively, ¡°So why don¡¯t you spread your legs a bit for me and I can¨D¡±


    Wei Xiang gave a hurried cough to interrupt him before quickly winding his tail around Qinghe¡¯s waist. Qinghe gave a startled shout as Wei Xiang lifted and deposited him onto his back. In a serious voice, Wei Xiang stated, ¡°Let¡¯s begin flying now that you are seated.¡±


    But Qinghe was not so easily distracted. He shifted to settle himself more comfortably on Wei Xiang¡¯s back, then drawled smugly, ¡°Heh? So you can tease me, but the second I reciprocate, you try to change the subject? Xiang, that¡¯s not fair~¡±


    Qinghe suddenly felt Wei Xiang¡¯s tail swat his backside and let out a bark of laughter while protesting, ¡°Xiang!¡± His thighs tightening on the base of Wei Xiang¡¯s spine, he leaned forward and cajoled, ¡°Just once is fine, so won¡¯t you let me play with your twin little dragons while you¡¯re in this form?¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled and admonished playfully, ¡°Quiet, imp. How shameless of you to ask to see my exposed family jewels before marriage! Do you want to compromise my purity?¡±


    Qinghe doubled over laughing on Wei Xiang¡¯s back. Not waiting for him to recover, Wei Xiang flapped his wings and began lifting off. Qinghe hurriedly wrapped his arms around Wei Xiang¡¯s long neck, holding on tightly. The golden scales were smooth and warm beneath him, just like how Wei Xiang¡¯s strings had felt. He could sense powerful muscles pulling and straining under him to work the large wings on either side of Wei Xiang¡¯s body. The resulting wind whipped around his hair and robe, making Qinghe shiver and grin excitedly.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s large body floated up and steadily climbed in altitude, rising higher and higher. The ground under them grew farther, the trees appearing to slowly shrink until it was impossible to make them out individually.


    Qinghe felt thrill shoot through him as his perspective changed. He and his Xiang seemed to hang suspended between the skies and the earth. A field of smooth blue spread above endlessly while the verdant lands of the heavenly realm splayed below on all sides. The horizon was an unfathomably distant line forming a circle around them. Flying high up here, they seemed to be hovering at the center of the world as it stretched around them, grand and majestic in its vastness.


    Qinghe tilted his head up and laughed. This was really great! He¡¯d felt this sensation while flying using his wind or the spell of flight before. But it felt especially wonderful when riding on the back of his lover and letting Wei Xiang set the course for their flight while he just drank in this experience. All Qinghe had to do was sit here and hold on tight while feeling the wind threading through his hair and over his face, flowing into his robe and gliding over his body. This sensation of soaring high above the world with the sky seeming almost within reach was wonderful and freeing. Qinghe leaned up from Wei Xiang¡¯s neck and laughed again, the sound full of exuberance.


    Wei Xiang wanted to smile. ¡°Are you having fun, love?¡±


    Qinghe felt the scale-covered body under him vibrate with his beloved¡¯s deep voice and shivered at the pleasant sensation. To make himself heard over the whooshing of the wind, he shouted, ¡°Yes, I am! Xiang, can you go faster?¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled. ¡°How fast?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s grin stretched wide. ¡°So fast that I fear falling off your back!¡±


    Letting out a cheerful laugh, Wei Xiang warned, ¡°Then hold on tight!¡±


    Qinghe barely had the time to tighten his arms and legs on Wei Xiang¡¯s neck when Wei Xiang¡¯s body suddenly tilted to point up. Qinghe felt the direction of gravity change to behind him and clutched his lover tighter, his delighted laughter ringing out unrestrainedly. Wei Xiang shot up into the sky vertically, his large wings working faster to accelerate them upward. His sleek body shot up and broke through the cloud cover, scattering a section of the fluffy white clouds. Qinghe shivered at the sensation of speeding through the layer of cold water, his body completely soaked. But his wide smile showed no sign of reducing.


    Wei Xiang hovered over the cloud cover. The view of the land below was magnificent, showing large patches of dense greenery, flat stretches of greyish-brown land, and dark gathering of rocky structures thrusting up, all covered in a tattered layer of white clouds. The sun hung before them, a round and glowing ball lighting up the sky.


    Qinghe took it all in with wonder and joy. ¡°That was fun!¡± he commented.


    Chuckling, Wei Xiang said, ¡°But we¡¯ve not reached the best part yet, love.¡±


    ¡°Eh? What do you mean,¡± Qinghe asked with surprise.


    In answer, he saw Wei Xiang suddenly still his wings and felt their bodies dropping down.


    ¡°Xiang!¡± Qinghe let out a sharp shout in startlement as they plummeted down, his limbs holding on tightly for dear life. The cloud cover once again whipped past, drenching Qinghe anew. The sharp bite of chilly winds rushed over him as they fell at high speed, the cold seeming to cut into his skin. The ground quickly came into view, the vast lands sprawling under them seeming to widen and race up towards them at frightening speed.


    Adrenaline shot through Qinghe at the sight, making his skin buzz with electric currents of terror and titillation. He already knew that his Xiang wouldn¡¯t let them fall, and the instinctive thrill that shot through him at the sight of the earth quickly approaching them made him laugh out loud with pure, unadulterated exhilaration.


    Just a few seconds before they hit the ground, Wei Xiang flared out his wings fully, catching wind in them. Rather than using it to slow their descent, Wei Xiang utilized it to manipulate the momentum of their fall and abruptly changed directions. He glided parallel to the ground for a moment before tilting up and beating his wings swiftly, climbing towards the sky once again.


    Qinghe felt his heartbeat in his throat at the sudden change in altitude. As he felt the wind whoosh over him while Wei Xiang raced upward once more, Qinghe¡¯s lips stretched even wider, his grin undiminished and filled with insuppressible eagerness. He laughed with wild happiness and shouted, ¡°Xiang, do it again!¡±


    Wei Xiang felt his own heart hammer with excitement and silently sped up. The sleek body of the golden wyvern shot upward, carrying his beloved through the clouds and piercing the sky.


    And so, the two lovers spent their day together while streaking across the great blue skies, their time spent indulging in aerial acrobatics, adrenaline rushes, and joyful laughter.


    crimson_carnation

 Extra 24: Uncontrollable Heat

    The night was calm and gentle, with hazy shadows and silvery moonlight covering the world. Qinghe and Wei Xiang slept peacefully on the bed in the Feng residence, their bodies lightly pressed together. Soft snores and the sound of measured breathing filled the space. All was silent and still, as if the night had cast a spell of stasis that would only break with dawn.


    Suddenly, Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes snapped open, his body stiffening in alarm. He felt bright heat explode within him, as if his insides had been set afire. He quickly realized that after suppressing it for so many years, his beast instincts had finally taken over.


    His heat period was here.


    Wei Xiang gritted his teeth and got up from the bed stiffly, then quickly staggered away from the serenely slumbering Qinghe. Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes turned molten gold and focused intently on his lover, roving over his resting body and taking in every sliver of exposed skin peeking out. The blissfully relaxed expression on his beloved¡¯s face tempted him to pounce on him and steal a kiss, his tongue thrusting in deep into that hot mouth and greedily taking what he wanted. As thick desire caused bursts of intense heat to flood him, Wei Xiang almost lost all reason, wanting nothing more than to fix his Qinghe beneath him and roughly plunge into his soft and warm body.


    Wei Xiang squeezed his eyes closed forcefully, removing the temptation of his mate¡¯s supine figure. He took in deep breaths and let them out. Keeping his eyes closed, Wei Xiang slowly stepped around the bed and walked to the door. His movements completely silent, he slipped out of the room and shut the door behind him.


    Now that his heat was here, rather than letting his beast hurt Qinghe with its uncontrollable lust, Wei Xiang was determined to bear with it alone.


    Not knowing this, Qinghe remained enfolded in quiet sleep, dreaming. But his dream was hardly restful.


    ¡­¡­


    Qinghe was kneeling on the damp and soggy ground. It was currently raining, with the muted roar of thunder and the stark flash of lightning filling the clouded sky high above. In front of him was a slab of stone set upright. There was something written on that slab, but Qinghe¡¯s gaze slid off of it as if unwilling to focus on it. As the rainwater unceasingly cascaded over him, Qinghe felt strangely dull and empty, unable to muster any emotion.


    What was this? What happened to him? Why did he feel this way?


    Qinghe heard a pair of footsteps nearing him, the sounds seeming deliberate as if the people making them didn¡¯t want to startle him by abruptly appearing beside him. The footsteps stopped beside Qinghe. A wide umbrella was held above his head, shielding him from the rain. Qinghe turned his head woodenly to the side to see Jing Shui and Chen Xiande. Both of their eyes were swollen red, their faces littered with red blotches as if they''d just cried.


    Qinghe looked at them blankly. Nothing stirred in him.


    In a thick and hoarse voice, Jing Shui said, ¡°Brother Feng, you know that we¡¯re still here for you, don¡¯t you? Y-You¡­you¡¯re not alone. If you need anything, even if you just want to talk, please come to us.¡±


    From beside him, Chen Xiande spoke up in a subdued tone filled with worry, ¡°Junior Brother, I know that this must be devastating for you. No, even saying that it¡¯s devastating is a gross understatement. I realize that. But please, don¡¯t do anything drastic. There are still people who love you here. Please¡­d-don¡¯t¡­kill yourself or anything just b-because he is¡­¡±


    His composure shattering, glistening lines of tears ran down Chen Xiande¡¯s face. He covered it with a hand, trying to muffle his cries. As if unable to bear it, Jing Shui dissolved into tears as well, his shoulders curving as his body shuddered with restrained sobs.


    Qinghe felt a faint flicker of concern in his vastly empty heart, there and gone in the next moment. He supposed¡­he should comfort them? Sighing inwardly, he tried to smile, the skin around his lips stretching tautly. ¡°Brother Jing, Senior Brother, I¡¯m fine, so please don¡¯t worry.¡± His voice came out stiff and rough for some reason, but Qinghe barely felt any surprise.


    Seeing him trying to put up his usual pleasant and warm smile, Jing Shui and Chen Xiande only broke down crying harder. They lunged forward and hugged Qinghe, drenching his already rain-soaked clothes anew with their tears. Qinghe patted their backs and consoled them for a while before the two of them stood up and awkwardly bowed to the stone slab embedded in the ground. Then they sped away after assuring Qinghe that they wouldn¡¯t disturb his grieving anymore. After all, even if they were present, they only seemed to end up a burden, having to make Qinghe comfort them instead of the other way around.


    Qinghe didn¡¯t understand what they meant, but he still nodded as they talked and then watched them go. Their dispiritedly hunched backs soon disappeared under the curtains of the heavy, torrential rain.


    Holding aloft the umbrella they¡¯d left him, Qinghe turned back to face the slab of stone standing before him. Every time he gazed at it, it felt like claws of agony were scrabbling inside the shell of his numbed soul. He was sure that the reason for all this strangeness would be explained if he only comprehended the characters etched onto this stone. And so, though his eyes kept turning away as if unwilling, Qinghe forced himself read the words on the slab.


    There were only two characters inscribed precisely into the stone: Wei Xiang.


    Qinghe felt like a bolt of lightning had cleaved through him.


    This stone slab¡­why did it seem to have the shape of a headstone? Did it mean that¡­his Xiang¡­


    As the unwanted realization struck him, his insides went cold and his body shuddered. The umbrella toppled from his fingers. His eyes grew wide, fixed on those two characters. The rain sluiced over him in silent streams as if the very sky was weeping, silvery drops dripping from the tips of his hair, nose, and chin. Qinghe struggled with himself as his world went askew.


    Even if he wanted to keep deceiving himself, he couldn¡¯t.


    This¡­ This was his Xiang¡¯s tombstone. He was sitting on his beloved¡¯s grave.


    Qinghe¡¯s body bent over in unfathomable pain. Scream after wretched scream tore out of him. His fingers dug into the damp soil, curling into the ground. He felt so miserably, bitingly cold inside.


    This couldn¡¯t be possible¡­ This wasn¡¯t possible! This was his precious Xiang! He refused to believe that he would have let something like this happen to his lover! No, this can¡¯t be¡­ They had promised to marry each other, to raise children together! They had a soul bond! His Xiang couldn¡¯t leave him after all this¡­


    Wait, they had a soul bond!


    In desperation, Qinghe quickly extended his senses towards his soul bond, hurriedly reaching for the soul connected to the other side of the bond¨D


    But all that greeted him was an empty void.


    Qinghe let out a soundless scream and collapsed on his beloved¡¯s grave, his world plunging into darkness.


    ¡­¡­


    Qinghe jerked awake, his body curled in fetal position as tears drenched the pillow under his cheek. The soft light of early morning spilled into the room, illuminating the empty space beside him on the bed.


    Qinghe shot upright, panting with a frantic look on his face while clutching at his chest and looking around.


    No, if his Xiang was truly dead, then he wouldn¡¯t rest until he got him back! He¡¯d pry apart the gates to the Netherworld itself if he had to and find his Xiang again! It didn¡¯t matter if he couldn¡¯t leave the realm of the dead. As long as he could see his Xiang again, as long as he could be with his Xiang till the end of their days¡­


    Qinghe¡¯s thoughts hysterically bounced around in his mind before his pulse slowly settled and his head finally cleared. The wisps of sleep dissolved to give way to reality again. Rational thought quickly set in: It had been a dream. What he saw just now was all just a dream. His Xiang was fine, he was definitely alright. He must have just gone to walk around or something because he couldn¡¯t sleep. Yes, that must be it.


    Trying to convince himself, Qinghe reached for the other end of his soul bond. Only a vague fuzziness greeted him. Qinghe forcefully suppressed his panic. No, no, his Xiang was definitely fine. He was just hiding his presence to make sure that Qinghe wouldn¡¯t be able to locate him through his soul bond. It was just like what they did while playing their Hunter and Prey game, though Qinghe had no idea why his lover would do something like that now. But since Wei Xiang would have to exert active effort to hide his presence, it must at least mean that he was both conscious and alive.


    While trying to calm himself, Qinghe got up and headed out the door. He quickly strode towards his parents¡¯ bedroom with quick steps. Maybe one of them knew something. If not, then Qinghe was determined to go around searching every room in their house, then comb through the Feng household¡¯s forest, then search the entirety of the heavenly and mortal realms if needed. He would not let anything happen to his Xiang!


    Reaching the door to his parents¡¯ bedroom, Qinghe quickly barged in without even remembering to knock, just directly snapping the lock in his hurry and forcing the door open.


    Hearing the loud noise, Feng Huixin and Feng Chunyi quickly sat up on the bed, their expressions vigilant. But seeing that it was only Qinghe, they relaxed before becoming worried again.


    ¡°Oi, son of mine, what is it? To make you break our door, it must be something pretty urgent,¡± Feng Chunyi spoke.


    Feng Huixin looked at him concernedly. ¡°Qinghe?¡±


    Qinghe didn¡¯t bother to put on a smile as he quickly said, ¡°Wei Xiang isn¡¯t here. Where is he? He even blocked off our soul bond. What is he doing that needs to be hidden from me?¡± The image of his Xiang''s headstone and the piercing agony it evoked were all too clear in his mind right now. He would not let it become real!


    Feng Chunyi raised an eyebrow. ¡°Do you suspect he is cheating on you?¡±


    Qinghe frowned and shook his head without hesitation. ¡°No, I don¡¯t doubt his fidelity. I just want to know if he¡¯s alright, that he isn¡¯t¡­¡± He took in a deep breath and let it out. No, his Xiang was definitely not dead. He was probably just hiding out somewhere. With hints of desperation coloring his voice, Qinghe asked, ¡°Mother, Father, do you know where he is? Did you see him going somewhere tonight?¡±


    Feng Chunyi had on a thoughtful expression as if trying to remember something while Feng Huixin looked down at the quilt covering him with a frown. Qinghe wanted to restlessly tap his foot and ask them to hurry up, but controlled the urge.


    After a few minutes of tense silence, Feng Chunyi suddenly exclaimed, ¡°Ah! I think I remember someone knocking on our door tonight. I vaguely recall grumbling to myself ¡®What does one of our brats want with us at this hour?¡¯. But before I could get up to see which one of you it was, Ah-Xin told me that it was alright, he would take care of it, and that I could go back to sleep. So I did. If it wasn¡¯t you who knocked at that time, then it has to be Son-in-law. There¡¯s no one else in our house after all.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes grew sharp. He turned to Feng Huixin and asked, ¡°Father, is it true? Did Xiang come here? What did he want with you?¡±


    Feng Huixin sighed. ¡°Qinghe, please calm down. Xiang-er wanted me to let you both know that he will be gone for a while so that you won¡¯t worry. As for where he went or why he went there¡­ I¡¯m afraid that Xiang-er forbade me from telling you.¡±


    Qinghe gritted his teeth, his hands clenching. ¡°Father! I have to know. Just¡­ Is whatever he¡¯s doing dangerous? Will it hurt him? Does it have any chance of killing him?!¡±


    Pressing his lips together, Feng Huixin hesitated, then spoke, ¡°While it won¡¯t kill him, it will definitely have a great impact on his body. It might end up with him incurring severe damage that might take decades or even centuries to recover from. To be honest, I do not approve of Xiang-er doing this. And I especially do not want him to hide this from you. But Xiang-er is afraid of what might happen to you if you came to know of his predicament, so he made me promise that I won¡¯t tell you his whereabouts at least.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s nails dug into his palm. In a frighteningly calm tone, he asked, ¡°Did Wei Xiang enter his heat period?¡±


    Feng Huixin froze, then nodded.


    Qinghe¡¯s voice sounded strained, ¡°Why now?¡±


    Sighing, Feng Huixin answered, ¡°Xiang-er¡¯s heat period was supposed to arrive the year after the battle at the Castle of Echoes. But by then, you had already entered the healing pool and showed no signs of awakening. Xiang-er also hadn¡¯t ascended yet. Because he wholeheartedly thinks of you as his mate, his beast could only suppress its heat, since lying with anyone else was unacceptable to it. By the time Xiang-er and you reunited again, he had grown proficient in stifling his beast instincts. He was able to use that expertise and push back his heat period as well.


    ¡°Even after your divinity finished settling in, Xiang-er was afraid that it won¡¯t be enough. After all, as a spiritual beast older than you, he will always remain physically stronger than you no matter how much time passes or how powerful you become. Now that the heat he dreaded all these years finally arrived, he is determined to do everything he can to keep himself away from you and suffer through it alone. He did not let me accompany him either.¡±


    Feng Huixin massaged his forehead tiredly. ¡°That child is too stubborn and used to taking responsibility for everything. But I am also aware that he will not regret his choice, no matter what outcome it bears. Even if he is never able to circulate spiritual energy again because of this, he will still think it worth it to spare you the pain. How can I say anything when he is that determined towards protecting you?¡±


    After Feng Huixin finished speaking, there was a few moments of silence.


    Beside him, Feng Chunyi looked troubled, not knowing how she could fix this for her sons.


    Then Qinghe¡¯s voice cut through the quiet coldly. ¡°Protecting one¡¯s partner goes both ways. I am aware of the dangers to me if I participate in sating his heat and I am willing to risk them. If Wei Xiang is deliberately taking this choice away from me and trying to keep all this pain for himself, then I have words to say to him. But before that, I have to find him. Since he chose me as his mate, he doesn¡¯t get to keep me from helping him when he needs me like this.¡±


    Feng Huixin nodded. ¡°I agree. But I still made a promise that I will not reveal his current location to anyone. I¡­¡±


    Qinghe interrupted him, ¡°Father, it¡¯s alright. I know how much your word means to you. We will try to think of a way to find him without you breaking it.¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s gaze turned uncertain. ¡°Xiang-er¡¯s health is naturally more important to me than my word. If breaking it will help him¡­¡±


    Feng Chunyi wrapped an arm around her husband¡¯s shoulder and spoke, ¡°Ah-Xin, let¡¯s see if we can skirt around it first. What did that brat say exactly? If we can find a way through his words without you having to break your promise, then we should do it.¡±


    Feng Huixin nodded. ¡°Xiang-er¡¯s exact request was: ¡®Master, please don¡¯t tell Qinghe about my heat. Even if he figures it out on his own, promise me that you won¡¯t tell anyone my location.¡¯¡±


    Feng Chunyi¡¯s eyes gleamed with triumph. Laughing silently, she exhaled, ¡°Oh, that silly boy.¡±


    At the side, Qinghe smiled sharply. In contrast, his voice was soft and affectionate as he murmured, ¡°My poor Xiang. His mind must have become all muddled due to his heat. Such a statement¡­ It¡¯s so full of loopholes for me to take advantage of.¡± Looking at Feng Huixin with the same soft smile, he said, ¡°I¡¯m guessing that because of how strong his heat¡¯s effect is, Xiang mustn¡¯t have been able to think all that clearly or make it very far. He can¡¯t risk going all the way to the transportation array platform and he won¡¯t hide out anywhere he isn¡¯t sure of his safety. Keeping all that in mind, the most reasonable place for him to stay at right now is our house. Well, Father, he asked you not to tell me where he is. So we will respect his words. Instead, may I ask you tell me everyplace he isn¡¯t?¡±


    Feng Chunyi giggled happily. Her son was as smart as she expected.


    Feng Huixin¡¯s gaze flashed with understanding. ¡°I see. That will indeed help me not break my promise.¡± His eyes narrowing with thought, Feng Huixin said, ¡°Xiang-er is not in the west wing or the central structure. He is also not anywhere aboveground.¡±


    Qinghe blinked with surprise. ¡°We have underground rooms?!¡±


    Feng Huixin sighed. ¡°Yes, but neither I nor Chunyi knew that they were functional or that there was a way to enter them. We assumed that the underground level was long filled in and walled off completely. But Xiang-er told me just tonight that he found an access point to it. Apparently, when he went exploring earlier in one of the cave systems in the forest, he dived into a pond and was able to find an underwater tunnel near its bottom. He followed it and saw that it led into the basement level.¡± Since Wei Xiang had only asked him to not outright tell them his location, Feng Huixin took it as permission to tell them Wei Xiang had discovered and the route he had found without ever specifically saying that Wei Xiang had mentioned hiding there. He wouldn¡¯t be breaking his word this way, would he?


    Meanwhile, Qinghe¡¯s mouth twitched. That Xiang! He must¡¯ve definitely found that route when they were playing in that cavern a few days before and then gone to check it out later on his own. As for why he kept it a secret¡­ Qinghe could only guess that he wanted to keep a hiding place ready for whenever his heat period hit him. Staying at an underground room sealed from the rest of the house would also ensure that he wouldn¡¯t be able to smell Qinghe and agitate himself further during his heat period. And he could also quickly enter it using his shadows if his heat hit him suddenly. Tch, this was the disadvantage of having a clever lover. His Xiang had planned everything so thoroughly while hiding it from him.


    Qinghe pushed aside his floating thoughts and focused on everything his father had said. According to his words, Wei Xiang should currently be in an underground room in the eastern wing. Now all that was left was to enter that area by going through that pond in the cavern. He could technically ask his father to just take him through the shadows, but they¡¯d already skirted around his promise to Wei Xiang enough. Involving him anymore might just make him uncomfortable. But more than that, Qinghe wanted to undertake everything from here on out on his own.


    Turning to his parents, he gave a short bow. ¡°Mother, Father, I will now go and accompany Wei Xiang. Please do not interrupt us until it is done.¡±


    Feng Huixin nodded. ¡°I am told that the estimate for his heat period this time is seven days. Qinghe, please take care.¡±


    Qinghe nodded and turned to go.


    Frowning worriedly, Feng Chunyi suddenly asked, ¡°Are you sure this is alright? From what I understand, Son-in-law won¡¯t be in control of himself during this time, will he? What if he¡­doesn¡¯t listen if you ask him to stop?¡± Her hand clenched on Feng Huixin¡¯s waist. She felt her husband pull her closer and rub her back soothingly as if to dispel her memories.


    The corners of his eyes growing pinched, Feng Huixin also looked at Qinghe with concern. ¡°Your mother is right. Qinghe, if you have to, don¡¯t hesitate to get out from there. I am sure Xiang-er will not hold it against you. Things like health and power can be restored with time and effort, but if he inadvertently does something that damages your relationship, it might not be able to be fixed. I am sure that for him, hurting you in that manner would be more terrible than his own soul being destroyed.¡±


    But seeming unbothered by the gravity of their concerns, Qinghe turned his head and gave them a small smile. His expression was relaxed as he said simply, ¡°Mother, Father, please do not worry. No matter how far gone he is, my Xiang will not force me.¡±


    With that, he strode out of his parents¡¯ bedroom and headed out of the Feng residence, making directly for the forest surrounding the house and the cave system in it.


    Back in the bedroom, Feng Chunyi¡¯s forehead creased with worry. ¡°Ah-Xin, do you think it will really be alright?¡±


    Feng Huixin nodded. ¡°I trust our sons.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Qinghe floated in cold water that came up to his neck and looked up at the heavy objects obstructing the hole above him with narrowed his eyes.  It seemed that Wei Xiang had tried to block off access through here, but caught in the throes of his heat, he wasn¡¯t able to do anything more than move a few pieces of furniture on top of the entrance.


    To get here, Qinghe had just spent half an hour trying to find the access point at the bottom of the pond and another half an hour swimming through the dark and narrow underwater tunnel. After all that effort, a few bits of wood barring his path would hardly deter him. Huffing, Qinghe raised a hand and used his wind to lift up the pieces of furniture stacked upon the opening. After the entrance was cleared, he quickly reached up to pull himself into the underground floor of the Feng residence and dried himself off using wind.


    Lifting up the illumination talisman, Qinghe studied the space.


    This floor was dark and gloomy, with some dust scattered here and there at the edges. It was made in a completely different style than the rest of the house and seemed a bit more cramped than the airy rooms aboveground. The area around the square entrance Qinghe had just come up through was covered with thick, slimy green mold. There were no cobwebs or critters in the room, possibly due to this entire floor being so thoroughly blocked off. Situated by the wall opposite to Qinghe, a large stairway led to the ceiling above where a circular open space seemed to have once existed, its outline still visible. Now, it was blocked off with stone bricks and held up with wooden beams and thick stone pillars to support the flooring of the level above.


    Once he finished looking around, Qinghe silently turned east and began walking. He used his ability to still the air around him and block his scent and any sound he made. He did not want to alarm Wei Xiang and risk him using shadows to get away before hearing what he had to say.


    After wandering for a few minutes in the east wing, Qinghe finally found the room Wei Xiang was in. It was the only one whose door was closed, with sounds of cloth being scratched and torn coming from inside.


    His heart beating faster with anxiousness, Qinghe steeled himself and slowly opened the door.


    The room was a long rectangle with furniture cluttering up the narrow ends on either side. A large bed with a thick, old mattress sat in the middle, directly opposite to the doorway. On it, Wei Xiang laid half-curled, his teeth gritted and his eyes squeezed closed. His fingers tipped with long black nails roamed on his tattered clothes restlessly, pulling the fabric apart and ripping it to the point where most of it was torn away. Thin scratches formed and healed on his exposed skin, but he didn¡¯t seem to notice or care. A wet sheen covered his forehead. His chest heaved with quick breaths, and Qinghe realized that rather than panting, Wei Xiang was using breathing techniques in an attempt to keep his mind clear.


    Qinghe silently stepped into the room and closed the door behind him before locking it.


    The entire room was filled with strong pheromones. As it sunk into Qinghe, he couldn¡¯t help but recall long nights of heated passion spent moaning, his body twisting and writhing as he felt his beloved pressed against him, moving inside him, his thrusts slow and sensual or fast and frantic. Qinghe could almost feel the drag of Wei Xiang¡¯s palms against his skin, his lover¡¯s large length burying itself inside him again and again, pushing apart his tight walls and embedding itself deep inside his body¡­


    Letting out a shuddering breath, Qinghe took back control of his galloping thoughts and deliberately let go of his hold on the wind, letting his scent spread out.


    On the bed, Wei Xiang suddenly stilled, his golden eyes turning to fix on Qinghe with eerie intensity. His lips parted to show his sharp fangs as he growled, ¡°Qinghe?!¡± He seemed to struggle with forming thoughts as he spoke, ¡°What¡­ Why are you¨D How did you find this place?!¡±


    Sighing, Qinghe pasted the illumination talisman on the wall and slowly walked towards the bed.


    Wei Xiang saw his mate heading towards him, his movements fluid and graceful, and held himself even more tightly. Even though he knew that he should look away to minimize temptation, his gaze stayed fixed on his little lover as if mesmerized.


    Since he hadn¡¯t had a chance to put anything else on after getting up from bed this morning, Qinghe¡¯s body was covered with only a single loose robe. Due to the thick pheromones Wei Xiang exuded, Qinghe¡¯s face was delectably flushed, the scent of his arousal beginning to slowly fill the space. His dark eyes gleamed as they peered at Wei Xiang, his lips bent in a casual smile without any fear or trepidation. In a slow and seductive motion, Qinghe licked his lips and said, ¡°Xiang, I found you~¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s body jerked as increased need punched him in the gut. He clutched at the mattress under him to prevent himself from leaping over and pinning his beloved to the floor, tearing off his clothes, and plowing into him right here and now. He snarled, ¡°Qinghe, you imp. Stop it. Get away and get out.¡±


    Qinghe laughed, his voice husky and light. ¡°No, I won¡¯t. I won this round of our Hunter and Prey game, so I get to ask something of you. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    Wei Xiang let out a low growl of frustration. ¡°We aren¡¯t playing. Qinghe, you¨D¡±


    ¡°Now, now. After running away from me and hiding like this, if this weren¡¯t a game, then does it mean that it was you deliberately locking me out of your life at such an important moment, hm?¡±


    Wei Xiang took one look at Qinghe¡¯s sharp smile and deep eyes and decided to keep his mouth closed. He might be in heat, but he still had some sense left.


    Seeing his cautious expression, Qinghe let out an amused chuckle. His steps brought him closer to Wei Xiang.


    Knowing that he was reaching the limit of his self-control, Wei Xiang quickly let golden strings extend out from his arms and wrapped them around himself and the cot, tying his body firmly to the bed. His voice turned ragged and rough as he pleaded, ¡°Qinghe, please, stop. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ll do in this state. I don¡¯t know if I will even be able to stop if you want me to. I¡¯d rather break myself than hurt you that way. So, love, please stay away.¡±


    For a moment, Qinghe¡¯s gaze softened. Then he laughed wryly, undaunted. ¡°It seems that of all of us, I am the only one who trusts your beast. How sad it must feel.¡±


    Wei Xiang gritted his teeth in helplessness. Just what should he say to convince his mate?!


    Reaching the bed, Qinghe leaned over Wei Xiang and cupped his cheek. It was scorching hot and covered with fine, smooth scales that faintly glittered in the light. From up close, Qinghe could see that Wei Xiang¡¯s vertically slitted pupils had expanded to swallow half of his golden irises. Qinghe could feel how hard Wei Xiang was clenching his jaw by the muscles straining under his hand.


    ¡°Xiang,¡± he said, his voice entreating. ¡°It looks so painful for you. Won¡¯t you please let me share your pain?¡±


    Wei Xiang swallowed. His self-control was stretching too thin. He had to struggle to form words. ¡°Love, if you do this, I will end up hurting you. I don¡¯t want to. You don¡¯t have to indulge my beast and let it tear into you just because you¡¯re mated to me. If I selfishly cause you pain to feed my heat, then I will never forgive myself.¡±


    Qinghe sighed and bent to place a kiss on his lover¡¯s hot forehead. Wei Xiang let out a strangled growl. Muscles bulged in his body as he strained to remain still. He couldn¡¯t keep himself suppressed for long.


    In a quiet voice, Qinghe said, ¡°I know. You don¡¯t want to see me hurt. But I don¡¯t want to see you hurt either. Xiang, if we do this, the maximum I will suffer is physical injuries that I can heal easily with a few pills and some rest. But for you, the consequences are much more dire. You will have to go through decades or centuries of recuperation to get back to where you are now. The problem you are dealing with is not just yours alone to shoulder, it¡¯s ours. Both of us have an equal responsibility to solve it. And if we compare between the outcomes of me helping you and you bearing this alone now, it¡¯s obvious that the result of me helping you is better, since the consequences I will have to bear will be lesser. No matter how you look, logically, letting me help you is the best answer.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s head spun with the buildup of heat in his body. He did understand that his beloved was right, but he still felt reluctant. ¡°Is that why you¡¯re here? Because it¡¯s the logical thing to do?¡±


    Qinghe tilted his head and smiled softly. ¡°Actually, no. All that reasoning is only to convince you. I¡¯m just here because, like you, I don¡¯t want my mate to suffer. Also¡­¡± Qinghe smiled wider as he lowered his head further, peering straight into Wei Xiang¡¯s glazed eyes. ¡°Xiang, I want all of you to be mine, even your beast. So won¡¯t you also let me reciprocate and become yours, including your beast¡¯s?¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes glowed. It was clear that his mate couldn¡¯t be any more willing, and his logic made sense as well. There was no point in refusing now. Opening his mouth, Wei Xiang hissed, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Qinghe said with a grin. ¡°Just exercise your patience for a bit more until I undress and prepare myself for you. After that¡­you don¡¯t have to hold back anymore.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes stayed fixed on Qinghe as he nodded. He watched intently as Qinghe removed his robe and retrieved a bottle of oil. His gaze intensified as he saw his little lover bend over a side table and ready himself.


    Qinghe would¡¯ve loved to let his Xiang do this instead. But not only did he know that Wei Xiang''s self-control wouldn''t hold up, he also didn''t think that his lover would be able to retract his fingernails enough in this state to do it. Each of Wei Xiang¡¯s nails ended in an exceedingly sharp point that seemed like it could shred through steel, much less Qinghe¡¯s fragile inner tissue. There was no way he was going to let those lethal weapons enter his backside! And so, Qinghe had to attend to himself this time.


    After he finished stretching himself out to fit three fingers, Qinghe paused and looked back at Wei Xiang¡¯s lower half. The large bulge there clearly indicated that there wasn¡¯t just one member standing at attention. Giving a thoughtful hum, Qinghe decided to continue preparing his passage until he could fit his whole hand inside. After that was done, he spread his fingers and tried his best to widen himself to the limit so that no matter how rough his beloved was, it would cause him minimal hurt.


    Once he was satisfied with the preparations, Qinghe turned to Wei Xiang and smiled. ¡°Xiang, I¡¯m ready.¡±


    Veins bulged in Wei Xiang¡¯s forehead with the effort of restraining himself. Doubt flickered in his golden gaze. Straining, he spoke, ¡°Qinghe, if you¡­want to stop¡­¡±


    Qinghe looked at him with helpless affection. ¡°Yes, I know. If I ever want to stop, I will tell you. And if you are unable to fulfill my request, I will use my power and get myself away from you. So don¡¯t worry and stop holding yourself back. Xiang, I am here and I am willing to spend your heat period with you. It¡¯s alright now, so come and take me.¡±


    The golden strings retracted into his arms as Wei Xiang finally let himself go free. That was all he needed to hear.


    Qinghe felt himself quickly being pulled towards the bed and pushed onto it before a hot and hard body settled over his. Without waiting for Wei Xiang to act, Qinghe lifted his legs and put them on Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulder in a silent invitation to directly begin. As Qinghe immediately began feeling something nudging his entrance, his breathing grew deeper with anticipation. Without ado, both of Wei Xiang¡¯s thick members pushed into him at once.


    Qinghe bit his lips and tried to quickly accustom himself to the feeling of being filled to the brim and stretched completely. Thankfully, though Wei Xiang was going mad with need, he still retained enough consciousness to force himself to go slow. Qinghe still felt uncomfortable, his passage aching a bit at being expanded so much all at once. But it was not nearly as bad as he¡¯d expected due to Wei Xiang¡¯s care.


    Slowly, Wei Xiang sank inside the tight heat of his beloved. The more he fed his lust, the more his mind grew fuzzy with intense burning need. He could feel his beast¡¯s joy at finally being able to share a heat period with its mate, along with a vast abyss of insatiable hunger and zealous affection.


    Wei Xiang struggled to hold back his beast¡¯s frenzy and carefully pushed on until he was buried to the hilt inside his little lover. At the familiar feeling of their bodies fully connecting, a thousand scenes flashed in Wei Xiang¡¯s mind. So many happy days filled with so many precious memories, so many different sides and facets of his beloved mate, so many experiences and sensations they¡¯d shared together¡­


    He liked it when his mate was so lost in passion that he ended up leaving marks with his nails on his shoulders or back. And every time after that, Wei Xiang¡¯s chest would feel warm when his Qinghe apologized for hurting him, his expression repentant and guilty while he tended to the scratches and gouges he¡¯d left on Wei Xiang with the utmost care.


    Wei Xiang was so fond of exploring new things with his beloved, watching his curious expression, his thoughtful expression, and his blushing and bashful expression as he learnt various things with determination. And it was even more fun to show him how to implement some of that newfound knowledge in the bedroom, spending days and nights entwined together, learning new things about each other¡¯s bodies.


    He loved playing and sparring with his Qinghe, their bodies testing their strengths and skills against each other while Wei Xiang found new respect for his beloved each time. Whenever they played their Hunter and Prey game and he was chasing Qinghe, Wei Xiang adored scenting his mate¡¯s giddy excitement as he ran from him, seeing his bright smile when he caught up, that helpless laughter and playful struggling when Wei Xiang finally pounced on him¡­and he liked it even more when his mate turned the tables on him, outwitting him and trapping him under his body instead. That smug expression on his beloved¡¯s face filled with glee looked so adorable as his Qinghe tilted his chin up proudly while declaring that he¡¯d won.


    Wei Xiang growled as these thoughts filled his mind and made his desire for his beloved rise even higher. He pulled his hips back and thrust his hard lengths inside Qinghe again. Wei Xiang heard his mate gasp in reaction and felt his long legs clench around his neck. He smelled his little lover¡¯s thickening arousal and began driving his members in and out with increased fervor, the rhythm growing faster and faster.


    Even in his lust-fed frenzy, Wei Xiang couldn¡¯t help but marvel that this person was his mate, that this strong, adorable, cunning, soft, sneaky, and powerful being was now lying under him, letting him drive into his body, his inner muscles tight and hot as they gripped his twin shafts. He could feel the shift of his mate¡¯s warm and flushed skin as it slid against his, the rolling of defined muscles, the breathy moans and throaty groans, the scent of sweat and lust, the clutch of frenetic hands on sheets and supple legs around his neck, the sensual movement of his beloved mate¡¯s flexible body as he arched and twisted under him¡­all of it only drove him crazier.


    Wei Xiang pumped into Qinghe with desperate passion. Their hips slammed against each other as the sounds of skin hitting skin resounded loudly along with heated pants and reverberating growls. Flashes and waves of intense heat consumed Wei Xiang, drowning him in pleasure even as he sought more of it from his mate¡¯s body.


    In this way, their coupling went on for hours.


    Again and again the climax dragged Wei Xiang under, making him spill thick liquid into Qinghe. All the while, he struggled to hold on to his control over his mind, not yet resigned to completely giving in to his beast. After every few rounds, Wei Xiang forced himself to hold his need in check and disentangle from his mate. As Qinghe laid there, his body spent and trembling, his eyes squeezed closed as he panted hoarsely, Wei Xiang would gently feed Qinghe medicine to recover some strength and heal whatever bruising he might have sustained. Once Qinghe ingested enough healing pills to swiftly recover, he would spur Wei Xiang on and they would go at it again.


    In this madness of giving and taking pleasure, there was nothing spoken between them except in the language of their bodies. With the motions of their hands, lips, and hips, they directly conveyed their desire, their desperation to reach release, and their affection for each other. Blindingly bright passion swept them away as their bodies continued swaying together in a relentless rhythm.


    As this went on, Wei Xiang was able to remain gentle at first. But soon, his fingers began leaving little round impressions on Qinghe¡¯s skin, which then eventually became full-fledged handprints. As his consciousness slowly receded to give way to his beast self, more and more bruises formed and faded on Qinghe¡¯s skin, like the blooming and withering of red and purple flowers. And yet, though Qinghe felt the increase in pain, he also felt increased pleasure. He himself was unable to understand why he would like this despite the pain and discomfort.


    Was it the knowledge that his Xiang wasn¡¯t holding himself back? Was it because no matter what his beloved did to him, he would like it? Or was it that despite his rampant lust completely clouding his consciousness, despite his rough treatment of him, and despite the merciless continuity with which those twin members slammed into his body again and again, Qinghe still trusted his lover beyond doubt? Qinghe didn¡¯t know, and in his current situation, he wasn¡¯t in a state of mind to care.


    Meanwhile, Wei Xiang¡¯s hands remained restless, flipping Qinghe over onto his front, and then to his back. Sometimes his strong, claw-tipped fingers would restrain Qinghe¡¯s slender wrists as if afraid he would push him away, and sometimes those hands would pull up Qinghe¡¯s legs to press his knees to his shoulders, demanding more access to his entrance. Qinghe tried to cooperate as much as he could, remaining unresisting and pliant in Wei Xiang¡¯s hands as he unreservedly opened his body, willing to accept everything that would be done to him.


    All the while, Wei Xiang¡¯s hard members kept pushing in and out, relentlessly rubbing against Qinghe¡¯s sore passage and occasionally filling him with hot and heavy streams of release. But even though Qinghe felt his channel grow raw and painful, his bruised and tender inner walls swelling in injury and squeezing around Wei Xiang¡¯s thrusting shafts with painful tightness, he didn¡¯t complain. Knowing that his Xiang was already consumed with the uncontrollable fervor of his heat, Qinghe just retrieved some healing pills with a hand and stuffed them into his mouth, not even calling for Wei Xiang to stop. He was determined to ensure that his body would remain whole enough to keep bearing Wei Xiang¡¯s outpouring of lust while causing Qinghe the least hurt as well.


    However, seeing his mate suddenly putting something that didn¡¯t smell like food into his mouth, Wei Xiang quickly dipped his head down with a displeased growl and forced his tongue past Qinghe¡¯s lips. Qinghe opened up willingly, not hindering Wei Xiang¡¯s demanding tongue from roughly scraping over and claiming the inside of his mouth. But as if still unsatisfied, Wei Xiang¡¯s tongue pushed further in, extending beyond human proportions and encroaching into Qinghe¡¯s throat.


    Qinghe quickly loosened his throat muscles and opened them as much as he could, allowing his lover¡¯s tongue further entry. With his body invaded and filled up so firmly from both above and below, Qinghe could hardly move in either direction now. Determinedly ignoring the tears welling at the corners of his eyes due to the triggering of his gag reflex, Qinghe kept himself as relaxed and compliant as possible to avoid distressing his seemingly concerned lover. But after determining that there was no wrong taste in his mate¡¯s mouth and throat, Wei Xiang withdrew his tongue. Nipping his mate¡¯s throat to warn him not to take any more strange things into his mouth, Wei Xiang continued driving into him with satisfaction.


    Seeing all this, Qinghe reflected that by now, Wei Xiang was really too far gone in his beast instincts.


    While Wei Xiang continued moving inside him, changing their positions now and then as his hands roughly kept dragging over him, his lips and teeth tormenting Qinghe¡¯s body, he left shallow scratch and bite marks behind. Feeling the fine scales on Wei Xiang¡¯s palms continuously scraping against his sensitive skin, Qinghe shuddered, not even minding the ensuing soreness. Each of these small injuries only seemed to increase Qinghe¡¯s desire. His own shaft had released again and again, and even though Qinghe tried to hold his climax in so as to not spend himself too early, he still felt himself being ruthlessly pushed over the edge over and over, his slender member pulsing and shuddering as it erupted.


    Qinghe panted and moaned, sobbed and screamed until his voice gave out. Pain and pleasure battled against and melded into each other inside him, filling his overwhelmed mind and trembling body with the sensations evoked by Wei Xiang¡¯s hands and mouth on his skin while his lover¡¯s large organs relentlessly thrust into and withdrew from inside of him. Having tangled tightly together for so long already, he couldn¡¯t tell where his body ended and where Wei Xiang¡¯s began.


    Meanwhile, Wei Xiang held the soft body of his mate in his hands and pushed into him, deeper and deeper so that he could fill those soft depths with his release, again and again until Qinghe¡¯s passage was stuffed to the brim and overflowing with the white liquid. He rubbed and nipped and licked his mate everywhere he could reach and as much as he could so that his scent would sink deep and indelibly into his beloved¡¯s skin. This way, everyone would know that this was his mate, and his alone! He would mark him and claim him just like his own mate had long since claimed his complete devotion.


    As Wei Xiang thus continued to pump into Qinghe while his hands and mouth explored his mate again as if for the first time, his nose was filled with the smell of his mate¡¯s body, his tears and sweat with a bit of blood, and the overwhelming scent of his arousal spiced with a hint of pain. But there was no fear, no panic, nothing that meant rejection, and so Wei Xiang continued on with enthusiasm. His mouth was suffused with the taste of his beloved, his ears filled with the sounds of his soft moans, whimpers, and helpless screams, his fully dilated golden eyes reflecting only the image of his mate¡¯s twisting and writhing body under him that nevertheless obediently let Wei Xiang position and play with him however he wished.


    Wei Xiang never wanted to let this being go. He never wanted to separate from him. And so, fuelled by the wyvern¡¯s possessiveness, Wei Xiang decided that he wouldn¡¯t. He would always stay like this, both his body and mind connected to his beloved mate forever.


    Driven by lust and drowning in his unceasing heat, Wei Xiang continued slamming into Qinghe with renewed vigor.


    Filled with inexhaustible need in this manner, the days slowly dragged by while the bed kept creaking and swaying. Unable to take pills to heal himself due to Wei Xiang¡¯s muddled distrust of them, Qinghe could only plead for occasional breaks to rest his body and allow his wounds to heal on their own.


    The good thing was that despite being completely pulled under his beast instincts, Wei Xiang still remembered to care for Qinghe and quickly stopped whenever he was told to. However, Qinghe realized that his Xiang¡¯s mind was growing increasingly steeped in his instincts. He seemed to be having difficulty seeing, hearing, or sensing anything other than the insistent need to feed his lust. Though it made Qinghe¡¯s heart hurt for how helpless his beloved was while under his heat, he did not feel any fear or worry for whatever might come in the future. He unquestionably trusted his Xiang.


    By the fourth day, Qinghe had grown lethargic, every part of his body too sore for words. His mind felt strangely disconnected from the discomforts of his body even as he felt himself shift and shudder, his member twitching as if wanting to climax despite having long since run out of release to let out. The waves of pleasure felt soft and familiar as they continued to wash over his body, and Qinghe willingly let himself drown in it all.


    As Qinghe felt his body once again being repositioned on his back, he obediently cooperated. His insides felt thick, feverishly hot, and swollen tight. Whenever his inflamed channel was touched, along with the familiar pulse of pleasure, he felt little stabbing pains as well. And yet, unknowing of his mate¡¯s agony, Wei Xiang¡¯s twin shafts pierced into Qinghe again and again, the large members forcing open Qinghe¡¯s body and squeezing in through the reddened entrance that was almost swollen shut. And yet, Qinghe had no intention of complaining or pushing Wei Xiang away. Instead, he only tried to hold his beloved closer, tightening his trembling legs around Wei Xiang¡¯s firm waist, feeling hard muscles flexing as his lover worked his hips continuously.


    Suddenly, Qinghe felt a sharp fissure of pain cutting through his passage and let out a short scream. ¡°Ahh¡ª!¡± His back stiffly arched up while his head bowed back into the sweat-drenched pillow. His fingers clawed Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulders desperately.


    In the beginning, all of Qinghe¡¯s wounds, both outside and inside his body, had regenerated quickly. But the more Weil Xiang¡¯s heat went on, the slower the injuries had healed. But now, due to Qinghe¡¯s decreasing spiritual energy, the speed of the wounds inside his passage closing had become slower than the speed of Wei Xiang¡¯s ruthless thrusts tearing them open again before they had a chance to fully recover. This pain was like nothing Qinghe had ever felt in that part of his body before. His channel had only ever been treated gently and carefully. And rather than blaming Wei Xiang, Qinghe already started thinking up what all lines of reasoning he could use to make sure his Xiang wouldn¡¯t blame himself for this later.


    Meanwhile, sensing Qinghe¡¯s distress, Wei Xiang abruptly stopped. His keen eyes fixed on his mate¡¯s pained expression before he bent down to take in a lungful of his beloved¡¯s scent. The smell of pain had almost overtaken the scent of pleasure that Qinghe had been exuding till now. Leaning back, Wei Xiang growled worriedly. As unspent lust immediately began building up inside him, Wei Xiang¡¯s body grew hotter and hotter, and yet he refused to move in the fear of hurting his precious mate. He was so warm and soft and perfect, all Wei Xiang wanted to do was protect and care for him. How could he hurt him?


    Qinghe panted to suppress his reaction to the pain and collected himself. Since Wei Xiang had stopped moving inside him, his injury had also gotten the chance to heal. Lifting a trembling hand, Qinghe gently cupped Wei Xiang¡¯s cheek and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°It¡¯s alright¡­it¡¯s okay. The pain is already decreasing, I¡¯m fine. So I want you to go on now, alright? I know you must be feeling uncomfortable due to stopping, and I don¡¯t want that. Xiang, please, I¡¯m fine, so keep going, okay?¡±


    Though Wei Xiang didn¡¯t want to hurt him, since his mate said it was fine, and since the sharp tang of his pain had also slowly started to decrease, he decided to give in to his endless need once again. After all, the one person he trusted the most in this world was his mate. And since he assured him that it was alright, Wei Xiang chose to believe him and continued pumping his hips while struggling to go slower. But of course, the insistent heat constantly chewing through him didn¡¯t let him remain gentle for long.


    The days blurred into a stream of strenuous passion for the pair of lovers, the various sensations mixing and superimposing over each other. Qinghe¡¯s spiritual energy steadily declined as it was continuously being used up to heal his injuries. Whenever there was the slightest sign of him being hurt inside, Wei Xiang would immediately stop, only resuming when Qinghe urged him on. But soon, Qinghe became unable to even sense any damage, his mind and body having become too tired to care. To avoid alarming his lover, he whispered encouragements and loving endearments so that Wei Xiang would go on. In the meantime, Wei Xiang¡¯s strength was draining as well. But the relentless heat forced him to go on and on. And lost in the waves of pleasure, Wei Xiang continued.


    In this way, they finally reached the seventh day.


    Qinghe could barely feel his body. His bottom half had already long gone numb along with the other extremities. Qinghe felt darkness hovering at the corners of his vision. The illumination talisman had long since started dimming. And when Qinghe¡¯s spiritual energy finally sputtered out, the talisman stopped shining as well. But strangely enough, there still seemed to be some light in the room. Wei Xiang glowed faintly in the oppressive darkness, his scales letting out an iridescent radiance. The thin band of gold around his fully expanded pupils gleamed brightly.


    Sensing that he was at his limit, Qinghe sighed and parted his cracked lips. In a rough voice, he croaked, ¡°Xiang¡­I don¡¯t think I can stay awake anymore¡­I¡¯m so tired¡­ I¡¯m just going to close my eyes and sleep for a while¡­so don¡¯t panic, alright?¡±


    The furrows between Wei Xiang¡¯s brows deepened. The speed of his thrusts abruptly increased as if wanting to keep his mate awake. Qinghe¡¯s spent body shuddered and he let out a long breath. ¡°Mmh, X-Xiang¡­be good. I¡­I want to you keep going even after I go to sleep, okay? You should¡­continue until your heat is over. We¡¯re already on the¡­seventh day, so¡­it shouldn¡¯t be¡­long now¡­¡±


    Qinghe saw the darkness at the edges of his vision creeping forward, slowly encroaching over his sight and filling it with black. Numbness seeped into his body, spreading into him from the ends of his body and taking over his senses. In the midst of this, Qinghe suddenly felt faint tremors climbing up his spine. He let out a soundless gasp as yet another orgasm overtook his weak body. But unable to bear this additional stimulation, his strength gave out.


    Qinghe fainted.


    Soon, Wei Xiang¡¯s heat period ended as well. Exhausted, he slumped beside an already unconscious Qinghe and dropped off into deep sleep.


    It was finally over.


    ¡­¡­


    When Wei Xiang woke up, he felt dizzy and disoriented. His body hurt to move, his bones creaking like aged wood. When he pried his eyes open and tried to sit up, he felt his softened member slipping out of his beloved¡¯s warm passage. To his shock, a stream of thick while fluid mixed with streaks of blood immediately followed, gushing out of Qinghe in an unending stream. Wei Xiang was alarmed to find that Qinghe¡¯s stomach was slightly distended due to all the liquid contained in his belly. As it was finally expelled out of him, his stomach also slowly grew flatter. But despite all this, Qinghe remained asleep, his chest weakly rising and falling.


    Wei Xiang immediately forgot his tiredness as he remembered what happened this last week. The heat period that had been hanging over his head had finally arrived, and his little lover had chosen to go through it together. After such a long time of continuous lovemaking, just what had become of Qinghe?


    Wei Xiang quickly got out an illumination talisman of his own to see better and turned to his lover. But the more he studied Qinghe, the lower his heart sank.


    Thick purple shadows hung under Qinghe¡¯s eyes, a testament to his immense fatigue. His skin was pale and almost transparent, displaying with more clarity the black and purple bruises littered on it, along with all the bite and scratch marks still crusted with blood. The junctions between his shoulders and neck appeared raw and ragged as if they were chewed on by something with sharp teeth. Large patches of black were concentrated around his hips where Wei Xiang had held him tightly to move to and fro. He could clearly see the places where his nails must have dug into the skin, blood still lazily oozing from the tears.


    Qinghe looked like he was mauled by a vicious animal, and Wei Xiang realized that in a way, that was exactly what happened.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s chest felt tight. Letting out a breath and steeling himself, he gingerly lifted one of Qinghe¡¯s legs to see how his entrance was after this much continuous mating.


    Qinghe¡¯s opening was extremely pitiful and painful-looking. It seemed to have swollen up and even expanded outside before being abused by the constant friction of his thrusts to the point where it now looked like ground meat. It bulged outward and was a bright red, glistening with a thick coating of release and streaks of dried blood.


    Wei Xiang clenched his hands and cursed himself for putting his beloved through this. No matter what he did, he couldn¡¯t atone for hurting Qinghe this much. If Qinghe¡¯s parents could see what state he¡¯d reduced their son to after they entrusted him to him, Wei Xiang was sure that they would either drive him out of their house or just kill him outright. Maybe his mother-in-law would even torture him to vent for this injustice. And he would deserve it. How could he do something so terrible to his Qinghe and still claim to love him?


    Bitter and painful self-recriminating thoughts drowned Wei Xiang¡¯s mind.


    He gritted his teeth and pushed them aside for now. No, what he should be concentrating on now was his Qinghe¡¯s wellbeing.


    Wei Xiang quickly retrieved a basin of warm water and a soft cloth to begin cleaning Qinghe¡¯s passage. He reached out towards his little lover¡¯s injured opening and froze. Long black nails still extended from his fingertips, the smooth black surfaces shining. He could see traces of blood on its edges.


    Wei Xiang felt a surge of fury. Because of the remaining influence of his heat, he couldn¡¯t even retract these blasted things that had hurt his beloved so much. In a fit of rage, he bit each nail and brutally ripped it out of his fingers. Since he couldn¡¯t retract them, he would just take them out. It was the only way he could touch his beloved without scratching him further. So what if it hurt? It¡¯d all grow back anyway. The injuries his beloved has suffered were much worse than this.


    With his fingers thus declawed, Wei Xiang quickly took care of his bleeding nailbeds before tending to Qinghe with the utmost care, his mind filled with self-loathing.


    Once he was done gently extracting the rest of his release from within Qinghe¡¯s brutalized channel, Wei Xiang cleaned him up and wiped him down. After dressing Qinghe in a comfortable robe, Wei Xiang put himself in order as well, then set about tidying the bed and straightening the room. Once everything was done, he carried Qinghe and used the shadows to transport them to their room aboveground.


    Wei Xiang carefully settled Qinghe on the bed and took out all the relevant pills, potions, and elixirs from his storage space. He carefully administered them to his beloved one by one and held Qinghe¡¯s nose until he¡¯d swallowed them all. However, seeing how sluggishly Qinghe¡¯s wounds were closing despite all this, Wei Xiang grew worried. This rate of healing was more like that of a mortal¡¯s than that of a deity. Was something wrong with his lover?


    Wei Xiang held Qinghe¡¯s wrist to do a basic check. He was distraught to find that Qinghe¡¯s vitality seemed drastically weaker than usual, and almost all his spiritual energy had been used up in healing this past week as well. Qinghe¡¯s body was like an empty shell, weak and faded. No wonder his wounds weren¡¯t healing. There was currently nothing left in him to carry out the regeneration process.


    After a minute of contemplation, Wei Xiang decided to take Qinghe to his master and ask for help.


    And if his master disowned him because of how he''d treated his son¡­ then he could only bear it.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Master, please help Qinghe recover his spiritual every by infusing him with some of your wind-based one.¡±


    Feng Huixin and Feng Chunyi blinked at Wei Xiang as he bowed with Qinghe in his arms.


    The evening light painted the room with warm colors. As Feng Huixin and Feng Chunyi stood up from the table and headed towards Wei Xiang, relief that both Qinghe and Wei Xiang were alright rushed through them. But they could sense that something was wrong.


    Qinghe¡¯s presence was too light, his physical exhaustion and injuries all too visible. Meanwhile, Wei Xiang seemed more subdued and dispirited than they¡¯d ever seen him before. Wei Xiang stood stiffly, tiredness and deep sadness weighing his expression. His movements till now had been as if his body weighed a dozen times more than usual, even holding himself upright appeared to be difficult. Yet his entire attention was on cradling the person held in his arms with the utmost care and gentleness, his own wellbeing pushed aside as unimportant.


    Feng Huixin grew distressed. It seemed this time¡¯s heat period had taken its toll on both of his sons. With concern unhidden in his gaze, he nodded and took Qinghe from Wei Xiang¡¯s arms. ¡°Yes, I will take care of it.¡± He hoped that if Qinghe gained enough spiritual energy again to at least heal himself, then Wei Xiang might cheer up a little as well.


    Holding Qinghe close, Feng Huixin touched his wrist with a finger and sent a delicate thread of his spiritual energy into him. Since this was a straightforward enough action, Feng Huixin¡¯s lack of precision didn¡¯t affect it much. As long as he could throttle the stream of his spiritual energy to the maximum, it should be alright.


    Wei Xiang anxiously watched Qinghe, only letting himself feel relieved when color returned to his beloved¡¯s face. The bruises visible on his skin slowly shrunk while the scratches gradually closed up due to his deity level regeneration kicking in. Qinghe¡¯s breathing grew smoother and deeper, the small scrunch between his brows loosening. He sighed comfortably in his sleep and snuggled closer to his father, both because of the familiarity he felt with Feng Huixin and due to Qinghe subconsciously realizing that he was his energy supplier.


    Seeing this, the tight line of Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulders and spine relaxed, the tautness in his expression decreasing a bit. At least whatever damage he¡¯d done to his little lover wasn¡¯t permanent. But rather than expressing joy outwardly, he immediately lowered his head and didn¡¯t dare say a thing, just silently waiting for the blow he was sure would come.


    Wei Xiang fully expected to be scolded and yelled at for doing this to Qinghe. His master and mother-in-law might never again show him the familial warmth they¡¯d so readily showered him with till now. Wei Xiang tried to convince himself that it was alright, they were not his real parents or his actual family. They had no obligation to treat him well after what he did. Their disapproval or anger shouldn¡¯t hurt him. But Wei Xiang nevertheless felt like he was being ripped apart from the inside out at the thought of not having a family¨D no, of not being accepted by this family that he¡¯d come to consider as his own.


    After Feng Huixin was done providing Qinghe with sufficient spiritual energy, he cut the connection and turned to Wei Xiang. But just as he was about to express his concern, Wei Xiang dropped to his knees in front of them.


    Feng Huixin was startled while Feng Chunyi looked baffled.


    Wei Xiang bowed his head as deeply as he was able to, the ligaments in his back feeling like they were tearing. ¡°Master, Mother-in-law, forgive me for failing your expectations and treating Qinghe this way.¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes widened, his expression showing shock. Feng Chunyi blinked at him confusedly. ¡°Son-in-law, what are you doing? Get up now. I don¡¯t think your back and legs will be feeling too well in that position.¡±


    Wei Xiang lifted his head and looked at them with self-blame written plain on his face. ¡°But I hurt him. I said I loved him, then brought him to this point. He had to suffer all this because of me.¡±


    While Feng Huixin''s distress visibly grew, Feng Chunyi only looked at Wei Xiang with an unreadable expression, neither blaming nor consoling. ¡°Tell me, did he ever ask you to stop in between?¡±


    Wei Xiang took a few moments to try and remember past the vague haze of all-consuming heat clouding his mind these past few days. ¡°¡­Yes, it seems he did.¡±


    Narrowing her eyes, Feng Chunyi asked, ¡°And did you stop when he asked you to?¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded. ¡°Yes, I did. Apart from that, I think¡­I stopped every time I sensed he was hurt too much as well. I only resumed after Qinghe asked to continue.¡±


    Feng Chunyi stayed silent for a moment before suddenly letting out a long breath. A wry smile raised up a corner of her lips. ¡°That brat was right.¡±


    Beside her, Feng Huixin smiled helplessly. ¡°Yes. I did tell you to trust our sons.¡±


    Feng Chunyi grinned. ¡°As usual, my Ah-Xin is right. Now what should I give you as reward for being right? Should I¡­¡± Bending towards her husband, Feng Chunyi whispered something into his ear. Despite his advanced hearing, it remained inaudible to even Wei Xiang. However, the Qinghe held close in Feng Huixin¡¯s arms seemed to have heard something he didn¡¯t want to, his eyebrow twitching in his sleep as he instinctively turned his face away from his parents.


    As his wife¡¯s naughty whispers filled his ear, Feng Huixin¡¯s cheeks went bright red, his eyes shining brightly. Coughing, he said, ¡°E-Enough, Chunyi. We can discuss that later. Behave yourself in front of the children.¡±


    Feng Chunyi gave a satisfied chuckle and leaned back, her grin wide. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll discuss it later in much more intimate detail~¡±


    Wei Xiang could only look at them with befuddlement. Were they¡­not angry with him? Why did it seem that they weren¡¯t excluding him from their family?


    Remembering that Wei Xiang must be tired by now too, Feng Huixin came up to him and said worriedly, ¡°Xiang-er, did you take enough healing pills? Please get up and rest properly. I am sure you are exhausted as well.¡±


    With an uncomprehending expression, Wei Xiang woodenly stood up and sat down on one of the chairs around the table. He leaned forward wearily to support himself. In a hesitant voice, he asked, ¡°Master, do you¡­blame me?¡±


    Feng Huixin looked at him with puzzlement. ¡°Xiang-er, of course I do not blame you. The fact that you have to go through heat periods and the way they affect you is not your fault. And Qinghe knew the risks and made the choice to accompany you willingly. What happened was not any worse than what we all expected. If anything, Xiang-er, you seem to be the one most upset because of it. Are you alright?¡± His concern for him was easy to hear.


    Wei Xiang felt shaken as he stared blankly at him.


    Beside Feng Huixin, Feng Chunyi sighed and spoke, ¡°Son-in-law, stop worrying so much. Truthfully, I¡¯m already impressed that you were able to stop when this brat asked you to. I did not expect that, but both this son of mine and this husband of mine believed in you. And you did not betray that trust. You did well. We have no reason to be angry with you. Stop moping so much and just take care of your own health, or that brat Qinghe will blame us for not caring for you enough in his absence.¡±


    Feng Huixin nodded and quickly brought out several rare and precious healing elixirs to give to Wei Xiang. In a daze, Wei Xiang took them and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Thank you, Master, Mother-in-law.¡±


    Feng Chunyi waved a hand like a queen granting amnesty. ¡°You are also our family. Don¡¯t doubt that again, brat.¡±


    In an unconscious show of faith, Feng Huixin held Qinghe out to Wei Xiang. ¡°Here, Xiang-er. You and Qinghe should go and rest in your room now. I have already arranged for you to have a few more days free of work, so use it to heal and regain your spirits.¡±


    Wei Xiang reached out and accepted Qinghe. His heart felt too full for words. It finally sank in that he wasn¡¯t blamed. He could stay here. He didn¡¯t have to leave, and his master and mother-in-law truly didn¡¯t lose their faith in him, even entrusting their son to him again so easily¡­


    The rush of relief was too overwhelming. Wei Xiang closed his eyes to hide the wetness in them and buried his face into the crook of Qinghe¡¯s shoulder. He heard Qinghe make a faint murmur of satisfaction and held his beloved closer. His back shook slightly with suppressed emotions, but he did not let out a single sound.


    Feng Huixin and Feng Chunyi looked at each other and wordlessly went over to hug Wei Xiang from either side. This son of theirs always looked so strong and confident, his self-control remaining steady in any situation. But now that he allowed them to see his weakness, they would naturally offer their silent support and let him know that they were here for him. They would always be here for him. Not just because he was mated to their son, but because he was someone they¡¯d adopted into their family as a son as well.


    The fading sunlight cast the room in a peaceful and poignant glow, washing over the embracing family with gentle warmth.


    ¡­¡­


    When Qinghe woke up, a familiar ceiling greeted him. He knew without a doubt that this was his room. His body felt warm and comfortable, albeit a bit weak. He sensed rich spiritual power flowing through him, repairing damages to his muscles and eradicating soreness. As he shifted, his passage gave out a strange and uncomfortable ache due to the newly regenerated tissue stretching inside.


    All in all, Qinghe decided that his condition was much better than expected.


    Sensing Wei Xiang¡¯s presence by the bedside, Qinghe turned his head to greet him, only to be met with the sight of his beloved kneeling on the floor with an expression of remorse, fear, and consternation.


    Guessing what his silly Xiang must be worrying about, Qinghe sighed. He lifted an aching hand and rested it on Wei Xiang¡¯s head before stroking it soothingly. His voice was husky and thick as he spoke, ¡°Xiang, it¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t hate you and I¡¯m not afraid of you. Going into heat is a natural biological function for you, so I definitely don¡¯t blame you for it.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s expression looked reluctant as if he didn¡¯t believe it. ¡°Love, I hurt you so much this time. How can you forgive me for it?¡±


    Qinghe raised an eyebrow. ¡°Forgive you? There¡¯s nothing to forgive. You didn¡¯t force me to do this. I had to beg and plead and lecture you with logic just to get you to agree to let me accompany you. So why would you feel like you¡¯re responsible for this? Plus¡­this isn¡¯t actually that bad. I certainly expected much worse. In truth, I thought your beast would tear off a few limbs or crush my organs while in the midst of overly passionate lovemaking, but it looks like it went easy on me. So, Xiang, I don¡¯t understand. What are you even blaming yourself for? These few piddly scratches and bruises? They¡¯ll all be gone in no time, so why worry?¡±


    Wei Xiang opened his mouth, then closed it again. Once again, he wasn¡¯t met with the reaction he expected. He really didn¡¯t know how to respond.


    Wanting to feel his beloved¡¯s warmth around him, Qinghe sat up and slowly placed his feet on the floor one at a time. But as he tried to stand and take a step towards Wei Xiang, his knees buckled.


    Wei Xiang quickly caught him and brought him close. ¡°Qinghe, be careful. Your injuries are still healing. What if you¡¯d fallen and worsened them?¡±


    Qinghe stuck his tongue out. ¡°Yes, yes, I know. I just had faith that even if I fell, you¡¯d be here to catch me. Really, Xiang, you¡¯re worrying too much today.¡±


    Wei Xiang struggled with what to say to refute him, then sighed in defeat. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry. Both for hurting you during my heat period and making you worry over me even though you¡¯re the one wounded.¡±


    Qinghe smiled and shifted in Wei Xiang¡¯s lap so that his legs wrapped around his lover¡¯s waist. Sitting face to face, Qinghe reached up to cup Wei Xiang¡¯s face and pulled it down for a small kiss. ¡°It¡¯s alright. We¡¯re both fine. I¡¯ll heal in a day or two and everything will be as usual again.¡±


    Wei Xiang let out a shuddering breath and nodded. Yes as much as he had feared it, it seemed that his heat period hadn¡¯t pried him away from the people he cared. It hadn¡¯t been able to damage their bonds despite his worries. This more than anything made him feel just how truly lucky he was to have such a wonderful lover and such a dependable family.


    Qinghe suddenly remembered something and asked, ¡°Ah, Xiang, how is father? I¡¯m guessing that he was the one who lent me his spiritual energy. Will the reduction in his power level inconvenience him?¡±


    Wei Xiang shook away his thoughts and smiled amusedly. ¡°Master will be fine. He always has an overabundance of spiritual energy anyway. And however much he gave to you, he must be replenishing that much right now even as we speak.¡±


    ¡°Eh? How?!¡± Qinghe asked surprised.


    Wei Xiang paused. Could his little lover really not guess? ¡°I¡¯m sure Mother-in-law will help him with it.¡±


    Qinghe tilted his head and asked cluelessly, ¡°But doesn¡¯t Mother have wood-based spiritual energy? She can¡¯t possibly transfer it to someone with wind-based energy like Father, can she? The risk of a rejection reaction or rebound is too great.¡±


    Wei Xiang looked at him blankly, then struggled to suppress his laughter. ¡°Love, that¡¯s not what I meant.¡±


    Pouting and puffing out his cheeks at the humor he saw in his beloved¡¯s gaze, Qinghe bounced impatiently on Wei Xiang¡¯s lap, purposefully ignoring the twinge in his backside. ¡°Then Xiang, what did you mean?¡±


    With a grin, Wei Xiang spoke two words: ¡°Dual cultivation.¡±


    Qinghe halted his bouncing as realization struck him.


    His eyes twinkling with hilarity, Wei Xiang went on, ¡°If you don¡¯t understand even after me saying this much, then shall I elucidate even more? Do you want to hear the exact details of all it entails and all the things they must be doing to each other right no ¨D¡±


    With cheeks blazing, Qinghe clamped a hand over his lover¡¯s smirking lips and glared at him. ¡°No need. I really don¡¯t want to have such an image stuck inside my head again, thank you very much.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes danced with laughter and merriment at being able to tease his little lover. Qinghe felt himself softening in the face of such a lively expression on his Xiang¡¯s face. Lowering his hand, Qinghe leaned forward and snuggled into his warmth. In a spoiled voice, he suddenly said, ¡°Xiang~ My entrance feels a bit uncomfortable. Will you apply medicine for me, please?¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes grew gentle. ¡°Alright. Do you want me to carry you up to the bed?¡±


    Qinghe happily nodded and clung to Wei Xiang with his arms and legs. Wei Xiang chuffed out a laugh and slowly got up. Due to Feng Huixin¡¯s medicine, almost all of the aches and pains in his muscles had melted away already. After laying Qinghe down on the bed carefully, Wei Xiang smoothed down his robe with tender touches. Qinghe smiled softly and let himself luxuriate in the sensation of being cared for by his lover.


