Gui Yin’s entire body ached. He felt as if he had been forced to run a few hundred times around Yunjing Pavilion. He could barely lift his hand and his eyelids were heavy. He could clearly feel that he was going through a fever. He felt a cool cloth on his forehead, followed by a hand brushing aside his damp hair. His eyes rolled beneath his eyelids and he forced his eyes open.
The familiar bedroom was illuminated only by a few candles. The man in front of him was obscured by shadows as Gui Yin forced his own vision to focus. His eyes narrowed and he shifted closer to the gentle caress.
“Er’lang…”
The man’s movements stilled. A deep hum reassured Gui Yin as another hand tugged the blanket higher up. Gui Yin’s lips curved into a slight smile as he fell back asleep.
When Gui Yin woke up again, the room was just as dark, but something told him that it was a different day. He shifted. His body was much lighter, though a fever was still running through him. His brows furrowed and his hand shot up to his chest. He tugged back his robes and glanced down. His entire torso was wrapped tightly. The claws had been dealt with, but with Gui Yin’s physical condition, it would be difficult for him to heal for a long while.
Gui Yin looked around his familiar surroundings and immediately grew agitated. He tugged on his boots and was prepared to step out when the door creaked open. He drew a breath to scold the newcomer, but his words stopped short.
Langxia looked equally surprised to see Gui Yin up and about. He smiled and immediately walked closer.
“A-Yin, you’re awake?” the man settled down beside Gui Yin. He held his sleeve back and gently pressed the back of his hand against Gui Yin’s forehead. He then checked his own temperature with a small frown. “You’re still a little feverish. Here, eat some of this and I’ll go prepare your medicine.”
Gui Yin stared at him in silence and watched as Langxia set the tray of food down. He lifted the bowl of congee and lightly blew on the spoon before he held it to Gui Yin. The two men stared at each other until Langxia smiled.
“What’s wrong? Even if you aren’t hungry, you must eat something,” Langxia said. He stirred the congee. “I promise it isn’t bland. Come on, be good.”
Gui Yin glanced down at the spoon and then slowly dragged his gaze back up again. “Why are we here?”
“Yunjing Pavilion is too hectic right now. Kunlun is also dangerous,” Langxia said. He reached out and gently cupped Gui Yin’s hand. “Bear with it for now, okay? We can head back as soon as you’re well.”
Gui Yin stared down at the hand that held his. It was cold. He pulled his hand away and turned the other way.
“A-Yin—”
“Is it fun?”
The man froze. His smile tightened and he chuckled. “A-Yin, I don’t know what you’re—”
“He doesn’t call me that,” Gui Yin said. “He also has very warm hands. And he doesn’t use his right hand to carry things. And he definitely isn’t as gentle as you.”
The tone of the last statement struck a chord in Qiao Ceng.
The man beside him slowly transformed again until he was faced with a white-haired, crimson-eyed man. The red eyes glowed like rubies for a second before slowly settling down into a light, reddish-brown. He set the bowl of congee back on the side table and fell silent as he looked out into the room.
A while later, Qiao Ceng finally spoke.
“You almost died. Even for a cultivator of your caliber, forcing your body to that extent nearly cost you your life. If it weren’t for the Heavenly qi in your body, no one could have saved you.”
Gui Yin’s brows furrowed slightly. Heavenly qi? What on earth was he talking about?
Hearing his silence, Qiao Ceng continued. “But you’re fine now. It may take a while to recover, but you shouldn’t die any time soon.”
Gui Yin couldn’t help but laugh at the irony of Qiao Ceng’s statement.
Qiao Ceng stilled. He lowered his gaze. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
“Then let me go back to Yunjing Pavilion.”
“It’s too dangerous right now,” Qiao Ceng said, his voice gentle as he tried to persuade Gui Yin. “Even Kunlun is a mess. There won’t be anyone there to protect you. Just stay at Fuyun Manor for now and—”
“Then, you leave,” Gui Yin said.
