The following day sped by in a blur. Wu Lingtian barely remembered what he had drawn out and had to double check with Situ Hong several times over to make sure he hadn’t missed any details. Situ Hong, who was blurry-eyed from drawing out the mechanisms he remembered, could only nod in confirmation after forcefully widening and rubbing his eyes to keep himself awake.
Although they had been told to have a tour of WuYe, Situ Hong was really too tired. He wanted to sleep and figured there was always next year. Wuma Qiongling wasn’t as tired, but he still wanted to stay behind and study the traps and arrays set around Yu Shui Manor. Besides, he said, enjoying a festival without a friend or loved one by his side would be quite boring.
Bai Qiu would be going with Su Han after all.
Wu Lingtian found that he couldn’t be bothered with what his two friends were thinking anymore. After abandoning his work, he quickly went back to his room to change. He opened his closet and looked at his meager selection of clothes.
Right. He was no longer a rich inner disciple of Drifting Clouds Mountain Sect. He was actually quite poor. But that was still fine since Ren Yizhou had had the foresight to add a bit more variety to Wu Lingtian’s wardrobe. Instead of plain whites, there were a few with silvery embroidery.
Wu Lingtian dragged those out of his closet and put them on. Although they weren’t anything extremely eye-catching or extravagant, Wu Lingtian still felt out of place. It wasn’t like he hadn’t worn this set before, but he suddenly felt like he was putting too much thought into it. Fan Yi had just casually asked him to go out upon seeing how nervous he was. He would most likely dress as he usually would dress and not put much more thought into it.
Which was fine. This was fine too. This was something he wore often, so what was there to second guess?
…In fact, changing again for a nightly outing was already…
Wu Lingtian ignored the scrambling thoughts in his brain. Fan Yi wouldn’t notice.
But Fan Yi was always attentive.
He undid his hair and ran his comb through it a few times before pining it back up with a crown that better suited his current outfit. He looked at himself in the mirror and habitually reached to adjust the sword at his waist.
His hand grasped at the empty air.
Wu Lingtian let out a sigh and shook his head. He put the vambraces around his wrist and smoothed back his hair once more before resolutely leaving his room and heading for the front of the sect, where Fan Yi was said to be waiting.
When he arrived, the man was already there.
Like he said, there were few people that remained in the sect. A majority of them were the more reserved disciples and quieter servants who disliked the hustle and bustle of crowds. On the whole, the sect was dimly lit and not as rambunctious as it usually was at this hour.
Upon seeing Wu Lingtian, Fan Yi turned with an exited glimmer to his eyes. “I have a present for you.”
“What?”
“Two, actually, but I’ll give you the other one later,” Fan Yi smiled. He reached past his lapels and drew out a waist pendant. “This. Of course, we should throw you a grand welcoming ceremony, but I’ll be away by then. Yizhou is still planning it. However, it’s always been tradition that I present the new pillar with the waist pendent, so I figured I’ll do this first, then you can give it to Yizhou to give back to you as a ceremonial right when the real event happens.”
Wu Lingtian stared at the black waist pendant that had sparrows sitting atop tree branches carved into it. The tassel and string were both white, with clear and white beads adorning the ends just before the tassel. It was created to match his own style, just like the other Pillars’ were.
“Thank you, Sect Leader,” Wu Lingtian accepted it and lowered his head to tie it to his waist.
“It’s a bit unofficial, but welcome to Screeching Sparrow Sect,” Fan Yi chuckled. He spread out his hands as he gestured to the empty fields. “When the ceremony takes place, Yizhou will say this and then everyone in the sect and the guests—probably just Miss Zhen—will get on their knees or just bow and they’ll all say ‘Welcome Fourth Pillar’ and they’ll wish for your longevity.”
Fan Yi lowered his arms and sighed. “It’s a very fascinating sight. Too bad I won’t be here this time.”
Wu Lingtian rubbed his thumb over the pendant. “It’s already nice like this.”
“Well, it’ll be nicer then,” Fan Yi reassured him. He turned and looked at Wu Lingtian with his usual charming smile. “Then the entire world will know that you belong to our sect. Wu Lingtian—our Screeching Sparrow Sect’s Fourth Pillar.”