    Upon Wei Xiang¡¯s instruction, Qinghe turned to lay on his side and pulled up his legs before lifting up the hem of his robe, granting access to his opening. Though it looked a bit red and puffy, it was nowhere near its previous horribly mutilated appearance.


    Wei Xiang settled himself on the bed and got out a bottle of ointment. First, he carefully smeared the medicine onto the edges of the inflamed hole. After he''d ripped them out, his fingernails had not yet grown to the point of being harmful to Qinghe, so Wei Xiang slathered up his fingers with more medicine and carefully pushed them into his little lover¡¯s passage. Meanwhile, he studied Qinghe''s scent for any fluctuations and tried to read his beloved''s expression to see if he really wasn''t averse to him after everything Wei Xiang did. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t find any signs of fear or distress caused by his touch, making Wei Xiang finally let go of his worries completely.


    However, as Wei Xiang continued to tenderly massage the medicine into Qinghe¡¯s inner walls, he noticed the rising tang of pain in his beloved¡¯s scent. But Qinghe¡¯s face showed no signs, his body lying relaxed on the bed.


    Wei Xiang immediately stopped with a concerned frown. ¡°Love, does it hurt?¡±


    Qinghe smiled at him. ¡°I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Pressing his lips together, Wei Xiang gently admonished, ¡°Qinghe, don¡¯t lie to me. If you are in pain, then say you are in pain. Please don¡¯t bear it in silence.¡±


    Qinghe froze, then slumped into the bed with a sigh. ¡°I forgot about your ability to scent my emotions. That¡¯s unfair, Xiang.¡±


    Wei Xiang showed a helpless smile. ¡°I know, love. But still, don¡¯t lie to me about this, alright?¡±


    Pouting, Qinghe buried his cheek further into the pillow and said sullenly, ¡°But I don¡¯t want you to blame yourself like before. Xiang, I don¡¯t like seeing you unhappy. If I say it hurts, will you become worried again?¡±


    Wei Xiang pressed his lips together. After some thought, he finally proposed, ¡°How about this: I¡¯ll promise not to start blaming myself for hurting you these past seven days if you can promise that you will tell me when it hurts, alright?¡±


    Qinghe quickly nodded. ¡°Yes, I agree.¡±


    ¡°Then tell me, does it hurt now?¡± Wei Xiang asked, his fingers continuing their motions of rubbing the ointment into Qinghe¡¯s passage.


    After a moment of hesitation, Qinghe said slowly, ¡°¡­Yes. It mostly just aches though. But in some places, the pain is very sharp like needles.¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled at him. ¡°Thank you for telling me. Can you point it out when it hurts you sharply?¡±


    Qinghe nodded. ¡°Okay.


    ¡°Good,¡± Wei Xiang praised him, his voice warm. As he kept on applying the medicine, Qinghe cooperatively informed him whenever it hurt sharply by exclaiming ¡°Needle!¡± Wei Xiang couldn¡¯t help but smile even as his fingers slowed their motions and gentled even further.


    However, Wei Xiang¡¯s smile didn¡¯t last long. When he finished applying the ointment and took out his fingers, he saw lines of dark blood on them. Wei Xiang¡¯s expression turned dejected. He remembered how much blood had been crusted around Qinghe¡¯s entrance before. He remembered Qinghe¡¯s slightly distended stomach and all the fluid that had gushed out with streaks of blood in it. He supposed it was unreasonable of him to expect that all that damage would have healed so quickly.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s voice was thick with emotions as he said, ¡°Qinghe, I¡¯m truly sorry. I promise I will never again put you through thi¨D¡±


    Qinghe suddenly got up and placed a finger over Wei Xiang¡¯s mouth. ¡°There you go with that self-blame again. You promised you wouldn¡¯t do that if I told you when it hurt.¡±


    Wei Xiang was momentarily pushed off-stride. ¡°I only promised to not blame myself for hurting you these past few days. I never said anything about me promising not to do this again the next time I go into heat.¡±


    Qinghe felt like grumbling about his beloved finding loopholes in inconvenient places. Lying back down on the bed, he settled himself on his side again and pulled up his legs to put minimal strain on his sore entrance. ¡°Xiang, your statement has been duly rejected. I want to be here for you again when you go into heat. I want to do this for you in the future as well. I was caught unprepared this time, but it will be better next time, you¡¯ll see.¡±


    Wei Xiang let out a breath tiredly and massaged his forehead. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to have to go through all this again. I don¡¯t think I can live with myself if, even after I saw the toll this took on you this time, I still decided on a repeat performance next time. All of this is my fault. Qinghe, I can¡¯t bear to make you a victim of my heat again.¡±


    ¡°A victim?¡± Qinghe asked incredulously while raising an eyebrow. ¡°Xiang, if anyone is a victim here, it¡¯s you. I at least made the conscious decision to stay with you throughout all this. But you had no choice. You had to do this. Your heat did not give you a way to escape. You could either choose a bad outcome or a worse one. You are the one who suffered the most. I got off easy with just a few easily healable injuries and a dose of spiritual energy transfer. So, Xiang, stop feeling bad for me. I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry anymore, okay?¡±


    Wei Xiang considered his words seriously. He wanted to believe him so badly, and he also wanted to stop worrying about the future. But¡­ ¡°Qinghe, even if I forgive myself for what happened this time, I just see no conceivable way to make this any better for you the next time I go into heat. No matter what you do, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that your inner tissue will definitely tear after seven days of continuous, intense mating. There¡¯s no way to deal with this.¡±


    Qinghe gave a light laugh. ¡°Xiang, such pessimism doesn¡¯t suit you. Of course there¡¯s a way through this. In fact, there are many ways, and there are sure to be many more if we keep looking.¡±


    Wei Xiang looked at him with tentative hope. ¡°Are you sure? Is there really a way?¡±


    Qinghe shrugged. ¡°Why not? Surely I can¡¯t be the only one who has a mate who can go into long periods of heat? I¡¯ll just have to find others like me and figure out how they deal with it. If that doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll just search for some pills or techniques that¡¯ll help strengthen my bowels and viscera and increase my endurance for the duration of your mating period. And from what I understand, the next time this happens will be several thousand years later. I would have grown a lot stronger by then, and my body will also have become more durable. At the rate Mother is training me, I¡¯m sure it will be enough to withstand most of your beast¡¯s enthusiasm. With some extra preparations, dealing with another heat period should be simple enough.


    ¡°That¡¯s why, Xiang, the next time you think your heat is about to come, please tell me in advance and it¡¯ll be easy to get through. Unlike this time, the choice doesn¡¯t have to be just between either you or me bearing the brunt of this. We can reach a compromise where you will inform me of your heat beforehand and I will try my best to reduce the amount of pain and injury I take. As long as we work together, sating your heat every time it appears will become just another easily-manageable part of our lives.¡±


    Wei Xiang didn¡¯t know what to say. He felt so warm inside that his beloved had accepted even this troublesome aspect of him so naturally, treating it as an obvious part of him and not shunning or avoiding it. Qinghe was even going as far as to making it sound like a casual part of their lives and not something strange or inconvenient. This natural acceptance was something We Xiang never even thought to hope for.


    Wei Xiang finally realized that for Qinghe, and maybe even for his mother-in-law and master, the trouble caused due to his heat period wasn¡¯t a big issue at all. It was just another little problem that they could work together to fix.


    But was it really so easy? Wei Xiang couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy and untrustworthy of himself. His beloved was too trusting, so he should be responsible and keep himself in even stricter control.


    ¡°Xiang?¡± Qinghe prodded.


    Wei Xiang sighed and let his doubts go for the moment. For now, this was enough. He could deal with the rest later. His lover and his family had accepted him as he was. It was more than enough.


    Lying down beside Qinghe, Wei Xiang looped an arm around his beloved¡¯s waist and leaned forward to kiss him on the forehead. Looking into Qinghe¡¯s puzzled gaze, Wei Xiang smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Though Qinghe didn¡¯t understand what he was being thanked for, he still smiled happily and snuggled closer into his Xiang. Nestled together, the pair of lovers let the troubles of the past week go and finally slept peacefully.


    ¡­¡­


    After that, their days were relatively uneventful¡­except for one thing¨DWei Xiang refused to sleep with Qinghe.


    And so, it seemed that ultimately, Qinghe ended up being the one to suffer the most consequences due to the heat period after all, since it caused his own lover to refuse to romp in the sheets with him for weeks to let him recover from the ordeal. Needless to say, after all his advances were thwarted for this reason, Qinghe was not pleased.


    Meanwhile, Wei Xiang struggled with trusting his self-control again. He had nightmares about the day he went berserk and killed the entire clan of heavenly wyverns. And sometimes, the faces of the dead clan members would morph to his master¡¯s, mother-in-law¡¯s, Kong Min¡¯s, and other people he cared about. It only served to feed into his distrust of himself and the fear that one day, his beast would go berserk again and he¡¯d end up killing the people he loved.


    But even worse than that were the dreams where he saw himself hurting Qinghe, not when he was in heat but when he was his usual self. More than anything, it was those dreams that kept Wei Xiang away from Qinghe. The fear that he would hurt his beloved, and that his beloved would let him, haunted Wei Xiang. If he were confident in his self-control, he could just dismiss these thoughts. But right now, Wei Xiang really couldn¡¯t trust even himself.


    After another day of being plagued by these worries, Wei Xiang once again dreamt this night.


    In his dream, he saw himself open his mouth and ask, ¡°Qinghe, let¡¯s sleep together.¡±


    But the Qinghe in his dream shook his head. ¡°No, Xiang. Not now.¡±


    Standing at the side, Wei Xiang saw his dream self suddenly clamp his fingers around Qinghe¡¯s jaw and forcefully jerk his face up. Sneering, he said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you my lover? Shouldn¡¯t you always keep yourself available to me? Who gave you the right to refuse? Are you going to withhold yourself from doing your duty and satisfying my desire?¡±


    Watching all this from the side, Wei Xiang wanted to punch his dream self in that smug mouth and ask him to get the hell away from his precious little lover. He would never say such vile words or try to force his Qinghe to agree when he clearly didn¡¯t feel like having sex! He would never behave so hatefully with his Qinghe!


    But try as he might, Wei Xiang couldn¡¯t move at all.


    He could only stay there as an observer and helplessly look on as the Qinghe in his dream nodded with a reluctant expression. His dream self¡¯s lips twisted in a sharp smile, his eyes glinting even sharper with lust and malevolence.


    Wei Xiang could only watch as his detestable dream self tore away Qinghe¡¯s clothes and pushed him down onto a nearby table, brusquely bending him over the edge. With budding horror, Wei Xiang witnessed Qinghe being entered without preparation, his dream self¡¯s touches without the slightest affection or care. His heart tore into pieces as Wei Xiang saw Qinghe biting his lip, the look in his little lover¡¯s eyes showing his obvious pain and confusion as if not understanding why his Xiang was hurting him. And yet, the Qinghe in the dream still laid there obediently, trying to repress his pained cries. However, Wei Xiang¡¯s dream self remained uncaring, gripping Qinghe¡¯s hair and roughly thrusting in and out. Blood trickled down from Qinghe¡¯s entrance, making Wei Xiang feel like it was his own heart that was bleeding. And when his dream self finally climaxed, white liquid mixed into the blood, trailing down Qinghe¡¯s trembling thighs.


    At the side, unable to do anything but stand motionless and watch this, Wei Xiang wanted to tear his own dream self apart for hurting his beloved. But seeing the vision of red liquid mixed in white, his mind was suddenly filled with the image of a similar scene right after he woke him from his heat. Qinghe¡¯s condition had been much worse than this, thick white fluid gushing out along with bright streaks of blood as his bloated stomach slowly flattened¡­


    Wei Xiang felt sick with self-loathing.


    His attention was suddenly wrenched towards the dream again. As if to make him hate himself even more, his dream self bent down and whispered cruelly into a fearful-looking Qinghe¡¯s ear, ¡°You belong to me. I can do anything I want with you and I know you won¡¯t defy me. Even if I hurt you like this, you will still be the one trying to console me, won¡¯t you? How loyal. But if I use this devotion against you, I can force you, control you¡­and even break you.¡±


    Wei Xiang recoiled with horror. The feeling was so strong that he broke out of the dream.


    He woke up.


    When Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes opened, the sight that greeted him was Qinghe¡¯s peacefully sleeping face. His little lover¡¯s body was relaxed and warm as it laid along his. But as Wei Xiang heard his beloved¡¯s soft snoring, he felt it overlap with the choked whimpers he¡¯d heard him let out in his dream. Even though he knew that it was just a nightmare, a faint fear still bloomed in Wei Xiang¡¯s mind.


    Not wanting to stay here while being afraid of what he might end up doing to his little lover, Wei Xiang got up and left the room. He wandered the house that was silent with the hush of night and ended up on the back porch, looking out at the empty practice field and the line of trees far beyond.


    Turning, Wei Xiang leapt up and landed on the house¡¯s roof.


    He settled himself on the central beam from where the two halves of the tiled roof sloped down and crouched atop it. He flexed his fingers and used his now-regenerated claws on his fingers along with the talons on his toes to grip the beam to stabilize himself. The effects from his heat would take a while more to recede. Until then, his beast aspects, like the sharp claws and slitted golden eyes, were here to stay.


    Wei Xiang remained motionless on his high perch, his eyes flicking around vigilantly to see if there was anything he could do to assuage his restlessness. Maybe if he found something to hunt and let out his beast to play for a bit, he¡¯d feel better.


    Wind stirred behind Wei Xiang, announcing someone¡¯s silent arrival. He turned to see his mother-in-law standing poised precisely on one of the curved tips of the roof. Feng Chunyi smiled at him. ¡°Son-in-law, were you unable to sleep?¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Feng Chunyi lightly jumped and landed beside Wei Xiang. In a curious voice, she prodded, ¡°Why? Did you have a nightmare of some sort?¡±


    Wei Xiang stilled, then nodded again.


    Tilting her head, Feng Chunyi asked, ¡°What sort of a nightmare was it? Endless paperwork?¡±


    Wei Xiang cracked a smile and shook his head. His expression growing serious again, he replied, ¡°I saw myself forcing Qinghe and hurting him. Not my beast, not while I was in heat, but me as I am now. I felt very angry at first at how the me in the dream treated my mate, but aren¡¯t I the same? I hurt him too.¡±


    Feng Chunyi sighed. ¡°I thought we already decided it wasn¡¯t your fault. You weren¡¯t in control during your heat.¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded. ¡°Exactly. I lost the self-control I pride myself in. If I could lose it then, what stops me from losing it now? After all, the reason I ended up killing everyone in my clan back then was for the same reason¨Dbecause I lost control. I¡¯m just afraid that it will happen again. What if I¡­hurt you all? What if I killed you and master and everyone else?¡±


    Feng Chunyi raised an eyebrow. ¡°Son-in-law, you¡¯re still a cute little newly hatched chick compared to the grown-up chickens that are me and my Ah-Xin. You don¡¯t have to worry about hurting us. We won¡¯t let you. No matter how out of control you get, you will never be able to kill us. And we won¡¯t let you kill anyone you consciously don¡¯t want to either. Just like Ah-Xin promised to keep an eye on me, we both will keep an eye on you too if that¡¯s what you want.¡±


    Wei Xiang turned to look at her. For a moment, he felt a connection between them. He realized for the first time that his mother-in-law worried too. She feared losing her self-control and going on a rampage, hurting those she loved. But for all her fears, she had never once done that, and Wei Xiang knew that she wouldn¡¯t in the future as well. Despite her worries, Feng Chunyi was still in perfect control of herself. As long as nothing happened to her husband or children, she would never lose her grip over herself.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulders relaxed. ¡°Thank you. Then I will leave it to you and master to keep me in check.¡±


    Feng Chunyi nodded and thumped her chest. ¡°Yes, just leave it to us, your parents!¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled, his mood lightening.


    ¡°Now that that¡¯s decided, Son-in-law, what else is bothering you?¡± Feng Chunyi suddenly asked.


    His good cheer lessening, Wei Xiang sighed.


    Feng Chunyi cast him a glance and went on, ¡°From how much that brat Qinghe has been moping around because you won¡¯t sleep with him, I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re having some other problems too. What happened? Did your heat wring you out so much that you can¡¯t get it up now?¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°No, that¡¯s not¡­ I¡¯m fine. I just¡­ Even if I don¡¯t feel afraid that I¡¯ll lose control and kill everyone anymore, I still can¡¯t trust myself around Qinghe, especially in bed.¡±


    Feng Chunyi blinked. ¡°Oh? Then you better talk it out with that brat and figure it out together. I¡¯m no good with sexual therapy.¡±


    Wei Xiang rolled his eyes. ¡°Yes, I know. But I also know that Qinghe tends to neglect himself. Talking probably won¡¯t help in this matter. I¡¯m afraid that even if I do something he doesn¡¯t like, he¡¯ll still bear it just to make me happy.¡±


    ¡°Are you boasting about how much you¡¯re loved, you brat?¡± Feng Chunyi grumbled to herself. Then shaking her head, she observed, ¡°While I will admit that that¡¯s how that son of mine seemed in the beginning, he¡¯s started to become a lot more willful since then. He has already started asking for what he wants with more confidence, and every day, I see him stating his preferences more and more. Son-in-law, maybe you are still stuck thinking about him as he was before. If you scrutinize everything more carefully, I¡¯m sure that even you will notice that he¡¯s been telling you what he wants and doesn¡¯t want with more clarity these days. Haven¡¯t you noticed?¡±


    Wei Xiang blinked. Was his Qinghe¡­really learning to say no? He thought back to that time recently when he played with Qinghe in the cavern using his strings. He remembered Qinghe indeed telling him to stop when he didn¡¯t like something and making it known whenever his string went in too deep and caused him discomfort. As he thought back even further, Wei Xiang began to realize that there were several more instances, even in their daily life.


    Before, Qinghe used to eat whatever was placed in his bowl even if he did not like it. But he soon began sneakily taking the dishes or vegetables he disliked to place on Wei Xiang¡¯s or his parents¡¯ plate while grinning cheekily. Wei Xiang also noticed that when sparring with Feng Chunyi, Qinghe had started to ask her to teach him more defensive moves since he wanted to protect himself better. He also rarely went out to face dangerous things alone, always taking people as back up and using it as an opportunity to teach his juniors as well.


    Recalling other such instances and putting them all together, Wei Xiang felt stunned. It seemed that Qinghe had indeed begun taking care of himself better while not forcing himself to needlessly suffer like before. But without consciously thinking about it, Wei Xiang hadn¡¯t recognized it till now.


    Seeing Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes slowly widen as he understood, Feng Chunyi chuckled. ¡°Sometimes, the closer you are to someone, the less you notice them changing. But the change you brought about is the good sort, so congratulations, Son-in-law!¡± She happily thumped Wei Xiang on the back, making him hold on more tightly to the beam below to maintain balance.


    Wei Xiang opened his mouth and got out with difficulty, ¡°I¡­see. I really didn¡¯t notice¡­¡±


    Feng Chunyi shot him a smug and pleased look at having realized it before him.


    Suddenly, Qinghe¡¯s voice called out from below, sounding dazed and childish, ¡°Xiang¡­ Come down, I¡¯m sleepy¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang froze, his eyes displaying his hesitation.


    Not wanting to see him dilly-dallying, Feng Chunyi showed her support for her son-in-law talking things out with her son by lifting up a leg and kicking Wei Xing off the roof. Wei Xiang reacted quickly by flipping himself in the air and landing stably on the ground. Looking up, he glared and flashed a fang at his smirking mother-in-law. Feng Chunyi simply laughed and turned away, disappearing from sight.


    Meanwhile, his bleary eyes half-open with thick drowsiness, Qinghe spotted Wei Xiang and staggered towards him with his arms outstretched like an adorable ghoul. Wei Xiang walked up to him and let Qinghe snuggle into his arms. In a complaining tone, Qinghe said, ¡°Xiang, it¡¯s cold¡­without you¡­¡±


    His voice faded into soft snores as Qinghe fell asleep in the comfort of his lover¡¯s embrace right then and there.


    Wei Xiang smiled at him with affectionate amusement and carefully gathered him into his arms. With silent steps, he carried Qinghe back into their room and placed him onto the bed. Rather than lying down beside him, Wei Xiang crouched by the bedside, watching his beloved¡¯s serenely sleeping face with complex emotions.


    Wei Xiang reached up with a finger to touch Qinghe¡¯s cheek, then stopped. Hesitation swirled in his gaze. But as if sensing his finger hovering nearby even in his sleep, Qinghe reached out and grabbed it, then brought it close to his face. Rubbing his cheek over the finger, he let out a soft sound in pleasure. ¡°Xiang¡­smells tasty¡­¡±


    Laughter and helplessness shone in Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes along with other conflicting emotions. His Qinghe was so soft, adorable, and trusting. Wei Xiang wondered if he could really have faith himself to take care of his little lover without wronging him. Seeing how much he and his beast loved Qinghe, the thought of that love one day turning into something fanatical that might hurt his beloved was not very farfetched after all. But he also trusted that both his little lover and his parents would step up to stop him before he ever got to that point. Besides, the danger of love turning obsessive applied to Qinghe too. But Wei Xiang knew that Qinghe didn¡¯t have the same worry as him about it. He was much more confident and self-assured in this aspect. Maybe he should learn from his little lover.


    As Wei Xiang¡¯s mind was filled with contemplations like this, he suddenly sensed someone¡¯s presence and whipped his head towards the window. For a shocked moment, Wei Xiang wondered if he was seeing some apparition before realizing who it was.


    Her face appearing upside-down on the other side of the window, her long black hair hanging down while her figure was backlit by the moonlight, was Feng Chunyi.


    ¡°You still seem troubled, Son-in-law,¡± she observed, her clear voice seeming eerie in this situation.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°I¡¯ll work through it, so Mother-in-law doesn¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    Feng Chunyi narrowed her eyes. ¡°You should discuss whatever is still bothering you with that snoring brat of mine. Why don¡¯t you wake him up and resolve everything once and for all?¡±


    Wei Xiang looked at her uncomprehendingly. ¡°Qinghe is still sleeping. Whatever I need to say can wait till he wakes up.¡±


    Feng Chunyi showed a disapproving expression and muttered to herself, ¡°Tch. And this lovestruck fool of all people is actually worrying about hurting his lover.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Wei Xiang wanted to express that he could hear her sarcastic remark plain and clear, but chose to stay silent.


    Leaping down from above the window, Feng Chunyi swung into the room and came to stand by the bed. Poking Qinghe¡¯s waist with a finger, she called, ¡°Oi, brat, wake up.¡±


    Qinghe frowned in his sleep and scooted away from her touch. ¡°¡­Noisy¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang was just about to ask Feng Chunyi to stop bothering his beloved when she unceremoniously swatted Qinghe¡¯s butt and scolded loudly, ¡°Wake up, you brat! I did not give birth to you just so you can lie on the bed like a lazy slug and snore away the night when your lover needs you!¡±


    Qinghe immediately shot up at that shout and looked around disorientedly, ¡°Slug? What?¡± Spotting Wei Xiang beside the bed, he quickly brightened. ¡°Xiang!¡±


    Feng Chunyi snorted. ¡°Your lover is troubled by something. Talk to him,¡± she commanded.


    Qinghe turned and blinked up at her. ¡°Mother?¡± Then focusing on his lover again, he rubbed his eyes to drive away the remnants of sleep and asked worriedly, ¡°Xiang, what happened?¡±


    Her work done, Feng Chunyi started striding towards the door. On the way, she patted Wei Xiang¡¯s head and said, ¡°You better fix your issues properly, brat.¡± Then she continued on her way out.


    As she walked through the corridor and headed back to the master bedroom, Feng Chunyi hoped that her two sons would resolve this quickly and focus on more wonderful things they could do together. Like hatching all those wyvern eggs, for example! Then they would have a lot of children running around and making mischief in their house to the point where every day would become a delightful, chaotic mess. She could then train her host of grandchildren into an elite baby army and sic it onto unsuspecting deities! He-he, she could almost hear their screams of despair at having to confront the battle prowess of a force of screeching, wailing, tantrum-throwing, hair-pulling infants!


    Her head thus filled with the blissful scene of her fellow deities shouting and fleeing from a host of babies with ferocious expressions, Feng Chunyi reached the bedroom with a smile and pushed open the door. Inside the room, Feng Huixin got up on an elbow on the bed and asked sleepily, ¡°Chunyi? Did something happen?¡±


    Feng Chunyi¡¯s thoughts screeched to a halt at the sudden interruption of her fantasies. In a wide-eyed fluster, she laughed nervously and declared, ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t thinking of any baby armies at all!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Ignoring his wife¡¯s weirdness habitually, Feng Huixin moved to the other side of the bed and patted the space he had just occupied. ¡°Come, sleep here. It¡¯s warmer.¡±


    Suppressing a gleeful smile at how flawlessly her subterfuge and misdirection had worked on her unsuspecting Ah-Xin, Feng Chunyi went to lie down on the warmer side of the bed, snuggling lovingly into the warmth of her caring husband.


    ¡­¡­


    Meanwhile back in their bedroom, Qinghe had finished listening to Wei Xiang recounting his dream and all his recent fears, along with the words Feng Chunyi had said to assuage most of them.


    Wei Xiang and Qinghe were currently sitting on the bed, shoulder to shoulder, and leaning back against the headboard. His head resting on Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulder, Qinghe looked thoughtful. After he¡¯d finished telling everything, Wei Xiang lapsed into silence, waiting for his beloved¡¯s response.


    Qinghe sighed. ¡°Xiang, that¡¯s how dreams are. Sometimes they make us go through our worst fears and force us to face them.¡± Qinghe thought back to the nightmare of Wei Xiang dying he¡¯d had just before finding out about his lover¡¯s heat period. It had also been one such dream that had forced him to face his deepest, darkest fears. If not for it, he wouldn¡¯t have searched for his Xiang so frantically or insisted so strongly on sharing his beloved¡¯s heat period with him. Shaking off the thought, Qinghe continued, ¡°But though those dreams show us our fears, it hardly means that those fears are reasonable or that they¡¯ll really come true. Unless, of course, you are capable of having prophetic dreams?¡±


    Wei Xiang shook his head. ¡°Of course I don¡¯t. And yes, I do realize that it may not happen. But just the possibility that I might really lose control with you someday is¡­frightening.¡±


    Qinghe sunk into deep thought again, his hand absently twisting and untwisting a lock of Wei Xiang¡¯s hair. Wei Xiang looked at his beloved¡¯s fair finger playing with his dark hair with an intrigued expression. ¡°Love, what are you plotting?¡±


    Qinghe came out of his thoughts with a light laugh. ¡°Why do you always assume that I¡¯m plotting something?¡±


    After telling his little lover everything, Wei Xiang felt freed. His lips tilted up in a smile as he replied, ¡°I don¡¯t think that always, only when you show small signs that point to your sly little brain coming up with some scheme.¡±


    Qinghe chuckled. ¡°My Xiang knows me so well. And yes, I really was plotting something. And I quite like the plan I came up with too.¡± Qinghe reached up to leisurely trace a fingertip over his Xiang¡¯s face, along his arching eyebrows, his straight nose, his high cheekbones, the smooth curve of his jaw¡­


    Wei Xiang looked at him with a question in his eyes.


    His tone unhurried, Qinghe answered, ¡°Xiang, I want you to lie down and let me ride you. We will have sex, but there¡¯s a catch. You can¡¯t use your hands. However, they will also not be restrained in any way, so whether you are able to keep them still purely depends on your self-control. You can call it a test if you will. If you are able to keep your hands down on the bed without reaching up to touch me the whole time, then it will be proven beyond doubt that you really do possess enough self-control and that you don¡¯t have to worry about doing something bad to me in the heat of the moment. Agreed?¡±


    Wei Xiang looked at his little lover incredulously. ¡°Qinghe¡­you¡¯re just using this as a plan because you want to sleep with me, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Qinghe unabashedly laughed and nodded. ¡°Of course I want to sleep with you. When have I ever hidden that? If you still don''t feel like doing it, then you don''t have to agree. But if you do agree to have sex, we can make this into a fun little test you can use to confirm whether or not you can trust yourself with me.¡±


    Wei Xiang pondered for a moment. ¡°What if I fail?¡±


    Qinghe lifted up his chin haughtily. ¡°I know without a doubt that you will not fail. I know my Xiang well, hmph.¡±


    A smile warmed Wei Xiang¡¯s face. He knew that Qinghe wasn¡¯t just placating him, but truly believed that he was worth trusting in such a way. In an affectionate voice, Wei Xiang spoke, ¡°Then I will try my best not to let down my adorable little lover¡¯s expectations.¡±


    Nodding regally, Qinghe said, ¡°Yes, you better not.¡±


    Chuckling, Wei Xiang got up and sat straight, his fingers reaching down to undo his belt and pull away his robe. Seeing that Wei Xiang was finally agreeing to have sex, Qinghe quickly removed his own clothes and stuck his hands on Wei Xiang¡¯s bare skin. With amusement, Wei Xiang laid down on the bed, arms stretched out obediently by his side, and let his beloved have his way.


    With a gleeful expression, Qinghe sat beside Wei Xiang and ran his palms all over his beloved¡¯s warm and muscled body. He greedily explored the smooth expanse of his lover¡¯s chest, the rippling abdomen packed with muscles, the straight lines making up his sides, the arching collarbones, the small brown nubbins beginning to stand up on his chest¡­ And seeing that his Xiang''s twin shafts had already returned to being singular, Qinghe lavished some attention on it too, running his fingertips over its length and its blunt head.


    After being stimulated like this, Wei Xiang¡¯s slumbering organ inevitably began to awaken as well. Wei Xiang had to suppress a surge of panic. No, he could still maintain his control. His lust was not yet strong enough to overpower his reason. But still¡­ Lifting his head to look down at his stiff member, Wei Xiang shot a glare at it. This dratted thing! After hurting his lover so badly the last time, how dare it raise up its head so eagerly again!


    Seeing Wei Xiang scowling furiously at his own erect shaft, Qinghe had to force down his laughter. But as his gaze traveled to land on Wei Xiang¡¯s stiff length, Qinghe¡¯s eyes darkened as his need increased. He didn¡¯t want to wait anymore. Deciding to get started, Qinghe got up and sat astride Wei Xiang¡¯s hips.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s gaze moved up from his member to his little lover¡¯s face. His lips quirking up, he asked, ¡°So eager?¡±


    Qinghe shot him a look. ¡°After the way you left me hanging for so many days, of course I¡¯m eager!¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled and shifted. He let his fingers curl into the bed to hold on to something solid so that he wouldn¡¯t be tempted to reach out. Instead, he devoured his beloved¡¯s lovely body with his gaze alone.


    Qinghe suppressed a shiver of excitement at how hungry his Xiang¡¯s eyes looked. He could almost feel heat trailing behind his lover¡¯s piercing gaze. Bending down slowly until they were face to face, Qinghe let his lips hover over Wei Xiang¡¯s. His hair shushed down over his shoulders and slid over Wei Xiang¡¯s skin, their ends tickling him. Qinghe could feel Wei Xiang¡¯s anticipation thrumming under his skin. Licking his lips, Qinghe bore down, and their lips finally met.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s fingers dug into the bed to vent his need to touch Qinghe, to pull him closer, to press him tighter against his own body. He instead channeled all his attention into expressing his desire to his little lover through his lips and tongue.


    Qinghe lapped and licked and sucked at Wei Xiang¡¯s mouth with equal fervor and ravenousness. His hands slid down Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulders and dragged back up, finding their way over his nape, then slipping between the pillows and the back of his head to hold Wei Xiang steady while they kissed.


    After a few minutes of enjoying his lover¡¯s mouth, Qinghe finally came up for air and stared at Wei Xiang, panting. His cheeks were flushed and eyes glazed with arousal. Qinghe licked his lips again, tasting his Xiang on them this time. Smiling with satisfaction, Qinghe moved his body back until he straddled Wei Xiang¡¯s waist once more. In a pleasant and husky voice, he asked, ¡°Xiang, shall I begin?¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s golden eyes had gone dark by now, while the kiss had made his lips grow redder and slick. Hearing Qinghe¡¯s question, he gave a short nod. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Qinghe suppressed his bursting eagerness and retrieved a bottle of oil. He quickly slickened up his fingers and began preparing himself. Once he was done, he reached down to position his beloved¡¯s member under him before lowering his hips. In front of Wei Xiang¡¯s burning gaze, Qinghe slowly, deliberately, sank down fully onto his lover¡¯s shaft, sheathing it to its hilt. Feeling it pressing in deep inside him, the blunt head pushed in as far into him as it could go, Qinghe let out a drawn-out moan in pleasure.


    He realized he liked this a lot. He liked it when his Xiang stretched him to his utmost limit, either with his thick member or his gentle hands. He liked it when his beloved dug in deep into his body, filling him to the brim until he felt like he would burst. Strangely enough, any discomfort he felt only seemed to add to his pleasure, heightening his arousal and deepening his need.


    On the bed, Wei Xiang¡¯s breathing deepened as he intently took in the sight of Qinghe¡¯s body swallowing his member whole. Qinghe currently sat upright on him, his body arched back slightly as if trying to savor the sensation of being filled with his hot length. Qinghe¡¯s eyes were closed and his head slightly tilted back while his slender neck stretched taut with strain. Wei Xiang could see that defined Adam¡¯s apple bobbing up and down as Qinghe swallowed, the rising and falling of his beloved¡¯s chest as his breaths turned agitated, his hands clenching and relaxing again and again where they were placed on his thighs. He knew that his little lover was trying to process the sudden tide of new sensations and felt all the more aroused.


    After he was done adjusting, Qinghe slowly opened his eyes and bowed forward, his hands coming to rest on Wei Xing¡¯s abdomen. His gaze lifted to meet Wei Xiang¡¯s and Qinghe gave him a small, sultry smile. Wei Xiang had to clench his hands into fists to keep them on the bed. His beloved was too tempting.


    His gaze remaining locked on Wei Xing¡¯s, Qinghe slowly rose up. Simultaneously, his inner muscles squeezed Wei Xing¡¯s shaft strongly, his tightened inner walls pressing and dragging upward over his lover¡¯s rigid length as if trying to suck him along until the thick tip was on the verge of sliding out. Then loosening his passage, Qinghe slowly bore down again, letting the sturdy organ sink back into his soft depths. The liquid heat wrapped around Wei Xiang, enfolding his member completely and drawing a low, rumbling groan out of him. Qinghe continued to move up and down like this over Wei Xiang¡¯s throbbing member, his movements maddeningly slow and sensual.


    Meanwhile, Qinghe¡¯s slender fingers began wandering on Wei Xiang¡¯s skin restlessly, absentmindedly massaging and caressing Wei Xiang¡¯s taut body even as Qinghe panted and moaned softly, his expression unrestrainedly showing his desire. As the pleasure lapped over him in liquid pulses, Qinghe fervently drank it in.


    His body awash with sensations, Wei Xiang¡¯s head arched back into the pillow, the veins in his neck standing out. With effort, he kept his gaze fixed on the enchanting figure working on top of him, swaying up and down in hypnotic and rhythmic motions. The corded muscles in Wei Xiang¡¯s hands and thighs bulged while the ones in his chest and abdomen flexed and rolled under his taut skin. Wei Xiang gritted his teeth and struggled to control himself in the face of such exquisite torment.


    Finally getting to savor his Xiang after all these days, Qinghe was determined to enjoy this thoroughly, leisurely, pushing his lover to the very edge and keeping him hovering there. As his slick and hot channel massaged and dragged over Wei Xiang¡¯s shaft while his hungry hands mapped over his lover¡¯s rippling skin, Qinghe¡¯s mouth wasn¡¯t idle. It sucked and slid over Wei Xiang¡¯s throat, gliding over his chest and settling over one of the small buds standing erect. Qinghe nipped and licked it before blowing onto it. He was rewarded with Wei Xiang shuddering under him. Qinghe fondled and caressed and played with Wei Xiang¡¯s body, mercilessly taking advantage of his beloved¡¯s strong self-control that helped him determinedly keep his hands on the bed.


    Wei Xiang let himself get teased and tempted until his need was a burning hot river gushing through him. Just as he began to wonder just how much longer his beloved wanted to torment him, Qinghe suddenly quickened the pace of his hips, slamming them down again and again on Wei Xiang¡¯s stiff organ. Wei Xiang¡¯s body jerked at the sudden intensification of stimulation. The climax that had been hovering at the edge rushed over him, drowning him in blistering ecstasy. Wei Xiang¡¯s chest vibrated as he groaned loudly through clenched jaws. His member twitched and spasmed inside Qinghe, shooting out thick streams of release into the soft and tight channel.


    At the sensation of his Xiang¡¯s release flowing up into his passage, Qinghe¡¯s breaths came fast and ragged, his body filled with urgent need. He moved with desperation, seeking to reach his own orgasm. The heat drenching his insides made him let out a breathy moan as the jets of fluid continued to batter his channel. He furiously pumped his hips up and down, his movements growing more and more frenzied until the tight ball of need gathering at the base of his spine finally exploded, washing his body with a deluge of intense pleasure.


    Qinghe gave out a hoarse shout and slumped down onto Wei Xiang¡¯s body, riding the waves of his climax. Slippery release spurted out of his shaft, pouring between their bodies. Qinghe whimpered softly and trembled. As the pulses of pleasure finally began to withdraw, he let out a long sigh and laid fully on top of Wei Xiang.


    Now that it was over, Wei Xiang finally lifted his arms and wrapped them around Qinghe, tenderly stroking his back. He felt Qinghe¡¯s quick breaths slowly evening out, his fluttering heartbeat steadying again as he regained his bearing. The couple rested together and basked in the afterglow. The heated passion filling the room just seconds before gave way to still tranquility.


    After a few minutes of silence, Qinghe lifted his head from Wei Xiang¡¯s chest and pressed a soft kiss on his lover¡¯s jaw. In a slightly rough voice, he said, ¡°See? No matter what I did, you were still able to maintain control till the very end. Xiang, you shouldn¡¯t doubt yourself.¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled, his golden eyes deep with emotions. In a quiet voice, he readily admitted, ¡°Yes, you are right.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s expression melted into one of affection and relief.


    Wei Xiang unwound his hands from around Qinghe¡¯s waist and let his palms move up his little lover¡¯s back, sliding over his nape and cupping the back of his head. Qinghe felt himself being pulled down and gladly acquiesced, his lips landing on Wei Xiang¡¯s. The kiss was light and sweet, filled with warm emotions and pure indulgence. Separating after a few blissful moments, Qinghe got off from atop Wei Xiang and lay down next to him to continue cuddling. The atmosphere was subtle and intimate.


    In the calm silence, Wei Xiang contemplated about various things. The shadow of doubt that he had felt covering his thoughts since the first night of his heat seemed to have slowly dissipated. It had dissolved under the combined care he had received from his master, his mother-in-law, and most of all, his dependable little lover. He had never before felt so grateful to have such a compassionate and considerate family. They had helped him up when he had let himself fall down, and they had done so without judging him for his mistakes. Even though he hadn¡¯t been able to put any faith in himself, they had trusted him and helped him find trust in himself again.


    Looking back now on how helpless he had felt and how much self-loathing he had entertained, Wei Xiang could only shake his head. Why had he held on to those emotions so stubbornly? Was it because in some small corner of his mind, he had subconsciously been expecting his current family to abandon and betray him just like how his old family, the wyvern clan, had? Had he been thinking that at the first sign of him being imperfect, they would turn cold towards him like the wyverns back then had?


    Wei Xiang smiled. It all sounded so implausible now. All he had to do was spend a few moments considering those thoughts to come to the conclusion that his family wouldn¡¯t do that. They were not the heavenly wyverns, and he was not just a valuable tool they were raising. Value-wise, each person in his family was worth as much or even more than him. They had no need or any particular use for him. The only reason he was currently here was because they wholeheartedly accepted him. They truly loved him just like he loved them.


    Lost in such thoughts, Wei Xiang felt light and warm. The weight in his mind had long since vanished.


    Sensing his lover¡¯s good mood, Qinghe poked his cheek. ¡°Xiang, what are you thinking?¡±


    Wei Xiang opened his eyes and smiled at his beloved. ¡°I was thinking about the past few days. Love, I¡¯m sorry for causing you so much worry. Thank you for comforting me again and again. I know that it must¡¯ve been frustrating, so thank you for putting up with it. Thanks to you, master, and mother-in-law, I¡¯m fine now.¡±


    Qinghe beamed at him happily and snuggled closer. ¡°As your lover, isn¡¯t that what I should do? And Xiang, in the beginning after we just became lovers, it was the same for me too, wasn¡¯t it? You kept trying to pull me up from the cycle of self-harm I was stuck in. At first, it felt so difficult for me to see past the wall of misery I¡¯d build for myself. But it was only with your constant encouragement and support that I was able to finally understand how to take care of myself.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that seeing my slow progress back then must have been frustrating for you too. But you still stuck with me. I will do the same for you now. No matter how many times you doubt yourself or feel afraid of losing your self-control, I will always be here each time to help you up and show you that you have nothing to worry about. Xiang, I will always be here for you just like you are always here for me.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s turned and hugged his lover. Burying his face in his shoulder, he breathed, ¡°Qinghe, thank you. And you¡¯re right, I will always be here for you. And I¡­I want to be here for you for the rest of your life as well, if you will let me.¡±


    Qinghe blinked. As the meaning behind those words sank in, his eyes slowly widened. ¡°X-Xiang¡­are you asking me to¡­?¡± After that day years ago, before the battle at the Castle of Echoes when they exchanged parts of themselves as tokens to bind themselves together in the way of spiritual beasts, neither of them had seriously brought up the subject of marriage again. Now, Qinghe felt overwhelmed at the suddenness of broaching the subject.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Wei Xiang confirmed. Leaning back, he cupped the side of Qinghe¡¯s face as he looked into his beloved¡¯s eyes with a smile. ¡°Qinghe, will you marry me?¡±


    Qinghe looked back at him with a stunned expression for a moment. Then his face split into a grin, his eyes shining brightly with insuppressible excitement. Qinghe turned and propped his body over Wei Xiang¡¯s and let out a laugh full of joy and satisfaction. ¡°Finally! And here I was thinking you would make me wait until the egg hatched.¡±


    Wei Xiang raised his brows as he continued to peer up at his little lover¡¯s happy face. ¡°Oh? Were you waiting for me? I¡¯d have expected you to take the initiative.¡±


    Qinghe huffed. ¡°Well, I could clearly sense that you were keeping some secret from me and were waiting for something bad to pass us by, so I waited until whatever problem you were dreading was over. But even after your heat period came and went, you still hadn¡¯t recovered from its influence, so I once again waited for that to clear up. If you hadn¡¯t asked me today, I would have asked you to marry me tomorrow anyway.¡±


    Wei Xiang laughed, the sound full of cheer. ¡°Is that so? Now that I should have expected.¡±


    Qinghe nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll go tomorrow and speak to the Heavenly Emperor about him officiating at our marriage. I¡¯m guessing we will need some time to decide on how to do it and prepare everything. Since this is a once-in-a-lifetime event for us both, let¡¯s make it big! Even though a small ceremony would be nice too, I want everyone to see us getting married and know that we unquestionably belong to each other.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s expression went soft. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll do it that way then. So I take it that your answer to my proposal is a yes?¡±


    Qinghe leaned down, his body pressing against Wei Xiang¡¯s and their noses almost touching. Their eyes peered into each other¡¯s from up close as Qinghe gave out a loud and enthusiastic reply, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a yes! Xiang, we¡¯re marrying!¡±


    Wei Xiang grinned with satisfaction and twisted, flipping their positions. Qinghe chuckled happily and went along. In a playful voice, Wei Xiang said, ¡°Good. We can leave the planning for later. For now, we should focus on practicing.¡±


    Qinghe tilted his head. ¡°Practicing what?¡±


    Smirking mischievously, Wei Xiang said, ¡°Our wedding night.¡±


    His body shaking with laughter, Qinghe clamped his legs around Wei Xiang¡¯s waist and nodded. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s very, very important that we practice. We can¡¯t get it wrong on the big day, now can we?¡±


    Wei Xiang swooped down to capture those smiling lips and Qinghe¡¯s fingers started tracing patterns on his beloved¡¯s skin again. The two lovers were soon lost in another whirl of passion, their hunger for each other as insatiable as ever.


    crimson_carnation


    Their wedding extra will come after one more chapter in between~ Overall, four more extras left till the end (?? ? ??)

 Extra 25: Just a Casual Chat

    It was yet another sunny day when Qinghe headed towards the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s personal residence. As he made his way, the path under Qinghe¡¯s feet was smooth and firm with only a sprinkling of pale sand. The trees lining the wide road on either side were stout and looked sagely, emanating old age. The pleasant breeze brushed his face, stirring his hair and disturbing the edges of his robes.


    Qinghe walked unhurriedly on the path, his mind bubbling happily with thoughts of finally being able to marry his Xiang. He had already relayed their decision to his parents, and they had quickly begun preparations for a grand wedding. Even the twins had joined in to help with the arrangements to reduce the burden on the soon-to-be-weds. After hearing of it, many of the courtiers had also pitched in with their own ideas of what customs to include and which ways to decorate. Of course, in the end, it would be Qinghe and Wei Xiang who chose what suggestions to follow for their wedding.


    Surprisingly enough, after word of their impending marriage spread, the Feng residence received an abundance of young deities expressing their regret that Qinghe would soon be forever out of their reach and that though they were exceedingly jealous of Wei Xiang, they hoped he would treat him well. Qinghe had been beyond baffled at their seemingly abrupt regard while Wei Xiang had on a smug smile. Feng Huixin had just sighed and looked helpless in the way he usually did when his family did something strange, but he¡¯d also stayed silent.


    In the end, it was Feng Chunyi who, after laughing heartily, finally explained. From the time Qinghe had shown his face at the heavenly court for the first time, their residence had received a constant influx of proposals from various families on behalves of their young lords and ladies. It seemed that Qinghe had won quite a few hearts at the court that day. But not wanting the unceasing flow of proposals to burden her son since he was already very happy with his lover, Feng Chunyi had promptly disposed of them all. And because Wei Xiang had kept his eyes open in the meantime while expecting something like this to happen, he had also known of Qinghe¡¯s popularity.


    It seemed that in the end, it was only Qinghe who had remained oblivious. After all, no one had made any overt advances on him till now and neither had he been looking out for other people¡¯s romantic interest towards him. Faced with his disinterest and the sudden word of his upcoming nuptials, his admirers decided to give up and wish him well. Seeing that they¡¯d finally let go, Feng Chunyi also deemed their well-wishes harmless and decided to let Qinghe see them. It definitely wasn¡¯t because she wanted to be entertained by her usually sharp and sly son¡¯s shocked expression, she told herself.


    After all that, Qinghe and Wei Xiang decided on what rituals to adopt for their wedding and started preparations. The only uncertain factor was the officiator for their wedding. And so, Qinghe took on the important task of requesting the Heavenly Emperor to officiate at his and Wei Xiang¡¯s marriage and headed for the imperial residence situated near the back of the Heavenly Palace after sending word in advance.


    A simple iron gate greeted Qinghe when he reached his destination. Thick shrubbery grew along the wall and covered the gates¡¯ edges. Peering through the bars in the gates, it was apparent that more greenery ran riotous inside. On either side of the gates stood two imperial guardsmen, their postures stiff, expressions forbidding, and attire immaculate¨Dexcept for one thing. Both the guardsmen had on a nest of giant fluffy feathers in bright colors like turquoise, yellow, and orange on their heads. Nestled at the center of these overly gaudy nests was a single painted wooden egg each, inscribed with the character for ¡®idiot¡¯ in a flamboyant and conspicuous script right in the middle.


    The contrast of the guardsmen¡¯s usual imposing figures and those ridiculous crowns of bright feathers had Qinghe blinking to make sure he was seeing right. What the heck was this?


    The guardsman on the left, a square-jawed and fair-skinned man, was the first one to greet Qinghe. In a baleful voice, he called out, ¡°Young Lord Feng, are you here to meet His Imperial Majesty?¡±


    Qinghe gave a nod, his gaze unavoidably gravitating towards the nest of feathers on the guardsman¡¯s head and the egg proclaiming him an idiot. Since Qinghe was already familiar with quite a few of the guardsmen due to his frequent visits to the heavenly court held in the palace, he decided to directly ask, ¡°What is that thing on your heads? I don¡¯t think the strict restrictions on the uniforms for the imperial guardsmen changed enough to allow for something like this, did it?¡±


    The guardsman on the right, a relatively young man with dark skin and bright eyes, answered with both humor and regret, ¡°No, it didn¡¯t. For what other reason would one wear such a ridiculous thing if not because of losing a bet? We challenged the general to a bet that we could outlast her in a drinking competition. You can see the result of that ill-advised challenge.¡±


    The left guardsman burst out, ¡°Who knew she¡¯d be such a good drinker despite being a woman?! It¡¯s illogical!¡±


    Qinghe chuckled and advised him, ¡°If you generalize the abilities of everyone of a particular gender like that, it¡¯s inevitable for you to suffer such consequence. Especially with my mother of all people.¡±


    The one on the right sighed and nodded. ¡°I should have listened to my gut and my own logic rather than going along with this fool.¡±


    ¡°Oi, who are you calling a fool, you brat!¡± the one on the left shouted indignantly.


    Qinghe shook his head amusedly. There was no place in their world for discrimination. The sooner this man learned it, the easier it would be for him. It was a wonder he hadn¡¯t suffered direr consequences in his life till now due to looking down on women. No wonder his mother wanted to bully him.


    Putting the matter aside, Qinghe was just about to ask the guardsmen to open the gates when the square-jawed one on the left turned to him. ¡°Young Lord Feng, the general is your mother, isn¡¯t she? Do you know any of her weaknesses? I refuse to let a woman get the better of me!¡±


    Qinghe raised an eyebrow. ¡°Well, if you want to get the better of my mother, then I can only wish you good luck.¡± And that your corpse will be in one piece, he continued in his mind.


    The guardsman frowned and determinedly persisted, ¡°Young Lord Feng, please tell us! I¡¯m sure you must know something we can take advantage of the next time we bet against her. Even her likes and dislikes are fine! It¡¯ll be even better if you could tell us of something she¡¯s especially fond of or fears.¡±


    The dark-skinned one on the right sighed exasperatedly and muttered, ¡°Are you still not letting go?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes flashed with sharp humor as he answered the guardsman on the left. ¡°Very well, I will give you a few options and let you guess which one is correct. My mother loves growing plants because she is a female and loves nurturing them, or she loves growing plants that are poisonous or monstrous in some way to use against people she dislikes. Which do you think applies to her?¡±


    The guardsman on the right mumbled to himself thoughtfully, ¡°I¡¯d say the second one is more likely¡­but is the answer really so simple?¡± After all, everyone knew by now how sly this Young Lord Feng was. Could his riddles really be so easy? Or was he counting on them overthinking and choosing the wrong option? But what if this was a double bluff?


    Not thinking that far, the one on the left who asked the question immediately said, ¡°Then the answer must be the first one! The general is a woman after all, and one who has a wood-based ability to boot! She must definitely feel tenderly towards plants because of her innate feminine nature!¡±


    He looked at Qinghe with expectant eyes, asking him to confirm his hypothesis. But Qinghe merely laughed and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already given you what you asked for. You are free to test your answer with my mother directly. Now, if you would be so kind as to open the gates, I have an appointment to attend to.¡±


    The one on the right hurriedly pushed open the gates as if just remembering his duty while the one on the left nodded to himself as if in conviction. After Qinghe said his farewells to the two guardsmen and walked through the gates, he heard them arguing outside.


    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely win against her this time! I¡¯ll show her what a man can do!¡±


    ¡°¡­Are you still going on about that? I¡¯m not humoring you this time. This much humiliation is enough for me.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? Where is your dignity as a man?!¡±


    ¡°Neither of us has any left now. Our dignities flew away the moment we had to wear this because of your failed bet, you big buffoon.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, then I will challenge the general and win back my pride!¡±


    ¡°¡­Then go and die alone.¡±


    ¡°Of course, you will accompany me as my friend!¡±


    A long and weary sigh answered him.


    Qinghe chuckled to himself as he entered the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s residence. He wondered what new type of ridiculous things those guardsmen would be wearing the next time he saw them.


    ¡­¡­


    Using his wind in the residence, Qinghe quickly determined the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s location and headed in that direction. Reaching the room, he knocked on the half-closed door. ¡°Deity Feng requests Your Majesty¡¯s permission to enter,¡± he called in his pleasant voice.


    ¡°Come in,¡± came the reply.


    Qinghe pushed the door fully open and stepped into the room. It was wide, spacious, and decorated in a sparse and traditional way. Stateliness and age permeated the space. It gave the feeling that everything here was frozen in time, as if not one piece of furniture in this room had been moved in millennia. This was also the ambiance of the rest of the house from what Qinghe had been able to see till now.


    The wall opposite to the doorway to the room had a round moon gate as high as a person cut into it, offering the view of the untamed garden beyond. A low table rested perpendicular to the open moon gate, with the Heavenly Emperor sitting serenely on the left side, sipping tea. His curly white beard shone in the light while his robustly muscled figure radiated strength. His posture was straight, and despite him restraining his aura, his presence still felt daunting.


    But the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s dignified atmosphere was cut in half due to a cute little black turtle perched on his head, blinking its round eyes slowly and waving its little limbs in the air.


    Qinghe felt amused. Why did everyone he met in this residence have something strange on their heads today? Hopefully, he wouldn¡¯t end up with something weird on his head as well by the time he exited this residence.


    As Qinghe walked into the room, the Heavenly Emperor continued to sip tea while waving a hand at the floor cushion on the opposite side of the table. ¡°Deity Feng, please have a seat.¡±


    Qinghe nodded and went to sit down. Seeing that there was a cup placed in front of him with a pot of tea nearby, he decided to pour himself some too.


    Taking a leisurely sip of the light and sweet tea spiced with flavorful herbs, Qinghe shot a look loaded with playfulness at the little turtle sitting on top of the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s head. ¡°Xiao Tian, I never imagined I¡¯d get to see you looking so cute.¡±


    The little black turtle with tiny stars glittering on its ebony shell glared at Qinghe. His mouth opened and closed but no sound emerged. Puffing up in anger, Xiao Tian molded the space around him and changed his body.


    Qinghe continued to slowly savor his tea.


    In a few moments, the little turtle resting on the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s head turned into a small boy sitting on his shoulders. The boy had a petite face and figure. His skin was a warm white and impeccably smooth, with lines of silvery reflections constantly sliding over it like sunlight filtering through clear water and dancing on a lakebed. The stretch of his long black hair ended in a perfectly straight line. The small and sharp glint of what seemed like tiny white stars glittered in his hair, making it appear like a small slice of the unfathomable cosmos. His large eyes were bright and clear, his irises reflecting a different color with each angle it was viewed from. His presence gave off an unnerving sensation. It was as if he was neither dead nor alive.


    Unwinding his limbs from around the unconcerned Heavenly Emperor¡¯s head, Xiao Tian went to sit on his right and poured himself some tea as well before replying to Qinghe, ¡°Hmph, I¡¯m cute in any form I choose to take. What business is it of yours?¡±


    Qinghe tsked. ¡°Such a surly child you are. Is this how you speak to someone older than you, Xiao Gui?¡± He could barely suppress his laughter.


    Slamming the cup on the table, Xiao Tian complained, ¡°I¡¯m far older than you, brat! And who are you calling ¡®Xiao Gui¡¯? Don¡¯t just name me whatever you like, you pesky human!¡±


    Qinghe chuckled. ¡°Oh? But isn¡¯t the name ¡®Little Turtle¡¯ much more suitable for you than the ¡®Little Heaven¡¯ I usually call you by?¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Do I look like a turtle to you now?¡± Xiao Tian grumped.


    A sly light flashed in Qinghe¡¯s eyes. His smile was full of hidden meanings as he stated, ¡°You might look like a human boy now, but isn¡¯t your true form that of a turtle? Or rather, what I should really ask is¡ªaren¡¯t you the first world turtle to ever exist in this universe?¡±


    Xiao Tian¡¯s eyes narrowed. Beside him, the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s gaze shifted to focus on Qinghe as well. His voice sounded as weighty and full of power as usual as he spoke, ¡°Deity Feng, that knowledge is restricted. How did you hear of it?¡±


    Qinghe answered unperturbedly, ¡°I recently came to know from the Master of Land¡ªa being who governs all land in one of the mortal worlds¡ªthat each world gains life only when a world turtle makes their home in it. It made me ponder, who was the one who gave the heavenly realm life then? The conclusion I came to was that it must be the first ever world turtle. No one else would be that old or have that much power. But Xiao Tian also implied to me once that he was responsible for maintaining the heavenly realm. I naturally realized from that that Xiao Tian must be the first ever world turtle to exist then. But unlike the other world turtles who could only give life to a single world at a time, Xiao Tian gave life to a whole universe, with Heaven at its center. Am I wrong?¡±


    Xiao Tian¡¯s eyes flashed, but he nodded. ¡°No, you¡¯re not wrong.¡±


    His suppositions confirmed, Qinghe smiled placidly and lifted his cup of tea to his lips again.


    The Heavenly Emperor¡¯s probing gaze rested on him for a moment more before he said, ¡°This knowledge should not be freely spoken.¡±


    Nodding, Qinghe easily promised, ¡°I know. I won¡¯t tell it to anyone I don¡¯t trust. I will take full responsibility for whatever comes of me speaking of it.¡±


    The Heavenly Emperor gave a short nod and continued to drink his tea.


    Xiao Tian looked as if he was musing about something. After a few moments of silence, he asked, ¡°Feng Qinghe, what do you know about the heavenly beasts?¡±


    Qinghe blinked. Xiao Tian¡¯s serious tone was more like a teacher grilling a student than his usual fun-to-tease self. Qinghe put down the cup of tea and casually leaned back to support himself on his palms. ¡°I know that there are four heavenly beast clans now: the True Dragon Clan, the Eternal Phoenix Clan, the Auspicious Qilin Clan, and the World Turtle Clan. The Spirit Tiger Clan, which was the fifth heavenly beast clan, went extinct long ago while in a mortal world.¡±


    Xiao Tian nodded. ¡°Yes, and what else?¡±


    Qinghe felt puzzled, but shrugged and went into more detail, ¡°Of all the heavenly beasts, it is said that the true dragons are the most ambitious, greedy, and arrogant. The first true dragon was a beast that could control all elements. Afterward, as times changed, of all its descendants, the storm dragons that were able to wield wind and water became the most prominent, mostly due to worship received from the mortal worlds. After all, for mortals, most natural disasters are caused due to one of those two elements. Later, water dragons became even more worshipped due to the prevalent floods and droughts. But after amassing power in secret, the fire dragons started hunting down all other breeds of dragons in an attempt to dominate the True Dragon Clan, and later, all the heavenly beasts. Their plan succeeded to a degree and they rule their clan to this date. The other dragons currently number very few in comparison. But the fire dragons have not succeeded in taking over the other beast clans till now, and I doubt that will change.¡±


    Qinghe had heard most of this from Wei Xiang and Zheng Xuan. His knowledge of the other heavenly beast clans was a bit sparser.


    Taking a sip of tea to wet his throat, he continued, ¡°On the other hand, unlike the true dragons, the eternal phoenixes have carefree personalities and do not bother much with politics. They are scattered across the many worlds and live their life drifting in leisure. However, when the True Dragon Clan once targeted them to try and take over while assuming they would be the easiest to conquer, the phoenixes assembled and overwhelmed the dragons with raw might before chasing them out of their territory. But despite that, they do not appear to bear any grudges towards the true dragons and have gone about as usual after that.


    ¡°In contrast, the auspicious qilin are said to be proud and very petty. They are also capable of conferring powerful blessings or curses. Due to a feud with the phoenixes, the qilin cursed them to never be able to give birth to females again and withdrew to hide in some unknown area. They have not been heard from since. But true to their personality, the phoenixes remained uncaring. They either found females from other species to have children with or invented new methods to let males of their own species give birth. It is their methods that are used by males of other species to conceive even now.


    ¡°The spirit tigers that are extinct now were said to have been wise and profound. They appeared in dreams of great people and served as their spiritual guides, ushering them to greater heights. They were learned and had the most knowledge of anyone at their disposal. But that didn¡¯t mean that they were purely scholarly. They could be especially wild and ferocious in battle when provoked, but were otherwise sensible and peaceful beings. They especially loved children and showed much care towards them. To avoid aggressions from the True Dragon Clan, the Spirit Tiger Clan is said to have migrated to a lower realm, taking its Tower of Knowledge with it. The clan later perished without leaving even a single survivor.


    ¡°Unlike all of them, the world turtles are largely considered a mystery. They are said to live in a mystical place called the River of Existence somewhere at the edge of the heavenly realm. There are very few accounts of anyone having run across one of them before. Their temperaments are described as mild, but nothing more is known of them. If not for the Master of Land telling me of how they burrow into worlds to sleep and provide them with spiritual energy and life, I wouldn¡¯t have known anything else about them either.¡±


    Tilting his head, Qinghe looked at Xiao Tian, ¡°This is a basic summary of all I know about the heavenly beasts.¡±


    Xiao Tian nodded. ¡°It seems you found out a lot more than I expected. Putting the other clans aside, what we need to talk about is the Spirit Tiger Clan.¡±


    Qinghe asked curiously, ¡°What about them?¡±


    ¡°Due to their wise and largely impartial natures, the spirit tigers have been the ones responsible for choosing candidates for the position of Heavenly Emperors all this time,¡± Xiao Tian explained. ¡°Due to their extinction, Feng Qinghe, you are the first Heavenly Emperor candidate I¡¯ve had to select personally. And your father is the last Heavenly Emperor candidate to ever be selected by a spirit tiger.¡±


    Qinghe sat up straighter, his attention sharpening.


    Xiao Tian folded his arms and continued, ¡°Your father is in possession of the Tower of Knowledge and is the heir to everything belonging to the spirit tigers. Of course, he is without a doubt a full human.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s mind spun with thoughts. ¡°Your usage of the word ¡®heir¡¯ implies that my father has not yet obtained everything, which means that someone else has a right to it currently. Is it a spirit tiger? Is it someone from the clan who managed to live and is close enough to my father to make him the heir?¡±


    Xiao Tian shook his head, but paused. ¡°I cannot deny that he is close to your father, but the last spirit tiger is definitely dead. The Spirit Tiger Clan is extinct without doubt.¡±


    Qinghe paused in thought, then sighed as he realized what must have happened. ¡°Could it be that¡­the last spirit tiger is still stuck in spirit form as a lingering ghost?¡±


    Xiao Tian grinned. ¡°You do catch on quickly. Yes, he is still lingering in spirit form. Do you wish to know everything?¡±


    Qinghe pondered. He could simply refuse, then go and ask his father about it directly. But for some reason, he felt that getting the story from Xiao Tian would give him a different perspective. His father did not like to talk about his past, not because he didn¡¯t want his son to know, but because he viewed it as a mostly unpleasant matter that he didn¡¯t wish Qinghe to burden himself with. The only thing he had ever talked at length about was his time with Feng Chunyi. There were mentions of his master here and there as well, but he never went into much detail about him.


    All Qinghe knew till now was that his father rescued his mother and took her back to his master¡¯s place in the mountains where Feng Huixin stayed at then. Later, Feng Huixin was chased by his household and fled with Feng Chunyi to avoid bloodshed, but Feng Chunyi ended up decimating the Feng household. They then returned to Feng Huixin¡¯s home in the mountains and cultivated in peace until they ascended.


    From this, Qinghe could easily deduce that the spirit tiger that cared about his father must be his father¡¯s master.


    Qinghe pressed his lips together. ¡°Is there any specific need for me to know about my father¡¯s past?¡±


    Xiao Tian smiled. ¡°Not particularly. But I can tell you things about Feng Huixin that he will never speak about with you. Do you not want to know what all your father went through? I am willing to tell you.¡±


    Qinghe rested an elbow on the table and cupped his chin with the palm. ¡°As I¡¯m sure you already know, I only came here to ask His Majesty to officiate at my marriage.¡±


    The Heavenly Emperor spoke up without missing a beat, ¡°Deity Feng, if you listen to everything Lord Heaven has to say today, then I will agree to it.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s gaze grew hooded. After a stretch of silence, he nodded. ¡°Very well. Xiao Tian, you might as well start from the beginning then. Tell me everything.¡±


    Xiao Tian smiled widely. ¡°Good. Then let¡¯s start from the very beginning.¡±


    Qinghe settled himself more comfortably and refilled his cup with tea. He was guessing that this would be a long tale.


    Xiao Tian coughed to clear his throat and began, ¡°Long ago, when the Spirit Tiger Clan was looking for a way to escape the True Dragon Clan¡¯s harassment, the recently retired Heavenly Emperor of that time chose to lend a helping hand. Coincidentally, he was also the bearer of a heavenly soul and a powerful wielder of wind. Since he had no family and nothing to hold him in the heavenly realm, he decided to accompany and help the spirit tigers. He led them to settle in a particular mortal world and helped them flourish. He was considered the closest friend of the spirit tigers and was honored by all its leaders. The retired Heavenly Emperor also lavished his affection on them and treated them as his family. Eventually, he grew to love a mortal woman from a nearby town and started his own household. That was how the Feng household first came to be.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s gaze deepened as he carefully sipped the tea.


    Xiao Tian¡¯s childlike voice continued, ¡°The Feng household was originally established near the mountain where the spirit tigers resided. But after they started dabbling in sea trade¡ªwhich mostly involved being employed to use their wind ability to make ships sail faster and reduce the impact of sea storms¡ªthe Feng residence moved to the coast. Over the millennia, it lost its connection to the spirit tigers and forgot about them. The Feng household slowly turned into a family of aristocrats.¡±


    Qinghe suddenly interrupted, ¡°What about the founder?¡±


    Xiao Tian shrugged. "After the woman he loved died of old age, he went to sleep. He waited for her to be reincarnated and then went to woo her incarnation. They spent a lifetime together before that incarnation passed away as well, after which he went to sleep and waited for her reincarnation once more, endlessly repeating the cycle. Currently, he is sleeping once again. Needless to say, to follow his beloved''s reincarnations into different worlds, he has long since had to leave his household behind."


    Qinghe gave a thoughtful hum and nodded. ¡°I see. Please continue.¡±


    Xiao Tian shot him a look. ¡°Don¡¯t go seeking him out and making trouble.¡±


    Chuckling, Qinghe shook his head. ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning on it.¡±


    Giving a dubious harrumph, Xiao Tian continued from where he¡¯d left off before, ¡°After the Feng household became involved in their country¡¯s politics, their morals deteriorated. Many centuries after this was when Feng Huixin was born to the patriarch¡¯s fourteenth concubine. His birth ruined his mother¡¯s health and she died soon. He was protected to a degree by his grandmother before she passed away as well. When he was three, he was handed over to an old nanny to be brought up. The nanny taught him to be the kind of person he is now and supplemented all the familial affection he didn¡¯t receive.


    ¡°The children of the Feng household were raised to be highly competitive with each other. Whoever could impress the master and mistress of the house with their sharp mind and scheming nature would be the one to receive the mantle of the successor. And so, the children fought and struggled in the background while greeting each other with warm smiles and polite words of concern at the front. It was common for many of the children to be killed off by their siblings in the fight for favor from their father and his main wife.


    ¡°Not willing to get involved in this, Feng Huixin kept to himself. The only person he was close to was his nanny and her son, who was a fruit vendor in a nearby marketplace. Even when his siblings tried to rope him into their schemes, Feng Huixin refused to play along and simply extricated himself expertly. He was intelligent and was able to easily see through his siblings¡¯ plots, but refused to use it to gain favor and tried his best to lead a peaceful life.


    ¡°Growing frustrated at his attitude, his siblings either tried to discompose him or entice him to join their side. However, Feng Huixin did not oblige any of them. Becoming resentful, a few of the siblings banded together and targeted the only person Feng Huixin loved¡ªhis nanny. Foregoing their usual intricate schemes, they directly captured the seven-year-old Feng Huixin and tied him to a pillar, then set out a pack of hunting hounds to chase the old nanny in front of him. As the nanny stumblingly ran for her life, Feng Huixin screamed in terror and despair. That was the only time he ever raised his voice that loud. But of course, immobilized and shaken as he was, that was all he was able to do.


    ¡°As his siblings laughed with delight that they managed to get such a strong reaction from him, the nanny was caught by the hounds. She was mauled, bitten, and dragged back to lie before Feng Huixin. At the siblings¡¯ command, the dogs began tearing into the old nanny right in front of the screaming boy. The old woman could only keep apologizing to him desperately despite her own plight, knowing that her death would leave a tremendous scar on him.


    ¡°The nanny was torn to pieces and died. As a result, Feng Huixin grew broken. But he still kept himself together and survived in the Feng household alone. However, after that, he was determined to not get close to anyone else ever again as long as there were people who would target those he cared for just to get to him.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes burned with frigid fury, his hands clenching tightly around the cup. Across from him, the Heavenly Emperor sighed, his head bowed as if in silent mourning.


    Xiao Tian cast a glance at Qinghe and asked, ¡°Do you need a moment?¡±


    Qinghe shook his head, his expression smoothing into blankness. ¡°The people who did this are all long dead. My father, on the other hand, is alive and happy. That is all that matters.¡±


    Xiao Tian looked doubtful.


    Chuckling, Qinghe said with a wry smile, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Please go on.¡±


    Xiao Tian nodded. ¡°Alright, then.


    ¡°After that incident, Feng Huixin remained alone and raised himself up. One day, when he was eleven, he was tasked with helping one of his older brothers, Feng Jianyu, with shopping for presents for their father¡¯s birthday. While Feng Jianyu bought things, Feng Huixin merely looked around. Though a few things caught his eye, as an unfavored child, he didn¡¯t receive any stipend from the family to spend, so he could only look. After shopping, he carried his brother¡¯s packages and they set off to board their carriage again. But on the way, Feng Jianyu spotted a few cultivators from a righteous sect carrying out their decennial test to see if there were any children in the capital with a good aptitude for cultivation.


    ¡°Like any youth, Feng Jianyu grew excited at the thought of being chosen and dragged Feng Huixin over. After much fuss, Feng Jianyu took the test and was shown to have good aptitude. But knowing that his family wouldn¡¯t allow him to leave to cultivate, Feng Jianyu had to refuse to go with the cultivators. Feeling proud, he pushed his younger brother to take the test as well. However, a mere brush of Feng Huixin¡¯s fingertip was enough to explode the testing pole. Having never before seen someone with such overwhelming potential, the cultivators desperately sought to take Feng Huixin back to their sect, but Feng Jianyu quickly dragged his younger brother to their waiting carriage and sped off.