Qiao Ceng stared at the cold eyes that looked back at him. The corners of his lips slowly rose. “A-Yin, I’ve waited so long to be reunited with you. How could I just leave now?”
Gui Yin averted his gaze. He flexed his fingers and frowned.
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.
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At this moment, he might be able to fight with Qiao Ceng and escape, but by the time he made it to his destination, he wouldn’t be able to take on the ghost cultivators who were most likely waiting for him. He would just be a burden to those around him if he escaped now.
“So? What do you think?”
“Get out.”
Qiao Ceng stood immediately. He gently touched the side of the bowl. “Remember to eat this. I’ll come back with your medicine later.”
Gui Yin glanced at the food that Qiao Ceng left behind and scoffed ironically.
The door to the room closed. Gui Yin shifted closer. He brought the bowl to his nose and gave it a light sniff. He dipped the tip of his pinky into it and gave it a taste. His brows furrowed, but he still came to the conclusion that the congee hadn’t been poisoned.
A self-mocking laugh left his lips. Of course, even if it was, he wouldn’t know. Qiao Ceng, who was a scorpion demon through and through, was extremely adept at poisons. Back when they were together, Gui Yin hadn’t noticed how horrible the state of his body was until Qiao Ceng activated the poisons to interrogate him.
With a resigned sigh, Gui Yin took a bite of the congee.
If it was poisoned, then he wouldn’t be able to leave, but if he never ate, he would never recover enough energy to escape anyway. They were two paths lined with thorns—Gui Yin decided to choose the slightly more hopeful path.
About an hour or two later, the door slowly creaked open.
“Ever heard of knocking?”
Qiao Ceng froze at the door. He knocked lightly before stepping in and closing the door. Gui Yin watched as he stopped at his bedside and sat down with the medicine. He reached for it, only for Qiao Ceng to pull away.
“You’re still injured.”
“I’m not crippled,” Gui Yin said. He took the hot bowl from Qiao Ceng and downed it all at once. His face hadn’t even pinched from the bitterness when a candied plum appeared in front of him. Gui Yin glanced at Qiao Ceng and only placed the bowl back in his hand. “If that’s all, then you may leave.”
“Don’t act tough. I know you don’t like the taste of medicine,” Qiao Ceng said. He took Gui Yin’s hand and attempted to place the candied plum in his hand, but his hand was smacked away.
“You sure know me very well, don’t you?” Gui Yin sneered. “I’m quite honored, Great Demon God.”
Qiao Ceng flexed his fingers. He turned to Gui Yin with a gentle smile. “I guess you don’t like sugared plums anymore. I’ll find something else next time.”
Gui Yin watched as Qiao Ceng stood and left his room. The doors closed, leaving him alone in his old bedroom.
Gui Yin relaxed and looked around the room. He slipped into his shoes and wandered around the room. While it had been thoroughly cleaned, everything was as it had been since the last time he had come here. His books were still neatly stacked in the bookshelves and his previous homework rested in the shelves below. His fingers ran over the spines of the books when something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye.
He paused for a moment and stepped closer. His brows furrowed as he lifted the paper.
On it were undecipherable scribbles. After staring at it for longer, Gui Yin realized that they were two characters, being squeezed every which way to fit the page, as if the writer had been trying to make the most of this sheet of paper. After a while longer, Gui Yin was surprised to find that it was his own name.
He leaned back against the wall and lifted the paper up to the light with a raise of his brow. He reached out for the other papers that had been stacked under an old inkstone and leafed through them.
His name was still being written, but after flipping through a few more pages, Gui Yin found that the writer had improved. His sights paused on the last page and his lips curved into a smile.
“That’s right. I was the one who taught you how to write,” Gui Yin whispered. He let out a bright laugh as his thumb brushed over the page again.
The small child had so desperately wanted to learn how to write Gui Yin’s name that he practiced over and over, but since he was afraid of wasting paper, he write small and never asked for a new sheet until he had filled the page.
“Idiot,” Gui Yin muttered. He chuckled to himself and folded the papers gently and tucked them away. “His handwriting is still so ugly today.”
