That night, the Golden Osmanthus Palace was brightly lit.
Last time, when Fang Chiqi was seriously injured and on the verge of death, Fang Tinghai, the head of the Fang family, had invited the eldest disciple of Furong Pavillion, Xia Tinglan to treat his son.
But when it came to the Immortal Sovereign Lu, it was more terrifying.
He directly invited the two female masters of Furong Pavillion, Lady Cihua and Lady Moyou, to come over.
When the two ladies heard that it was at the request of their immortal leader, they hastened over, only to be told that they were to treat Lin Fuqing. They were stunned.
They looked at Lu Kuifu’s serious and vigilant expression, and then checked the pulse and spiritual flow of the little immortal lord sleeping on the bed. It didn’t appear that he was in danger of death.
Lu Kuifu had cleaned out the largest chamber in the Golden Osmanthus Palace for Lin Fuqing, where medical treatments could be easily performed.
The two ladies from Furong Pavillion walked in a daze, with strange looks on their faces. They wanted to say that he was making a fuss out of nothing but they dared not say it.
Even if they had, the other Xuyun disciples still wouldn’t feel rest assured.
First and foremost, Fang Zhiyuan refused to leave.
He neither seemed anxious nor acted out of control, and instead calmly insisted on staying until Ling Fuqing woke up.
Fang Zhuyuan’s condition was actually quite bad. He had gotten injured when fighting with the yin monsters and these injuries were further aggravated by the fight with Wang Zhe. The reason he could even remain standing was due to his extraordinary endurance. If it were anyone else, they would have toppled over by this point.
Xun Mingsi asked him to go back and rest, and Ye Huaguo asked to take a look at his injuries. Fang Zhiyuan just shook his head and said, “Don’t worry about me.”
Xun Mingsi said, “That won’t work. If da shixiong wakes up and finds you unconscious, Mingsi will be scolded.”
“Tsk… I won’t faint.” Fang Zhiyuan sat beside him, supporting his forehead with one hand and lowering his eyes in fatigue. “Stop arguing, you guys should go back to sleep.”
Xun Mingsi grew silent.
After a while, he patted Ye Huaguo on the shoulder and whispered, “With da shixiong not here, we can’t let second shixiong do whatever he wants. If you think the situation is getting worse, just knock him out with a drug and carry him away.”
Ye Huaguo was horrified. “I, I, I, I don’t dare!”
Xun Mingsi solemnly promised, “…I’ll be responsible for anything that happens afterward.”
Fang Zhiyuan laughed angrily. “I can hear you!”
In the end, they were unable to convince him and could only leave him behind while they went back to the inn to rest.
As night deepened, the two medical ladies from Furong Pavillion also said goodbye and left.
Fang Zhiyuan simply took some healing pills and moved over to sit by Lin Fuqing’s bedside.
It had been an incredibly eventful day, and it was only now just calming down. The moon outside the window was bright, its moonlight washing in the faint scent of osmanthus.
Fang Zhiyuan held Lin Fuqing’s hand. Stroking the slender and soft knuckles, he whispered, “I think you just want to drive me crazy.”
“You shouldn’t have come to Liuhua Continent, but you insisted on coming. Even if I told you not to go to Ziwei Pavillion, you will definitely insist on going…”
What kind of person was this?
Fang Zhiyuan looked at Lin Fuqing’s eyebrows and thought in a daze.
Other people would have the same thought about his senior brother.
Lin Fuqing, what kind of person was he?
A hundred years had passed, and Fang Zhiyuan still felt as if he could not see through him.
He sometimes wondered, was his brother a divine creation? For, how could he be a creature born in this world?
It was said that the purer things were, the easier they would get dirty; the more exquisite and beautiful things were, the more fragile and breakable.
Therefore, flawless and beautiful things should be placed high up in the air, carefully protected, so that they would not be stained by even a speck of dust. They only need to quietly shine in the sky, evoking people’s obsession and admiration.
Lin Fuqing seemed to be such a person when he was young.
But later the white wall was stained with blood and the colored glaze was shattered.
Fang Zhiyuan had seen Lin Fuqing’s brilliance when he was at his most high-spirited, but he also witnessed the demise of that brilliance with his own eyes. How could he not feel heartbroken?