    ¡°After reaching home, Feng Jianyu asked Feng Huixin to quickly pack up and leave for the mountains. This was not out of spite or anger as Feng Huixin expected, but out of care. It seems that when Feng Jianyu once ended up by Feng Huixin¡¯s room while heavily injured due to one of their siblings¡¯ schemes, Feng Huixin took him in and treated his wounds. Remembering that favor, Feng Jianyu cautioned his younger brother that due to the monstrously powerful aptitude he¡¯d displayed today, that righteous sect would do everything they could to track him down and drag him to their sect. And who in the city didn¡¯t know how ruthless the schemes in the righteous sects were these days?


    ¡°And so, since he knew that Feng Huixin would be able to survive well enough in the wild for a while, Feng Jianyu asked him to take shelter in the mountains at the edge of the capital for a few weeks. When the cultivators stopped looking for him, Feng Jianyu promised that he would come to take Feng Huixin back. Feng Huixin decided to listen to him and began packing. To his surprise, Feng Jianyu gave him the overcoat Feng Huixin had been longingly eyeing in the store before and helped find some rations for him. Within the hour, Feng Huixin set off for the mountains. He knew that his family probably wouldn¡¯t even notice that he was gone even if he never went back.


    ¡°During his trek on the mountains, Feng Huixin came across a magical barrier. It was only then that he remembered the legends of a secret beast clan hidden from mortals that his nanny used to tell him. Curious, he touched the barrier, and the barrier surprisingly responded to him and let him through into the hidden pocket dimension. But all he found beyond the barrier were ancient buildings that seemed to have long been abandoned. By that time, the spirit tigers¡¯ pocket dimension had already been breached by the fire dragons and the Spirit Tiger Clan had been decimated. The only remaining being was the stubborn spirit of the Tower of Knowledge¡¯s guardian, Ling Yi.


    ¡°Sensing an intruder for the first time in millennia, Ling Yi manifested and took measure of Feng Huixin. Feng Huixin unhesitatingly told Ling Yi of his situation and asked him to let him stay. Realizing that he was a descendant of the former Heavenly Emperor who had helped his clan long ago, Ling Yi allowed Feng Huixin to stay at the clan grounds for the time being until Feng Jianyu came to fetch him again. But after seeing the switch marks on Feng Huixin¡¯s back and hearing that his father used to beat him regularly for not living up to expectations, the Ling Yi who loved children like the rest of his species refused to let Feng Huixin go back to his toxic household. Instead, Ling Yi decided to take Feng Huixin in as his own disciple at the Tower of Knowledge and teach him to cultivate. Feng Huixin also did not wish to go back to that house full of schemes, so he agreed. And so they became master and disciple.


    ¡°Due to the abrupt awakening of his cultivation aptitude during the test before and the overly large volume of spiritual energy that began flowing through him later on when he was staying at the Tower, Feng Huixin¡¯s spiritual pathways were ripped wide open. Rather than focusing on teaching his disciple how to wield his power, Ling Yi had to teach him how to control and suppress it to a manageable level first. When it was time, Ling Yi even guided Feng Huixin to form his own spiritual artifact, the pair of black and golden whips.


    ¡°But as time went on, being only a lingering spirit, Ling Yi lost more and more of his power. However, he was unresigned to leaving his disciple alone in the world and made a suggestion to Feng Huixin. Since Feng Huixin produced excess spiritual energy that was becoming harmful to him by now, Ling Yi asked him to take a claw from his carcass and perform a ritual to bind Ling Yi¡¯s soul into it. Then Feng Huixin could store the claw in his dantian and allow Ling Yi access to his spiritual pathways so that he could use his power. Feng Huixin agreed. The procedure was completed and Ling Yi was able to manifest his spirit outside as always while also being able to siphon off of Feng Huixin¡¯s overflowing spiritual energy. This also allowed him to more easily pass on his boundless knowledge to his disciple by directly showing it in his mind.


    ¡°As he thus cultivated under Ling Yi¡¯s guidance, Feng Huixin¡¯s level increased at an incredible speed, but it also put unimaginable strain on his body. It was to the point where he would become unable to move because of the pain of his body being refined so rapidly. But the result was that he attained demigod level before he turned twenty. Rising up so high within a decade was unheard of, and though Feng Huixin rarely descended the mountain, his name still spread far and wide.


    ¡°It was on one of his rare journeys to the mortal world that he happened to see Hua Chunyi being chased by the righteous and demonic factions. By the time he was close enough to help, everything had already happened. Feeling regretful that he hadn''t been able to help her, Feng Huixin took an unconscious and injured Hua Chunyi back with him and nursed her back to health in the spirit tigers¡¯ pocket dimension. They spent time together, grew closer, and fell in love.


    ¡°But soon, after the Feng household realized that one of their own had become a cultivator and was living in the mountains, they tried all means possible to first bring him back into their fold, and when that was proven to be impossible, they tried to kill him. Their attitude that Feng Huixin was a failure was deeply engraved after all these years, and they refused to let a stain on their family¡¯s name who defied them to exist. Hearing how his lover was also a criminal sought by the cultivation world, they grew even more furious.


    ¡°Feng Huixin did not want to inconvenience his master or his lover and left alone, but Hua Chunyi followed him and refused to let him be. They fled from town to town to avoid the Feng household¡¯s pursuit. Since Feng Huixin did not want to kill his family, Hua Chunyi¨Dnow called Feng Chunyi¨Dalso didn¡¯t act violent. But the Feng household managed to somehow get their hands on Feng Chunyi and wanted to use her to lure Feng Huixin into a trap.


    ¡°Hearing of their plan, Feng Jianyu managed to sneak away to search for his younger brother. He bumped into Feng Huixin by chance and alerted him. But rather than fearing for himself, Feng Huixin was instead afraid of what his lover might do to his family. He cautioned Feng Jianyu to change his name and hide so that he wouldn¡¯t be linked with their family anymore and went to the Feng residence. All that met his gaze there were cinders and flames. While they thought her helpless, Feng Chunyi had escaped from where the Feng household had confined her, and after hearing what they wanted to do with Feng Huixin after using her to bait him, she killed everyone in a mad frenzy. The Feng household was no more.


    ¡°Feng Huixin appeased his lover and returned to the spirit tigers¡¯ mountain with a heavy heart. Later, Ling Yi officiated at their marriage and they became husband and wife. Feng Huixin suppressed his level until Feng Chunyi was ready to ascend, then they underwent heavenly tribulations together. Before ascending, Feng Huixin put the entire Tower of Knowledge into his spatial storage. After coming to Heaven, he created a pocket dimension and put the Tower there. But since it was removed from the protective barrier of the Spirit Tiger Clan¡¯s dimension, the Tower automatically restricted access to it. Only those who are granted permission by the Tower¡¯s guardian Ling Yi can enter it. Needless to say, other than Feng Huixin, no one has ever been given permission till now.¡±


    After speaking for so long, Xiao Tian finally lapsed into silence.


    Qinghe stared into his cup, watching light ripple on the surface of the tea. His eyes seemed calm and deep, pondering over unknown things. The sound of trickling water from somewhere in the garden past the moon gate filled the quiet. A few moments later, Qinghe raised his head and fixed Xiao Tian with his gaze. ¡°Is your purpose in telling me all this for me to ask my father to persuade his master to allow more access to the Tower?¡±


    Xiao Tian blinked in surprise while the Heavenly Emperor sighed and shook his head. ¡°Deity Feng, you think too much. Even if you can convince Lord Feng to speak with his master, he will not force his master, and the guardian of the Tower will also not let himself be coerced into letting people he doesn¡¯t approve of enter the Tower.¡±


    Qinghe frowned. ¡°I know you said there was no purpose to telling me this, but I refuse to believe it. What do you want from me?¡±


    Xiao Tian tilted his head and remarked with amusement, ¡°Feng Qinghe, must you be so suspicious of us?¡±


    The Heavenly Emperor met Qinghe¡¯s heavy gaze and let out another sigh. ¡°We merely wish for you to be fully informed. Not just about the Tower of Knowledge, but also the history of your family and the significance of the spirit tigers to it. You have grown active in court recently. People are paying attention to your every move. It is likely that they will dig into your, your lover¡¯s, parents¡¯, and your household¡¯s pasts. You need to be prepared just in case any of these things are used against you.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s hands clenched on the cup. If someone tried to use his family¡¯s or his father¡¯s past against them, then he would be their first line of defense and give their enemies a reason to fear the surname Feng. And yes, knowing everything that happened would indeed help him with that. It seemed¡­that Xiao Tian and the Heavenly Emperor truly did want to help him and bore no ulterior motives. Realizing this, Qinghe finally relaxed his guard against them.


    Sensing it, Xiao Tian¡¯s and the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s expression eased as well.


    Qinghe finally lifted his head and gave them a smile. Turning to Xiao Tian, he said in a light tone, ¡°Is that all then? Aren¡¯t you going to continue my father¡¯s story to tell about his adorable son as well?¡±


    Xiao Tian sneered. ¡°You call yourself adorable, you sly fox? Does someone as sneaky as you who weaves webs for others to fall in to even deserve to be called adorable?¡±


    Qinghe laughed. ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t compliment me so much in one sentence, Xiao Tian. You¡¯ll make me bashful.¡±


    Xiao Tian sputtered in the face of this shamelessness. Then remembering something, he snickered like a naughty child. ¡°Wait, I do remember something about when you were an infant. You caused your parents to have the biggest fight they¡¯d ever had with each other.¡±


    Qinghe raised an eyebrow with interest. ¡°Oh? What did I do?¡±


    Not getting the flustered reaction he was hoping for, Xiao Tian huffed, but still answered, ¡°It wasn¡¯t something you did. To be more particular, it was your name. They fought over what to name you, and it got so bad that they were forced to take the choice to the Heavenly Emperor.¡±


    Beside him, the aforementioned Heavenly Emperor serenely sipped from his cup, but his eyes refused to meet Qinghe¡¯s for some reason.


    Feeling intrigued, Qinghe prodded, ¡°What did they want to name me?¡±


    Xiao Tian smiled wryly. ¡°They had already decided on ¡®Qinghe¡¯, but the characters used to write it were different. Feng Chunyi wanted to name you with the characters for ¡®verdant¡¯ and ¡®lotus¡¯ since she hoped you would grow up healthy while flourishing and be like the lotus, which is one of the most versatile herbs with many good qualities. On the other hand, Feng Huixin wanted to use the characters for ¡®gentle¡¯ and ¡®river¡¯ since he wanted you to be as powerful as a flowing river, but also possess a gentle and caring nature. Despite Feng Huixin and Feng Chunyi usually being very liberal towards each other, neither of them backed down this time. They both loved you very much and wanted your name to reflect their hopes and expectations for you.


    ¡°In the end, they decided to let the Heavenly Emperor chose a name. But even while in the court, they persisted in arguing. Though they weren¡¯t loud, they were very¡­intense. It gave everyone watching a headache. In the end, even the usually even-tempered Heavenly Emperor snapped and ended up deciding that they would name you with the characters for ¡®clear¡¯ and ¡®harmony¡¯ so that you would have a clearer mind than your passionately quarreling parents and have a temperament that promoted harmony, especially between your parents. And so it was decided.¡±


    Grinning, Xiao Tian asked, ¡°I bet you didn¡¯t know that your name had such a snarky reason behind it, did you?¡±


    The Heavenly Emperor¡¯s eyebrow twitched at his reasoning back then being labeled as snarky, but he continued to maintain his poise and drank his tea.


    Qinghe merely chuckled. ¡°No matter what reason there was for my name being chosen, I¡¯m still quite happy with it.¡± And just the fact that his parents felt so strongly about choosing his name made Qinghe feel warm and loved.


    Xiao Tian once again felt displeased at how unruffled this fellow was.


    Coming out of his musings, Qinghe suppressed a teasing smile and said, ¡°Speaking of parents and children, Xiao Tian, I have something to ask you. If I understand it right, then your body must lie under the earth of the heavenly realm, shouldn¡¯t it? What about your soul? I¡¯m guessing that the you we see currently is only a projection for which you¡¯ve provided a physical body?¡±


    Shooting him a deep look, Xiao Tian nodded. Brushing his fingertips against the floor, he replied, ¡°Yes, my true physical body, the body of the first world turtle, lies underneath. My head is under the capital, my brain and eyes directly below the heavenly palace, while my heart lies beneath the River of Existence. The position of my soul is¡­difficult to explain. It is indeed still in my body; otherwise I¡¯d be dead after all. But as the core of the entire heavenly realm, my soul also permeates everything here, and a part of it is also present in the governing space from where I preside over all the worlds under my charge.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Then would it be accurate to say that every heavenly soul is a piece that has detached from your soul? That is to say, was my soul once a part of yours?¡±


    Xiao Tian showed an uncomfortable expression. ¡°In a way¡­yes, you could say that.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s face split into a grin. ¡°Does that make you the father of my soul? Should I call our cute little Xiao Tian as ¡®Father¡¯ from now on?¡±


    Xiao Tian¡¯s lips twitched at this sudden turn while the Heavenly Emperor cracked a rare smile that he quickly hid behind his cup.


    Recovering his wits, Xiao Tian shouted, ¡°Feng Qinghe! W-Who is your father! And as old as I am, even if you call me your great-grandfather, it still won¡¯t do me justice, hmph!¡±


    Qinghe burst out laughing. As expected, messing with Xiao Tian felt very rewarding!


    On the other side of the table, Xiao Tian struggled to regain his composure. Something suddenly flickered in his gaze and his expression grew serious. After a moment of hesitation, he called, ¡°Feng Qinghe, tell me something.¡±


    Qinghe suppressed his chuckles and replied with a smile, ¡°What is it, Father Tian?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Damn this brat! Was he not going to let that go even when he was trying to be serious?! Xiao Tian had to force himself to remain solemn as he asked, ¡°Are you really going to marry that beast Wei Xiang?¡±


    Qinghe blinked with surprise, then his gaze grew sharp. ¡°Is there some reason you think I shouldn¡¯t?¡±


    Xiao Tian pursed his lips. ¡°Feng Qinghe, unlike the founder of your family, I don¡¯t think you will remain peaceful if something happened to your lover.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s expression cooled. ¡°Of course I won¡¯t. I will do whatever is necessary to be with my Xiang. What relevance does that have?¡±


    A soft sigh escaped Xiao Tian. ¡°You both have a soul bond connecting your souls. But if something ever damaged your lover¡¯s soul to break that bond and kill him while managing to let you live, then I¡¯m afraid you will fall. Those that bear heavenly souls are like linchpins. They affect me and the heavenly realm directly. If you ever grow desperate enough to become corrupted¡­¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s mind suddenly flashed to the nightmare about his Xiang dying and his own reaction to it when he woke up. He would indeed do whatever necessary to see his Xiang again, even if it meant switching over to demonic cultivation and trying to pry open the gates of the Netherworld. If he could, he might even try to bring his Xiang back to life using every means possible. Nothing was allowed to get in between him and his Xiang!


    Letting out a light yet cold laugh, Qinghe finally spoke, ¡°So you have determined that being with Wei Xiang in impossible circumstances is the only reason I will fall down the demonic path and corrupt this soul of mine, which will in turn affect you? And you want me to reexamine my priorities because of that?¡±


    Getting a glimpse into his thoughts, Xiao Tian looked at him warily. ¡°Yes. The flow of the worlds must only go forward. Doing something like reviving the dead would force the flow backward, which is harmful to the world and to me. And the only reason you would ever try to force the flow backward would be if something drastic happened and snatched your Xiang away from you. Such a possibility is, of course, very rare. But in case it ever comes to pass¡­¡±


    Qinghe shook his head with a smile. ¡°It will not come to pass. Not only will I not let it, I am sure that you will help me subvert such a situation as well, won¡¯t you?¡±


    Xiao Tian showed a wry expression. ¡°You sure sound confident.¡± His shoulders slumping, Xiao Tian gave in with a sigh. ¡°Yes, I won¡¯t let something like that happen. I will have to make sure you won¡¯t ever be parted from your dear Xiang.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s smile turned warm. ¡°Good. No matter how many times our souls reincarnate, I want us to always find each other.¡±


    ¡°And if he doesn¡¯t reciprocate your affections in another life?¡± Xiao Tian inquired.


    An unnamable emotion flashed in Qinghe¡¯s eyes and disappeared. ¡°I will respect his wishes. There will always be other lives where we can be together. But I doubt my Xiang will refuse to choose me. And even if I am not in possession of my current memories in my other lives, I will also continue to choose him.¡±


    Xiao Tian chuckled helplessly. ¡°You beings with heavenly souls are always such an obsessive lot.¡±


    Qinghe stuck out his tongue and retorted. ¡°Maybe we get that from our father.¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Xiao Tian burst out. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to let that go already?!¡±


    Qinghe laughed cheerfully. ¡°Why would I when I can have so much fun teasing you with it?¡±


    Xiao Tian sulked silently, feeling wronged.


    Qinghe turned to the Heavenly Emperor, ¡°If that¡¯s all, then can I ask Your Majesty to preside over my and Xiang¡¯s wedding ceremony? We are willing to arrange the wedding in the heavenly court whenever you are free. After all, there is no need to think of auspicious times while in Heaven.¡±


    The Heavenly Emperor put down his cup and nodded. ¡°Yes. I will send an appropriate date to your household within the day.¡±


    Qinghe smiled and got up before executing a deep bow. ¡°Thank you. I will take my leave then.¡±


    Qinghe was about to walk out of the room when he suddenly remembered something and halted. Turning to face the Heavenly Emperor again, he said, ¡°Your Majesty, there is something I want to bring to your notice. The taller of the imperial guardsmen standing by the gates today seems to have a bias against women. I am unsure if he feels that way towards any other group of people. I would suggest engaging him with some other work temporarily where his mind can be broadened. It wouldn¡¯t do for someone working directly under the banner of the Heavenly Palace to show such open discrimination.¡±


    The Heavenly Emperor nodded thoughtfully. ¡°He will be reassigned to assist General Feng for a while then.¡±


    Qinghe chuckled. He could already imagine how delighted his mother would be to bully that guardsman even more. And this time, the poor man wouldn¡¯t just get away with a garishly bright feather crown.


    ¡­¡­


    As Qinghe exited the residence and made his way past the gates again, he was accosted by the square-jawed guardsman he¡¯d just spoken about.


    ¡°Young Lord Feng, I¡¯ve been curious about something for a while. May I ask you a question?¡± the guardsman spoke while scratching his chin. The dark-skinned guardsman on the other side of the gate had a look that said he¡¯d rather be anywhere but here.


    Qinghe smiled pleasantly and turned to the guardsman on the left and nodded. ¡°Yes. What is it?¡±


    Grinning, the guardsman said, ¡°I apologize for being so forward, but has Young Lord Feng ever been with a woman?¡±


    The guardsman on the right winced. What nonsense was this moronic fellow spouting now?


    Qinghe raised an eyebrow. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t. Why?¡±


    Nodding to himself, the guardsman on the left replied, ¡°If you have never known the fragrant softness of a woman, then it''s no wonder you ended up settling for being with a man.¡±


    The guardsman on the right covered his face with his hands. This idiot!


    Something sharp flashed in Qinghe¡¯s eyes, but his smile remained as warm and genial as usual. In a calm voice, he spoke, ¡°Why should my prior experience matter? I do not care if Wei Xiang is a man or a woman. I am not marrying my lover¡¯s gender, but my Xiang as a person.¡±


    The guardsman grew flustered. ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­ You say that, but would you really feel the same if your lover turned into a woman?¡±


    Qinghe shrugged elegantly. ¡°For me, it wouldn¡¯t make much of a difference, though people who are strictly heterosexual may not feel that way. And that is fine too. Every kind of romantic love is love.¡±


    The guardsman suddenly showed an ¡®Aha!¡¯ expression. ¡°Since those heterosexual people won¡¯t be inclined to do anything sexual with their lovers anymore if they turned into someone of the same gender, how can their love still be called romantic love?¡±


    Qinghe sighed. ¡°Do you mean to say that asexual people who love their partners without wanting sex don¡¯t feel romantic love?¡±


    The guardsman sputtered, ¡°No, I d-don¡¯t meant that!¡±


    Giving him an amused glance, Qinghe said, ¡°Sex is not always necessary for romantic love. It all depends on each person and what their specific preferences and the limits of their comfort zone are. It is not for others to judge how people love each other.¡± His smile turning impossibly warmer, he continued with gleaming eyes, ¡°You must broaden your mind and not try to fit everyone in a single box. But no matter, arrangements have already been made for you to get some special education in that regard.¡±


    Seeing Qinghe¡¯s blindingly bright smile as he said this, both guardsmen gulped in fear. They could sense the existence of something sly and scary right below that pleasant fa?ade.


    The guardsman on the right silently offered his heartfelt sympathies to his fellow guardsman in his mind. But he also felt that this idiot should have known not to expose his prejudiced nature to someone like the Young Lord Feng. One only reaped what they sowed.


    Qinghe turned away from the two guardsmen who were wearing complicated expressions and began walking, leaving behind the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s residence.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Young Master Feng, how may I help you?¡± asked the stern-faced officer manning the guardhouse by the entrance to the Offices of Judgment.


    Qinghe smiled and answered, ¡°May I know if Father and Xiang are in today?¡±


    The officer nodded. ¡°Yes, they are in their office. Shall I open the gates for you?¡±


    Qinghe nodded. ¡°Yes, please.¡±


    The officer¡¯s usually piercing gaze softened with a slight smile as he looked at Qinghe. He still remembered how their leader¡¯s chubby-cheeked son used to accompany him to work sometimes, running around the compound while grinning and cutely offering sweets to everyone he met. The officer recalled the feeling of pinching those soft and round cheeks and had to curl his fingers to curb the urge to reach out and do the same now.


    Turning, the officer waved at the gatekeeper, indicating for her to let Qinghe in. The gatekeeper nodded and activated the array that would open the path through the high stone walls guarding the compound housing the Offices of Judgment. A square entrance with glowing edges opened up in the wall in front of Qinghe.


    Qinghe thanked them both before walking through the opening. It led to the middle of an open courtyard enclosed by a circle of tall buildings. Each building was at least four stories high. The buildings had light grey walls made of some strange stone and dark-blue-tiled roofs with curling ends capping each level. Shaded skywalks connected each building with the ones on either side of it, offering a quick path between them.


    The courtyard Qinghe was in had narrow paths crisscrossing through it, each path lined with verdant trees on either side that cast cool shade onto it. Officers in black and gold robes walked along the paved paths with quick yet measured steps, each looking like they had something important to attend to.


    Already familiar with this scene, Qinghe chose a path and followed it, knowing that it would lead him to Feng Huixin¡¯s and Wei Xiang¡¯s office. He reached his destination within a few minutes and entered the busy building before climbing up two flights of stairs. As he walked towards his father¡¯s office, Qinghe heard snatches of the conversation going on inside.


    Wei Xiang was in the midst of stating calmly, ¡°¡­but though there will be such an environmental impact, the usefulness to the citizens in that area is undeniable. The environment there will recover within two to five decades, but the convenience to the people will last for centuries at the least.¡±


    A tired sigh floated out followed by Feng Huixin¡¯s voice replying, ¡°I would like to avoid harming the environment as much as possible. Trees and animals they might be, but every life is still a life worth saving.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s tone grew helpless, yet it was tinged with a hint of a smile, ¡°As Master wishes then. I will work on a way to shift the border without the adverse impact. I suppose paving roads and clearing the natural glades a bit should do it for the mansions. Thankfully, the demonic deities aren¡¯t the sort to live clustered in towns. However, there¡¯s still the matter of the lake. They say they need to drain and mine the lakebed for their materials, but that would be severely detrimental to the life forms there. How should we proceed?¡±


    There was a stretch of silence, then Feng Huixin said with exasperation, ¡°We will have to ponder more on it.¡±


    Walking in the hallway outside, Qinghe frowned. If he remembered right, this should be regarding the issue his father and Wei Xiang had been discussing this morning during breakfast. A few days ago, the governing force of the demonic deities requested the heavenly court to shift the border of the territory allocated to them to include a certain part of the forests into their border. In return, they had indicated that they were willing to let go of certain other parts. The reason for all this was because they wanted to mine a certain lake in the land they wanted to acquire for some sort of rare mineral that was extremely beneficial to the demonic deities¡¯ method of cultivation. This rare mineral seemed to naturally possess huge quantities of crystallized demonic energy that was created due to some incident there millions of years ago.


    But to reach the lake containing those minerals, they would first need to clear a way through rocky and dangerous areas of the forest. The demonic deities had expressed their willingness to share these paths they would make with the surrounding towns. This would bring more trade and prosperity to those towns and resolve their current transportation issues. But from Feng Huixin¡¯s and Wei Xiang¡¯s discussion just now, it seemed that the environmental impact of clearing out the forests was still being considered before any decision could be made.


    As he was thinking about this, Qinghe reached the door to the office and pushed it open. The room on the other side was wide, neat, and airy, with polished floors, light grey walls, and large windows.


    Wei Xiang sat behind his desk situated by the wall on the right. The top of the desk and the area around it was full of books arranged into tall towers. Wei Xiang was leaning back on his chair, one knee casually resting against the edge of the desk as he flipped through a book quickly as if searching for something. Due to the remaining influence of his beast instincts that were strengthened during his recent heat period, Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes were still slitted and golden while his nails were long and sharp. But all of it would gradually disappear within a couple of weeks.


    Meanwhile, Feng Huixin¡¯s desk was a little distance away, situated perpendicularly to Wei Xiang¡¯s. He was deliberating over a few papers with a small frown tightening his brows. A thick stack of more papers and scrolls rested by his elbow.


    When Qinghe entered, both master and disciple turned to look at him. Qinghe smiled and greeted them both, ¡°Father, Xiang, it seems you are discussing something important. Do you mind if I join in?¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s expression warmed imperceptibly. ¡°Not at all. We would welcome your input.¡±


    Wei Xiang lifted his gaze from the page he was looking through and shot a smile at his beloved. ¡°You must have heard us talking on the way here. Do you have any ideas?¡±


    Qinghe nodded. ¡°Yes, a few.¡± His gaze drifted over absentmindedly to rest on his father. Everything Xiao Tian had detailed about his father¡¯s past was still fresh in his mind.


    Sensing the strangeness in his son¡¯s gaze, Feng Huixin blinked perplexedly. ¡°Qinghe, is something the matter?¡±


    Wei Xiang looked over, concern on his face.


    Qinghe hesitated, but still answered truthfully, ¡°Father, I just had Xiao Tian tell me about your past.¡±


    Feng Huixin froze while Wei Xiang only looked confused. His gaze bounced between his master and his lover, studying their expressions.


    After a moment of tense silence, Feng Huixin asked, ¡°¡­How much do you know?¡±


    Qinghe closed the door behind him before replying, ¡°I know about your family, the spirit tigers, the Tower, and your master.¡±


    Sighing, Feng Huixin massaged his forehead. ¡°So you know everything then.¡± Lowering his hand, he leaned back and looked at his son solemnly. ¡°Then do you want me to convince my master to allow you into the Tower?¡±


    Qinghe raised an eyebrow. ¡°Actually, no. I only let Xiao Tian tell me because I wanted to know more about you. Now that I do, I¡¯m satisfied. I have no other demands.¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s gaze turned wry. ¡°If you wanted to know about me, you could¡¯ve asked me.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s expression turned gentle. ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to have to remember things that might be unpleasant.¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes widened slightly. He looked away with a cough and nodded, ¡°Very well. Then¡­do you have any questions?¡±


    Qinghe smiled. His eyes shone with curiosity as he nodded. ¡°Yes, many. But I can ask them later when we¡¯re having dinner together back in the house. For now, all I want to know is whether your master¡¯s spirit is still in your dantian.¡±


    At the side, Wei Xiang¡¯s lips twitched with incredulity, but he hid his shock at this unexpected revelation and just listened. His little lover and master would explain everything to him later if he asked. For now, he would let them talk it out.


    Feng Huixin sighed and nodded. ¡°Yes, Master is still in his claw and stored in my dantian. I would like to have you meet him, but he is unfortunately unable to manifest now. Unlike in the mortal realms, it is next to impossible for a spirit of the dead to exist in the heavenly realm. It takes me a tremendous amount of energy just to help his spirit remain here. He had actually managed to gather a fair bit before, enough to allow him to manifest a visible form for a few minutes. But because of the incident at Wu Jin when I was sent there as an exchange, Master has used it all up. It might take him a few more millennia to gather enough power again.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Qinghe hummed thoughtfully. Leaning back against the wall, Qinghe contemplated on something before asking, ¡°Father, are you able to communicate with him?¡±


    Feng Huixin nodded. ¡°Yes. Is there something you would like to ask him? I can convey his answer if you wish.¡±


    Qinghe grinned. ¡°Then can I ask what he thinks of me?¡±


    For a moment, Feng Huixin¡¯s gaze grew distant as if he was speaking to someone with his mind. His eyebrow suddenly twitched and he seemed to be suppressing a sigh. Feng Huixin blinked to focus his attention again and told Qinghe, ¡°Master has stated that he likes you very much. He also says that you are to refer to him as ¡®Grandfather¡¯.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes gleamed with both warmth and amusement. ¡°Has he ever asked you call him ¡®Father¡¯ before then?¡±


    Feng Huixin gave a resigned nod. ¡°Yes. I declined his request.¡±


    Qinghe burst out laughing.


    Feng Huixin pressed his lips together as if to suppress a smile and bent his head to continue looking at the papers in front of him again. ¡°Let¡¯s put that aside for now and move back to discussing the issue with the lake. Qinghe, what suggestions do you have?¡±


    Qinghe pushed the matter of his father¡¯s past out of his mind for now and tilted his head in thought. ¡°Is it possible to move the entire lake to a new place with the same type of environmental conditions in a way that would cause the least impact on its inhabitants?¡±


    Both Feng Huixin and Wei Xiang looked at him with raised eyebrows. Wei Xiang took down his knee from the edge of the desk and leaned forward to rest his elbows on it. With a contemplative expression, he finally said, ¡°While it¡¯s not impossible to create another place for all that water and its organisms, moving it will be the problem. If we have someone move the entire lake along with its waters and all the living beings contained within, it would be inadvisable to just use a deity with a water-based ability. While they can control water, they cannot guarantee that the beings enclosed within it will be alive and well after the transfer. Such work is too delicate for them. On the other hand, water-manipulating beings who are more in tune with nature might be effective. Maybe an elemental spirit of some sort or¡­¡±


    As Wei Xiang trailed away, Qinghe prodded with interest, ¡°Or?¡±


    Wei Xiang sighed. ¡°¡­Or water dragons. But we know that it¡¯ll be next to impossible to have any beneficial dealings with the True Dragon Clan as things stand between them and our family currently.¡±


    Qinghe laughed quietly. ¡°That maybe so, but this matter of redrawing the demonic deities¡¯ territory¡¯s border is important enough that we can afford to use a certain piece of leverage we¡¯ve been holding over them all this time for negotiating with them.¡±


    Looking surprised, Wei Xiang asked, ¡°You¡¯re willing to use that?¡±


    Qinghe nodded with a smile.


    Feng Huixin slightly arched his brows. ¡°What have you both been up to?¡±


    Qinghe turned to him and answered, ¡°Father, do you remember that incident with Wu Jin and how their fourth prince seemed to know about the existence and the accurate location of the wyvern eggs? I secretly investigated a bit and found out that a certain elder of the true dragon clan revealed that information on purpose and encouraged that prince to steal the eggs. There were subtle promises of support also made. I have solid proof regarding the matter.


    ¡°Since someone affiliated with the true dragon clan directly asking someone to steal the eggs signifies a definite breach of the contract between us and them, we are entitled to some costly compensation. All we need to do is present the proof and make our case in the heavenly court. After I let them know about this, the true dragons have been trying their best to get that proof out of our hands or to at least negotiate with us somehow so that we wouldn¡¯t take them to court.¡±


    Wei Xiang smirked and added, ¡°Yes, and Qinghe has kindly allowed me to use it till now as a way to keep them in check whenever they try to act against me or pull me to their side. It has been very useful, but I suppose it¡¯s time we used that card. We have many more pieces of information we can hang over their heads in its place if need be.¡±


    Grinning, Qinghe said, ¡°Indeed. It¡¯s better to use this now and get this matter done with quickly.¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes displayed his amusement at his sons¡¯ scheming to bully the True Dragon Clan. ¡°I will leave it to Xiang-er to request the assistance of a water dragon from the True Dragon Clan then, but that can be done later. I will handle the other arrangements for now. Xiang-er, go and accompany Qinghe for a while. I am guessing that is why he came here in the first place.¡±


    Qinghe smiled at his father and nodded. ¡°Yes. We¡¯re going to be married soon, so I naturally want to deepen our affections even more and spend as much of our bachelorhood together as possible.¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled, ¡°Love, you talk like we don¡¯t already do that. But very well, let¡¯s take a walk together for a bit before I get back to work. The more I can finish today, the more free time I¡¯ll have to prepare for the wedding. We can''t leave everything to those twin brats.¡±


    Qinghe grinned and rushed forward to hold Wei Xiang¡¯s hand before dragging him towards the doorway. Turning back, Qinghe waved at Feng Huixin, ¡°I¡¯ll return Wei Xiang soon, Father.¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s expression was indulgent and warm. ¡°Yes. You both go and have fun.¡±


    The soon-to-be-wed couple smiled happily and nodded before going off to spend some time together.


    ¡­¡­


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang chose to stroll in a relatively deserted section of the courtyard nestled inside the circle of buildings. Their fingers were lightly intertwined and swung gaily between them as they walked. The air here was warm and dry, the breeze gentle as it brushed the hair away from their faces. The sound of leaves rustling accompanied them. The path under them was paved with flagstones that emitted a slight coldness. The shade of the trees on either side cast a moving filigree of shadows over their figures as they walked over the path, their steps leisurely and silent.


    Qinghe leaned his head to rest on Wei Xiang and spoke, his voice quiet, ¡°Xiang, do you think anything will change after we marry?¡±


    Wei Xiang blinked and turned to his beloved. His thumb moved over Qinghe¡¯s knuckles, caressing them affectionately. ¡°I don¡¯t know, love. I guess we¡¯ll find out after we go through the wedding.¡±


    Qinghe nodded and grew quiet again.


    After a few moments of silence, Wei Xiang asked, ¡°Qinghe, is there any specific reason you agreed to marry me?¡±


    Qinghe shot him an amused look. ¡°Other than because I love you irrevocably and want to spend forever with you?¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled at him, his expression warm. ¡°Yes, other than that.¡±


    Chuckling, Qinghe shrugged and said, ¡°I suppose the next biggest reason would be us being legally bound to each other. I already know that you love me and want to be with me, but¡­¡± Qinghe¡¯s eyes narrowed, shining gleefully as he continued, ¡°After we marry, you¡¯ll be all mine even in the legal sense.¡±


    Wei Xiang laughed, wrapping an arm around Qinghe¡¯s shoulders to hug him closer and pressed a kiss to his temple.


    Qinghe comfortably nestled against Wei Xiang and smiled contentedly. His eyes flicking upwards, he asked, ¡°What about you? What reason did you have to agree to marry me? Other than your undying love for me, that is.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes were tender pools of affection as he replied, ¡°I suppose my reasoning is more normal. I wanted everyone to know that I¡¯m choosing to spend my whole life with you, and I want to flaunt my good fortune that you are choosing to spend your entire life with me as well.¡±


    A faint pink flushed Qinghe¡¯s cheeks. His smile turned bashful, his eyes gleaming with happiness. Feeling irresistibly drawn, Wei Xiang bent to place a feather-light kiss to Qinghe¡¯s soft and warm cheek. Gentle affection overflowed in his heart. His little lover was really too lovely and precious, an unimaginably rare treasure that he wanted to spend his whole life cherishing.


    Qinghe smiled and snuggled closer to his Xiang, his eyes closing as he let his beloved guide him forward. A few more peaceful moments went by before Qinghe opened his eyes and spoke, ¡°Xiang, after marriage, do you think this will change?¡±


    Wei Xiang looked at him puzzled.


    In a quiet voice, Qinghe explained, ¡°I mean, the way we feel with each other. This sense of contentment and happiness and intimacy and affection. Do you think it will change?¡±


    Wei Xiang hummed thoughtfully. ¡°People change with time. They grow and progress and let their views broaden. I¡¯m sure we will change too, and as we change, what we feel for each other will as well.¡±


    Qinghe frowned, his fingers instinctively tightening on Wei Xiang¡¯s.


    Smiling, Wei Xiang rubbed his cheek over the top of Qinghe¡¯s head reassuringly. ¡°But since it is us, I¡¯m sure that whatever changes occur will be good ones. What we feel for each other will only grow stronger and deeper with time. The more we feed our love for one another every day, the closer we will get and the more inextricably we¡¯ll intertwine. After all, falling in love isn¡¯t a process that will stop just because we got together.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s expression melted into a smile. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true.¡± His gaze suddenly flashed with mischief as he lifted his head and grinned, ¡°Then Xiang, how about we feed our love through some physical bonding? Do you know of any secret place where we can spend some intimate time together?¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled and shook his head. ¡°No, love. We are not going to have sex now.¡±


    Qinghe pouted and looked up at him through his lashes with an expression full of unspoken complaints.


    Unable to help himself, Wei Xiang dropped a small peck onto Qinghe¡¯s nose. Smiling, he said, ¡°But I would still like to show you the place I¡¯ve been using to relax at recently. Will you accompany me there?¡±


    His expression brightening, Qinghe nodded.


    Wei Xiang led Qinghe off the path. The farther they got from the buildings at the edges and the crisscrossing lanes, the thicker and older the trees became. Wei Xiang unerringly walked up to a certain large and sturdy tree before leaping up. Qinghe curiously followed him to land onto a particular branch that was wide and felt very solid under his feet.


    Wei Xiang went over to the junction where the branch met the trunk and sat down. His back rested against the sturdy trunk while his long legs lay straight in front of him on the thick branch. Parting his legs, Wei Xiang patted the space in between and looked at Qinghe. ¡°Love, come and sit here.¡±


    Qinghe walked up to him and sat cradled in Wei Xiang¡¯s warmth. Letting out a happy sigh, he leaned back onto Wei Xiang¡¯s chest, his hands resting on his lover¡¯s thighs on either side. Wei Xiang wrapped his arms around Qinghe and rested his cheek on his shoulder. The pair soaked in the warmth of each other¡¯s bodies.


    As Qinghe looked around, he realized that he couldn¡¯t see the paths or the buildings from here at all. The tree was so high and the density of leaves on its branches so thick that sitting here truly felt like being in a secluded green world cut off from everything.


    After a few minutes of silence, Qinghe asked, ¡°Do you come here often?¡±


    Wei Xiang shook his head. ¡°No. I¡¯ve only been using this place to get some peace and quiet these past few days. The beast instincts make me restless sometimes. And my beast likes high and secluded places, so my instincts urged me to find such a place to relax.¡±


    Qinghe smiled and tilted his head up. ¡°What other things does your beast like?¡±


    Wei Xiang leaned back onto the tree trunk and thought for a while. ¡°Hmm¡­ Since one half of my bloodline is that of metal serpents that are known to bury into the earth and make their homes there, while the other half is that of fire dragons that prefer flying high above and settling on tall perches, I think that as a wyvern, my beast would love staying at a place like a cave situated at high altitude. It would be a large cave with an entrance that isn¡¯t easy to find, perched up on a cliff wall and overlooking a vast valley.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s expression warmed further as he looked at his Xiang¡¯s wistful expression. ¡°And? What would the inside of the cave be like? What would you put in there?¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes grew unfocused as his imagination supplied the details. ¡°It would be spacious inside and warm. I¡¯d fill it with all types of precious things and store all my treasured possessions there. I¡¯d dig a shallow hole at the center to make a nest and line it with soft and comfortable materials. I¡¯d put my mate in the warm nest so that you would be safe and protected, always waiting there for me¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang trailed away and frowned.


    Qinghe¡¯s gaze shone with amusement and affection. ¡°Xiang, what is it?¡±


    Wei Xiang shook his head and hugged Qinghe closer, resting his head onto his little lover¡¯s. ¡°No, thinking about you being so passive feels wrong and unsatisfactory. It doesn¡¯t suit you at all.¡±


    Raising a hand, Qinghe patted Wei Xiang¡¯s head. ¡°Then what do you think I¡¯d be like?¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s frown eased as he replied, ¡°Realistically speaking, you¡¯d probably try to secure the cave by lying traps, formations, and other defenses around the perimeter. You¡¯d also probably build several escape routes from the cave to prepare for emergencies and hide rations and secret weapons inside the walls and floors. There would also be several transportation arrays set at the sides so that you could easily come and go from both the Feng residence and the Heavenly Peak Sect. And you¡¯d probably also be thoughtful enough to add transportation arrays that connected to the Order headquarters and the Offices of Judgment for my convenience.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s lips curved unconsciously into a smile as he continued to think about it. Yes, this would be far more fun than Qinghe just lying there waiting for him obediently. He liked the proactive and spirited Qinghe more. His mate was so clever and wonderful. His eyes curving into pleased arcs, Wei Xiang buried his face into the crook of Qinghe¡¯s shoulder and took in a deep breath to savor his scent. Hmm, and his mate smelled very nice too. His familiar clean smell tinged with cool mint was mixed with the flavor of something slightly spicy and sweet, probably the scent of something his beloved had eaten or drunk today.


    Sensing that his Xiang was in a very cuddling mood today, Qinghe smiled with helpless affection and tilted his neck to the side to allow his lover more access. Wei Xiang promptly took advantage of it and rubbed his cheek against the side of Qinghe¡¯s neck.


    Qinghe raised his hand towards his neck, then hesitated. His cheeks turning pink, he resumed reaching for the collar of his robes and pulled it open wide, exposing his shoulder for Wei Xiang to more cheerfully nuzzle. Feeling that it was not enough, Wei Xiang tenderly traced his mate¡¯s shoulder with his lips, his eyes shining with quiet happiness. Qinghe gasped softly, his head falling back.


    Suddenly, Wei Xiang noticed something and lifted his head, peering down with interest. A scattering of dark red love bites trailed along Qinghe¡¯s pale shoulder, continuing over his collarbone and disappearing into his robes. Wei Xiang recalled that he¡¯d left these marks on him just this morning. A corresponding trail of hickeys had been laid over Wei Xiang¡¯s chest and abdomen at that time as well. But those marks should have long healed by now. And with Qinghe being a deity, these red traces on him should have disappeared as well.


    Wei Xiang gently touched the red patches with his fingers and asked worriedly, ¡°Love, why haven¡¯t these marks on you disappeared yet?¡±


    Qinghe turned his head away, his cheeks burning. ¡°I-It¡¯s because I¡¯m purposefully keeping the bruises unhealed. I wanted them to remain until you can put more of them on me.¡± Qinghe peeked sideways at Wei Xiang, blinking shyly.


    Wei Xiang felt a surge of pleasure. His beast was very satisfied, not just because the marks he¡¯d made were still on his mate, but because his mate was willingly going to such lengths to keep those marks.


    Qinghe suddenly felt Wei Xiang¡¯s chest vibrate with a silent rumble against his back and smiled. Was this the wyvern version of a purr?


    Feeling happy, Wei Xiang bowed his head and resumed kissing Qinghe¡¯s shoulder, paying special attention to licking each of those little red marks.


    ¡°Xiang!¡± Qinghe protested as he felt soft warmth spreading on his skin wherever his lover¡¯s tongue passed, healing the bruises.


    Wei Xiang softly murmured against his beloved¡¯s skin, ¡°Qinghe, be good. I¡¯ll put more marks on you tonight if you want. And I¡¯ll make sure to carry the love bites you give me next time throughout the following day as well.¡±


    Qinghe blushed, even his ears feeling hot. He stopped resisting and let Wei Xiang heal him. To his delight, Wei Xiang didn¡¯t just stop exploring his body with tongue after all the bruises were healed. His tongue swept over the top of his shoulder blades and traveled up his nape.


    Giving out a shudder, Qinghe turned to straddle Wei Xiang¡¯s thighs and leaned down to kiss him deeply. Wei Xiang¡¯s hands slipped into his little lover¡¯s loosened robe as Qinghe slid his fingers into Wei Xiang¡¯s hair. The couple spent their time sensually exploring each other with their hands and mouth without removing their clothing, content to just touch each other like this.


    Under the shade of the shifting leaves, two figures stayed pressed against each other, their time together spent with blissful harmony.


    crimson_carnation

 Extra 26: Wedding Ceremony

    It was late afternoon. The sun was already past its zenith, beginning to sink lower and lower towards the horizon. While the bright yellow of the afternoon sunlight darkened into ochre, the hecticness and anticipation in the Feng residence only increased.


    Red banners and lanterns with the character for double happiness in gold hung both inside and outside the building, waving in the wind while declaring loud and clear that the Feng household was looking forward to a marriage in their family. People and beasts wearing their best festive clothes mulled about with undiminished excitement in the open courtyard in front of the building, slowly gathering for the wedding procession. There was cheerful laughter, eyes gleaming with expectation, lively chatter, and busy flittering outside.


    In contrast, the inside of the large house was strangely solemn and peaceful.


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang, the main participants of today¡¯s celebrations, were currently in different rooms, getting ready for their wedding. Wei Xiang was being helped by Feng Huixin and Fei Jin, while Qinghe was being looked after by Feng Chunyi and Fei Yin.


    Currently, Qinghe was immersed in a barrel-shaped tub of warm water. Submerged up to his mouth, he took in the pleasant scent of the various herbs and flower petals floating on the water¡¯s surface. He felt like he was soaking in a giant¡¯s wooden cup of herbal tea. The soft, fragrant steam rising from the water brushed his face while the water slowly warmed his body. It was so comfortable that he just wanted to close his eyes and drift off.


    The room he was in had a large floor-length mirror at one side. The rest of the space was filled with several tables of different shapes and sizes, each tabletop scattered with accessories of various types. By the wall, there stood a row of T-shaped stands, each holding a layer of his wedding attire. A pair of red pants made of shimmery fabric was neatly draped on the table nearest to the tub Qinghe was soaking in.


    Fei Yin had busied himself by a chair, setting up the combs, crown, and other ornaments that would be used to arrange his senior brother¡¯s hair later. Feng Chunyi waited impatiently by the barrel-shaped tub, her foot tapping out a soundless staccato on the floor. Seeing that Qinghe had slowly begun to doze off in the tub despite being in the water almost up to his nose, her patience finally snapped.


    Feng Chunyi lightly kicked the bottom of the barrel to wake her son up. ¡°Stop lazing around in the bath, brat! Are you trying to grow gills and become a fish by staying in the water for so long? You¡¯ll be late for your own wedding at this rate!¡±


    Hearing Feng Chunyi¡¯s shouting, Fei Yin turned to look at them.


    Inside the tub, Qinghe roused from his sleep and blinked at his mother. He said something in reply to her, but since his mouth was still under the water surface, his words turned to bubbles.


    Feng Chunyi frowned. ¡°Am I supposed to understand your bubble-speak?¡±


    Unexpectedly, Fei Yin piped in with his whispery voice, ¡°Aunty Feng, Senior Brother says ¡®I will only ever have one chance to be late for my own wedding, so why not use it?¡¯.¡±


    Her eyebrow twitching, Feng Chunyi asked, ¡°You¡­understood what he just said?¡±


    Fei Yin bobbed his head and explained, ¡°Senior Brother loves taking baths and chatting with us while in the water, so I and my brother have grown used to translating his¡­¡®bubble-speak¡¯, as you put it, into words.¡±


    Feng Chunyi wordlessly turned to her lazy son who was still submerged in water and pulled his ear. ¡°You¡¯ve been spoiled by your junior brothers too much!¡±


    Qinghe lifted his face out of the water with an aggrieved expression and pried his mother¡¯s pinching fingers away from his poor ear. ¡°Mother, it¡¯s my once-in-a-lifetime wedding day! You¡¯re not allowed to be mean to me!¡±


    Feng Chunyi harrumphed. ¡°And if you don¡¯t get ready, we¡¯ll have to choose another wedding day, since this day will be over soon!¡±


    Qinghe grumbled, but relented, ¡°Fine, fine, I¡¯m getting out. No need to get so bent out of shape¡­¡± Qinghe stood up and got out of the tub before quickly drying himself off using wind. Shivering at the cold sensation, he walked up to the table nearby before slowly putting on the pair of red pants with sluggish movements.


    With her hands on her hips, Feng Chunyi muttered under her breath, ¡°And here I was expecting you to be all excited to marry the love of your life. Yet you¡¯re dragging your feet and procrastinating like you¡¯d rather eat horse manure.¡±


    Qinghe grimaced. Then pursing his lips, he turned his face away as if to hide his expression. Seeing this, Feng Chunyi¡¯s dissatisfied frown turned into one of worry. Also becoming concerned, Fei Yin asked, ¡°Senior Brother? Could it be that you¡­don¡¯t want to marry Brother Wei?¡±


    Feng Chunyi turned to shoot him a look. ¡°Oi! Don¡¯t say such inauspicious things today!¡±


    Fei Yin quickly clamped his hands over his mouth and nodded.


    Sighing, Feng Chunyi looked at her son. ¡°What¡¯s bothering you, brat?¡±


    Qinghe coughed awkwardly. He hesitated a good while before finally opening his mouth, ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m just afraid of something changing in a bad way between me and Xiang after marriage. I like the way we are now. What if something gets irreversibly broken after we marry?¡±


    Feng Chunyi raised her eyebrows. ¡°Do you have any conceivable reason to think that something like that will actually happen?¡±


    Qinghe paused, then shook his head.


    Feng Chunyi nodded. ¡°Good. Then you already know that it¡¯s baseless worry. Wedding day jitters is common. Feeling nervous and apprehensive but also hopeful about your future together is only natural. Don¡¯t let it ruin this for you both, alright?¡± Feng Chunyi ruffled the wet hair on her son¡¯s bowed head with an affectionate expression. ¡°You should instead think of the person you love and the happy life you will build together from here on rather than torturing yourself with imaginary worries. It¡¯s about you and your Xiang and your future together, nothing else.¡±


    Qinghe blinked, looking a bit surprised and dazed. ¡°Feeling like this is¡­normal?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Feng Chunyi confirmed, her lips bending into a helpless smile.


    Qinghe bit his lower lip, then asked, ¡°Mother, did you also feel this way when you married Father?¡±


    Feng Chunyi laughed softly. ¡°Yes. I was afraid that my Ah-Xin who had been so nice to me till then would grow to become the sort of controlling and forceful person I hate. People like that were so common back in our home world that it was thought to be the norm. I was afraid of trusting my luck in being able to find such a fianc¨¦ who wasn¡¯t like that at all. He seemed so innocent and untainted that I kept expecting him to easily get influenced by the rest of the world whenever he went outside. I wanted to chain him and keep him to myself in a windowless dark room so that he would never change. But I also wanted to trust in the strength of his mind in being able to remain as pure and upright as he was no matter the external influence. And so I tied myself to him in marriage, and Ah-Xin has never once let down that faith.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s tense expression softened. Hearing about his mother¡¯s similar ordeal calmed him. Though his concerns felt so very real now, he knew that they weren¡¯t justified. He didn¡¯t want to let those unfounded worries rob him of his joy on this day. Qinghe decisively tried to push them back and focus on his Xiang instead. His mother was right, this was their day! He wouldn¡¯t let anything ruin it!


    Becoming spirited, Qinghe quickly finished putting on his pants. Walking towards the line of T-shaped wooden stands holding the different layers of his robes, he stood before the stand supporting up the innermost layer. Qinghe¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°Mother, this is¡­?¡±


    Feng Chunyi grinned. ¡°After seeing you in nothing but that on your wedding night, Son-in-law will thank me for making you wear it, I promise.¡±


    Qinghe blinked uncomprehendingly while a smug Feng Chunyi and a wryly amused Fei Yin came over and began helping Qinghe dress. Once Qinghe was properly clothed in all the layers, he was dragged off to sit in a chair so that Feng Chunyi could work on his hair and Fei Yin on his face.


    Though Qinghe didn¡¯t really want anything added to his face, Fei Yin still convinced him to let him do something to make him appear different at least on such a special day. After gaining his senior brother¡¯s reluctant agreement, Fei Yin painted thin and arching red lines along Qinghe¡¯s upper eyelid that swooped smoothly upward beyond the outer ends. It made Qinghe¡¯s clear eyes look narrower and gave him a sharper look.


    After pondering a bit more, Fei Yin dusted powdered silver under Qinghe¡¯s eyes to add some flair. After applying a light layer of rouge to Qinghe¡¯s lips to make them look more shiny and ripe, Fei Yin finally declared that his work was done.


    Meanwhile, Feng Chunyi ardently put to use her skill in arranging hair that she had just recently gained under her friend Ai Li¡¯s tutelage. Though she knew that it would get hidden beneath a black cap later, she still wanted to do her best for her son. Of course, her son-in-law¡¯s frustration when he would later have to undo this complicated updo was definitely not her aim, she convinced herself.


    While she worked on, the Fei Yin who was already done with his job began rummaging in his spiritual storage before bringing out something wrapped in paper. He presented it to Qinghe and said solemnly, ¡°Senior Brother, will you please use this in the ceremony?¡±


    Qinghe curiously took it and opened the paper. Inside, there was a single spherical golden brown candy the size of a marble. Its surface was slightly uneven, and it smelled like spicy ginger and sweet jaggery with slight hints of alcohol. Qinghe looked up at his junior brother enquiringly. ¡°Yin-er, what is this?¡±


    Fei Yin¡¯s eyes shone as he explained, ¡°When we were searching for wedding traditions from different worlds, my brother and I came across a romantic one where the two people getting married have to feed each other their piece of candy, but¡­ehem, indirectly. So we made a quick foray into that world and got these for both Senior Brother and Brother Wei to use.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes widened slightly. ¡°Since you said we have to do it indirectly¡­does it mean we have to throw it into each other¡¯s mouths? Because that would just look silly.¡±


    Fei Yin¡¯s lips twitched. How could his senior brother come to the least romantic conclusion of all?


    Qinghe held his chin in a hand and thought, then suddenly said, ¡°Ah! Could it mean that we have to use our abilities to do it? But that doesn¡¯t make sense for those without abilities¡­ Then do we use chopsticks?¡±


    Feng Chunyi sighed and gave her confused son a hint, ¡°Not that, you brat. It¡¯s a method that won¡¯t require you to use your hands. Your junior brother already told you it was something romantic, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    Blinking at his mother who seemed to have figured out this confounding puzzle so quickly, Qinghe asked, ¡°Then¡­should I place it on my head or somewhere else and ask Xiang to eat it off of me? As ridiculous as that would look, maybe that could be considered romantic in a way?¡±


    Thinking of Wei Xiang having to eat candy off of Qinghe¡¯s head, Fei Yin wanted to cry. He stood corrected. Now this was the least romantic conclusion of all!


    Unable to bear any more of this, Fei Yin decided to just be more explicit. ¡°Senior Brother, no! You have to use your mouths and tongues to exchange it and kiss!¡±


    Qinghe looked at him with startlement. Then his eyes gleamed. Passing candy to each other through their mouths sounded like such a fun game!


    Fei Yin continued, ¡°We¡¯ve already notified the Heavenly Emperor about this and asked him to include it in the main ceremony.¡±


    Qinghe gave a cheerful nod. ¡°Mn, that¡¯s good. Yin-er, you and Jin-er did very well with this.¡±


    Hearing his beloved senior brother praise him, Fei Yin bowed his head while smiling happily.


    In the meantime, Fei Jin had just finished giving Wei Xiang the other candy as well and explained what he had to do.


    Feng Huixin coughed and turned his face away embarrassedly while Wei Xiang merely showed a wry smile. He already knew that his little lover would be eager to try something like this, and it certainly was a romantic addition that would make their wedding more interesting. And so, he agreed as well.


    A few more minutes later, Qinghe and Wei Xiang were finally ready and stepped out of the Feng residence.


    It was finally time for them to see each other for the first time in full wedding attire before joining the wedding procession.


    ¡­¡­


    While choosing what traditions to follow before, during, and after their wedding, Qinghe and Wei Xiang had decided against a lot of the usual rituals used in their world. For example, the tradition of giving betrothal gifts. Since Wei Xiang was already considered a part of the Feng family, they forwent the betrothal gifts and other pre-marriage procedures and decided to directly jump to the ceremony.


    They also jointly decided against a few other things like the tradition of the newlyweds respectfully making and serving lotus seed or red date tea to their parents and in-laws. As close and casual as Qinghe and Wei Xiang were with Feng Huixin and Feng Chunyi, the four of them collectively decided that it would be too awkward for the couple to act reverential like that all of a sudden. And the implication of wishing for fertility in that tradition wouldn¡¯t apply to Qinghe and Wei Xiang as well.


    In a similar way, many other traditions had to be removed by the couple.


    Other than tying a couple in marriage, the core of a traditional wedding celebration was to bring the in-laws of both sides together, letting them get to know each other and become a whole family. But since Wei Xiang¡¯s closest blood-related family were the fire dragons whom he did not wish to even consider as his family, they were in a dilemma. What Qinghe and Wei Xiang considered their family consisted of the same few people, after all. This was another reason why they decided to forego a strictly traditional route and instead decided to ask for suggestions from various deities about the rituals to include. Qinghe and Wei Xiang wanted the ceremony to be meaningful while also being fun and memorable for them.


    But since the deities in Heaven were all from different realms, they all had vastly different marriage customs. Some wanted it to be a solemn affair with minimal colors and decoration, focusing instead on the couple¡¯s deep love for each other, while others preferred the ceremony to be as colorful and full of laughter as possible.


    And so, Qinghe and Wei Xiang''s wedding ceremony ended up being flavored with a few of these mixed customs along with some that they added on their own. But the essence of the ceremony would still be traditional.


    One of the traditional aspects they¡¯d kept with a few adjustments was the wedding procession.


    The evening sky was currently painted with rich purple, streaks of burning orange flowing through it. The clouds seemed to be edged with golden fire as they drifted along leisurely in the vivid sky. The sun hovered directly over the horizon as if pondering sinking below.


    By now, the people who would form the wedding procession had finished gathering in the courtyard. Qinghe and Wei Xiang were done being dressed and readied as well and finally stepped out of the house.


    The first one to exit was Wei Xiang, along with Fei Jin and Feng Huixin. The people from the Offices of Judgment who had come to join the procession could only gape at how different Wei Xiang seemed while wearing red along with a few additions to his appearance. Before they could break out of the shock, Qinghe arrived, with Fei Yin and a pleased-looking Feng Chunyi trailing behind.


    Murmurs and awed gasps broke out as the two ethereally striking soon-to-be-weds came together.


    The second Qinghe and Wei Xiang looked at each other, they stood stunned, their feet pinned to the ground unmoving.


    Feng Huixin and Feng Chunyi looked at their sons with smiling gazes and excused themselves to directly head to the venue to prepare things. Fei Jin and Fei Yin also beat a subtle retreat to take care of a few arrangements and left the couple alone.


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang drank in each other¡¯s appearance with eager eyes. Their beloved looked so different, yet just as breathtaking as usual that they couldn¡¯t tear their eyes away.


    Qinghe¡¯s hair that was put up in an elaborate style using a crown and several other hair ornaments was now hidden under a tall black cap. All that was visible was just a couple of long locks of hair flowing down over his shoulders and to the front, framing his exquisite face.


    Due to his hair being pulled up, the contours of Qinghe¡¯s face looked sharper, his neck appearing longer, and his beauty seeming much colder than before. The thin line of red sweeping up from the edges of his upper eyelids and the glimmer of silver beneath only highlighted his clear eyes and his perfect features. His dusky pink lips looked plumper and glistened as if wet. However, despite the inherent coldness of his face, the unhidden joy rippling in his eyes warmed his expression. His cheeks were suffused with a soft pink as he looked at his lover. The contrast of gentle warmth and lofty coldness in his face added another layer of enchantment to his already irresistible appeal.


    Qinghe¡¯s attire for the ceremony was comprised of a layer of red at the top and several layers of white underneath. His innermost robe stayed invisible from the outside. The layer after that was a pure, snowy white that was even lighter than Qinghe¡¯s fair complexion. The next layer was a smooth milky color slightly darker than the robe before, its lapels folded right under the previous robe¡¯s collar. The outer robe was a rich and deep pearl color with a luster to match. Its surface shone under the light with a pearlescent sheen. The bottom half of this outer robe was stitched with more delicate designs in white gold, adding a regal touch to the ensemble. The belt holding everything together was the same white gold as the designs.


    Over his robes, Qinghe wore a heavy red coat that was left open at the front. A thick band of bright gold embroidery ran down its lapels and along the wide sleeves, while more intricate designs decorated the bottom one-third in the same style as the pearly outer robe. The entire back of the red overcoat was stitched with a very intricate golden wyvern. Every scale covering its body, every horn on its head, and every strand of the ebony fur running down its back was rendered with exquisite detail. Its majestic golden head rested on the center of Qinghe¡¯s upper back, with two polished crystalline topaz gems cut into the shape of eyes peering out with a piercing gaze. The rest of its body coiled downward, wrapping around Qinghe¡¯s waist and continuing until its tail ended right in the middle of the coat¡¯s bottom edge at the back. The golden threads making up the wyvern gleamed brilliantly in the light as if lit from within.


    Seeing Qinghe dressed so lavishly, his features looking impossibly more captivating, Wei Xiang could only stare at him fixatedly, his eyes almost blinded by his beloved¡¯s splendor. But Qinghe wasn¡¯t any better. He was just as enamored with his Xiang¡¯s new look.


    By now, Wei Xiang¡¯s beast aspects had subsided physically, though his beast instincts still thrummed under his skin on occasion. His nails, skin, and eyes had turned to normal. His black eyes that glinted with deep emotions were currently ringed with a thin black line, powdered gold dusting his upper eyelids and making him look exotic. His lips that were slightly parted with wonder shone a dark red, giving more allure to his focused expression.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s attire complemented Qinghe¡¯s. His inner robe was visibly a light silvery grey, the robe over that being a darker grey, and the outer robe a very deep black that shimmered slightly in the light. Rich gold thread embroidered the black outer robe with designs similar to the ones decorating Qinghe¡¯s pearl robe. A gold belt was cinched around his waist.


    The red coat draped over his entire ensemble looked much like Qinghe¡¯s as well, except that the thread used on it was a shining silver instead. The back of Wei Xiang¡¯s red overcoat was stitched with a silver tiger, its eyes consisting of radiant emeralds. The silver tiger was as if viewed from a higher vantage point, its head resting on Wei Xiang''s lower back, powerful forelegs extending below, with the rest of its body continuing above. Its tail was gently wrapped around the coat¡¯s upper collar.


    The meanings behind these embroideries on the backs of Qinghe¡¯s and Wei Xiang¡¯s robes symbolized their and their family¡¯s stance. The couple could take care of themselves when an enemy attacked from the front, but when someone tried to harm them from their backs, their lover and their family would protect them.


    When the wyvern eggs hatched, the newborn wyverns would end up becoming a new wyvern clan with Wei Xiang, their oldest, at the head. And so, the wyvern currently stitched onto Qinghe¡¯s coat symbolized the wyvern clan guarding Qinghe¡¯s back, while the silver spirit tiger on Wei Xiang¡¯s coat represented Qinghe and the Feng family protecting Wei Xiang¡¯s back. They would watch out for each other¡¯s weak points and shield them from harm. They would defend and help each other like the family they were. This was the statement their wedding robes made, and it was also Qinghe¡¯s and Wei Xiang¡¯s promise to each other.


    Lost in their lover¡¯s charm, Qinghe and Wei Xiang continued to look into each other¡¯s eyes, wishing they could just drown in their beloved¡¯s intent gaze. Realizing that this stunning person in front of them was the one they would spend their whole life with, disbelief and giddiness at their good luck filled their mind.


    Wei Xiang was the first one to break the stillness. He lifted a hand as if wanting to touch Qinghe¡¯s cheek, then halted. Letting his hand drop down, he smiled and said, ¡°If I touch you now, I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ll be able to hold back from doing something that¡¯ll make our current audience blush.¡±


    At the side, the people forming the wedding procession were still looking at them both either outright or covertly.


    Qinghe chuckled. His voice sounded slightly breathless even to him. His cheeks grew redder. ¡°Then let¡¯s refrain from touching until we kiss later at the ceremony.¡±


    Anticipation gleamed in Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes as he nodded, a corner of his red lips tilting up.


    Seeing his lover¡¯s small smile, Qinghe wanted to let out a besotted sigh. He felt strange today, his heart becoming too warm and soft whenever he looked at his Xiang. And the best part was that he could see the same emotions in Wei Xiang¡¯s gaze whenever his beloved looked at him too.


    This sweet atmosphere was suddenly pierced by Fei Jin¡¯s voice near the gates. ¡°Do you all have your baskets and spatial rings ready?¡±


    A chorus of childish voices answered, ¡°Yes!¡±


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang reluctantly tore their gazes away from each other to look over.


    Fei Jin and Fei Yin were standing in front of a line of children. The youngest couldn¡¯t be younger than three and the oldest couldn¡¯t be older than twelve. They each carried a basket of small red pouches. Qinghe knew that each of those pouches contained a single round sweet stamped with the character for double happiness. Distributing such wedding sweets was meant to spread the wedding cheer and invite others¡¯ blessings for the couple being wedded.


    Near the gates, Fei Jin announced loudly with his hands on his hips, ¡°Good. After we start moving, you will walk along the edge of the procession and give a pouch to each person you come by. If your basket runs out, just grab more from the spatial storage ring we provided you all. Everyone who works diligently will get more sweets to eat at the end. Did everyone understand everything I said?¡±


    A fire was lit in all the children¡¯s eyes at the mention of the sweet reward awaiting them. They nodded as one and immediately started looking around for prey they could thrust a red pouch at the second the procession would begin.


    Seeing their enthusiasm, both Qinghe and Wei Xiang had to hide their smiles. Qinghe wistfully thought back to the process of making those sweets and how fun it had been.


    At first, he and Wei Xiang had wanted to work on it together with only Feng Huixin, Feng Chunyi, and the twins. But after hearing of it from the twins, Jing Shui puffed up his cheeks and declared that he wanted to be involved in his friend¡¯s wedding in Heaven too. He even offered the use of one of the large kitchens in a restaurant affiliated with the Golden Sun Sect. In the end, making the sweets had ended up involving not only Wei Xiang, Qinghe¡¯s parents, the twins, and Jing Shui, but also Wu Xiao, Chen Xiande, Hei NingYu, along with Xie Xingye and Zheng Xuan as well.


    Wei Xiang was designated as the main cook, with Feng Huixin helping him at the side and Qinghe in charge of mixing the ingredients. Zheng Xuan kneaded the dough, the twins put it into the molds and stamped the character for double happiness into it, while Jing Shui procured and passed along the ingredients when needed. The Wu Xiao who was disallowed by Jing Shui to touch anything food-related due to his disastrous cooking ability was given the simple duty of putting each round sweet into a small red pouch and setting it aside.


    Meanwhile, Feng Chunyi and Xie Xingye ended up sitting and talking excitedly with their like-minded comrade Hei NingYu. They eagerly discussed together about demonic cultivation techniques and methods of torture before their talks turned to the best ways of filleting and gutting a person without killing them and also keeping them conscious. Qinghe and Wei Xiang occasionally piped in with their own comments and suggestions on the gruesome subject.


    Feng Huixin and Zheng Xuan ignored them by practice, but Chen Xiande and Wu Xiao couldn¡¯t help but twitch their lips every now and then. Jing Shui showed an openly horrified expression, shooting the trio alarmed glances. In the end, it was Fei Jin and Fei Yin who yelled at them to stop talking about such a gory and ill-omened topic while they were making sweets for a happy occasion like a wedding.


    After all the sweets were made and packed, the cheerfully chatting trio was put in charge of the monumental cleaning duty since they hadn¡¯t helped with anything else. Much pouting and pleading for their lovers¡¯ help had ensued, only for all of them to be rejected. Once everything was done, they all dined in the same restaurant whose kitchen they had just used. There had been more shenanigans, laughter, and reminiscing done while sharing a luxurious meal.


    All in all, it had ended up being a memorable and fun occasion.


    Seeing Qinghe¡¯s distant gaze and warm smile, Wei Xiang asked, ¡°What are you thinking about, love?¡±


    Qinghe blinked and turned to his beloved. ¡°I was thinking about that time we made those sweets. It was very enjoyable to do something with everyone.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes darkened with remembrance. He smirked and said, ¡°Yes, and the way we both used the remaining ingredients afterward was even more enjoyable.¡±


    Wisps of pleasant memories filled Qinghe¡¯s mind, making him blush fiercely. He could almost feel the sensation of the cold sugar syrup dripping down his back, his lover¡¯s hot tongue following it, fingers firmly rubbing something rough and sticky onto the two buds on his chest, Wei Xiang lips and teeth eating it off of him while he squirmed and cried out with desperate need¡­


    Qinghe swallowed and let out a hot breath. His pupils expanded as he instinctively took a step towards his beloved. With a hooded gaze, Wei Xiang scented his mate¡¯s awakening arousal and leaned forward, his heart speeding up. Their faces slowly inched closer until they could see their reflection on their lover¡¯s dark eyes with crisp clarity.


    Two pairs of hands suddenly pulled Qinghe and Wei Xing away from each other as the twins¡¯ voices sounded, ¡°Brother Wei, Senior Brother, stop it! It¡¯s time to begin!¡±


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang blinked to clear the disorienting fog of desire clouding their minds. Just a bit more, and they could touch each other all they wanted on their marriage bed. Feeling all too eager to get their wedding underway, they exchanged one last heated glance before letting the twins pull them away to their respective mounts.


    Rather than using marriage sedans, Qinghe and Wei Xiang had decided to instead ride deer-like spiritual beasts in the procession. After learning of their wedding, the spiritual beasts of the Silver-scaled Cervid Clan had especially requested the Feng household to allow them to provide two of their most promising members as mounts for the wedding procession. It was clear that they were both currying favor and offering support to the Feng household. Since there was no harm in it, Qinghe and Wei Xiang had agreed.


    The two beasts from the clan who had offered themselves as mounts had white feathers tipping their ears and more fluffy plumes around the top of their shining black hooves. Delicate silver scales that shone dazzlingly sheathed every part of their body except their faces. Their narrow muzzles were elegant and covered in a thin layer of fine white fur. One of the beasts had deep violet eyes while the other¡¯s were dark crimson in color. Thirteen golden horns protruded from their heads like a crown. Fluffy white tails that looked to be made out of feather strands lightly waved to and fro as if with eagerness. Their slender limbs and gracefully lean bodies hid enough power to drag forward a whole house if they so wished.


    After the couple reached the two mounts, Wei Xiang easily climbed atop the violet-eyed beast and was ready to begin the procession, but Qinghe merely looked uneasily at the red-eyed one. Wei Xiang was amused to find that his little lover seemed uncomfortable at the thought of riding this spiritual beast while he hadn¡¯t thought twice before mounting Wei Xiang¡¯s wyvern form and soaring in the skies. In the end, the twins and Wei Xiang, along with the red-eyed beast herself, managed to convince Qinghe to ride the beast for the few hours it¡¯d take to reach the wedding venue.


