After that day, Jian Yi started hiding Wen Xuan inside that mountain cave, not letting anyone see him. In order to prevent people from entering accidentally, he not only placed down heavy protection arrays at the entrance of the cave, he even moved over mountain rocks.
“Shixiong, these are all for your own good. After all, if you were seen by someone right now, who knows what would happen.” He stroked the fur on Wen Xuan’s body and comforted him gently: “However, don’t worry. All of this is only temporary. I will definitely find a way to help you recover your human appearance.”
The light that originally scattered into the cave was also blocked. Inside the cave fell into darkness, unable to tell day and night.
Wen Xuan closed his eyes in the darkness, not giving any opinions and basically not responding at all, as if he didn’t hear anything.
Jian Yi knew it’s because Wen Xuan was hurt too much and sighed. A moment later however, Jian Yi pulled himself together. He trusted in his own abilities to heal this hurt sooner or later.
However, in these days, Jian Yi still had many things he needed to do. He built a residence outside of the cave, pretending to be a sectless cultivator living by himself. Everyday, he’d leave to find places where other cultivators gather or a trading house, doing his best to search for the things he needed.
However, he never went far, always returning at night to keep Wen Xuan company inside the cave. He spoke for hours, regardless of whether Wen Xuan responded or not. In the first few days, Wen Xuan ignored him most of the time. However, Jian Yi didn’t mind. Every time, he’d speak by himself until he was exhausted, then rest quietly by Wen Xuan’s side. There was no disappointment or bitterness in his expression. Almost like leaning against Wen Xuan’s side like this was enough to fulfill his greatest desire.
A few days passed like this. Wen Xuan never responded but he saw and kept everything in mind in the end.
One day, Jian Yi traveled far during the day. When he came back at night, he was panting. After forcing a smile and some words, he couldn’t endure it anymore and fell into a deep sleep leaning against Wen Xuan’s foot.
Wen Xuan carefully moved that foot a little so that Jian Yi could feel more comfortable laying on it.
After a moment, he couldn’t resist moving his head closer and looking carefully at Jian Yi’s sleeping face.
When Jian Yi wasn’t here during the day, he’s been doing his best to get used to this demonic beast body. Now he could see easily in the dark. Unfortunately, his control over the demonic beast energy still had not improved much. He was still unable to completely withdraw that demonic energy that was capable of hurting people. Luckly, Jian Yi’s cultivation was very strong now. It maintained the self protection spiritual energy even in his sleep so he wasn’t afraid to be injured by Wen Xuan again.
Wen Xuan stared at Jian Yi’s rather exhausted face for a long time, then carefully lowered his head and gently rubbed against Jian Yi’s shoulder.
He thought he rubbed very lightly, but Jian Yi woke up in a flash.
Wen Xuan wanted to evade and pretend he didn’t do anything, but it was too late. Jian Yi raised his hands and hooked them around Wen Xuan’s neck. Pressing his head against the crook of Wen Xuan’s neck, Jian Yi said quietly: “Shixiong, are you finally not angry with me anymore?”
Wen Xuan stiffened his neck for a moment, then silently sighed. He couldn’t maintain that cold indifference in the end. Instead, he drew his head back and rubbed it once more on Jian Yi’s body.
In this kind of moment, he wanted to say something. However, no matter how hard he attempted to speak human in the last few days, he could only make some rather unpleasant sounding noises in the end. He really didn’t want Jian Yi to hear that. If he wrote on the ground, he can express what he wants, but it’d really kill the atmosphere. In the end, he could only use this kind of method to express his intimacy.
“Shixiong, shixiong……” Jian Yi allowed Wen Xuan to nuzzle him, extremely delighted internally and smiling so happily that his eyes practically closed in contentment: “Shixiong, that’s wonderful…”
After mumbling like this for a bit, he fell back into a deep sleep against Wen Xuan.
Not long after, Wen Xuan lowered his head next to Jian Yi’s side and went to sleep as well. The night was somewhat cold so Wen Xuan curled up his body and encircled Jian Yi completely in the middle.
The next day when Jian Yi opened his eyes, he immediately saw the big fluffy tail covering him. It was really very warm.
Unfortunately, he only moved a tiny bit and didn’t even have a chance to touch the tail with his hand when Wen Xuan pulled that tail back immediately, clearly already awake for a while.
