After leaving the chaotic battlefield, Fifth Senior Brother let out a deep sigh and first cupped his fists in thanks. “Thank you, both of you. What exactly was all that...”
“An undeserved disaster.” Ye Chenyan gave Tianji Zi a warning look, signaling for him not to rashly reveal anything unusual about Yu Qingtang, even if the man was Yu Qingtang’s senior brother.
“Heh.” Tianji Zi rolled his eyes, but he cooperated and nodded. “There are certain abnormalities with Little Yu. The Esoteric Sect noticed and wanted to investigate.”
He smiled. “You know how they are. The Esoteric Sect considers itself chosen by fate and loves sticking its nose everywhere under the banner of ‘setting the world right.’”
“Ah?” Fifth Senior Brother looked worried. “Then my junior brother...”
As he spoke, he choked on the words and looked up at the two of them. Tianji Zi burst out laughing. “Relax. The two of us already knew.”
“The Esoteric Sect wants to take him back and investigate him. They may not necessarily mean him harm. But once he enters the Esoteric Sect, getting back out would always come with constraints, and he would inevitably be watched.”
Tianji Zi shook his head. “This little fellow is used to wandering free. I’m afraid he wouldn’t be able to bear that.”
Fifth Senior Brother’s brows knitted tightly.
Ye Chenyan cupped his fists. “Fifth Senior Brother, why not let him leave with me for now? My Guiyi Sect will certainly protect him.”
Tianji Zi glanced at him, then sighed faintly. He did not quibble over Ye Chenyan dragging out Guiyi Sect’s banner at a time like this and instead played along. “I do not mean to sound unpleasant, but that old man Idle Crane is usually just as carefree as he is, and too lazy to cultivate. I’m afraid he would have a hard time protecting this child from the Esoteric Sect now.”
Fifth Senior Brother looked at them deeply, then lowered his head and cupped his fists. “I naturally trust the two of you. Then, when Junior Brother wakes up, I’ll tell him...”
Tianji Zi shook his head slightly. “We cannot wait that long.”
“I have to send them to Nanzhou at once and place them in the care of a few old friends. That region is a mixed bag of fish and dragons, and even the Esoteric Sect would find it difficult to interfere there.”
Smiling, he patted Fifth Senior Brother on the shoulder. “Children always have to go out and make their way once they grow up. We elders can only learn to set our hearts at ease.”
“When we reach the border in a bit, I will put you down first.”
Fifth Senior Brother’s brows drew together in distress. He stared at Yu Qingtang for a while before finally closing his eyes and steeling himself. “Then I’ll have to trouble you both.”
His tone was earnest. “My little junior brother is rather cherished by our sect on ordinary days. He is a bit greedy for food, afraid of pain, and fond of slacking off in cultivation, but he absolutely has no ill intentions.”
“If he fails to observe propriety in the future and displeases either of you, I will apologize on his behalf first. But please... you must keep him safe!”
“Naturally.” Tianji Zi smiled and patted Ye Chenyan.
Ye Chenyan pressed his lips together and answered solemnly, “I will.”
Fifth Senior Brother seemed rather nervous. He rambled on about many things from Yu Qingtang’s childhood, exposing everything from his eating preferences to his usual tricks for slacking off.
Meanwhile, Yu Qingtang was half unconscious and half asleep, lying on the cloud with no awareness at all. He had no idea that, behind his back, they had already completed the handover ceremony for Biehe Sect’s idle cultivator to Guiyi Sect.
Ye Chenyan listened seriously and committed every last detail to memory. Only after Tianji Zi put Fifth Senior Brother down did he cup his fists in farewell. “Fifth Senior Brother, rest assured. Once this matter is over, I will return to Biehe Sect with him.”
He lowered his head and glanced at Yu Qingtang, then laughed quietly. “I guarantee he won’t be missing a single piece of flesh.”
Only then did Fifth Senior Brother watch them leave, reluctant to part.
Once they were out of Fifth Senior Brother’s sight, Ye Chenyan moved back to sit beside Yu Qingtang. Only then did he have the leisure to look him over carefully—he had already changed back into men’s clothing.
That face, cool and distant when it held no expression, did not seem much different. Only his lips looked a little paler than usual.
As if possessed, Ye Chenyan reached out.
Tianji Zi cleared his throat. “Ahem.”
Ye Chenyan came back to himself and turned to glare at him. Tianji Zi glanced at him. “I am still here. Don’t you go doing anything bad.”
