About two hours until sunrise was the only time Gui Yin could rest—this was the lesson he learned on the start of his second day.
Gui Yin found a house that wasn’t as dilapidated and rundown as the others, crawled into the dusty bed, and fell asleep. He woke up around an hour later with a nasty sounding cough. He paused for a moment and sluggishly got out of bed.
It was only the second day, but the environment was already getting to him.
He pulled the cloak tighter around his body and ventured towards the border again. Today, he would find out where the barrier really was.
A suppressed cough escaped him again as he left Beihua Town. His brows furrowed and he glanced up at the sky. Unlike the first day, the skies were much more overcast. He frowned and uncomfortably pulled the cloak tighter around him. It wouldn’t snow, would it? Although Gui Yin didn’t mind the cold or the snow, he disliked it when he was obligated to be outside. Besides, it was still summer, so why was it already snowing? That can’t be right!
Gui Yin ignored the abhorrent weather and began to carefully scan his surroundings, starting when he first stepped out of town.
The forest was wide, but with Gui Yin’s abilities, everything was practically condensed into a small map in front of him. From what he could tell, the resentful energy was not coming from anything within this quadrant in front of him, but they were all flowing to the south east—just to the left of where he stood. Gui Yin’s eyes opened and he began following the wisps of red that had gained a more concrete form after he used spiritual sight.
Traces of the wolves’ maniacal state remained on the trees. Gui Yin glanced at them and silently shook his head. This fight with the wolves would remain between himself, the wolves, and whatever higher power that was bored enough to be watching him. No one had to know about the way Lord Immortal Ninglan sprinted through the forest, trying his best to avoid these mutated animals in the night. If he hadn’t been so afraid of attracting the attention of ghosts, he would have blasted them all away!
Gui Yin left the marked path and walked through the forest silently, following the red wisps. The skies above became cloudier and cloudier, giving Gui Yin a horrible premonition.
Just as Gui Yin thought he should turn back, the first drop of rain hit the tip of his nose. He had just enough time to register that it was beginning to rain when it started to fall down in sheets.
A scathing curse left his lips as he pulled up the cloak of his head and looked frantically for a place to hide.
Gui Yin ran towards the nearest cave and practically skidded in. He clicked his tongue as he brushed his hands down his wet clothes. He looked out from the mouth of the cave and frowned. He hesitated a moment and stuck his hand out. When the rain didn’t penetrate his skin he let out a soft sigh.
At least the Ghost Realm didn’t have toxic rain.
Still, even if he wanted to travel out right now, he would have trouble seeing. In this state, he didn’t have any confidence of being able to navigate back to town. But if he waited any longer, it might become night time and he didn’t have enough pills to last him the entire night. Gui Yin tried recalling the distance he walked. The barrier should be right in front of him now, but if he went the wrong direction, he would wander right into the ghosts’ territory. It would be unwise to leave right now.
Gui Yin let out a sigh as he slumped to the ground. “What the hell…”
He shifted his attention from the outside and rummaged through the things in his sleeves and his Qiankun pouch. He sure had a lot of miscellaneous junk, but there wasn’t an umbrella. Of course, there wouldn’t be an umbrella. On normal days, if he were caught in the rain, he would wave a hand over his head and the rain would stop falling above him. Now, for the sake of not being discovered, he had to be extra careful.
Gui Yin resigned himself and rested his chin against the back of his hands as he looked out. He really hoped the rain would let up soon.
He picked up the twig nearby and began to draw on the ground, his thoughts floating away from him as he listened to the heavy rain just a few inches from him.
He had rather mixed feelings about the rain. When he was younger, his mother had forgotten him in the rain, as she rushed home with his younger siblings. Another time, he was yelled at for not looking after his little brother, because he had let him play out in the rain for too long. But his shizun had found him in the rain and taken him in. His shizun really liked rainy weather and would always take him out for a walk around the mountain. It was his shizun that taught him rain didn’t have to mean loneliness—it could also be something very warm. Yet, ironically, his shizun had also abandoned him in a rainstorm like this. When Gui Yin thought of this, his chest hurt and a sense of guilt gnawed at him. He still didn’t remember what he was guilty over.
Although Gui Yin still liked the rain, it reminded him of the rainstorm again. He was still young and brash, still waiting for his shizun to return. But when the clouds cleared and people went to find him, the one person he hoped to see was not there.
Nowadays when he was caught in a rainstorm, he would find himself wondering: if he waited long enough, would there be someone who would come pick him up?
Gui Yin laughed at his own thoughts. He stood, abandoned the stick, and looked at the cave he had suddenly taken cover in. The tunnel stretched a little further, but beyond that was darkness. He closed his eyes and spread out his spiritual sense for a brief moment.