    Generally, a traditional wedding procession would carry the bride to the groom¡¯s house, where the ceremony would then take place. But since both Qinghe and Wei Xiang were male and called the same place home, they had decided long ago to hold the ceremony in the throne room of the Heavenly Palace instead.


    It was a bold move, but also one that seemed to say with its actions that they considered the entire heavenly court as their extended family. Rather than calling them pretentious or outrageous for such an action as any other court would have, the deities of the heavenly court with their mishmash of strange personalities and laissez-faire attitude were instead pleased and moved by such a gesture. It was only later during the ceremony that they came to understand that the reason for having such a large audience was so that the two people being wed could flaunt their affections and rub their romantic bliss in all their faces! But that was a realization that would only happen later.


    After setting off from the Feng residence, the wedding procession quickly grew full of boisterousness and energy. Close friends of Feng Chunyi and Feng Huixin, along with people Qinghe and Wei Xiang had become familiar with after ascending, marched along with wide smiles and bright eyes while accompanying the soon-to-be-weds.


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang rode together at the center of the procession, silently sharing happy smiles and stealing little glances at each other. The twins marched on either side of them to ensure nothing would disturb their happiness this day.


    Meanwhile, people carried brilliant lanterns hung from slender sticks while red banners fluttered in the wind. Cheerful music constantly flowed around them. Continuous streams of firecracker talismans were lit up as the procession moved along the path, the loud bursts and bright flashes lending a livery air.


    On every street they passed through, there would be people crowding on either side, shouting out their wishes for the couple¡¯s happiness or commenting that they were a good match. Of course, there were also a few audacious teasing statements that made Qinghe¡¯s cheeks turn pink while Wei Xiang only chuckled amusedly.


    The children carrying baskets full of the wedding sweets happily threaded through the crowd to hand out as many little red pouches as they could. One little girl even ran up to Qinghe and Wei Xiang to shyly present them with a pair of red pouches. The couple suppressed their laughter and solemnly took the sweets. Qinghe broke his into halves and gave one each to the twins while Wei Xiang shared his with his beloved.


    In the meantime, seeing the cheerful sweet distribution squad at work along with their first time witnessing such a large procession, several children from the crowd were bright-eyed and curious. Some even asked their parents to join the procession. Soon, little children holding fistfuls of ribbons twirled and laughed merrily as they ran with energetic little feet alongside the moving stream of people. More children with jingling bells and rattle drums followed them, joining the group of musicians in the procession and cheerfully adding to the joyful din.


    Rather than use transportation arrays to shorten the distance, the wedding procession moved all the way from the gates of the Feng residence that was situated deep in the forests at the edge of the capital to the Heavenly Palace that sat right in the middle of the capital. But since the people in the procession were all deities and the mounts used were both strong spiritual beasts, the wedding procession reached its destination within two hours. The sweet-distributing children had all long since finished their task by now, and along with the other children who had joined them in the middle, had stopped partway to rest.


    The golden gates of the Heavenly Palace were thrown open to invite the wedding procession in. Firework talismans were rolled up and placed into bamboo tubes before being shot upward using spiritual energy, activating them. As the firework talismans went off, showers of colorful sparks burst above the palace with loud booms and crackles, setting the darkening sky alight in welcome to the couple. Whenever two active embers collided mid-air, they gave rise to another spray of bright glimmers that exploded in the sky. A chain of bangs echoed while brilliant colors flashed continuously.


    The people in the wedding procession looked up at the sky, drinking in this sight of blooming fireworks raining sparkles of light, dense enough to almost cover the sky. The flickering bursts cast layers of colors on their upturned faces. Wei Xiang simply looked at it all with a composed expression as unknown thoughts swam in his mind. But the Qinghe and twins who had never before seen such a lavish display stared at the exploding sky with glittering eyes.


    Suddenly, two lines of glowing yellow lotuses came into being on either side of the path that led from the gateway to the Heavenly Palace¡¯s door. The luminescent lotuses made of light hovered at eye-level and lit up the way forward for the procession, offering more illumination as dusk settled. Tearing their gazes away from the fireworks, the wedding procession followed the lotuses and slowly made their way inside the palace before heading towards the open doors of the throne room.


    The usually silver wisps of smoke that curled under the crystalline floor of the throne room had now turned into vaporous ribbons of gold while the floor itself became a festive red appropriate for the wedding. Luxurious shimmering red silk covered the walls while red banners with more characters for double happiness swayed in the breeze stirred up by the arrival of the wedding procession. The ceiling was covered with more red fabric while staying clear of the round skylight. Behind the circular opening covered with transparent glass, white fire with golden edges burned, flooding the hall with bright light. Except for the pearly Throne of Heaven at the head, the entirety of the vast and spacious throne room was decorated in red and gold for the wedding.


    Past the line of tall pillars on either side stood everyone invited to the wedding. Feng Huixin, Feng Chunyi, Xie Xingye, and Zheng Xuan waited beside the platform with the Throne. The Heavenly Emperor solemnly stood in front of the Throne, his usually white attire swapped for a golden yellow to match the occasion. As soon as the wedding procession entered and the people of the procession dissolved into the crowd, the guests all turned to look for the couple about to be wed.


    The second Qinghe and Wei Xiang stepped into the throne room and alighted from their mounts, the entire crowd went up in cheers with some brazen whistles thrown in. The suddenness of it made Qinghe¡¯s eyes widen while Wei Xiang merely raised his brows in surprise. Abandoning their non-existent decorum, the deities loudly called out wishes for their happy lives and blessings for their future together, their loud shouts overlapping. Someone conjured up a rain of colorful flower petals to sprinkle down on the entire hall.


    There were actually many reasons for the deities¡¯ intense excitement. For one, it was rare to see people being married in the heavenly realm, since most couples would have already had their wedding in the world they were from before ascending. And so, marriages were a cause for great celebration whenever they occurred here. Not only that, but the couple marrying today were important figures to boot¨Done being the future Heavenly Emperor and the other the future leader of the Offices of Judgment, along with them both being related to the Heavenly General and the current leader of the Offices of Judgment who would also ascend the Heavenly Throne next. Being able to witness such a historic and extraordinary moment as the marriage of such important people, the deities naturally felt exhilarated.


    Adding to that, these two people had treated them as family by allowing them to attend their wedding like this. Qinghe and Wei Xiang had also made quite the impression till now by displaying their intelligence and competence while gathering many allies, helping some of these deities when they ran into difficulties, and had made a very good impression overall. And due to Feng Chunyi¡¯s friend Ai Li spreading around an overly dramatized version of their romance, it was no wonder that all these gossip-loving deities were thrilled to see them finally being married after everything they heard that this couple went through.


    Meanwhile, their startlement giving way to smiles at such an enthusiastic welcome, Qinghe and Wei Xiang slowly strode towards the platform. As they walked, they spotted Fei Jin and Fei Yin slipping through the crowd and handing people small bags of something, followed by whispered explanations that the couple couldn¡¯t hear. The recipient of the bag would grin and nod, tucking it into their sleeve mysteriously.


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang looked at each other, puzzled. What were those brats planning? But knowing that whatever they were up to would not be something detrimental to their wedding ceremony, the couple chose to put it aside and continued onward with steady steps.


    After reaching the platform, Qinghe and Wei Xiang climbed up the stairs until they stood in front of the Heavenly Emperor.


    A hush softly fell over the room as everyone quietened, waiting for the ceremony to begin.


    Though Qinghe and Wei Xiang stood with slight smiles and calm gazes, their hearts thudded inside their chests with anticipation and nervousness.


    The Heavenly Emperor opened his mouth and his voice rolled through the room, low and weighty as he announced, ¡°We will now begin the wedding ceremony of Deity Feng Qinghe and Wyvern Sovereign Wei Xiang.¡±


    The attention of everyone was focused on the platform.


    Looking at the couple in front of him, the Heavenly Emperor stated solemnly, ¡°Feng Qinghe, Wei Xiang, you have walked your own paths to reach this moment. But from this day forth, you will walk the path lying before you together. Your lives will become one, your fates shall be entwined.¡± Turning, he continued, ¡°I call upon the Deity of Fate to bless this union and bind this pair¡¯s destinies together.¡±


    Soft footsteps and rustling fabric sounded as a person slowly walked out from between the guests. The deities surrounding them startled and backed away, surprise on their faces as if unsure where this new person had come from.


    The Deity of Fate who¡¯d just stepped out of the crowd was a short, petite, androgynous person whose gender was impossible to determine. They wore a thick and heavy grey robe with a high collar that completely covered their body from neck to toe. Their hair was a similar dusty grey with streaks of white as it tumbled down their shoulders, unbound. The top half of their face, from the middle of their nose bridge to their forehead, was completely covered with worn satin bandages. The visible skin of their face was even-toned and ghastly pale with a greyish pallor. Their chin was pointed delicately while their small, plush lips were a purplish-pink in color. As they ponderously moved forward, their clothing rustled stiffly like the sound of dry leaves rubbing together. They walked at the pace of an arthritic elderly man and slowly made their way up to the platform.


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang turned to them and bowed respectfully as Qinghe spoke, ¡°We greet the Deity of Fate.¡±


    The deity paused and slowly turned to look at him. Qinghe felt an eerie, piercing gaze on the back of his head but remained bowing. He finally heard a rustle as the deity nodded in acknowledgment. Qinghe and Wei Xiang straightened again.


    This Deity of Fate only ever appeared like this during the rare marriages or the even rarer funerals taking place in the heavenly realm. In the case of marriages, if the couple being married were suitable, the deity would bind their fates. In the case of funerals, the deity cut away all ties of the departing soul to the world of the living except any existing soul bond. If two deities being wedded did not have a soul bond, then the bond bestowed by the Deity of Fate would keep them tethered throughout this one life. If they already had a soul bond, then the link tied between them by the Deity of Fate would strengthen it by many times.


    As the Deity of Fate stood beside the Heavenly Emperor, they raised both their hands, palms up, in a silent request. Qinghe and Wei Xiang complied, lifting one of their hands each and placing it in the deity¡¯s outstretched palms. The deity¡¯s hands were very small with sharp almond-shaped claws tipping their fingers. Their skin felt dry like paper under Qinghe¡¯s and Wei Xiang¡¯s touch.


    The Deity of Fate grew unmoving, not even seeming to breathe as they assessed the compatibility of the couple¡¯s fates together. The air in the room turned still and solemn as everyone waited for their verdict. A minute later, the deity gave a slow, deliberate nod.


    There was a sudden rush of exhaled breaths in the hall. Wei Xiang suppressed a sigh of relief while Qinghe merely smiled as if having expected this favorable result.


    The Deity of Fate let go of their palms. But knowing that they were not yet done, the couple didn¡¯t yet lower their hands.


    Sure enough, the Heavenly Emperor announced, ¡°Your union has been judged as harmonious. May the Deity of Fate now bind your destinies together for this lifetime using the red thread.¡±


    The Deity of Fate looked down at Qinghe¡¯s and Wei Xiang¡¯s hands that almost touched as they were offered to them. They slowly lifted their index finger and used its claw to prickle the outer side of Wei Xiang¡¯s wrist. A small point of blood welled from the prickle. Another tiny dot of red was drawn out from the side of Qinghe¡¯s wrist in a similar way. Then touching the claws of both index fingers to the two points of blood, the deity drew their fingers upward. A thread of red liquid connected each claw with its respective dot of blood, the thin line of crimson liquid glistening as it stretched up.


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang fought a frown as they felt something pulling in their chests.


    Bringing their claws together, the Deity of Fate let the two lines of red thread connect. The two threads of blood joined together with a snap, becoming one. There was now a single thin line of shining red liquid connecting the couple¡¯s wrists.


    Feeling something zing inside their souls, the pair suppressed the need to clutch at their chests. Qinghe and Wei Xiang shared a quick glance, confirming that their beloved felt the same. They could both sense their soul bond twang and swell as if just fed with a thousand acts of dual cultivation.


    The line of red connecting their wrists began gradually glowing with a mixture of silver and gold that was drawn directly from the couple¡¯s souls. The thread stretching between them burned brighter and brighter before slowly dissolving into the air. But the couple could still feel the bond between their souls thrumming with the sudden strengthening that red thread had brought.


    The Heavenly Emperor informed, ¡°The red thread of fate has been fully connected. You are now bound.¡±


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang shook off the strange sensation and bowed deeply to the Deity of Fate while saying as one, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The deity nodded. Their work done, they slowly descended the stairs and disappeared into the throngs of the bewildered guests again.


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang turned to face the Heavenly Emperor as he said, ¡°We will now commence the three ceremonial bows.¡±


    His majestic voice boomed loudly as he announced, ¡°Make the first bow to the heavens.¡±


    Without exchanging a word, Qinghe and Wei Xiang bowed towards the Heavenly Emperor and the Throne behind him. Chuckles and choked out laughs sounded from the witnessing crowd. The Heavenly Emperor¡¯s mouth twitched, but since they were technically not wrong, he let it go.


    ¡°Second bow to the ancestors and parents.¡±


    Smiling small smiles, Qinghe and Wei Xiang straightened before turning to face the group of Feng Huixin, Feng Chunyi, Zheng Xuan, and Xie Xingye at the base of the platform. As the pair bowed towards them respectfully, Xie Xingye conscientiously stepped away to let his startled lover be the clear recipient of Wei Xiang¡¯s bow.


    Wei Xiang was beyond grateful towards his mother-in-law and Master for giving birth to Qinghe, and he was just as grateful towards Zheng Xuan for helping his mother while she laid and protected his egg. Similarly, Qinghe was thankful for his parents, their love and care, and the happy home they provided him both before his fall and after his ascension. And he was just as grateful for his father¡¯s part in raising Wei Xiang into the person he was now while being there when he needed him.


    Receiving their bows, Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes gleamed with a suspicious wetness while Feng Chunyi smiled gently and leaned into her husband. Witnessing their beloved sons finally getting married and seeing their unhidden respect for them made their hearts feel too full. Though Zheng Xuan was surprised that Wei Xiang showed him such gratitude, his face still softened with warmth. He wished his queen and her mate could¡¯ve been here to see what a fine person their son had grown into. He wished they could¡¯ve seen him being happily married. He felt immensely honored that in their absence, Wei Xiang chose to show him that gratitude.


    The Heavenly Emperor¡¯s voice sounded, ¡°Third bow to each other.¡±


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang straightened again and turned to face one another. Their smiles turned tender, their expressions unconsciously showing their affection. Complex emotions layered their gazes as they looked into each other¡¯s eyes.


    As one, they bowed deeply towards their beloved.


    They loved and cherished the other person, that was true, but they also had the utmost respect for their lover.


    Qinghe admired his Xiang¡¯s resilience in the face of knowing that every person he¡¯d trusted in his clan had betrayed him, his sharpness that would never let anyone take him for a fool, the maturity and kindness with which he treated people, his straightforwardness and intelligence, his sensibleness and gentleness, his ability to bear the burden of the entire Order of Sentinels, that sense of duty and responsibility¡­ Qinghe respected all these qualities and more in his Xiang, and he naturally didn¡¯t mind expressing all that by bowing here right now.


    Likewise, Wei Xiang admired his Qinghe as well. He was in awe of his little lover¡¯s clever mind that thought in twists and turns that no one could fathom, his ability to retain his innocence in certain areas despite all he went through, along with his astuteness and his sheer brilliance, his aloofness and ability to be impartial, but also his empathy and his selfless devotion towards those he loved¡­ Wei Xiang respected every one of these qualities along with a lot of other aspects as well, and he didn¡¯t mind showing the true extent of his regard before everyone.


    ¡°Rise,¡± the Heavenly Emperor called.


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang straightened, their gazes meeting each other¡¯s for a moment to exchange a deep look before they turned to face the Heavenly Emperor again.


    ¡°With Heaven as witness and Fate as judge, Feng Qinghe and Wei Xiang are now bound in matrimony, from now until the time their souls willingly part.¡±


    Loud cheers rent the air just as the last word was uttered. Amid the raucous shouts, Qinghe and Wei Xiang looked at each other with shining eyes. They were married! They were finally husbands!


    The Heavenly Emperor¡¯s solemn face softened as he stepped back to give the couple their space.


    ¡°We should probably exchange that thing those twin brats gave us,¡± Wei Xiang reminded, his smiled filled with anticipation.


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes widened as he remembered the round spiced candy Fei Yin had given him. They both quickly took their respective candy out of their storage space and popped it into their mouths. Without a word, they wrapped their arms around their new husband and pulled them close, their mouths heading for each other.


    The cheers of the guests intensified. Qinghe could even hear his mother¡¯s shouting urging them on to kiss very clearly.


    As their open lips finally met and clamped over one another, Qinghe and Wei Xiang tried to exchange the candy in their mouths as per what the twins had said. But the two sticky balls would either cling to each other, get bounced back, or fall from their tongues to lie on the sides of their mouths. The couple twisted their tongues around one another and pressed closer, trying to get the damn candies into their husband¡¯s mouth. They changed the angles of their lips and wrestled with their tongues, trying to finish the exchange. But from the outside, it looked like what they were exchanging was a very heated, passionate, and long kiss.


    The watching deities couldn¡¯t help but feel that after being married, this couple had gotten even more shameless with their blatant displays of affection!


    By the time Qinghe and Wei Xiang finished putting their candy in their beloved¡¯s mouth, the candies had almost completely dissolved. Successfully completing the exchange, they finally parted, their faces flushed with exertion and their chests lightly heaving. Exchanging candies with their mouths was far more difficult than they¡¯d imagined!


    In a serious voice, Qinghe commented, ¡°We need to train ourselves more in this area.¡±


    Wei Xiang suppressed a laugh and gravely nodded. ¡°Yes, we need to practice it again and again with our mouths.¡±


    ¡°Using more sweet candies,¡± Qinghe added.


    Wei Xiang let out a helpless chuckle. ¡°Yes, yes, how can we forget my beloved little husband¡¯s favorite sweet candies?¡±


    Being called husband for the first time, Qinghe¡¯s face turned red with a mixture of shyness and pleasure.


    As the newlyweds happily flirted in front of the entire hall of guests and fed them dog food, the twins suddenly shouted, ¡°Everyone, do it now!¡±


    Sensing many small projectiles unexpectedly approaching them, Qinghe and Wei Xiang didn¡¯t even think before raising up their wide sleeves to protect their heads and sent out their spiritual sense to see what was going on.


    Every guest had a small open bag of rice in one palm while they used their other hand to gather up fistfuls of the white grains to throw at the newlyweds.


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes widened with confusion while Wei Xiang laughed. ¡°Those little brats must have set them up for rice-throwing beforehand.¡±


    Qinghe looked wronged. ¡°No wonder they were sneakily passing those bags to the guests before¡­¡±


    Standing beside the Throne and safely outside the range of bombardment, the Heavenly Emperor advised the newlyweds good-naturedly, ¡°They will only get more enthusiastic as time passes, so you should depart for the wedding chamber soon.¡±


    The couple nodded and wordlessly held hands. Sharing a look filled with both exasperation and humor, they kept their sleeves up to defend their faces from the flying grains of rice and quickly made their way towards the open doors of the throne room. The pitter-patter and light vibrations of rice grains bouncing off the heavy embroidered cloth continued unceasingly as they hurried onward.


    Someone shouted, ¡°They¡¯re going to escape! Quick, throw more!¡±


    Feng Chunyi cackled and called, ¡°I¡¯m only doing this to give you my blessings and bring you more prosperity, so don¡¯t hold it against me, you brats!¡±


    Xie Xingye spurred her on, ¡°That¡¯s right, sister! Give them more! Your aim¡¯s better, so here, take my share of rice as well. Lord Zheng, Brother-in-law, if you¡¯re not going to fully use yours, then give it to Chunyi too.¡±


    Zheng Xuan¡¯s low rumble of a chuckle and Feng Huixin¡¯s helpless sigh followed.


    Another guest giggled and yelled gleefully, ¡°Do you think you can escape so easily after abusing my fragile single heart! Take this! And this!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let them get away easily! Pelt them with more grains!¡±


    And so, under their combined efforts, the shower of rice on the newlyweds intensified.


    As they strode towards the doors hurriedly, Qinghe buried his face into Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulder and laughed. This was so ridiculous! Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes gleamed as he smiled amusedly as well. His hand tightening on Qinghe¡¯s, Wei Xiang increased their pace while saying, ¡°We¡¯d better hurry, or as the Heavenly Emperor said, they¡¯ll only get worse. I don¡¯t want any more rice falling into my clothes. It¡¯s itchy.¡±


    Qinghe laughed harder and nodded, keeping up with his beloved¡¯s quickened steps. A few more moments later, the pair was finally out of the throne room and had successfully escaped the rice shower that had grown into a dense torrent. Still holding hands, they lowered the sleeves they¡¯d used as shields and shook the rice off from their clothes. After Wei Xiang managed to pick out the rice that had gotten inside his robes, the couple made their way out the Heavenly Palace¡¯s main building before the wedding guests could think up something else to do.


    Inside the throne room, the guests would soon be treated to the traditional six-course banquet starring a whole, giant fish caught by Qinghe and cooked by Wei Xiang.


    Meanwhile, outside in the vast gardens, Qinghe pulled Wei Xiang along on the path towards a certain transportation array. The fireworks had long stopped, leaving the night tranquil. The dark sky spread above them, the stars twinkling like granules of shattered gems.


    Qinghe picked another grain of rice from his hair and sighed. ¡°I should brush my hair to get it all out soon. I won¡¯t be surprised if I still miss some and find seedlings growing out of my head in a week.¡±


    Wei Xiang chuffed in laughter. ¡°I¡¯ll help you comb your hair after we get back to our room. We can take a bath and rid ourselves of all the rice.¡±


    Qinghe showed him a sly smile. ¡°Xiang, what makes you think we¡¯re going to our room back at the house? This is our wedding night, and it¡¯ll naturally take place in our special wedding chamber.¡±


    Blinking bewilderedly, Wei Xiang asked, ¡°We have a special wedding chamber?¡±


    Qinghe chuckled. Giving up on extracting all the rice tangled in his hair that was exposed outside the black cap, he looped an arm around Wei Xiang¡¯s waist and nuzzled against his cheek. ¡°Yes, we do. Mother and Father helped me set it up especially for us to use today. It will be our home away from home. But primarily, it will belong to you.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°Now I¡¯m curious to see what you¡¯ve all set up behind my back.¡±


    Laughing, Qinghe snuggled closer into his husband¡¯s side. Wei Xing put an arm around his beloved and smiled.


    The status of their relationship might have changed today, but their affection still remained just as deep.


    ¡­¡­


    Half an hour later, Qinghe and Wei Xiang stood on the ledge jutting out of a mountainside, looking into the open maw of a large cave. The tilt of the mountain slope was such that it hid the mouth of the cave when viewed from above while the ledge hid its view from below. All around them were mountains and tall cliffs covered with greenery. The sound of a waterfall could be heard as it fed the river that flowed below on the right. The air here was thin, fresh, and crisp, tinged with the smell of moist earth, verdant leaves, and clean water.


    Wei Xiang looked at the cave in front of them with surprise. ¡°Qinghe¡­this is¡­¡±


    Qinghe smiled smugly. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say before that you wanted one? You might have been under the influence of your beast instincts then, but I figured you really would like having a place like this for yourself. After all, the effects of your heat period might have subsided, but it¡¯s not like you aren¡¯t a wyvern with a wyvern¡¯s preferences now as well.¡±


    Wei Xiang took in a shuddering breath and nodded. ¡°Thank you,¡± he said, his voice quiet.


    Qinghe smiled and pulled Wei Xiang towards the cave entrance. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to come in?¡±


    Wei Xiang dazedly followed him inside.


    As they passed through the cave mouth, Wei Xiang felt a flash of spiritual energy pass him by. He guessed that there must be a restrictive formation on this cave¡¯s entrance to prevent anyone other than him and his beloved from entering. Entering the cave, Wei Xiang was surprised to find that the entire space was already suffused with his and Qinghe¡¯s mixed scent, along with a blend of familiar smells that made him think of home. It instinctively caused him to relax despite the unfamiliarity of his surroundings. Curiously enough, he could hear the almost silent sound of trickling water coming from deeper within.


    The cave mouth led into a long and wide tunnel that was lit by teardrop-shaped yellow crystals. The glowing crystals were affixed in two neat rows high above on the cave walls. The buttery yellow illumination they cast was enough for Qinghe and Wei Xiang to see by with their advanced vision. The mellow light emitted by the crystals gave the entire cave a soft and homey feel.


    The cave walls were a dark grey and mostly smooth with only slight unevenness. Silvery streaks of metallic ore gleamed in the rock walls here and there. The path under their feet was flat and smooth. The tunnel itself was wide and high enough to accommodate Wei Xiang even in his wyvern form.


    A few moments of walking later, the passageway widened into a spacious cavern that was dozens of times bigger than the tunnel itself. As Wei Xiang stepped into it, his breath caught in his throat.


    The huge cavern was roughly circular in shape with the walls and ceiling forming a gigantic dome of uneven rock. Small pockets in the walls held roughly cut transparent stones in various colors that glowed brightly, casting light of different hues. They looked like colorful stars in contrast to the dark walls they were nestled in.


    A line of molten yellow glowed around the cave¡¯s edges, illuminating the floor. The entire cave floor was covered with thick carpets. Resting near the border were glass cabinets that displayed glittering treasures, well-maintained weapons, and artifacts that thrummed with power. Wei Xiang recognized several of these things either from where they had been displayed in the Feng residence, as the objects that he himself had collected on behalf of the Order of Sentinels, or as the trophies that his beloved had proudly showed off to him before. Plush cushions in various sizes interspersed the rest of the cave floor, ready for a pair of humans or a large wyvern to rest in comfortably.


    On one side of the cavern, a small waterfall poured clear water into a natural pool. The pool was bordered with smooth, rounded rocks. Algae that glowed with a mild and pleasant blue-green covered the bottom of the pool. With just a glance, Wei Xiang knew that the algae would feel soft and velvety to the touch.


    At the center of the cavern, there was a shallow depression cut into the cave floor. Guessing what it was, Wei Xiang slowly walked up to it and peered in. Sure enough, it was a very comfortable nest. It was lined on all sides with soft and luxurious materials like the feathers and pelts of rare beasts and treasured fabrics from all the various realms, and it was also piled high with several large pillows for padding. It looked warm and inviting, the perfect place for a wyvern to snuggle in with his mate.


    Thinking of all the effort it must have taken for his family to arrange such a perfect place for him, Wei Xiang was overwhelmed with emotions. He was unable to express all that he felt through words alone.


    Beside him, the Qinghe who was studying his expression showed a happy smile. ¡°This place will be our retreat from the world, a space for just the two of us when you choose it to be. You can keep things that make you happy to look at here in the cabinets. Whenever your heat period arrives, we can spend it here in comfort and privacy. This is our space. Our home away from home, as I said. Do you like it?¡±


    Wei Xiang quickly nodded. Turning to look at Qinghe and seeing his pleased smile, Wei Xiang¡¯s lips pulled up as well. His voice sounded choked with emotions as he said softly, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s smile brightened. ¡°If it makes you happy, then I¡¯ve achieved my aim.¡± His voice turning playful, he continued, ¡°Now that we¡¯re here, it¡¯s time for you to keep to your word of brushing my hair.¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled affectionately. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll do that then.¡±


    Looking around, he spotted a group of chairs around a table with a teapot and set of cups on it. He made Qinghe sit on the chair and got out the comb he knew his beloved liked him to use the most. But after removing the black cap on Qinghe¡¯s head and seeing the complex hairdo Feng Chunyi had made, Wei Xiang could only sigh and say, ¡°Love, undoing this is going to take a while.¡±


    Qinghe sighed as well. ¡°Mother did something, didn¡¯t she? I knew there was a reason she didn¡¯t let me use the mirror!¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled and shook his head. He should¡¯ve expected this from his mother-in-law.


    Not wasting time, Qinghe and Wei Xiang worked together to undo that complicated knot of a hairdo until Qinghe¡¯s hair fell down in a long, unbound waterfall. After taking a few minutes to let Qinghe considerately massage his not-at-all-sore fingers, Wei Xiang took up the comb to begin working on Qinghe¡¯s hair. Qinghe was soon letting out encouraging murmurs and moans of pleasure. Rice constantly poured from his hair at first before the flow of grains slowly turned to a trickle. By the time Wei Xiang finished, Qinghe had slumped into the chair in a comfortable and drowsy puddle of happiness. But he soon roused himself and reciprocated. Qinghe first removed Wei Xiang''s black cap and undid his more simple hairdo. He then brushed the rice out of Wei Xiang''s hair as well and drew out sounds of bliss and contentment from his beloved.


    Once the pair of husbands were finished combing each other¡¯s hair, Wei Xiang reminded, ¡°We still have one thing left to do to complete the ceremony.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°The wedding night?¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled. ¡°Yes, that too. But before that, we still have the exchange of cups left to do.¡±


    Qinghe blinked his eyes in realization. He got out a pair of finely-wrought metal cups while Wei Xiang retrieved a jar of sweet fruit wine from his spatial storage. After pouring the wine into the cups, they held one each and hooked their arms around one another¡¯s before bringing their cup back to their lips. Qinghe drank the wine with relish, and even after the exchange was complete, he continued looking at the jar of wine in Wei Xiang¡¯s hand with longing eyes. Wei Xiang silently put the jar back into his storage space. He did not want his wedding night to be spent drinking. There were far more fun things he¡¯d rather do.


    Seeing the tasty wine disappearing, Qinghe pouted. But remembering that it was time for them to finally share the marriage bed, he grew excited again. ¡°Xiang, are we going to have our wedding night now?¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled at his enthusiasm. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Qinghe tilted his head. ¡°Hmm, but after already having done it so many times, is it even possible for it to be special now?¡±


    ¡°Do you want it to be special then?¡± Wei Xiang asked with hidden amusement and affection.


    Nodding, Qinghe replied, ¡°Well, yes. Since we went through all that ceremony to get here and we¡¯re wearing such elaborate clothes and all, we might as well try to make our wedding night something to remember, no?¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled. ¡°Yes, my little husband is absolutely right.¡±


    Qinghe blinked, thrown off at that address again. His cheeks turned a warm pink as his eyes easily displayed his bashfulness. Wei Xiang grinned with delight. He extended a hand and called, ¡°Come here, we should start undressing now.¡±


    Qinghe huffed to hide his shyness and went closer. Wei Xiang gently began taking off his outer coat and undoing his belt. Qinghe felt puzzled. Wasn¡¯t this just what they usually did? But he still cooperatively started on Wei Xiang¡¯s clothes as well, removing it layer by layer. Qinghe couldn¡¯t help but wonder what his Xiang had planned. Was it some new type of roleplay or something they¡¯ve never even tried before? But even then, seeing how adventurous they were in matters of bed, it would just be the usual for them. Just what was Wei Xiang planning?


    While Qinghe was busy pondering, he felt Wei Xiang¡¯s hands suddenly halt as his husband took in a sharp breath. Qinghe looked at him, then back down at the last layer of his clothes with confusion. ¡°Xiang? Is something wrong?¡±


    Wei Xiang mutely shook his head, his gaze intently focused on Qinghe¡¯s body.


    The last layer of robe left on Qinghe was the one Feng Chunyi had especially prepared for him. It was a translucent, dusky red through which the outline of Qinghe¡¯s body was clearly visible. It showed just enough of his skin to entice while seeming to turn the view fuzzy at strategic places. The red robe painted a flushed hue over his body, shading it in the color of a passionate haze.


    Wei Xiang stared at it enraptured, his Adam¡¯s apple bobbing.


    Not understanding his beloved¡¯s reaction, Qinghe moved to undo this last layer on his own and set it aside. But Wei Xiang¡¯s gaze remained just as burning as before as it settled over his bare body.


    Eager to start, Qinghe turned and leapt to land inside the plush nest and lied down comfortably. Looking up at the Wei Xiang still staring at him from the nest¡¯s edge, Qinghe smiled sultrily and hooked a finger at him in beckoning. In a husky whisper, he enticed, ¡°Xiang, my husband, won¡¯t you come here and begin our wedding night?¡±


    Wei Xiang growled soundlessly. Taking in a deep breath and letting it out, he struggled to compose himself as he walked forward. Jumping into the soft nest, he directly headed for his tempting mate and crouched over him.


    Feeling his Xiang¡¯s warm and bare body on top of him, Qinghe¡¯s smile widened. He lifted a hand to pull Wei Xiang¡¯s head down for a kiss, but Wei Xiang unexpectedly captured his wrist and pressed it to the padded floor. Qinghe blinked in puzzlement. Shrugging, he lifted his legs to hook them around Wei Xiang¡¯s waist, only for them to be pressed down as well.


    Wei Xiang buried his face into the crook of his beloved¡¯s neck and exhaled, ¡°Qinghe¡­¡±


    Qinghe laid still and looked up at Wei Xiang confusedly. In a hesitant voice, he called, ¡°Xiang?¡±


    Wei Xiang lifted his head and smiled. The hecticness of the wedding finally left him, and all he felt now was a contended peace and the desire to shower his affections on his new husband. Since his dear Qinghe wanted this to be special, he would try to make it special. Cradling Qinghe¡¯s face between his palms, Wei Xiang bent down to press a kiss to his forehead.


    Qinghe stilled, wondering why his beloved wasn¡¯t preparing him yet. But sensing the softness of the emotions suffusing his Xiang¡¯s actions, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to hurry him up. He felt flustered, not knowing how to react.


    Meanwhile, Wei Xiang continued kissing Qinghe, once on the tip of his nose, on his lips, and on his chin. Leaning up, he looked into Qinghe¡¯s eyes with a tender expression. ¡°Qinghe, I love you.¡±


    Qinghe blushed and nodded shyly. ¡°I-I love you too.¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled, his gaze warm. Then lifting Qinghe¡¯s chin, he continued his ministrations. Wei Xiang placed a kiss on his beloved¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple, traced his lips over his collarbones and down his arms before kissing the tips of each of those slender fingers. Moving to his chest, Wei Xiang pecked each of Qinghe¡¯s stiff little buds once.


    Qinghe shifted on the padded floor as he felt his body beginning to heat up. These little kisses made him feel frustrated and restless, causing his desire to rise but leaving it unfulfilled. He wanted Wei Xiang to suck and lick, to bite and nibble his skin. These feathery kisses were too light and weightless to give him the intense stimulation he sought. But the gentle care shown to him by his beloved made Qinghe feel shy as his heart overflowed with warmth.


    Lifting his head from his husband¡¯s chest, Wei Xiang once again said, ¡°Qinghe, I love you.¡±


    Seeing the unhidden affection in his Xiang¡¯s gaze, Qinghe blinked his reddening eyes and turned away, unable to bear his own deepening emotions. ¡°I know¡­and I love you too.¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled and bent his head again, his lips once more landing on his beloved¡¯s skin. He continued downward, over Qinghe¡¯s abdomen, his navel, and all the way to his member. Wei Xiang peppered a line of kisses along the top of Qinghe¡¯s already half-erect shaft. He placed a sweet kiss over the moist slit, then traced another line of kisses down the underside of the stiff member. Wei Xiang kissed Qinghe¡¯s balls before carefully pecking his dusky pink entrance below. His touch was light and delicate, his actions full of his intent to cherish his most beloved person. As if in reaction to his sentiments, the little opening clenched and squeezed tighter, attempting to hide itself in bashfulness.


    Once again, Wei Xiang lifted his head, meeting Qinghe¡¯s eyes before saying, ¡°Qinghe, I love you.¡±


    Seeing how Wei Xiang¡¯s gaze was deep and clear, openly conveying everything he felt for his husband, Qinghe¡¯s heart squeezed. He covered his mouth with a hand and nodded wordlessly, his eyes turning watery with unshed tears.


    Moving further, Wei Xiang lifted Qinghe¡¯s legs and kissed each of his firm and elastic buttocks. He trailed more kisses from the inside of his beloved¡¯s soft thigh to over the side of his knee, all the way to the top of his foot and each of his elegantly-shaped toes. Wei Xiang gently pecked each little toe before continuing on to give the same treatment to the other leg as well. And when he reached the golden band on Qinghe¡¯s ankle, he kissed it too. The corresponding armband that Qinghe had given him seemed to pulse against his skin in response.


    Now that he was done kissing his husband completely from head to foot, Wei Xiang climbed back up to hover over Qinghe. Cupping his beloved¡¯s red cheeks in his palms again, Wei Xiang said softly, ¡°Qinghe, I love you.¡±


    Qinghe felt something fragile inside him trembling. Hot tears overflowed from his eyes before dripping down. Even he didn¡¯t know why he was crying. He only knew that Wei Xiang¡¯s actions filled him with too many emotions, his husband¡¯s gentle eyes and kind smile making him feel too many things. There was too much warmth and too much affection lavished onto him for him to remain unmoved.


    Qinghe hugged Wei Xiang close and buried his face in his chest. His balled fists lay trembling against Wei Xiang¡¯s back as soft sobs slipped out of him. Why was his Xiang so good to him? He couldn¡¯t believe his own good fortune in having a husband who treated him with so much love. All of this, from him finding his Xiang to them getting married, was too good to be true! Qinghe¡¯s arms tightened around Wei Xiang, his body quivering with inexpressible emotions.


    Wei Xiang held Qinghe close and ran a palm up and down his back soothingly. Resting a cheek on his beloved¡¯s head, Wei Xiang showed a small and tender smile. He didn¡¯t say anything. He didn¡¯t feel the need to.


    Qinghe cried and cried, and when his chest felt less stuffy, he finally leaned back from Wei Xiang¡¯s embrace.


    Poking his reddened nose affectionately, Wei Xiang asked, ¡°Feeling better?¡±


    Rubbing his tearstained face with the back of his hands, Qinghe nodded. Looking up at Wei Xiang through lashes still glittering with droplets of water, his eyes wide and earnest, Qinghe finally said in a thick voice, ¡°Xiang, I also love you very, very much, with much more depth and emotion than I ever thought I was capable of feeling.¡±


    His love for his Xiang had already branded itself deep into his soul, his body, his mind, and his heart, and Qinghe could only feel endlessly glad for it. Seeing all the care and affection Wei Xiang kept showing him, both in small ways in their everyday life and big ways like right now, Qinghe knew that it was the same for Wei Xiang. But realizing that he was that deeply embedded into the being of his beloved, Qinghe couldn¡¯t help but feel strangely raw and vulnerable. Knowing that his Xiang loved him this much, knowing that he thought him worthy of loving this much, Qinghe found it difficult to come to terms with it. But his Xiang would never let him doubt his own worth to him, and he would always be ready to show Qinghe just how deeply he held him in his heart. And so, after all this time together, Qinghe had no more doubts left. He was deeply loved by his beloved, and he could only accept that without turning his gaze away from that truth.


    And understanding all this, Wei Xiang continued patting his little husband¡¯s back while his smile grew fonder. ¡°I know, and I feel the same about you.¡±


    Finishing drying his tears, Qinghe sniffled and said, ¡°Then we should show it to each other with our bodies directly.¡± Putting his words to practice, Qinghe immediately began pulling Wei Xiang¡¯s head down for a kiss.


    Wei Xiang chuckled at his beloved¡¯s method of taking advantage of even such a moment. ¡°As you wish, then. Let¡¯s commence our wedding night.¡±


    Opening his mouth, Wei Xiang met Qinghe¡¯s parted lips with his own. Though Qinghe licked and sucked with ravenous hunger fuelled by passion, Wei Xiang still took it slow, using long licks and sensual caresses to slowly calm Qinghe down. Pressed together, they rocked to and fro, their fervor turning into something much deeper, sweeter, and softer.


    Qinghe drank in his Xiang until he was sated before disengaging from their kiss to gasp for breath. Unwilling to let his lips part from his beloved¡¯s skin, Wei Xiang nipped and licked his way down his little husband¡¯s jaw and throat, igniting sparks of burning pleasure that lit little flames of need inside Qinghe.


    Reaching his beloved¡¯s heaving chest, Wei Xiang directly made for the pair of perky little points standing up at attention. He lovingly traced the edges of the velvety nubs with the tip of his tongue, trailing wet heat tantalizingly. Qinghe let his head fall back and moaned, wordlessly begging for more. Wei Xiang smiled, his eyes glinting. His fingertip lightly grazed the tip of one point while he scraped the other small bud with the flat of his tongue before blowing a breath over it. As the wind chilled the wetted nubbin, Qinghe arched back. Unsatisfied by this sort of teasing stimulation, he complained breathily, ¡°X-Xiang¡­more¡­mn, please¡­stop playing with me¡­ You¡¯re b-being¡­nh¡­so mean¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled. Deciding to relent, he began lavishing more attention to the stiff little buds. Soon, the firm nip of teeth and the strong suction of his mouth on one point combined with the pinch and pull of his fingers on the other nub to cause helpless cries to slip out of Qinghe¡¯s lips


    Qinghe squirmed under the relentless teasing of his beloved¡¯s fingers and mouth on his delicate buds. After turning them ripe and swollen, Wei Xiang continued moving downward, his lips and teeth leaving a trail of wetness and blooming red marks in their wake. Meanwhile, Wei Xiang¡¯s hands took ahold of either side of Qinghe¡¯s chest, his thumbs rubbing and playing with the two little nubs to continue tormenting his beloved. The swollen red nubbins were now even more sensitive, their stimulation sending more pleasure through Qinghe.


    Being played with like this, Qinghe grew hungry to taste his Xiang again. Just as Wei Xiang reached his beloved¡¯s navel, he felt slender fingers curl around his nape and pull his head up. Wei Xiang cooperatively let himself be dragged upward until he was face-to-face with his husband again. His eyes gone dark with need, Qinghe brought their mouths together once more.


    Their lips parted and tongues entangled. Hot breaths and saliva mixed, filling each other¡¯s mouths with their beloved¡¯s flavor. Flexible tongues trailed heat against slick tissue, leaving behind pleasurable tingling in their wake. The sound of wet sucking and intimate licking sounded as they sank further into the clutches of frenzied passion.


    As their tongues ravished each other, Qinghe slipped his pale fingers into Wei Xiang¡¯s thick ebony hair, slowly massaging the back of his husband¡¯s head in approval. Wei Xiang murmured with pleasure into his beloved¡¯s hot mouth.


    When Qinghe felt his chest eventually grow tight with breathlessness, he leaned back to take in gulps of air before diving back in. After getting his fill, he slowly slid his lips down, nipping Wei Xiang¡¯s chin playfully before gliding his tongue over the long column of his beloved¡¯s throat. Reaching Wei Xiang¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple that rolled up and down in agitation, Qinghe captured it between his lips before giving it a good suck. Wei Xiang let out a rumbling groan.


    Wei Xiang pulled Qinghe up with his hands under his armpits and lowered his head over the soft and vulnerable skin of his throat. His Qinghe¡¯s scent spiced with arousal filled his nose as his teeth traced along the side of his throat and over his shoulder. Qinghe shuddered and let his head fall to the side cooperatively. While Wei Xiang tasted and teased the smooth skin with his mouth, his hands traced every dip and hollow on his husband¡¯s body as if learning him anew.


    Qinghe let out a hoarse groan. Warm fingertips brushed over his thirsty skin, the rough pads of the fingers tempting and teasing him with their light touch. The heat left in their wake sank into his body and spread under his skin, soaking into his flesh and suffusing him with feathery waves of arousal. Wei Xiang was gentle and careful, yet wicked and playful with his ministrations. The overlap of that contrast only pushed Qinghe¡¯s desire to burn increasingly hotter.


    If Qinghe¡¯s mind was a pool, its surface usually still and calm, then every touch of his Xiang¡¯s fingers and every caress of his skin against his was a stone dropped into that pool, making the water ripple and stir. Every one of Wei Xiang¡¯s movements caused the churning waves to grow in intensity until the entirety of the once-calm pool was now a mass of raging, thrashing water in the throes of a violent storm. But rather than seeking escape from this chaotic mass of emotions, Qinghe drowned in it willingly, letting his beloved¡¯s actions whip him into a frenzy.


    His hands clenching into fists as his chest heaved, Qinghe struggled to speak, ¡°Xiang, I¡¯ve had enough foreplay. I want to begin.¡± Matching his words with his actions, Qinghe clamped his legs around Wei Xiang and raised his hips, grinding against his beloved¡¯s aroused shaft.


    Wei Xiang growled and slid his hand down to cup one of Qinghe¡¯s buttocks, kneading and massaging it. Wordlessly, he took out a bottle of oil and slicked his fingers up. Qinghe loosened his legs around Wei Xiang¡¯s waist and hissed at the sensation of his beloved¡¯s fingers entering his channel, the familiar digits rubbing his inner walls and stretching them wide open in preparation to accommodate his girth.


    Once Qinghe was ready, Wei Xiang took out his fingers and led his member to nudge the scrunched opening. Bent over Qinghe, he cupped his beloved¡¯s flushed cheek with a palm and said, ¡°Love, look at me. Keep looking only at me.¡±


    Qinghe unsteadily nodded and tried to focus his glazed eyes on his husband¡¯s face. His breath hitched as he felt the blunt head that was pressed against his entrance slowly pushing into him. Wei Xiang rubbed soothing circles into Qinghe¡¯s cheek with his thumb as if to reassure him. The gentle care and kind warmth in his Xiang¡¯s gaze made Qinghe let out a low moan.


    As he kept his eyes fixed into Wei Xiang¡¯s, Qinghe felt his pupils dilate further as his attention turned to the thick shaft entering him. His soft passage expanded around the invading length like an elastic sheath of warm flesh, pushed open to its limit. Qinghe¡¯s eyelashes fluttered before he squeezed his eyes closed. He groaned as he tried to keep his passage unresisting and welcomed his husband into his body.


    Wei Xiang suddenly stopped his movement. His palm lightly brushed up and down Qinghe¡¯s cheek as he spoke, ¡°Love, open your eyes. Keep them open and focused on me.¡±


    Qinghe whimpered and forced his eyelids open again. His vision was fuzzy, but he still unerringly maintained eye contact with his husband.


    Wei Xiang bent to peck his forehead and whispered, ¡°Good.¡± Peering deep into Qinghe¡¯s eyes, reading the swirl of emotions and desperate need displayed in them, Wei Xiang began moving again.


    As Wei Xiang¡¯s organ resumed squeezing itself into his tight inner walls, Qinghe felt the familiar friction of the smooth skin and raised ridges rubbing against his passage. The hard length steadily pressed in deeper, forcing his insides to conform to its shape. The hot and slick flesh of his channel clamped tightly around the rigid member as it pushed its way in. Qinghe could sense the throb of the thick and heavy shaft inside him, feeling it pulsing as if alive against his inner walls.


    By the time Qinghe and Wei Xiang felt their bodies connecting fully, they were both flushed and panting. Their eyes were dazed with need, yet their gazes stayed locked. The ever-present hunger clawed at them, asking to be fed.


    Wei Xiang exhaled a heated breath. Bowing down to press their foreheads together, he lifted Qinghe¡¯s hips and began moving.


    As Qinghe felt Wei Xiang¡¯s breath wash over his face before his beloved¡¯s member started pumping into him, he bit his lower lip and let out a full-body shudder. His arms wrapped around Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulders, his legs tightening around his husband¡¯s waist. He rocked his body in concert with Wei Xiang¡¯s, seeking to both give and receive the maximum pleasure. As the entire surface of the thick member dragged in and out, the constant stimulation suffused Qinghe with intense heat. His cheeks turned redder, his movements hastening as he urged, ¡°Ah¡­Xiang¡­hng¡­faster¡­go faster¡­aah¡­¡±


    Feeling as if those soft murmurs were stroking his body provocatively, Wei Xiang gritted his teeth and increased his pace. His shaft plunged in and out with more vigor, his hands clutching tighter on Qinghe¡¯s hips. Muscles rolled and bulged in his back, causing light to ripple and shine over his sweat-slicked skin. His clenched teeth turned the cut of his jaw more pronounced, his gaze glinting sharper. His eyes were black enough to swallow all light as they stared fixedly into Qinghe¡¯s. His hair draped around them both like a curtain, shutting out the rest of the world.


    Meanwhile, crystalline drops of perspiration adorned Qinghe¡¯s satiny skin as well, the thin sheen of sweat adding a radiant luster to his flushed complexion. Locks of black hair spread out around him as he twisted with pleasure, like overlapping layers of silken ribbons scattered in disarray. Glistening tears perched on the corners of his half-lidded eyes like dewdrops about to fall. His petal-like lips opened and closed as he gasped, lost in the tide of powerful sensations. His body writhed helplessly under Wei Xiang, its motions sinuous and sensual. His long limbs twitched and trembled with strain as he struggled to contain himself in the face of the constant waves of stimulations.


    The pair continued to sway faster and faster together. Wei Xiang swung his hips, driving into his beloved¡¯s softness with more urgency. The quick flashes of friction caused bright bursts of pleasure to rip through Qinghe. As the hard length slammed into him in rhythmic thrusts, he cried out hoarsely and buried his face into his beloved¡¯s shoulder, then bit him to vent the insistent pulse of heat incessantly throbbing within him.


    The sudden spike of pain and pleasure added to Wei Xiang¡¯s need. He growled, his fingers curling more into Qinghe¡¯s buttocks as he moved him more quickly over his shaft. Qinghe licked and sucked the bruise on Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulder even as he continued to swing his body along with his beloved¡¯s frenetic movements. The slip and slide of their skin against each other¡¯s grew more fervent, the slap of flesh against flesh increasing in frequency. Heat built up in their bodies, the pleasure winding tighter and tighter.


    Wei Xiang got out in a strained voice, ¡°Qinghe, look at me.¡±


    Qinghe leaned back from Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulder and met his beloved¡¯s gaze. The naked desire and fiery passion in his eyes mirrored his own. Holding his husband¡¯s gaze so intimately even as their bodies were joined below, Qinghe couldn¡¯t help but feel strangely bashful and vulnerable as if his spirit was being bared. His chest heaved harder as his cries grew louder. In contrast to the brutal hunger chewing at him, Wei Xiang¡¯s hand continued to gently cup the side of Qinghe¡¯s face, his thumb unsteadily caressing his cheek.


    Wei Xiang saw Qinghe¡¯s eyes suddenly darken as pleasure surged through him. As Qinghe came undone, he let out a surprised shout while his body stiffened. His shaft pulsed and released thick streams to coat both of their bellies. As Wei Xiang continued thrusting, the slippery liquid was spread between their bodies. Even though tears slipped out from the corners of Qinghe¡¯s eyes, his chest shuddering with the force of his orgasm, he still kept his quivering eyelids open while his eyes remained fixed on Wei Xiang¡¯s. And despite his own raging need, Wei Xiang bent to place tender kisses on his husband¡¯s face.


    Qinghe¡¯s channel squeezed and wrung Wei Xiang¡¯s member violently before finally relaxing, accepting the desperate pumping of his beloved¡¯s length and sheathing it with its slick softness again and again. A few moments later, Wei Xiang let out a rumbling groan and stilled, drowning under the ecstasy of his own climax. Qinghe lifted his heavy arms and patted his beloved¡¯s back while trying to work his inner muscles to extend his Xiang¡¯s bliss as much as possible. He could feel hot release shooting into him, turning his insides even slipperier. All the while, Wei Xiang¡¯s gaze never left his, his honest emotions of being helplessly overwhelmed under pleasure openly displayed for him to see.


    Their sweaty bodies pressed together tightly as Wei Xiang rode the wave of his release. The tides of ecstasy surged and gradually ebbed, leaving him panting. Wei Xiang turned his body to slump down beside Qinghe and pulled his little husband close. Qinghe eagerly snuggled into his Xiang¡¯s warmth and tucked his head under Wei Xiang¡¯s chin.


    The couple laid together like this, waiting for their breaths to even out and their pulses to slowly calm again.


    Qinghe closed his eyes and let his body relax in the peace of the afterglow while his mind drifted. What they did together tonight was nothing new, but that was precisely why it was reassuring. Even if they were married, even if the relationship between them changed, the way they felt and the things they did together stayed the same. It settled the last traces of uncertainty in Qinghe¡¯s heart and let him truly bask in their closeness during his wedding night. But even though the essence of what they did was the same as before, the care and love his Xiang had shown him throughout still made Qinghe feel special. This night, with the way his beloved had lavished his affection and love on him, would definitely remain in Qinghe¡¯s mind.


    After a few minutes of rest, the familiar cleaning ritual began. Wei Xiang carried Qinghe to the small pool with the trickling waterfall at the side and removed his release from within him. The pair then silently bathed each other with careful hands. The blue-green glow of the moss coating the inside of the pool cast a serene light on the two silhouettes. The atmosphere between them was tranquil and soft, full of things that need not be spoken for each other to understand. Once they were done washing, they got out of the water and dried themselves.


    As Qinghe was busily plotting about how to convince his beloved to go another round, Wei Xiang suddenly hugged him and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek.


    Qinghe blinked as he felt the imprint of warm lips on his face. ¡°Xiang?¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled and stated, ¡°When we exchanged parts of each other as tokens to be bonded through the rituals of spiritual beasts, we became mates. Now, after binding ourselves by the rituals of humans and joining our bodies, we have also become husbands. We are now bonded as partners for life in every sense.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s lips parted, the light in his eyes rippling with emotions. He breathed out huskily, ¡°Yes, but with our soul bond, we are already tethered together for all our lives. Xiang, will you accompany me through eternity?¡±


    Wei Xiang gently nuzzled his lovely little husband. ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    Qinghe smiled. His eyes were melted pools of blissful happiness. Taking a step back and extracting himself from Wei Xiang¡¯s embrace, Qinghe knelt down front of his beloved and took his hand.


    Seeing Wei Xiang looking at him with puzzlement, Qinghe met his gaze and lifted his husband¡¯s hand to place a tender kiss onto it. ¡°Since you¡¯ve already expressed your love to me during our wedding night, it¡¯s now my turn.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s heart thumped loudly.


    Qinghe¡¯s smile turned soft, his eyes full of warmth as he continued, ¡°We already gave ourselves to each other in front of our family and the entire heavenly court. Now, I want to give you my own vows.¡±


    Saying so, Qinghe bowed his head over Wei Xiang¡¯s hand, pressing his forehead against its back. His voice was steady yet husky, full of solemnity and the weight of his promise:


    ¡°With the stars as witness, I so vow,


    With the oceans as witness, I so vow,


    With the earth as witness, I so vow,


    With the winds as witness, I so vow,


    With Heaven as witness, I so vow,


    With the Hells as witness, I so vow,


    That my eternity now belongs to you,


    That you are now mine to love and cherish, just as I am yours,


    And we shall stay together long after even forever ceases to be.¡±


    Qinghe then looked up into Wei Xiang¡¯s stunned gaze and said with heartfelt sincerity, ¡°This is everything I can give you to express the extent of how I feel towards you. Wei Xiang, I love you very, very much.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s expression overflowed with emotions he didn¡¯t know how to express. Tears welled in his eyes before spilling down, painting two clear trails on his cheeks. He went down on a knee before Qinghe to frame his face with his hands, then kissed him deeply, ardently, devotedly. Qinghe cupped the back of his husband¡¯s head and pressed closer, returning his enthusiasm and affection.


    And they both knew that nothing in life and death would ever be able to separate them.


    crimson_carnation


    I wish everyone a happy Christmas Eve, Christmas, or whatever holiday you celebrate today~ Also, happy New Year in advance~


    Two more extras left until the end. The next one will be a triple date with all three couples of the main story. Look forward to it~ (¡ñ?¦Ø?¡ñ)

 Extra 27: The Three Couples

    A week after Qinghe¡¯s and Wei Xiang¡¯s wedding in the heavenly realm, they had a smaller wedding in the Heavenly Peak Sect.


    But unlike before, the arrangements for the wedding this time were shared between Qinghe¡¯s friends and acquaintances across the various sects, even including people from the mortal world like Yan Lin and his family, the famed merchant Master Kai, or the emperor of the Xing Long Empire Ping Nian. After all, a lot of people looked up to, felt favorably towards, or owed Qinghe, and they were all eager to show him their regard and do their part for him. On top of that, there were just as many people pitching in for Wei Xiang¡¯s sake, consisting of both the ones he saved in the line of duty and his fellow officers from the Order of Sentinels.


    As a result of everyone¡¯s combined efforts, the wedding in the sect was just as grand an affair as it had been in the Heavenly Palace¡¯s throne room. The twins, along with Chen Xiande, Jing Shui, Wu Xiao, and Hei NingYu, looked after the small things in the background to let the couple have fun.


    Meanwhile, Zhen YiLan was so happy to see his beloved second disciple finally marrying that he kept crying throughout the ceremony, with Fu Cangyun, the sect master of the Lightning Sky Sect, constantly yet gently chiding him for shedding tears during such a joyous occasion.


    After the wedding, Qinghe and Wei Xiang were forcibly given a month of freedom from work by their friends, masters, and even the heavenly court, and sent out to celebrate their honeymoon. The couple happily used this to travel both the mortal and heavenly realms together, seeing new sights, tasting new food, meeting new people, and experiencing new things. They even boarded a ship captained by the legendary Queen of the Seas Hai Liang and traveled through the various islands, each with its own unique culture, scattered in the oceans surrounding the main continent.


    Sometimes, they took small breaks from their adventurous travels to retire to the peaceful and intimate confines of the cave Qinghe had prepared for Wei Xiang. They would romp around passionately in the plushy padded nest and soak in the small waterfall-fed pool at the side, spending their time in leisure and comfort.


    One time, after realizing that Qinghe still kept blushing shyly whenever he was called ¡®husband¡¯ despite having been married for weeks already, Wei Xiang took it into his own hands to accustom his beloved to it. And so, Wei Xiang pressed Qinghe down and did one shameless thing after another to him, all the while calling him husband again and again in various tones and volumes. It got to the point where Qinghe didn¡¯t know if he was blushing due to his beloved¡¯s sensual torments or his husky voice addressing him in such a way.


    Needless to say that by the end of it, Qinghe became fully used to being called ¡®husband¡¯. But Wei Xiang pulling such an ¡®educational¡¯ stunt on him made Qinghe enthusiastically exact his own retribution from his beloved on the bed, something which Wei Xiang ended up immensely enjoying.


    On the last day of their honeymoon, Qinghe and Wei Xiang left their cave and headed back to the mortal realm to meet up with Jing Shui, Wu Xiao, Chen Xiande, and Hei NingYu to make up for time spent apart.


    Along with that, this excursion was also meant to be their group¡¯s way of belatedly celebrating Qinghe¡¯s and Wei Xiang¡¯s wedding, Jing Shui and Wu Xiao getting married by the laws of the Baolin Tribe, and Chen Xiande being formally instated as Zhen YiLan¡¯s head disciple and the future sect master of the Heavenly Peak Sect. Feeling left out, Hei NingYu added that it was also celebration for him gaining Feng Chunyi and Xie Xingye, those like-minded comrades, as his friends. But thinking of how troublesome that trio of old demonic cultivators had ended up becoming, the others kept their faces blank and made no comment.


    After a bit more chatter, they had decided to meet up again on the last day of Qinghe¡¯s and Wei Xiang¡¯s honeymoon. Jing Shui would then lead them to a certain pocket dimension that technically belonged to the Silver Moon Sect, but was maintained and lent out to paying customers to use as a romantic retreat by the Golden Sun Sect, with a share of the profits being given to the Silver Moon Sect. Jing Shui and Wu Xiao had assured them that they would reserve the entire pocket dimension for the purpose of their visit on that day.


    Now, on the last day of their honeymoon, Qinghe and Wei Xiang walked side by side through a narrow warren of streets. Though there were many routes to the meeting place, the couple chose to use the shortest path, which also happened to lead through a small street packed on either side with lushly bedecked brothels.


    The moment the pair entered the red-light district, they were accosted by numerous beauties trying to drag them back to their respective brothels. Some of the prostitutes were subtle in their invitations, but others were exceedingly shameless in their attempts at seduction.


    The young man currently heading towards the couple was one such shameless person.


    Swinging his slim hips, he sashayed out of his establishment after spotting the handsome pair. His assessing gaze moved between Qinghe and Wei Xiang before locking onto the latter. Having chosen his target, he fluttered his thick eyelashes at Wei Xiang while a sultry smile spread on his shiny red lips. As he began leisurely making his way towards them, his clothing swung in a practiced rhythm. His robes were obviously made of luxurious material, but they were thin in a way that accentuated every provocative curve on his body, something that the young man used to full effect as he walked towards his mark.


    Seeing his approach and how his gaze was fixed on his husband, Qinghe sighed. ¡°Not another one¡­ Xiang, why do you attract so many of them? The number of people who''ve approached you till now is definitely more than the ones who approached me.¡±


    Wei Xiang showed a wry smile. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, love. Of us both, you seem more aloof and untouchable. I¡¯m sure that they have decided that in comparison, I am likely to be an easier target.¡±


    Qinghe chuckled. That indeed seemed plausible. But no matter how many people swarmed over his beloved, Qinghe was sure that his Xiang would only ever look at him, so there was no point in being sullen or jealous. He actually felt a little amused at how Wei Xiang had to struggle each time to successfully push them away while retaining his ability to be polite.


    By now, the young man had already reached them. Without any preamble, he directly pressed himself to Wei Xiang¡¯s side and proclaimed with dewy eyes, ¡°Young Master, won¡¯t you come in. This one wishes to service you tonight.¡± His fingers drew little shapes where they rested delicately on Wei Xiang¡¯s chest, his dewy eyes fixed intently on Wei Xiang¡¯s face.


    Wei Xiang suppressed a sigh. Since he knew that rather than actually pursuing him, this young man was only doing his job of inviting customers to his brothel, he decided not to be harsh and said simply, ¡°I will have to decline.¡±


    The young man blinked coquettishly. Pressing closer, he whispered in a saccharine sweet voice full of enticement, ¡°Please, won¡¯t you reconsider? My hole clenches in delight at the thought of holding you inside~¡± His dainty hand slipped down provocatively to Wei Xiang¡¯s lower belly, but he thankfully knew not to go too far.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s lips twitched in disbelief while Qinghe heroically tried to tamp down on his laughter. This young man was really too bold!


    Realizing that he had to be firmer, Wei Xiang pulled away that groping hand and gently pushed the young man away. ¡°I¡¯m really not interested.¡± He would¡¯ve added that he was happily married, but Wei Xiang knew that even if he wasn¡¯t, he would not have accepted this young man¡¯s invitation.


    The young man pouted at the clear rejection, but didn¡¯t push any further. Giving Wei Xiang one last regretful look, he swayed his hips and strode away while muttering under his breath, ¡°Strange, that line works for me almost every time. He must already be together with that icy-faced beauty then. Tch, what a pity.¡±


    Though his voice was very low, Qinghe and Wei Xiang still heard him. Wei Xiang shook his head amusedly and pulled Qinghe along to start walking again. Qinghe, however, pondered seriously. That young man had said that such words usually worked on people. But seeing how unmoved Wei Xiang had been, Qinghe didn¡¯t understand what was different. Was it because Wei Xiang already had him? Or did his beloved have some mystical, natural barrier against that kind of raunchy talk? Qinghe wanted to sigh. He realized that this was one of things that was supposed to be common sense, but try as he might, he couldn¡¯t comprehend it.


    Seeing Qinghe¡¯s expression as if he was wrestling with some big conundrum, Wei Xiang smiled and asked, ¡°What is it, love?¡±


    Qinghe blinked at Wei Xiang and spilled his thoughts, ¡°Xiang, do the kinds of words that young man used not work on you at all?¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled. ¡°When it comes to things like that, it all depends on who is speaking them and who it is spoken to. If it¡¯s said to me by someone I¡¯m not interested in, I naturally won¡¯t have any specific reaction. But on the other hand, if someone I love romantically whispers that sort of dirty talk¡­ Well, I¡¯m sure things are bound to get passionate after that.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes narrowed as a sly smile slowly spread over his lips.


    As a clueless Wei Xiang kept walking, he suddenly felt Qinghe¡¯s warm body pressing against his side, a familiar arm pulling him close by the waist while his beloved¡¯s palm cupped his cheek. Wei Xiang¡¯s steps slowed with surprise.


    Qinghe rose up on his toes and leaned into Wei Xiang, his voice breathy as he whispered into his husband¡¯s ear, ¡°Xiang¡­ my hole clenches in delight at the thought of holding you inside. So won¡¯t you fill me up?¡±


    Wei Xiang almost tripped, his eyes flashing gold with surprise. Lust surged inside him, brought on by those crude words whispered in his little husband¡¯s refined voice gone low and husky while warm breath filled with the scent of mint brushed over his ear and cheek.


    Clenching his hands into fists to prevent them from grabbing his mischievous little lover, Wei Xiang fought for control. He took in several deep breaths and finally felt his desire abate somewhat. Opening his clenched jaws, Wei Xiang finally managed to get out, ¡°Qinghe, you little imp.¡±


    Qinghe laughed delightedly, his face lit up with playful mirth. In a smug tone, he observed, ¡°So it only works on you when I say it!¡±


    As he looked at his happily chortling husband, Wei Xiang felt his self-control giving way to need. He turned to wrap an arm around Qinghe¡¯s shoulder, the other hand cupping the back of his beloved¡¯s head to pull his face closer. Seeing Wei Xiang¡¯s lips bearing down for a kiss, Qinghe instinctively opened his mouth as well. As their lips met, Qinghe let out a breathless laugh full of satisfaction. His seduction had succeeded!


    Wei Xiang eagerly swallowed his husband¡¯s laughter and his warm breaths. His tongue pushed into Qinghe¡¯s hot mouth, plunging in deep to savor every moist nook and cranny of the soft tissue. Meanwhile, Qinghe reveled in his beloved¡¯s hunger while exploring and enjoying his husband¡¯s mouth to his heart¡¯s content. Their figures pressed together, lost in wild desire that so abruptly sparked into bright flame.


    Suddenly, shrill whistles and enthusiastic shouts of encouragement sounded from either side of the street, breaking through the bubble of intense passion around the couple. Qinghe and Wei Xiang slowly leaned back from the kiss and look around. The prostitutes from the brothels had all come out, intently watching the show put on by the pair while cheering them on loudly.


    One of the women sitting outside her shop munched carefreely on her bowl of peanuts and clapped. ¡°Two beautiful men giving us such a wonderful show, this sister is satisfied!¡±


    Laughter sounded as the surrounding prostitutes teased her, ¡°Sister Hong is as shameless as always!¡±


    Someone else jumped in, ¡°But she¡¯s right. They really are two fine male specimens ah!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, truly a sight to admire! Brother Jian, move over and let me also watch.¡±


    ¡°How many times a day do we put up shows for others,¡± Brother Jian said with a grin. ¡°It¡¯s refreshing to be entertained by such beautiful scenery for once! Sister Hong, give me some of those peanuts too!¡±


    Hearing their exuberant chatter, Qinghe¡¯s already flushed face turned redder. But his lips still curved upward in a shy arc. Wei Xiang brushed a fingertip over those flushed cheeks and laughed. ¡°Is the naughty little imp finally feeling embarrassed?¡±


    Qinghe narrowed his eyes, immediately forgetting about the audience. He quickly hooked an arm around his smirking husband¡¯s neck and pulling him back down to resume their kiss. Wei Xiang happily cooperated, and their tongues soon entangled again.


    A sudden wave of loud hoots and sharp whistling drowned the couple from either side as they pressed closer. Their lips and tongues moved together heatedly in an evocative dance expressing their intense passion. Their hands roved over each other¡¯s clothed bodies, conveying their deep and desperate hunger for each other. The prostitutes who had just been trying to seduce them all watched the sight with wide smiles while cheering for them to show them more.


    Backlit by the bright light of day, Qinghe¡¯s and Wei Xiang¡¯s silhouettes swayed together, seeming as if they''d merged into one.


    ¡­¡­


    The meeting spot where the three couples were to gather at was a spacious terrace of white marble thrusting out of the side of a white stone mountain. The air here was fresh and cold with a mild bite. A nearby mountain face blocked most of the whistling wind and allowed the space to remain tranquil. An intricate railing carved out of white marble guarded the edge of the semicircular terrace. The marble flooring left square-shaped gaps in evenly-spaced rows to allow large emerald-leafed trees to grow out of the ground below.


    Perched high above on the mountain face, the wide terrace overlooked a magnificent view of snow-covered mountain ranges rising like waves, spreading all the way to the horizon. As the late afternoon sun slowly slid down the sky, the sides of the mountain ranges facing it glowed a light gold, while the sides facing away were shrouded in shadows and took on a blue tint. Soft mist flowed between the mountains, looking like gently shimmering streams of silver from above, the fading sunlight sprinkling gold sparkles here and there.


    Having arrived earlier, Chen Xiande and Hei NingYu stood near one of the trees growing out of the white terrace, with Hei NingYu bonelessly leaning against the tree trunk while Chen Xiande stood nearby. His posture was straight and his entire countenance emitted impatience as he tapped a foot in a quick rhythm. Just as Chen Xiande was muttering about how his junior brother was keeping him waiting yet again, Qinghe and Wei Xiang stepped off the mountain path and strode over to the terrace.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the delay, Senior Brother,¡± Qinghe apologized to Chen Xiande with an amused smile once he neared them, then turned to greet Hei NingYu. ¡°I hope you¡¯re well, Sect Leader Hei.¡±


    Wei Xiang simply gave them both a nod and spoke, ¡°It seems we¡¯re only missing one more pair before we can set off.¡±


    Frowning, Chen Xiande looked at Qinghe¡¯s reddened lips and flushed face with faint worry before asking, ¡°Junior Brother, did you just eat something very spicy? Have you taken enough water yet?¡±


    Qinghe blinked at him confusedly. ¡°¡­No, I didn¡¯t eat anything. Senior Brother, why do you ask that?¡±


    Chen Xiande tilted his head. ¡°Your face seems red and your mouth looks swollen.¡±


    Realizing what he meant, Qinghe coughed, the color in his face deepening. Wei Xiang and Hei NingYu chuckled. It seemed that despite he himself having a lover for so long, when Chen Xiande saw this appearance of Qinghe¡¯s, his mind automatically refused to consider the more obvious explanation. Did his junior brother really look that innocent and inexperienced in his mind?


    ¡°Little Sheep, why don¡¯t you come here and let me show you how your junior brother came to look like that~¡± Hei NingYu enticed with gleaming eyes.


    Chen Xiande looked puzzled even as he trustingly stepped towards Hei NingYu. Encircling his waist with an arm, Hei NingYu pulled him close and dipped his head to capture Chen Xiande¡¯s lips. After the initial moment of surprise, Chen Xiande pushed his questions to the back of his mind and wholeheartedly threw himself into the kiss. He used his body to press Hei NingYu more firmly against the tree, inserting a leg between his lover¡¯s knees while his hands roved over Hei NingYu¡¯s sides and hips. Hei NingYu obediently widened his legs with a happy smile and let his little sheep have his wicked way with him. Their tongues delved even deeper into each other¡¯s mouths and the couple quickly lost themselves in the kiss.


