The more peaceful everything was, the more concerned Wu Lingtian began to grow. He glanced at Fan Yi, waiting for the other man’s reaction only for Fan Yi to remain silent. Fan Yi proceeded forward, his eyes cautiously scanning their surroundings. As if sensing his gaze, he gripped Wu Lingtian’s hand tighter.
“If we’re looking for the serpent, we have to find a body of water,” Fan Yi murmured, more to himself than to Wu Lingtian.
The two men fell silent, listening for any sounds of running streams.
“Let’s go this way,” Wu Lingtian said.
Fan Yi looked back at Wu Lingtian, his expression asking “on what basis?”
“It’s just a feeling,” Wu Lingtian said. After saying so, he felt awkward. “I feel like I’ve been here before. Maybe.”
“Alright. Let’s go that way then,” Fan Yi said.
Wu Lingtian observed Fan Yi’s expression for a moment. Fan Yi raised a brow and pinched the younger man’s nose.
“Why are you staring at me like that? You said you remembered this place,” Fan Yi said.
“And you just believe me?”
“Otherwise? Should I stand here and argue with you when I don’t know this place at all?” Fan Yi asked.
Wu Lingtian’s lips twitched slightly. Seeing this, Fan Yi couldn’t help but snort. He tugged Wu Lingtian forward.
“C’mon, idiot, let’s go,” Fan Yi said.
Wu Lingtian let himself be pulled along until Fan Yi stopped tugging on him. He happily raised Fan Yi’s hand to his lips and kissed the back of it.
“I really love you,” Wu Lingtian said.
Fan Yi raised a brow. He mimicked Wu Lingtian’s motion and placed a kiss on the back of his head. “I love you too.”
Seeing Wu Lingtian’s shocked expression, Fan Yi really felt that he couldn’t deal with this man any longer. He would always initiate things, but when Fan Yi copied him, he would grow flustered.
Fan Yi led Wu Lingtian, who was still acting like a shy maiden, until they came across another forked road.
“You pick,” Fan Yi said.
Wu Lingtian looked up. He stepped in front of Fan Yi and observed the two paths silently for a moment. He raised a hand and pointed. “This one.”
“Alright. I’ll follow you.”
Wu Lingtian’s grip on Fan Yi tightened. He glanced back at the other man. He momentarily released him and dug into his Qiankun pouch. Curious by his actions, Fan Yi watched silently. When Wu Lingtian produced a silk strip of cloth from his pouch, Fan Yi raised a brow.
“What’s this?”
“Tie us together—in case we get lost,” Wu Lingtian said.
He gently wrapped the cloth around Fan Yi’s wrist. Before he could finish tying it, Fan Yi held onto his hand.
“If you tie it so loosely, it’s going to slip. Tighten it more,” Fan Yi said.
Wu Lingtian tightened it a little more, but the pressure on the back of his hand grew. He glanced at Fan Yi.
“More. Did you not eat enough for breakfast?”
Wu Lingtian pulled on the piece of cloth tightly. When Fan Yi didn’t protest again, he moved to tie his own, only to be stopped. Fan Yi took the strip of cloth from him and tied it tightly. Wu Lingtian felt a sharp stinging pain that only lasted a moment. His hand was quickly taken by Fan Yi. When he met the man’s gaze, Fan Yi raised a brow.
“Is it too tight?”
“It’s perfect,” Wu Lingtian said, his gaze lingering on the red strip of cloth that tied their wrists together.
“Where’s this from anyway?” Fan Yi asked, wanting to confirm his suspicions.
“It’s leftover fabric from my old clothes,” Wu Lingtian said.
“Red was a nice color on you,” Fan Yi noted.
Wu Lingtian glanced at Fan Yi. “I can wear it for you again.”
Seeing that the younger man leaned closer, Fan Yi could only tilt his head. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Wu Lingtian smiled, his eyes narrowing. “What do you think?”
“Will you wear a veil too?” Fan Yi reached out and casually touched Wu Lingtian’s hair. “I think a red veil would look nice on you.”
“If that’s what you want,” Wu Lingtian said.
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.
Mjc Tl mtemxifv. Lf oilqqfv Qe Olcualjc’r tjlg yjmx lcab tlr ojmf. “Pr atlr gfjiis atf alwf ab yf oilgalcu?”
“Qtja firf mjc kf vb?” Qe Olcualjc jrxfv. Lf ufraegfv jgbecv. “Ktfgf’r cbatlcu tfgf.”
“Jbcmfcagjaf!” Mjc Tl ijeutfv lcmgfveiberis.