Wu Lingtian looked at Fan Yi’s shining eyes and couldn’t bring himself to look away. He merely smiled in response and watched as Fan Yi turned and began their descent from the sect.
“We’ll walk to the bottom of these steps and then I’ll take you for a flight,” Fan Yi said. “We could just fly through, but walking is all part of the experience, you know?”
“Mn.”
“I really like this flight of stairs,” Fan Yi said. “The mountain I grew upon had stairs similar to these. They were longer though. I never liked that, so I made mine shorter.”
Fan Yi chuckled. “You don’t know how excited I was. I always told my father and my grandfather that I would do away with half the steps when I became sect leader and they all said I was ridiculous.”
He looked at Wu Lingtian. “But I did it anyway.”
Wu Lingtian looked down at the steps they were climbing down. “There’s still three thousand steps.”
“Three thousand two hundred and forty-six,” Fan Yi corrected. “The steps at my father’s sect were six thousand four hundred and ninety-two. Exactly half.”
“Sect Leader has good memory.”
“Of course! Whenever I did anything wrong, my grandfather would make me climb the steps and count them,” Fan Yi said. “If I got it wrong, he’d send me back down and make me do it all over again. Crazy old man.”
“Sect Leader must have gotten along really well with your family,” Wu Lingtian noted with a small smile.
“What makes you say that?” Fan Yi glanced at Wu Lingtian. “All I do is complain about them.”
“You talk about them often.”
“Do I?” Fan Yi stopped to wonder. He laughed after a moment. “Well, my apologies then! I don’t often talk about them, but I end up bringing them up a lot around you. I wonder why.”
“It’s nice, I like it,” Wu Lingtian said.
Fan Yi found his gaze drifting towards Wu Lingtian again.
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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“A long time ago,” Wu Lingtian averted his gaze. “That time when I was injured by the snake demon and you took care of me. You were trying to keep me from fainting as you removed the poison and you talked about them and how they followed you around all the time.”
“Ah, I remembered,” Fan Yi laughed. “So, you were still conscious enough to hear me?”
“Mn, I was. You said you had a little sister named Jingyi and a little brother named Yiqiu,” Wu Lingtian said. “Jingyi liked when you told stories, so she’d sneak into your room at night. Yiqiu disliked the dark, so he would also come find you too.”
Listening to Wu Lingtian, Fan Yi’s smile couldn’t help but fade slightly. He looked at Wu Lingtian’s distant, almost wistful expression.
“It sounded nice,” Wu Lingtian said, not saying much more about what else he remembered.
“…Would you want to have a family in the future?”
“What?”
“A wife or a husband. Kids,” Fan Yi said.
Wu Lingtian let out a short laugh. “I couldn’t.”
“Why not?”
“How could I ever?” Wu Lingtian asked. He glanced at Fan Yi with a smile. “I have a sect and disciples to take care of.”
Fan Yi quirked a brow. “That’s what I told you.”
“Well, it’s true. If I got married and adopted a child, Li Qing could be jealous. She likes me quite a lot,” Wu Lingtian smiled.
Fan Yi laughed. “By the time you find a cultivation partner and adopt a child, Li Qing will be old enough to start her own family!”
“You don’t know that,” Wu Lingtian shrugged.
“High aspirations. High hopes,” Fan Yi couldn’t help but shake his head. He looked at Wu Lingtian amusedly and sighed. “I think you would make a loving husband though.”
“Perhaps.”
“Oh! What about that person you wanted to pursue?” Fan Yi asked. “Now that everything’s settled down, maybe you could…?”
“They’re busy,” Wu Lingtian said.
“Busy?” Fan Yi raised a brow.
“They have a lot going on in life,” Wu Lingtian said. “I’ll wait for them to be less busy before I do anything.”
“Are you sure?” Fan Yi frowned. “Now’s as good a time as any.”
“I started already, but I think I’m too subtle.”
Fan Yi’s eyes widened. “Before the incident?”
“…Yes, something like that.”
“That’s a long time. Were you too subtle, or were they too dense?” Fan Yi mumbled.