Now Fang Zhiyuan wanted to hold him back, wanted to keep him, wanted to protect him even at the cost of his own life.
But when Lin Fuqing walked forward, he found that he could not catch up.
No matter how hard he tried, he could not catch up.
Fang Zhiyuan blew out the candlelight at the bedside and covered Lin Fuqing with the quilt. He was still unable to forget the time when this man’s body was always cold due to the backlash of yin qi, and so he always subconsciously felt that his shige would be very afraid of the cold.
He sighed and whispered, “…Lin Fuqing, where in this world will you stop?”
When Lin Fuqing was a young man with great ambition and talent, Fang Zhiyuan felt that he could not catch up to him.
But now, Lin Fuqing has already experienced all kinds of suffering. He was clearly stained with blood, but he still looked so clean; he was clearly broken, but he still looked so strong.
The thorns ahead were like swords, and the will of heaven was like a knife, yet he still moved forward, refusing to wait for those behind him.
“Why…”
You promised to retire with me, why are you still moving forward?
“Shige, are you hiding something from me…”
Fang Zhiyuan gradually became sleepy and lay down on the bed, mumbling.
He held Lin Fuqing’s hand.
What exactly do you want?
I’ll give you my life, is that enough?
In a trance, he saw the stern-looking young man in black from his previous life, holding his inner core in a panic and at a loss.
He handed over this little thing that was connected to his own flesh and blood, and begged his brother not to cry.
But……
Perhaps Lin Fuqing looked down on it.
………………
Knock knock knock.
The knock at the door woke Fang Zhiyuan, who was in a half asleep and half awake state. Still leaning over with his eyes closed, he said, “Come in.”
He came to his senses only after the words were out of his mouth.
Looking at the familiar bedroom, he smiled bitterly, remembering that he was no longer the master of this palace.
But he didn’t expect that the person who entered would actually call him “Sovereign Fang.”
Lu Kuifu entered with dull and steady steps.
This man, who was now the head of the immortals, actually bowed deeply to Fang Zhiyuan and said, “I have not yet thanked you for your kindness in my previous life.”
“No need.”
Fang Zhiyuan immediately moved aside, refusing to accept the bow.
He naturally knew what Lu Kuifu was thanking him for, so he waved his hand and said, “I did it to protect my shixiong. It’s a private matter, so I can’t accept your gratitude.”
“Ah…” Lu Kuifu was momentarily stunned. Then a look of realization came over his face.
He glanced at the cold and handsome young man in front of him and said with a wide smile, “Yes, it’s a private matter. I had spoken out of turn.”
Fang Zhiyuan didn’t think anything of it and said solemnly, “Besides, in this life, I have no intention of competing for the position of Immortal Sovereign. I don’t want to see my shixiong suffer as a demonic cultivator. It’s not something he should experience.”
He lowered his gaze and smiled. “So Sovereign Lu, you don’t have to be overly courteous with me. It would be best if you just treat Fang Zhiyuan’s as Xuyun’s calamity star.”
In fact, Fang Zhiyuan’s tone was already quite impolite towards the Immortal Sovereign.
After all, the things of the past life were in the past. With Lu Kuifu’s current strength and status, he could have easily killed him with just one finger.
Fang Zhiyuan did it on purpose. He was somewhat worried that this group of reborn demonic cultivators would come to Lin Fuqing and make him their leader, which would burden him with too heavy of a responsibility.
He thought: Now that my shige is still sleeping, I might as well take on the role of the bad guy first. At most I’ll get scolded.
Lu Kuifu was not angry. “What happens in the future is entirely up to His Majesty.”
Fang Zhiyuan said, “You are really loyal to him.”
“Of course!” Lu Kuifu’s eyes sparkled, and he emphasized, “No matter what, you and the Lord have a deep relationship. After all, we were both immortals and demonic cultivators in our previous lives, so I have offended you unavoidably. I hope that Sovereign Fang will forgive me.”
Fang Zhiyuan choked and waved his hands.
He thought that this demonic cultivator was too enthusiastic towards him.
Lu Kuifu continued, “Don’t worry. In the future, as long as there is a single tile left in Snow Bone City, you will definitely be its consort!”
