Wu Lingtian’s heart hammered against his chest. He managed to nod, but Fan Yi’s next words washed passed his ears like the water in a gushing stream.
Soulmates. Soulmates, but as in the closest bosom friend. Someone who understood you very well and who you wouldn’t have to explain yourself to. Fan Yi thought they were…soulmates? Him? Wu Lingtian? How could that be? Unless he had forgotten something again?
Fan Yi didn’t appear to notice any peculiarities.
He was already leading Wu Lingtian back to Screeching Sparrow Sect when the two men passed by a game stall, which had many people surrounding it. Fan Yi paused and looked around with a hint of curiosity. Unable to comprehend what was happening, he was already about to leave when he heard a hearty “Oh, it’s the Sect Leader!”
It was then that Fan Yi remembered he’d forgotten his mask back at the stall. He paused and pulled on a smile to greet the people of the city he looked after. Naturally, everyone was very welcoming, but the stall owner was excited.
“Sect Leader, would you like to play a game?”
“A game?” Fan Yi raised a brow. He glanced at Wu Lingtian before bringing his attention back to the man. “What sort of game?”
“Well, you see, it’s a love game,” the stall owner smiled. He looked suggestively between Fan Yi and Wu Lingtian.
Rumors that the two were together had already made its rounds to everyone. So long as you were in a town with cultivators, you would know about Fan Yi and Wu Lingtian. Therefore, for members of WuYe City to be aware was nothing new.
“Ah, I see,” Fan Yi laughed. His eyes narrowed with a hint of interest. “How does it work?”
“I’m glad you asked!” the stall owner did a dramatic spin as he gesticulated towards the setup, especially to the audience. “There will be a few couples competing, but the goal is to pass these small squares of paper from this plate to this plate—using your lips.”
The crowd gasped and were obviously scandalized, but everyone seemed excited. Young couples blushed at the very thought of possibly kissing in public. Only Wu Lingtian and Fan Yi, who were a “couple” seemed unfazed.
“The winner gets this thousand-year-old brew of peach blossom wine,” the stall owner smiled. He turned back to Fan Yi. “What do you think, Sect Leader? Do you want to compete?”
Fan Yi wanted to say that he didn’t drink, but when he glanced at Wu Lingtian, he remembered this man seemed to appreciate wine quite a bit.
But Wu Lingtian was normally devoid of worldly desires. Upon sensing Fan Yi’s gaze, he met him with a gentle smile.
“Sect Leader, just do it,” a nosier woman urged him. “It’ll be fun! Games like these are great for strengthening the bond between a young couple!”
“That’s right!”
“That’s right!”
Fan Yi laughed. Young couple? His and Wu Lingtian’s age combined was nearly at eight hundred—who was the young couple here?
“Sect Leader,” Wu Lingtian had lowered himself to whisper into Fan Yi’s ear. “If you want to do it, I don’t mind.”
The words somehow felt suggestive, and Wu Lingtian’s warm breath stirred up some odd thoughts. Fan Yi glanced at Wu Lingtian and then back at the setup before them. It had been a while since he had seen Wu Lingtian flustered. This wouldn’t be a bad time to get back at him for teasing him that one day during the Zhuixing Conference.
Fan Yi eventually agreed and the stall owner brought up four other couples that were willing to compete.
Standing in front of Wu Lingtian like this, Fan Yi felt a hint of disdain. “A-Tian.”
“Yes, Sect Leader?”
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.
“Crouch down a little,” Fan Yi reached up and pressed down on Wu Lingtian’s head.
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“Sect Leader, you don’t even like to drink,” Wu Lingtian pointed out.
“We should still try when we play a game,” Fan Yi said.
Competitive. Wu Lingtian forgot that Fan Yi was very competitive.
The moment the mallet landed on the gong, Wu Lingtian calmly stooped, with his hands tied behind his back, to pick up the small square paper. He was keenly aware of a group of young men and woman standing off to the side, squealing as they watched his lips gently kiss the side of the paper.