His eyes snapped open.
He glanced back at the unceasing storm and then back at the dark cave. Hesitantly, Gui Yin began to walk deeper into the cave. He reached into his sleeve and pulled out a Night Pearl. The pearl subtly pulsed in his palm, lighting the way in front of him.
The cave mysteriously ended in a bowl, but Gui Yin had definitely felt a surge of resentful energy just a moment ago. He closed his eyes again and tried to find the source. His brows furrowed tightly. There really was nothing.
Gui Yin walked back to the entrance of the cave and could only try again.
Nothing.
Had it only been in his head? That couldn’t be it. The stench and the intense feeling was not something that could be so easily mistaken.
Gui Yin walked to the end of the cave again and pressed his hand to the wall. He sent a steady stream of spiritual energy against the cave walls. The thoughtful expression on his face let up and he took a startled step back.
His heart hammered against his chest and he hesitated. He carefully set the pearl to the side and began to dig at the walls. When his sleeves and the cloak got in his way, he quickly shed the layers and haphazardly placed them to the side, regardless of whether or not his clothes would become dirty.
The wall only crumbled subtly. Gui Yin’s brows furrowed tightly, but he didn’t dare blast the wall open. He stretched his fingers and continued clawing at the dirt wall.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
After another few minutes, large chunks began to fall back. Gui Yin stepped out of the way and closed his eyes again. Resentful energy began to pour out again, giving Gui Yin greater motivation.
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He stepped closer and looked at the skeletal hands that stuck from the muddy walls. The voices that entered his mind were calling out for the injustice, yet a smaller, louder part, was calling Gui Yin to enter.
To enter? Gui Yin shook his head, choosing to ignore the tempting voices.
Gui Yin frowned as he looked at the rows of bodies that still held onto tattered clothes. Some were cultivators while others were normal people. There were even traces of animals buried in the walls. What was the point of all of this? What were they here for?
Gui Yin turned around and looked down at the ground. He knelt down and brushed his hand over the coarse dirt, but there were no clues. He stepped closer to the entrance and brushed his hands around. It was then that he noticed that the surface he had been walking on wasn’t as soft as a true dirt ground would have been.
Gui Yin got onto his knees and began to dig again, his pristine nails already muddied and his fingertips beginning to show traces of blood.
A cold sweat began to bead at his temple as he brushed aside more and more of the dirt. He ignored the ghostly hands that were beginning to tug at his clothes and finally revealed the array below the faux ground.
A sacrificial array?
Gui Yin stood and looked at the walls again.
This place had been used for sacrifice. Then, was this entire cave manmade? Or was there more beyond this wall?
Gui Yin stepped forward, his feet almost slipping against the uneven floor with the force the ghostly hands pulled him.
The voices, that had previously been whispers, had grown louder, forming full sentences.
It would be easier to join us.
You won’t have anything else to worry about, Lord Immortal.
Yes, there won’t be people who get close to you only to use you.
Nor will there be people who love you, only to cast you aside.
You see? The rain has almost stopped, but there’s still no one by your side.
No one cares about you.
Even if you disappeared, no one would be looking for you.
Gui Yin struggled against the sudden force. It wasn’t true. There were people who cared about him. His disciples would miss him if he were gone. Ye Liuxing and Jiu Jingyi would worry about him if he didn’t return.
But if you weren’t Lord Immortal Ninglan, would those people still care for you? If you had nothing to offer them, would they still look for you?
That…well, his disciples were adults now. They technically didn’t need him anymore, yet they still cared for him. And Ye Liuxing and Jiu Jingyi…they didn’t just want him around to be peak lord. They treated him as an older brother.
Then, why do you sound so unsure? You should just admit it to yourself. If you lost your cultivation today, the friends you have and the family you’ve found would all abandon you. The only reason they’re still around is because you’re useful, because you can protect them. Hasn’t it always been like this? It was the same with your parents, isn’t that right? If you hadn’t taken care of your siblings and if you hadn’t worked on the farm, you would have long been given away for a few measly pieces of silver.
Gui Yin’s expression pinched.
The Shizun who took you in when you were nothing is gone. Your Sect Master-shixiong who helped you for nothing is about to die. There’s no one else in this world who will care for you. So, just give in. Isn’t it tiring having the world wait for you to protect them? You must be tired. If you join us, you won’t have to worry about your own worth. You won’t feel the pain of abandonment if you abandon them first.
If…if he abandoned them…first?
Gui Yin struggled slightly against the cold, clammy hands. But it felt futile.