    Watching the passionately smooching pair, Qinghe raised an eyebrow.


    Wei Xiang smirked and looked at his husband. ¡°Love, do you want to follow your senior brother¡¯s example?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes darkened, his lips pulling up in a smile. ¡°Yes, we should faithfully learn from our elders, after all.¡±


    And so, another couple joined their lips, merrily sucking, caressing, and licking each other with their mouths. Uncaring of the view they presented, the two pairs made out with gusto.


    This was the scene Jing Shui and Wu Xiao were greeted with when they arrived a few minutes later.


    Spotting them, Qinghe disengaged from Wei Xiang and licked his lips. Turning to Jing Shui and Wu Xiao, he smiled and greeted, ¡°Brother Jing, Sect Master Wu, we were waiting for you. Thank you for arranging this excursion.¡±


    Wu Xiao waved it away. ¡°There¡¯s no need for thanks. It¡¯s not like the both of us won¡¯t enjoy this outing as well. It¡¯s also for us to celebrate our marriage, after all.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s smile widened as he admitted, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true.¡± His gaze flicked to the long teardrop-shaped bluish-purple crystal hanging from Wu Xiao¡¯s ear. Wu Xiao had even pinned back his long silver locks at that side to show off the earring better. Seeing this, Qinghe¡¯s gaze warmed.


    Meanwhile, Jing Shui had averted his face from all the canoodling going on with a mixture of both annoyance and embarrassment and muttered, ¡°Kissing so openly in broad daylight¡­so shameless!¡±


    By the tree, Chen Xiande and Hei NingYu had finally parted and were panting lightly to recover their breaths. Chen Xiande wiped his lips with the back of a hand and turned towards a blushing Jing Shui to advise kindly, ¡°Brother Jing, this won¡¯t do. You should work on thickening your skin a little or you might pass by many pleasures in life.¡±


    Before Jing Shui could reply, Wu Xiao burst out, ¡°I heartily object! If my Ah-Shui grew a thicker skin, then I won¡¯t get to have fun by embarrassing him and watch him blush cutely!¡±


    Jing Shui¡¯s cheeks puffed up. He was just about to scold his beloved when Qinghe cut in. ¡°But Sect Master Wu, you have to consider the benefits too. If Brother Jing were to grow a thicker skin, you would be able to partake in public displays of affection more frequently with full cooperation from your beloved. Isn¡¯t that so?¡±


    Wu Xiao held his chin and seriously contemplated. ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s also true. Both options are too tempting. I feel that more consideration is needed.¡±


    Having had enough, Jing Shui finally exploded, his cheeks blazing red flusteredly. ¡°Enough, you all! Stop having such weird discussions about me!¡±


    Qinghe and Chen Xiande suppressed their laughter, wondering if they¡¯d teased their friend too much. Wu Xiao pouted and pressed closer to his Ah-Shui and tried to get him to help him choose between the options of Jing Shui thickening or not thickening his skin.


    And so, as the couples held hands, showered each other with small signs of affections, and bickered energetically among themselves, they left the platform and set out towards their destination.


    ¡­¡­


    The path that had led the couples to the terrace was one that continued on to wrap around the entire mountain of white stone in a spiral. This path would end only at the very top of the mountain where the entrance to the pocket dimension was situated. But from partway onward, the space surrounding the mountaintop would be fractured by spatial fissures and cutting spiritual winds. To traverse it, there was a stable of specialized spiritual beasts installed just before the boundary of the volatile space. Jing Shui explained all this as the group slowly trekked their way up the mountain along the path.


    The mountain of white stone was bare for the most part. Some places, however, seemed to have accumulated layers of dirt over the millennia, the soil having accrued enough to support the gradual formation of small forests, flowing streams, and flat plains of earth. The group was currently heading through one such forest.


    The air here was filled with the scent of clean water and moist soil, underscored by a sharp, electric tang. Thick spiritual energy suffused the space, gathering into the small pockets on the ground, tree trunks, and branches to form strange clumps of clear crystals. Large loops of thick ropes that consisted of more gem-like crystals hung from the tree branches like crystalline garlands, tinkling pleasantly when the wind knocked them together. Low-leveled spiritual animals gathered around the crystals while small spiritual herbs grew around the ones on the ground as if drawn towards its presence unconsciously.


    Near one such group of spiritual crystals, small butterflies one-third the size of a finger fluttered around energetically, their wings transparent with ragged edges and colored in mild shades of pink, yellow, green, and white. Clustered around the crystals were also tall herbs with greenish-blue stems and leaves, growing flowers that were hip-high and shaped like elongated, inverted cups. Each of the flowers¡¯ petals consisted of a strange, silvery-white, glowing substance that flowed upwards like thick and languid smoke, dissolving into the air. Along with them, there were also tall and thin tube-like plants that sprouted straight up from the ground, their color a pinkish-purple. They did not have any leaves, but instead bore thin stems hung with small and round pearl-like fruits.


    The group looked around with interest at the unique flora and sparse fauna as they walked. With practiced effort, Jing Shui controlled himself from taking any of the spiritual beasts he saw to keep for his own. Every time he came this way for inspections before, he¡¯d had to tuck his hands into his sleeves to curb his temptation. But this time, he held Wu Xiao¡¯s hand tightly, tethering himself to his beloved even as his eyes shone with a longing gleam whenever he spotted a particularly fascinating spiritual beast. Wu Xiao suppressed his amusement at this and silently held his Ah-Shui¡¯s hand tighter, talking and teasing him to divert his attention.


    As they strolled along the path, they gradually started hearing the sound of flowing water, growing clearer as they continued forward. Qinghe¡¯s expression immediately brightened when he realized what it could mean. He quickly rushed off to see if the sound led to any water body he could dip into. Sure enough, a small, shallow stream of clean water ran nearby.


    Suffused with massive amounts of spiritual energy, the waters of the stream looked like liquefied diamonds, exceedingly pure and clear as they sparkled brightly under the mild light. The edges of the stream were littered with clear stones the size of a fist and made of condensed spiritual energy. Light filtered through these crystals to cast silvery glimmers on the ground, waters, and vegetation around them. Adorning the bank while glinting like uncut yet polished gems, the stones added to the dazzle of the lustrous water ribbon that was the stream.


    Eyes shining with anticipation and wonder at this sight, Qinghe happily went back and declared, ¡°I found a stream suffused with spiritual energy. Let''s all rest there a moment and take a bath to wash off the dust!¡±


    The others amusedly agreed and they all headed to the stream bank together.


    The stream was barely a dozen meters across. A scattering of little fishes swam in it like thin, finger-sized strips of silver. Cradled by a line of tall trees on either, the stream let out a cheerful, high-pitched burble as it flowed along.


    After studying it, Qinghe nodded with satisfaction and immediately began undoing his belt, his gaze greedily fixed on the clean waters.


    Hei NingYu and Wu Xiao simply shrugged and began disrobing as well. Chen Xiande blinked, hesitant, while Jing Shui clutched the lapels of his outer robe with wide eyes as if afraid someone would forcibly undress him.


    Qinghe quickly finished shedding his clothes and freed his hair before wriggling his fingers in Wei Xiang¡¯s direction with a grin. ¡°Xiang~ Do you want me to help you take it all off?¡±


    Wei Xiang simply smiled and pulled his naked lover close. ¡°Yes. Who else would I give that privilege to?¡± Though Wei Xiang wasn¡¯t all too used to baring his body to anyone other than his fellow officers, family, or his beloved, he was familiar enough with this group to put aside his reservations.


    Having gained his husband¡¯s permission, Qinghe merrily set about removing Wei Xiang¡¯s clothes with familiarity.


    In the meantime, as his slender white fingers slowly undid one layer after another, Wu Xiao casually smirked and turned towards his own lover while singsonging, ¡°Ah-Shui~ Do you really have no objections to all these people seeing my delectable bare body?¡±


    But rather than being entertained with his beloved¡¯s flushed face while he hurled stuttered admonishments at him as he¡¯d expected, what instead greeted Wu Xiao was Jing Shui¡¯s uneasy and reluctant expression. Realizing that Chen Xiande had also not spoken anything for a while, Hei NingYu looked over as well and saw his lover''s nervous look.


    Wu Xiao and Hei NingYu just then realized that their respective beloveds were still standing fully-clothed.


    ¡°Ah-Shui?¡± Wu Xiao called confusedly.


    Jing Shui¡¯s cheeks gained a pink tint as he stuttered, ¡°A-Are we all¡­bathing together?¡± He¡¯d never before shown his naked body to anyone other than Wu Xiao before! Even when he went on tasks with other disciples like that time when he and Qinghe had led a few juniors in the hidden realm, Jing Shui always set up dividers for privacy or simply took his bath alone at a later time. Suddenly faced with the prospect of baring his skin here, he felt too unprepared!


    Chen Xiande had much the same problem. In his case, he had often been excluded from group assignments, and even when he wasn¡¯t, he never felt comfortable enough under the other¡¯s hostile or disparaging gazes to stay and bathe with them for too long. The concept of being naked and comfortable among a group of people was completely foreign to him.


    Wu Xiao only had to take one look at their faces to understand that the unwillingness they felt was due to inexperience. Softening his voice, he said, ¡°Well, if you both don¡¯t want to take a bath with us, that¡¯s fine as well. But since we¡¯ve only reserved the pocket dimension till the end of tonight, and because it¡¯s already evening, it¡¯s better if we don¡¯t stay here for too long. Everyone bathing together is the fastest option if we want to have a relaxed splash in the waters.¡±


    Jing Shui frowned while Chen Xiande had a contemplative expression. His cheeks slowly heating with both embarrassment and nervousness, Chen Xiande haltingly began to undo his robes. Hei NingYu walked up to him with a smile and said, ¡°Here, let me help you.¡± With gentle hands, Hei NingYu helped his lover remove his clothes.


    But even though Chen Xiande had silently assented, he still felt too self-conscious as his robes were being taken off. Sensing it, Hei NingYu struck up a conversation with Jing Shui to reassure his little sheep and make him feel less attention focused on him. ¡°Disciple Jing, I understand that you might feel shy or averse to the thought of showing skin with us for the first time. But I want you to think carefully if there¡¯s any rational basis for you to miss out on this opportunity to feel closer to your friends. None of us will stare at you or make you uncomfortable. None of us will comment on your body or make indecent remarks. If even I with my scars can show my skin so freely, why shouldn¡¯t you? But if you truly don¡¯t feel comfortable, then of course, none of us will force you to disrobe.¡±


    Jing Shui blinked and turned to focus his gaze on Hei NingYu. He¡¯d been embarrassedly trying to avert his eyes from the others¡¯ bodies, so he hadn¡¯t noticed the scars before. Seeing them now, Jing Shui¡¯s knowledge related to spiritual beasts kicked in and he pondered aloud, ¡°Those scars look like they were caused by the claws and toxins of the terrestrial salamandrid beast. By the color intensity, spread of the scarring, and its permanence, it must have been left untreated for quite a while. More than a day at least, I¡¯d wager. By the variety of the scar tissue pattern and coloration, it must have also been a direct injection of the toxin into the skin in very concentrated amounts by at least two different types of the beast. Considering how little known its cure is, Sect Leader Hei, it¡¯s a miracle you were able to find its antidote quick enough to save your life.¡±


    Chen Xiande¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Brother Jing, how do you know so much about these beasts?¡±


    Jing Shui coughed at the open admiration in his voice and supplied, ¡°I¡¯ve read a lot on spiritual beasts, and I¡¯m also a qualified beast trainer.¡±


    Chen Xiande blinked and digested this new information, his mind completely distracted from the fact that he was currently being unclothed.


    Meanwhile, realizing how despite Hei NingYu having a reason to cover his body to hide the painful memories of getting those scars, he still carefreely exposed himself like this, Jing Shui sank deep into thought. After a few minutes, Jing Shui lowered his head and began to fiddle with the lapels of his robe. In a faint voice, he suddenly explained, ¡°I-In the palace where I was raised¡­a prince showing skin to anyone was forbidden.¡±


    Hei NingYu smiled at the hesitant confession. ¡°Well, you aren¡¯t in the palace anymore, are you, Disciple Jing?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Wu Xiao joined in with a nod. He cupped his beloved¡¯s cheek and bent to press a tender kiss to the top of his head. ¡°And Ah-Shui, having a healthy respect and appreciation for your body is nothing to be ashamed of. You can flaunt it or hide it away. In the end, what you do with it is your choice, and you shouldn''t feel that you''re somehow less because of it.¡±


    Jing Shui hesitated for a moment more before nodding. He lifted his head and saw that Qinghe and Wei Xiang were already happily frolicking in the waters carefreely. The Brother Feng he¡¯d grown to admire appeared completely at ease with being naked, enjoying his time with his beloved cheerfully.


    Seeming to sense his gaze, Qinghe turned to look at him and grinned. ¡°Brother Jing, are you not going to join us? If you take too much time, you won¡¯t be able to play in the water anymore!¡±


    After a moment, Jing Shui smiled back at him. ¡°I¡­I¡¯ll be there in a moment.¡±


    Qinghe nodded and said, ¡°Hurry up then!¡± Turning back to his husband, he continued playing in the water, splashing it onto Wei Xiang with vigor and laughingly trying to escape when he was retaliated against.


    Letting out a breath, Jing Shui steeled himself and began taking off his belt and robes with quick fingers. Wu Xiao grinned happily at how his beloved had successfully passed another hurdle. He knew that his Ah-Shui might still have more hurdles in front of him that had remained unknotted till now, but Wu Xiao also knew that as they continued to live their lives the way they were doing now, Jing Shui would eventually surmount it all, becoming completely free from his past and coming out stronger for it.


    At the side, Hei NingYu led an anxious and naked Chen Xiande into the water. Qinghe happily roped them into his game of splashing water and quickly had Hei NingYu chasing him along with Wei Xiang. Chen Xiande soon forgot his nudity and joined in the chase as well. But despite the three people after him, Qinghe still managed to slipperily evade them all.


    Sometimes Qinghe dived into the water and swam far away like a fish. Sometimes he jumped up to grab a tree trunk, hoisted himself onto it, then used it as a launching pad to leap further away into the stream. He seemed to especially like jumping into the waters like this, using that method at every opportunity with a bright grin. Of course, the other three always tried to follow close behind him. But as someone who had specifically trained himself in speed and agility the most, Qinghe managed to give them the slip at the last moment every time.


    Seeing all this, even the reluctant Jing Shui was tempted to quickly discard his clothes and join in.


    Soon, the three couples were laughing and splashing in the stream. The cool and clear waters sloshed over their bare skin, making them feel refreshed and more invigorated. They chased and threw water over each other, held contests to see who could last longest under the water surface while holding their breaths, competed over who could make the biggest splash while diving down from the nearby tree branches, and had Jing Shui use his ability to make things like rings of water to jump through or horizontal bars to leap over.


    In the end, with their long hair completely plastered to their bodies and soaking wet, the group finally waded back to rest by the stream bank. Their chests heaved as they caught their breaths while wide smiles still remained on their faces.


    Straightening from where he was slumped on Hei NingYu, Chen Xiande turned to the Qinghe and Wei Xiang pair to ask curiously, ¡°Junior Brother, Sentinel Wei, what are those things you¡¯re wearing? Do they have any special meaning?¡± Chen Xiande gestured towards the golden band around Qinghe¡¯s ankle and the transparent armband around Wei Xiang¡¯s upper arm. Since they were usually hidden under clothes, today was the first time the others saw it. They were all curious to know about it as well.


    Before Qinghe could reply, Jing Shui showed an expression of realization and spoke, ¡°If I remember right, wasn¡¯t there a spiritual beast tradition where exchanging tokens consisting of each other¡¯s body parts was considered officializing their mating? Is this related to that? Ah, but¡­¡± Jing Shui leaned forward to peer at Wei Xiang¡¯s armband, since it was nearer to him. ¡°Hmm, this doesn¡¯t look like a part of a body. Brother Feng, what is it made of?¡±


    Qinghe chuckled and revealed, ¡°The transparent part of the armband consists of my spiritual force, taken directly from my cultivation core long ago and compressed to solid form. The line of little silver designs encased inside is made of my life force, while the red ones are drawn with my blood. Xiang¡¯s token to me, this anklet, is formed by his golden strings that were distilled out of his scales, fangs, talons, blood, and fragments of his eggshell, all of it refined together using his whitefire.¡±


    Chen Xiande¡¯s gaze swung between the anklet and armband with fascination. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, Junior Brother, when did you both exchange these? Was it before or after your wedding?¡±


    Qinghe smiled proudly. ¡°It was long before that. We did it on the night leading up to the Battle at the Castle of Echoes.¡±


    Wei Xiang held Qinghe close and added, ¡°We were eager to bind ourselves to each other even back then.¡±


    Qinghe nodded. ¡°Yes. If it wouldn¡¯t have felt incomplete without Mother, we might have had our wedding ceremony at that time itself.¡± Turning to Jing Shui and Wu Xiao, he said, ¡°Putting that aside, I¡¯m curious. When did Brother Jing and Sect Master Wu have the opportunity to get married? And why choose the traditions of a remote tribe for that?¡±


    Jing Shui smiled softly and began explaining the series of events starting from way back when the Baolin Tribe had first visited the imperial palace when he was little.


    In this way, the six people discussed peacefully, talking about their lives and reminiscing about important moments that they hadn¡¯t been able to talk about with the others before. If what they were discussing was something happy, they all rejoiced together; if it was a sad memory, they all consoled the one remembering; and if it was something puzzling, they put their heads together to try and figure it out.


    After playing to their heart¡¯s content and sharing their experiences, the three couples gradually immersed themselves in doing their own thing with their beloved.


    Qinghe had happily settled on the bank to wash Wei Xiang¡¯s hair, his eyes shining with wonder and admiration at his husband¡¯s thick tresses. Wei Xiang sat in the shallow end of the stream bed with his back facing Qinghe. He leaned back on the edge of the bank, letting out hums of pleasure every now and then with a blissful expression at the feel of his husband''s fingers working on his hair.


    Once he was done washing his beloved¡¯s hair, Qinghe remembered something and spoke, ¡°Xiang, Mother gave me something that she claimed would make hair smell very nice when applied to it. Do you want to try it?¡±


    Wei Xiang lazily opened his eyes and tilted his head up to look at his husband. In a playful voice, he teased, ¡°Why? Do you not like how it smells now?¡±


    Qinghe bent down and buried his nose into Wei Xiang¡¯s wet hair and took a long sniff. Straightening, he smiled and said, ¡°It smells really good as usual. I love your scent. But don¡¯t you want to try something new occasionally? It might be fun.¡±


    Chuffing out a laugh, Wei Xiang said, ¡°Or it might end up with me going bald and sprouting flowers on my head. After all, it¡¯s something Mother-in-law gave.¡±


    Qinghe chuckled. ¡°I feared that as well, which is why I consulted Father first. You know how Mother always admits the truth with him, don¡¯t you? So I had Father ask her, and Father assured me that there would be no strange side-effects this time.¡±


    Hearing that his master had vetted it, Wei Xiang relaxed. ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s try it out.¡±


    Qinghe grinned and took out a small round box from his storage space. He opened the lid and carefully scooped out some of the brownish goop with his fingers before applying it to Wei Xiang¡¯s scalp and rubbed it into the hair. Strangely, the goop by itself was odorless.


    Seeing Wei Xiang gradually begin to frown, Qinghe asked, ¡°What is it? Does it feel uncomfortable?¡±


    Wei Xiang shook his head. ¡°No. Actually, it feels pleasantly warm. It feels like hot water spreading on my scalp.¡±


    Qinghe smiled and applied more of the goop to his beloved¡¯s hair with increased confidence. Slowly, it began emitting a deep and mellow scent with an undercurrent of musk. It gave off a warm, mature, and masculine feeling. Qinghe and Wei Xiang took in deep breaths, trying to inhale more of the pleasant smell.


    ¡°It smells so nice¡­¡± Qinghe sighed.


    Wei Xiang nodded. ¡°Yes, it does. Since you like it, after you¡¯re done putting it on me, let me apply it to you too.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes gleamed as he said, ¡°Yes. Then we¡¯ll both smell the same!¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled. That wasn¡¯t what he¡¯d been after, but he definitely liked the sound of it.


    Meanwhile, things had gotten heated between the Hei NingYu and Chen Xiande pair. They had been swimming together at first before deciding to bath each other. But then their warm hands wandered over sensitive areas, making a small bud perk up here or a stretch of muscle tighten there. The unconscious acts of stimulation gradually grew more and more deliberate until Jing Shui felt the need to cut in embarrassedly. After receiving his veiled pleas for mercy, the couple sunk into the water and continued.


    Now, their faces were pressed together as they kissed above the stream¡¯s surface while below the water, their hands and bodies touched and caressed each other in unmentionable places. The others kept their gazes away from the pair, intentionally not looking through the clear water surface.


    A little distance away, Jing Shui stood together with Wu Xiao in the water. Jing Shui very seriously slicked water over himself to bathe, his body purposefully turned away from the overly-passionate pair of Chen Xiande and Hei NingYu. Because of this, he failed to notice how Wu Xiao was staring at him with open adoration and interest, drinking in his every movement with a thirsty gaze.


    His eyes suddenly glinting with a mischievous idea, Wu Xiao called out, ¡°Ah-Shui, I hope you¡¯re being careful about letting fishes climb up into your cute little ass~¡±


    Jing Shui froze and turned to him with a half-confused, half-horrified expression. ¡°W-What?!¡±


    Assuming a solemn expression, Wu Xiao expounded, ¡°I¡¯ve heard of how certain people ended up with tiny fishes swimming into their butts while bathing in water bodies like this without them realizing, which is why I cautioned you.¡±


    Jing Shui woodenly bent his head and saw small and thin fishes barely the size of a finger swimming here and there. Noticing one heading towards him, Jing Shui yelped and jumped up onto Wu Xiao, escaping from the water and wrapping both his arms and legs around his beloved to clutch him desperately. With a terrified expression, he said frantically, ¡°I-I don¡¯t want anything like that ending up in my butt!¡±


    Wu Xiao smiled at him with helpless amusement and patted his bottom. ¡°Yes, yes, I know. I won¡¯t let anything except me get into you, Ah-Shui.¡±


    Jing Shui was too occupied with glaring at any fishes that swam his way to care about Wu Xiao¡¯s shamelessness.


    Suppressing his smile, Qinghe reminded his friend from the side, ¡°Brother Jing, isn¡¯t your ability water-based? Wouldn¡¯t it be an easy matter for you to sense if something approached your bottom that closely?¡±


    Jing Shui blinked. Realizing that Qinghe was right, he blushed a bright red. He had been so busy panicking that he seemed to have forgotten that!


    Reluctantly releasing his hold on a regretful-looking Wu Xiao, Jing Shui got down and stood in the water again. Peering at the sparse fishes swimming in the stream doubtfully, he stuck close to his beloved. After a moment of pondering, Jing Shui gingerly lifted one of Wu Xiao¡¯s hands, making the palm cup his bottom. Looking up through his lashes hesitantly, his cheeks blazing with embarrassment, Jing Shui beseeched softly, ¡°W-Wu Xiao, you¡¯ll make sure that nothing goes in, won¡¯t you?¡±


    Wu Xiao¡¯s heart melted at how adorable his beloved was. ¡°Yes, of course I¡¯ll protect my Ah-Shui¡¯s lovely little butt!¡± His palm surreptitiously gave a small squeeze to said butt as if underscoring his statement. With his husband placing his cute ass in his hand of his own accord and letting him hold on to it freely, how could Wu Xiao refuse?


    Jing Shui pressed his lips together and bowed his head in bashfulness, but nodded. It made Wu Xiao smile wider. Reassured that his backside was in good hands, Jing Shui began bathing again, his body still half-pressed against Wu Xiao. Wu Xiao¡¯s expression was that of absolute bliss. One glance at him was enough to tell anyone that his mind must be overflowing with pink bubbles and dirty images.


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang looked at this intimate scene borne of ridiculousness with a wry smile, then turned to look at another, even more intimate scene of Hei NingYu burying his head into Chen Xiande¡¯s shoulder and moaning as his lover¡¯s spirited ministrations under the surface made the water between them splash. Then looking at each other, Qinghe and Wei Xiang decided to join in this romantic atmosphere and hugged each other close, their mouths once again joining together.


    In this way, the three couples spent their time at the stream happily.


    ¡­¡­


    The sky had already begun to darken when the six people reached the stables holding the specialized spiritual beasts.


    There was only one more stretch of the mountain left for them to traverse, but that part of their journey was fraught with spatial destabilizations and gales of piercing spiritual winds. Anyone trying to walk or fly through this space would be shredded to pieces. Even using the shadow realm couldn¡¯t guarantee their safety.


    The only way to pass through this space was to use a certain type of spiritual beasts called the phantom-winged steeds. These beasts looked like slender horses with a delicate build and translucent bodies that made them appear like ethereal ghosts. A pair of large wings protruded from their sides, seeming to have no solid form. The wings extending from them instead shimmered like an invisible mirage, appearing completely transparent while distorting the space containing them. Adding to their otherworldliness, the beasts made no sound at all even when they moved, and their wide grey iris-less eyes were strangely blank like those of an exquisitely carved sculpture. Each beast had five opalescent white horns extending from its head.


    Three of the phantom-winged steeds were set aside for the three couples, each pair meant to ride one to pass through the unstable area and reach the top of the mountain from where they could access the pocket dimension.


    However, one look at them and Qinghe shook his head repeatedly. ¡°No, there¡¯s no way I am going to get on any of these beasts and let them take me up into the air. No, it¡¯s not happening.¡±


    Wei Xiang and the others could only look at Qinghe¡¯s slightly freaked out expression with bafflement.


    Wei Xiang sighed. ¡°Love, what¡¯s the problem? I remember you behaving the same way when we had to get on those beasts from the Silver-scaled Cervid Clan for our wedding procession as well. Is there a reason you don¡¯t want to ride spiritual beasts other than me?¡±


    Qinghe looked at the placidly standing phantom-winged steeds and struggled to put his thoughts into words. ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­I can¡¯t read their faces. I can¡¯t read any of their expressions. I don¡¯t know if these beasts are hostile or feel favorably towards me. I don¡¯t know how they think, I don¡¯t know how to communicate with them like I would with people, and I don¡¯t understand them! I-I can¡¯t trust them like this! How can I let them take me up so high into the sky and risk them dropping me from up here?


    ¡°If it¡¯s Xiang, I naturally don¡¯t mind since I can more or less make out your expression even when you¡¯re a wyvern, not to mention that I trust you implicitly. Even with the beasts before in our wedding procession, I could communicate with them using words since they were of a high enough level. And since I knew that we would only be walking along a path on the ground, I ended up agreeing to ride them. B-But with other spiritual beasts and even animals, I don¡¯t know how to read them. I¡­I can¡¯t¡­how can I trust something I can¡¯t read¡­? It¡¯s illogical!¡±


    Qinghe looked flustered, his hands restlessly fiddling with the edge of his sleeves in agitation.


    The others looked at one another helplessly. How could they even address such an unexpected and strange issue?


    Jing Shui finally cleared his throat and tried convincing his friend, ¡°Brother Feng, these beasts are well-trained, docile, and non-threatening. They aren¡¯t dangerous and they aren¡¯t capable of plotting about things like throwing us down after flying us up high. Won¡¯t you at least give them a chance?¡±


    Qinghe vehemently shook his head, his lips pressing together. ¡°But how can you be sure? What if the one I¡¯m riding decides it doesn¡¯t like me and throws me off mid-air? I won¡¯t even be able to use my wind due to the spatial disturbance here! I-I can¡¯t¡­I don¡¯t know how to trust these beasts when I don¡¯t have any solid proof that they will absolutely not harm me.¡±


    Seeing Qinghe¡¯s anxious appearance, Wei Xiang sighed and held his beloved close. Qinghe quickly burrowed into his embrace, seeking comfort. Patting his back, Wei Xiang reflected that though Qinghe seemed to have gotten much better at looking past what happened to him before, he still hadn¡¯t completely been able to shake off its influence. It was in times like these that Qinghe¡¯s need to control everything to assure his own safety gave away just how deep his issues were etched.


    But each time, Wei Xiang was nevertheless determined to tirelessly coax his beloved mate from being steeped in his issues and progress a bit more towards his complete healing.


    Gently stroking his husband¡¯s hair, Wei Xiang spoke, ¡°Love, you might not have any direct evidence telling you to trust those beasts, but will you trust me?¡±


    Qinghe slightly lifted his head and peeked up. His tone sounded like that of an uncertain child as he repeated, ¡°Trust you?¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded with a soft smile. ¡°Yes. I know that we will be safe and that there will be no mishaps like the ones you¡¯re worrying about. Even if something happens, I am here. I won¡¯t let anything happen to you. Can you trust in my words? Will you believe in me?¡±


    Qinghe slowly blinked at him, his eyes filled with unfathomable thoughts. Then he nodded and said quietly, ¡°Okay.¡± Since it was his Xiang, he would force himself to believe.


    The others all let out silent breaths in relief.


    Smirking, Hei NingYu said, ¡°Even if your Sentinel Wei fails you, there¡¯s still us to take care of you. So you can rest assured, Xiao Feng.¡±


    Wei Xiang only chuckled and said easily, ¡°Then I will count on Sect Leader Hei and the others too then.¡±


    Chen Xiande nodded. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll also help protect Junior Brother.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s face turned pink as a shyly pleased smile bloomed on his lips. He bowed deeply towards them and expressed, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    When he straightened, he was greeted by affectionate smiles and words waving away his gratitude. Qinghe¡¯s heart felt warm and full.


    Now that it was settled, the three couples chose a beast each and got on. Jing Shui and Wu Xiao selected the one that was tinted a mild purplish-blue to ride. Qinghe and Wei Xiang sat atop a beast colored in a light bluish-green. Chen Xiande and Hei NingYu perched upon one that was a faded greenish-yellow. After everyone had climbed atop a beast, they set off.


    The phantom-winged steeds were a breed of beasts that had once lived in a hidden dimension with volatile space. As a result, they had evolved to develop inherent defenses against being torn apart due to spatial disturbances or cutting blades of spiritual energy. Thus, when they flew through the volatile space near the mountaintop now, the beasts naturally set up a barrier around them to protect themselves and the space around them. It incidentally also protected the people riding them. The barrier was spherical, its walls invisible to the naked eye and its diameter the size of the beasts¡¯ wingspan. When their wings stretched to their full length, the tips lightly brushed the inside of this barrier.


    Since Jing Shui was more familiar with riding all kinds of spiritual beasts including this one, he sat at the front of his and Wu Xiao¡¯s mount and led the whole group forward. Wu Xiao wrapped his arms around his husband and delighted in sneakily eating tofu and making his beloved Ah-Shui blush. On the other hand, since Chen Xiande had never before ridden anything except a paper mount, he let Hei NingYu sit at the front and encircled his lover¡¯s waist, leaning into him with a content smile.


    Due to his distrust of the beast and the fear of being suddenly thrown off, Qinghe obviously couldn¡¯t sit at the front and steer the beast. He instead rode behind Wei Xiang, his arms clamped tightly around his beloved and his face buried in his sturdy back. All the while, Wei Xiang''s steady voice spoke soothing words and calm reassurances, his fingers patting his beloved''s hands where they were fisted on his abdomen to help relax Qinghe''s galloping heart.


    With his eyes closed, Qinghe¡¯s other senses became sharper. He could feel the cool body of the beast under him, muscles shifting as it beat its illusory-looking wings. He could hear the soft sounds the phantom-winged steeds let out occasionally that was less like the neighs of a horse and more like a mixture between crystalline tinkling and eerie whistling. As they flew, constant shrill shrieks surrounded them due to the sharp lashes of spiritual currents ripping through the air, stirred up due to the instability of the volatile space. But over all of it, what Qinghe sensed with the most clarity was the warm and stable presence of his husband in front of him and the wash of his steadying voice as Wei Xiang comforted him. Despite Qinghe¡¯s initial misgivings, staying like this felt strangely peaceful to him now.


    In this way, the three couples flew through the fracturing space and safely made it to near the peak.


    They alighted from the beasts just under the mountaintop, inside the boundary of the area that was free from spatial disturbances. A long staircase of white stone stretched in front of them, leading to the mountain peak above. Beside the foot of the staircase was a small and neat stable with empty stalls.


    Jing Shui stabled the phantom-winged steeds there and arranged some water and feed for them so that they wouldn¡¯t want for anything for the next few hours. When the group returned from the pocket dimension later, they would need the beasts to get back through the volatile space.


    Once that was taken care of, the six people climbed the staircase and finally stepped foot onto the mountaintop.


    The ground here was flat and consisted entirely of clean, snow-white stone. No boulders or vegetation littered the place, leaving the area barren of everything but one¨Da large crystal tree standing at the center, its trunk transparent and its clear and spindly branches bare of foliage. Small silvery lights glowed from the branches, scattered all over evenly. These lights pulsed in slow and irregular intervals, like the lazy twinkling of stars bound to the crystalline branches of the tree.


    When the entirety of this colorless landscape was contrasted against the sky saturated with a deep and even violet in the onset of night, it was almost too piercing. The ambiance here was fresh and pure, the air still and feeling neither cold nor warm. Hushed solemnity and silent tranquility filled this ancient place, eliciting the sort of reverence one would have at a place of worship.


    In a quiet voice suiting the atmosphere, Jing Shui explained, ¡°As everyone knows, this mountain is made entirely of cloud jade, a mineral that is known for gathering spiritual energy around it in an invisible cloud and allowing it to condense upon its surface in small patches. Here at the top of the mountain is where most of the spiritual energy usually accumulates, causing the area surrounding the mountain¡¯s peak to develop unstable space due to the sheer concentration of power. That spiritual energy constantly suffuses this ancient tree, which is the only vegetation able to survive and grow on this power-saturated mountaintop. After absorbing so much spiritual energy over the course of several millennia, the tree turned to look like this. It is still alive, but in a different way than the usual mortal trees.


    ¡°The small pinpoints of glowing and flickering lights on the tree¡¯s branches are spell nodes arranged by an Elder from the Silver Moon Sect. Unlike Wu Xiao who uses lines, that Elder specialized in using these little glowing lights to define his formations. The nodes are set in the pattern of an array. The array will allow those with a key to pass through here and into the pocket dimension that naturally formed here long ago. The pocket dimension is called the ¡®Luminous Forest¡¯ and it is our destination.¡±


    Everyone nodded to show that they listened and understood.


    Jing Shui extended a hand and a small piece of white-colored jade with an intricately carved latticework appeared in his palm. Walking towards the crystal tree, Jing Shui touched the jade key in his hand to its trunk and spoke, ¡°With permission, we seek entrance.¡±


    The leisurely pulsing points on the tree branches suddenly flashed as one. A bright white light exploded out of the tree, blowing back their hair and forcing them to raise their arms and close their eyes.


    A moment later, the silence of the mountaintop gave way to the rustle of leaves and the lick of cool breeze on their faces. Understanding that they¡¯d successfully entered the pocket dimension, the group of six lowered their arms and opened their eyes to take in their surroundings.


    The Luminous Forest was stuck in perpetual night, with dense glimmers of stars packing the velvety black sky above. Translucent clouds of purple, pink, and orange hovered under the sky, lending it more color.


    Below the starry sky, the pocket dimension was filled with giant, sturdy trees. Narrow and well-kept paths snaked between them, perfect for couples to stroll along on. The barks of the trees between the paths were smooth and black, while the lush palm-sized leaves were a deep, dark green.


    In contrast to all the dark colors in the dimension, the long stems hanging from the trees¡¯ branches bore round, luminous fruits. The fist-sized globes dangled in conical bunches. Each bunch of fruits glowed in soft creamy yellow, peach, orange, dark pink, or purple, looking like fantastical festive ornaments. The ripest and fullest of these fruits hung at the top of the bunch, the fruits growing progressively smaller until the one dangling from the very tip of the stem was nothing but a small and thin luminescent protrusion.


    The earth here was soft and black, with patches of long-bladed grass visible here and there in the distance. A mild breeze threaded through the grass and the leaves, making them shift and rustle gently. Other than that, there was only peace and silence here, as if the world was drowsing relaxedly. No animals or insects seemed to be in this dimension, leaving only the visiting group and the vegetation here. The air was saturated with spiritual energy, acting as the source of nutrition to the plant life in the dimension.


    As they began walking down the path they were on, the six people took in this scene of a glittering sky, transparent clouds of colors, serene atmosphere, dark trees, and fruits glowing brightly in various hues. Qinghe, in particular, was enamored with the trees hung with those softly luminescing fruits lit up so brightly in this sea of dark colors.


    Qinghe sighed wistfully and said, ¡°I wish it were possible to plant a few of these trees back at the Feng residence.¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled. ¡°Since these trees seem specific to this dimension, I don¡¯t think we can. But seeing how these fruits don¡¯t smell toxic or look like some plant monsters, I doubt Mother-in-law would be interested in looking after them in her garden anyway.¡±


    Qinghe chuckled. ¡°There¡¯s that. But I actually meant putting it in the little black room. It could use the illumination, don¡¯t you think?¡± Not sensing the horror beginning to creep into a few of his companions¡¯ faces, Qinghe sighed sadly and went on, ¡°I feel distressed whenever I think about having to be curled up in that small and tight space with nothing but darkness for company, unable to move or see or breathe¡­ Putting trees in a room might be difficult to do, but having something nice like this might make things more bearable.¡±


    Knowing what his beloved meant, Wei Xiang placidly nodded in agreement while Jing Shui, Wu Xiao, and Hei NingYu looked at the pair incredulously. Faced with their reaction, the oblivious Qinghe only felt puzzled while Wei Xiang kept on smiling, a strange twinkle in his eyes.


    Chen Xiande pondered for a moment before turning to Qinghe and asking confusedly, ¡°What little black room do you mean, Junior Brother? It sounds awfully uncomfortable.¡±


    Before Qinghe could answer, Jing Shui burst out while looking at Wei Xiang with bulging eyes, ¡°Sentinel Wei! Y-you! This¨D! H-How could you¡­!?¡±


    Hei NingYu raised a single eyebrow and asked more coherently, ¡°Sentinel Wei, just what all have you been doing to our poor, innocent Xiao Feng?¡±


    Wu Xiao frowned almost fiercely, his gaze fixed on Wei Xiang as if demanding answers as well.


    The humor in Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes grew. ¡°Let Qinghe answer that for himself.¡± Turning to his husband who was looking at the others with confusion, he prodded, ¡°Go on, love. Tell them about our little black room.¡±


    The attention of everyone focused on him.


    Qinghe tilted his head confusedly. Why were they all getting so bent out of shape over this? Shrugging inwardly, he answered in a light and pleasant voice, ¡°The little black room is what we call the egg chamber. Since we painted the entire room black on the inside to retain heat in the chamber and incubate the eggs better, Mother suggested we start calling it the little black room.¡± Qinghe paused, suddenly recalling Feng Chunyi¡¯s smirking, sly countenance as she¡¯d told that to him and the exasperated reactions of his father and Wei Xiang as if wanting to say something in reply but unable to. Could it be that calling it like that was something strange?


    Meanwhile, Jing Shui, Wu Xiao, and Hei NingYu looked at him with startled and conflicted gazes. So that¡¯s what he¡¯d meant?!


    Wu Xiao blinked and prompted in a strangled voice, ¡°But what about¡­ Why did you say it¡¯d be dark and cramped with you being unable to move or breathe?¡±


    Qinghe looked at him with surprise. ¡°Huh? When did I say that I was the one who would be in that situation?! I meant the eggs, Sect Master Wu. The unborn wyverns must all feel so lonely, having to be stuck so long in the lightless and tight confines of their eggs. They won¡¯t have any room to move or be able to breathe properly until they hatch. I only wanted to make their egg chamber a bit more cheerful and bright because of that, even if the unhatched wyverns might not be able to see it.¡±


    Wu Xiao¡¯s and Hei NingYu¡¯s lips twitched while Jing Shui heaved a breath in relief.


    Chen Xiande frowned at their reactions before turning to Hei NingYu. ¡°I think that make sense. But what were you all thinking it was about before to show such weird expressions? Is there some other way what Junior Brother said could be interpreted in?¡±


    Wu Xiao coughed while Jing Shui just looked awkward. Qinghe looked at Hei NingYu, interested in his reply, while Wei Xiang looked vaguely amused.


    Hei NingYu nodded in answer to his lover¡¯s question and explained, ¡°It¡¯s a concept used long ago when the world was less moralistic than now. The ¡®black room¡¯ was a kind of sensory deprivation chamber used to cut its occupants off from stimuli like sight, sound, and the touch of others. It was a psychological torture method used when the torturers did not wish the victims to show any obvious signs of physical abuse or leave any evidence. Depending on the time for which they were locked in there, the victims could suffer from mental health problems ranging from mild to severe, and sometimes even develop hallucinations. There were also unconfirmed talks of these black rooms being used as a way of punishing prisoners or forcefully ¡®reforming¡¯ those who went against the strictly traditional way of thinking at that time.


    ¡°Later on, there were rumors of ¡®little black rooms¡¯ modeled after those black rooms being used by a certain unhealthily obsessive and unpleasant person in a high rank to confine the men and women he fancied, but who expressed their unwillingness to lie with him. These men and women would be kidnapped, isolated, and restrained in a windowless room with black walls, ceiling, and floors, only being allowed to interact with their captor and no one else. It was considered their ¡®punishment¡¯ for not agreeing to be his. Their captor would then take advantage of their helpless state to physically or sexually abuse and degrade them however he wished. It was a way for him to revel in the control and power he had over the people he claimed to like; to trap them, exercise his possessiveness on them to the maximum, and basically have his victims all to himself.


    ¡°When rumors of this spread, a few other like-minded people also tried to follow his practice of using these little black rooms to confine and torment the ones who rejected their advances by forcing their unhealthy obsession down their throats. Of course, it need not be said how horrible and disgusting such a thing is. Thankfully, the establishment of the Order of Sentinels put a stop to this quickly and the practice of using black rooms for punishment or forceful confinement became forbidden. The concept of the little black room is known to this day as some of the vilest and unpleasant ways of abuse implemented in past times.¡± Hei NingYu glanced at Wei Xiang and went on, ¡°Which is why I found it somewhat hard to believe that the upright Sentinel Wei who obviously loves Xiao Feng very much would do something like that. But it turns out that it was only a misunderstanding.¡±


    Qinghe and Chen Xiande looked at him with wide eyes conveying their horror that such a thing had existed.


    Smiling wryly towards Wei Xiang, Hei NingYu said sincerely, ¡°I apologize for jumping to conclusions, Sentinel Wei.¡±


    Wu Xiao and Jing Shui also expressed their consternation at being doubtful of him without thinking it through.


    Wei Xiang simply chuckled. ¡°There was no harm done, and your behavior was only meant to protect my husband, so I don¡¯t hold it against any of you.¡±


    The tense atmosphere relaxed again.


    Chen Xiande shook his head and said, ¡°Some of the things that people allowed to happen before are truly too shocking and dreadful.¡±


    Jing Shui nodded with a sigh. Then seeming to think of something, he looked at Wu Xiao to ask curiously, ¡°Is this concept of ¡®black room¡¯ present in the other worlds the people of Silver Mist peer into as well?¡±


    Wu Xiao shrugged. ¡°Yes, more or less. It varies greatly depending on the world though.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Jing Shui murmured while sinking into thought.


    A moment of silence stretched.


    Walking with scrunched brows, Qinghe suddenly wondered aloud, ¡°If that¡¯s what it means, then why did Mother suggest such a name for the egg chamber?¡±


    Wei Xiang chortled. ¡°Isn¡¯t that because she wanted to cause exactly this type of misunderstanding and seed chaos?¡±


    Qinghe sighed and muttered, ¡°It does sound like Mother.¡± Blinking up at Wei Xiang, he asked, ¡°I suppose I should stop using that phrase then?¡±


    But Wei Xiang, Wu Xiao, and Hei NingYu all showed wily expressions and shook their heads at once.


    Wei Xiang smirked. ¡°I want to see how many glares and looks of horror I can collect because of this.¡±


    Wu Xiao grinned. ¡°Seeing other people¡¯s expressions when they realize what you actually mean is going to be fun.¡±


    Hei NingYu let out a light laugh. ¡°You should use this opportunity to cause as much mischief as you can.¡±


    Hearing all this, Qinghe¡¯s own sense of playfulness awakened. He chuckled and nodded, ¡°That¡¯s true. This will certainly be amusing.¡±


    Jing Shui and Chen Xiande looked at each other and sighed in commiseration. They already pitied the wyverns that would hatch from those eggs and how they¡¯d have to say that they were born from a little black room. Thinking of those poor wyverns¡¯ plight, then seeing the devious smiles on the four people walking with them, Jing Shui and Chen Xiande couldn¡¯t help but feel that all people in their group except them were complete oddballs with incomprehensible brains!


    As they chatted like this while walking, the group came to a crossroads. The crossroad junction was shaped like a large, round, and flat clearing where couples who were too tired from walking could spread out a piece of cloth and have a few bites to eat.


    The group pondered the three paths leading from the clearing for a few moments.


    ¡°I suppose this is as good a place to split up as any,¡± Qinghe finally said.


    The others nodded, faint anticipation glittering in their gazes. After all, the part they¡¯d been looking forward to the most in this little excursion was getting to spend some romantic time alone with their beloved.


    Jing Shui turned to the group and instructed, ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll split up for now and take a path each. We¡¯ll meet here again two hours later and dine together.¡±


    With that, the group of six separated into three couples and chose a separate path. Since Jing Shui and Wu Xiao were walking on the left side of the group, they took the path on the left since it was nearby. Chen Xiande and Hei NingYu started striding towards the trail on the right for similar reasons. That left the Qinghe and Wei Xiang who were in the middle of the group to take the path at the center.


    With small smiles and hooded eyes, the three pairs thus went off on their own to enjoy their beloved¡¯s company and have fun in their own way.


    ¡­¡­


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang continued down the path hand-in-hand. Their expressions were peaceful as they enjoyed walking silently with their husband.


    Casting a glance up at Wei Xiang, Qinghe suddenly said, ¡°You know, while searching for wedding traditions to use before, I and the twins came across one that seemed to use a type of fruit very similar to these glowing ones.¡±


    Wei Xiang arched an eyebrow. ¡°Oh? What type of tradition is it? Maybe we can try it with these fruits.¡±


    Qinghe smiled and answered, ¡°The two people getting married will each hold one side of the fruit in their mouths and start eating it. If they manage to finish the fruit between themselves without dropping it or touching it with anything other than their mouths, then it is seen as a good sign of their union.¡±


    His eyes gleaming, Wei Xiang stopped walking and looked up at the nearest bunch of fruits with an interested gaze. ¡°Such a fascinating tradition. We should try it.¡±


    Qinghe chuckled with anticipation and nodded. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s try it.¡±


    From the bunch hanging nearest to him, Wei Xiang plucked a round and ripe luminous fruit that glowed in a warm yellow. He studied it carefully before determining that it had no peel to remove. After lightly dusting it off, he lifted it up to Qinghe¡¯s lips and bent to bite the opposite side. With an eager smile, Qinghe sank his teeth into the fruit as well.


    Warm and sweet juice flooded their mouth. It tasted slightly tart, but with a strong mellow flavor reminiscent of honey, litchi, and something rich and buttery. Swallowing the juice before it could overflow, Qinghe took a bite of the spongy fruit and chewed before clamping his teeth onto it again to hold it in place for his beloved. Seeing his husband considerately keeping it steady for him, Wei Xiang took a bite of his own without worry of dropping the fruit. Once he was done chewing and swallowing, he dug his teeth into the fruit and became the one to hold it in place this time. Reassured, Qinghe bit down on the fruit and ate another mouthful. In this way, the couple cooperated with each other to take turns and alternate between eating from it and holding it, slowly progressing towards finishing the fruit.


    And after the last bite was taken, their lips automatically met.


    Qinghe tasted the fruit¡¯s sweet and mellow juice on Wei Xiang¡¯s mouth and extended a tongue to lick it. Wei Xiang parted his lips and sucked in that exploring tongue before entangling it with his own. Qinghe groaned and leaned into Wei Xiang, probing deeper into his husband¡¯s mouth with his tongue.


    The pair held each other tightly and slowly kissed, lapping and sucking to taste the juice of the luminous fruit and their beloved¡¯s unique taste. Hands hungrily slid over clothes before slipping in. As their mouths began to wander over firm jaws and supple throats, their fingers slowly undid their husband¡¯s robes. Pants, hair sticks, and accessories dropped down to the ground next. Soon, the couple stood naked, their warm skins pressed together. Their palms roved over each other¡¯s bare bodies, their mouths once again finding one another to continue kissing. They could feel each other¡¯s thick arousals poking their bellies.


    Wei Xiang let out a soft growl and let his hands slide down to cup his beloved¡¯s buttocks, squeezing and kneading the firm flesh. He could already imagine the bliss of being sheathed within his Qinghe¡¯s tight and hot flesh, feeling his pulse throbbing around his member. He could already imagine how his husband¡¯s voice would grow thick and low while letting out sounds of pleasure.


    His ardor increasing, Wei Xiang was just about to retrieve a bottle of oil to begin the preparations when Qinghe suddenly let go, stepping back.


    ¡°Xiang, wait. I have something to show you,¡± Qinghe said and walked up to a nearby tree.


    Wei Xiang blinked uncomprehendingly at his beloved, the warmth of Qinghe¡¯s body still lingering on his skin while his eyes remained glazed with heat.


    As the confusion in Wei Xiang¡¯s gaze increased, Qinghe crouched on his knees in front of the tree. Lifting his hands and placing them on the smooth black bark, Qinghe leaned forward and pressed his cheek to the trunk as well. He then lifted up his bottom and began wiggling it side-to-side while singing, ¡°Xiang~ Come and have me~¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Faced with this inexplicable situation, Wei Xiang froze. When the view in front of him finally registered, Wei Xiang had to suppress his sudden laughter along with the rush of blood trying to flow out of his nose. Only his little husband could look so adorably tempting yet utterly ridiculous at the same time.


    In a strangled voice, Wei Xiang choked out, ¡°Q-Qinghe, love¡­what are you doing?¡±


    Qinghe stopped his butt waggling and looked at Wei Xiang with a solemn expression. ¡°I¡¯m trying to seduce you.¡±


    The speechless Wei Xiang, ¡°¡­¡±


    Qinghe continued, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say a while before during that issue with Wu Jin that you wanted me to try and seduce you too?¡±


    Wei Xiang, ¡°.¡­.¡±


    If he¡¯d known what his beloved¡¯s version of deliberate seduction looked like, he would probably have never raised that issue at all!


    With hints of smugness seeping into his voice, Qinghe lifted up his chin and asked haughtily, ¡°So? Xiang, do you think I look tempting enough now? Were you bewitched by me?¡±


    Wei Xiang, ¡°¡­.¡­.¡±


    Seeing his little lover looking so proud, Wei Xiang had to lift a hand to stop his nosebleed. His Qinghe was too adorable!


    Growing puzzled at his beloved¡¯s prolonged silence, Qinghe blinked at him in puzzlement. ¡°Xiang? Was it so good that you¡¯ve gone speechless? Hmm, maybe I¡¯ll have to tone it down next time¨D¡±


    Unable to bear it anymore, Wei Xiang pounced on Qinghe with a growl and pulled his head forward to meld their lips together again. Faced with his husband¡¯s sudden passion, Qinghe felt very gratified. See? His seduction had worked perfectly!


    After a few minutes of rough kissing, the pair parted, their faces flushed and breathing quick.


    As he collected himself, Wei Xiang asked, ¡°Love, where did you learn that¡­unique way of seduction?¡±


    Qinghe smiled with open glee at what he thought was his beloved¡¯s bafflement at how he¡¯d perfected the art of temptation. In a smug tone, Qinghe replied, ¡°Do you remember that time when we were planning how to infiltrate Black Fang and we decided that I would enter the competition to seduce the Black Fang leader? If you¡¯ll recall, your senior brother pulled me aside after that conference to impart me some wisdom about seduction.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyebrow twitched. ¡°Did Kong Min tell you to do that then?¡±


    Qinghe puffed up his cheeks in pride. ¡°No, it was my own idea. I shared it with Sentinel Kong but he advised that since it was a very nice and special method, I should reserve it to use on you later when we were alone. He said I should only use conventional and boring methods on others and save all my interesting ideas for you.¡±


    Wei Xiang felt a mixture of uncontrollable laughter and intense warmth. How could anyone be so hilarious yet lovable at the same time? Wei Xiang pulled Qinghe into his arms and embraced him tightly, burying his face into his beloved¡¯s shoulder. As difficult as it was to control his laughter despite hiding his expression from Qinghe, Wei Xiang couldn¡¯t help but feel new respect blooming towards his senior brother. How Kong Min was able to keep a straight enough face in front of Qinghe¡¯s ridiculous suggestion to the point of even convincing the astute Qinghe that it was a fine idea was beyond him.


    Even as his mouth was pulled up in a grin and his eyes shining with humor, Wei Xiang kept his voice perfectly serious as he said, ¡°Hmm, my husband is very good to me.¡±


    Qinghe smiled in a pleased manner. ¡°Yes, I am, aren¡¯t I? But don¡¯t worry, Xiang, you¡¯re good to me in your own way too.¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded even as the amusement in his eyes intensified. ¡°I¡¯m glad you think my meager attempts can approach your level of dedication towards seduction, love.¡±


    Qinghe smiled happily while his cheeks turned pink. ¡°Xiang, you¡¯re praising me too much.¡± If he¡¯d known his efforts would be appreciated this much, he would¡¯ve tried this ages ago! And so, Qinghe became determined to come up with even more interesting ways of seducing his husband in the future.


    If Wei Xiang knew, he¡¯d be torn between laughter and tears.


    Hugging his beloved closer and nuzzling his warm and soft cheek, Wei Xiang spoke in a playful voice, ¡°Now that I¡¯ve seen my little husband¡¯s special seduction, I¡¯m finding myself unable to resist you even more. Qinghe, would you like to be rewarded in a special way in return?¡±


    Qinghe felt a shudder ripple through him at how suggestive his beloved¡¯s voice sounded. In a husky whisper, he replied, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled and turned Qinghe around to face the tree trunk again. Qinghe let Wei Xiang position him and felt his beloved¡¯s warmth wrapping around him from behind. Wei Xiang rested his chin on Qinghe¡¯s shoulder, his thighs on either side of his. Taking ahold of Qinghe wrists, Wei Xiang lifted his husband¡¯s hands and said, ¡°Now, love, pleasure yourself for me.¡±


    Qinghe stiffened. ¡°X-Xiang? But I can¡¯t¡­I won¡¯t be able to¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang rubbed his cheek against the side of Qinghe¡¯s neck. ¡°Yes, I know. So I want you to let me help you with it as well. Is that alright?¡±


    Qinghe bit his lower lip and thought for a few moments. Then, as pink began suffusing his cheeks, he slowly nodded. ¡°O-Okay.¡±


    Wei Xiang kissed the smooth shoulder under him. ¡°Good. Then let¡¯s begin.¡±


    Qinghe felt the warm fingers around his wrists tightening slightly before his hands were moved towards his chest. Wei Xiang¡¯s fingers extended to support Qinghe¡¯s limp digits from below and lifted them to make the fingertips brush the tops of the two dusky pink buds on his chest. Feeling the subtle sensation, Qinghe exhaled. He could simultaneously sense the velvetiness of the small buds under his fingers as well the faint friction of his fingerpads on the sensitive points.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s voice sounded by his ear, low and intimate, ¡°How is it? Do you like it?¡± Making Qinghe¡¯s fingertips press and drag against the small points again, Wei Xiang went on, ¡°They feel so delicate and soft, don¡¯t they? This is what I feel every time I touch you here.¡±


    Qinghe flushed, his breathing growing slightly deeper. ¡°Y-Yes¡­it¡¯s soft¡­and nice¡­¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled affectionately. ¡°Then let me slowly show you the other things I feel when I touch you.¡±


    While using his hands to manipulate Qinghe¡¯s fingers, Wei Xiang breathed, ¡°Close your fingers over them and pinch them.¡±


    Qinghe trembled once, then hesitantly followed his husband¡¯s instructions and the silent direction of Wei Xiang¡¯s steady fingers. As Qinghe made his fingertips squeeze the warm and fragile buds, he felt a spark of muted pleasure shoot through him. Qinghe parted his lips and let out another heated breath. His attention snapped to the two little nubs on his chest. Qinghe¡¯s pupils began to dilate as his focus shifted from what he could see with his eyes to what he could feel with his skin. His mind was filled with the sensation of Wei Xiang¡¯s bare body pressing against his back, his beloved¡¯s warm hands guiding him, making his pinching fingers gently pull on the two points, and the pleasant current that flowed through him as a result.


    Wei Xiang had Qinghe rub and fiddle with his own buds until the two nubbins turned stiff and red, all the while breathing sensual orders into his little husband¡¯s ears in a low and smooth voice. Wei Xiang then let his beloved¡¯s fingertips trail over his stomach, tracing along the ridges and bumps of the muscles under his skin.


    Qinghe grew dazed. He could feel his own skin sliding under his fingertips, smooth and soft. The sensation of having his Xiang controlling his hands and making him explore his own body had him feeling strangely bashful and curious. His perspective seemed to have shifted, letting him see what his husband usually felt when devotedly touching him.


    Wei Xiang let Qinghe¡¯s hands slide around his torso and sensed his beloved¡¯s body gradually softening into him. A pink hue spread on Qinghe¡¯s fair skin as his body grew warmer. Wei Xiang smiled to himself and led Qinghe¡¯s hands down his belly and further below.


    ¡°Grip it well now, love,¡± Wei Xiang directed him huskily.


    As Qinghe felt his fingers being made to wrap around his own semi-hard member, he let out an unconscious moan. It was so strange. Though he was never able to get so aroused when he touched himself usually, it felt completely different when he was doing it under his Xiang¡¯s coaxing. It almost felt like a form of roleplay where he put himself under Wei Xiang¡¯s control and let his beloved do whatever he wanted to him.


    This was a new experience, and it made Qinghe look at his own body in a different way. Something so responsive and sensitive, so soft and delicate in some areas, yet so firm and muscled in other places¡­it felt like a shame to treat it as a mere tool. Once again, Qinghe understood why his Xiang wanted him to treasure his body. It was such an interesting thing. It allowed him to physically connect with his beloved and made him feel so much pleasure. It held his soul and helped him interact with the world. Something so precious¡­might be something worth cherishing and protecting after all.


    Meanwhile, Wei Xiang had finished encircling Qinghe¡¯s shaft with one of his beloved¡¯s palms and directed the other hand to caress his inner thigh and the crevice between his leg and groin. Qinghe shuddered lightly and let slip a gasp. The fingers of his other hand were slowly made to move over his stiffened length, languidly sliding up and down. His member felt hard in his palm, with a layer of silky smoothness covering it. The veins throbbed fiercely along his length as his hand kept pumping. In the meantime, his other hand drew designs over the sensitive skin of his inner thigh and lower belly.


    Qinghe shifted and panted as he was made to stimulate himself more and more. His need unfurled and took over, making him moan and cry out huskily. But Wei Xiang¡¯s touch on his hand remained teasingly light. It frustrated Qinghe to the point where he decided to take matters into his own hands. He clenched his fingers of his own accord, without any instructions from Wei Xiang, and moved them over his shaft with more vigor.


    His smile widening with satisfaction, Wei Xiang led Qinghe¡¯s other hand back up, making it caress and fondle himself sensually before reaching the two perky points on his chest again. Gripped by heated desire, Qinghe barely felt Wei Xiang guiding his fingers to pinch and pull on his buds before he began twisting and rolling them unprompted. Each little touch of his hand on himself added to the stream of pleasure thrumming under his skin. The stimulations gathered like sparks making a flame, burning his body hotter and hotter. But no matter how much pleasure he felt or how much higher the wave of need pushed him, Qinghe felt unable to attain climax. He let out sounds of frustration and desperation, his hands moving on his body as he writhed against Wei Xiang.


    Wei Xiang let go of Qinghe¡¯s hands and wrapped his arms around his husband, pulling him close and pressing little kisses to his cheek while soothing, ¡°Hush, love. Enough. I¡¯ll take it from here and give you release.¡±


    Qinghe let out a soft sob and nodded, his hands slowing as he gave himself to his Xiang¡¯s capable hands again.


    Wei Xiang took out a bottle of oil and quickly slathered his fingers up. Qinghe cooperatively rose up on his knees and pressed his front against the tree before raising his bottom up so that it would be more easily accessible. Wei Xiang squeezed his hip in silent thanks before leading the fingers of the other hand to slowly enter and start preparing his beloved.


    Qinghe¡¯s face grew redder, his breathing quicker as he felt his beloved¡¯s strong fingers finally moving inside him, stimulating him in a way his own fingers never could. Qinghe clenched his eyes closed, a layer of sweat glittering on his forehead and sheathing his body. His muscles shifted and rolled under his skin as he struggled to exercise restraint while Wei Xiang¡¯s long fingers slowly massaged the walls of his channel and spread within him to stretch out his passage.


    Once Wei Xiang was satisfied with the preparations, he pulled his fingers out and studied his enchanting husband with dark eyes.


    Qinghe was pressed up against the tree with his bottom lifted upwards in exactly the same way as when he did that little dance to seduce him. But now, with him flushed, sweaty, and panting, his body trembling with his overwhelming need and his opening glistening due having been readied to be entered, Wei Xiang felt that he was even more unbearably tempting now.


    Also realizing that his posture right now was similar to back then, Qinghe turned his head, his eyes thick lashes lifting to reveal his dewy eyes as he said, ¡°X-Xiang? D-Do you¡­want me to seduce you again?¡±


    Wei Xiang felt a flash of heat in his nose and decided that no, this was even more tempting!


    Pulling his beloved¡¯s hips back, Wei Xiang bent to nuzzle the crook of Qinghe¡¯s neck and exhaled over his flushed skin. ¡°Love, you¡¯re so irresistible already. I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ll be able to take another round of seduction. I¡¯m already at my limit.¡±


    Just as Qinghe opened his mouth to reply, he felt Wei Xiang suddenly thrusting into him, that familiar length burying itself inside his channel all at once. The abrupt flash of friction and unexpected intensity of stimulation tore through him. Qinghe jerked in surprise, his eyes losing focus as he moaned low and loud.


    Wei Xiang pulled himself out and pushed back in, going all out from the start. He held his husband close with an arm, wanting to feel all of Qinghe against him while his hips pumped in a ruthless rhythm, drawing his member fully out before plunging it back in to the furthest depth possible each time.


    Qinghe shuddered and gasped, his body twisting uncontrollably. With every thrust that rocked through him, he chanted fervently, ¡°Xiang¡­ahhh¡­X-Xiang¡­ Xiang! ¡­Nhh¡­Xiang¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± Wei Xiang sounded hoarse and throaty. Feeling that even this much closeness was not enough, he swept away Qinghe¡¯s hair and began suckling and nibbling on his nape while his hand snuck forward to start massaging and stimulating his beloved¡¯s stiff shaft.


    Qinghe¡¯s voice dissolved into a deep groan that ended in a whimper. He pleaded quaveringly, ¡°Please, faster¡­Xiang, go faster¡­uh¡­yes¡­like that¡­quick¡­¡±


    At the feeling of that hot and soft tightness wringing his member, Wei Xiang shuddered and growled, ¡°¡­Qinghe¡­¡±


    The rapid slap of flesh on flesh increased in intensity while the two bodies twisted and struggled together. As the heat wound tighter and tighter, their two voices calling each other''s names soon blended into one.


    It was a lot of time before silence returned to this place again.


    ¡­¡­


    In another place far away, Jing Shui and Wu Xiao were already well underway with their own type of lovemaking.


    Currently, Jing Shui was on his back, lying naked on the soft earth. Only his hands were pulled up to rest on the patch of grass situated over his head. Wu Xiao had used the long and slender grass blades to tie Jing Shui¡¯s wrists together without uprooting the grass, ensuring that his beloved¡¯s wrists would stay fixed in that place. Jing Shui¡¯s body was stretched on the ground, twisting and shuddering while covered with sweat and flushed pink with exertion. His slender legs were pulled apart, his thighs trembling with strain while his toes dug into the loose soil.


    Of course, since it was Wu Xiao, there were a few odd implements being used on Jing Shui as well.


    The ends of a string were tightly wound around both of Jing Shui¡¯s tender pink buds, the thread stretching in between connecting the pair of stiff points tautly. A thin stick was inserted into the small slit tipping Jing Shui¡¯s member, preventing his release from dripping out as it wanted. A string of metal balls¡ªeach ball the width of three fingers¡ªwas inserted into his entrance, lodged fully inside. Wu Xiao was currently making Jing Shui expel the large balls one by one, citing that it was training for his inner muscles and that he would reward his husband if he succeeded.


    While Jing Shui struggled to push the balls out, a still-clothed Wu Xiao cheerfully entertained himself with his beloved¡¯s quivering body, one corner of his lips curved up in a gentle yet sharp smile. Wu Xiao ran his cool fingertips over Jing Shui¡¯s sweat-soaked brows and flushed cheeks, then tenderly traced his beloved¡¯s trembling lips that were parted to let out quick pants and low moans. Wu Xiao¡¯s cool fingers slid over his Ah-Shui¡¯s arching collarbone before slipping down to his chest.


    Wu Xiao leisurely played with his husband¡¯s small buds that were squeezed tightly in their bindings, pointing towards the sky while moving up and down as Jing Shui¡¯s chest heaved. With light fingers, Wu Xiao strummed the string connecting the bound nubs. Jing Shui let out a broken groan at the sensation of the vibrations passing into his buds. When Wu Xiao tugged at the thread, Jing Shui could feel it tightening over the delicate points and pulling upward. His body bent backward, his chest pushed up with a breathy moan.


    Eyes shining, Wu Xiao let go and continued exploring his Ah-Shui¡¯s delectable body. His fingers slipped down Jing Shui¡¯s shuddering stomach, trailing over the length of his shaft and tracing around the little slit in the head that was filled with the stick. Moving down, Wu Xiao gently weighed Jing Shui¡¯s balls, then slid his fingertip over Jing Shui¡¯s straining entrance that twitched and spasmed with the effort of slowly expelling the large round objects stuffed inside.


    In the beginning, Jing Shui had had four metal balls filling him. The first one, he was able to push out with a bit of effort. The second one was a bit more difficult and had him covered in sweat and panting. He was now in the midst of forcing out the third one.


    Jing Shui¡¯s whole body was taut and quivering with strain as he concentrated his entire attention on squeezing out the third ball. He felt it stretching his inner ring of muscles wide open as it made its way out slowly. He could feel it begin to force apart his entrance as he struggled to keep on guiding it out of him.


    After Wu Xiao caressed and teased his beloved¡¯s body to his heart¡¯s content, he moved to crouch between Jing Shui¡¯s legs, pushing them apart wider. He eagerly took in the details of the lurid scene before him. The two metal balls Jing Shui had managed to expel laid on the dark earth. The string connecting them extended into Jing Shui¡¯s entrance, attached to the third ball that was beginning to peek out from within the trembling opening. The balls shone in the dim light, still covered with the lubricant Wu Xiao had slathered them with before inserting them into his husband. More of the transparent liquid had dripped out of Jing Shui¡¯s entrance, tracing a gleaming line between his buttocks and pooling beneath him. Above, a thin, whitish drop of fluid had managed to well on the tip of Jing Shui¡¯s member despite the obstructing stick. It quivered for a moment before slowly trailing down in a thin trickle.


    The entirety of this lewd sight titillated Wu Xiao into bending closer to study it better, his need winding tighter and hotter in his belly. His gaze was fervently latched on his Ah-Shui¡¯s opening as it slowly widened, revealing more of the smooth, round surface of the metal ball as it slowly emerged from within. As Jing Shui continued to try and push it out of his body, it caused his entrance to bulge outward while making the wrinkles around the opening slowly stretch and smoothen.


    Wu Xiao¡¯s eyes glinted as he saw his beloved¡¯s entrance stretched tight and round over the ball. He reached out and cupped Jing Shui buttocks, lightly kneading the soft mounds before gently using his thumbs to pull apart the edges of that straining opening. In a husky voice deepened with need, Wu Xiao encouraged, ¡°It¡¯s almost out, Ah-Shui. Just a little bit more¡­¡±


    Jing Shui cried out softly and looked up at his husband, his wide eyes dewy and dazed. The sight that met him was Wu Xiao¡¯s heated gaze fixed on his entrance, his silver hair gleaming brightly even in the dim light, his fair cheeks flushed and his eyes dark with lust. Seeing Wu Xiao slowly lick his lips as if seeing something delicious, Jing Shui¡¯s body reddened further. He suddenly found the strength to keep pushing and tightened his inner muscles further in an attempt to expel that ball.


    Jing Shui felt his insides shaking with strain. His spine grew stiff and taut while his head arched back, pressing into the ground. He let out short grunts and long, drawn-out cries as he struggled to move the heavy balls within him. Sensing the heat in Wu Xiao¡¯s gaze intensify, Jing Shui shouted out and poured his strength into pushing out with all he had. Finally, Jing Shui felt the widest section of the ball slowly stretch apart the edges of his entrance. For a second, it hovered there, seeming as if it could slip back in at any time. Then it slid out to land on the earth with a soft thump and Jing Shui¡¯s body lost all strength, slumping into the ground as he panted heavily from the exertion.


    Jing Shui mewled pitifully and called, ¡°W-Wu Xiao¡­¡±


    Wu Xiao was immediately there, hugging his beloved and murmuring to him, ¡°Ah-Shui, you did very good.¡± His hand rubbed Jing Shui¡¯s back soothingly.


    Jing Shui snuggled into his husband¡¯s embrace and reveled in the comfortable feeling.


    A few minutes later, Wu Xiao commanded softly, ¡°Now, Ah-Shui, you will push that final ball out of you.¡±


    Jing Shui dazedly nodded, his body automatically obeying. His toes dug into the earth once again, his fists clenching where they were restrained above his head as veins popped from his wrist. Jing Shui gritted his teeth as he kept on trying to work his tired inner muscles, but the heavy metal ball inside him moved too slowly. And once it reached his tight inner ring of muscles, it refused to move any further. Jing Shui also didn¡¯t have the strength to forcefully widen his trembling inner walls any more than this. He panted, squirmed, strained, and struggled to push the ball out before finally giving up.


    In a hoarse voice, he pleaded, ¡°Wu Xiao, I can¡¯t¡­please, I can¡¯t¡­ It¡¯s too difficult¡­ I d-don¡¯t know¡­how to¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, my darling, you can definitely do it,¡± Wu Xiao said unbendingly.


    Before Jing Shui could reply, he felt his beloved¡¯s cool and smooth palms take ahold of the back of his knees before pushing them up as much as possible. Jing Shui¡¯s legs were folded over his chest, his knees on his shoulders while his thighs pressed down on the exposed tips of his bound buds.