As he spoke, he tossed over a jade token.
Ye Chenyan caught it, raised a brow, and recognized it as the jade token Yu Qingtang had worn at his waist during the Golden Core Competition.
He asked, “So you were the one who gave it to him?”
“Mm.” Tianji Zi shook his head. “I calculated long ago that he would face a calamity involving the Esoteric Sect. I thought that giving him this jade token would not only conceal the abnormalities from the Golden Core Competition, but also keep him from being noticed by the Esoteric Sect.”
“Tsk. Who could have known...”
Tianji Zi sounded somewhat rueful. “When he left, he returned the jade token to me, attached a thank-you letter, and placed a Spirit Heart Grass inside.”
“Ah, what use would I still have for Spirit Heart Grass? But it was his heartfelt gesture, at least. He really is a good child.”
As he spoke, he deliberately took a spirit-rich immortal grass from his robe and waved it in front of Ye Chenyan. “You don’t have one, do you?”
Ye Chenyan took a deep breath, lifted a smile onto his face, and suddenly reached out to snatch the grass. But Tianji Zi abruptly leaned back and grinned cheekily. “Ah—can’t reach!”
“Didn’t he leave you a gift too?” Tianji Zi said on purpose. “That pink mist. Didn’t it leave you a lovely dream?”
“You!” Ye Chenyan turned his head aside and drew a deep breath. “You knew the Esoteric Sect would cause trouble for him, yet you still wouldn’t let me come!”
“Heh, can’t recognize a good heart when you see one.” Tianji Zi rolled his eyes. “If the Esoteric Sect found him on his own, they would only know he was someone from beyond this world. They might not necessarily do anything.”
“But the fate he crashed into was yours.”
Tianji Zi poked his forehead. “If the two of you stayed together and someone from the Esoteric Sect came to look, well now, wouldn’t that be a perfect case of stealing someone’s fate? Caught red-handed. Then he could just wait to be thrown into the Heaven-Mending furnace!”
Ye Chenyan’s heart tightened. He asked, “Then did they see it this time?”
“How would I know?” Tianji Zi rolled his eyes. “In any case, before you enter the Out-of-Body stage, behave yourself and stay in Nanzhou. There will naturally be someone there to protect you.”
He paused. “But if someone protects you, naturally someone else will refuse to submit to you. I know your personality. You’re not afraid of being tempered.”
“But now that you are bringing him with you... Nanzhou is not like other places. It is a mixed bag of fish and dragons, where demonfolk and demons live side by side, and all kinds of underhanded methods emerge one after another. If you want to protect him, you do not only need to grow more capable. You also need to grow sharper.”
“I know.” Ye Chenyan lowered his eyes to look at Yu Qingtang and carefully touched the back of his head. “Who hit him just now? I didn’t see clearly... They struck so hard.”
“That holy maiden.” Tianji Zi slanted him a look. “Idiot. She was clearly softhearted and knocked him out lightly before that old man from the Esoteric Sect could make a move.”
“Hmph.” Ye Chenyan gave a low snort. Remembering how Yu Qingtang had stopped him from kicking her earlier, his expression turned subtly displeased.
...
Yu Qingtang slept soundly until he woke up on his own.
He stretched, lay on the bed, and yawned—he had kept feeling as if something was missing today, and only in his dreams had he figured it out. He was missing a sleep.
Staying up all night cultivating really was no good. Even if his spirit could hold up, his heart was not happy about it.
Fully satisfied after catching up on sleep, Yu Qingtang rolled over, only to belatedly realize—he did not recognize this room.
With a sudden idle-cultivator roll, he sat up and nervously looked himself over. Then he touched his abdomen. His Golden Core was still there. No one had cut out his kidney.
He looked around warily. The room’s furnishings were simple, not like some luxurious inn. The material of the room was not ordinary wood either, but more like bamboo.
A faint fragrance came from outside, as if someone was grilling something.
Yu Qingtang: “...”
This seemed like a trap.
He carefully got out of bed, lifted the window open just a crack, and secretly peered outside.
Beyond the door was a lush bamboo forest. A small stream ran through the bamboo, and in front of the stream was a familiar back—Ye Chenyan was crouched there, fiddling with something.
He seemed to sense Yu Qingtang’s gaze and suddenly turned to look over, still holding up a grilled fish.
A grilled fish!
Yu Qingtang, guilty as a thief, severely suspected that this was some kind of threatening hint and was so frightened that he slammed the window shut with a bang.