They were right, weren’t they? Gui Yin was always the one to be left behind first. He had never learned his lesson. Even when he was living his life as an editor in the twenty-first century, his romantic escapades had always ended with him being cheated on and abandoned. It wouldn’t be long until his disciples also realized they no longer needed to depend on him.
Since they were nearing that end, what else did Gui Yin need to stay for?
His resistance weakened for a brief moment. The hands grew even more concrete. They grabbed him by the collar, by the arms, the hands, and even his neck.
Reality hit him once more as he rushed towards the wall. He ripped one arm away and reached for Fenghua, only to realize he had stupid placed it to the side when he had been digging up the ground. He reached back, calling for it, but a skeletal hand clamped over his mouth.
Gui Yin drove his heel into the ground, which helped stall his movements for a fleeting moment. But it wasn’t enough to stop anything.
Gui Yin gnashed his teeth in an attempt to bite the skeletal hand. He twisted his body and fell to the ground. He kicked and thrashed what couldn’t be touched and dug his fingers into the ground. His fingers, which were already torn up, burned at the new strain.
“F-Feng—” his mouth was caught again.
Gui Yin could feel his foot sinking into the mud, but he continued to push the hands off. He glanced to the side and swung his leg out, catching his other foot on a loose stone. He could feel the hands tugging at him and he could feel the way his leg felt like it was being ripped from its socket. He managed to throw the hand off again and call for Fenghua.
The fan landed in his hand.
He snapped it open and cut the air with the fan. The voices screamed and released Gui Yin. He managed to scramble to his feet, but was quickly dragged back down. Gui Yin gritted his teeth in frustration and wanted to send out another blade of wind when his eyes caught sight of the greenish moon outside.
As he struggled, he could see ghostly figures gather near the entrance of the cave, making his blood run cold.
What was he supposed to do? If he didn’t attack now, the hands would drag him into the cave. If he attacked, then would the ghosts watching him come to devour him?
Gui Yin closed his eyes tightly and kicked the hands off him again. He flicked his wrist once more in an attempt to scare off the ghosts, but they only wavered and returned to their original place.
Was this how he was going to die? Gui Yin hated the thought.
He slashed the air again and tripped over himself as he fell forward. He just made it to the entrance of the cave, where the rain could splash onto his face, but he was dragged back again. He twisted back, Fenghua transforming into a sword, and slashed down, ripping the hem of his skirt. But it wasn’t enough.
Just as he thought he was going to be dragged back into the depths of the caves, another hand grabbed onto his wrist. Gui Yin frantically slashed downwards, but his weapon flew from his hand.
His body was suddenly lifted into the air. The macabre shrieks reverberated in his ears as the gnarled hands slowly slid from his body. His head was pressed against a warm chest and a large hand quickly cupped his other ear. The shrieks were silenced and the sound of a beating heart took their place.
The weakening rain hit his exposed neck and trickled down his bloodied fingers. His hair stuck to his face as he slowly peeled himself from the other person.
Warm golden eyes observed him in the silence. A soft sigh punctuated the horror and a warm hand brushed through the strands of Gui Yin’s hair.
“You’re an absolute mess,” the low voice said. “Stay here. I’ll go grab your things.”
Gui Yin stood in a stunned silence. He turned slowly and watched Langxia step back into the cave. He gathered Gui Yin’s clothes, as well as the Night Pearl and Fenghua.
When the man returned to his side, he suddenly crouched down with his back facing Gui Yin.
Gui Yin’s gaze darted left to right before he glanced down at Langxia embarrassingly. “…What are you doing?”
“Your knee and your ankle are dislocated,” Langxia said. “Don’t you feel it?”
Gui Yin paused and shifted onto his other leg uncomfortably. “So, what? You want to carry me?”
“Yes,” Langxia said. He glanced back at Gui Yin. “We should hurry. Those ghosts might come back.”
Hearing this, Gui Yin couldn’t even pretend he didn’t have a psychological shadow. He quickly shook off his hesitation and awkwardly fumbled onto Langxia’s back. He held back a hiss as the other man grabbed his leg and buried his head into Langxia’s neck. A pathetic whimper escaped his lips as his arms tightened around Langxia.
Langxia awkwardly readjusted Gui Yin, but knew there would not be a comfortable position for him in this state. He let out a soft sigh. “Bear with it.”
Gui Yin grunted in understanding
The rainstorm had ended and the skies were clear. Langxia silently walked back onto the dirt path and carried Gui Yin back to Beihua Town. When the two arrived, Langxia found the most suitable place to rest and nudged the door open. He set Gui Yin down on the bed and stepped back.
“I’m going to set your leg back into place,” Langxia said as he knelt on the ground. He reached into his clothes and pulled out a handkerchief. He shoved it into Gui Yin’s mouth. “Bite this.”