Jian Yi turned his head and saw Wen Xuan crouched there, patting the ground with his paw.
There were a few rows of words there, written this morning before Jian Yi woke up.
Finally Wen Xuan was willing to communicate. Jian Yi didn’t dare to dally, and hastily gathered spiritual energy in his eyes in order to see those words more clearly in the dark. When he read those words clearly, his heart sank again.
Wen Xuan asked Jian Yi, was the content he saw before inside that jade pearl the complete truth or was there something hidden.
The reason why Wen Xuan would ask this was because the illusory world created by the jade pearl was mostly a conglomeration of fragments, lacking the beginning and end. Even though the truth shown by those mere fragments was enough to cause Wen Xuan deep agony inside his heart, he still wanted to maintain hope, wishing for perhaps a better reason to explain these people’s actions.
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.
“Shixiong,” Jian Yi steadied himself, not answering but asking in return: “Do you not trust me?”
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After wiping it away, Wen Xuan wrote something else.
He told Jian Yi, in the last few days, for some unknown reason, he started to feel unusually hungry. This hunger really came out of nowhere. He has already abstained from meals for many years. It’s really been many years since he last experienced the feeling of hunger.
Jian Yi furrowed his brows, confused momentarily as well. He can only surmise that it had something to do with changing into a demonic beast.
Therefore, from that day onward, Jian Yi started to cook some warm food everyday to bring in front of Wen Xuan in the cave. To be honest, Jian Yi’s culinary skills weren’t really much. What he made couldn’t be considered delicious, but it was enough to choke down.
After eating it, the hunger in Wen Xuan’s stomach could reluctantly be counted as somewhat relieved. However, another kind of hunger started seeping out of his bones. It urged him to eat something, but he didn’t even know what exactly he wanted to eat.
Later, Jian Yi probably found a great chef in a nearby town. The food that he brought over tasted much better. However, it was still not enough to satisfy the hunger that poured out of Wen Xuan’s bones.
Wen Xuan thought, perhaps he’s been shut inside the cave for too long and should walk around outside a bit, get some sunlight.
However, Jian Yi stopped him with a serious expression: “Shixiong, what if you get seen by someone. What if those villains came to catch you again. Did you forget what would happen?”
This made Wen Xuan recall the 100 years of slavery under the Violet Feathers in the illusory world. A chill ran up the back of his spine. He was scared by that 100 years of illusion. Really extremely scared. That was something that he didn’t want to experience again, no matter what. Therefore, he listened to Jian Yi’s words and retreated back into the world of darkness inside the cave.
Other than bringing back warm food these days, Jian Yi was the same as before, coming back at night to accompany Wen Xuan while heading out during the day. Wen Xuan once asked him what he was busy doing. Jian Yi lowered his head and smiled shyly, saying originally he felt too embarrassed to let Wen Xuan know this early. Then, he gave Wen Xuan the formula of a medicinal pill.
Wen Xuan immediately remembered that Jian Yi seemed to have been searching for the materials needed for some ancient medicinal formula all this time. After relocating to Waxing Moon island, he temporarily stopped for a while. Now he was clearly searching again, and searching with much more urgency than before.
“You want to refine some kind of medicinal pill?” Wen Xuan wrote on the ground.
“Shape Shifting Pill.”
These three words instantly made Wen Xuan stop breathing for a moment.
“But these materials are really too hard to find. I already searched for so long and it’s still not complete. That’s why I didn’t dare to tell you before. I was afraid to make you wait too long.” At first, Jian Yi spoke somewhat quickly. Later, he gradually calmed down: “However, trust me, shixiong. I will definitely be able to make this shape shifting pill.”
For a moment, Wen Xuan didn’t even know what to say. Shape shift pill, as the name suggested, was a medicinal pill that allowed demonic beasts to change shapes ahead of time. It’s one of the pills that has been traded between the Danxin Sect and Violet Feathers for many years. However, the one that Jian Yi was talking about clearly can’t be a normal shape shifting pill, because Wen Xuan wasn’t a normal demonic beast. The materials for a regular shape shifting pill wouldn’t be this hard to find either.
Jian Yi already knew a long time ago that Wen Xuan was the descendent of a heavenly beast. Therefore, he’s been preparing for this day ahead of time.
