Translator:- Max
“How do I cultivate?” Ji Qingzhou asked him.
“I’ll teach you later. For now, take off your shoes and socks and wash your feet.”
Ji Qingzhou then took off his shoes and socks, placing his feet in the water and playfully splashing with them.
Chu Cheng let him play for a while before giving him a handkerchief to wipe his feet clean.
Ji Qingzhou quickly wiped his feet and placed them on the bed. Looking at Chu Cheng waving his hand to return the foot basin to its place, he became even more curious. “How do I cultivate?”
“Exhale and breathe back, I will teach you the techniques, and you cultivate according to them.”
Ji Qingzhou nodded.
Chu Cheng taught him a few ways of cultivation techniques, and then he(JQZ) closed his eyes to cultivate according to the instructions.
Seeing him start cultivating, Chu Cheng lay down on the bed, preparing to rest. He was too lazy to wash up, so he simply snapped his fingers, cleansing himself of the dust from the mortal world today.
When Ji Qingzhou opened his eyes again, he saw that Chu Cheng was already asleep. Not wanting to disturb him, he followed his example, took off his outer garments, got into bed, and slowly fell asleep.
When Chu Cheng woke up the next day, he discovered a warm body in his arms. As he looked down, he realised that Ji Qingzhou was unexpectedly not wearing anything.
Chu Cheng almost quickly understood that the little apricot had likely only visually transformed the outer garments, not realising that humans also wore inner clothing. He shook his head helplessly and waited for Ji Qingzhou to wake up before talking to him about it. When Ji Qingzhou saw the white undergarments on Chu Cheng, he cleverly pressed the clothes on his body to transform a set for himself as well.
“This should be fine now.”
“En.”
Ji Qingzhou thought for a moment and then extended his fist towards him. He opened his hand, and astonishingly found several copper coins inside. “Money.” He said.
Chu Cheng lightly touched the coins, and they transformed into fruit. Chu Cheng took one and ate it, saying, “This won’t do. Your cultivation is too shallow. Shortly after these coins leave you, they will revert back to being fruit. You will be discovered.”
Ji Qingzhou said helplessly, “Then you’d still have to pay.”
Chu Cheng nodded.
“Then what do I need to give you?” He questioned.
“No need for that. As I said before, I will protect you.”
Ji Qingzhou heard him say no, and didn’t say anything more. He was naturally nurtured and grown with spiritual energy, was pure and simple, not understanding the way of the world. When he first entered the mortal world, he didn’t know how to get along with mortals. He thanked them for a favour or apologised for offending them. He just acted according to his own nature and it was all based on his heart.
The two of them had a meal at the inn, and Ji Qingzhou enjoyed it a lot. He liked sweet and sour flavours, but he also liked spicy food. His mouth turned rosy, and there was even a bit of oil on his lips. Chu Cheng watched him and couldn’t resist using a handkerchief to wipe his mouth. Ji Qingzhou’s lips were tender, and as Chu Cheng wiped, he couldn’t help but press it a bit. Ji Qingzhou was not annoyed and he even leaned in to let him continue to wipe it for him.
After they were full, Chu Cheng paid the bill, and the two of them left the inn together.
“Where would you like to go?” Chu Cheng asked him.
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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“It’s up to you.”
Ji Qingzhou thought for a moment, then extended his hand and conjured a leaf. He tossed the leaf into the air, watching it slowly fall, pointing towards the south.
“Go south.” Ji Qingzhou said, “Let’s go south.”
“Okay.”
Chu Cheng bought a horse, mounted it himself, and pulled Ji Qingzhou up onto the horseback as well. He took him all the way south.
Ji Qingzhou, new to the mortal world and he was curious about everything he saw. When he encountered something he had never seen before on the road, would often turn to Chu Cheng, asking, What is that? Patiently, Chu Cheng would respond to his questions. Ji Qingzhou said in amazement, “How do you know everything?”
“Because I’ve seen more things than you, and I’m a little older than you.”
Ji Qingzhou leaned against him, not admitting defeat, “I will know everything in the future too.”
Chu Cheng saw the sharp intelligence in his eyes and said warmly, “That’s natural.”
During the day, they travelled along the official road, watching the people coming and going around them and occasionally listening in on conversations between the passers-by. In the evenings, they stayed in inns, engaging in lively discussions. Sometimes, they would spend the night in the woods. Chu Cheng would start a fire, but Ji Qingzhou was an apricot tree, was a bit afraid of fire and did not dare to get close. He would sit close to Chu Cheng and, when tired, sleep in his embrace.