“P’w mbcmfcagjalcu.”
“Yc sbeg reggbecvlcur, cba bc wf,” Mjc Tl rjlv, j rwlif ugjmlcu tlr ojmf.
Wu Lingtian stared at Fan Yi for a moment, somewhat stunned.
Fan Yi’s laughter petered out. “What?”
“I think I fell for you again,” Wu Lingtian confessed.
“You sure fall in love easily,” Fan Yi said.
“I really don’t,” Wu Lingtian said, his voice soft as Fan Yi tugged him in a certain direction. “Where are we going?”
“I heard water over here,” Fan Yi glanced back at Wu Lingtian. “This is why I was telling you to pay attention to your surroundings.”
“How am I supposed to pay attention to anything else when you’re right in front of me?” Wu Lingtian asked, a small pout on his lips.
Fan Yi faced the front. He squeezed his eyes shut and let out a long sigh. “Really, what am I going to do with you?”
Wu Lingtian peered around Fan Yi with a smile. He pressed a quick kiss to the man’s cheek. “You can just indulge me, can’t you?”
Fan Yi rolled his eyes, but the smile on his face was unmistakable.
The water source Fan Yi heard was a small stream. After determining the flow of the stream, the two men followed its current until it fell into a ditch.
Wu Lingtian squatted down and leaned over its edge. The ground at his feet began to crumble slightly. Before he could lean any further, Fan Yi pulled him back by the collar. Wu Lingtian looked up at him.
“Sometimes you’re kind of stupid, aren’t you?”
Seeing Wu Lingtian’s blank stare, Fan Yi released him and shook his head. “No. I take that back. You’re just very impulsive.”
Wu Lingtian cleared his throat as he stood. “What should we do?”
“Let’s look around for an entrance first. If we can’t find one, we’ll jump down,” Fan Yi said. He looked into the hole again. “Even if we jump down, it’s not like we’re going to break any bones.”
“I’ll catch you,” Wu Lingtian joked.
Fan Yi rolled his eyes to the heavens. He ignored Wu Lingtian and left to find an entrance.
The pair reconvened after what felt like half an hour later.
“There’s another entrance, but it’s too small for us to fit in,” Wu Lingtian said.
Fan Yi frowned. “I guess we can only jump then.”
“I’ll go down first,” Wu Lingtian said.
Fan Yi grabbed his arm and tugged him back. “What are you thinking? I’m the one who’s armed. If you go down and it’s a pit of monsters, what are you going to do?”
“I still have to weapons Tian-xiong gave me,” Wu Lingtian said.
“And it won’t save you if the monsters are right at your throat,” Fan Yi said. He gave Wu Lingtian’s hand a reassuring squeeze before turning to the hole.
Wu Lingtian watched as Fan Yi jumped in. Moments later, he heard a voice transmission ringing in his mind.
“It’s safe.”
Wu Lingtian quickly followed after.
Their surroundings were dark and murky. The moment Wu Lingtian landed he felt his boots already drenched in sludge. A look of disgust crossed his face, but his attention was diverted by the crystals on the cave’s roofs.
“It looks like the place we fell into last time,” Fan Yi said.
“We must be close then,” Wu Lingtian said.
Fan Yi prepared to move forward, when his wrist was caught again. He looked back at Wu Lingtian. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know,” Wu Lingtian said. His grip on Fan Yi tightened. “Just stay close.”
Fan Yi looked at Wu Lingtian quizzically, but didn’t question him.
Soon after, Fan Yi found his answer.
The path, that was somewhat familiar to him at first, became completely warped. Fan Yi watched in wonder as Wu Lingtian silently navigated the traps with practiced ease. As they were about to cross a pond, Fan Yi finally tugged on Wu Lingtian.
The younger man glanced back at him.
“Did you put these here?”
The arrays were freshly placed. They didn’t have the usual wear and tear an array might have after being bent around by years of warping.
Wu Lingtian nodded. “I did.”
Fan Yi glanced back at the mess behind them, then at Wu Lingtian. “You’re good at making arrays.”
The sincere compliment caught Wu Lingtian off guard. He stared at Fan Yi, a smile threatening to appear on his lips, before he averted his gaze.
“But you’re bad at taking compliments,” Fan Yi said amusedly.
“You’re distracting me,” Wu Lingtian said.
“I was only curious.”
Wu Lingtian chuckled, but turned his attention back to the arrays.
Fan Yi watched as Wu Lingtian perfectly dismantled them.