Gui Yin wanted to protest that he wasn’t so pathetic that he couldn’t handle pain. However, when Langxia gripped his leg, the words flew back down his throat. He gripped the side of the bed tightly and bit onto the handkerchief tightly.
Langxia, feeling the sudden tension, didn’t move yet. “Xiao Kui has settled down in Kunlun. He quite likes it there. Everyone is very kind to him and have started to treat him like the young master of Huigu Palace. He doesn’t seem to be used to any of it, but I’m sure he’ll adjust to the kindness soon enough.”
“Ah!” Gui Yin screamed. He punched Langxia’s shoulder with the side of his fist. Psychological tears stung his eyes as Langxia’s hands moved down to his ankle.
“Just one more,” Langxia said, his voice uncharacteristically soft. He didn’t start right away though, only warming Gui Yin’s ankle as the other’s hand threatened to smash his shoulder in. “I actually recovered within a few weeks, but Lord Xun and Xiao Kui kept insisting that I remained resting. I only managed to meet up with you after I snuck off. When I went to Yunjing Pavilion, your shimei told me that you had gone to Beihua Town. That was around the time when I felt how anxious you are. It’s great timing, isn’t it? See, we really are fated. We can even—”
“Fuck!”
“—preemptively sense when the other is in trouble,” Langxia said. He sat back on his heels and grabbed the two sticks at his side. He carefully wrapped Gui Yin’s leg in a splint before standing and pulling out a jade bottle. He popped open the cork and pressed the pill to Gui Yin’s lips.
Without questioning him, Gui Yin took the pill in. He glared at Langxia as he swallowed and was rewarded with a humiliating rub to the head.
“It’ll be fine in the morning,” Langxia said, tucking the jade bottle away again. “Do you have any extra clothes?”
“In the pouch,” Gui Yin said, collapsing back onto the nasty bed.
Langxia walked over with a set of fresh robes but Gui Yin shook his head. “I don’t want to move.”
Langxia let out a soft sigh and sat down beside Gui Yin. He lifted Gui Yin’s hands up to his eyes and raised a brow. “Why have you gotten yourself into this state?”
“I’m too tired to explain,” Gui Yin said, his eyes closing.
Langxia watched Gui Yin silently and then gently placed his hand back down. “Alright. You rest then.”
Gui Yin hummed softly.
He thought this meant Langxia would leave him alone for the rest of the night, but he soon found that he was wrong.
He felt a wet cloth press itself against his fingers, cleaning them one at a time. What followed was the cooling sensation of an ointment. He heard shuffling as Langxia shifted to the other side and repeated the same process.
Gui Yin’s lashes fluttered as his eyes opened. He looked at Langxia, who left to throw out the water. When the man returned, the two of them made eye contact.
“What is it?”
“How did you know where to find me?”
“I just followed my instincts,” Langxia said with a small shrug.
“Oh.”
Langxia sat back down beside Gui Yin. He shifted awkwardly on the bed and carefully moved Gui Yin until his head rested on his lap. He patted Gui Yin’s chest gently.
“You’re tired, aren’t you? Just sleep.”
Gui Yin felt his nose sour. He closed his eyes.
“It’s not raining anymore.”
“It isn’t,” Langxia agreed.
“You found me before the rain ended.”
Langxia stilled. He looked down at Gui Yin and chuckled. “I did.”
The dilapidated house fell into silence. When Langxia thought Gui Yin had fallen asleep, the man shifted again.
“Er’lang.”
“I thought you were tired.”
“Thank you.”
Langxia watched him silently for a moment before he gently touched Gui Yin’s head. “It’s not like you to be so polite to me.”
Gui Yin scoffed. He pushed Langxia’s hand away and shifted to the side. “Forget it then.”
A/N: Reminder that I will not be updating next week (8/21) b/c I will be busy! See you the week after!!
Thank you for the update! I love them together.
thanks for reading!!!!!!!!!
AAAAAAAAA SEE when the ghosts were like “no one cares!!” i was like “I SEE YOURE NOT MENTIONING ER’LANG!!!! HE IS DEF ON HIS WAY” AND WOOHOOOOO LANGXIA ARRIVED ANd aaaaaaaa my HEART with the hurt/comfort….. ʕっ•ᴥ•ʔっ
:’3 he will always come– thanks for READ
AUGHHHHHHHHH there’s no way to explain how much I love their dynamic, thank you for the update!!!
thanks for reading!!
He found him before the rain ended 😭😭
wait gui yin calls langxia er’lang not erlang. I swear er’lang must be some kinda term of endearment hhhhh
it is!!! 👀 thanks for reading!