Before long, the window was lifted open again. Ye Chenyan leaned against the windowsill and asked with a smile, “You’re awake?”
Yu Qingtang turned his head, trembling with fear, and stiffly answered, “Mm.”
Only after making a sound did he realize—he was wearing men’s clothing right now.
His voice was not disguised either.
His chest was even completely flat.
He drew in a sharp breath and looked down in a panic. Ye Chenyan looked down with him, then both of them looked up at the same time. Their eyes met.
Ye Chenyan laughed and was just about to speak. “I already—”
Yu Qingtang retreated a step, coughed lightly, and said in an exceptionally deep, throaty voice, “First—first time meeting you. May I ask, brother, where is this?”
The smile froze on Ye Chenyan’s face.
He slowly restrained his smile, gripped the windowsill, and confirmed with him, “First time meeting?”
“M-Mm.” Yu Qingtang tried hard to maintain that sexy, throaty voice. “I, uh... suddenly lost consciousness just now, and when I woke up, I was here.”
“Here?” Ye Chenyan withdrew his hand and smiled dangerously, answering in an airy tone, “Haha. Nanzhou.”
“Where?” Yu Qingtang’s eyes widened in an instant, and even his throaty voice fell apart.
“Nanzhou.” Ye Chenyan smiled and leaned closer, telling him word by word, “The chaotic zone where the three factions, Starwatch Pavilion, Great Wilderness Mountain, and Pleasure Sect, meet. The place where no one side can dominate. Immortal-Bewildering Forest.”
Ye Chenyan crooked a finger at him, indicating for him to poke his head out and look. “Do you see the boundary marker over there?”
Yu Qingtang carefully poked his head out through the window and looked along his line of sight. Written on that weather-beaten boundary marker was—
Yu Qingtang was puzzled. “Rice-Mountain-Wood?”
“It says ‘Immortal-Bewildering Forest,’” Ye Chenyan corrected him. “It’s old, and some corners are missing.”
“Oh, oh.” Yu Qingtang quickly nodded, looking at him as if wanting to say something but stopping himself.
Leaning against the windowsill, Ye Chenyan asked with a smile, “Since this is our first meeting, may I ask your name, brother?”
“I’m Yu...” Yu Qingtang answered reflexively, then got stuck. His eyes darted around. “Yu... that...”
Bamboo, stone, river, grilled fish...
Before he could make up a reliable name, he heard Ye Chenyan say with a smile, “Oh—Brother Yu That-One.”
Yu Qingtang: “...That works.”
Ye Chenyan laughed and cupped his fists to him. “I am...”
He paused, smiling until his eyes curved. “Let’s say I’m called Hua Shimiao.”
Yu Qingtang was so frightened that he sat down on his butt with a thud.
“Eh?” Ye Chenyan hurriedly reached out to pull him up. “What happened, Brother Yu?”
Yu Qingtang laughed dryly twice. “N-Nothing! It’s just that name. It sounds a bit familiar.”
“Does it?” Ye Chenyan propped his chin on his hand and smiled at him. “Perhaps the name is fated with you.”
“Haha.” Yu Qingtang stood up while covering his butt and asked in a small voice, “Then if I want to leave...”
“You can’t.” Ye Chenyan smiled with genuine sincerity. “Immortal-Bewildering Forest has been sealed. Other than those holding command tokens from the three factions, outsiders cannot enter or leave.”
“Ah?” Yu Qingtang’s eyes widened in shock. They were at this part? Why so soon?
“I am ashamed to say it.” Ye Chenyan smiled at him apologetically. “The sealing of the forest has something to do with me. If you want to leave, I’m afraid you’ll have to wait a little longer.”
He raised the grilled fish in his hand and asked with a smile, “Want some fish?”
Yu Qingtang, his heart in turmoil, waved his hands repeatedly. “You eat, you eat.”
“All right.” Ye Chenyan’s smile deepened. He raised the grilled fish and stood up, then glanced at the sky. “It’s getting late. Then let’s sleep, Brother Yu.”
Yu Qingtang did not react in time. “Ah?”
Ye Chenyan had already entered the room, casually closed the door behind him, hooked an arm around Yu Qingtang’s shoulders, and led him toward the bed. “We’ll squeeze.”
Author’s Note:
Ye Chenyan: Want some fish?
Yu Qingtang: You eat, you eat.
Ye Chenyan: Thanks, thanks.
Yu Qingtang: ?
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