If he put them here, it was naturally easy to dismantle. The trouble was that Wu Lingtian might not remember every little single detail. Every time he ran into a difficulty, his brows would furrow and he would lean just the slightest bit closer. It was endearing to watch.
Because none of the traps were triggered, Fan Yi felt as if he were just taking a stroll through a meadow. At first glance, the arrays seemed simple, but Fan Yi could see all the holes one could fall into.
“If you tripped one of the traps, what would happen?” Fan Yi asked curiously.
“You’ll enter an illusion.”
Fan Yi glanced at Wu Lingtian.
According to Wu Lingtian’s practice and his way of doing things, it must be a strong illusion.
The closer they got to their destination, the more complicated the arrays became.
“Do you need help?”
Wu Lingtian shook his head. “I’m trying to remember what I put into the arrays. I’m afraid if I just tried to solve it, it’ll trigger something.”
Fan Yi looked at Wu Lingtian helplessly. “You really enjoy tormenting yourself, don’t you?”
Wu Lingtian chuckled. “Don’t trust anyone, not even yourself—that’s what they say, don’t they? I bet the me at the time felt that, unless I was in my right mind, I really shouldn’t be approaching this area.”
As Wu Lingtian approached the second half of the array, he felt cold fingertips caressing the back of his neck. He glanced back at Fan Yi.
Under Wu Lingtian’s inquiring gaze, Fan Yi only smiled. “Just the usual.”
Wu Lingtian refocused on the array, but Fan Yi’s hand never left the back of his neck.
If Fan Yi had to estimate how long it took, then he would say about four hours. Four hours of Wu Lingtian, sitting crouched on the ground, was how long it was until they made it into an open meadow.
The area around it was no longer as polluted, but there was an odd humidity that clung to the air and made people uncomfortable. The area was no longer laced with arrays. In the center of the meadow was a large, still lake. There was no wind here. The cave acted as a large bowl, encompassing everything and not letting anything else in.
Wu Lingtian felt a strange hum in his chest. He walked closer to the water, almost unwittingly. Instinctively, he knew that the serpent was already asleep again. He was fearless as he approached, but Fan Yi’s cautiousness held him back.
When they reached the water’s edge, Wu Lingtian held out his hand. His expression was as icy as the water before them. “Yu Lan.”
The name was spoken in a way that was barely above a whisper. Fan Yi hadn’t registered what Wu Lingtian said when the water’s surface began to tremble. Fan Yi drew his sword, thinking for a moment that it was the grand serpent. However, after a long time, what came from the depths was not a horrendous beast, but an ice-cold sword.
Fan Yi watched in awe as the sword flew from the water and straight into Wu Lingtian’s hand. He took a step back, his eyes nearly blinded by the sword light that illuminated the cavern. He heard Wu Lingtian’s grunt. When he opened his eyes again, Wu Lingtian had fallen to one knee, Yu Lan protruding from the earth. His hand gripped the hilt tightly and his eyes were bloodshot.
Fan Yi’s brows furrowed. He stepped forward, but a hand blocked his way.
“…Are you okay?”
“Give me a moment,” Wu Lingtian muttered, his hand pressing tightly against his head. His eyes squeezed shut as a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. His breath trembled. His knuckles were white from gripping the sword hilt.
Fan Yi pursed his lips. He knelt down beside Wu Lingtian. “What do you need me to do?”
“I need you to give me a moment,” Wu Lingtian said, his voice harsh.
Fan Yi froze. He sat back and folded his hands over his lap. He watched in silence until Wu Lingtian stabilized his breath, until Wu Lingtian’s body slumped forward. He reached out readily and caught the younger man, whose face was now red and feverish. His brows were furrowed uncomfortably and he flinched from Fan Yi’s embrace. Fan Yi felt his heart souring. His grip on Wu Lingtian tightened.
“You’re okay,” Fan Yi whispered. He pulled out his handkerchief to wipe away Wu Lingtian’s sweat. “A-Tian, you’re okay.”
Wu Lingtian’s brows slowly unknotted. However, his body still convulsed occasionally. His teeth bit down on his lower lip until it bled. Fan Yi flipped Wu Lingtian’s wrist to check his pulse and the flow of his spiritual energy. Only after making sure it was settled did Fan Yi fold Wu Lingtian’s hand against his chest.
He glanced at the sword that still protruded from the ground, scabbard and all. It continued to glow gold. The light was much dimmer now, but it was still irritating to look at.
He sighed and cradled Wu Lingtian’s head on his lap. “Fainted again. How many times are you going to faint?”