Wu Lingtian glanced their way as he moved and pressed the paper to Fan Yi’s lips.
Although they were slower than the other couples, they were undeniably the steadiest group. Soon, a small collection of people had gathered to their corner and watched.
Wu Lingtian’s eye twitched slightly when he heard people whispering about how good looking he was. What was the point of talking about him? Wasn’t Fan Yi also there? They should just shift some attention over.
Fan Yi, seeing Wu Lingtian growing increasingly irritable (though not noticeably) slowly smirked.
When Wu Lingtian bent down to pick up the next square, Fan Yi purposely inched closer. He nudged Wu Lingtian with his shoulder and watched the man fumble, but still glance over.
“They’re all whispering about you. Aren’t you shy?”
Wu Lingtian didn’t answer. He simply straightened his back and pressed the square to Fan Yi’s lips. As Fan Yi was passing it over, he heard the man behind him say, “I’m used to compliments on my appearance. Why would I be shy?”
Fan Yi straightened again and watched Wu Lingtian. “Oh. I see. Since you’ve been good looking since birth, you’re used to everyone complimenting you, right?”
Wu Lingtian hummed. It was the only answer he could give when he was preoccupied with his mouth.
“Oh, then, what if I called you ugly?” Fan Yi asked curiously.
Wu Lingtian looked at him as he passed over the square sheet. He felt that Fan Yi was randomly looking for a beating.
“Beauty is subjective,” Wu Lingtian dropped the phrase and bent down again.
Fan Yi looked Wu Lingtian up and down. He was normally such a reserved person, Fan Yi had thought this type of intimate contact would have spooked him. He had been waiting for Wu Lingtian to drop everything and become flustered. After all, passing things with your mouth and also having your hands tied was a bit much. But there was no reaction at all.
Fan Yi watched Wu Lingtian approach. Just at the last minute, Fan Yi smiled, “But I think you’re very handsome.”
He watched Wu Lingtian’s face slowly turn red. The square piece of paper against his lip turned slack and nearly slipped. Fan Yi lurched forward and caught it just before it drifted to the ground. Because they were angled a bit strangely, Fan Yi had to suck it slightly to get a better grip on it before moving it back.
Wu Lingtian jerked back suddenly. His pale skin had warmed. He stumbled back, knocking the table a bit and jostling the plates and the paper.
He stared at Fan Yi incredulously and lightly licked his lips.
The gong was struck again and the competition ended.
The stall owner went and counted the sheets that everyone managed to grab. Everyone, regardless of number, was applauded enthusiastically. The friendly atmosphere pervaded every corner of the festival.
When it came to Wu Lingtian and Fan Yi’s table, the stall owner couldn’t help but sneak a glance at them. The two men seemed undisturbed by worldly affairs. It would be hard to convince someone that they weren’t cultivators.
However, because they were so calm, the outcome was already obvious even before the stall owner finished counting.
“Sect Leader and Lord Yu Lan win!” the stall owner announced.
The cheers made Wu Lingtian dizzy, but he kept his stoic expression as a servant walked over and passed Fan Yi the jug of wine.
“May you and Lord Yu Lan live together till your hair turns—ah, that’s not right. May you and Lord Yu Lan stay together until the oceans dry and the mountains crumble,” the stall owner grinned.
Fan Yi laughed and thanked the stall owner before taking Wu Lingtian away. He glanced at the other man and grabbed the other man’s hand again. When Wu Lingtian looked up, Fan Yi smiled.
“Let’s go home.”
“Okay,” Wu Lingtian’s originally tense body seemed to relax.
Fan Yi let out a sigh but didn’t point anything out.
Once the two men were back in Screeching Sparrow Sect, they didn’t go straight back to Fan Yi’s residence. Instead, Wu Lingtian snuck into the kitchen to grab two cups and the men made their way to a nice clearing at the back of the mountain. From there, they could still see the fireworks being displayed as they sipped at the wine.