Wu Lingtian looked at Fan Yi. “I wonder.”
“Maybe you should find someone else,” Fan Yi said, looking at Wu Lingtian with a bit of concern. “How is the relationship going to work out in the future if they’re like this now?”
“No,” Wu Lingtian shook his head, his eyes still boring into Fan Yi. “I think they’re quite good. I just haven’t tried hard enough yet.”
Fan Yi sighed. “If you think he’s worth it, then I suppose it’s fine.”
“More than worth it,” Wu Lingtian smiled softly.
Fan Yi held his gaze for a moment longer before turning away. He lowered his head, in an attempt to shield the slight flush that began to rise on his cheeks. “That’s good. That’s good.”
By the time Fan Yi and Wu Lingtian arrived at WuYe Town, the festival was already in full swing. People who usually wore clothes that were washed until the colors were faded were dressed in a set of fresh robes. Many that walked the streets wore masks that mimicked various beasts and devils. The shops, as Fan Yi said, were closed, as to encourage patronage amongst the small stalls that lined the streets.
At every corner, there was a small show being held. The only place that was open was the tea shop, which hosted storytellers and puppet shows.
Fan Yi took one look around before holding onto Wu Lingtian’s hand. He looked back at him. “Where do you want to go first?”
“Anywhere is okay,” Wu Lingtian said.
“Anywhere, huh?” Fan Yi looked around and smiled. “Then, let’s go over there first.”
Wu Lingtian looked down at the hand that gripped his tightly and smiled.
As long as you’re here, anywhere is fine.
“A-Tian, look!” Fan Yi pointed with the hand that still held Wu Lingtian’s. “Masks. Let’s get two so the disciples don’t notice us.”
The stall owner laughed. It was obvious she recognized Fan Yi. “Not just your disciples, even other sects are here to join the fun, Sect Leader Fan.”
“Ssshh,” Fan Yi grinned as he pressed a finger against his lips. He looked at Wu Lingtian with a sigh. “If anyone catches me playing around, they’re going to want to talk to me. I just want to be with you tonight.”
“Then, get a mask,” Wu Lingtian looked at the masks on displayed, not showing at all just how flustered he was on the inside.
“Let’s see, which ones should we get?” Fan Yi tapped his chin.
Wu Lingtian took one from where it hung and held it out to Fan Yi. “Use this one.”
Fan Yi glanced at the mask in Wu Lingtian’s hand and stepped back. “Why did you choose such a scary one?”
“If anyone sees you, they’ll turn the other way,” Wu Lingtian reasoned. “Isn’t that what you wanted?”
The stall owner hid her smile behind her sleeve.
“That’s too scary, put it back,” Fan Yi took it from Wu Lingtian’s hand and hung it back up. After another few seconds of deliberation, Fan Yi chose two masks and paid the stall owner. He sent her a wink as he and Wu Lingtian put the masks on, “Don’t tell anyone you saw us.”
“Of course, I wouldn’t Sect Leader Fan,” the woman curtsied with a slight giggle as she watched the two men disappear off into the crowd.
Fan Yi sighed. “The summer festival is always so popular. If the other sects like it so much, then they should make their own! But they’re always coming to WuYe.”
“WuYe is the social hub of Jiangshi. If they don’t come here, where else would they go?” Wu Lingtian reasoned.
“I suppose,” Fan Yi tugged on Wu Lingtian’s hand. “Let’s go this way.”
With the reasoning that it would be a hassle to find each other, Wu Lingtian continued to hold Fan Yi’s hand as Fan Yi excitedly introduced him to WuYe City and its many delicacies. Wu Lingtian had to readjust himself several times as Fan Yi piled more and more things into his arms. Anyone who walked by would sneak amused glances in their direction. Although Wu Lingtian was a bit embarrassed, he couldn’t help but feel a bit pleased.
“A-Tian, open your mouth,” Fan Yi turned around to Wu Lingtian.
Wu Lingtian released Fan Yi’s hand and raised his mask slightly. Fan Yi put the goldfish shaped dumpling into Wu Lingtian’s mouth. “Be careful, it’s hot.”