    ¡°Try harder, Ah-Shui,¡± Wu Xiao ordered, and with a whimper, Jing Shui complied.


    Jing Shui¡¯s toes curled into themselves while his legs began to shake with the effort of trying to squeeze the ball out of his tired passage. His trembling belly pressed inward as he once again strained the muscles in his body. Small drops of white liquid beaded and dripped down from his member despite the stick obstructing the small hole. The three other balls he¡¯d expelled hung down from his entrance by the string connecting them to the fourth one still inside him.


    After straining for more than a minute, Jing Shui¡¯s opening slowly began to widen, the round and smooth surface of the last metal ball peeking out. But the more of the ball that emerged, the more Jing Shui found it difficult to keep pushing. He struggled and sobbed, calling out to Wu Xiao in a broken voice. Wu Xiao encouraged him in a gentle tone even as he eagerly drank in his beloved Ah-Shui¡¯s utterly discomposed appearance. It was only when he was driven to such a state that his precious beloved would stop hiding himself, instead displaying his emotions openly for Wu Xiao to see.


    Grinning widely at that thought, Wu Xiao leaned down and extended his dark red tongue before tracing the edges of the stretched out, twitching entrance with the tip.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Jing Shui jerked with a shout at the unexpected sensation. ¡°W-Wu Xiao! Wh-What are you¡­¡±


    Wu Xiao retracted his tongue and said, ¡°What is it, Ah-Shui? Do you want me to stop?¡±


    Feeling his husband''s breath washing over his most intimate of parts as he spoke, Jing Shui shuddered. ¡°N-No, but¡­ Wu Xiao, I can¡¯t. It¡¯s too difficult. I c-can¡¯t¡­do this anymore¡­¡±


    Wu Xiao¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Do you want to stop, then?¡±


    Jing Shui bit his lips and hesitated before shaking his head. In an uncertain voice, he said, ¡°¡­No¡­¡±


    Wu Xiao bent forward to place a comforting kiss to his beloved¡¯s rosy butt cheek. ¡°Good, then we won¡¯t stop.¡±


    Jing Shui nodded, but didn¡¯t move, wanting to catch his breath first.


    Chuckling, Wu Xiao warned cheerfully, ¡°But if you don''t finish soon, I''ll push all the balls back in and make you squeeze them all the way out again, Ah-Shui~ Seeing you flushed and straining desperately is such a treat to me~¡±


    Jing Shui gritted his teeth indignantly. ¡°Wu Xiao! Must you be such a shameless sadist!?¡± But he still quickly started working his inner muscles again.


    Wu Xiao smirked and went back to tonguing his husband¡¯s entrance. He felt the metal ball straining against the skin under his tongue, making the whole area bulge outward as it struggled to force its way through the small opening. More of the ball slowly emerged as the entrance was stretched open further. Jing Shui let out small sounds of strain as he continued to push. Seeing his Ah-Shui¡¯s earnest effort made Wu Xiao more vigorous in his ministrations.


    As he kept feeling the tip of his husband¡¯s tongue painting a warm trail around his opening, Jing Shui moaned and complained, ¡°Wu Xiao¡­your tongue¡­ I-It¡¯s distracting¡­¡±


    Wei Xiao blithely replied, ¡°I¡¯m trying to lubricate your wonderful little hole to make this easier, so you should just bear with it and accept my generous help, Ah-Shui~¡±


    Jing Shui snarled, ¡°Wu Xiao!¡±


    Unexpectedly, his anger gave Jing Shui the surge of strength needed to push out the ball. Jing Shui ignored Wu Xiao to focus on fully squeezing it out and heard the satisfying sound of the ball falling onto the ground. His belly felt empty and light in the absence of the four balls. Spent and exhausted, Jing Shui slumped down, his chest and belly heaving with the strain of such a strenuous exercise.


    Wu Xiao let go of Jing Shui¡¯s knees and let him straighten his legs. Sitting up, he smiled and said quietly, ¡°Ah-Shui, you did very well. Now it¡¯s time for you to accept your reward, so just lie back and enjoy it.¡±


    Jing Shui¡¯s belly fluttered with wild anticipation as he nodded, his limpid gaze on Wu Xiao. In a shy yet firm voice, he stated, ¡°Wu Xiao, no matter what you want to do to me, I¡¯ll take it.¡±


    Wu Xiao¡¯s heart thumped. How could his Ah-Shui tempt him so much! Unable to wait, Wu Xiao quickly took off his belt and pulled open his robes. As for his pants, feeling that it was too troublesome to remove them properly, he simply ripped them off him before throwing them to side. Well, they weren¡¯t his favorite pair anyway.


    Seeing Wu Xiao suddenly acting so impatient, Jing Shui felt a bashful pleasure bloom in his chest. His Wu Xiao was so eager because of him, because he felt that Jing Shui was that irresistible. Jing Shui¡¯s already flushed cheeks reddened further. Lifting his legs, he willingly wrapped them around Wu Xiao¡¯s waist and pulled him closer, feeling his own anticipation bubbling up.


    Seeing how enthusiastic his Ah-Shui was, Wu Xiao grew even more aroused. He bent down to place small kisses on his beloved¡¯s flushed and warm face. Meeting Jing Shui¡¯s wide and wet eyes with his own piercing black ones, Wu Xiao breathed, his voice husky and intimate, ¡°Ah-Shui, are you ready?¡±


    Jing Shui swallowed a moan and nodded. Damn, his husband was too unreasonably seductive even when he wasn¡¯t trying to be!


    Wu Xiao held his member in a hand and led it to press against Jing Shui¡¯s entrance before slowly pushing in. Jing Shui¡¯s body tensed, his eyes growing unfocused as his attention concentrated on the feeling of his beloved¡¯s large organ thrusting into him. Once the thick length had buried itself completely into the warm and pulsing sheath of flesh, Wu Xiao gritted his teeth and slowly slid himself out, then sunk back in again.


    Jing Shui arched back and groaned. In a pleading voice, he urged, ¡°Wu Xiao¡­faster¡­mnn, please¡­go faster¡­¡±


    Wu Xiao cooperatively sped up, letting go of his self-restraint. Jing Shui let out a short scream as he felt that rigid shaft suddenly beginning to slam itself into him again and again uncontrollably. Cool hands roved over his skin hungrily, fondling his chest and moving to the two perky points on it before abruptly jerking away the string binding the small nubs. Jing Shui shuddered and screamed again as a mix between brutal pleasure and sharp pain tore through him. The delicate little buds on his chest felt swollen, hot, and overly sensitive. Every brush of Wu Xiao¡¯s fingers against it sent out pulses of biting pleasure and small stabs of pain. Jing Shui sobbed helplessly. His hands struggled in their bindings, wanting to touch and caress Wu Xiao in return, but the blades of grass held strong, their roots remaining firmly in the ground.


    Wu Xiao bent down to enfold one of the little points he¡¯d treated so roughly with the gentle heat of his mouth. His tongue laved over it soothingly in apology. Jing Shui moaned raggedly and thrust his chest up, begging, ¡°Wu Xiao¡­please¡­unh, more¡­¡±


    Sensing that his beloved didn¡¯t seem to mind what he¡¯d done and even liked it, Wu Xiao¡¯s gaze gleamed happily as he obliged. His fingers pitilessly pinched and pulled one swollen nub while his mouth sucked and nibbled on the other. Jing Shui¡¯s body bowed back as he let out a sharp scream, then ended it with a rough plea to keep going. All the while, Wu Xiao¡¯s shaft kept pumping into his passage, the speed of the thrusts increasing as his fervor mounted. Though Jing Shui¡¯s inner walls were sore and tired from having to expel those balls before, he still tilted his hips eagerly to receive more thrusts. His tight channel twitched and trembled over Wei Xiao¡¯s stiff length as he drove in and out in powerful plunges.


    As the pleasure built up and up, Wu Xiao finally reached climax, his body bending down as he let out a hoarse shout. He clutched his Ah-Shui to him and released into the soft and hot passage while feeling it clutching at his shaft. Jing Shui moaned and shuddered as he felt sudden warmth drenching his insides. But due to the stick still lodged into his member, Jing Shui was unable to orgasm fully. But he still held Wu Xiao close with his legs and accepted his release into him, willing to let his beloved bask in his pleasure. Spent, Wu Xiao relaxed against Jing Shui, his body feeling light and languid in the aftermath of his climax.


    After a few minutes, Jing Shui tried to shakily get out in his voice quavering with desperation, ¡°W-Wu Xiao¡­I-I also want to¡­¡±


    Wu Xiao blinked lazily and smiled, ¡°Ah, of course, how can I leave my lovely little Ah-Shui hanging? Hmm, but I have to admit that I do like seeing you like this, all tied up, frustrated, and completely at my mercy~¡±


    Jing Shui wanted to sob wretchedly at how badly he wanted to orgasm. Where did he have time for his husband¡¯s playful teasing now?


    Before Jing Shui could plead more, Wu Xiao continued, ¡°But I¡¯d still rather have a happy and satisfied Ah-Shui to cuddle with after.¡±


    Jing Shui had yet to comprehend the words when Wu Xiao was already crouching over his member, swiftly pulling out the thin stick from his shaft before swallowing the entire stiff length in one go.


    At the sudden deluge of stimulations, Jing Shui¡¯s body stiffened and twisted as he screamed in release.


    The luminous fruits from the surrounding trees cast a diffused light over the scene, shrouding it in a warm radiance.


    ¡­¡­


    Meanwhile, a certain other couple was intimately engaged as well, perched high above on one of the gigantic trees.


    Bunches of pinkish-purple and peach colored luminous fruits hung around Chen Xiande and Hei NingYu. The dark velvety green leaves reflected their light, suffusing the enclosed space in soft illumination. The tree branch they occupied was dark, smooth, and several meters wide. A hushed, intimate atmosphere permeated the air, a touch of mystique added due to the subdued light.


    Both Chen Xiande and Hei NingYu had long since removed their clothing, dropping it carelessly down to lie in a pile at the foot of the tree. Chen Xiande was currently sprawled on the tree branch, his back resting against the trunk. His lips were reddened with intensive kissing. His deep gaze reflected glowing dots of purple and peach as it remained fixed on his beloved.


    Hei NingYu had settled himself in between Chen Xiande¡¯s splayed legs, one hand placed gently on his lover¡¯s waist. The other hand held up a luminous fruit, the slender fingers looking almost black in contrast with the serene purple glow. With hooded eyes and a slight smile, Hei NingYu squeezed the fruit, making it spill radiant drops of juice. They landed on Chen Xiande¡¯s shoulder and slowly dripped down, painting glowing lines on his smooth skin. The brightly luminescing drops of juice both looked and felt like liquid light, and wherever it fell, Chen Xiande felt an accompanying warmth spreading on his skin.


    His eyes displaying his fascination, Hei NingYu studied the play of the glowing juice on his beloved little sheep¡¯s fair skin. Eyes narrowing, Hei NingYu squeezed the fruit again and let the overflow splatter down on the hollow of Chen Xiande¡¯s throat, then moved on to let it cover the little buds on his lover¡¯s chest. More juice dripped onto Chen Xiande¡¯s abdomen before pooling in his bellybutton. The pleasant warmth trailing after the liquid made Chen Xiande let out a soft sigh of comfort.


    Raising a hand, Chen Xiande pulled Hei NingYu¡¯s head down to his clavicle in a silent request. Hei NingYu wordlessly obliged, using his mouth and tongue to slowly, thoroughly clean off those warm droplets. His mouth glided over his beloved¡¯s shoulder before pausing below his throat, sucking hungrily. Meanwhile, his hand wandered down to take Chen Xiande¡¯s awakening member in his hand, fondling and teasing it playfully.


    Chen Xiande let out a shuddering breath and called, ¡°NingYu¡­¡±


    Hearing the unhidden need in his lover¡¯s tone, Hei NingYu hummed against his skin before giving it another long lick. His hand squeezed and moved roughly over his beloved¡¯s rigid length. Chen Xiande groaned, his head tilting back to expose more of his throat while his legs unconsciously widened to provide better access to his shaft. Hei NingYu gladly took advantage of it and continued his sensual torment. His lips slid down to Chen Xiande¡¯s chest, sucking strongly on the juice-soaked nubs before he licked and nipped at them. Chen Xiande cried out, his hand lifting of its own volition to press Hei NingYu¡¯s head more firmly against his chest.


    As Hei NingYu¡¯s mouth continued its ministrations, his hand pumped faster and faster on Chen Xiande''s member. Chen Xiande let out a low grunt and instinctively began moving his hips to and fro, trying to feed the intense burning need in his belly. His hand slid down to massage the back of Hei NingYu¡¯s neck in encouragement while simultaneously urging him for more. In answer, Hei NingYu¡¯s mouth bit and sucked more firmly on his skin while his hand sped up on the pulsing length. Chen Xiande¡¯s breathing quickened, his mouth lightly parted as he drew in deep lungfuls of air. A layer of pink spread over his skin that was already tinted mildly with the glow of the luminous fruits hanging around them.


    Being pushed higher and higher, Chen Xiande¡¯s body grew more and more tense, preparing for the eventual crash of orgasm.


    But just as he was on the verge of tipping over, Hei NingYu halted. His voice sounded smooth and husky as he said playfully, ¡°Now, now, you can¡¯t leave me behind and reach release so soon, Little Sheep~¡±


    Chen Xiande growled frustratedly. ¡°Then you should get the hell inside me and fuck me already!¡±


    Hei NingYu laughed. His little sheep¡¯s mouth grew more honest the more he was aroused. How delightful!


    In a cheerful voice, Hei NingYu replied, ¡°Then I will dutifully comply with my lover¡¯s demands.¡±


    Dipping his head, Hei NingYu inserted his tongue into Chen Xiande¡¯s navel, lapping up the small pool of purple liquid there while a small bottle appeared in his hand. Without looking, Hei NingYu slathered up his fingers with the contents of the bottle with ease of practice and put the little bottle away again. Fully slickened with lubricant, his fingers slipped downward. Chen Xiande sensed his lover¡¯s intentions and leaned back further while eagerly offering up his opening to Hei NingYu¡¯s slippery fingers. As the slender digits sunk into him, Chen Xiande moaned. He needed to feel the thrust and friction of his beloved¡¯s member tearing through his insides, but he could only clench his hands and wait to be prepared by those careful fingers.


    Hei NingYu smirked at his young lover¡¯s impatience, but kept his preparation slow and lazy. He took pleasure in watching his little sheep squirm and twist, his hot insides clenching and unclenching around his fingers agitatedly. Taking his time, Hei NingYu increased the number of digits in Chen Xiande¡¯s passage while he leisurely explored his beloved¡¯s juice-stained body with his mouth, gradually licking it clean of the sweet liquid.


    When he was done on all accounts, Hei NingYu stopped, lifting his head and retrieving his fingers. Unsatisfied, Chen Xiande snarled, ¡°NingYu, don¡¯t you dare stop here!¡±


    Hei NingYu chuckled, his voice warm and affectionate. Before Chen Xiande could threaten him more, Hei NingYu hoisted his lover onto his lap while simultaneously shifting forward so that his beloved¡¯s back would remain pressed against the tree trunk. Chen Xiande frowned, his eyes already glazed with lust. What was his lover doing now instead of entering him already?


    Hei NingYu encircled Chen Xiande¡¯s wrists with his fingers and pressed them up against the tree trunk. Leaning forward, he playfully whispered, ¡°Little Sheep, I will now extract compensation directly from your body for how you trespassed into my heart~¡±


    Chen Xiande¡¯s lips twitched. What was with these ridiculous words? But thinking about it, weren¡¯t the first words Hei NingYu ever said to him very similar to this? He¡¯d asked for compensation for trespassing into his territory back then. And now¡­ Chen Xiande¡¯s eyes darkened with unreadable emotions. Since his lover was being playfully romantic, maybe he should say something affectionate in return.


    With a simple twist of his wrists, Chen Xiande freed his hands and hugged Hei NingYu. Without waiting for his beloved to react, Chen Xiande positioned himself over Hei NingYu¡¯s erect shaft and slammed his hips down. The sudden friction tore a deep moan out of him.


    Hei NingYu¡¯s body jerked as he let out a gasp of pleasure mixed with laughter. Leaning back on his palms, he grinned and commented, ¡°Little Sheep, were you so bewitched by my words that you couldn¡¯t control yourself anymore?¡±


    But in response, Chen Xiande simply hugged him tighter and replied to his statement before in a strained, throaty voice, ¡°If I said I was willing to give you my own heart in return for trespassing into yours, would you consider that as suitable compensation?¡±


    Hei NingYu¡¯s eyes widened. His gaze turned warm while his lips softened into a small smile. Carefully hugging his beloved back, he answered, his voice quiet and sincere, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s more than I can ever ask for.¡±


    Chen Xiande buried his head deeper into Hei NingYu¡¯s hair and wordlessly tightened his arms. Then letting go, Chen Xiande said, ¡°But NingYu, I¡¯d still like it if we could start moving soon. I feel too pent-up and¡­I want you too much.¡±


    Hei NingYu chuckled and gripped his lover¡¯s hips. ¡°Yes, yes, my ravenous little sheep. We can start fucking now~¡±


    Feeling no need to wait anymore, Chen Xiande clenched his jaws and pulled himself up before pushing back down. The familiar feeling of the thick member dragging over his sensitive passage on its way out, then prying apart his inner walls to squeeze itself back in made Chen Xiande¡¯s eyes darken with ferocious hunger. His movements quickened, his hips rising and falling, pumping itself onto the stiff length with mounting frenzy.


    Sensing that his little sheep¡¯s voracious beast had awakened, Hei NingYu smiled wide before giving in to his lust as well. His parted lips let out a stream unrestrained of groans and gasps as the slick and tight channel gripped and pulled on his shaft, bathing it in liquid heat. Hei NingYu used his hands to lift and raise his beloved¡¯s hips, helping him set a quicker rhythm.


    Wanting more, Chen Xiande left one hand on Hei NingYu¡¯s shoulder and used the other to caress his beloved¡¯s body. Taking advantage of the fact that Hei NingYu¡¯s hands were occupied with supporting his hips, Chen Xiande slid his fingers over the oversensitive edges of his lover¡¯s scars, squeezed and kneaded the working muscles on his chest, back, and arms, and tormented the pair of stiff little buds on his chest one after another by pinching, rolling, and pulling them.


    Hei Ning Yu clenched his jaws and shuddered in reaction as the blissful waves of pleasure rolled through him, flooding his senses. His little sheep was too naughty, playing with him like this. But he could just tease him back in return. And so, bending forward, Hei NingYu retaliated by using his lips, teeth, and tongue on Chen Xiande¡¯s throat, shoulders, and chest. Meanwhile, his fingers on his beloved¡¯s hips shifted to directly support him by the buttocks while his fingertips wandered inward, tantalizingly tracing the crevice running between the balls and the entrance. Of course, Hei NingYu didn¡¯t forget to massage and squeeze the round mounds in his palms either, using everything he could to add to his lover¡¯s arousal. Chen Xiande gritted out a hoarse moan. It was all he could do to keep up the rhythm of his hips while this sensual assault drowned him.


    Stuck in a battle of giving and taking pleasure as they were, the couple quickly pushed each other off the edge of orgasm, falling one after another while holding their beloved close. Their minds drifted together on clouds of ecstasy while their flushed and sweaty bodies undulated with the strength of their panting.


    As they lay relaxing together against the tree trunk, their arms around each other, the soft glow of the luminous fruits continued to envelop them, lighting up the enclosed space filled with peace and quiet.


    ¡­¡­


    When the three couples met up again at the clearing on the intersection, they were all dressed in different clothes, looking like they¡¯d just freshly bathed, and were wearing content smiles. With tacit understanding, none of them brought up the changes. The six people instead directly set about spreading a large cloth on the ground to sit on before arranging plentiful of dishes. Each pair sat down around the food at equal distances from each other and began chatting casually as they tried to choose a dish to start eating.


    Qinghe was sitting between Wei Xiang¡¯s parted legs, leaning back into his husband¡¯s chest and soaking up his warmth. With Wei Xiang arms around his abdomen and his chin resting on his shoulder, Qinghe felt snug and comfortable. In a pleasant and relaxed voice, he was saying, ¡°¡­but if both the people who were getting married were able to finish the fruit with their mouths alone without dropping it even once, then their marriage was predicted to be a fruitful one. If I¡¯d known there were fruits similar to the ones used for that tradition here, I would have definitely included them in my and Xiang¡¯s wedding ceremony.¡±


    Sitting beside Hei NingYu with his arms around his lover¡¯s waist, Chen Xiande sighed. ¡°I wish I¡¯d known this sooner. Then NingYu and I could have tried it too. It sounds like it could be fun.¡±


    Hei NingYu chuckled. ¡°Nothing¡¯s stopping us from trying it before we leave here, Little Sheep~¡±


    Wu Xiao, with Jing Shui sitting sideways on his lap, chimed in, ¡°I didn¡¯t know either, but it¡¯s definitely something Ah-Shui and I will try before leaving. Isn¡¯t that right, my beloved?¡±


    Jing Shui shifted on Wu Xiao¡¯s lap and absently nodded. His mind was too focused on the slight discomfort in his backside. Sitting on Wu Xiao¡¯s firm thighs only made him more aware of the soreness. If Jing Shui concentrated, he could almost feel the imprint of those metal balls inside him or the shape of his lover¡¯s large member as it had forced his tender passage to mold around it. The ghost of those sensations made his insides throb even now, making Jing Shui clench his channel while struggling to not think about it.


    Suddenly, Jing Shui felt Wu Xiao¡¯s hot breath fan over him, his lover¡¯s face appearing too close as he asked with worry, ¡°Ah-Shui, are you alright?¡±


    Jing Shui¡¯s mind immediately dived into the gutter, thinking about how Wu Xiao had asked the exact same thing with this exact same intonation while mercilessly playing with his body, reducing him to shuddering sobs, desperate writhing, and tearful pleas for more. Jing Shui felt his face going up in flames, his body softening and his eyes growing dewy with remembered helplessness.


    Blinking up his long lashes while trying to not let his voice sound too weird, he finally replied, ¡°I-I¡¯m fine. What were you saying? Ah¡­you wanted to eat the fruits from the luminous trees, didn¡¯t you? It should be alright. As long as they¡¯re eaten within an hour of picking, they¡¯re edible and even taste very good. Because of how quickly they lose their edibleness, we¡¯ve been unable to export them from this dimension to trade outside. But we¡¯re working with the Drifting Clouds Sect to create pre-activation type preservation talismans to help us with it. But calibrating it is being a bit troublesome and¨D¡±


    His lips twitching, Wu Xiao interrupted his beloved¡¯s nervous chatter, ¡°Ah-Shui, are you really alright? You look a bit discomposed there.¡±


    At the side, Qinghe and Chen Xiande exchanged an amused glance, but stayed quiet.


    Jing Shui blinked like a confused kitten and looked up at Wu Xiao with wide, liquid eyes. ¡°I-It¡¯s really okay¡­I¡¯m really fine. I j-just¡­ I¡¯m fine,¡± he said with awkwardness and looked down bashfully. His soft cheeks were suffused with a delicate pink hue, and even the cute little ears peeking out from his hair looked red. Combined with how his body was leaning into Wu Xiao¡¯s unconsciously as if for stability, Wu Xiao found that his husband was all too tempting right now.


    Unable to help himself, Wu Xiao murmured huskily, ¡°Ah-Shui, if you keep looking so cute, I¡¯ll feel like stripping you right here and indulge in some exhibitionism just so that I can eat you up again without delay.¡±


    The other two couples felt their mouths twitching as they thought in their hearts, Who wants to see your exhibitionism!


    ¡°You! W-What are you s-saying!¡± Jing Shui scolded as his head popped back up. His cheeks flushed harder with a mixture of anger, embarrassment, and a hint of arousal. He quickly turned his face away, not wanting his shamelessly smirking husband to see his expression. Spotting a nearby bowl of snacks, Jing Shui wordlessly lifted it up along with a pair of chopsticks, then picked up a piece of fried dough from the bowl and thrust it towards Wu Xiao¡¯s smirking mouth. ¡°H-Here! Just eat this and shut up!¡±


    Wu Xiao paused, his smile turning soft. He obediently opened his mouth to receive the food. Though his beloved frowned at him with a grumpy expression, his careful motions and attentiveness while feeding him the food spoke much about his affection.


    Soon, the plate in Jing Shui¡¯s hand was empty, all of it fed to a cooperative Wu Xiao. Deciding to reciprocate, Wu Xiao picked up a pair of chopsticks of his own along with a bowl of dumpling soup, then started feeding a fiercely blushing yet obedient Jing Shui in return. Thinking of how after all the dumplings were eaten, they could share the soup using just their mouths, both Wu Xiao and Jing Shui¡¯s gazes deepened with hungry anticipation.


    Seeing them indulging in each other like this, Hei NingYu really felt quite envious. Just as he turned to his own lover to suggest they start feeding each other as well, he spotted something bright and purple behind Chen Xiande¡¯s ear. Hei NingYu leaned back and curiously swept away a lock of Chen Xiande¡¯s hair to get a better view. Sure enough, there was a small patch of glowing purple fruit juice hidden behind Chen Xiande¡¯s ear. Hei NingYu guessed that it must have rubbed off from Chen Xiande¡¯s shoulder when he lifted his beloved¡¯s hands to capture them against the tree trunk before.


    Alerted by Hei NingYu¡¯s actions, Chen Xiande turned to him with puzzlement. ¡°NingYu? Is something wrong?¡±


    In a cheerful voice, Hei NingYu answered, ¡°Little Sheep, I seemed to have missed a spot while bathing you with my tongue before.¡±


    Before Chen Xiande could react, he felt his lover¡¯s moist tongue licking him behind the ear, pressing and sliding over his skin as if trying to thoroughly wash away something. In the meantime, Hei NingYu¡¯s hands had started slowly massaging Chen Xiande¡¯s waist, his fingers gentle yet firm. Chen Xiande¡¯s body lost strength, leaning into Hei NingYu¡¯s and feeling his beloved¡¯s warmth being soaking into him through their clothes. All the while, those slender fingers continued taking liberties with his waist while that slick and hot tongue began trailing up and down behind his sensitive ear. Chen Xiande sighed with pleasure, his eyelids falling closed as his cheeks turned hot.


    A few minutes later, after fully taking advantage of this opportunity presented by that long-disappeared patch of glowing juice, Hei NingYu leaned back with a satisfied smirk. ¡°Hmm, that was just as delicious as before. My little sheep is all clean again. Now, why don¡¯t we start eati¨D¡±


    Not letting him finish, Chen Xiande suddenly pulled Hei NingYu¡¯s head down to press their mouths together. As always, once his desire was stoked, Chen Xiande lost all sense of timing or their surroundings, his entire attention focused intently on only his beloved, on indulging in his touch, his taste, the feel of his tongue in his mouth, the warmth of his body against his¡­ And faced with this enthusiasm, Hei NingYu could hardly remain unaffected, returning his little sheep¡¯s kisses and caresses with equal fervor.


    Lips sucked thirstily as tongues turned greedy, licking and laving inside each other¡¯s mouths with burning intensity. Passion flared fast and sudden, consuming them both in an inferno as they pushed their bodies as close together as they could. Hands began wandering over fabric, studying the shape of the other¡¯s clothed body anew.


    Meanwhile, taking advantage of the two distracted couples, a gleeful Qinghe sneakily set about stealing all the sweet dishes for himself while Wei Xiang watched on with affectionate amusement.


    At the side, drops of soup spilled from the corners of Jing Shui¡¯s lips as Wu Xiao fed him the broth with his mouth. Jing Shui¡¯s throat vibrated with soft murmurs as he swallowed the soup that was mixed with his lover¡¯s familiar flavor, his eyelashes trembling as he held Wu Xiao close by his shoulders. When all the soup was gone, Jing Shui finally leaned back and spoke in a husky voice, ¡°I-I think we¡¯ve¡­eaten enough.¡±


    Wu Xiao¡¯s gaze roved heatedly over his beloved¡¯s flushed face, dazed eyes, and his reddened lips that were swollen and glistening. ¡°But I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve had enough. Ah-Shui, how about some dessert after our meal?¡±


    Jing Shui felt his resistance melting away under the flow of molten need. Letting out a hot breath, he nodded, ¡°Yes¡­okay. Let¡¯s have something sweet then.¡±


    Wu Xiao smiled and turned to look for the nearest dish with sweets, only to find nothing. Frowning, he looked over to see a suspiciously happy Qinghe with all the sweet dishes placed neatly in front of him, eating them up with lightning speed while occasionally feeding some to Wei Xiang as well.


    His eyes narrowing, Wu Xiao placed Jing Shui down from his lap and stood up. ¡°Xiao Feng, you brat! Stop hoarding all the desserts!¡±


    Qinghe stuck out his tongue at Wu Xiao and blissfully continued gobbling down the sweets. ¡°Sect Master Wu seemed so busy with Brother Jing that I guessed you wouldn¡¯t need these desserts. After all, isn¡¯t your lover¡¯s mouth sweeter than any food?¡±


    Wu Xiao¡¯s lips twitched. This brat! He had such a glib tongue! Knowing that he might not be able to win in a war of words against Qinghe, Wu Xiao began marching towards him with a determined expression, silently vowing to grab at least a plate of sweets so that he could feed it to his beloved with his mouth.


    Seeing the approaching threat, Qinghe quickly put away all the sweet dishes he¡¯d pilfered into his storage space before getting up and running away, trying to evade a chasing Wu Xiao. Growing more determined to show this bratty little disciple the consequences of trying to steal from his elders, Wu Xiao filled himself with righteous indignation and swept after Qinghe with increased speed. As a sect master, he would be remiss in his duty if he failed to educate this youngster today! Yes, this was only about discipline and not at all about pettily teaching this brat a lesson, Wu Xiao lied to himself.


    And so, like little children, they zipped around here and there throughout the clearing.


    Chuckling cheerfully, Qinghe suddenly crouched behind a busy Hei NingYu, lightly grabbing his shoulder and saying, ¡°Sect Leader Hei, hide me!¡±


    But while continuing to passionately kiss his little sheep, Hei NingYu extended a single hand to pull away a surprised Qinghe¡¯s wrist, then unceremoniously pushed him towards the approaching Wu Xiao.


    Qinghe yelped, startled. Then using the chance when Wu Xiao stumbled over something, he leapt away from the irate sect master¡¯s clutches and escaped once again.


    His expression darkening, Wu Xiao looked down to see a flash of slender gold disappearing into the ground. He turned to the Wei Xiang who was still sitting with a majestic posture, elegantly eating from a plate of sour and spicy chicken, and complained at the injustice, ¡°Sentinel Wei, you¡¯re cheating! If you hadn¡¯t used your strings at the last moment, I¡¯d have had that cheeky monkey in my hands!¡±


    Wei Xiang looked up, his expression a perfect mask of innocence, ¡°Why, Sect Master Wu, whatever makes you think I did anything? I¡¯m sure you must have just tripped on a rock or something. You should be careful with your footing, or you might just stumble and fall on all this delicious food.¡±


    Uncaring of Wu Xiao¡¯s worsening expression, Wei Xiang continued to eat from his plate.


    Wu Xiao¡¯s lips twitched. This pair of husbands was so sly and sneaky! They were truly a match for each other! Gritting his teeth with renewed determination to catch that annoying brat, Wu Xiao continued to give chase to Qinghe.


    Unable to bear this absurdness going on any longer, Jing Shui finally got up and began running after his lover, ¡°Alright, Wu Xiao, it¡¯s enough! We can settle for something else, so stop it already!¡±


    ¡°Unacceptable! My Ah-Shui wants desserts, so I¡¯ll get those desserts even if I have to pry it from that Xiao Feng¡¯s cold, dead hands!¡±


    Wei Xiang smirked, eating his spicy food with a casual expression as Wu Xiao suddenly yelled, ¡°Sentinel Wei! Stop using those damned strings of yours just because I said something you didn¡¯t like!¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s smug voice immediately retorted, ¡°Of course my Xiang is honor-bound to defend me!¡±


    At the side, Hei NingYu and Chen Xiande had begun slipping their hands into each other¡¯s clothes. Even as his palms wandered over Chen Xiande¡¯s skin, Hei NingYu continued to suck and lick the side of his lover¡¯s neck. Chen Xiande encouraged him by letting out low moans and soft gasps while his fingertips trailed over the edges of his beloved¡¯s scars under his robes. Stuck in their own little world, the pair completely ignored the abounding chaos around them.


    ¡°Wu Xiao, stop running around already! This is getting ridiculous!¡±


    ¡°Xiao Feng, come here, you mischievous brat! I swear I won¡¯t beat you until you¡¯re begging for mercy!¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s laughter floated in the wind, a pleased and gleeful sound.


    Unbothered by the ruckus, Wei Xiang continued to eat, occasionally helping out his little husband in evading Wu Xiao.


    The small clearing echoed with the various passionate and lively sounds while the stars watched over it all serenely.


    These six might all be prominent people in the cultivation world, with a couple even being movers and shakers in Heaven. But when they spent time together like this, they showed no pretenses or fa?ades in front of one another.


    After all, even millennia-old beings as ancient as dust wanted to act like children sometimes, laughing, teasing, and playing energetically. Even those who had never minded the embrace of quiet loneliness before wanted to bask in their beloved¡¯s presence now, holding them close, cuddling, and whispering sweets words of undying affection into their flushed ear while a blanket of stars stretched above. Even those who¡¯d seen innumerable cruelties and had their hearts wrenched by it had times when they wanted to expose their innocence, denseness, or inexperience, wanting to be held gently, spoken to softly, to be treated delicately. Even those who¡¯d wielded weapons and shed blood with coldness seeping into their souls wanted every now and then to show tenderness, kindness, and care towards another person. Even these leaders and future leaders who held the fates of the worlds in their hands wanted to spend some time away from analyzing, plotting, training, and strategizing for the benefit of their organizations, instead allowing themselves to act silly, play pranks, and goof off as if they had no expectations placed on them.


    Even all these people who¡¯ve been through so much and borne so many burdens, floating adrift in this world with only their responsibilities holding them in place, could find love, peace, joy, and a sense of belonging with each other.


    And so, as the night went on, the group of six chatted, ate, kissed, and played carefreely, the smiles on their lips and the cheer in their eyes staying undimmed. In the future, they will be a force under whose might even Heaven itself would tremble. But now, they were merely a group of friends enjoying each other¡¯s company, strengthening their bonds and looking forward to their happily ever after.


    crimson_carnation


    Mini Theater:


    Just before Chen Xiande and Hei NingYu climbed the phantom-winged steeds¨D


    Chen Xiande, frowning nervously: I''ve never ridden anything other than a paper mount before (?? _ ??)


    Hei NingYu: That''s not true, my little sheep (? ¦Ø ?)


    Chen Xiande: ? ¦²(?¡ã _ ¡ã?)


    Hei NingYu: You''ve ridden me in bed before~ (?? ????)


    Chen Xiande: ... (?? _ ??)


    Chen Xiande, muttering: See if I don''t ride you ragged again just for this (?? _ ??)


    Hei NingYu, laughing: Ooh~ I can''t wait to be eaten~ (? ? ?)?


    And Chen Xiande makes good on his promise later while boinking on that tree (?` ? ¡ä?)


    I could technically stop the series here, but there''s one more thing I want to show you all~ Next will be the last extra and the final chapter of Heavenly Soul (£þ?£þ)©g

 Extra 28: The Little Hatchling

    crimson_carnation


    This extra will consist of a series of glimpses and chronologically ordered events in our main couple''s life many years later, starring a certain little bun. I hope you enjoy the last extra! :)


    Two hundred years later¨D


    Crack.


    The crisp sound seemed too loud in the expectant hush of the egg chamber, its vibration lingering in the air longer than possible. The spiritual energy that had slowly been gathering in the room suddenly rushed towards a certain egg, swirling around it in a maelstrom of rapid currents before getting sucked into it in a constant stream.


    Qinghe clutched Wei Xiang¡¯s arm and exclaimed in a pensive and excited whisper, ¡°Xiang, it¡¯s starting! The egg is hatching!¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes gleamed with insuppressible joy. He held Qinghe closer and nodded with a wide smile. ¡°Yes, we¡¯re finally going to witness the birth of our first child.¡±


    It had barely been a few hours before when Wei Xiang had been alerted to a potential hatching due to the perception spell that always kept him aware of the status of the eggs. He had immediately told Qinghe and the rest of the Feng household, and they¡¯d all rushed towards the egg chamber. However, Zheng Xuan had advised everyone that it would be better if the hatchling first had time to bond with its parents before being subjected to such a large group, so the rest of the family waited outside with only the future parents of the hatching wyvern staying in the egg chamber to share this experience.


    The couple was currently crouched in front of the bluish-silver egg, their eyes fixed on the hair-thin crack running down from the tip to the middle of the eggshell. Under their focused gazes, the egg lightly wobbled to and fro while another small crack joined the first one.


    Qinghe¡¯s grip on Wei Xiang¡¯s arm grew tighter. He held his breath in anticipation, both wonder and nervousness in his gaze. He¡¯d never experienced anything like this before, and no matter the mental preparations he¡¯d tried to make in these past two hundred years after they¡¯d decided to hatch this egg, he found that the actual situation was still too different from his expectations. There were too many emotions swirling in his usually calm mind, each of them so very vibrant. Every detail in front of him seemed sharper and more vivid than ever, etching itself indelibly into his memory.


    Wei Xiang patted Qinghe¡¯s hand without taking his eyes away from the egg. There were many recording crystals installed in the egg chamber to catch the hatchings, but Wei Xiang still didn¡¯t want to miss even a moment of seeing it with his own eyes.


    In a low voice, Qinghe muttered encouragingly, ¡°Come on, little wyvern. You can do it. Be born quickly so that I can hug you.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s expression warmed.


    As if listening to Qinghe, another two cracks split the eggshell simultaneously, connecting with the previous fissure. As a result, a small triangular piece of the eggshell wobbled, breaking free and toppling down to reveal a thin and pale gelatinous layer within. Something dark strained and shifted under the elastic layer.


    Qinghe almost jumped with excitement. ¡°I can see it! I can see the baby!¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded, his intent gaze remaining on the hatchling even as he observed, ¡°The little one is progressing well.¡±


    Qinghe nodded and declared proudly, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s all due to my encouragement.¡±


    Letting out a soft chuff of laughter, Wei Xiang turned his head for a moment to place a small kiss on his adorable little husband¡¯s forehead before turning back to the egg.


    As if energized by the sound of them talking, the little wyvern struggled harder under the membrane, causing the cracks to spread and knocking down more pieces of the eggshell. With a soft and wet tearing sound, the thin membrane split open and let out a gush of transparent fluid. A small and blunt gray snout was revealed as it poked and pushed out sluggishly.


    Qinghe leaned forward, unable to hide his awe at finally being able to see the little wyvern. Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes turned gold, his pupils going slitted as he focused his entire attention on the hatchling.


    The little wyvern¡¯s maw opened to reveal tiny needle-like teeth as it gulped down its first breath. Scenting the presence of strangely familiar people, the little wyvern grew excited, its movements hastening as it wriggled with more gusto. The membrane tore further, spilling more thick fluid outside. The swaying of the egg increased while the cracks on its surface spread with sharp snapping sounds. Within a few moments, a large part near the top of the egg had broken off, scattering shell fragments around the base of the egg. The smaller pieces hung down, still connected to the edges of the opening by the remains of the sticky membrane.


    From the dark gap, a tiny wyvern head emerged, smaller than a palm and looking more like that of a large gray lizard¡¯s than a rare draconic being¡¯s. The hatchling was a dull gray in color, but its scales would probably grow in strength and luster with age. Twelve little white bumps crowned its head, yet to grow into full-fledged horns. Since it was born in Heaven, it was already a heavenly beast and didn¡¯t have to cultivate to ascend like Wei Xiang had to. Drenched with fluid, the little wyvern¡¯s head glistened wetly while its eyes were squished close. Its expression was as if it was concentrating on something. The little wyvern¡¯s tiny nostrils flared as it drew in breaths while its neck extended upward, pushing its head out of the egg and into the fresh air outside.


    Qinghe pressed his lips together to suppress his excited shouts. He didn¡¯t want to end up scaring their child right back into the egg with his enthusiasm. Meanwhile, Wei Xiang had to physically stop himself from helping the little one out of the egg. Spiritual beasts that hatched from eggs often had to struggle out on their own or it would impede their development and cause them to be born weak.


    ¡°Xiang, can you tell the baby¡¯s gender?¡± Qinghe suddenly whispered.


    Wei Xiang only had to sniff the air once before answering, ¡°It¡¯s a male.¡±


    Hearing them speak, the little wyvern opened his mouth and let out a warbling, squeaky sound.


    Qinghe melted. ¡°Aww, he wants to join our conversation.¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled. ¡°He¡¯ll have to fully get out of the egg first.¡±


    Seeming to realize it as well, the little wyvern shimmied his body, trying to squeeze up through the hole he¡¯d made. More of his slender neck pushed out of the gap before a pair of bony shoulders followed.


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes widened as he stretched out his hands worriedly. ¡°Ah, if he keeps going this way, he¡¯ll¨D¡±


    Before Qinghe could finish his sentence, what he feared happened. Due to the hatchling¡¯s weight being unevenly distributed, the egg wobbled unsteadily before falling down with a dull thud. It broke apart on one side, the shell fragments scattering on the ground. The little wyvern toppled out of the egg and laid stiffly on the floor as if stunned by this abrupt ejection. His wings lay akimbo on either side, the fragile bones and pale, paper-thin membranes looking crumpled and slicked with fluid. Slumped over on the ground, the hatchling lightly shook himself and made a rumbling, disgruntled sound. His eyelids parted a slit and the little wyvern looked at the world for the first time with a grumpy expression.


    Qinghe had to struggle to suppress his chuckles while Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes gleamed. They looked at the hatchling with affection, drinking in their first full view of him.


    Meanwhile, gathering his four tiny limbs under him, the little wyvern tried to stand up wobblingly. Fluid dripped down from his body while eggshells crunched under him. Tiny black claws clicked on the floor. His slender tail stayed pressed against the ground as if for balance. With determination, the little wyvern tried to take a step forward, his delicate body trembling with the strain. But due to a combination of inexperience and a floor turned slippery with fluid, the little wyvern¡¯s limbs slipped and slid in four different directions, sending him crashing to the floor with a splat. The little wyvern made a displeased hiss, but remained splayed on the floor. His expression seemed to say that since the world was being mean to him right after he was hatched, he was going to stop making any effort and just stay here lazily.


    Qinghe burst out laughing. His little son was just born and he already behaved like such an old soul!


    Taking pity on the hatchling, Wei Xiang grinned and reached out to carefully pick him up, amniotic goo and all. The newly-hatched wyvern seemed to sense a connection with him and coiled his tail around Wei Xiang¡¯s wrist and comfortably settled in his arms.


    Bending over the little wyvern, Qinghe lightly poked his snout with a finger and cooed, ¡°Oh, look how adorable you are. So majestic even when covered with egg slime. What shall we call you, my sweet little son?¡±


    Though the hatchling didn¡¯t comprehend what was being said, he still felt that Qinghe was familiar. How could he not? After all, Qinghe had been the one to spend the most time with the egg till now. And so, feeling favorably towards him and hearing Qinghe¡¯s loving tone as he poked his nose, the little wyvern made a pleased rumble, nuzzling the tip of Qinghe¡¯s finger.


    Qinghe¡¯s expression turned adoring. ¡°Aww, he recognizes me! Xiang, did you see?¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled and patted the hatchling approvingly. ¡°Yes. He¡¯s a clever little one, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    The couple lavished more praise and affection on the little wyvern, stroking him and getting him accustomed to their presence. The little wyvern luxuriated in their attention before realizing that these two people that it recognized the most weren¡¯t similar in shape to him. And so, the hatchling shifted into a human baby in an instinctive attempt to match them.


    Wei Xiang hurriedly shifted his hold to securely support the wyvern who¡¯d suddenly turned into a plump little baby. A swirl of dark silvery hair adorned the baby¡¯s round head while his big bright eyes were a deep blue.


    After a moment of astonishment, the couple quickly got used to it. After all, this wasn¡¯t unexpected. Qinghe ran his finger over the baby¡¯s soft and round belly and remarked, ¡°I never thought about it before, but Xiang, why do you and the little one have bellybuttons? Since bellybuttons are only formed upon removal of the umbilical cord, shouldn¡¯t beings that hatch from eggs not have them?¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded and explained, ¡°Eons ago, humans were very strongly biased against non-humans and considered spiritual beasts as the monsters crouching in the darkness waiting to eat them. To be able to mingle with humans unnoticed, the spiritual beasts evolved into being capable of manifesting human bodies for themselves. Since not having navels would obviously give them away, no matter the type of beast, their human form was made to have a navel.¡±


    Qinghe showed an expression of realization. ¡°Ah, that makes sense.¡±


    Feeling left out, the little wyvern baby waved his little hands and burbled complainingly.


    Chuckling, the couple showered their new son with more love until the demanding young master was satisfied. Then remembering that the others were waiting outside to meet the newest addition to the family too, the couple finally decided to take the little wyvern out of the egg chamber.


    Outside the chamber, the mood was both tense and hopeful.


    Feng Huixin and Feng Chunyi were frowning, with Feng Huixin staring at the inactive transportation array on the wall with a fixed gaze while Feng Chunyi stamped her feet impatiently and paced to and fro, constantly muttering under her breath. Fei Jin held a basin of warm water to bathe the newborn wyvern in while Fei Yin had a stretch of soft cloth at the ready to wipe the hatchling down afterward. They wore focused expressions as if ready to spring into action the second the array opened. Xie Xingye fiddled with the edge of his sleeve, purposely not looking at the wall with the array. But he still couldn¡¯t help but peek up at it now and then with an expectant gaze. Zheng Xuan seemed to be the only calm one, patiently patting Xie Xingye¡¯s back and remaining composed.


    Suddenly, the array on the wall glowed. The attentions of everyone snapped to it as one. From within the array, Qinghe and Wei Xiang emerged, with a baby in Wei Xiang¡¯s arms who was slicked with goo and looking around curiously with deep blue eyes. Everyone quickly moved, surrounding the baby, their gazes roving over him.


    Feng Chunyi immediately said, ¡°I want to hold him!¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled. ¡°Mother-in-law, at least wait until he¡¯d cleaned up. Everyone can get a chance to hold the little one then.¡±


    Feng Chunyi pouted but nodded. A non-goo-covered baby would be much more pleasant to hold, after all.


    Wei Xiang thus set about keeping the baby in place in the shallow basin of warm water that Fei Jin set down while the twins slowly and carefully washed the baby. Meanwhile, Zheng Xuan came over to crouch by them, giving out instructions in his halting, gravelly voice, ¡°Don¡¯t let the water¡­get into his eyes, ears¡­or his mouth and nose. Don¡¯t touch his belly¡­or throat¡­too much. Wyverns are predatory¡­by nature¡­and their self-protective instincts¡­will be triggered¡­if you touch anywhere vulnerable¡­especially when they are young¡­and not yet capable of¡­self-control. If he¡­switches forms¡­in between¡­you must take care¡­with the wings. They¡¯re very¡­fragile. You should also¡­be careful of his claws¡­and the sharp tip¡­of his tail¡­when bathing those¡­vulnerable areas.¡±


    Qinghe stood beside them, seriously nodding as if taking notes in his heart, while Xie Xingye made passionate eyes at his dependable lover. Feng Chunyi impatiently waited with folded arms while Feng Huixin clenched and unclenched his hands restlessly, his eyes on his grandson¡¯s chubby little cheeks.


    Once the baby was successfully bathed and dried using both a towel and Qinghe¡¯s wind, it was time for everyone to hold him. Since Wei Xiang and the twins had already gotten a chance by now, Zheng Xuan carried him next. His large and scarred hands seemed gigantic when compared to the baby, but he used the utmost care and gentleness when holding the little one.


    Zheng Xuan lifted the baby boy up, looking at him face-to-face, and smiled at him. ¡°Hello, little one.¡±


    The baby waved his hands and giggled sweetly.


    Zheng Xuan¡¯s smile grew wider. He turned to Xie Xingye and offered, ¡°Xingye, do you want to¡­hold him next?¡±


    Xie Xingye blinked at his beloved, then at the baby, and gave a nervous laugh. Tucking is hands behind him, he shook his head. ¡°No, I¡­ It¡¯s okay.¡±


    Zheng Xuan raised an eyebrow, but didn¡¯t say anything. Looking at Qinghe, he asked, ¡°Have you held your son yet?¡±


    Qinghe shook his head and reached out. ¡°Not yet. Can I hold him now?¡±


    Zheng Xuan nodded and handed over the baby.


    Qinghe took the little baby in his arms and marveled at how warm, soft, and heavy the little guy was. But not letting him admire him, the little hatchling twisted and turned as if trying to fall down. Qinghe made a sound of surprise and called out panickily, ¡°X-Xiang! Quick, tell me how to hold him properly so he doesn¡¯t fall!¡±


    Wei Xiang chortled at his husband¡¯s discomposed expression and went over to help. Once Qinghe was able to hold his son steadily, he bathed the little one¡¯s face with kisses while admonishing in an affectionate voice about how naughty he was. The child squirmed and squealed happily.


    After that, it was Feng Huixin¡¯s and Feng Chunyi¡¯s turn. Both of them already had experience with babies due to raising Qinghe, so neither of them was flustered. Feng Huixin stably held the baby with an arm and tenderly squished his cheeks with the fingers of the other hand. Feng Chunyi held him up and made funny faces at the child while asking in a silly voice, ¡°Who¡¯s your favorite grandma, little one? Tell me, who~¡±


    Childish laughter rang out, bubbling with innocent joy and bringing a warm smile to everyone¡¯s faces.


    Nuzzling the cheerful baby, Feng Chunyi casually noted, ¡°He¡¯s very advanced for someone just born, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Feng Huixin replied, ¡°Most spiritual beasts are born ready to survive in the wild.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Especially in certain species of reptiles where a lot of development occurs while in the egg itself,¡± Wei Xiang added while taking back the baby from Feng Chunyi.


    Qinghe excitedly hovered by the child, seeming to almost bounce on his feet. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how developed he is. The little one is still the most precious baby, aren¡¯t you?¡± Addressing the child at the end, Qinghe tickled his belly, eliciting more happy gurgles.


    Coming up to stand on either side of Qinghe, the twins looked at the baby with small smiles. Fei Jin asked, ¡°Senior Brother, what about the baby¡¯s naming? Will you wait for a hundred days as per tradition to choose one?¡±


    Fei Yin added, ¡°And will he use ¡®Feng¡¯ or ¡®Wei¡¯ as a surname?¡±


    Qinghe tilted his head and looked up at Wei Xiang. ¡°Since the little one is a wyvern, I think he should use ¡®Wei¡¯. Xiang, what do you think?¡±


    Wei Xiang blinked. ¡°I¡­ I suppose it makes sense.¡± Turning to Feng Huixin and Feng Chunyi, he asked, ¡°Master, Mother-in-law, is that alright?¡±


    Feng Huixin silently nodded while Feng Chunyi waved a hand while saying, ¡°Of course it¡¯s alright. Why are you even asking us? That¡¯s the brat you both are taking the most responsibility for.¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled and looked back down at the baby. ¡°Very well. He will be surnamed Wei, then. What about his given name, love?¡±


    Qinghe grinned and answered, ¡°There¡¯s no rush or a need to wait a hundred days. We can take our time to settle on a name we all like and then use it.¡±


    Everyone nodded in agreement.


    A few days later, the baby¡¯s name was finally decided: Wei Yuan.


    ¡­¡­


    One thing Qinghe could never get used to was Wei Yuan¡¯s occasional crying fits. They came and went like a raging monsoon storm, utterly unpredictable. Every time he saw his son scrunching up his little face and crying like the world was ending, Qinghe would feel his own eyes starting to sting and nose turning stuffy.


    When people generally had problems, Qinghe could talk to them and figure out a way to quickly resolve it. But with the infant Wei Yuan who couldn¡¯t yet speak to communicate what was bothering him, Qinghe was helpless to do anything. And so, seeing the little one wailing with anguish at how his father was unable to read his mind and give him what he wanted, Qinghe felt beyond distressed. His poor little son, unable to express himself, forced to suffer with no one able to even understand him¡­


    As a result, the adult father would end up accompanying his little son as they both hugged each other and cried, one more silently and with far less tears and snot than the other.


    When Feng Chunyi saw this, she very easily absolved herself of blame, saying that this excessive empathy was something Qinghe had gotten from his father. When Qinghe was a baby, Feng Huixin had reacted much like this to seeing his son cry as well.


    But knowing this hardly helped Qinghe.


    The first time Wei Xiang saw the faces of his two precious people wet with tears, he didn¡¯t know what to feel. He¡¯d walked up to them and lifted Qinghe onto his lap, who in turn had their son sitting on his thighs.


    Hugging his lover and son close, Wei Xiang patted their backs comfortingly and asked, ¡°Love, what¡¯s wrong? Why are you both crying?¡±


    Qinghe sniffled and rubbed his teary face. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Yuan-er was crying so pitifully, so I ended up crying too¡­¡±


    Looking at his newly arrived father, Wei Yuan waved his little fists drenched with tears and drool and burbled something unintelligible in a wronged tone as if trying to answer too.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s face twitched as he suppressed his smile. Why did he find these two so cute?


    Soon, under Wei Xiang¡¯s warm palms soothing them and his steady and reassuring presence, Qinghe and Wei Yuan¡¯s waterworks quickly ceased. Within a few more moments, the family would be laughing cheerfully again.


    From then on, Wei Xiang tried to always be the one who handled their son when he was crying. And even if Qinghe somehow ended up having to face their disconsolate toddler, Wei Xiang would be there. He seemed to have developed a sixth sense for whenever his little husband and son were crying, appearing almost before the tears could start to calm them both. Each time, he couldn¡¯t help but think just how strange his family was while also being thankful for having them.


    Because all their weirdness aside, Wei Xiang would never trade his beloved family for anything.


    As Wei Yuan grew up into a sprightly little boy, Qinghe and Wei Xiang came up with several ways to calm him whenever he grew upset because of some unreasonable thing as children were often wont to do.


    Wei Xiang would turn into his wyvern form and have Wei Yuan securely fixed onto his back with unbreakable spells before taking him up to fly. Whatever little woes the child had would often flutter away with the wind, and it also served as encouragement for him to try harder in his daily flying lessons. For some reason, Wei Yuan seemed to be more skilled in climbing up steep surfaces than in flying. Occasionally, when Qinghe joined Wei Yuan on Wei Xiang¡¯s back and went flying with them, there¡¯d be especially loud squeals of excitement from the child.


    On the other hand, Qinghe¡¯s version of cheering him up consisted of using his wind to send Wei Yuan soaring high into the air. As a wyvern, the little boy not only enjoyed flying but also being suspended up high like this. Qinghe would then let him fall down before securely catching the delighted little child. Then he would send him floating up and repeat the process again. Wei Yuan would keep giggling with joy the entire time, his steel-colored hair sticking out every which way. And even after they were done playing, he would be giddy, his little legs pumping as he ran around and jumped to vent his excitement, his smile big and wide.


    Another thing Wei Yuan liked doing was sitting on Feng Huixin¡¯s lap and watching him seriously attend to paperwork, his clear blue eyes gleaming with curiosity. When he asked questions using his undeveloped vocabulary in a childish voice, Feng Huixin would do his best to answer with simple, easily understandable words. Oftentimes, by the end, Wei Yuan would wind up dozing away in the tranquil silence of the study and his grandfather¡¯s steady presence.


    Wei Yuan also enjoyed accompanying Feng Chunyi while she was gardening, often following her around like a cute little chick and offering to help her in his sweet voice. Unable to bear how adorable her little grandson was, Feng Chunyi had ended up giving him a few pots of harmless flowering plants to take care of on his own. She very seriously told him that if he did well, she would add more plants in his name and might even consider giving him a plot of land to make his own garden. As a result, Wei Yuan took very good care of his tiny share of the plants and treated them with the utmost importance.


    One day, all the flowers in the pots ended up wilting, the plants themselves looking on the verge of death. When Qinghe found Wei Yuan, he was crying his little heart out beside the plants, his expression inconsolable.


    ¡°Yuan-er, what¡¯s wrong? What happened to your plants?¡± Qinghe asked worriedly while lifting up the child and patting his back soothingly.


    Hiccupping, Wei Yuan held out a crystal bottle with pale green liquid sloshing inside and explained through his tears, ¡°I-I found this in Grandmother¡¯s stuff. I asked and she said it was called spring medicine. So I put it on the plants to make them have more flowers b-but¡­they¡­they¡­¡± Distraught, the little one¡¯s face crumpled as if he was about to dissolve into tears again.


    Struggling to suppress his own urge to start crying with his son, Qinghe bent to nuzzle Wei Yuan in the way he knew a mother beast would her hatchling. Wei Yuan sniffled, but didn¡¯t cry. He clutched at Qinghe¡¯s robe and rubbed his wet face against his father¡¯s cheek, taking the offered comfort.


    After the child had calmed a bit more, Qinghe gently asked him, ¡°Yuan-er, why did you put that spring medicine on the plants to make them flower? Did your Grandmother tell you that it¡¯d work that way?¡±


    Wei Yuan blinked up his large eyes that still shone with the remnants of tears and shook his head. ¡°No, Grandmother didn¡¯t tell me to do that. I did it all on my own. Because it¡¯s spring medicine, and spring season means more flowers growing, I thought it was medicine to make flowers grow more. But the medicine made all the plants die!¡± Declaring this angrily, Wei Yuan threw the bottle down with a furious glare. But the sturdy crystal bottle didn¡¯t shatter, just bounced and rolled on the ground. Wei Yuan growled at it as if to threaten it into behaving. The unimpressed bottle remained unbroken.


    Qinghe was torn between crying and laughing, both at his son¡¯s strangely valid child-logic and his angry antics. Taking the bottle of aphrodisiac from the ground and going back into the house, Qinghe explained the situation to the others and let Feng Chunyi use her wood element ability to quickly make the wilting plants¡ªthe victims of Wei Yuan¡¯s good intentions and a bottle of aphrodisiac¡ªhealthy again.


    Needless to say that after that, all of Feng Chunyi¡¯s bottles of liquids and other suspicious instruments were firmly locked away and put out of reach of the curious little boy.


    In this way, a couple of years passed.


    ¡­¡­


    On a certain summer day, the heavenly realm that commonly had mild weather became hotter than usual. Rather than stay cooped up in the stuffy house, Qinghe took Wei Yuan to the back porch to play in the shade while Wei Xiang went off to fetch some ice.


    Qinghe sat on the edge of the porch, his legs hanging down as he leaned on the pillar to his right. He held a particularly large beetle that he was keeping, lazily teasing it with his fingertips. To his left sat Wei Yuan, settled deeper inside the porch and under the cool shade. He was happily playing with a pair of fish-shaped wooden toys Qinghe had carved and painted for him. Wei Yuan was in the process of making a heroic story with two of his favorite little fishies. He had just reached the part where the queen fish was going to rescue the girl fish she loved from the evil people who wanted to catch and eat her when he scented his Father Xiang and looked up.


    Engrossed in playing with the beetle in his palm, Qinghe absentmindedly said, ¡°Xiang, you can leave the ice basin at the side. Make sure it¡¯s upwind so that it¡¯ll cool the breeze as it blows towards us, will you?¡±


    Wei Xiang hummed in agreement and did so, then sneakily took an ice chip from the basin for himself. Wei Xiang¡¯s lips stretched with a wicked smile as he oh-so-casually walked towards his husband¡¯s unguarded back. Qinghe had swept his hair to the side to expose the back of his collar and nape to the breeze. Naturally, Wei Xiang¡¯s aim was that semi-loose collar.


    Looking up at his Father Xiang and seeing his evil expression, Wei Yuan giggled. His Father Xiang was definitely going to do something naughty to his Father Qinghe! Hearing the light sound, Wei Xiang turned to him with a smile and pressed a finger to his lips to make a ¡®shh¡¯ motion. Wei Yuan clamped his little hands over his mouth to silence himself, his eyes shining brightly.


    Turning back to a still unaware Qinghe, Wei Xiang grinned and reached out a hand. In a single, smooth motion, he pulled back Qinghe¡¯s collar and dropped the ice chip in before quickly stepping back.


    Qinghe jerked upright and let out a sharp squeal. The beetle in his hand fell onto the ground and scurried off as if sensing that trouble was coming. Qinghe gritted his teeth and got out, ¡°Wei! Xiang! Get out the blasted ice! It¡¯s so fucking cold!¡±


    Wei Xiang tsked with humor dancing in his eyes. ¡°Language, love. Is this the example you want to set for our child?¡±


    Qinghe growled and turned to direct a thunderous glare at him.


    Wei Xiang smirked. ¡°Oh, so scary. I must run away before I¡¯m roasted to death by the fury in your eyes alone.¡± Saying so, Wei Xiang turned around and promptly escaped his husband¡¯s wrath.


    Keeping his back stiff and straight, Qinghe postponed his plan of revenge for now and instead focused on trying to get that wretched ice chip out of his clothes. But the damn thing was too slippery and deep within his robe. He finally just loosened his belt and let the ice chip drop down before retying it again. Now that that was done, Qinghe stood up and lifted the ice basin with a grim, determined expression. His husband would definitely pay! Just see if he won¡¯t fill his Xiang¡¯s inner robe entirely with ice today!


    Seeing his Father Qinghe¡¯s expression that said that his Father Xiang was in big trouble, Wei Yuan laughed again gleefully.


    Hearing the cheerful sound, Qinghe¡¯s face softened. He bent to poke his son¡¯s round cheek with a cold fingertip and remarked in an affectionate voice, ¡°So you became your Father Xiang¡¯s accomplice and let him put that ice into my clothes, didn¡¯t you? Naughty brat.¡±


    Wei Yuan laughed harder and happily rubbed his plump little cheek against his father¡¯s comfortably cool finger.


    Qinghe smiled and retrieved his hand before giving him a particularly large ice chip. ¡°Here, Yuan-er, play with this for now. It¡¯s nice and cold, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Wei Yuan happily took the offering and said cutely, ¡°Thank you, Father.¡± Aha! Now he had an ice boat for his queen fish to use while rescuing her girlfriend fish!


    As Wei Yuan thus happily continued playing, Qinghe hefted up the ice basin and marched in the direction Wei Xiang had fled in, icy vengeance in his mind.


    ¡­¡­


    Despite all the shenanigans, not all the time Qinghe and Wei Xiang had could be spent with Wei Yuan due to their respective duties. As a result, the couple either made sure that at least one of them would be free to spend time with the child or sent him to play with the many trustworthy people they knew. It helped their bonds of family and friends to grow tighter while familiarizing the little one with the others as well.


    On this particular day, Qinghe was taking care of Wei Yuan. Due to the child¡¯s adamancy in wanting to see Wei Xiang while he was working, Qinghe decided to take him to the Order of Sentinels. Though this was not the first time the child had been here, he wasn¡¯t yet completely familiar with the place either.


    Qinghe entered the Sentinel compound with Wei Yuan perched on his shoulders. As they walked the corridors containing the officers¡¯ private quarters, the child looked around with a serious expression, searching for Wei Xiang. But all the doors lining both sides of the corridors were closed, and since this was peak working hour for most Sentinels, there weren¡¯t many people walking by either. Wei Yuan frowned. Where could his father be?


    Sensing his son¡¯s puzzlement, Qinghe smiled. Of course he knew where his husband was by way of their soul bond. But just this time, Qinghe wanted to let Wei Yuan try finding Wei Xiang on his own.


    As if on cue, Wei Yuan finished looking around and asked confusedly, ¡°Father Qinghe, where¡¯s Father Xiang?¡±


    Qinghe suppressed a grin and replied in a contemplative voice, ¡°Hmm, maybe he¡¯s hiding behind one of these doors. How about Yuan-er choose a door so that we can go and knock on it. If someone else other than your Father Xiang opens it, you can just ask them if they saw him anywhere.¡±


    The child¡¯s clear blue eyes brightened. ¡°Yes!¡± It was good that his Father Qinghe was able to come up with a plan of action, or who knew where they¡¯d have lost his Father Xiang?


    Not sensing his son¡¯s worshipful gaze, Qinghe prodded, ¡°Which door shall we start from then?¡±


    Wei Yuan scrunched up his brows and looked around before finally pointing in a random direction. ¡°There, that one!¡±


    Qinghe merrily set off in that direction and stood in front of the door. ¡°Here we are. I¡¯ll let Yuan-er handle everything from now on then.¡±


    Wei Yuan gave a firm nod like an officer about to raid the headquarters of a criminal organization. Raising his little fist and leaning forward while perched on his father¡¯s shoulders, he knocked on the door.


    After a few moments, the door opened, revealing a casually attired officer who was obviously off-duty. Running his thick fingers through his disheveled hair, the officer yawned and nodded to Qinghe in greeting. ¡°Is there something I can help you with?¡±


    Wei Yuan raised a hand as if in class. ¡°Is my Father Xiang with you?¡±


    The officer¡¯s face unconsciously softened into a smile when faced with the child¡¯s cutely serious and inquisitive expression. ¡°No, I¡¯m afraid your father isn¡¯t here, Young Master Wei.¡±


    Pouting that his Father Xiang wasn¡¯t being easy to find, Wei Yuan asked, ¡°Then¡­do you know where Father Xiang is?¡±


    The officer regretfully shook his head.


    Clearly disappointed, Wei Yuan slumped down onto Qinghe¡¯s head, his legs hanging listlessly from his father¡¯s shoulders. But he still took the time to blink at the officer and say, ¡°Thank you for talking to me!¡±


    ¡°No, please, it was my pleasure,¡± the officer said warmly, trying to hide his amusement. Despite having been disturbed out of a nap just now, the officer had a huge grin on his face when he closed the door.


    ¡°Father, what do we do? Father Xiang went missing!¡± Wei Yuan declared worriedly.


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes shone with laughter even as he patted his son¡¯s leg and said solemnly, ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t give up yet. Someone must have seen him, Yuan-er. Let¡¯s try another door and see.¡±


    Wei Yuan nodded, cautious hope in his gaze.


    But even after trying a few more doors, they found no clues. Though Wei Yuan was dispirited, Qinghe, in contrast, was in very good spirits after seeing the officers struggling not to smile and falling all over themselves to help his adorable little son.


    ¡°Which one shall we try next, Yuan-er?¡± Qinghe prodded.


    Wei Yuan sighed and pointed at a door dully.


    Qinghe smiled wryly and decided that if they didn¡¯t find anything after this, he¡¯d directly take Wei Yuan to Wei Xiang. While it was good to teach his son how to act independently, he still didn¡¯t want him to get too discouraged in the process.


    But unexpectedly, this final officer had more to say than the previous ones. Looking at the Wei Yuan perched on Qinghe, she replied, ¡°At this time, Senior Officer Wei should either be in his room or his office. I¡¯m guessing he¡¯ll most likely be in his office.¡±


    Qinghe silently heaved a breath in relief at that correct answer, glad that this little investigation at least ended up with a fruitful result.


    However, Wei Yuan frowned at the officer with a confounded expression and said, ¡°But who¡¯s Senior Officer Wei? I want to know where Father Xiang is!¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s lips twitched while the officer raised a brow in surprise. Sighing, Qinghe told her, ¡°Thank you for your time, Officer Lie. Our apologies for disturbing you.¡±


    As the puzzled officer closed the door, Qinghe started walking along the corridor and asked his son, ¡°Yuan-er, you¡­you do know that your father¡¯s name is not Father Xiang, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Wei Yuan made a sound of abject startlement and disbelief. ¡°It¡¯s not?!¡±


    Qinghe didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or console his distraught son. ¡°No, it isn¡¯t. The person you refer to as Father Xiang, someone who also happens to be my husband, is actually called Wei Xiang. Here in the Order of Sentinels, which is one of the places he works in, Wei Xiang holds the title of a senior officer. That is why the people here call him Senior Officer Wei out of respect. And you have his surname, which is why you¡¯re named Wei Yuan.¡±


    The little boy looked like he¡¯d just heard something earth-shattering. Qinghe lifted a hand to sympathetically pat his arm even as he had to suppress the urge to run to his husband and convey this amusing situation immediately.


    Something horrifying suddenly occurred to Wei Yuan, and to confirm it, he peered down and called frantically, ¡°Th-Then, Father Qinghe¡­ Is your name also not Father Qinghe?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Qinghe was finding it even harder to hide his laughter now. In an even voice, he replied, ¡°No, my name is actually Feng Qinghe. Your grandmother and grandfather are also surnamed Feng.¡±


    Wei Yuan looked like the world had betrayed him.


    Smiling helplessly, Qinghe spoke, ¡°But Yuan-er, see, of all the people in the world, at this time, only you can call us Father Xiang and Father Qinghe. No one else has that privilege. And when you have more siblings, they¡¯ll have that privilege too.¡±


    Wei Yuan frowned and gravely pondered upon his words. After a few moments of silence, the little one¡¯s expression eased. ¡°Then, for now, you¡¯re only my Father Xiang and Father Qinghe? And Grandmother and Grandfather are also only my Grandmother and Grandfather?¡±


    Qinghe smiled wider and nodded.


    Cheering up immediately, Wei Yuan said, ¡°Then it¡¯s okay!¡±


    Shaking his head helplessly, Qinghe chuckled. ¡°Good. Then shall we go and see your Father Xiang and share this new discovery you made today?¡±


    Wei Yuan happily bounced on his father¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Yes!¡±


    And so, off they went to entertain Wei Xiang.


    ¡­¡­


    When Wei Yuan was old enough, all the adults in the Feng household discussed and decided to send him to a nearby school to broaden his horizons. His family might be able to teach him many things, but going to school and mingling with other kids his age would definitely help him gain valuable knowledge and experience.


    Though Qinghe and Wei Xiang worried at first about their precious son finding it difficult to adjust, Wei Yuan proved more adaptable than they thought. He very carefreely made a lot of friends and gained a reputation as a charming and intelligent student. Though most of his fellow students were human deities and not spiritual beasts, Wei Yuan had no trouble fitting in. After all, most of his family back home were human deities too.


    One day, Wei Yuan pleaded with his parents, wanting to go and stay at one of his friends¡¯ house for a night after being invited. Though Qinghe was reluctant, he was eventually won over by his adorable little son¡¯s constant persuasion and agreed. Anyway, this friend that Wei Yuan wanted to stay with was someone he and his Xiang had heard a lot about, so they knew that he would be good to their son. This friend¡¯s only parent, his father, worked as a guard at the residence of one of the deities in the heavenly court. From what they¡¯d heard, he treated his son well, so he should treat his son¡¯s friends well too by extension. There shouldn¡¯t be any trouble. And so, Wei Yuan was sent to spend the night away in his friend¡¯s house.


    But unfortunately, things were not as they initially seemed.