“Did you have fun today?” Fan Yi asked curiously.
Wu Lingtian nodded. “It was the best night I’ve had.”
Fan Yi laughed. “You don’t have to lie.”
“I’m not lying. I really enjoyed my time with Sect Leader,” Wu Lingtian said. He brought the cup up to his lips as he watched the fireworks bursting in the sky. “I haven’t been that happy in a long time.”
Fan Yi silently observed Wu Lingtian for a moment. He fiddled with the cup in his hands and asked, “What makes you happy?”
“What makes me happy?” Wu Lingtian echoed. “I don’t know. I’ve forgotten. Right now, all I know is Sect Leader makes me happy.”
Wu Lingtian poured himself another cup. “Everything Sect Leader does makes me happy.”
Fan Yi looked at Wu Lingtian quizzically. “Are you drunk?”
“How could I be?” Wu Lingtian smiled. “I just started drinking. I’m not you.”
Fan Yi clicked his tongue and took a small sip again before turning his attention back to Wu Lingtian. “I was looking for a serious answer.”
“A serious one, huh,” Wu Lingtian silently contemplated for a moment. “The sunlight makes me happy. It’s very warm. It makes me feel very comfortable, like Sect Leader does.”
“Stop bringing it back to me,” Fan Yi laughed.
Wu Lingtian smiled. “Also, having people I care about makes me happy.”
Fan Yi’s smile faltered.
“It makes me feel human. And that’s nice,” Wu Lingtian laid back down on the grass. “I like feeling human.”
“…You are human.”
“Hah,” Wu Lingtian’s chest heaved. “What makes Sect Leader happy?”
“Huh?”
“What makes you happy?” Wu Lingtian tilted his head and looked at Fan Yi with a languid smile. “You can say it’s me. I’ll allow it.”
Fan Yi laughed. “What a cheeky brat.”
Wu Lingtian’s smile grew, but he waited patiently for Fan Yi to respond.
“Mm…having a place to call home,” Fan Yi said. He met Wu Lingtian’s gaze. “That’s what makes me the happiest.”
Wu Lingtian chuckled. “I like that answer.”
“Better than your first answer,” Fan Yi teased.
“How can that be? My first answer and your answer are the same,” Wu Lingtian said. His expression was quite serious. “Sect Leader makes me the happiest, because Sect Leader is my home.”
“You’re really too drunk.”
“I barely had four cups,” Wu Lingtian rolled onto his side to pour himself his fifth. “How could I be drunk off of that?”
“You know, if you talk like this to your beloved, maybe one day they’ll be seduced,” Fan Yi smiled.
Wu Lingtian met Fan Yi’s gaze as he downed the cup in one gulp. “I look forward to that day then.”
Fan Yi chuckled as he looked away. “Nothing in this world is difficult for one who sets his mind to it. If it’s you, I’m sure you’ll accomplish anything.”
“Sect Leader,” Wu Lingtian called out to Fan Yi again. His voice was soft, almost like a prayer that faded away with the soft, end of summer breeze. “Sect Leader, when you come back, can I tell you something?”
“Why not tell me now?” Fan Yi glanced at him.
“If I tell you now, then you can just run away,” Wu Lingtian reached out and held a lock of Fan Yi’s hair. “I don’t want that.”
Fan Yi chuckled lowly. “Fine. Wait till I get back then.”
“Thank you, Sect Leader,” Wu Lingtian released Fan Yi.
The two men fell into silence as the fireworks faded.
It was nearing the end of summer and, soon, the winter months will descend upon them.
I’m so confused but I love it
Ahhh the confession ❤️❤️❤️ Too bad the other party is obvious 🙄
I meant oblivious
It’s almost enough. What a beautiful way to end a festival. Fan Yi even had a drink!
He WASN’T obvious at all… yep.. not even a bit 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