Wu Lingtian slurped up the soup that began to spill the moment he took a bit and frowned at Fan Yi slightly.
Fan Yi laughed and only waved to the store owner before pulling Wu Lingtian away again. “Where else do you want to go? I think we’ve gone pretty much everywhere.”
“Anywhere else is fine,” Wu Lingtian mumbled.
As he said this, his eyes caught onto the lights that glimmer by the river not too far away. After a moment of consideration, he pulled his mask back down and grabbed Fan Yi.
“Oh? Did you find somewhere you wanted to go?” Fan Yi asked, a hint of excitement in his voice.
“Mn. By the river.”
“The river? Ah! The wishing lanterns,” Fan Yi quickened his pace to walk beside Wu Lingtian. He pushed the mask up. “You want to make a wish? What wish?”
“If I tell you, it won’t come true,” Wu Lingtian said.
“How could that be? That’s just something silly! In fact, you have to say it out loud, or else how would anyone know what you’re thinking?” Fan Yi said. He let go of Wu Lingtian’s hand and took the things from Wu Lingtian’s arms as they neared the river. “You go buy the lantern. I’ll wait here.”
Wu Lingtian nodded and left in a jog.
When he came back, Wu Lingtian was holding two lanterns that were the size of his torso. “There’s a place over there where we can write our wishes.”
“Why’d you buy two? I didn’t need one,” Fan Yi had long put the items into the Qiankun pouch at his side. He took the spare lantern and looked at it quizzically. “What should I do with this one?”
“Just make a wish. It can be for the good of the sect,” Wu Lingtian said as he left for the table that had brushes.
Fan Yi followed after him. He held the lantern in his hands as if he had just been handed a baby that he had no experience with handling. He glanced at Wu Lingtian as a set of beautiful calligraphy appeared down the side of the lantern.
In the soft glow of the lights all around, one could perfectly see Wu Lingtian’s mesmerizing beauty. The teardrop mole beside his eye seemed to stand out in this kind of lighting, where his pale skin became warmed by the candle light. The entire world was shrouded by a faint gauze, creating a soft atmosphere that melted Wu Lingtian’s usually icy visage.
When Wu Lingtian looked up, he found Fan Yi still standing in a daze. He straightened and handed Fan Yi a brush. “Sect Leader, there were other brushes here.”
“Huh? Oh, I know. I was just thinking about what to write,” Fan Yi accepted the brush and glanced down at the lantern and then to Wu Lingtian. “What’d you write?”
“I’ll tell you after we let them go.”
“Oh, alright.”
Fan Yi glanced at Wu Lingtian for a while before finally pressing the brush to the paper.
The two men walked into the field where it was a bit emptier and released the lanterns into the sky. The two lanterns quickly joined the rest, that dotted the sky like a sea of stars. Fan Yi glanced at Wu Lingtian and nudged him.
“What’d you wish for?”
“For Sect Leader to come back safely,” Wu Lingtian said.
Fan Yi was stunned for a moment before he burst into laughter. “Why’d you wish for that? Did you wish for anything else?”
“No.”
“That can’t do! How could you use your wish on me?” Fan Yi shook his head. “Next time you make a wish, you have make it about yourself! Like…like being able to confess to your loved one, right? That’s something you still want to do.”
“They have to be alive if I want to confess to them,” Wu Lingtian mumbled.
“What was that?”
“Sect Leader is a very important person to me. That’s what I said,” Wu Lingtian said. He quickly changed the subject, “Sect Leader, what did you wish for?”
“Me?” Fan Yi looked up at the sky towards the lanterns that had floated out of sight. “I wished for you to quickly get better.”
Wu Lingtian stared at him and felt his heart faintly move. “I thought you said wishes were supposed to be yourself.”
“They are!” Fan Yi said. He met Wu Lingtian’s gaze. “But I have everything I want right now, so I figured I should give my wish to you. Turns out you’d already made a wish in my place.”
He let out a sigh as Wu Lingtian’s gaze warmed and softened.
“Me too.”
“Hm?”
“…I also have everything I could ever ask for,” Wu Lingtian said. “This is the happiest I’ve been in a very long time.”