    Wei Xiang was the first one who sensed something wrong and hurried to check up on Wei Yuan through the shadows. What greeted him in the friend¡¯s house were shouts of strange men and a conversation that made his heart sink lower and lower in dread.


    ¡°Where did that wyvern brat go? Don¡¯t let him get away!¡±


    ¡°It took a lot of trouble to get that kid into my house using my own boy as bait, so you lot better not lose him and stiff me of my share of the profit!¡±


    ¡°A rare beast like that, especially a young one, is worth a lot! Don¡¯t you dare damage him when you find him!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say that dead or alive, he will still have a lot of value. Even if all we get to sell are pieces of him, we¡¯ll still earn a lot! The buyers are already set, so the only thing left is finding where he is.¡±


    ¡°Shit! I think he managed to get out of the house! Spread out and try to search for him! Don¡¯t forget to keep an eye on the sky as well! I¡¯ll notify the ones roaming outside to go after him too!¡±


    By now, what had happened was clear to Wei Xiang. His son¡¯s friend¡¯s father must have urged his own son to invite Wei Yuan as a guest and set up a trap in cooperation with illegal traffickers to lure, capture, and sell Wei Yuan. Since he was one of only two wyverns, and the weakest one too, he had been targeted. But thankfully, Wei Yuan seemed to have escaped and now had the traffickers in a tizzy. However, the traffickers were taking action very quickly, and if they managed to find the child, who knew what all would happen to him?


    Wei Xiang was sickened and beyond furious. But rather than give in to rage and waste time here punishing the perpetrators, Wei Xiang quickly used the shadows and alerted the Offices of Judgment instead and explained the situation. He would let his enraged master and fellow officers clean up these people in the house. What was important now was finding his son before any of the traffickers already giving chase could get ahold of him. And so, Wei Xiang hurriedly explained the circumstances to Qinghe and Feng Chunyi as well and conscripted their help in searching for Wei Yuan.


    The Feng household was all too clear on what all could happen to a kidnapped child, especially with Qinghe as the prime example. Just the thought of Wei Yuan, that happy, bubbly little boy, going through the same things Qinghe did because of their negligence was enough to whip them all into a frenzy. Without wasting a moment after arrival, they followed possible trails and spread out, hoping against hope that the traffickers who were already on Wei Yuan¡¯s tail wouldn¡¯t get the chance to catch up to him.


    In the end, it was Qinghe who found Wei Yuan. Or rather, he found the traffickers who had been following the child lying on the ground, ripped to pieces. Due to their deity-level sturdiness, all of them were still alive, but were left with deep gouges in their torsos or backs along with a torn limb or two. It seemed that unlike Wei Xiang, Wei Yuan¡¯s claws had some substance that prevented quick regeneration even in deities. Unable to move well or breathe, the group of pursuers was flailing in a heap with blood pooling under them. Since this was an uninhabited area with only trees and shrubs to witness their struggles, they were unable to get any aid. So the second they saw Qinghe, they tried to call out to him for help. But one look at his icy gaze and they immediately froze, not daring to move anymore.


    Ignoring them for now, Qinghe quickly sent a message to request Wei Xiang to come and asked his mother to take care of the other groups of traffickers still looking for Wei Yuan. As for the child himself, Qinghe could sense that he had climbed up and was hiding in a nearby tree, trying to stay utterly motionless. However, the fact that he didn¡¯t jump down the second he saw his father itself alerted Qinghe that something was amiss. And so, he decided to wait for Wei Xiang to arrive before discussing about how to get their son down and comfort him after his ordeal.


    In the time till then, Qinghe went about ruthlessly incapacitating the traffickers further to make them lose consciousness just in case they thought up some way to escape, then waited by the tree Wei Yuan was hiding in. Sensing through his wind how his little son had assumed his wyvern form out of fright, clutching a branch high above and trembling against it, Qinghe felt his heart breaking. But he forced himself to wait for Wei Xiang. If he said or did something that ended up worsening his son¡¯s current condition, then all the guilt in the world wouldn¡¯t be enough to make up for it.


    When Wei Xiang arrived, he barely spared a glance to the pitiful heap of traffickers, his gaze instead accurately landing on the tree branch hidden behind foliage where Wei Yuan was. With the amount of fearful hormones the child was producing, it would¡¯ve been more difficult to not spot him.


    ¡°Xiang, Yuan-er isn¡¯t coming down on his own. Do you think something¡¯s wrong?¡± Qinghe worriedly asked.


    Wei Xiang frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I¡¯ll find out and take care of it. Love, stay here and wait for us.¡±


    Qinghe nodded. Since his husband said he¡¯d deal with it, he would leave it to him.


    Without much ado, Wei Xiang directly leapt up and landed on the branch with Wei Yuan. The sight that greeted him made his chest tighten with pain.


    His son had instinctively assumed his wyvern form and was lying flat on the branch, his wings tightly folded against his back. Since he hadn¡¯t developed confidence in his flying ability yet, Wei Yuan seemed to have chosen to climb a tree and hide here instead. His bloodied claws were dug deep into the branch, the wood turning grayish and flaky where it was pierced due to the injected toxins. Wei Yuan¡¯s slender snout was covered with blood from where he¡¯d bitten his pursuers, his teeth that were bared in fear and panic dyed red as well. His eyelids trembled, peeled wide open to reveal unseeing eyes glazed with terror. His long and thin body, covered in a shining layer of small scales a couple of shades darker than silver, was quivering tautly. His long tail was wrapped around the branch, squeezing it tightly as if the more he held on, the more secure he felt.


    Wei Xiang took in a deep breath and let it out, trying to compose himself. The sound made Wei Yuan¡¯s shaking worsen, a small, helpless growl slipping out of him, both threatening and pleading.


    In a calm and gentle voice, Wei Xiang said, ¡°Xiao Yuan, It¡¯s only me, your father. I won¡¯t hurt you.¡±


    Wei Yuan didn¡¯t move, not seeming to see or hear him at all, locked in his own fear and stuck deep in self-preservation mode.


    Wei Xiang sighed and strode forward on the branch in slow steps. Wei Yuan made alarmed sounds and tried to scoot back, only for his hindquarters to encounter the tree trunk. Wei Yuan whimpered.


    ¡°Shh, it¡¯s fine,¡± Wei Xiang spoke soothingly and crouched in front of the frightened hatchling.


    He held out a hand to let his son sniff him and realize his identity. But unexpectedly, Wei Yuan instead snapped his jaws onto the perceived threat, his teeth piercing Wei Xiang¡¯s hand. As he felt the sharp, needle-like teeth digging into his flesh and crushing his bones, Wei Xiang winced. But he didn¡¯t retreat or try to take his hand back, simply waiting and hoping that his son would recognize him by the smell of his blood at least.


    ¡°Xiang!¡± Qinghe called from below. Having been keeping an eye through his wind, he was alarmed at his husband¡¯s sudden injury.


    Keeping his voice steady, Wei Xiang reassured his beloved, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Xiao Yuan is just afraid. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±


    Qinghe bit his lower lip, but nodded.


    Meanwhile, the smell and taste of Wei Xiang¡¯s warm blood flooded Wei Yuan¡¯s mouth. The power pulsing in this blood was all too familiar to him. This was his kin, his littermate, the only being currently alive who was like him. The recognition punched him, the impact swift and shocking. Unconsciously, Wei Yuan¡¯s jaws loosened slightly. His senses cleared a bit and the figure of his Father Xiang filled his vision.


    His father¡¯s expression was calm and kind, but the corners of his eyes were pinched in pain. A warm and broad palm brushed the side of Wei Yuan¡¯s head tenderly as his father said, ¡°It¡¯s fine, it will be fine. I and your Father Qinghe are here. We won¡¯t let anything bad happen to you. You did very well in protecting yourself till now. We are very proud of you. Xiao Yuan, why don¡¯t you let go of me now and we can all go back home together? Your grandmother is there too. Your grandfather will take care of all the bad people and make sure they can never hurt you or take you away again. Now that we¡¯re here, you¡¯re not alone. You don¡¯t have to be afraid anymore.¡±


    Hearing exactly the reassurances he needed and becoming aware that the danger had finally passed, Wei Yuan¡¯s chest trembled with sobs while big drops of tears welled in his eyes. His jaws opened to let go of Wei Xiang¡¯s hand. Wei Xiang ignored his injury and pulled his son close. He carefully hugged him, patting his back as Wei Yuan cried with the remembered fear and helplessness of before and the relief of now. Halfway through, Wei Yuan turned from a frightened young wyvern to a young boy even as he continued to tightly hold onto Wei Xiang.


    Once his sobs had quietened, Wei Xiang held him firmly and jumped down. Qinghe immediately came over to lavish his share of care, comfort, and affection on his little son. Wei Yuan burst into tears again, causing Qinghe¡¯s own eyes to start watering. Wei Xiang could only smile wryly and hold them both close, patting their backs consolingly.


    Once the waterworks wound down, they returned home, leaving the to-be-kidnappers to the care of the newly-arrived officers of judgment. After another round of fussing from Feng Chunyi, Wei Yuan tearily asked for his parents to cuddle with him. To no one¡¯s surprise, Qinghe and Wei Xiang agreed. Feng Chunyi left the family of three to their bonding and declared that she¡¯d stay guard outside the bedroom to make her grandson feel safe and marched away while stroking her wooden sword.


    On the bed, the three people laid snuggled together with Wei Yuan at the center. Wrapped in his parents¡¯ comforting presence, Wei Yuan slowly calmed. After being scared in the beginning and then crying so much, he felt strangely clearheaded now.


    Qinghe wrapped an arm around his son¡¯s stomach and asked softly, ¡°Yuan-er, are you alright? Do you feel weird? Did those people do anything¡­bad to you?¡±


    Wei Yuan blinked at him trustingly and recalled his ordeal, ¡°After they caught me, they scared me and said mean things about how they¡¯d hit me until I was throwing up blood and remove my legs and make me crawl if I kept struggling. One of the evil men said he¡¯d take off my eyes and tongue and only give me worms to eat if I didn¡¯t do everything he told me. Then another mean man told the others that I¡¯d be much easier to handle if they broke my legs, so th-they held me d-down and¡­tried t-to¡­¡±


    Qinghe hugged his son tightly. ¡°It¡¯s alright now. You didn¡¯t let them hurt you.¡±


    Wei Yuan nodded. The threat of so much violence being done to him had been frightening. The worst pain he¡¯d ever faced before was when he broke his arm after falling down from a tree. At that time, he had been coddled and pampered by his family so much until the injury healed. But he knew that those men would have done much, much worse to him than breaking a bone without even caring, and he would¡¯ve been utterly powerless to do anything! It was infuriating and frustrating beyond measure!


    Sensing his son¡¯s increasing agitation, Wei Xiang asked, ¡°Xiao Yuan, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Wei Yuan blinked and his eyes turned slitted, his irises a reflective silver. With an intent, almost vicious expression, the little boy expressed, ¡°I never want to be prey again!¡±


    Wei Xiang raised an eyebrow in surprise while Qinghe nodded in understanding. Patting his son¡¯s head, he said, ¡°That¡¯s logical. If Yuan-er wants to be able to protect yourself, then you should learn to fight and deal with people meaning you harm. If you want, your grandmother and I can teach and train you in those aspects. Would you like that?¡±


    Wei Yuan nodded determinedly. As long as it would make him even a little less helpless, he would do it.


    Qinghe smiled and pecked his son on the nose. ¡°Good. Now you should try to relax and get some rest. The training you¡¯ll have to go through is not going to be easy.¡±


    Wei Yuan nodded again and closed his eyes. Knowing that he wouldn¡¯t have to feel that fear of being hunted again, and knowing that nothing and no one would be able to hurt him now with his family by his side, he finally felt peace filling him.


    Tranquil silence suffused the room, warm and comfortable. Qinghe and Wei Xiang looked at each other over Wei Yuan¡¯s resting figure, the same complex thoughts swirling in their gazes. The way Wei Yuan was dealing with this incident was startling, showing just how unpredictably mature a child could be sometimes. It also seemed that no matter how much they tried, they couldn¡¯t completely shield their son from the cruelties of the world.


    They hadn¡¯t expected traffickers to lay their sights on Wei Yuan, but they felt that they should¡¯ve expected and prepared for it. Now that the traffickers have been captured, the others working with them could be routed out as well. But the couple also knew that there might always be other dangers lurking, out to get their son. As much as they tried to be vigilant, they couldn¡¯t completely protect Wei Yuan without smothering him. They would have to figure out a way to balance his safety with his freedom and make sure not to fail their son again.


    As Qinghe and Wei Xiang shared these thoughts with each other through their gazes alone, Wei Yuan¡¯s childish voice suddenly interrupted them, ¡°What will happen to Xiao Qiu now?¡± His eyes, having returned to being a bright, clear blue, blinked up at the couple. ¡°Xiao Qiu only has his father as family, so what will he do now after his father became a bad person and got taken away to jail?¡±


    Qinghe bent to kiss his son¡¯s cheek and praised, ¡°My Yuan-er is such a good and compassionate child.¡±


    Wei Yuan looked at him puzzled. ¡°Eh? Why?¡±


    Chuckling, Qinghe said, ¡°Because you don¡¯t even consider what you said as something kind.¡±


    Wei Yuan frowned. Wasn¡¯t it normal to be worried for his friend?


    Qinghe only smiled. After his ordeal and how it had come about only because of his friend¡¯s invitation to stay with him, it wouldn¡¯t have been odd if Wei Yuan came to resent or avoid his friend. But instead of unfairly blaming his unknowing friend or running away, he instead showed care and sympathy towards him. Though Qinghe didn¡¯t know if this response was normal for kids in general, he still felt immensely proud of his own son for thinking this way.


    Meanwhile, Wei Xiang answered Wei Yuan¡¯s question, ¡°If he doesn¡¯t have any objections, Qian Qiu will find a home with one of the deities who want to adopt a child and have been vetted by the Offices of Judgment, your grandfather¡¯s people. Once Qian Qiu is settled in his new home, he can choose to come back to school like always. Of course, if you want, we will take you to visit him in his new house so that you can check up on him.¡±


    Wei Yuan brightened. ¡°That¡¯s good then! Xiao Qiu always wanted a bigger house, so maybe now he can get one.¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled and rubbed Wei Yuan¡¯s head. ¡°Yes, I hope he does too.¡±


    On the child¡¯s other side, Qinghe¡¯s expression was warm and happy. He extended an arm and hugged both his son and husband. ¡°Alright, now we should all sleep. It¡¯s been an exhausting day. Everything else can come later.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Wei Yuan agreed easily and wriggled between his parents with a cheerful smile.


    And so, with their hearts at ease and their expressions content, the family of three slept.


    ¡­¡­


    From then on, Wei Yuan¡¯s schedule changed. While he did spend a few days a week in the school as usual, he also began to train in martial arts with Feng Chunyi and Qinghe. Rather than just showing him the moves and getting him to mimic it, Qinghe also took his son with him when completing relatively low-risk tasks both in the heavenly realm and the mortal realm. This way, Wei Yuan would also be able to see the practical aspect of battles rather than only the technical one. At the side, he received tutelage from Wei Xiang as well on how to use his beast attributes like claws, tails, horns, and even his instincts to his advantage when in his wyvern form, along with using the metal and fire elements. All in all, the little one¡¯s schedule was not as open as before, but his parents still made sure that he¡¯d have plenty of time to play freely, explore the world, and grow up on his own.


    This afternoon was one of those free times that Wei Yuan could spend as he liked. Since Qinghe had just finished a certain large task given to him by the heavenly court and was relaxing at home, he and Wei Yuan spent time together playing for hours. Qinghe was expecting Wei Xiang to finish his work and return soon as well, but for now, he was content to accompany his son.


    After a morning full of playing, Qinghe and Wei Yuan settled down to relax on a tree. Qinghe laid stretched out on the branch, his back against the trunk. His arms were curled around the child on his lap. Wei Yuan sat sideways on his father¡¯s thighs while his head rested on Qinghe¡¯s chest.


    After exhausting himself by playing to his heart¡¯s content, the little boy was tired. Held in his beloved father¡¯s embrace, with the wind brushing over his face, along with the sunlight filtering through the thick canopy of leaves and turning the air pleasantly warm, the kid grew drowsy. His eyelids drooped, feeling languid and heavy. Rubbing his eyes with a fist, Wei Yuan sleepily asked, ¡°Father, will you sing me a lullaby?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°A¡­lullaby?¡±


    Wei Yuan nodded and shifted to settle himself more comfortably. ¡°Yes. Ah-Wen and Xiao Tai and Lingling from school told me that their parents sing them lullabies to get them to sleep. Can you sing me one too?¡±


    As the child blinked up at him with his big blue eyes looking dazed with sleep, Qinghe felt his heart squeeze. He pondered for a bit, then nodded. ¡°I¡­I¡¯ll try.¡±


    Wei Yuan smiled happily and snuggled his face into his chest, preparing to be lulled into sleep by his father¡¯s voice. Qinghe smiled wryly and patted his son¡¯s head. When was the last time he¡¯d sung? He couldn¡¯t remember. But he supposed he could give this a shot for his precious little darling¡¯s sake.


    And so, Qinghe hummed aimlessly, his voice clear and pleasant to the ear. The tune was gentle and peaceful, floating lightly with the breeze. It elicited the feeling of being petted by cool fingers on a hot day, being enfolded by a warm blanket in a blizzard, being hugged by one¡¯s most beloved, or watching the rain fall while sitting snug and dry inside one¡¯s home. It evoked the sensation of floating on water, feeling the cool wetness supporting one¡¯s back while the mild rocking and swaying suffused one with tranquility. It was like the free and weightless feeling of flying, drifting through white and fluffy clouds and letting the wind guide you to your destination without a care in the world. The tender melody wound around Wei Yuan lazily, making him feel comfortable and even more drowsy. His eyes closed, his body relaxed, and his breathing grew deeper as he slowly eased into slumber.


    As soon as Qinghe determined that his son was fully asleep, his voice trailed away. He lifted his head up and smiled at the Wei Xiang who had arrived when he had been in the midst of humming the lullaby. In a quiet voice, Qinghe spoke, ¡°Xiang, you¡¯re back.¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded with a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s put Xiao Yuan to bed and spend some time together¡­in a different bed.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes gleamed at the implication. The couple carefully put the sleeping Wei Yuan in his room and retired to their own bedroom. With a child now in the family, they hadn¡¯t been able to carelessly do it wherever and whenever they wanted like before. So when they got some private time alone to enjoy like right now, Qinghe and Wei Xiang learned to cherish it very much.


    Without wasting a moment, Qinghe and Wei Xiang began kissing while their fingers eased off each other¡¯s clothes. They fell into bed and tangled together. After some foreplay and preparation, Wei Xiang quickly entered Qinghe and buried his face into the crook of his husband¡¯s neck, luxuriating in his beloved¡¯s scent saturated with arousal.


    Qinghe slowly stretched and shifted on the bed restlessly, one arm wound around Wei Xing¡¯s shoulder while the other hand cupped his husband¡¯s nape. ¡°X-Xiang¡­¡± he exhaled, his voice low and breathy.


    Something lit up in Wei Xiang¡¯s gaze, his eyes glinting. Moving his head, he traced the long column of his beloved¡¯s throat with his mouth before biting his Adam¡¯s apple, then licking it. Qinghe cried out. As he swallowed thickly, he could feel his bobbing Adam¡¯s apple brush against a warm pair of lips still hovering over his throat. The light sensation made Qinghe shudder.


    In a deep and smooth voice, Wei Xiang said, ¡°Love, your voice is so beautiful. Why don¡¯t you hum me a tune right now?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s face flushed at this unexpected request. After a moment of hesitation, he shyly nodded and tried to hum. His voice quivered at first before slowly steadying. The tune this time was filled with bashfulness and unhidden lust. Given form by Qinghe¡¯s voice that had turned husky with desire, the song seemed even more sultry and provocative.


    As the melody flowed over him, Wei Xiang felt as if it was sensually caressing his body, sliding over his skin, suffusing his blood, and increasing his need. He could feel the vibration of Qinghe¡¯s voice under his lips as he brushed them over his husband¡¯s slender throat. He could feel Qinghe¡¯s fingers drifting up from his nape and absentmindedly combing through his hair with languid movements. He could feel Qinghe¡¯s warm and soft passage tightening and loosening around his member along with the rise and fall of the slow and heated tune. Wei Xiang grew drunk on the intense desire evoked by the wordless song.


    Unable to bear any more of this temptation, Wei Xiang abruptly growled, ¡°Enough.¡± His hips withdrew and thrust in a quick and powerful motion.


    Qinghe gasped. His voice ceased singing and turned into a symphony of cries at the sudden bursts of pleasure. Moving with fervent passion, Wei Xiang didn¡¯t let Qinghe stop using his voice even as it turned hoarser and hoarser with his gasps, moans, sobs, and pleas for more, all the way until they both went over the edge of orgasm one after another.


    For the next few months, Wei Xiang grew obsessed with hearing Qinghe sing for him while the pair of husbands was engaged in intimacy. It both puzzled and gladdened Qinghe, and he was all too willing to perform privately for his Xiang like this, reaping the rewards through increased passion.


    After that, Qinghe became used to singing happy little tunes to himself, especially when he was drunk and all his usual restraints loosened. Qinghe would let Wei Yuan ride on his shoulders and cheerfully march through the Feng residence¡¯s corridors, clutching a jar of wine to his chest while singing with merry childishness, ¡°I love Xiang~ Xiang loves me~ With little Yuan-er, we¡¯re a family of three~¡±


    ¡°Three!¡± the child would echo happily while tilting his head side-to-side and waving his little arms in the air. He really liked it when his father became like this. It was always so much fun!


    Other times when he was drunk, Qinghe would stride through the residence while happily singsonging, ¡°Xiiiang~¡±


    And Wei Yuan would try to mirror his father enthusiastically in his childish voice, ¡°Xiang!¡±


    As a result, the house would ring with the sound of one adult and one child alternatively singing: ¡°Xiiiang~¡±, ¡°Xiang!¡±


    One time, as they were calling out like this, Wei Xiang appeared in their path, an amused smile on his face. He didn¡¯t even need to scent the alcohol on his husband to know that he was drunk. His childish behavior itself gave it away.


    Encountering his beloved suddenly, Qinghe let out a happy shout, ¡°Xiang! You¡¯re here!¡±


    Wei Xiang patted Qinghe¡¯s head and said with mirth dancing in his eyes. ¡°Yes, love, I¡¯m here. How could I not be when I keep hearing you and our son going around calling me by name.¡±


    Qinghe didn¡¯t even try to understand and just leaned forward to hug and nuzzle his husband with a silly grin. On his shoulders, Wei Yuan raised up his hands towards Wei Xiang in a silent demand. Wei Xiang lifted Wei Yuan up from Qinghe¡¯s shoulders and decided to carry him on his hip, since his front was still being clung to by a certain enthusiastic octopus called Qinghe.


    Sensing the shift, Qinghe¡¯s head popped up as he looked at Wei Yuan settled happily on Wei Xiang¡¯s left hip. Lifting his own arms, Qinghe merrily climbed onto Wei Xiang¡¯s other side and hung off his right hip, his limbs winding around his husband¡¯s torso.


    Wei Xiang showed a helpless smile and adjusted his balance while using his palms to support them both by their butt. Liking the sensation of his Xiang¡¯s hand on him there, Qinghe happily wriggled his bottom.


    Wei Xiang squeezed it in warning, ¡°Qinghe, behave.¡±


    Qinghe pouted but stopped moving.


    Sighing wryly, Wei Xiang began walking with two people hanging off him on either side.


    ¡°Father Xiang,¡± Wei Yuan suddenly called out. ¡°I¡¯ve been very good today!¡±


    Looking at his son¡¯s blue eyes blinking at him with the expectation of praise shining in them, Wei Xiang smiled warmly. ¡°I expected nothing less from my Xiao Yuan. You¡¯re such a good boy.¡±


    Wei Yuan smiled, pleased.


    Wriggling restlessly, Qinghe suddenly declared, ¡°Xiang, I¡¯ve also been good today!¡±


    Wei Xiang turned to look at his husband, and reading the ¡®Praise me too!¡¯ written on his face, he struggled to suppress his laughter. In a solemn tone, he nodded and said, ¡°Yes, I knew you¡¯d be good, love. As expected of my wonderful husband.¡±


    Qinghe preened happily at the praise.


    Wei Yuan piped up again. ¡°Father Xiang, since I was good, I want a kissy as a reward!¡±


    Wei Xiang smiled and dutifully bent to peck his son on his round cheek. ¡°Here you go.¡±


    Qinghe began wriggling again. ¡°Xiang, Xiang! Me too! I want a kissy too!¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled and turned to give him a peck on the cheek as well, but Qinghe moved faster and landed a solid smooch on his lips. Wei Xiang unresistingly accepted it and even opened his mouth in invitation. Qinghe gleeful thrust his tongue in and earnestly began kissing his husband. Wei Xiang¡¯s steps slowly stopped as his attention was consumed by the slick little tongue wreaking mischief in his mouth, slipping and sliding every which way like a naughty toddler exploring a new playroom full of toys.


    With interest, Wei Yuan looked at his parents exchanging a different type of kissy than he was used to. Tugging on Wei Xiang¡¯s sleeve, he interrupted him to ask, ¡°Father Xiang, is that a special type of kissy? Will I get one too?¡±


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang parted with flushed faces. Qinghe buried his face into the side of Wei Xiang¡¯s neck while Wei Xiang endeavored to compose himself again and answered his son¡¯s question, ¡°Yes, this is a special kiss, but no, I will not be sharing one with you. This special kiss is only reserved for someone who¡¯s your mate or a lover who consents to be kissed like this.¡±


    Wei Yuan tilted his head, only half-understanding. ¡°What¡¯s a consence?¡±


    Wei Xiang gently corrected him, ¡°It¡¯s ¡®consent¡¯. It means agreement or permission. For example, if someone wants to play with your toys, they need your consent to do it. They need to ask you and get your permission first to use them. Similarly, if you want to do something intimate with someone¨Dlike kissing them with romantic intentions like me and your Father Qinghe just did, for example¨Dthen you must obtain their consent. They have to tell you that it¡¯s okay for you to do that and that they want it, and they should be aware and completely conscious while agreeing or it won¡¯t count. It¡¯s very, very important. Do you understand?¡±


    Wei Yuan frowned and nodded thoughtfully, seeming to slowly digest it.


    Wei Xiang smiled and resumed walking down the corridor. It was alright if their son didn¡¯t get it completely on the first try. There would be plenty more opportunities to teach him the important things slowly over the years. He and his Qinghe would do their best to educate their child on everything they could and do their utmost to make him an upright and self-sufficient individual. Since they¡¯d chosen to be his parents, that was the least they could do.


    ¡­¡­


    A scream rent the air, shrill and saturated with pain.


    Qinghe flinched, his hands curling tighter inside his sleeves while his feet paced faster. Seated on a stone bench nearby, Chen Xiande had on a tense expression as well.


    They were currently on the grounds of the Silver Moon Sect, waiting beside a small, single-room building made of light gray stone. A wide paved path led to the tightly shut door of the building while green plains and well-kept flower gardens sprawled all around the house. In the distance, Wei Xiang and Hei NingYu played with Wei Yuan, keeping the child occupied so that Qinghe and Chen Xiande would have some space while they waited for Jing Shui to finish giving birth.


    As another scream filled with agony ripped out of the small building, Qinghe clenched his jaws and tried to convince himself that Jing Shui was fine. There should be no issues with this delivery. After all, it was being overseen by the Deity of Health himself. And after Qinghe¡¯s repeated bugging, even Xiao Tian had assured him that there would be no complications. But each time a scream issued out of the building, Qinghe couldn¡¯t help but worry, his heart in his throat.


    Currently, the Deity of Health and his young apprentice, along with Wu Xiao, Grandma Jiao from the Baolin Tribe, and Liu Xue¡ªJing Shui¡¯s master¡ªwere all inside attending to Jing Shui. Since Qinghe, Chen Xiande, and the others had arrived much later, there had been no space inside the room for them, so they could only wait outside.


    A year ago, Jing Shui and Wu Xiao had finally conceived a child together with the help of the Deity of Health that Qinghe had introduced to them. Now that the child had grown enough to be taken out of Jing Shui¡¯s dantian, it was time for him to give birth. The procedure consisted of the Deity of Health slicing open Jing Shui¡¯s belly while keeping Jing Shui conscious so that he could halt his regeneration until the baby was out of his body and continue supplying the child with spiritual power to keep it alive until it was able to take its first breath. But doing that while being cut open, then bearing the pain of the child growing in his dantian being ripped out of him, would be beyond excruciating. However, even knowing all this, Jing Shui had wanted to have a child.


    Though Qinghe realized that this was his friend¡¯s choice, and that the long-awaited birth of this child could even be considered a joyous occasion, he couldn¡¯t help but feel dread and distress chew at him. He didn¡¯t like thinking of how much his friend must be suffering. He didn¡¯t want his friend to have to go through all this. He didn¡¯t like not being able to help and take away all of his friend¡¯s troubles. He didn¡¯t like it one bit!


    ¡°Junior Brother, come here and sit down,¡± Chen Xiande¡¯s voice suddenly sounded.


    Qinghe halted and turned to look at his senior brother with confusion.


    Chen Xiande sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking, but it¡¯s plain to see that you¡¯re tormenting yourself over it. Come, sit down and tell me what¡¯s bothering you.¡±


    Qinghe bit his lower lip and nodded. He quietly went to sit beside Chen Xiande, his body remaining stiff and tense. Chen Xiande showed a small smile and began stroking his back gently, waiting silently for him to start speaking.


    After a few moments of hesitation, Qinghe finally burst out, ¡°Senior Brother, I-I don¡¯t like Brother Jing¡¯s child! I don¡¯t like how much it¡¯s causing Brother Jing to be hurt while being born!¡±


    Chen Xiande raised an eyebrow in surprise. His junior brother sounded uncharacteristically childish. Chen Xiande hugged Qinghe with an arm and patiently said, ¡°Junior Brother, you can¡¯t blame the unborn child for that. The child isn¡¯t purposefully choosing to be born painfully. Brother Jing and Sect Master Wu were the ones who chose to have this child while fully knowing how agonizing it could be.¡±


    Qinghe buried his head into Chen Xiande¡¯s shoulder and nodded. Yes, logically, he knew that. And yet¡­


    Jing Shui screamed again, the sound long and gut-wrenching, before his voice ended in a helpless sob.


    Qinghe¡¯s shoulders hunched as he chewed on his lower lip. The worry and pain in his expression were palpable.


    Chen Xiande sighed and turned towards where Wei Xiang and Hei NingYu were looking after Wei Yuan in the distance. The little boy was happily chasing a butterfly while holding out a flower as if in bait. The two adults watching this seemed to be suppressing smiles. Suddenly seeming to sense something, Wei Xiang looked over with a frown, his gaze accurately landing on a distraught-looking Qinghe. Wei Xiang turned to glance at Chen Xiande with a concerned question in his gaze. Chen Xiande wordlessly shook his head and instead mouthed to his lover to send Wei Yuan over.


    Hei NingYu arched his brows but nodded. He said something to the Wei Yuan who had been happily following the butterfly through fields of flowers. Wei Yuan stopped and listened intently to what Hei NingYu had to say before nodding and turning to dash towards the house. The more he neared his Father Qinghe and Uncle Chen, the more of his father¡¯s distress Wei Yuan could scent. Directly heading to his father, Wei Yuan tugged on his sleeve apprehensively. ¡°Father? Did something bad happen?¡±


    Qinghe straightened from where he had been leaning into his senior brother, his eyes suspiciously red-rimmed. Before he could answer, Chen Xiande spoke, ¡°Yuan-er, your father is needlessly worrying about your Uncle Jing. Why don¡¯t you comfort him?¡±


    Qinghe shot a baleful glance at his senior brother. Using his little son was unfair! How would he be able to resist his adorable Yuan-er¡¯s charms? Trying to put on his usual pleasant expression, Qinghe smiled at his son and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright, Yuan-er. I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Wei Yuan tsked. ¡°Father, lying is bad. I can smell that you¡¯re not okay.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyebrow twitched. Of all the people he could choose as his family, he just had to go and get two spiritual beasts who wouldn¡¯t be swayed by his acting skills. Sighing, Qinghe rubbed his forehead.


    Seeing this, Wei Yuan frowned concernedly and climbed up into Qinghe¡¯s lap. Qinghe automatically steadied him and held him close. Wei Yuan hesitated uncertainly before carefully closing his little arms around his father in a hug. Trying to reciprocate the way his parents comforted him, Wei Yuan sloppily patted Qinghe¡¯s back and pressed wet kisses to his father¡¯s face. ¡°It¡¯ll be okay, Father.¡±


    Qinghe felt his heart melt into a soft puddle of warm feelings. He smiled more genuinely this time. In a quiet voice, he expressed, ¡°Thank you, Yuan-er. I¡¯m already feeling much better.¡±


    Seeing that his attempt at comforting had been a success, Wei Yuan beamed happily.


    From beside them, Chen Xiande suddenly said, ¡°Junior Brother, see? Isn¡¯t it wonderful to have a child like this? But even such an adorable and lovable child like Yuan-er must have been extremely painful to give birth to. And yet, doesn¡¯t it seem worth it now? If you had to bear a lot of pain to bring such a child into this world, then wouldn¡¯t all that have been worth it?¡±


    Qinghe froze and opened his mouth, then closed it. In the end, he could only nod and admit, ¡°Senior Brother is right.¡±


    Chen Xiande¡¯s expression softened as he patted Qinghe¡¯s head and continued, ¡°It¡¯s like that for Brother Jing and Sect Master Wu as well. All this pain is worth it for them to make a new life that they can love and cherish with all their hearts. No matter how much agony Brother Jing has to go through now, I don¡¯t think he will ever regret it as long as he gets to have a child of his own at the end.¡±


    Jing Shui¡¯s voice sounded again, his scream sounding guttural and faintly exhausted. But this time, Qinghe didn¡¯t feel as pained or desperate. This¡­was something his friend had chosen. This was something Jing Shui wanted. To get a child, this was a payment he was willing to make, and Qinghe didn¡¯t want to diminish that choice by worrying like a mother hen unable to trust her chicks.


    Letting out a breath, Qinghe smiled at Chen Xiande and repeated, ¡°Senior Brother is right. I shouldn¡¯t have gotten so worked up.¡± His voice turning wry, Qinghe went on, ¡°But I have to say that Senior Brother seems to have gotten more formidable in your persuasive ability. It¡¯s a necessary quality for a sect master to be sure, but I¡¯m starting to miss the times when I could easily get away with things in front of you.¡± Qinghe pouted exaggeratedly and puffed up his cheeks in mock-dissatisfaction.


    Chen Xiande laughed and poked his junior brother¡¯s cheek. ¡°So you say, but weren¡¯t you the one who started me on this path of becoming a worthy sect master? Junior Brother, you only have yourself to blame.¡±


    Qinghe stuck out his tongue while Chen Xiande chuckled cheerfully.


    Jing Shui¡¯s scream rang out again, sounding tired and worn out. Some of the lighthearted humor left Qinghe¡¯s face, but he still didn¡¯t grow as anxious as before. Seeing this, Chen Xiande nodded to himself in satisfaction. It could be said that after two hundred years, Chen Xiande had firmly settled into his role as Qinghe¡¯s senior brother, caring for him whenever he could and correcting him whenever he beat himself up unnecessarily.


    Wei Yuan interrupted this moment of brotherly harmony to suddenly ask, ¡°Father, why is Uncle Jing shouting like that? What¡¯s wrong with him?¡±


    Qinghe smiled at his son and answered, ¡°Didn¡¯t we say before that your Uncle Jing is giving birth? It seems to be a very painful process, hence him screaming.¡±


    Tilting his head, Wei Yuan commented casually, ¡°Ah, I see. Is Uncle Jing going to poop out an egg then?¡±


    Qinghe and Chen Xiande almost choked on air.


    Struggling to compose himself, Qinghe finally got out, ¡°Yuan-er¡­we talked about this before, didn¡¯t we? Humans don¡¯t lay eggs, they directly give birth to live babies. And¡­the way childbirth works for males is different from females.¡±


    Thinking back to a certain memory, Wei Yuan showed an expression as if just remembering it.


    A few months ago, when Qinghe and Wei Xiang had felt their unquenchable passion for each other abruptly rising despite their son being awake and prowling the house, they¡¯d firmly locked the door to their room and began rolling on the bed. However, when Wei Yuan suddenly decided that he wanted to show his parents an interesting worm and found their door locked while strange sounds issued from within, he merrily climbed up the side of the house and entered the room through the window. Needless to say, the child was both shocked and curious about just what his parents were doing, wrestling naked like this. This had ended up with the couple having to give the child a detailed explanation of how people had sex and all that it entailed, including the subject of conception, pregnancy, and birth. Wei Yuan had listened intently the whole while, both fascination and disgust displayed in his face.


    Though Qinghe had been utterly calm and composed on the outside while imparting that knowledge, just thinking back to it made him want to cough with remembered embarrassment. Thankfully, his Xiang had been right there with him helping explain the concepts to their child, lessening his burden.


    Before Qinghe could dwell too long on that memory, his attention was redirected by the door to the small building opening. Qinghe¡¯s back snapped upright. He only just realized that he didn¡¯t seem to have heard Jing Shui¡¯s screams for a while. Was it¡­finally over?


    Without a word, Qinghe and Chen Xiande began striding towards the door, an inquisitive Wei Yuan still in Qinghe¡¯s arms. In the distance, Wei Xiang and Hei NingYu looked at each other and also decided to head in with their respective beloveds.


    The inside of the room was stuffy and smelled of sweat and pungent herbs. In the middle of the room, on the bed, laid Jing Shui, his body without strength and his eyes glazed while he weakly let out quick and short breaths in an attempt to manage his pain. The sheets under him were soaked with sweat, only the area under his abdomen painted a garish red with a pool of blood. His upper half was completely bare, and his lower belly was still open, with the edges of the cut glowing a strange white and trickles of blood continuing to ooze out. Ribbons of translucent spiritual power extended out from his open stomach, their ends ragged and waving in the air as if searching for something. The Deity of Health was bent over Jing Shui¡¯s stomach, the usual bandages around his throat undone. The deity seemed to be singing something inaudible, and hearing his soundless song, the ribbons coming out of Jing Shui¡¯s stomach slowly curled in on themselves and folded back into Jing Shui.


    Standing beside the bed was a pale-faced Wu Xiao, his arm being gripped by Jing Shui to use as an anchor while he was adrift in an ocean of agony. His slender fingertips dug deep into Wu Xiao¡¯s skin, embedded into his flesh to the point of even pressing into his bone, blood flowing down in unending streams. But Wu Xiao bore it silently, his free hand gently wiping away the sweat on his beloved¡¯s brows as he murmured soothing words of comfort and encouragement. Now and then, his gaze would drift over to the side to ascertain that his newborn child was alright. An old woman with a dark blue cloth covering her head whom Qinghe recognized as Grandma Jiao was bent over the bed, industriously wiping down the rest of Jing Shui''s body without saying a word. The thick steel bangles on her weathered arms clinked and clanked in a subdued manner.


    At the side, the assistant of the Deity of Health, a young girl in a blue robe, held a swaddled bundle with something reddish and squirming inside that emitted soft yet insistent cries. A basin of bloodied water stood at the side, seemingly used just now to wash the baby. Liu Xue stood smiling and cooing over the newborn, her fingers oh-so-gentle as she played with the baby¡¯s tiny fists.


    As soon as they entered the room, Chen Xiande, Hei NingYu, and Wei Xiang, along with a Wei Yuan who was just lowered onto the ground, headed straight for the baby, wanting to either look at it or help with caring for it. Qinghe, on the other hand, marched towards Jing Shui with a worried frown. His voice was full of worry and a hint of panic as he called, ¡°Brother Jing, are you alright?¡±


    As Qinghe strode towards Jing Shui, he was suddenly stopped by a nut-brown arm blocking his path. In a raspy voice, Grandma Jiao said, ¡°Calm yourself before you go to him. He¡¯s agitated enough as it is. You going there in this state won¡¯t help him any.¡±


    Qinghe blinked at her and woodenly nodded. She was right. He was wound too tight. Seeming to sense his mood, Wei Xiang silently appeared, wrapping an arm around his waist and saying, ¡°Love, don¡¯t worry. Your friend is in the Deity of Health¡¯s care. By the look of it, he¡¯s just about done wrapping up. Your Brother Jing will be fine.¡±


    Qinghe blinked and nodded again. With the help of Wei Xiang¡¯s familiar and calming presence, Qinghe soon managed to get himself under control and slowly stepped forward to help care for Jing Shui while Grandma Jiao went to hold the baby. Her arms now freed, the Deity of Health¡¯s apprentice went over to help her master.


    Meanwhile, the Wei Yuan who was lifted up by Hei NingYu finally got a look at the newly born baby while it rested in Grandma Jiao¡¯s arms. Seeing the small, wrinkly baby with blotchy, pinkish skin, Wei Yuan wrinkled his nose. He wanted to say that the baby looked like a hairless monkey, but he managed to control himself. What if the baby heard him and remembered his words? How would he be able to play with it when it grew up if the baby decided it didn¡¯t like him for being rude this once?


    Suddenly realizing something, Wei Yuan turned to Hei NingYu and whispered worriedly, ¡°Uncle Hei, I wasn¡¯t this ugly when I was born, was I?¡±


    The lips of everyone in the room twitched.


    Wu Xiao turned towards Wei Yuan with a glare. ¡°What did you just say, brat?¡±


    Realizing that he¡¯s been able to hear what he just said, Wei Yuan blinked his eyes innocently. ¡°Your baby is very pretty, Uncle Wu. Like a¡­like a¡­¡± Wei Yuan struggled to come up with a flattering comparison. His face suddenly brightening, he said, ¡°Yes, like a strawberry!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Wu Xiao looked at him blankly, then shouted, ¡°Do you think I¡¯d be appeased with that!¡±


    Wei Yuan showed a guilty expression while Qinghe and Wei Xiang were torn between laughter and tears.


    Unexpectedly, Jing Shui¡¯s voice interjected weakly, ¡°Why? What¡¯s wrong with strawberries? They¡¯re cute.¡±


    Wu Xiao¡¯s attention was immediately redirected towards his husband. ¡°Ah-Shui! Are you alright? Does it hurt anywhere?¡± Turning to the Deity of Health, Wu Xiao frantically continued, ¡°He¡¯s fine now, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    The Deity of Health had just finished healing the cut on Jing Shui¡¯s lower belly and was allowing his apprentice to wind the length of white bandages back onto his smooth neck. Turning towards Wu Xiao, he gave a simple, quiet nod. Without looking up, his apprentice acted as her master¡¯s mouthpiece and said, ¡°Yes, your husband should be fine now, Cultivator Wu. Just make sure that he rests well and replenishes his spiritual energy. That means not using it for anything other than circulating it through his body. It is recommended that you and he spend as much time with your son as possible and learn how to care for him together. That is a necessary bond that parents must form, both between themselves and their child. But other than that, there¡¯s nothing else to worry about.¡±


    Wu Xiao let out a breath in relief and hugged Jing Shui. Grandma Jiao brought their child to them and let Jing Shui and Wu Xiao admire the new life they created with wonder and awe on their faces.


    Grandma Jiao watched them with a small smile. Turning towards the others, she made a silent gesture, urging them out the door. Understanding that she was suggesting they give the family of three some space, the others all slowly exited the room, soft smiles and warm expressions on their faces.


    Outside, Wei Yuan turned to Qinghe with a frown and asked worriedly, ¡°Father Qinghe, do you think the baby heard me say it was ugly? Will it not play with me anymore after growing up?¡±


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang looked at him with surprise. Then Qinghe smiled and reassured, ¡°I¡¯m sure the baby didn¡¯t hear what you said. Just in case, why don¡¯t you apologize the next time you see the child?¡±


    Wei Yuan immediately regained his spirits and nodded. ¡°Yes!¡±


    And so, Wei Yuan became determined to say sorry and treat the baby well in the future to make up for being rude this time.


    For the first few weeks after their child¡¯s birth, Jing Shui and Wu Xiao extensively argued over which one of their surnames to give their baby. Wu Xiao wanted to name him as ¡®Jing¡¯ so that his beloved would know that he still had at least one blood-related family member left. But Jing Shui refused, saying that he didn¡¯t want their son to be named after his detestable family. In contrast, naming the child after Wu Xiao¡¯s family that had been so caring and warm to Wu Xiao when they were alive would be much more preferable. As a result, in the end, that¡¯s what the couple chose to go with. Their son was finally named Wu Jiyue.


    In the future, as Wei Yuan grew up, he indeed became good friends with both the younger boy Wu Jiyue and the already grown up Yan Minglan, Yan Lin¡¯s daughter. Though in Yan Minglan¡¯s case, it was mostly because she was often tasked with keeping the two younger boys in line and looking after them that she ended up caring for them. Having taken the elixir given to her family by Qinghe long ago that would grant her immortality just like it did to her parents, despite two hundred years having passed, Yan Minglan still looked to be a young girl. By the time the boys grew up and the visible difference in age between them and her vanished, the three would become a tight-knit group. But for now, they were still in the process of growing up and deepening their relationships.


    And all the while, Wei Yuan merrily went about meeting more people and winning more hearts.


    ¡­¡­


    On a certain bright evening, Qinghe took Wei Yuan to the Spirit Bewildering Forest to meet with Kong Min and the Master of Land, Ying Xulin.


    Though the reason Qinghe used outwardly was that he needed them to babysit his son, the true reason was to let Wei Yuan and Ying Xulin meet for the first time and bond. Wei Yuan had already had the chance to get close to Kong Min during his visits to the Sentinel headquarters, but he hadn¡¯t met the reclusive Ying Xulin yet. Qinghe had thus decided that it was about time his son got acquainted with yet another of his strange uncles.


    As Qinghe and Wei Yuan walked down the cleared path Ying Xulin had made especially to welcome them after knowing of their arrival, Wei Yuan looked around energetically with gleaming eyes. Running to the edge of the path, Wei Yuan pointed to the glowing blue-green mushrooms lining the sides and shouted, ¡°Father, look! Mushies!¡±


    Qinghe smiled. ¡°Yes, aren¡¯t the glowing mushrooms pretty?¡±


    Wei Yuan nodded, then immediately snapped his attention to something else and pointed up, declaring, ¡°Flying fishies!¡± Jumping in place with insuppressible excitement, Wei Yuan began calling, ¡°Father, look, there¡¯s flying fishies! There¡¯s small flying fishies here!¡±


    The creatures Wei Yuan was pointing to each had a circular black head that was indeed flat like a fish¡¯s, with big and round eyes protruding from either side. A thin black tail directly extended from the head and was enveloped in a purplish glow that seemed to take the shape of an elongated leaf. Wherever the creature swam in the air, it left behind a trail of faint purple light.


    His gaze flicking towards a swarm of these creatures floating along the path, Qinghe showed a helpless yet indulgent look. ¡°Yes, yes, I see them. But Yuan-er, they¡¯re not fishes but tadpoles. I suppose they belong to the violet crowned frog that¡¯s said to dwell only in the Abyssal Fog Swamps in the Spirit Bewildering Forest.¡±


    Wei Yuan tilted his head. ¡°Father, what are tappoles?¡±


    ¡°Tadpoles,¡± Qinghe enunciated, ¡°are baby frogs. In ordinary cases, after directly hatching from eggs, the tadpoles can only live in water. They eventually grow legs, became able to live on land as well, and turn into frogs. If you want, we can borrow some frog eggs and grow them back home so that you can see the process for yourself.¡±


    Wei Yuan grinned and bounced around with more vigor. ¡°Yay! We¡¯re getting baby frogs!¡±


    Qinghe chuckled. His little son was so excitable that even the simplest of things could send him into a jubilatory dance.


    Shadows suddenly slid over them as something blocked the sky above for a moment before moving on. Wei Yuan froze and looked up. The sight that greeted him made his mouth drop open.


    Scattering the sky above them were irregular spherical clumps of earth that were barely a meter in diameter. On top of each ball of earth grew a small sapling made of white wood, it¡¯s smooth branches adorned with icy blue leaves. The saplings¡¯ roots seemed to have spread throughout the clumps of earth, holding the dirt together tightly and hanging down after piercing through the earthen sphere. Small and round glowing bumps grew from the exposed, dangling roots in neat columns, giving off a faint silvery radiance. The spheres of earth were connected together with a spider web of silvery threads, causing the entire group of floating saplings to drift together in the sky.


    Only after the group of saplings slowly glided away out of sight did Wei Yuan regain his wits. ¡°F-Father! There¡¯s flying trees!¡± he exclaimed with a disbelieving expression.


    Qinghe chuckled. ¡°Yes. I suppose it¡¯s the migration season for the jade-wood saplings. They¡¯ll go to the western section of the Spirit Bewildering Forest and set down roots in the Phantom Fire Hills to absorb its unique flavor of energy for the next couple of seasons, then head back to the Frozen Cliffs.¡±


    Hearing this, Wei Yuan¡¯s stupefied expression turned to one of deep contemplation. The pair started walking again, and it was only a few minutes before the child once more began energetically pointing out every new wonder they came across, be it the fluffy and white cloud-like creatures sliding softly over the ground, transparent and hollow glowing rocks housing creatures resembling snails inside it, or spiny, ghost-like worms diving in and out of tree trunks as dolphins usually did in water. Every interesting sight, smell, or sound made Wei Yuan¡¯s eyes gleam, his wide smile of awe staying undimmed.


    In this way, they finally made their way to the edge of the Forest¡¯s Cradle.


    Seeing the large, straight, and tall trees on the border of the clearing, Wei Yuan happily skipped up to them and hugged one of the trunks. ¡°Father, look! This tree is so big!¡±


    Qinghe smiled helplessly. ¡°Yes, it is. But so are the other trees here.¡±


    Wei Yuan nodded, then frowned. ¡°Father, can this tree also fly like the ones we saw before?¡±


    Qinghe grinned. ¡°Maybe it will if you ask your Uncle Ying.¡±


    Wei Yuan perked up. So the Uncle Ying he was going to meet could make trees fly? How fun! Then he should definitely be on his best behavior so that his uncle will like him and make trees fly when he asked!


    Seeing his little son¡¯s expression that appeared as if he was plotting on how to charm Yin Xulin, Qinghe¡¯s eyes shone with amusement. He made a beckoning motion and held out his hand. ¡°Come here, Yuan-er. Let¡¯s go and meet your Uncle Kong and Uncle Ying.¡±


    Wei Yuan walked over and obediently held his father¡¯s hand, happily following him into the Forest¡¯s Cradle.


    Encircled by the tall trees, the clearing was filled with diluted rays of amber light dripping down through the canopy of tightly woven branches above. The floor was a dense mass of knotted roots, not a hint of flat land to be revealed in between. Flowers with translucent petals and luminous pollen swayed at the clearing¡¯s edges, occasionally sending out specks of dust flowing with the wind. Random pieces of furniture¨Dlike a large table with plush chairs, a few chests of drawers held in place by wooden vines, and a bed piled high with quilts and pillows¨Dlittered the clearing, seeming to blend in and turn the ancient place more comfortable and homey.


    On the side opposite to where Qinghe and Wei Yuan entered the clearing from, a hammock stretched between two of the trees. Kong Min laid in the hammock, one foot dangling out and swaying to and fro merrily. Dappled with sunlight, his copper-hued skin looked especially warm. His light brown eyes were focused intently on the thick tome he was reading from. Held up in a bun as usual, his black hair looked ruffled and windswept, a few tendrils shifting lightly in the breeze.


    Leaning against the tree by Kong Min¡¯s head was Ying Xulin. His dark brown hair fell down to his knees, several locks having turned into green vines halfway and littered with small leaves and white flowers. The transparent golden stag horns he usually sprouted seemed to have been put away this time. Contrasting with his usual dark attire of a full-sleeved black inner robe under a purple sleeveless outer robe, Ying Xulin¡¯s fair skin seemed to glow with gentle luster. His dark green eyes swirling with potent magic stayed fixed on his lover. His fingers, tipped with long claws, gently swept away the locks of Kong Min¡¯s hair that seemed to be getting into his eyes. Kong Min murmured a thanks and continued reading. Ying Xulin smiled, his countenance full of contentment and deep peace.


    Wei Yuan stared at Ying Xulin with an intent gaze. His instincts prickled with warning. But before he could act cautious, Wei Yuan heard his father say, ¡°That¡¯s your Uncle Ying, Yuan-er. He and your Uncle Kong will take care of you until I return later. Be good with them, okay?¡±


    Wei Yuan relaxed. Since his father was leaving him here with this dangerous seeming person, it must mean that he won¡¯t hurt him. Wei Yuan obviously trusted his father¡¯s judgment far more than his own instincts. Smiling cutely, he nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be good!¡±


    Qinghe patted his head with a loving smile.


    Ying Xulin looked at the little child with an uncertain and uncomfortable expression, then silently turned back to gazing at Kong Min.


    Realizing that the guests he¡¯d been waiting for had arrived, Kong Min hurriedly read a few more lines from his book before putting it away and getting down from the hammock. ¡°Little Bro, I see that you¡¯ve brought Yuan-er. How long should we look after him?¡±


    ¡°Until late evening or night, if you don¡¯t mind,¡± Qinghe replied.


    Kong Min nodded. ¡°That¡¯s not long.¡± Bending down, he smiled at Wei Yuan. ¡°Did you hear that, Yuan-er? You¡¯ll be spending time with me and your Uncle Ying today, alright?¡±


    Wei Yuan grinned and ran up to Kong Min. ¡°Yes!¡±


    Kong Min chuckled and caught the child under the armpits and raised him up. ¡°My, look how enthusiastic we are! Tell me, little nephew, who¡¯s your favorite uncle?¡±


    Giggling cheerfully, Wei Yuan called in his childish voice, ¡°Minmin!¡±


    Already used to this silly address, Kong Min laughed and brought the child close to rub their noses together affectionately. He said in a mock-solemn voice, ¡°Yes, it is I, your Uncle Minmin.¡±


    Wei Yuan chortled happily.


    Qinghe shook his head with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll be going then. Please take care of Yuan-er.¡±


    Kong Min nodded.


    Shooting one last affectionate glance at the Wei Yuan who was happily waving at him, Qinghe left the clearing.


    Holding Wei Yuan to his chest, Kong Min turned to Ying Xulin while saying, ¡°Yuan-er, see? That¡¯s your Uncle Ying. Why don¡¯t you greet him.¡±


    Wei Yuan blinked his big blue eyes at Ying Xulin, then showed a bright grin. ¡°Hello, Uncle Ying!¡±


    Ying Xulin uneasily looked at Kong Min, then turned back to the lively child and forced himself to respond. ¡°¡­Hello.¡±


    Sensing that his lover was nervous since this was the first time he was interacting with a child, Kong Min shook his head with a small smile. Walking up to Ying Xulin, he unceremoniously handed Wei Yuan to him. ¡°Here, Ah-Xu, hold the kid. We¡¯ll be babysitting him in the future as well, so you should get close and familiarize yourself with him now itself.¡±


    Ying Xulin carefully held the fragile little child in the way he¡¯d seen Kong Min doing while his body went stiff with apprehension. At least he knew already that this child was supposed to be a male, so he didn¡¯t have to fear misgendering him and offending hm somehow. Looking down at Wei Yuan¡¯s inquisitive expression, Ying Xulin gulped. What should he do after this?


    But Wei Yuan hardly needed an excuse to try and charm his uncle. He cheerfully wriggled in Ying Xulin¡¯s arms and rubbed his cheek against his shoulder. Then burying his face in the crook of Ying Xulin¡¯s neck, Wei Yuan took in a deep sniff. He smelled the earth on him, damp and full of life, along with tender green leaves warmed in the sun and dry wood. Wei Yuan sighed. ¡°Uncle Ying, you smell very nice.¡±


    The anxiety fluttering in Ying Xulin¡¯s chest lessened. ¡°I¡­I see. Thank you.¡±


    Wei Yuan straightened and grinned. ¡°Uncle Ying, you¡¯re very comfy for cuddling.¡±


    Ying Xulin looked vaguely confused, but he still nodded to accept what he thought should be a compliment. ¡°Thank you. You feel comfortable to hold as well.¡±


    Wei Yuan brightened. ¡°Then we¡¯ll cuddle a lot in the future! Ah, but we should also include Uncle Minmin or he¡¯ll get lonely.¡±


    Kong Min rolled his eyes with a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m glad you didn¡¯t forget me in favor of your new uncle, brat.¡±


    His expression softening, Ying Xulin showed a small smile to Wei Yuan. ¡°Yes, I would like that.¡±


    Kong Min felt his heart warming. It seemed that his lover was finally opening up a bit to the kid. Feeling cheerful, Kong Min suggested, ¡°Yuan-er, would you like to eat something? Did you already have lunch?¡±


    Wei Yuan nodded quickly. ¡°Yes, yes, I want to eat!¡±


    Chuckling, Kong Min motioned towards the table. ¡°Let¡¯s eat there then.¡±


    Wanting to be set down, Wei Yuan shimmied in Ying Xulin¡¯s arms. Ying Xulin bent and carefully placed the child on his feet. Wei Yuan nimbly navigated the uneven ground and ran up to sit on one of the chairs before bringing out boxes of food from his newly acquired private storage space. The moment he¡¯d gotten his own spatial storage, he had happily stuffed it full of his favorite food, so he had quite a lot of it now. Kong Min and Ying Xulin joined him at the table as well, sitting down on either side of him, and Wei Yuan generously shared his food with them.


    ¡°So, Yuan-er, how is school going? Is there any boy or girl who caught your fancy?¡± Kong Min asked with twinkling eyes.


    Wei Yuan frowned. ¡°Father Qinghe and Father Xiang help me with my homework and explain stuff, so school¡¯s easy. But I don¡¯t understand what you mean by catching a fancy boy or girl.¡±


    Kong Min chuckled. ¡°I meant, is there someone you like very, very much and want to spend a lot of time with? Someone you¡¯d want to cuddle with and smooch?¡±


    Wei Yuan scrunched his nose. ¡°Oh. That. No, definitely not.¡±


    Kong Min suppressed his laughter at the child¡¯s less than thrilled expression. It seemed that his little nephew still had ways to go before he became interested in people that way. ¡°Well, let¡¯s put that aside then. How about your training? Are you learning a lot with your Father Qinghe and grandmother?¡±


    Wei Yuan perked up. ¡°Yes, and it¡¯s very fun! Grandmother said that if I kept doing this good, she¡¯ll give me a special and sharp dagger of my own soon!¡±


    Kong Min felt complicated. Was it even a good idea to give a weapon to a child? But knowing that his master was there in that house too, Kong Min could at least be assured that he would take care of any problems.


    Meanwhile, Wei Yuan was peeking up at his other uncle from the corner of his eye. All this while, Ying Xulin had remained quiet and still. Not wanting him to feel left out, Wei Yuan used his chopsticks to laboriously pick up a certain piece of fruit and held it in front of Ying Xulin. ¡°Uncle Ying, quick, eat it before it falls down.¡±


    Ying Xulin blinked, but seeing how the fruit was indeed beginning to slide down, he took it into his mouth without delay. Wei Yuan grinned happily and held up another piece of fruit. In this way, the child began feeding Ying Xulin. Kong Min simply smiled and remained silent to let his lover bond with the boy.


    Once the fruit pieces were fully consumed, Wei Yuan merrily moved on to feed Ying Xulin other things while chattering about what he liked or disliked about the food.


    ¡°Here, Uncle Ying, try this! It¡¯s spicy and chewy and nice. It also has a lot of juice though, so don¡¯t let it drip! Last time when Father Xiang made some for dinner, the juice fell all over my favorite belt and made it unusable.¡± Wei Yuan¡¯s cheeks puffed up displeasedly at that remembered accident.


    Ying Xulin¡¯s gaze was warm as he solemnly replied, ¡°Yes, I will take care. Thank you for warning me.¡±


    Wei Yuan¡¯s mood immediately brightened. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    As the pair kept chatting, Kong Min quickly finished his food and decided to braid his Ah-Xu¡¯s hair to pass the time. Ying Xulin cooperatively held still and let his beloved play with his hair as he liked.


    In the meantime, Wei Yuan was done feeding Ying Xulin all the messy foods and moved onto sharing some of the flat circles of hard rice treats with him. These treats were the size of an adult¡¯s palm and extremely difficult to break off with one¡¯s teeth alone. Wei Xiang had made these for Wei Yuan to chew on when he was teething as a human baby. Back then, it had taken several weeks of dedicated chewing for Wei Yuan to make a dent on even one of them. Even now, it took a full day for him to fully break up and finish a single treat.


    However, to Wei Yuan¡¯s disbelief, Ying Xulin unconcernedly crunched on one of them and finished it in seconds.


    Unable to hide his awe, Wei Yuan exclaimed, ¡°Uncle Ying, your teeth are so sharp and strong! Can I touch them?¡±


    Ying Xulin nodded before bending down and cooperatively opening his mouth. Wei Yuan stuck a hand in, eyes shining with curiosity. As the child¡¯s fingers felt up his sharp incisors, Ying Xulin¡¯s hand hovered over Wei Yuan¡¯s wrist, ready to gently guide his fingers away in case he was about to cut himself.


    Just then, Kong Min finished with plaiting Ying Xulin¡¯s hair and said, ¡°Yuan-er, would you like to finish your Uncle Ying¡¯s hair by finding some good flowers and putting them in? I¡¯ll help you too if you want.¡±


    Wei Yuan retrieved his fingers from within Ying Xulin¡¯s mouth and nodded at Kong Min. ¡°Yes! Can I take the glowy flowers from near the trees?¡±


    Kong Min smiled. ¡°Yes, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Isn¡¯t that right, Ah-Xu?¡± he asked, turning to his lover.


    Ying Xulin nodded. ¡°Yes, take as many as you¡¯d like.¡±


    Wei Yuan leapt down from the chair and grinned happily. ¡°Then I¡¯ll take the best ones to put in Uncle Ying¡¯s hair!¡± Saying so, the little boy scurried away to crouch down and carefully examine the flowers littering the clearing¡¯s edge.


    Kong Min and Ying Xulin watched the child carefully peering at each flower, assessing their worth with pursed lips until his eyes went cross from concentration. Once he decided that a flower met his high standards, Wei Yuan would carefully pluck it and tenderly cradle it in his arms before setting off to look for another. Within half an hour, Wei Yuan had picked an armful of flowers that he thought were the best of all and walked up to place them on the table.


    Next, he dragged a chair behind the one Ying Xulin was sitting on and stood atop it to study his uncle¡¯s braided hair with his little hands on his hips. Sitting at the side, Kong Min rested his chin on a palm and watched his little nephew with interest. Wei Yuan carefully deliberated before choosing a flower to tuck into a particular part of the braid, then continued to add more flowers in so that it would form a straight line down the middle of the braid. Once he was done tucking all the flowers in, Wei Yuan got down from the chair and declared, ¡°It¡¯s a bit wobbly, but I think it looks very nice.¡±


    Ying Xulin nodded and sincerely said, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure it looks great. Thank you¡­Yuan-er.¡± He felt a little awkward while using the little hatchling¡¯s name for the first time, but Wei Yuan didn¡¯t even notice as he beamed up at him cheerfully.


    Kong Min¡¯s eyes twinkled as he saw two of his precious people growing closer. He had to say, as open and talkative as his dear nephew was, it would be difficult for anyone to stay cold with him for long. It was all too easy to get caught up in that wide and charming smile of his, bubbling with happy energy.


    Wei Yuan went back to eating his food and feeding Ying Xulin. Once the food was gone, Wei Yuan looked up at Ying Xulin with expectant eyes. ¡°Uncle Ying, do you want to play with me?¡±


    Ying Xulin felt a little nervous, but he¡¯d also grown to feel comfortable with the cheery little hatchling by now. Nodding, he said, ¡°Yes. How would you like to play?¡±


    Wei Yuan vibrated with excitement as he immediately said, ¡°Can you make trees fly?¡±


    Kong Min looked at the child incredulously.


    But Ying Xulin didn¡¯t even hesitate before nodding. ¡°Yes, I can. Which tree would you like me to make fly?¡±


    Wei Yuan quickly pointed to the tree he¡¯d hugged just before and said with eyes gleaming excitedly, ¡°There, that one!¡±


    Ying Xulin wordlessly lifted a hand. The wild magic suffusing the clearing thickened, gathering under Ying Xulin before surging forward. The tree Wei Yuan chose trembled. With snapping sounds, the trunk of the tree bulged in two places on either side before new branch-like protrusions extended out, forming into the shape of wing bones. Leaves began sprouting on them, covering the wing-shaped branches in a thick and dense layer as if to mimic feathers. The tree flapped its new foliaged wings in slow motions, making crackling sounds.


    The powerful gusts of wind resulting from the large wings blew back their hair. With stunned expressions, Kong Min and Wei Yuan watched the tree¡¯s transformation. On the other hand, Ying Xulin studied the tree¡¯s wings critically, trying to figure out if this size was enough to carry the tree¡¯s weight or if he needed to extend the wings more.


    As the tree strained upward, the ground under it quivered due to its roots being pulled out. Infused by old magic and aided by its metamorphosis, the tree freed itself from the hold of the earth and gradually floated up. It¡¯s roots jerked out of the ground and the tree beat its wooden wings with more vigor, gaining height. The canopy of intertwined branches above the clearing shifted and parted to make space for the tree taking flight. It floated up and up, flying into the sky over the Forest¡¯s Cradle. It flew in circles while twisting and twirling in the sky, its long roots trailing behind it like ribbons as it performed tricks to entertain the little child watching it.


    Wei Yuan jumped and clapped in fervent enthusiasm, his joyful laughter and the open wonder in his expression bringing a pleased smile to Ying Xulin¡¯s face.


    Kong Min¡¯s lips twitched. Should they even be showing something so unrealistic to his little nephew? Wouldn¡¯t he end up thinking that flying trees were normal then? But considering the type of strange household the boy was growing up in, Kong Min decided that flying trees would be the least of the little one¡¯s worries. Letting out a soul-weary sigh, Kong Min gave in. He would just have to have a talk with his little nephew later and try to make him understand that he shouldn¡¯t expect every tree to fly and perform on demand. Ahh, he¡¯d never thought there¡¯d be a day when he¡¯d be the one to act as the responsible person¡­


    Meanwhile, Wei Yuan was hopping up and down with uncontrollable excitement. With a wide smile and sparkling eyes, he pleaded, ¡°Uncle Ying, more! Do more!¡±


    And watching his sweet little nephew¡¯s entreating gaze, how could the completely enamored Ying Xulin refuse?


    As a result, for the first time ever, with gaping mouths and wide eyes, the people of this world saw the surreal sight of a flock of trees flying in the sky above the Spirit Bewildering Forest.


    ¡­¡­


    Wei Yuan spent his days learning and playing while being lovingly pampered by his parents, grandparents, and uncles. He was glad to have such a large family full of such nice people, and spending each day with them was so much fun. But Wei Yuan also began to think it was strange how he had no spiritual beast relatives except Zheng Xuan.


    Wei Yuan had long ago been told how his Father Xiang was actually his biological brother and that the many eggs in the egg chamber he had been born in would also hatch into their siblings in the future. Though Wei Yuan had thought it strange, he had eventually grown to accept it. For him, his Father Xiang would be his father as long as he accepted and treated him as his son. He knew that he was fortunate to have his Father Xiang and Father Qinghe as parents and didn¡¯t intend to change anything in their already comfortable relationship.


    But that still left the question: What happened to his Father Xiang¡¯s and his own parents?


    One day, Wei Yuan grew curious and asked Wei Xiang about it. For some reason, the Father Qinghe who was standing nearby looked vaguely worried while his Father Xiang only smiled a small, calm smile and asked, ¡°They died a long time ago. Would you like to go see their resting place?¡±


    Wei Yuan had bobbed his head in agreement, but Qinghe called hesitantly. ¡°Xiang¡­are you sure? Do you feel¡­ready?¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded. ¡°It¡¯s time. And no matter how long I wait, I might never feel any more ready than this.¡±


    Qinghe sighed. ¡°Very well, then. I suppose you should notify the dragons that we¡¯ll be visiting their Mausoleum of Sovereigns.¡±


    And that was what Wei Xiang did.


    On a certain cloudy day, Qinghe, Wei Xiang, Wei Yuan, and Zheng Xuan set out to visit the burial chamber of Wei Xiang¡¯s and Wei Yuan¡¯s parents. Since it was something only a Sovereign¡¯s direct family, their spouses, or their personal guards could visit, Xie Xingye, Feng Huixin, and Feng Chunyi could not accompany them.


    The Mausoleum of Sovereigns was located in an idyllic pocket dimension that could only be accessed from the back of the dragon Sovereign¡¯s palace. The silver-haired dragon elder who was the who had headed the three elders who tried to make trouble for Qinghe and Wei Xiang the last time they visited was the one who served as their guide this time. He led the group through the pocket dimension¡¯s entrance and into a flat plain covered in an even layer of bright green grass. In contrast to the weather outside, the skies inside the dimension were a clear, piercing blue with thready white clouds floating peacefully.


    Rising up from the ground in the middle of the green field was a pure white tower with curling golden roofs adorning the top of each level. The tower had twelve sides and rose up to hundreds of levels. From the distance, it was like a bright, ethereal needle piercing the sky. Cradled between the verdant green fields and serene blue skies, the tower seemed to be wrought of hazy dreams that would be forgotten the moment one took their eyes away from it.


    Wei Yuan¡¯s eyes shone at this scene and he happily began prancing around on the grass. Wei Xiang and Qinghe smiled while Zheng Xuan cautioned in an affectionate voice, ¡°Xiao Yuan¡­be careful. Don¡¯t run around¡­like that¡­or you might¡­fall.¡±


    ¡°Yes~¡± Wei Yuan said and skipped back towards his parents. He lifted his arms and held one each of Qinghe¡¯s and Wei Xiang¡¯s hands, settling in between them.


    The silver-haired elder narrowed his eyes, but only said, ¡°We should begin.¡±


    The group started walking, heading directly towards the tower.