It seems that the only characters he could write properly were only the ones in Gui Yin’s name.
Gui Yin’s fingers froze slightly over the closed drawer and he frowned. He went to put his clothes on and left his room.
It was night time, but not quite past midnight.
Gui Yin left the bedrooms and headed for the main courtyard. Eventually, he found the man he was looking for. He looked into the koi pond, his gaze unreadable as the red maple leaves fell around him. When he heard the movement behind him, he quickly stood and turned to look at Gui Yin.
“What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable anywhere? You—”
“Do you have my things?”
Qiao Ceng froze. “Your things?”
Gui Yin frowned for a moment before shaking his head. “I suppose you wouldn’t.”
His belongings had been taken from him when Li Huanwei had taken him in. He hadn’t taken them with him and Li Huanwei probably wouldn’t have the integrity to think about keeping them safe. A bubble of irritation rose within him and he let out a harsh sigh. He gave Qiao Ceng a careless wave and began to head back to his bedroom.
“I can look,” Qiao Ceng quickly said.
“Forget it,” Gui Yin said.
To be honest, there hadn’t been many important things on his person at that time. Everything could be easily replaced and money was just a material thing that he barely lacked. However, the rosewood box that he always kept on his person could not be replaced.
Gui Yin let out a somber sigh as he thought of all the little notes he had carefully tucked into the box. He was unwilling, but what else could he do? He thought about it a while longer. If he complained to Langxia, would that man try and replicate every note again?
The thought amused him, despite already knowing the answer. He imagined the way Langxia would stare at him as if he were stupid and knock his head for whining about something so silly. Maybe he would send Gui Yin a note or two, just because he felt bad for how much Gui Yin pouted, but he would eventually give up anyway and wave his hand dismissively.
The idea made Gui Yin giggle.
Forget it. They were just little notes. It’s not like Gui Yin took them out often. The only reason he even thought of them now was because he missed Langxia.
Gui Yin stepped into his room and closed the doors behind him. He glanced at the drawer, where he had tucked away Langxia’s carefully written characters, and turned away.
He sat down on the divan and pulled over a book that still had a bookmark in it. He thumbed through it before settling back and reading it properly.
If he took out Langxia’s papers to admire it too often, Qiao Ceng would most likely notice.
Gui Yin didn’t know why the man’s façade was lasting so long this time, but he knew the truth behind all those gentle actions. After he tore off his mask the first time, he would never be able to hold back his anger and frustration. If Qiao Ceng found out that Gui Yin was admiring Langxia’s childhood writings, the man would surely raze all of Fuyun Manor to the ground.
Not only did Gui Yin find that to be a pity, but he would also like to recover some more before he had an all-out fight with Qiao Ceng. Although he didn’t want to indulge the demon, he would rather keep a semi-amicable relationship for now.
Gui Yin fell into a daze as he stared blankly at the page in front of him.
Should he castrate him?
The thought fell in and out of Gui Yin’s head quickly. He returned his attention to the book and did not revisit the idea again.
He went to bed with an aching head and when he woke up, he was delighted to find that it was actually morning this time.
Gui Yin stood, grabbed his clothes and headed out to take a bath.
As he expected, he ran into Qiao Ceng.
He looked the demon up and down and smiled mirthlessly. “What? Do you want to watch me bathe too?”
Qiao Ceng took a step back and watched Gui Yin for a moment before calling out again. “I found your things.”
Gui Yin paused. He looked over his shoulder skeptically, but watched as Qiao Ceng truly brought out his bloodied clothes, the jade of Yunjing Pavilion, and his Qiankun pouch.
“Put them in my room,” Gui Yin said.
Qiao Ceng looked down at the bloodied robes, but still left to do as he was ordered to.
Gui Yin made his way to the springs and settled down for a warm bath. His fever had subsided significantly, but his body still ached. He could barely lift his arms past his shoulders and he felt dirty all over. He’s sure that Qiao Ceng had attempted to clean him, but someone else washing you couldn’t compare to you cleaning yourself.