Fan Yi looked at Wu Lingtian’s serious gaze and felt as if an arrow tore through his heart. He lifted a hand and rubbed Wu Lingtian’s head with a gentle smile. “I’m glad. This is how it should be. You should be surrounded by people who love you and you should be able to be happy.”
Wu Lingtian looked at the guilt reflected in Fan Yi’s eyes. He suppressed the bitterness in his heart and lowered his head. “Sect Leader, actually I—”
“Oh! The second gift!” Fan Yi retracted his hand. He reached past his lapels and pulled out a battered box.
Wu Lingtian’s words were swallowed back down as he watched Fan Yi. “What’s this?”
“You said you were worried about my safety, right?” Fan Yi grinned. He pulled back the lid and held the box out to Wu Lingtian. “Ta-dah! Do you know what these are?”
Wu Lingtian’s heart jumped out of his chest. “…Rings.”
“They’re not just ordinary rings,” Fan Yi pulled them out and tucked the box away first. “After cultivation partners get together, there’s a tradition that they’ll give each other a way to tell if the other person is still safe and alive. I thought to use that method so that you can see that I’m still fine during my trip. Isn’t that a good idea?”
“…It’s a great idea, but Sect Leader…”
“Hm?” Fan Yi looked up.
“…We’re not cultivation partners,” Wu Lingtian said.
“I know we’re not,” Fan Yi said. “But we don’t have to be to use these rings. These rings are useless to me anyway. That Hu Rongming got them for me to make fun of me for still being single. Now, I can put them to some good use! Bring your finger over.”
Wu Lingtian awkwardly held out his hand.
“So first we need to put a drop of blood into this crevice,” Fan Yi mumbled. He bit the tip of his finger and let it drop into one of the rings.
Wu Lingtian mimicked him and dropped it into the other.
They watched silently as the ring briefly glowed before settling back into their black color.
“This one has mine,” Fan Yi handed over the one he dropped his blood into and held up the one Wu Lingtian put his into. “And this one has yours. Now we just need to inject our spiritual energy to activate it.”
Wu Lingtian did as he was told. He tried his best to keep his hands from trembling as he did so. He never thought that before he could even confess, before he could even ask Fan Yi to be his cultivation partner, Fan Yi would actually suggest binding them in this way.
The rings glowed again, this time a warm orange color.
Fan Yi slipped the ring onto his finger and waited until Wu Lingtian did the same. “Do you feel that? Just rub it a little.”
Wu Lingtian turned the ring and felt it slowly warm against his finger.
“There you go! Now, you’ll know that I’m safe at all times,” Fan Yi held up the hand that bore the matching ring, “And now I can make sure you’re fine as well. What do you think?”
“Thank you, Sect Leader. But you didn’t have to go this far,” Wu Lingtian said, his gaze still concentrated on the ring around his finger.
Cultivation partners had always been a sacred concept to cultivators. Even those who said they wouldn’t marry were always careful with mentioning it. A cultivation partner was a companion until death. It was someone who vowed to walk the same path as you, whether it led to Heaven or down to Hell. It was an undying bond and an undying faith that joined two people together. It was a once in the lifetime soulmate.
“How could it be far?” Fan Yi asked smiling. He lightly nudged Wu Lingtian. “A cultivation partner is just your soulmate, right?”
Wu Lingtian looked at Fan Yi.
Fan Yi smiled. “We’re soulmates, aren’t we?”
Is Fan Li really this dense ?
He must be dense. Wu Lingtian has not been that subtle – people have planned weddings on less. I won’t be surprised if he just tells Fan Yi he accepts his proposal and won’t let him back out lol.
I know I definitely may say that and not allow him to back out cause what kind of denseness is this?
Even those that DONT see them every day because they don’t belong to their sect can tell!
i……. i just…….. i can’t………….
FAN YI!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i am burrowing deeper into my blankets. i’m….. wow………
vine voice And they were soulmates… Oh my god they were soulmates 😍😆
FanYi calling himself without realizing he is the one that Yulan was talking about 🤦🏽♀️🤣🤣🤣
Dense*