    Looking around at the almost empty dimension with bright eyes, Wei Yuan asked curiously, ¡°Why is that white building all alone in here? Shouldn¡¯t it be outside with the other buildings?¡±


    Before anyone could reply, the silver-haired dragon elder puffed up his chest and proclaimed in a grand manner, ¡°Dragons are glorious beings whose physical bodies are too precious down to the very last hair. It is especially so for our Sovereigns who are lauded as the strongest of our kind. Due to that, disrespectful knaves often seek to steal their remains to sell or use in powerful spells. Those unsavory types had made many attempts and almost even succeeded in desecrating the Sovereigns¡¯ tombs a few times. Something like that happening to our divine rulers is unthinkable! As a result, we have chosen to build this tower in here to convey our respect to them and inter the remains of our beloved Sovereigns so that only those who are deemed worthy can even think of approaching close to them.¡±


    Wei Yuan blinked at him and said blankly, ¡°Ah, I see.¡±


    The silver-haired elder¡¯s face spasmed at this lackadaisical response. Reducing his imposing manner, he smiled and tried to put on the airs of a kind grandpa to connect better with the child. ¡°Young Prince Wei, you might not know, but your legacy is a special one. You might not be a full-blooded dragon, but we of the True Dragon Clan will still welcome you with open arms if you ever choose to visit us and learn about your proud heritage.¡±


    Wei Yuan blinked at him again and asked, ¡°Do you all have flying trees?¡±


    The silver-haired elder¡¯s eyebrow twitched. ¡°¡­I¡¯m afraid not.¡±


    Shrugging, Wei Yuan looked away, already losing interest. ¡°Then it sounds boring.¡±


    Inside his sleeves, the silver-haired elder clenched his fists. What sort of strange criteria was this child using to determine the worth of visiting the mighty True Dragon Clan?! How could he decide it just like that?!


    At the side, Qinghe¡¯s and Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes danced with suppressed laughter, but they didn¡¯t say anything. Even if their son truly wanted to visit the True Dragon Clan, they would still support his decision and let him make his own choices as long as he allowed them to send someone with him to assure his safety. However, that didn¡¯t mean that they wouldn¡¯t feel gleeful and entertained at this helpless sight of the silver-haired elder.


    Walking at the back of the group, Zheng Xuan simply shook his head. Maybe this dragon elder had grown too old to remember what appealed to children. As old as he was, even Zheng Xuan knew that the pompous way he was acting wouldn¡¯t endear him to the child at all.


    Coughing to regain his composure, the silver-haired elder tried another approach. ¡°We might not have flying trees, but we have children around your age that you might like to play with. Especially my grandson. He¡¯s an adorable child only a year or two younger than you. Would you like to spend time with him?¡± If even a single person from their clan could make a connection through which this child could be influenced in the future, he¡¯d consider it a success!


    Not knowing his thoughts, Wei Yuan perked up. ¡°That sounds like fun!¡± Maybe if he had a dragon friend, he could fly with him in his wyvern form and learn things about being spiritual beasts together! Turning to his parents, Wei Yuan asked, ¡°Can I go play with the dragon boy?¡±


    The silver-haired elder smoothly added, ¡°Even if Sovereign Wei and Deity Feng do not wish to send your son alone to the True Dragon Clan, we can allow our Xiao Shang, Shang Riyao, to visit your residence to spend time with Young Prince Wei.¡±


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang shared a glance. They could already guess what this elder was planning. But they also had faith in their son. In the end, Qinghe patted Wei Yuan¡¯s head and nodded. ¡°Very well, if the dragon child doesn¡¯t mind coming to play with our Yuan-er, then there is nothing to object.¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡± Wei Yuan jumped up and down cheerfully.


    Showing a satisfied smile, the silver-haired elder threw a jab, ¡°It is good that Deity Feng didn¡¯t let your prejudices get in the way of your child¡¯s happiness. Your stubbornness to go against us in certain matters recently has been most petty, so I was afraid you would once again disregard common sense and choose to oppose us.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes narrowed with a dangerous gleam while Qinghe merely smiled, the sharpness in his gaze hidden. ¡°By those ¡®certain recent matters¡¯, I¡¯m assuming you mean our refusal to pardon one of your elders and dragging him to the heavenly court to be trialed after the way he attempted to orchestrate my son¡¯s kidnapping?¡±


    The silver-haired elder gritted his teeth. ¡°Deity Feng, you crossed too many boundaries at that time! We can even forgive how you manipulated us in the situation with the wyvern eggs. But on top of that, you went so far as to extort land and other assets from us recently even after we agreed to let you punish the offending elder! How arrogant of you to ask us to bow our head that far! What do you take the True Dragon Clan as?!¡±


    Qinghe shot him an amused glance. ¡°Extort? I merely asked you to follow the terms of the contract you and your fellow elders signed two hundred years ago. I kept up my half of it, and yet you dragons seem unable to fulfill your part of the bargain. The compensation we exacted from your clan in return for its kidnapping attempt was just and exactly as stipulated in the contract.¡±


    The silver-haired elder was unable to retort against that, so he could only switch his target and say, ¡°Sovereign Wei, do you share your human mate¡¯s views as well?¡±


    Wei Xiang looked uninterested. ¡°Everything that has to be said has already been stated by my husband. What more do you want me to add?¡±


    ¡°The True Dragon Clan was the home of your mother, the Sovereign Song Xia. She was beloved by us and we honor her memory even now. Is it wrong for us to ask for some leniency from you on her behalf? Shouldn¡¯t you have shown your support for us at least for your mother¡¯s sake?¡± the silver-haired elder said self-righteously.


    Wei Xiang froze, the corners of his lips lifting in a silent snarl. ¡°You dare say she was beloved by you lot after everything your dragon court did to her? Did you forget how you all pried her from her mate and hatchlings, using her as a puppet in your politics before sending her to her death in the battlefield? How many fucking holes do you think I have in my head to believe your delusional bullshit?! Why don¡¯t you recite your nonsense to the air and spray your saliva on a moldering wall, you slimy-tongued viper!¡±


    Heavy silence echoed in the wake of his outburst. Unable to get out words in his fury, the silver-haired elder went red in the face.


    ¡°Xiao Xiang,¡± Zheng Xuan said quietly, placing a hand on his shoulder.


    Wei Xiang halted. He took in a deep breath and let it out. Once he was able to bring his anger under control, he resumed walking, his expression somewhat stiff. Qinghe wrapped an arm around his shoulders in silent comfort while Wei Yuan hugged his waist, looking up worriedly with big blue eyes. ¡°Father Xiang?¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s face unconsciously softened. He bent down to lift up his son and Wei Yuan snuggled up to him, rubbing his cheek over Wei Xiang¡¯s in a silent show of placation. Wei Xiang¡¯s gaze warmed. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Xiao Yuan. Thank you.¡±


    Recovering his voice just then, the silver-haired elder choked out, ¡°S-Such impudence! Wyvern Sovereign Wei! You¨D!¡±


    Frowning, Zheng Xuan interrupted the silver-haired elder, ¡°Your court has¡­broken up his family¡­enough. You pulled apart¡­his mother and father¡­and now you try¡­to take away¡­the brothers and sisters¡­he wants to raise¡­as his own children. Just how much¡­must you torment him¡­before you all are satisfied?¡±


    Rebuked like this by the Zheng Xuan who was much respected among the dragons after his return from exile, the silver-haired elder could only shut up and glare at Wei Xiang silently.


    Seeing his seething gaze, Wei Yuan puffed up his cheeks and scolded him, ¡°You! Stop making Father Xiang grumpy, or Father Qinghe will make you cry!¡±


    Qinghe burst into laughter while Zheng Xuan suppressed a chuckle. Even the Wei Xiang whose mood had begun to worsen again cracked a smile. This child was too adorable to let them keep up their anger.


    Meanwhile, the silver-haired elder was once again struggling to compose himself. As much as he wanted to shout at the child, he knew that he had to control himself. The adults of this family were a lost cause. But at least the child should be relatively easy to influence and open to persuasion. He couldn¡¯t alienate him and risk losing the chance.


    Stabilizing his emotions, the silver-haired elder put away all his disgruntlement and showed a strained smile to the little boy. ¡°Young Prince Wei, it was not my intention to make your father angry. I keep trying to make amends, but your parents always behave in a hostile manner towards me. Maybe you could help me convince them that I mean them no harm?¡±


    Qinghe raised an eyebrow. Did this elder really think that children were that blind or stupid?


    Wei Yuan frowned dissatisfiedly. ¡°That¡¯s because you keep saying mean things. If you sincerely say you¡¯re sorry, Father Xiang won¡¯t be mad at you.¡±


    The silver-haired elder froze.


    A hint of humor appeared in Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes. He mercilessly prodded, ¡°Xiao Yuan is right. If you and everyone else involved in angering me can bend your backs and sincerely apologize to me, I can consider letting you off.¡± Turning to his son, he continued, ¡°What I said is reasonable, isn¡¯t it Xiao Yuan?¡±


    Wei Yuan nodded with a wise expression on his chubby little face. ¡°Yes, Father Xiang is right!¡±


    Stiffening, the silver-haired elder glared at Wei Xiang and sputtered, ¡°A youngster like you demanding bows from your elders is too¨D! Such insolence!¡±


    Wei Xiang shook his head with pretend-sadness. ¡°As long as you lot hold on to that pride and refuse to admit your wrongs or make amends, I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t be friends. How regrettable.¡± Hugging his son tighter, Wei Xiang said to him, ¡°See, Xiao Yuan? I tried, but he¡¯s refusing to even apologize.¡±


    Wei Yuan shot a displeased look at the elder before directing a sympathetic expression towards his father. Patting Wei Xiang¡¯s jaw, he seriously said, ¡°It¡¯s alright, Father Xiang. You already have lots of good friends, so don¡¯t feel sad about losing a bad friend.¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded as if solemnly accepting his consoling. ¡°My Xiao Yuan is so wise. I¡¯ll listen to you then.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes watered from containing his laughter while Zheng Xuan chuckled silently with his head turned away. Oh, this was too adorable!


    The silver-haired elder gave up. There was no curing this family, hmph! He could only place his hopes on his grandson and trust that he¡¯d win over the wyvern child before turning him against his parents and bringing him over to the dragons¡¯ side.


    After this discussion full of twists and turns finally wound down, silence slowly settled on the group. Under the influence of the wide blue sky stretching above, the expanse of green plains sprawling below, and the fresh breeze blowing through, the tense mood from before gradually cleared up.


    All the time, the tower had been getting closer and closer. Soon, they reached its base and climbed up a short set of stairs onto a wide, railing-less platform. A simple and meticulously neat white staircase wound around the outside of the building, snaking through the gaps cut into the wide golden roofs while being shielded by it. The silver-haired elder took the lead in climbing up and the group followed after him. Wei Yuan happily scampered up. Of all the activities he liked to do, he loved climbing up tall structures the most, with flying a very close second.


    While the child hopped up the steps cheerfully, the atmosphere around Qinghe, Wei Xiang, and Zheng Xuan was somber. Walking at the back, Zheng Xuan¡¯s eyes were full of deep thoughts and remembrances of times long ago. Meanwhile, Qinghe kept peeking up at his husband, trying to see if he was alright. Wei Xiang eventually had to pull his beloved close, kiss his forehead, and reassure him that he was fine before Qinghe stopped looking so worried.


    Holding Wei Xiang¡¯s hand, Qinghe let himself relax a bit, his mind drifting back to the time around half a century ago.


    The pair of husbands had been poking around in the wyvern¡¯s secret dimension in the Spirit Bewildering Forest, trying to see if they could find anything interesting left behind by Wei Xiang¡¯s mother, when they came across a stone crypt, it¡¯s entrance buried under eons worth dust and debris. Inside laid the remains of Wei Xiang¡¯s father and the first generation wyverns, Wei Xiang¡¯s siblings. After some discussion, Wei Xiang and Qinghe had decided to leave the wyverns in the place they were born and raised in, only taking Wei Xiang¡¯s father¡¯s coffin with them to the heavenly realm to inter him beside Sovereign Song Xia¡¯s final resting place in the Mausoleum of Sovereigns. But instead of accepting the True Dragon Clan¡¯s invitation to preside over his father¡¯s reinterring, for some reason, Wei Xiang had instead given Zheng Xuan that responsibility and had stayed back home in the Feng residence.


    That whole day, Wei Xiang had stayed in a strange mood. He¡¯d spent all his time sitting in the Feng residence¡¯s library, looking over his mother¡¯s journals and other books detailing the events around his parents. Finding him poring over the ancient tomes, Qinghe had wordlessly sat down on a nearby table, taking out his writing tools and the reports he needed to finish for the heavenly court by the next day. In this way, the couple spent their time silently in each other¡¯s company.


    After a few hours, as the light of day faded into dusk, casting the inside of the library in warm and nostalgic hues, Wei Xiang finally began talking. He spoke about what he¡¯d pieced together about his parents, and Qinghe intently listened.


    From what his mother had written about him, his father, Wei Zan, seemed to have been a carefree and easygoing person despite being the Sovereign of the entire Metal Serpent Clan. He had several advisors and aides who would take care of most of his work, leaving him to roam freely around his territory and cause mischief. That was how came across Wei Xiang¡¯s mother for the first time.


    Wei Zan was particularly skilled with making magical mirrors out of an amalgamation of his scales and silver, but seldom found any use for his creations. Wei Xiang¡¯s mother Song Xia, on the other hand, was skilled with spatial manipulation; especially things like creating dimensions, making spatial storages, connecting two places using transportation arrays and the like.


    Later, Song Xia had to leave her mate and children to return to the heavenly realm due to her deal with the dragon court, exchanging her freedom for the lives of her family and loyal guards. But not content to be separated from his mate, Wei Zan made a pair of special mirrors, one for him and one for his lover. Before leaving, Song Xia connected the two mirrors using her ability so that she and her beloved mate¡ªand later, their hatchlings¡ªwould be able to communicate with each other even if they were in different realms. She then hid away her mirror in a small spatial pocket within her storage space so that the dragons wouldn¡¯t find out. In this way, the pair used the mirrors to secretly keep in touch even while apart.


    Millennia later, when the dragon queen fell in battle, her mate died as well. Because even though no one knew, their souls were tied together. They had been bonded their whole lives without either of them finding out till the end. It seemed that they had tied themselves to each other in a past life, the soul bond following them into this life without them needing to create it anew, persevering till the end.


    As Wei Xiang talked about it all, his gaze had been complicated, a sense of wistfulness detectable. Here were the two people who had brought him into this world, and yet they had already been so far away when he was born. It made him uncertain about how to face them now, and so he kept putting off his meeting with their remains. But no matter how much time passed, Wei Xiang didn¡¯t feel any more prepared to visit their graves. For this reason, he kept delaying his visit.


    Decades later, when Wei Yuan curiously asked him about their parents, Wei Xiang finally decided that at least for his son¡¯s sake, he would face this. Wei Yuan deserved to know about this and have the chance to see his parents graves, and he deserved to have both his adoptive parents there beside him when he did.


    And so they were now here, visiting Wei Xiang¡¯s parents¡¯ final resting place for the first time.


    After about an hour of climbing stairs, the silver-haired elder finally stopped on a certain floor. He got off the staircase and crossed the veranda that encircled this level of the tower before heading in through the giant stone archway inlaid with delicate gold filigree and set with fist-sized gemstones. A series of doors waited within, and the silver-haired elder used different keys to enter each one. The group followed him all the way inside silently until they reached their destination.


    The room was large, cylindrical, and airy, constructed entirely of the same white stone as the outside of the tower. The chamber¡¯s walls were carved to show different images and aspects of a single dragon. Her eyes were set with radiant gems while each of her scales seemed to have been individually crafted with gold and fixed into the reliefs. She stood tall and imposing in one carving, a regal queen reigning supreme, while she was shown as wise and calm in another, thinking solemnly of the welfare of her people. In one relief, she stood with battle armor, a grim and determined expression on her face as she wielded weapons, but in yet another, she gently cradled a clutch of eggs, her eyes unfathomably tender. Many such sculpted figures lined the walls, grandly celebrating the various faces of the Sovereign.


    The wall facing the entranceway was left free of any carvings. A knee-high platform was situated in front of it with two coffins placed side by side atop the platform. Hanging on the wall directly above the pair of coffins was the painting of a couple, presumably of the two people currently interred here. Both of the coffins resting under it were made of dark brown wood shining with faint luster. One of them had a golden lid etched with a majestic dragon while the other coffin had a blank silver lid that shone like a mirror. A transparent dome of spells the height of a person covered the entire platform. Its job was to both prevent anyone from tampering with the coffins and to contain the power of the deceased held within. If left alone, each of the Sovereigns¡¯ power would have long suffused the tower, intermingling and changing the environment here.


    The atmosphere in the room felt hushed and dry. An air of solemnity and reverence weighed the spacious chamber, seeming to turn even the cheerful sunlight subdued and muted. But there was nevertheless a sense of timeless peace and still calm permeating the room, as if nothing had moved here for an eternity and nothing would move in the future as well. Everything here had found its place and was content to rest here until it turned to dust.


    Qinghe looked at the coffins, then lifted his head to study the painting hanging above. In it, a dark-haired woman sat on a worn bench under a wisteria tree, while a silver-haired man laid sprawled on it, his head resting on her lap. Strings of purple blossoms hung in curtains both behind and above them as if to form a protective canopy gently enfolding the couple. Lit with daylight, a soft and warm glow suffused the scenery, lending a tender and poignant air to the scene.


    The posture of the woman in the painting was balanced and poised, with a hint of majesty and readiness for battle that seemed to have softened in the man¡¯s presence. Her skin was a creamy white tinted with the warm gold of sunlight dripping down from above. She wore a plain white robe with simple gold embroidery adorning the lapels and hem. Her hair was a deep ebony that turned slightly wavy near the ends, with streaks of brown intercepting the shining locks. Small frown lines were etched between her arching brows, but her forehead stayed smooth and unwrinkled now. Her eyes were a profound black, fixed on the man using her lap as a pillow with an exasperated look tinted with calm affection. Her lips were slightly raised at the corners, yet it seemed that her face was too used to remaining stiff to allow her any more of a smile.


    The man lying on her lap was far more expressive. His gleaming blue eyes shone with vivid emotions as he gazed lovingly at the woman, his entire attention seeming wrapped around her. Mischievousness, teasing, contentment, peace, and joy radiated from him. One of his hands was placed on his stomach while the fingers of the other lifted up a lock of the woman¡¯s hair to his lips. Colored a dark honey, his lips were pulled up in a playful grin while his body laid loose and boneless on the bench. His skin was tinted with honey, the exact hue as Wei Xiang¡¯s. He was dressed in a sleeveless gray outer robe that flowed like water over his form. His shining inner robe was a shade or two darker than true silver, the same color as his thick and straight hair. Black thread adorned his sleeves and the border of his outer robe. His lean body looked full of energy, ready to leap up at any time. Yet he stayed still and obedient in the presence of the woman he loved.


    Together, the woman, Song Xia, and the man, Wei Zan, looked like a harmonious couple spending time quietly together, free of worries and responsibilities.


    As he studied the painting, Qinghe¡¯s eyes kept being drawn towards all the little details in their expressions, postures, and other physical attributes that resembled Wei Xiang and Wei Yuan. Thinking how these two people would be unable to see their sons now, Qinghe felt his heart grow heavy.


    Beside him, Wei Yuan was also looking intently at the painting of the two people that his parents had said he was born from. He stared transfixed at the man¡¯s tarnished-silver-colored hair and blue eyes, and the woman¡¯s calm gaze and steady temperament. He could feel his connection to them through the picture. The strange sense of familiarity he felt with them was same as what he felt with his own Father Xiang, the unmistakable tie of blood.


    For a moment, Wei Yuan felt regret that he wasn¡¯t able to get to know these two people before they went away. But looking at his Father Xiang and Father Qinghe, that strange, tight feeling in his chest loosened. Even if his and his Father Xiang¡¯s real parents were gone, Wei Yuan was still glad to have been adopted by his current parents, being able to soak in their affection and company every day. He was happy with his current life.


    Seeing Wei Yuan¡¯s gaze on the painting filled with many thoughts, Wei Xiang smiled and patted his head. ¡°Xiao Yuan, after we return home, would you like me to tell you stories about them?¡±


    Wei Yuan snapped out of his contemplations and nodded excitedly, his eyes shining with curiosity.


    ¡°Now that we are here, we shall pay respects to the Sovereign¡­and also her mate,¡± the silver-haired elder spoke.


    The elder, Zheng Xuan, and Wei Xiang knelt on the ground and bowed down. Wei Yuan blinked at them and rushed to copy their actions. Qinghe slowly followed suit as well.


    When they rose back up, Wei Xiang looked at his husband with surprise. He knew that his Qinghe was too prideful to bow simply for the sake of upholding traditions. If he ever made a gesture of respect, it would only be because he truly meant it.


    Seeing his beloved¡¯s expression, Qinghe showed a small smile. ¡°I wanted to show my gratitude towards your parents for existing and thank them for bringing my Xiang and Yuan-er into this world. If nor for them, then the two most precious people in my life would never have been born.¡±


    Wei Xiang hugged him tightly, hiding his expression in Qinghe¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Thank you, love.¡±


    Qinghe patted his back, his smile soft.


    ¡°Father Qinghe, I want a huggy too!¡± Wei Yuan demanded.


    Laughing, Qinghe lifted him up with his free arm and pulled him close in an embrace. Wei Xiang used an arm to wrap around his adorable son too. As the family of three stayed pressed together like this, Zheng Xuan smiled quietly while the silver-haired elder let out a dissatisfied huff and strode outside. He¡¯d see how long this closeness would last after his grandson managed to pry that brat away from the Feng household!


    With this intention, a few weeks after the visit to the grave, the silver-haired elder¡¯s grandson Shang Riyao was sent to the Feng residence to play with Wei Yuan. But as the two children grew more friendly with each other, Wei Yuan happily dragged the little dragon off to the mortal realm to meet his other two friends, the younger child Wu Jiyue and adult Yan Minglan.


    As the three boys became closer and grew up under the care of Yan Minglan, the silver-haired elder stroked his beard with satisfaction. Good! If the situation kept proceeding like this, it was only a matter of time before he could start using his grandson to plant suggestions into that wyvern child¡¯s mind and turn him over to their side!


    But little did the elder know that it was his grandson who had ended up being utterly taken in. Not only did Shang Riyao become a loyal friend to Wei Yuan and grow to respect Yan Minglan, he was also irrevocably charmed by a clueless Wu Jiyue to the point of having stars in his eyes whenever he saw him. Would there still be any chance for him to listen to his grandfather and act against Wei Yuan?


    But unknowing of what the future held for his grandson, the silver-haired elder merrily continued plotting his plans that, alas, would never reach fruition.


    ¡­¡­


    On a certain day, Qinghe and Wei Xiang ended up needing to take care of a rampaging ancient beast in the heavenly realm that had broken free of its seals and began wreaking havoc.


    Unfortunately, Feng Huixin had gone just today to deal with something in the Order of Sentinels while Feng Chunyi and her most trusted warriors were out visiting chaos to a certain city that seemed to have started secretly amassing powerful deities and training them with the purpose of infiltrating and planning a coup d''¨¦tat in the heavenly capital.


    Not willing to disturb either of them while they were busy, Qinghe and Wei Xiang decided that together, they would be more than enough to handle this issue and began preparing to take on the berserk creature. In the meantime, since there would be no one at home to look after Wei Yuan, the couple invited Xie Xingye and Zheng Xuan to come and watch over the child for a bit.


    Before Qinghe left with Wei Xiang, he didn¡¯t forget to warn the two babysitters, ¡°Uncle Xie, Uncle Zheng, since it¡¯s getting late and nearing Yuan-er¡¯s bedtime, he might try to sneak out to play in the forest again while hiding his presence. Please stay with him until you¡¯re sure that he is really asleep.¡±


    Xie Xingye grinned and nodded, ¡°Yes, leave it to us and go play with your husband.¡±


    And so, reassured, the couple had left Wei Yuan to the dependable Zheng Xuan and the not-so-dependable Xie Xingye.


    Now faced with the task of babysitting, Xie Xingye looked at the child consideringly. He wasn¡¯t used to dealing with children, and he even felt slightly panicked at the thought of something so fragile, impressionable, and vulnerable being near him. What if he hurt the child accidentally? It made him quite anxious. But thankfully, his Lord Zheng was here to make sure he wouldn¡¯t end up inadvertently doing anything bad, so Xie Xingye felt more or less at ease. And seeing how adorable this child looked¡ªwith big blue eyes blinking inquisitively, round and rosy cheeks that seemed so soft, and hair a couple of shades darker than silver turned messy after a day of playing¡ªhe couldn¡¯t deny that he was curious to spend some time with him and indulge in the child¡¯s company. After all, this would be the first time in years that he¡¯d gotten to see this nephew of his.


    Meanwhile, Wei Yuan was also studying Xie Xingye. Though he vaguely recalled this uncle¡¯s scent as if they¡¯d met before, he couldn¡¯t remember much about him. And it was no surprise, since he had still been an infant at that time. Wei Yuan¡¯s gaze intently took in Xie Xingye¡¯s handsome yet not overly-beautiful face, dark gray eyes framed with a thick sweep of lashes, eyelids tilted up at the corners and lined with black, a wide, smiling mouth with dark red lips, neat black hair simply tied behind him, bright amber stones studding his ears, and black clothes seeming to leave smoky trails when they swished through the air. Wei Yuan¡¯s final verdict after observing everything was that this uncle of his seemed very interesting! He wondered what new games they could play together and whether he could sucker him into letting him stay up late.


    At the side, Zheng Xuan merely watched with a smile as Xie Xingye and Wei Yuan looked at each other with almost identical curious and assessing gazes.


    Wei Yuan suddenly lifted his arms up. ¡°Uncle Xie, hold me!¡±


    Xie Xingye¡¯s face jerked. Would that really be¡­alright? He looked at Zheng Xuan with a question in his eyes and received an encouraging nod in reply. Taking a deep breath, Xie Xingye bent down and carefully lifted Wei Yuan up by his armpits before straightening. The child dangled from his hands and looked at him with gleaming eyes. Xie Xingye peered back at him with puzzlement. So¡­what should he do with this kid now?


    Wei Yuan cheerfully smiled up at him. ¡°Can I eat your hair?¡± He¡¯d never tried to eat hair before, but he wanted to try it now! He was curious to see if it would taste like dry noodles.


    Xie Xingye shot a freaked out look at Zheng Xuan. What the fuck?!


    Zheng Xuan suppressed his amusement and replied to the child in his lover¡¯s stead, ¡°Xiao Yuan, no¡­you can¡¯t.¡±


    As Wei Yuan¡¯s attention was diverted to Zheng Xuan, Xie Xingye let out a breath in relief.


    ¡°Why not?¡± the child asked, his clear eyes staring at the scarred dragon with a piercing intensity and demanding answers.


    Zheng Xuan patiently explained, ¡°Because¡­it¡¯s not¡­food.¡±


    Wei Yuan tilted his head in thought, his dangling legs starting to swing energetically in the air. ¡°Even if I put tasty syrup or gravy on it?¡±


    Xie Xingye¡¯s lips twitched, but Zheng Xuan solemnly shook his head. ¡°Yes¡­even then¡­hair will remain¡­inedible.¡±


    Wei Yuan appeared to have begun pondering deeply about something.


    Xie Xingye looked at Zheng Xuan with a gaze that screamed ¡®What do I do now?!¡¯


    Zheng Xuan chuckled and stepped closer. ¡°First¡­why don¡¯t you¡­hold him¡­properly?¡± he said and lifted a cooperative Wei Yuan out of Xie Xingye¡¯s hands. He then demonstrated to his lover the proper method of holding a child, how he could support the weight of the small body without putting too much pressure on any delicate areas, and how to balance him properly.


    Xie Xingye studied it carefully, then nervously took Wei Yuan into his arms to try and copy Zheng Xuan¡¯s posture. Zheng Xuan corrected the position of Xie Xingye¡¯s hands and made him spread out his fingers more before finally stepping back with a satisfied nod.


    Wei Yuan snuggled happily in the comfort of Xie Xingye¡¯s warmth and turned a sparkling gaze towards Zheng Xuan. ¡°Uncle Zheng, you¡¯re a dragon, aren¡¯t you? So do you have treasure? Do you have a treasure cave like my father to keep all the shinies?¡± Since he¡¯d already had the chance to meet and grow familiar with Zheng Xuan before during the mausoleum visit, Wei Yuan was more chatty with him.


    Zheng Xuan smiled and said, ¡°The biggest treasure¡­of any draconic being¡­be they a dragon¡­or a wyvern¡­is their mate. As such¡­Xingye is my¡­biggest treasure,¡±


    Xie Xingye grinned and batted his lashes at his lover. ¡°Aww, Lord Zheng, you¡¯ll make me blush.¡±


    Wei Yuan looked up at Xie Xingye with appraising eyes and nodded. ¡°Yes, he¡¯s very pretty and interesting like a treasure.¡±


    Xie Xingye preened, ¡°Boy, you have good eyes.¡± It felt especially good to be praised by a child, since children were after all supposed to be more forthright and honest with their opinions, weren¡¯t they?


    Zheng Xuan let out a gravelly laugh and shook his head. It looked like his adorable nephew had captured the heart of yet another of his uncles. ¡°Alright now¡­Xiao Yuan. It¡¯s dark outside¡­so you should¡­go to bed.¡±


    Wei Yuan puffed up his cheeks and pouted. ¡°But I just met Uncle Xie! I don¡¯t want to sleep yet!¡±


    Xie Xingye gave a light pinch to the stubborn little boy¡¯s bottom. ¡°Are you trying to use me as an excuse, you brat?¡±


    Wei Yuan blinked his eyes at him pitifully.


    Sighing, Xie Xingye relented, ¡°How about this: I and Lord Zheng will accompany you in your room for a bit more if you promise to go to bed now and sleep like a good boy.¡±


    Wei Yuan frowned. It seemed he couldn¡¯t get away from bedtime that easily. It was such a pity. Hesitantly, he tugged on Xie Xingye¡¯s robe and asked, ¡°Then¡­will Uncle Xie tell me a story? I¡¯ll sleep after that, promise!¡±


    Xie Xingye pondered. If he remembered right, then it was normal for children to love stories. But what type of story could he even¡­ Xie Xingye¡¯s gaze abruptly shone with a gleeful light. He almost wanted to break out into laughter while rubbing his hands together evilly. If the kid wanted a story, then he¡¯d tell him a story he¡¯d never forget while also making sure that it¡¯d curb his troublesome antics in advance! ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll tell my cute little nephew a wonderful bedtime story~¡±


    Zheng Xuan looked at his beloved¡¯s cheer with a wary expression. What was his lover plotting?


    But not noticing anything, Wei Yuan happily cheered. He was greatly looking forward to what sort of stories this new uncle of his would tell him.


    With that decided, Xie Xingye carried Wei Yuan to his room, with Zheng Xuan accompanying them. As soon as they neared his bed, Wei Yuan leapt into it and happily burrowed under the sheets before looking up at Xie Xingye expectantly.


    Xie Xingye pulled up a chair to the bedside and settled into it comfortably, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and anticipation on his face. Zheng Xuan rested back against the wall near the headboard, wondering if it really was okay to let the child be subjected to whatever his beloved was conspiring.


    With a smile, Xie Xingye asked, ¡°Are you ready for me to start my story?¡±


    Wei Yuan nodded eagerly.


    Xie Xingye¡¯s smile widened. ¡°Let me begin then.¡± In a smooth voice, he recited, ¡°Once upon a time, there was a little boy called Yuan-er.¡±


    Wei Yuan excitedly raised up a hand and declared, ¡°Father Qinghe and Grandfather call me Yuan-er too!¡±


    Xie Xingye exaggeratedly widened his eyes. ¡°Oh? How strange!¡±


    Zheng Xuan¡¯s lips twitched. What was his beloved planning?


    Xie Xingye then continued, ¡°This Yuan-er was a lively little boy with silver hair.¡±


    Wei Yuan raised up his hand again to state, ¡°I have silver hair too!¡±


    Xie Xingye made a big show of looking at the child¡¯s hair and nodded. ¡°Yes, so you do. What a coincidence!¡±


    Wei Yuan wriggled happily on the bed while Zheng Xuan shook his head with a wry smile.


    Xie Xingye went on, ¡°This boy named Yuan-er with silver hair had a strange hobby. He liked to sneak around and eat hair. One day, he spotted a droopy figure with especially long and tasty-looking hair. So Yuan-er did what he always did. He took a step forward and chomped down on the hair. The figure suddenly turned around, and Yuan-er was so shocked that his mouth dropped open and he let go of all that hair. Do you know what he saw?¡±


    With big eyes, Wei Yuan shook his head.


    Xie Xingye grinned and continued, ¡°He saw that the figure with the long hair was not a person. It was a ferocious looking monster with a large mouth covering its whole face. And that mouth was full of sharp black teeth.¡±


    The kid¡¯s eyes grew wider as he drew up the bedcovers to just under his eyes. ¡°A-And then?¡±


    Xie Xingye smirked. ¡°And then the monster gave a hideous shriek and tried to leap onto Yuan-er. But the second Yuan-er saw the monster¡¯s face, he had already started running towards the nearby woods. He ran and ran as fast as his legs could carry, and the monster¡¯s unearthly shriek also grew fainter and fainter as he left it behind. Soon, he¡¯d lost the monster.¡±


    Wei Yuan let out a breath in relief.


    But Xie Xingye¡¯s smile turned evil as he continued, ¡°After escaping into the dark forest, Yuan-er walked around in it for a while. The forest was full of bare black trees without any leaves and with dry black dirt on the ground. Yuan-er wandered in the dark for a long time without being able to find a way out. He stumbled and fell again and again. His body became littered with small scrapes and bruises. He grew hungry and thirsty. But there was no escape from the forest. It was so still and silent here except for the rustle of the trees¡­or so Yuan-er thought at first. Then he remembered, these trees had no leaves, so how would they make rustling noises? Getting curious, he listened closely. And it turned out it wasn¡¯t rustling after all.¡± Xie Xingye leaned forward even more and said, ¡°They were whispers.¡±


    Wei Yuan clutched the edge of the quilt tightly and gulped.


    Xie Xingye went on, ¡°And the whispers said:


    ¡®What a sweet smelling boy! I reckon he¡¯d taste just like candy!¡¯


    ¡®Look, he doesn¡¯t have his parents with him!¡¯


    ¡®He eats hair, he is a naughty little boy.¡¯


    ¡®If he¡¯s a bad boy, then he needs to be punished!¡¯


    ¡°Hearing all this, Yuan-er was terrified. He tried to run away, but he couldn¡¯t escape the forest. Seeing him desperately trying to get out, the evil trees laughed loudly. Their laughter sounded like creepy hisses, echoing and slithering dryly through the forest.


    ¡°As he was fleeing, Yuan-er stumbled over a tree root and fell down. But before he could get up, he felt a sharp line of pain on his back. The tree behind him had whipped him with its stark branch. Yuan-er wanted to scramble up and get away, but another tree bent down and struck him with its branch as well. Then another, and another, and yet another¡­ Yuan-er was soon covered in lash marks. His skin was torn and blood kept pouring out. Poor little Yuan-er screamed and screamed for his parents, but they couldn¡¯t hear him.


    ¡°The bloodthirsty trees kept hitting him again and again, scraping his flesh off his bones little by little until there was nothing of Yuan-er left except a pale skeleton on bloodied ground. Yuan-er¡¯s soul still remained, hovering over what was left of his body and trembling pitifully. The trees finally stopped and laughed again, saying, ¡®Now that the naughty child has been punished, it is time for him to become one of us.¡¯ The other trees all waved their branches in agreement.


    ¡°The earth under Yuan-er¡¯s skeleton sank down and ate up his bones. From the bloodied soil, a new tree grew, its black trunk just as twisted as the other trees, its branches just as bare and sharp. Yuan-er¡¯s soul was sucked into this new tree, and so Yuan-er became a tree. The other trees yelled out congratulations to Yuan-er and said, ¡®The next time a naughty child passes through here, we will give you his hair.¡¯ Hearing this made Yuan-er feel happy again. And so, he eagerly waited along with the other trees for the next naughty child to pass through their forest. The end.¡±


    Wei Yuan looked up at Xie Xingye with terrified eyes. This story was so scary!


    The Zheng Xuan who had ended up getting taken into the morbid tale sighed. He probably should¡¯ve stopped his lover when the story started becoming gruesome. The child was probably traumatized by now.


    Smiling cheerfully, Xie Xingye said to the wide-eyed child, ¡°Yuan-er, you¡¯re a good kid, aren¡¯t you? So you have nothing to worry about. Ah, but there are a lot of trees outside the house, so I hope you don¡¯t go there without having someone accompany you, or who knows what¡¯ll happen? You¡¯ll stay in this room like a good boy during bedtime, won¡¯t you?¡±


    Wei Yuan frantically nodded. ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll be a good boy! I-I won¡¯t eat hair, promise!¡±


    Xie Xingye smiled happily and led Zheng Xuan out, leaving the child to try and sleep. He had no doubt that his dear nephew wouldn¡¯t get up to any mischief while the story was still fresh in his mind.


    And so, dragging his lover into one of the rooms in the Feng residence that was reserved specifically for them, Xie Xingye decided to have some fun with Zheng Xuan on the bed. A helpless Zheng Xuan could only oblige, and the long night was soon filled with passion before giving way to peaceful sleep for the couple.


    ¡­¡­


    A few hours later, Qinghe and Wei Xiang returned to the residence. Due to how the beast they¡¯d gone to hunt had ended up exploding over them, they were both now covered in splashes of blood, some jelly-like white fluid, and large chunks of reddish-pink flesh. Rather than contaminate the house with the gore clinging to them, the pair decided to first have a wash to remove the goo and bits of body parts in the stream flowing through the forest surrounding the house. After washing the blood, disentangling themselves from the coils of ruptured intestines, and picking out eyeballs and teeth out of their hair, they finally returned to their room to have a longer bath in a tub of warm water.


    Soaking relaxedly in the tub while clouds of steam wafted up, Qinghe sighed with satisfaction. ¡°I finally feel clean again.¡±


    Leaning back on the opposite end of the tub, Wei Xiang chuckled. ¡°I really didn¡¯t think I¡¯d ever be free of the feeling of gunk stuck to my skin. Having a bath in warm water really does feel much more cleansing than a wash in the cold stream.¡±


    Qinghe murmured his agreement and closed his eyes. Ahh, this was heavenly¡­ He suddenly felt a warm palm sliding up his leg, brushing past his knee and caressing the inside of his thigh. Qinghe opened his eyelids to half-mast and peered at his beloved.


    Wei Xiang¡¯s eyes bore a suggestive, inviting look. His lips quirking up seductively, he proposed, ¡°Love, why don¡¯t we do something fun together to wind down?¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s lips stretched in a slow, sensual smile of his own. ¡°Something fun, you say? What does my Xiang have in mind, I wonder?¡± But even as he asked that, Qinghe was already leaning forward to trace his husband¡¯s shoulders, his fingers sliding down Wei Xiang¡¯s muscled arms before sweeping back up his firm abdomen and chest. Meanwhile, Qinghe parted his legs to let his beloved slip his wandering fingers in between, taking his length into that warm palm before massaging it to life.


    Giving out a soft groan, Qinghe leaned into Wei Xiang and brought their lips together. Wei Xiang¡¯s hand lifted up from Qinghe¡¯s shaft to hold him by the hip. Qinghe wrapped his arms around his husband and pressed down on Wei Xiang until he was lying back against the tub¡¯s edge again. Qinghe¡¯s lips sucked over his beloved¡¯s while his tongue danced slowly in Wei Xiang¡¯s mouth as if taking its own time to savor a delicious feast. Wei Xiang¡¯s hand squeezed and released Qinghe¡¯s hip in approval while his other palm lifted to cup his beloved¡¯s nape.


    The mood turned thick and amorous, their flushed and wet bodies sliding against each other in an unconscious temptation. The liquid desire pooled in their bellies, flowing languidly through their veins like sweet honey.


    Knock, knock.


    The sound broke through the haze enveloping the bedroom, interrupting them. A sleepy, childish voice called from outside, ¡°Father Qinghe? Father Xiang?¡±


    Qinghe disengaged from the kiss and panted while resting his forehead against Wei Xiang¡¯s. In a husky voice, he said, ¡°It¡¯s Yuan-er.¡±


    Wei Xiang sighed. ¡°So it is. It seems he hasn¡¯t slept yet. But I¡¯m already thankful that he didn¡¯t escape to play in the forest again.¡±


    Qinghe chuckled.


    Pushing his husband to lie back in the water, Wei Xiang stood up from the tub and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of this, so you continue bathing.¡± Since his beloved loved soaking in water, Wei Xiang decided to let him be.


    Qinghe nodded. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll be out in a short while.¡±


    Wei Xiang bent to press a kiss to his cheek before saying, ¡°Alright. Take your time.¡± He quickly got out, dried off the water, and dressed in a long robe before heading towards the door and opening it.


    On the other side stood Wei Yuan, tiredly rubbing his eyes and waving on his feet. Seeing his father in front of him, Wei Yuan raised his arms in a silent request. Wei Xiang obliged, lifting him up and holding him to his chest. Rubbing his son¡¯s round head affectionately, Wei Xiang asked in a quiet and kind voice without any hints of dissatisfaction or impatience, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Xiao Yuan? Why haven¡¯t you slept yet?¡±


    Wei Yuan rubbed his face on Wei Xiang¡¯s chest as if trying to wipe away his drowsiness. ¡°I¡¯m scared the tree monsters will eat me.¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s brows shot up while Qinghe hid his amusement and called from within the room, ¡°What tree monsters do you mean, Yuan-er?¡±


    Wei Yuan blinked to become more awake before explaining, ¡°Uncle Xie told me a scary bedtime story about evil trees that are actually monsters. They wait for children who eat hair to get close and then they use their branches to suddenly hit them.¡± Wei Yuan demonstrated by flailing his little arms as if to mimic wobbly noodles before continuing, ¡°Then a new tree comes out and gobbles up the children¡¯s souls.¡± So saying, he started grabbing fistfuls of air and pretended putting it into his mouth with an adorably ferocious and evil expression. ¡°Then the children become trees!¡± he finished while sitting up straight in Wei Xiang¡¯s arms, his own arms extending diagonally up and his fingers spreading out as if imitating the branches of a tree. Holding this position with wide eyes, Wei Yuan looked at his parents as if saying, See, isn¡¯t it horrifying?


    Witnessing all this, both Qinghe and Wei Xiang had to struggle to contain their laughter. How could their son be so cute!


    Wei Xiang patted his son¡¯s back and solemnly promised, ¡°It¡¯s alright, Xiao Yuan. Though the tree monsters sound very¡­formidable, you can rest assured that I and your Father Qinghe won¡¯t let them get you.¡±


    Wei Yuan nodded. ¡°I know. That¡¯s why I came to ask if I can sleep here even though I¡¯m a big boy now.¡±


    Unable to help himself, Wei Xiang bent to press a series of small kisses to his little son¡¯s adorable face. ¡°Yes, my Xiao Yuan is such a big and brave boy. But even big and brave boys will want to cuddle with their parents, so yes, you can stay with us tonight.¡±


    Wei Yuan smiled happily, his eyes turning to crescents. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s cuddle!¡±


    Qinghe chuckled warmly at his lethally adorable husband and son duo. Shifting lazily in the tub of warm water, Qinghe placed an elbow on the edge and cupped his chin with a palm while looking at his son. ¡°Yuan-er, would you like me to ask Uncle Xie not to tell you scary stories like that again?¡± After all, whatever story Xie Xingye had told Wei Yuan seemed dark enough to scare such a small child into weeks of nightmares.


    But to the couple¡¯s surprise, Wei Yuan shook his head with bright eyes while saying, ¡°No, I like Uncle Xie¡¯s scary story. I want him to tell me more scary stories!¡±


    Qinghe raised an eyebrow. ¡°Since Uncle Xie and Uncle Zheng are staying at our house for now, you can ask him tomorrow.¡±


    Wei Yuan looked delighted while Wei Xiang wryly shook his head and carried his son to the bed. Laying down Wei Yuan in the middle, Wei Xiang settled on one side of the bed, leaving the other side open for his husband. Placing his palm on the restlessly shifting child¡¯s stomach, Wei Xiang said, ¡°Your Father Qinghe will come join us after he¡¯s done bathing, so be good, Xiao Yuan.¡±


    Wei Yuan nodded. But after a bare few minutes of exercising his patience, Wei Yuan squirmed impatiently and asked in an aggrieved voice, ¡°Is Father Qinghe not done yet?¡±


    Chuckling, Wei Xing rubbed his son¡¯s stomach. ¡°Settle down, Xiao Yuan. Your father will be here soon.¡±


    In a low murmur, Wei Yuan grumbled to himself, ¡°¡®Soon¡¯ is just one of the adults¡¯ lies to kids.¡± Then turning around, he snuggled into Wei Xiang¡¯s chest.


    Laughing quietly, Qinghe decided to not keep his son waiting any longer and got out of the tub. After drying himself using wind and dressing in a loose robe, he laid down on Wei Yuan¡¯s other side. Wei Yuan turned onto his back again and wriggled like a happy little worm. His favorite place in the whole world was lying like this between his fathers!


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang draped an arm each on the giddy child and settled in to sleep. Wei Yuan stilled, trying to soak up this comfortable feeling and sleep as well. But as he blinked up at the ceiling, he realized that he wasn¡¯t as drowsy as before. Wei Yuan frowned up at the shadows overhead, feeling a bit stifled. Just past the barrier of this ceiling, there laid the vast sky with boundless stars. Yet here he was, stuffed into a room. If not for his parents, Wei Yuan might have tried to escape out into the forest like usual.


    ¡°What is it, Yuan-er?¡± Qinghe asked softly, noticing his son¡¯s disquiet. ¡°Are you unable to sleep?¡±


    Wei Xiang opened his eyes to peer at his son as well.


    Wei Yuan puffed up his cheeks and said, ¡°The ceiling is too boring, and trying to sleep in a gloomy room doesn¡¯t feel nice. Maybe I¡¯ll feel more sleepy if I can see the starts and be outside in the forest.¡±


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang exchanged a glance. So this was why their son kept trying to escape into the forest at bedtime? Was he feeling suffocated inside the confines of the house at night?


    Wei Xiang frowned and asked Qinghe, ¡°Do you think we should build an open-air room for him to sleep in during fair weather?¡±


    Qinghe sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s discuss it together with Mother and Father later.¡± Then looking at Wei Yuan, he smiled. ¡°Yuan-er, you should¡¯ve told us before why you wanted to run into the forest during bedtime every night. We would¡¯ve listened and tried to make it feel better for you.¡±


    Wei Yuan blinked up with tentative hope. ¡°Then¡­I don¡¯t have to sleep inside?¡±


    Wei Xiang patted his son¡¯s head. ¡°You might have to stay inside when there¡¯s rain or snow. But I don¡¯t see why you can¡¯t sleep outside the rest of the time as long as you remain within the residence¡¯s grounds and somewhere we can check up on you.¡±


    Wei Yuan shot upright on the bed and bounced happily. ¡°Yay! Then can we sleep outside now?¡±


    Qinghe rose up as well and grinned. ¡°Yes, we can.¡± Then turning to Wei Xiang, he said, ¡°Xiang, I¡¯ll bring the spare mattress, so can you carry out the quilts and pillows?¡±


    Wei Xiang nodded and the family of three soon got to work. Within minutes, they¡¯d spread out a thick mattress out on the training field behind the house. After the pillows and quilts were added to make it cozy, Wei Yuan jumped onto it and rolled around with pure joy on his adorable face. Lying down on either side of him after he settled down, Qinghe and Wei Xiang smiled at each other over their son¡¯s head.


    Something suddenly occurring to him, Qinghe turned to Wei Yuan and began tickling his belly while asking, ¡°I thought Yuan-er just said that you were afraid of the tree monsters? Since we¡¯re outside, aren¡¯t you afraid the tree monsters will be able to get to us more easily?¡±


    Wei Yuan squirmed and giggled under his father¡¯s merciless tickling. Grabbing Qinghe¡¯s hand with both of his to make him stop, Wei Yuan lifted it and hugged it to him with a sweet smile. Shaking his head, he replied confidently, ¡°Since Father Qinghe and Father Xiang are here, the trees won¡¯t dare to eat me!¡±


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang chuckled at how proud their son looked. His faith in them was clear as day.


    ¡°Yes, Xiao Yuan is right,¡± Wei Xiang said. ¡°We won¡¯t let anything happen to you.¡±


    ¡°Mn!¡± Wei Yuan nodded with a grin.


    Qinghe and Wei Xiang smiled back with gentle expressions.


    Silence stretched for a few moments, filled with warm feelings.


    Then patting Wei Yuan¡¯s head, Qinghe said softly, ¡°Yuan-er, the next time something is bothering you and you don¡¯t know how to resolve it on your own¨Dlike how you didn¡¯t want to sleep inside the house, for example¨DI want you to clearly tell us, alright? I¡¯m sorry that we were unable to notice this issue before today. But as your parents, as long as you tell us if something¡¯s wrong, we¡¯ll try to help you as much as we can.¡±


    Wei Yuan tilted his head as if digesting his words, then cheerfully nodded. ¡°Okay!¡±


    Qinghe pecked him on his forehead. ¡°Good. Now, let¡¯s sleep.¡±


    Gazing up at the glittering stars spread above him and feeling the fresh breeze brushing his face, Wei Yuan felt more relaxed and calm than he could ever describe. Lying down out in the open like this, he was sure that he¡¯d have the best sleep ever!


    However, the family of three were soon interrupted in their quest to reach dreamland.


    After Feng Huixin and Feng Chunyi were done with their respective tasks, they met in the heavenly capital to spend some time together before leisurely returning home at night. But when Feng Chunyi casually gazed out the window in her and Feng Huixin¡¯s room, the sight that greeted her was that of her sons and grandson happily stargazing together on a comfy mattress without even inviting her to join them in such a fun activity! How unfair!


    And so, Feng Chunyi grabbed a mattress, a pair of pillows, a quilt, and her husband before marching outside, determined to not be left out.


    Seeing his grandparents and hearing that they would be joining them, Wei Yuan was more than thrilled. Qinghe and Wei Xiang could only sigh wryly. With Feng Chunyi here, they would probably not be able to sleep for a while. But of course, they didn¡¯t refuse her enthusiastic declaration of joining them. Soon, Feng Chunyi laid out her mattress adjoining the top of her sons¡¯ and grandson¡¯s mattress. This way, she and her husband could lie in such a manner that all five of their heads would be near to each other. It would be most conductive to chatting.


    Once the new arrivals were finished settling down, there was a few moments of silence. Insects chirped in the distance while leaves rustled. The breeze was pleasant and the starry sky serving as their ceiling glimmered with quiet tranquility.


    And then Feng Chunyi spoke, ¡°Now that we¡¯re all together, are we just going to sleep? It¡¯ll be boring!¡±


    Feng Huixin shook his head helplessly. Where did his wife even get this boundless and inexhaustible energy from?


    Wei Xiang tilted his head towards her and asked, ¡°What else do you suggest we do, Mother-in-law?¡±


    Feng Chunyi grinned. ¡°We can talk about something fun~¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡± Qinghe prodded.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t have anything particular in mind right now,¡±  Feng Chunyi replied with a shrug. ¡°What about you, my darling son? Is there something interesting you want to talk about?¡±


    Qinghe frowned, pondering seriously. Then brightening, he turned to Feng Huixin with shining eyes, ¡°Father, do you know any embarrassing childhood stories about Xiang?¡±


    Wei Xiang¡¯s mouth twitched. To his relief, Feng Huixin shook his head with an amused gaze. ¡°I¡¯m afraid Wei Xiang was already a well-behaved child when he came to me.¡±


    Narrowing his eyes at his naughty little husband, Wei Xiang chuckled cheerfully. ¡°Well, since you opened the door, love, maybe it¡¯s time I heard some of your embarrassing childhood stories.¡± Turning to Feng Chunyi, he prompted, ¡°Mother-in-law?¡±


    Feng Chunyi giggled gleefully. ¡°Yes, there are too many funny little stories about this son of mine.¡±


    ¡°Mother!¡± Qinghe called loudly.


    Feng Chunyi ignored him and went on, ¡°For example, the way he hated wearing pants. Sometimes, he¡¯d even remove his robes and run around naked in the forest. The amount of wood splinters and sand I had to pick out from his bouncy little butt cheeks because of his propensity to plop his butt down anywhere he could are uncountable.¡±


    Qinghe buried his burning face in his hands while Wei Xiang¡¯s low laughter rang out. To add insult to injury, Wei Xiang said, ¡°Mother-in-law, I wouldn¡¯t say that¡¯s something he only did as a child. Sometimes when he¡¯s drunk, he says he dislikes clothes and tries to do the same thing, though he thankfully retains enough awareness to keep on at least a single layer before going outside.¡±


    ¡°X-Xiang!¡± Qinghe shouted and clamped a hand over his husband¡¯s mouth before he could say anything else.


    Feng Chunyi laughed merrily, taking great joy in her son¡¯s mortification.


    Just then, Feng Huixin spoke, ¡°That¡¯s something Qinghe might have gotten from Chunyi. I clearly remember that one a certain day back in our world, after drinking copious amounts of alcohol, Chunyi went to take a bath to cool off and decided to head to town after that to eat. Only¡­she forgot to put on anything. It was a good thing that Master caught her before she could leave the pocket dimension or who knows how far she¡¯d have gone without putting on clo¨D¡±


    ¡°A-Ah-Xin! Enough!¡± Feng Chunyi exclaimed and blocked her husband¡¯s mouth. She puffed up her pink cheeks and glared at him as if he¡¯d betrayed her. Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes smiled back at her with humor.


    Seeing that Feng Huixin had cooperatively stopped talking, she took back her hand from her husband¡¯s face and tried to say something to embarrass him in return, ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I never caught you naked too! Whenever you were in the communal bath chamber, you were always naked!¡±


    Feng Huixin raised a brow. ¡°Chunyi¡­since I must have gone there to bathe, it¡¯s only a given that I wouldn¡¯t have any clothes on. How else would I bathe?¡±


    Feng Chunyi¡¯s face turned redder. ¡°A-Ah-Xin! You dare argue with me using logic!¡±


    Qinghe burst out laughing, finally removing his own hand from his husband¡¯s face as well. Wei Xiang shook his head with a smile. His mother-in-law was so ridiculous.


    Having been witnessing everything with gleaming eyes, Wei Yuan giggled happily. ¡°Grandmother, you¡¯re so funny!¡±


    Feng Chunyi turned to him and energetically ruffled the child¡¯s hair. ¡°You brat! Are you disrespecting your grandmother?¡±


    Wei Yuan only giggled harder, squirming under her hand.


    Feng Chunyi¡¯s face softened. ¡°So what about you, Grandson? Are there any stories you¡¯d like to report today?¡±


    Hearing the word ¡®stories¡¯, Wei Yuan perked up and narrated the tale of the scary tree monsters to his grandparents using the same exaggerated gestures to show how the evil tree gobbled the souls of hair-eating children. Feng Chunyi and Feng Huixin looked like they were suppressing their mirth while trying not to squish their adorable grandson¡¯s cheeks as he seriously demonstrated for them.


    ¡°I see,¡± Feng Huixin finally said after Wei Yuan was done telling his tale. ¡°That certainly sounds frightening. Is Yuan-er afraid because of that?¡±


    Wei Yuan cheerfully shook his head. ¡°Father Qinghe and Father Xiang and Grandfather and Grandmother are here, so the trees won¡¯t be brave enough to come here!¡±


    Feng Chunyi nodded approvingly. ¡°Yes, they won¡¯t have the guts to bother the great Heavenly General¡¯s grandchild!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Wei Yuan cheered with his arms up in the air. Then blinking expectantly at his Feng Chunyi, he asked, ¡°Grandmother, do you know any fun stories?¡±


    Feng Chunyi grinned and asked in return, ¡°Have you ever heard stories about your grandfather before?¡±


    Feng Huixin¡¯s eyes widened. What?!


    To his embarrassment, Wei Yuan nodded. ¡°Yes. We learnt it in school. The day before yesterday, the teacher told us about how Grandfather took down a very old and strong monster that even the previous Heavenly Emperor couldn¡¯t beat. Everyone was talking about how unbeatable Grandfather was, and they all got so jealous when I told them he was my grandfather!¡± Wei Yuan laughed with smugness and satisfaction at that remembered image.


    Feng Huixin coughed, his ears burning red. He felt secretly pleased at how his little grandson seemed proud of his relationship to him. Feng Chunyi chuckled quietly and hugged her husband, snuggling into his warmth. Her Ah-Xin was so cute!


    Smiling, Qinghe told his son, ¡°Yuan-er, you should sleep now. We have a playdate for you to attend tomorrow with Yue-er and your older sister Lan-er at her house, remember? Everyone is going to be there. You don¡¯t want to be sleepy when you greet them, do you?¡±


    Recalling that there was more fun to be had tomorrow, Wei Yuan¡¯s face up while he wiggled with excitement. Then his expression suddenly drooped as he complained, ¡°But Grandmother and Grandfather never come to my playdates.¡±


    As Wei Yuan¡¯s lethally cute eyes blinked sadly at his grandparents, Feng Chunyi quickly said, ¡°We¡¯ll come, we¡¯ll come! I and Ah-Xin don¡¯t have much to do tomorrow since we just finished difficult tasks today. Isn¡¯t that right, Ah-Xin?¡±


    Feng Huixin nodded and lifted a hand to pat his grandson¡¯s head. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll accompany you tomorrow.¡±


    Wei Yuan¡¯s expression turned cheerful again. ¡°Yay! We¡¯re all going to play tomorrow!¡±


    Wei Xiang laughed. ¡°Yes, yes. But if you don¡¯t sleep, that tomorrow won¡¯t come, Xiao Yuan.¡±


    And so, the happy child wiggled a bit more to vent his excitement before cuddling with his fathers and closing his eyes. Surrounded by what he knew was the best family in all the worlds, Wei Yuan drifted off into sleep with a content smile on his face.


    ¡­¡­


    The next morning, miffed that they didn¡¯t get to sleep under the stars with the others, Xie Xingye made sure to tag along while dragging Zheng Xuan with him as the family of five went to the play date at Yan Lin¡¯s place. After the way Qinghe, Wei Xiang, Jing Shui, Wu Xiao, Chen Xiande, and Hei NingYu often came to meet up here, Yan Lin¡¯s cottage had become the unofficial gathering place for everyone.


    Even after two hundred years, Yan Lin¡¯s cottage remained much the same. A vegetable garden sprawled in front of it while the wooden hut looked small and cozy as always. But its wooden boards and thatched roof had already had to be replaced several times over these past two centuries. However, Yan Lin and Zheng LiYing insisted on remaking their cottage the same as it was.


    In the land behind the cottage, the ground had been cleared of weeds and rocks to make it smooth so that it could be used for gatherings. A long, worn table sat in the middle, with unlit lamps in a line at the center. Instead of chairs, two long benches rested on either side of the table to offer seating.


    On one side grew Yan Lin¡¯s fruit orchard, and on the other side was a small pond that was added more recently. As the land shifted over the centuries, a pit had opened up there. As a result, Chen Xiande had used his earth ability to firm up the land so that it wouldn¡¯t fall apart further while Jing Shui used his water ability to pull up water from deep underground and established a channel to fill and supply the pit with clean water. Hence the pond came to be. On Yan Minglan¡¯s request, Chen Xiande had created a small island at the very center of the pond, and a single tree now grew out of there. Seeing how Yan Minglan spent most of her time there, it was unanimously agreed that it was her territory.


    When the entire Feng household arrived, Zhang LiYing was having Hei NingYu, Chen Xiande, and Jing Shui help her set the table. Wu Xiao was playing with his little son on the island while Wu Jiyue was resting on Yan Minglan¡¯s lap. Yan Lin was puttering inside the house, filling bowls with food and doing other menial tasks. Already familiar with these people, Feng Huixin said simple greetings and went inside to help Yan Lin. Zheng Xuan followed him. Feng Chunyi and Xie Xingye happily skipped off to play with Wu Jiyue a bit while waiting for dinner to be ready. But their respective beloveds soon came to drag them off, saying that they needed more hands.


    Seeing that Wei Yuan was here, Wu Xiao came over with gleaming eyes while the four people setting the table were drawn over as well. As familiar hands pinched his cheek, rubbed his head, patted his back, and tickled his tummy, Wei Yuan giggled cheerfully. He was already used to all the attention he got from his aunts and uncles, and he happily took it as his due.


    Once they¡¯d had their fill, Zhang LiYing and the others in the table-setting group went back to their duties while Wu Xiao held Wei Yuan and asked, ¡°Are you here for the playdate, brat?¡±


    Wei Yuan nodded and smiled brightly. ¡°Yes! I want to play with Xiao Yue!¡±


    Qinghe chuckled. ¡°Sect Master Wu, could we trouble you to take Yuan-er to Yue-er then?¡±


    Wu Xiao agreed and walked towards the island before depositing his nephew beside his cute son. ¡°Xiao Yuan, will you take care of Xiao Yue and play with him?¡±


    Wei Yuan nodded and seriously sat down beside Yan Minglan and the Wu Jiyue on her lap. Yan Minglan took out a fruit from the basket beside her and offered it to Wei Yuan. ¡°Want one?¡±


    Wei Yuan nodded and accepted it. ¡°Thank you, Sister Minglan!¡±


    Yan Minglan smiled and patted Wei Yuan before taking out a fruit of her own to munch on. In her lap, the baby Wu Jiyue blinked at them both with big eyes while sucking his own thumb. He turned his head to his father silently and stared.


    Seeming to understand his son¡¯s thoughts, Wu Xiao rubbed Wu Jiyue¡¯s head and said, ¡°You can eat fruits if you grow up quickly, Xiao Yue. Now be good and play with your big brother and sister, alright?¡±


    Wu Jiyue burbled softly and turned away.


    Smiling affectionately, Wu Xiao kissed his son¡¯s cheek and leapt over the band of water around the island so that he could go and accompany his Ah-Shui. Wu Jiyue watched him go from the corner of his eyes and carefully got down from Yan Minglan¡¯s lap, crawling towards the island¡¯s edge.


    ¡°Xiao Yue, do you want to watch the fishies in the water? I¡¯ll come with you too! Who knows if there¡¯ll be any monster fishies who can eat you in one gulp!¡± Wei Yuan said after finishing his fruit and followed the toddler.


    Yan Minglan kept watch on them both silently while eating fruits. If they leaned too much over the edge, she would quickly use the pole with the wooden hook sitting beside her to drag them back by their collars.


    Having reached the island¡¯s edge, Wu Jiyue was splashing his hands in the water, his face solemn. Thin feathers of silvery frost crept outwards from his palms, freezing the water into a layer of delicate designs. The strands of frost shimmered in the bright afternoon light as if encrusted with glitter.


    Holding Wu Jiyue by the waist so that he wouldn¡¯t fall in, Wei Yuan watched it with shining eyes and exclaimed, ¡°Xiao Yue, that¡¯s so pretty!¡±


    Wu Jiyue paused, looking up at Wei Yuan. Then, with a focused expression, he returned his attention to freezing more water for Wei Yuan to admire. Though he had wanted to freeze the water to make a bridge so that he could go to his fathers, now that he had his big brother Yuan here, he didn¡¯t feel the need to anymore. Plus, he liked it when this big brother of his praised him, so Wu Jiyue contended himself with making more pretty patterns on the water.


    Near the table, Jing Shui sighed. ¡°Is Yue-er using his ability again? I hope he doesn¡¯t exhaust himself like last time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. That brat Xiao Yuan and Miss Yan are there with him,¡± Wu Xiao reminded.


    ¡°Yuan-er is surprisingly astute for his age, so Brother Jing doesn¡¯t have to worry. Not to mention that Miss Yan is very dependable,¡± Chen Xiande added. Turning to Zheng LiYing, he said, ¡°Madam Yan, may I ask you to set aside two more bowls of food and pairs of chopsticks? I ended up talking about today¡¯s gathering to my twin junior brothers and they said that they wanted to come too.¡±


    Zheng LiYing smiled and nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± Since she had just finished her share of the work, she went in to prepare the two additional portions.


    Soon enough, the twins arrived as well, directly making towards Qinghe for a round of hugging and acting spoiled before being sent off on babysitting duty with Yan Minglan. Just then, Feng Chunyi and Xie Xingye managed to escape from working inside the house, slumping on the benches by the table as if they¡¯d just finished the most grueling tasks of their lives.


    On the island, Fei Jin crouched by Wei Yuan and said to him teasingly, ¡°Yuan-er is such a good big brother to Yue-er. When you have more siblings, I can see that you¡¯ll take care of them very well.¡±


    Wei Yuan puffed up his chest and sat straight. ¡°Of course I will! I¡¯ll be a good big brother to everyone!¡±


    Fei Yin smiled and praised in his whispery voice, ¡°Yuan-er is so mature. Have you thought of what you want to be in the future?¡±


    Wei Yuan grinned and nodded. ¡°Yes, I want to be a general like Grandmother!¡±


    By the table, Feng Chunyi froze, her eyes growing wide. W-What? For once, she was rendered speechless, her face going red with bashful embarrassment. She felt so happy that she was unable to express it.


    Xie Xingye chuckled and hugged his sister with an arm. He knew how much her grandson¡¯s words meant to her.


    Meanwhile, standing together under the shade of a tree and leaning against its trunk, Qinghe and Wei Xiang shared a look. Without having to exchange a word, they silently decided that they would work hard to have the laws of the heavenly court amended so that even spiritual beasts could head the heavenly armies as long as they were strongly affiliated with a deity household. No matter what their son chose, they would wholeheartedly support him.


    Turning back to the sun-drenched scene of energetic bustle before them, the couple observed in peaceful silence.


    Qinghe was the first to speak, ¡°It¡¯s too bad that your senior brother couldn¡¯t come with Master Ying, or this gathering would have been complete.¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled. ¡°Kong Min skipped out on too much work this week, so I¡¯ve chained him to his desk again. I suspect the Master of Land is accompanying him. But even if I didn¡¯t make Kong Min work, I doubt that reclusive lover of his would want to come to a place and be a part of such a lively horde.¡±


    Qinghe hummed thoughtfully. ¡°That¡¯s true. Even without them, this is already quite a crowd.¡± His face easing into a content smile, Qinghe went on in a soft voice, ¡°It¡¯s incredible when I think about it. At first, it was just me and the twins. But now, the group of people I love have grown so much. It was more than anything I could have imagined.¡±


    Before he and his Xiang¡¯s paths had crossed, Qinghe used to run himself ragged, then drop down in front of the twins while exhausted and riddled with injuries. As Fei Yin and Fei Jin held back their tears and grimly attended to his wounds, he would pretend to not see his junior brother¡¯s worries about what all he was doing to himself or their fear that they would lose him. He pretended that everything was alright and that he could handle all the sufferings he put himself through.


    As long as he didn¡¯t die, everything else could be fixed.


    But it was only after his lover and friends interceded that he realized that no, he was not alright, and that he could use their support as a crutch until he healed enough to be alright again. It was okay to say that he couldn¡¯t do some things. It was okay to say that he was uncomfortable. And it was okay to treat himself with as much kindness as he would treat at least a stranger. He wouldn¡¯t say that he was completely free of issues even now, but he knew that he would one day get there with the help of all the people who cared about him. And that was enough for him.


    Qinghe closed his eyes and leaned his head on Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulder. ¡°There really are a lot of people in my life now, and I am all the more happier for it.¡±


    Wei Xiang chuckled and gently wrapped an arm around his husband. ¡°Yes. And Qinghe, it was you who brought them all together. It was you who created this big and wonderful family connected by both blood and bond.¡±


    Qinghe¡¯s cheeks turned pink. He turned his head to bury it in Wei Xiang¡¯s shoulder, feeling both pleased and happy.


    ¡°The food¡¯s ready!¡± Zhang LiYing¡¯s voice called out.


    Qinghe opened his eyes and straightened from Wei Xiang¡¯s embrace. Chaos abounded in front of them as everyone fell on the food like a pack of starving wolves, fighting to get more of their or their beloved¡¯s favorite food. Laughter, teasing, and banter filled the space.


    Wei Xiang shook his head at this scene. Holding his husband¡¯s hand, he strode forward, pulling Qinghe along with him and out of the tree¡¯s shade. Turning back with an amused smile, he said, ¡°Love, if we don¡¯t hurry, all the food will be gone.¡±


    Letting out a laugh, Qinghe followed his Xiang into the light.


    Feng Qinghe and Wei Xiang thus continued to walk on the road to eternity, every day spent with joy and contentment while surrounded by their friends, family, and each other.


    To not make this announcement too lengthy, I''ve decided to write an afterword to thank you all, share a few things, and make some small announcements. I hope you can take the time to read it~ (?? ? ??)

 Afterword

    crimson_carnation


    Dear Readers,


    This afterword will contain my expressions of gratitude to you, my plans for the future regarding this story and writing in general, and a small announcement.


    I would like to start by saying: Thank you!


    Thank you for accompanying me on the journey of Heavenly Soul. Thank you for your presence, comments, reviews, and other forms of encouragement. And most of all, thank you for being here to read this!


    Heavenly Soul was my first ever attempt at seriously planning and writing a story, and it was undoubtedly very challenging. Especially so because I never considered writing BL or in a Chinese setting before this. Though now I can see places where I could improve the story, overall, I¡¯m still proud of what I¡¯ve written so far. A few of the concepts in this story are very dear to my heart, and I¡¯m glad to see it being received so warmly. I¡¯m grateful to have been able to meet you through this story and for the opportunity of getting to know some of you more.


    I feel that I¡¯ve developed a lot as both a writer and a person since I started Heavenly Soul and posted it on an impulse due to Yan-jie¡¯s encouragement barely more than a year ago on the 2nd of December, 2018. Since then, it has made me endlessly happy to see that it was able to brighten at least a few people¡¯s days, bring a smile to their faces, or touch them in some way. And I naturally couldn¡¯t have come this far without all of your support. So once again, thank you!


    Now, onto what¡¯s in store for the future~


    As I¡¯ve informed before, An YaLing and Li Yingzi will get their own spin-off. I¡¯m not planning for it to be even nearly half as long as Heavenly Soul, but since series lengths have a way of overthrowing my expectations, we¡¯ll have to wait and see how it goes. I might also add new extras to Heavenly Soul itself if I come up with any ideas I feel worth adding to the story.


    Other spin-offs from this world that I¡¯m actually not yet sure if I¡¯ll write are:


    If you¡¯d like to see any of these stories written, then feel free to tell me in the comments and I¡¯ll very seriously consider it :)


    Of course, apart from these spin-offs, I have a few other stories planned as well that are unrelated to Heavenly Soul. There might be a lot of short stories and maybe even a long world-hopping one coming up in the future~


    If you are interested in reading more stories by me, then you can find my first attempts at GL in the two oneshots I wrote for the Yuri Garden Writing Competition and won with in my profile page here. You can see them by clicking the ''Series'' tab. If you would like to know whenever I post new stories or announcements in the future, you can follow me on my profile page to get notified immediately~


    To wrap up this long string of words, I¡¯d like to thank everyone reading this one more time: Thank you very, very much! I hope to see you again in my other stories~


    With heartfelt regards and lots of hugs,


    Crimson Carnation


    An interview where I mostly talk about Heavenly Soul, including an amusing skit where I was asked to confront Qinghe and Wei Xiang and tell them I was the author responsible for everything that happened to them (? ¨Œ ? ;) You can find it here~ (??¦Ø??)