That’s right. He really did start preparing a while ago. When did he first start? At that time, Wen Xuan still thought this was an assignment given to him by Qi Jibai. He never thought that everything Jian Yi was doing was all for his sake. Within this short exchange of words, Wen Xuan’s heart practically melted into a puddle of water.
Despite running in and out busily, Jian Yi’s cultivation didn’t slack. Finding that quickest cultivation method for himself was not in vain. Even under this kind of situation, he still increased his cultivation more and more with each passing day. In a blink of an eye, he was already at peak yuan gathering, only a step away from gold core.
As the distance of this step grew closer, the strange hunger in Wen Xuan’s body became even more intense.
Things finally slipped in a direction that no one wanted to see.
This night when Jian Yi stepped into the cave again, he saw Wen Xuan crouched on the ground with his paws extending outward completely. Waves of howls came from his throat, clearly in extreme agony.
“Shixiong?” In panic, Jian Yi was just about to charge in when Wen Xuan abruptly whipped his head around. Seeing Jian Yi, Wen Xuan roared loudly, not letting him come close.
Wen Xuan didn’t even know what was wrong with him right now. But just by looking at Jian Yi, that hard to ignore hunger made him feel like there was a wonderful and delicious aroma in the air, like the roasted chicken he ate last night. He’s already been hungry for too long. Therefore, he could only use this kind of method to control himself from opening his claws and pouncing Jian Yi like he was hunting prey.
Jian Yi stood quietly at the entrance of the cave for a moment. Seeing Wen Xuan’s current state, his expression was first dark, then light. After a while, Jian Yi smiled bitterly: “Shixiong, I get it…… Heavenly beasts like to eat the flesh of humans.”
Like to eat the flesh of humans? Was that why no matter how many other things he ate, he still didn’t feel satisfied. These mere words were like enlightenment, as well as a thousand arrows piercing his heart.
“Especially the blood and flesh of cultivators.” Jian Yi’s smile was full of helplessness.
Wen Xuan roared nonstop, only wanting to hurry up and chase Jian Yi outside the cave as soon as possible, not letting Jian Yi get close ever again. If he stopped roaring, he didn’t know what kind of things he’d end up doing. Perhaps he’d be controlled by this instinct and murder Jian Yi carelessly, creating an aftermath that he’d never be able to accept for the rest of his life. Or perhaps he’d only collapse on the floor and cry bitterly, questioning why he had to change to something like this.
Jian Yi continued to stand at the cave’s entrance for a while. In the end, he finally complied with Wen Xuan’s urging, turned around and left.
Wen Xuan waited until he couldn’t see Jian Yi’s figure again before relaxing all of the muscles of his body. Instantly, he collapsed on the floor. However, he didn’t cry bitterly. He practically wanted to laugh wildly at the top of his lungs. Laugh at himself for being reduced to this. Laugh at how unfair fate and destiny was. Laugh at how ridiculous this life has been.
Another day and night passed. Wen Xuan wondered if Jian Yi would return. Unsurprisingly, he didn’t return in the end.
Three days and three nights passed. Wen Xuan continuously slammed his head on the walls inside the cave until he started bleeding, using this method to restrain the impulse brought on by his body’s instincts. He was so hungry that he was about to run out of this mountain forest. He knew that not far outside of this mountain forest was a small town. Jian Yi once told him the town was full of people. Wen Xuan definitely couldn’t indulge his instincts.
Five days and five nights passed. Wen Xuan was practically laying inside the cave, body weary and strength exhausted. A large area of skin on his head had fallen off from hitting it repeated against the walls. It had bled quite a bit. Yet now, it seemed pretty much healed. He finally no longer thought about going to that little town outside. He started to miss Jian Yi, wondering if Jian Yi decided to never come back again.
He knew that there’s no way Jian Yi would really leave him behind uncaringly. But where was Jian Yi right now?
Eight days and eight nights passed. Wen Xuan finally couldn’t resist walking to the entrance of the cave. Jian Yi actually left for this long. Wen Xuan didn’t believe Jian Yi would really leave and not come back. He started to worry about Jian Yi’s safety and started to think about going outside to search for Jian Yi. But just as his front paw reached into the magic array placed by Jian Yi at the cave entrance, Wen Xuan suddenly recalled the 100 years of slavery in the illusory world again. He recalled once more Jian Yi’s countless warnings before.