Sometimes, he would wake up the next day to find himself still in the woods, while other times he would discover himself in a house. “Why do you sometimes conjure up a house and other times not?” Ji Qingzhou asked him.
Chu Cheng’s reply was simple, “Depends on my mood.”
From then on, Ji Qingzhou enjoyed spending nights in the woods. Before going to sleep, he would guess where he might wake up the next day. If he guessed correctly, he would be very happy; if not, he wouldn’t get angry, and he would continue guessing the next time. Chu Cheng saw his thoughts and would sometimes trick him deliberately, deciding whether or not to conjure up a house based on his mood, waiting for his happy expression the next day.
In this way, they went all the way to Luo River.
Luo River’s scenery was picturesque, with the river gently winding around. Ji Qingzhou and Chu Cheng were sitting on a boat, enjoying the gentle breeze as the water remained calm. Ji Qingzhou saw fish in the water and reached out to tease them, while Chu Cheng simply watched, not interrupting him.
After playing on the water for a while, they finally went ashore. Ji Qingzhou arrived in a new city, everything he saw was novel. Chu Cheng accompanied him, and along the way, he helped Jhim buy two sets of clothes.
When a familiar voice came from behind, Chu Cheng turned around slightly in surprise. It turned out to be a friend he had not seen for many years.
Bai Jing smiled as he walked over and asked, “Where have you been? Haven’t seen you in all these years.”
“I found a place and fell asleep. This is the time period I woke up at.”
Bai Jing nodded and invited him, “Come to my place and catch up.”
Chu Cheng, having not seen him for many years, also felt like catching up. So, he said to Ji Qingzhou, “Let’s go to his place first.”
Ji Qingzhou had no objection, “Okay.”
Bai Jing then noticed the small apricot tree accompanying Chu Cheng. Despite its relatively shallow cultivation, it exuded a spiritual aura, not like a mischievous spirit but rather like a celestial charm.
“This is?”
“He’s called Ji Qingzhou. You should be able to see his true form.”
“True.”
Bai Jing could see Ji Qingzhou’s true form, but Ji Qingzhou couldn’t figure out Bai Jing’s. However, He noticed that he didn’t treat others with the same familiarity and trust he showed towards Chu Cheng. Rather than asking him directly, he decided to inquire when it was just him and Chu Cheng.
He followed Chu Cheng to Bai Jing’s house. Bai Jing’s house was located in a bamboo forest, having a picturesque charm. Since he and Chu Cheng hadn’t seen each other for many years, they naturally had many things to talk about. Ji Qingzhou casually strolled around the bamboo forest, not wanting to disturb their conversation.
After playing in the bamboo forest for a while and feeling a bit bored, He was planning to return when he turned his head and saw someone he didn’t recognize.
The man was also very surprised when he saw him, as if he didn’t expect there to be anyone else in this bamboo forest.
“Who are you?” The other person looked at him and quickly made out his true form. “Why are you here?”
Ji Qingzhou opened his mouth, intending to say that he was here with Chu Cheng. However, as he started to say the word “I”, he found himself not knowing how to describe his relationship with Chu Cheng, so he had to ask, “Who are you? And why are you here?”
“I came here to find my cousin. My cousin is Bai Jing. He lives here.”
Ji Qingzhou nodded.
“So, why are you here?” The other person continued to ask.
“I came with someone.”
“Who?”
“The person your cousin is talking to in the house right now.”
After saying that, Ji Qingzhou bypassed the person and headed back to the room Bai Jing had prepared for him.
Seeing him heading back, the person hurriedly caught up and asked him, “What’s your name?”
“Ji Qingzhou.”
“My name is Bai Xi.”
“Oh.” Ji Qingzhou responded.
Seeing that he was indifferent to him, Bai Xi was not angry, and chased him and talked to him with a smile happily. He was always good at talking, and in no time, Ji Qingzhou was amused by him.
Bai Xi watched him laugh and thought he looked really good-looking, especially when he acted aloof and indifferent. When he smiled, he looked even more good-looking.
“Will you live here these days?”
“Maybe.” Ji Qingzhou replied. He felt that Chu Cheng might be interested in catching up with his old friend.
“That’s great; I’ll be staying here for these days too.”
Ji Qingzhou didn’t quite understand what was so great about it, but he didn’t say anything and just continued walking ahead.