Fang Zhiyuan rubbed his brows and said in a low voice. “I already said it’s not necessary… huh?”
He frowned. “What position did you just say?”
Lu Kuifu laughed loudly and said, “Sovereign Fang, I was just joking. In my eyes, you have long been the Consort of Snow Bone City! If any of those demon cultivators dare to disagree, they should first ask my Thunder Sky Axe!”
Fang Zhiyuan’s eyes widened.
He began to wonder, consort…what consort?
It couldn’t be the kind of consort (junhou) that first came to mind, so he immediately ruled it out.
Jun, as if in the army?
Hou, as if a Marquis?
It seemed that Lin Fuqing actually reserved a place for him in the Demonic Path. It turns out that his shige really loves him the most.
Fang Zhiyuan’s face turned pale, and he felt that he couldn’t deceive himself anymore. He managed to calm down and said tentatively, “This…Shige never told me…”
Lu Kuifu was shocked. “How can this be possible? His Majesty has not yet granted you a title?”
The word “title” was used very well.
Fang Zhiyuan’s vision went dark. He took two breaths and stopped talking.
“Oh… this, this, this! How can this be…”
Lu Kuifu slammed his palm in frustration and eagerly pulled Fang Zhiyuan, “Consort, please be calm. His Majesty is still young, and there are always some inconsiderate things in these aspects. But His Majesty treats you sincerely… Come, come, come, let’s talk about it.”
Fang Zhiyuan was so shocked that he fell into a daze, and remained in that state even when Lu Kuifu pulled him out.
Soon, he realized that it was quite wise, quite self-aware, for them to leave the bed chamber.
“What?!!!!”
A moment later, a loud voice echoed loudly.
Lu Kuifu had a look of despair on his face, without the dignity of an immortal leader. He stared at Fang Zhiyuan in shock. “You…and His Majesy…haven’t made it official yet?”
“Then…what about worshipping heaven and earth? What about becoming a Daoist couple?”
Lu Kuifu seemed to be on the verge of collapse.
“—What about dual cultivation?!”
Fang Zhiyuan trembled all over. At this moment, his hundred years of life experience was useless in helping him manage this storm with calm.
His earlobes slowly flushed red. Sounding almost angry, he said, “This…This is nonsense. What Majesty and Consort?! What dual cultivation?! You’re taking nonsense about your master! How could shige have such an unruly follower? When he wakes up…when he wakes up…”
Lu Kuifu hurriedly said, “Don’t, don’t, don’t. Consort, please calm down. Calm down…I dare not lie to you.”
Fang Zhiyuan was so angry that his head was buzzing. “Who’s your consort?! Talking about this with outsiders, are you worthy of calling yourself a vassal?”
“This…” Lu Kuifu looked Fang Zhiyuan up and down, and hesitantly said, “Didn’t you say that your relationship with His Majesty was… a ‘private matter’?”
Fang Zhiyuan said angrily, “He’s my shige! His Majesty and I are martial brothers!”
Lu Kuifu looked at him suspiciously.
That couldn’t be right. Wasn’t it you who held him tightly on the cliff? Wasn’t it you who picked him up and walked away?
Even now, wasn’t it you who remained at his bedside and refused to leave? Martial brothers are martial brothers, but I’ve never seen martial brothers treat each other in such a “friendly and respectful” way.
Taking a deep breath, Fang Zhiyuan held his forehead with one hand, closed his eyes, and said with difficulty, “Forget it. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear what you said tonight.”
Then he added, “Please don’t say any of this nonsense in front of him. We don’t have the relationship you think we have.”
Lu Kuifu couldn’t believe it. “This…”
Fang Zhiyuan regained some composure, turned his back, and crossed his arms. “Don’t think there’s any misunderstanding just because your Lord often says he likes me, or hugs me intimately, or indulges me and loves me, or even kisses me when he’s really happy… There are no misunderstandings between us.”
Lu Kuifu was stunned.
—Doesn’t this mean you’re just one step away from dual cultivation already?!
It’s already like this—why don’t you just make it official?
Fang Zhiyuan emphasized, more to himself than to Lu Kuifu, “Shige doesn’t think that highly of me.”
Lu Kuifu felt dismayed.
—He really couldn’t keep up with their consort’s logic.