Just like the many countless times before when he wanted to go out and get some fresh air.
That illusory future was a nightmare that carved a deep fear in his heart. This fear and Jian Yi’s warnings twisted together to form a heavy chain that wrapped tightly around Wen Xuan’s feet whenever he was awake, and imprisoned him inside this dark world within the cave all this time.
Wen Xuan pulled his paw back, then extended it again.
Just as he clenched his jaw, got ready to disregard everything and charge out, finally a figure walked over from outside.
It was Jian Yi. Jian Yi finally returned.
After many days of disappearance, the next time Jian Yi appeared, he was surprisingly already a gold core cultivator. Through the barrier created by the magic array, the presence belonging to a gold core cultivator assaulted Wen Xuan’s senses. However, Wen Xuan didn’t get a chance to appreciate it when another thick, bloody odor followed closely behind.
Jian Yi was injured, practically becoming a mess of blood all over. Who knew what kind of harsh battle he encountered again that forced him to ascend mid battle. It was probably because of this prompt breakthrough that he was able to come back alive.
Before even entering the cave, Jian Yi fell to the ground unconscious, not getting back up again.
Instantly Wen Xuan forgot his terror. Charging out like the wind, he hastily picked up Jian Yi with his mouth, and moved him into the cave.
It wasn’t until after placing Jian Yi into the cave that fear came rushing belatedly like the rising tide, making Wen Xuan drip in cold sweat. He continuously prayed that no one saw that scene just now. However, other than terror, Jian Yi’s current state made him even more anxious at heart.
Through the rippled clothes, Wen Xuan could see injuries all over Jian Yi’s body, a ghastly and horrible sight.
Wen Xuan lowered his head, extended his tongue and carefully used saliva to clean up those open injuries. This wasn’t actually an easy thing. The taste of blood just passed upwards from the top of his tongue, Wen Xuan immediately furrowed.
That terrifying impulse brought on by his instincts still remained in his bones. However, it was restrained by his many days of effort. Now that he’s tasted Jian Yi’s blood with his tongue, this was like pouring a bucket of oil on the fire, extremely arduous.
However, Wen Xuan still only merely furrowed his brows.
With Jian Yi’s current state, there’s no way he could drive Jian Yi outside again. Nor could he cast Jian Yi aside unconcerned. He could only continue to rely on his own strength to resist this instinct. However, this actually wasn’t as hard as he imagined.
That’s right. The person laying on the ground right now was his Jian shidi. It’s someone that he’d never injure, no matter what circumstance. Therefore, no matter how intensely that terrifying impulse raged, no matter how much his instinct was burning in his bones, he still had to control it. Wen Xuan continued to carefully use his tongue to lick over every injury on Jian Yi’s body.
Even that originally uncontrollable demonic beast energy was also unprecedentedly, for the first time, withdrawn completely into Wen Xuan’s body today and didn’t harm the utterly defenseless person on the floor one bit.
Wen Xuan’s saliva had a very good healing effect. Not even a day passed and Jian Yi’s injuries were already much improved. He was also gradually starting to wake up from his unconsciousness.
“Shixiong……” Jian Yi looked at Wen Xuan bewildered and dazed, voice hoarse.
Wen Xuan lightly rubbed against Jian Yi and allowed Jian Yi’s hand to lightly caress his body.
“I was really afraid I couldn’t see you again.” Jian Yi said with a faint smile.
Wen Xuan made a rumbling noise, indicating: me too.
Then Wen Xuan’s rumbles became louder, as if questioning where exactly did Jian Yi go to cause him to end up in such a state.
Jian Yi smiled and opened his storage bag. Something fell out from inside. Something covered in blood.
It was actually a corpse. The blood was still very fresh, clearly this person just died not long ago.
Wen Xuan jumped in alarm. When he stared more closely, he discovered that he actually recognized this corpse. This was the leader that was attacking him that day on Waxing Moon Island. The brother of that brother sister pair. That gold core cultivator!
“A few days ago, I discovered they arrived in South Feng.” Jian Yi looked at this corpse and said with a cold smile: “Originally I planned to have his sister taste my blade, but was discovered by him. So I ended up catching this big one.”