After Chu Cheng finished chatting with Bai Jing, he noticed Ji Qingzhou entering the room, accompanied by a playful and smiling fox.
He turned to look at Bai Jing, who introduced, “This is my cousin Bai Xi.”
He then said to Bai Xi, “This is Chu Cheng.”
Bai Xi looked at Chu Cheng and could distinctly feel the oppressive aura emanating from him. Bai Xi’s cultivation was not as profound as Bai Jing’s, and facing someone like Chu Cheng, a descendant of ancient divine beasts, he could only feel the pressure and unable to see his true form.
When Bai Jing saw his cousin, he realised with surprise that the little apricot tree had just transformed. With such a shallow cultivation, he could unexpectedly withstand Chu Cheng’s pressure. Wasn’t he afraid?
Relying on his higher cultivation compared to Bai Xi and Ji Qingzhou, Bai Jing silently inquired of Chu Cheng.
Chu Cheng smiled. Ji Qingzhou, from the time he was just a seed, had been growing in his embrace. Every day, Ji Qingzhou felt his aura, even carrying traces of it on himself. How could he be afraid of Chu Cheng?
But he didn’t tell Bai Jing, he just said to him: You guess?
Bai Jing couldn’t figure it out and felt that his old friend, after many years of not seeing each other, still enjoyed to hang people’s appetite.
Dinner was naturally served at Bai Jing’s place. Bai Xi was very good at cooking, which was one of the reasons Bai Jing allowed him to frequently come and go in the bamboo forest. He was worried, considering Ji Qingzhou was an apricot tree, and specially prepared some light dishes. However, Ji Qingzhou only extended his chopsticks towards the spicy ones.
Chu Cheng helped him ladle some soup and placed it in front of him. Having just finished eating chicken legs, Ji Qingzhou had some oil on his fingers, and his handkerchief was in his pocket. Not wanting to dirty his pocket, he extended his hand towards Chu Cheng, silently asking him to wipe his hands.
Chu Cheng took out a handkerchief and helped him wipe his fingers. Ji Qingzhou patiently waited for him to finish before picking up the spoon to start drinking the soup.
Bai Xi watched the interaction between the two of them, momentarily slightly taken aback. Bai Jing, too, felt a bit dazed. He had never seen Chu Cheng act this way before. Quietly, he asked him in his mind: What’s your relationship with this little apricot tree?
Chu Cheng had never seriously considered this question. He looked at Ji Qingzhou, who was still drinking soup, and for a moment, he seemed unable to explain the relationship between them. Ji Qingzhou had grown in his embrace, transforming from a tender sapling into a handsome young man. He instinctively cared for him, protected him, and was willing to accompany him to play in the human world.
He was like the heavenly materials and earthly treasures he had collected, carefully treasured. However, he was also different from those heavenly materials and earthly treasures; after all, he was standing in front of him alive.
Chu Cheng couldn’t explain it clearly, but in the end, he was his treasure, someone he wanted to take good care of.
Ji Qingzhou finished the soup and was full with this meal.
He pulled Chu Cheng, asking him to accompany him outside. Chu Cheng informed Bai Jing and joined him as they left the house.
“Where to go?”
“I heard the sound of water; there should be a river here.”
“Do you want to play in the water?” Chu Cheng asked him.
Ji Qingzhou shook his head and smiled at Chu Cheng. He honestly said, “I want to eat fish and shrimp.”
Chu Cheng didn’t expect that to be the reason and didn’t know whether he should laugh or cry.
They soon found the small river. Ji Qingzhou took off his shoes and socks, rolled up his trouser legs and got into the water, calling Chu Cheng to come down too.
Chu Cheng entered the river, and Ji Qingzhou lowered his head and asked him to help him find fish and shrimps.
Chu Cheng raised his hand and splashed a handful of water on him. Ji Qingzhou didn’t accept it and directly splashed it back. The two people immediately splashed each other in the river, and by the end, their clothes were all wet. Ji Qingzhou looked at him with dissatisfaction, Chu Cheng smiled and patted his shoulder. Ji Qingzhou was again surprised to find that his clothes were slowly drying.
Instantly, Ji Qingzhou became happy again. He grinned at Chu Cheng, eyes bending into a rainbow.
Thanks for the chapter. I really like this light hearted atmosphere. So wholesome.
THEY ARE SO CUTEEE 😭😭😭
im craving for chu xin’s side story…. 😔😔😔