Wu Lingtian twitched. He wanted to shift away from Fan Yi, but when he felt cold fingers brush against his temple, he leaned closer again. Even without knowing what Wu Lingtian was dreaming of, Fan Yi felt suffocated.
It was probably true that his memories were locked in Yu Lan. After making contact with it again, Wu Lingtian must have become overwhelmed. What was he experiencing for the second time? What made Wu Lingtian flinch away from human touch?
Fan Yi silently watched over Wu Lingtian until his eyes fluttered open. As they did, tears flowed down his cheeks. There was no sorrow in his expression, only a detached hollowness. He felt Fan Yi’s hand in his and gripped it tighter. To Wu Lingtian, the memories brought on a pain stronger than when he had been forced to endure three months of torture, punctuated by the chains through his pipa gu. He tried to find his bearings, but all he saw in front of him was that smoke encased room and the twisted expression of one person.
“Awake?”
The one word tugged at the edge of Wu Lingtian’s consciousness.
“If you’re awake, then let’s get out of here,” Fan Yi said, his voice gentle still. “If I’m not wrong, we’ve been down here for three days. Even if you’re not hungry, I’m hungry. Let’s go back home first and think about what to do later.”
“…Fan…Sect Leader Fan…” The words came out breathlessly.
Fan Yi listened to the disbelief and only held Wu Lingtian tighter. “Did you sleep too long? Have you not woken up yet?”
Wu Lingtian remained silent.
“How long as it been since you called me Sect Leader Fan?” Fan Yi asked. “Do you belong to another sect? Why is the way you call me so distant?”
Fan Yi felt Wu Lingtian’s fingers digging into his forearms. He remained silent until Wu Lingtian spoke again.
“Yishan…”
“What’s wrong?”
“…Yishan,” Wu Lingtian wrapped his arms around Fan Yi’s waist. He buried his head against the other man’s chest and inhaled deeply.
“Silly, are you still dreaming?” Fan Yi asked. “You even forgot your partner’s name. Are you okay?”
Wu Lingtian shook his head, his breathing becoming unstable again.
Fan Yi pursed his lips. He gently caressed the back of Wu Lingtian’s head. “Take your time. I’m not in a hurry to get anywhere.”
Nearly ten minutes passed before Wu Lingtian spoke again. His voice was broken and trembling as he clung onto Fan Yi’s back. “She…tried to make me forget you.”
“…Did she?”
“Mn. I didn’t want to, so she locked me up,” Wu Lingtian muttered. He kept his eyes wide-open, as if fearing he would return to that time if he so much as closed his eyes. “But I still remembered you.”
“Good job,” Fan Yi praised. “Thank you for remembering me.”
“I didn’t want to forget,” Wu Lingtian whispered. “I knew that if I forgot…if I forgot, then I would lose myself. Just like everyone else…just…”
“Alright,” Fan Yi said. “That’s enough.”
“…I really didn’t…”
Wu Lingtian’s head was abruptly pulled up. He looked into Fan Yi’s eyes and saw his own reflection. It was maniacal—just what he refused to show to his beloved all those years ago. He tried to pull away, but when he did, Fan Yi only held him firmer. This firmness did not have any aggression. It was gentle. Nothing like the memories he had just experienced.
Slowly, Wu Lingtian felt himself relax. He stared into Fan Yi’s eyes, unable to move, as if he were trapped in their depths.
“A-Tian, you’re okay,” Fan Yi said, his voice gentle yet firm. “I’m by your side. I won’t let you go through anything by yourself anymore. I won’t let you forget me.”
Wu Lingtian’s hands came to grip Fan Yi’s wrists. “But I’m not who you think I am.”
“Then tell me later. Tell me slowly,” Fan Yi said. “Let me get to know you again.”
“…You’ll leave.”
“I won’t,” Fan Yi said. He kissed Wu Lingtian between the brows. “I promise you; I won’t leave you.”
Wu Lingtian laughed but it was not a laugh out of relief. It was bitter, disbelieving, and tired. He slumped backwards; his gaze directed at the motionless lake before them.
“A-Tian?”
“…I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you, but…but if you want to leave, just tell me…don’t run,” Wu Lingtian said. He lifted his gaze and met Fan Yi’s eyes.
For a brief, shocking moment, Wu Lingtian almost believed him—he almost believed that this man would stay by his side no matter what. But he quickly crushed those delusions. How could Fan Yi stay by him after he’s learned everything?
He’s so tormented! I guess he knew it was going to be bad? But his missing memories included what looks like close bonds with a lot of interesting people, so it couldn’t be all bad 🤔.
🥺 he had a few good friends (thanks for reading!!)