No wonder Jian Yi was injured to this extent. No wonder he had to rely on ascending into gold core to preserve his life. To be able to kill this person in that kind of situation… Wen Xuan can only sigh. As expected of Jian shidi.
Thinking about how Jian Yi ended up in this state all for the sake of getting revenge for Wen Xuan, Wen Xuan didn’t feel great inside. He rumbled some more to tell Jian Yi to not be so reckless in the future.
Jian Yi stroked Wen Xuan’s fur and nodded his head with a smile.
Then Jian Yi left the cave. Before he left, he said: “This kind of person deserves to die without a body to leave behind.”
Then that bloody corpse was left inside the cave just like this, reeking blood and the aroma of meat, continuously stimulating the impulsive instinct that Wen Xuan had finally suppressed after much effort.
Wen Xuan turned his head to look at this corpse for a while and unconsciously let out a bitter laugh.
He finally understood. The reason why Jian Yi would put himself in such danger and bring this body in front of him wasn’t merely in order to get revenge for him. Even more so, he was helping Wen Xuan hunt for food.
Perhaps what Jian Yi said was correct. This kind of person deserved to die without a body to leave behind.
However, no matter how much his instinct howled, Wen Xuan wasn’t willing to really dirty his stomach.
In the end, Wen Xuan dug a ditch and buried this person. Then, he ate a little of the dirt he dug out. Through these many days of forced self-restraint, he can already faintly sense that the hunger for human meat that was triggered by his instincts wasn’t actually real hunger. It was merely a kind of craving.
Although extremely painful, enduring this kind of craving wouldn’t cause any real danger to his life. Therefore, to satisfy real hunger, eating whatever was fine.
Many days later, however, Jian Yi dragged another corpse into the cave.
This was a rather large bellied person who Wen Xuan had never seen before. Jian Yi told Wen Xuan, when he was in a spiritual city, this person coveted the magic weapon he was using and followed him back, wanting to kill him on the road to steal his weapon. However, Jian Yi ended up killing him instead. In any case, Jian Yi emphasized, this was also a heinous person, so Wen Xuan didn’t need to have any psychological pressure.
Wen Xuan looked at Jian Yi unblinkingly for a while and then wrote seriously: I don’t really need any corpse. Please don’t do this kind of thing in the future.
“Shixiong, it’s okay.” Jian Yi gently stroked Wen Xuan: “No matter what you do, you’re still you. Still the Wen shixiong I like the most in my heart.”
Wen Xuan sighed.
How many years has gone by? Jian Yi finally admitted his ‘like’.
The atmosphere was quite good. Wen Xuan couldn’t help but lower his head and let Jian Yi touch his face. Nevertheless, he didn’t say those words back.
—Jian shidi, the me in your heart, might not be me anymore.
Poor Wen Xuan I can’t imagine how this feels like. After all he’s a human at heart to him this is like cannibalism….
Thank You for the chapter (๑╹ڡ╹)╭ ～ ♡
I wonder when Jian Yi will remember his phrase “Different circumstances, same outcome.” Sure, Wen Xuan may not be spending 100 years enslaved, but 100 years of isolation isn’t that good either.
Ooh that’s a good point tbh. I was just thinking how lonely it might still be despite how hard JY is trying
Exactly. It’s another 100 yrs of slavery judt in slightly different way. Thered only jy and only sometimes. Hes extremely isolated. Maybe his shifu had a point in saying he might’ve been better off dying as a foundatioj building human even if it sounded cruel at the time.
Wait you are comparing 100 years of slavery with 100 years of self isolation that is necessary at the moment to keep him alive it’s not like Jian Yi is just keeping him under lock and key and not doing anything to help him get a human form so he can go out
Just wow! 🤯
I feel like JY is making a prison. This is not too much better than what happened to Wen Xuan originally.
Do u really think so? Being tortured is the same as isolation with person u trust?🤠
Ha I barely remember this novel anymore… But, in a way isn’t it worse being isolated and kept in the dark by someone who is suppose to be your lover? If I remember correctly… And I’m not saying I am… It felt more like both physical and emotional manipulation.
I just feel JY bringing corpses and encouraging WX to satiate his craving is actually kinda funny, telling him which is bad and worth eating and whatnot…
This novel destroyed me 😐