Gui Yin spent a long time in the baths before getting up. He dried himself with a simple spell and put on his robes. His hair was lazily braided and he habitually reached out for his folding fan. He paused briefly when he found nothing to grasp onto, but a moment later, the fan appeared in his hand.
It snapped open loudly and Gui Yin stepped out of the springs with a happier mindset.
That is, until he saw Qiao Ceng again.
The smile on his face faded and he attempted to bypass the man.
“Are you hungry?”
“I can cook for myself,” Gui Yin said.
“You can’t even lift your arms properly yet. Who are you to say you can cook for yourself?”
Gui Yin stopped and looked at Qiao Ceng dangerously. “Were you spying on me?”
Qiao Ceng gave a wry smile. “It’s not as if I haven’t seen everything before.”
The sound of a sharp slap echoed through the chambers. Qiao Ceng lightly touched his face and watched as Gui Yin walked away. He wiped away the blood that leaked past his lips, but still turned to silently follow Gui Yin.
“Did that feel good?”
“Don’t talk to me,” Gui Yin said.
“If it makes you feel better, you can hit me more.”
Gui Yin’s steps halted as the man stepped in front of him. He looked up at that kind smile and felt his stomach roil. He took a deep breath and closed his fan.
“I’m not you,” Gui Yin said.
He stepped around Qiao Ceng and went back into his room.
Gui Yin closed the doors behind him and stepped in front of his belongings. He brushed his hand against the tattered robes, but took the jade pendant and tied it back to his belt. Once he fixed it in place, he lifted the embroidered pouch. He opened it and dug around until he found the box he had been longing for. He slid the lid back and breathed a sigh of relief.
Every piece of paper was still there. Gui Yin smiled to himself and carefully put everything away again. He put the Qiankun pouch into a drawer at his bedside and discarded the tattered robes.
He plopped back down on the divan and turned back to his book.
The days passed by in a false peace.
Qiao Ceng and Gui Yin would only see each other a total of twice per day. They exchanged few words, despite Qiao Ceng’s best efforts. Gui Yin treated him as air the majority of the time, but Qiao Ceng miraculously hadn’t said a word about it.
Gui Yin grew more and more uncomfortable.
What was he playing at? What did he want to get out of him? Was he trying to figure out how much Gui Yin knew? Or was he trying to turn Gui Yin onto his side?
After all, Gui Yin was a venerated figure and he was known to the public as a War God after the last great war. He wouldn’t be surprised if Qiao Ceng was trying to lure him into another honey trap and trick him again.
But a trick like that could only work twice. Gui Yin trusted that Qiao Ceng knew his personality well enough to understand this simple concept.
So, why hadn’t he reacted? Why was he still so patient?
An unfortunate theory surfaced in his mind, but the more Gui Yin dwelled on it, the more disgusted he felt.
There was no way, right?
There was no way Qiao Ceng would be so shameless as to want him back, right?
reporting that as soon as “Langxia” said A-Yin, i was like “HA!! NOT HIM.” goodness, Qiao Ceng is just sad;;;;; he heard Gui Yin mutter for Erlang in his sleep and thought what? that he could feel Gui Yin’s affection again if he pretended to be Langxia? that method never works well, its inheritingly based on deceit!! and then he figured if he’s gentle then he’d win Gui Yin’s heart? its stated like at least twice in this chapter alone that that wouldnt work. also wouldnt he realize that Gui Yin isnt the type of guy to forgive his family being killed? like Qiao Ceng!!! do you actually love Gui Yin or do you love an idea of him that youve made up in your mind!!!!! or perhaps he loves a Gui Yin of a gone past!! buddy, scorpion dude, let go;;;;;;;
Truly the audacity of man at its worst 😔
If only I could share a photo of how my face looked reading this chapter… Qiao Ceng really is uhhh something.
If Gui yin doesn’t want to castrate him, I would like to offer myself to do it. ಠ_ಠ
😶🤝