After all, you were the youngest Immortal Sovereign who turned the tide during the great calamity in your past life, revered by all. Why do you say such things with such conviction and confidence?
Seeing that Lu Kuifu had become silent, Fang Zhiyuan assumed this overly concerned master had finally been convinced. He felt relieved and content.
He once again reminded him not to say anything inappropriate in front of Lin Fuqing, then returned to the bedroom to look after him.
Only Immortal Sovereign Lu was left standing outside the bedroom door like a stone statue, falling into deep doubt about the state of the world.
…………
There was no more conversation through the night. The moon set; the sun rose.
The next morning, Lin Fuqing woke from his coma. The dim light of dawn filtered into his eyes as his consciousness gradually cleared.
The scent of osmanthus was soothing. He sank into the soft, spacious bed, wrapped in a quilt. Pale golden curtains hung around him like a waterfall, enclosing him gently.
Lin Fuqing blinked slowly. Only then did he realize that this was the innermost chamber of the Golden Osmanthus Palace.
Fang Zhiyuan had fallen asleep leaning against the bed. A few strands of hair glowed in the soft sunlight. With his cold brows and lashes relaxed, his face looked so warm it made Lin Fuqing’s heart melt like spring water.
He looked at that slightly pale face and the fatigue between his brows, lying there in a daze for a long time.
A tangle of emotions surged up in his heart, along with a dull ache.
This person must have stayed up caring for him, without time to rest or tend to his own injuries.
He had worked so hard to correct Zhiyuan’s bad habit of neglecting his health. Yet, after all these years, he was still the same when it came to moments like this.
He thought of that summer night when fireflies danced around them. How Fang Zhiyuan had shouted at him that three times was the limit, how his red-rimmed eyes burned with fury as he said he was going mad…
Lin Fuqing suddenly felt a familiar wave of sorrow. Had he done something wrong?
No. He couldn’t have.
There was no way he could have turned a blind eye and allowed the “True God” of his past life to follow the Saint of Ziwei. That was why he fought Wang Zhe. He did nothing wrong.
He had to cast the sealing spell on Fang Zhiyuan. He did nothing wrong.
At the time, Fang Zhiyuan had handed him a teleportation talisman and told him to leave. But right now, both of them were only at Golden Core and their opponent was a Mahayana cultivator. Did that mean they could just leave whenever they wanted?
Zhiyuan must have made up his mind to force a stalemate by using his Tribulation-Crossing soul to stall Wang Zhe.
Lin Fuqing knew that if he hadn’t reacted in time, if he had really been sent away by that talisman, he might never see Fang Zhiyuan again.
After being reborn, he had really tried his best to plan for the future and not make any missteps.
But he clearly felt that he had done nothing wrong. Why did he still make the person in front of him so exhausted?
Lin Fuqing gently reached out to touch Fang Zhiyuan’s face. The man’s eyelashes moved, but he didn’t wake up. Instead, he unconsciously whispered, “Shige…”
He hummed vaguely and whispered in a low voice, “Let’s go back to Xuyun…”
Lin Fuqing trembled with heartache.
He whispered, “…It’s my fault…”
I don’t feel well, and I don’t want things to be like this…
I want to love you and spoil you, and do everything for you, just like I did when we were young.
I want to accompany you, protect you, and keep you from any pain or sorrow…
Lin Fuqing’s voice choked as he said, “…I’m sorry.”
Perhaps disturbed by the sadness contained in these words, Fang Zhiyuan’s eyelashes twitched and he suddenly woke up.
He immediately saw Lin Fuqing’s expression of pain and regret and sat up in shock. “What’s wrong? Where do you feel uncomfortable?”
There seemed to be tears in Lin Fuqing’s eyes. He lay on the pillow and said softly, “I’m thinking about how to persuade the little calamity star not to get angry with me.”
Fang Zhiyuan breathed a sigh of relief.
He sneered and said, “Why, now you know you’re wrong?”
Lin Fuqing curled up his legs slightly and rolled over half of his body, and whispered obediently, “Yes, I was wrong.”
When the profound aura belonging to the Demon Lord of later generations disappeared, he became just a thin and soft young immortal king, curled up in the quilt, like a cute white cat.
Fang Zhiyuan couldn’t bear it any longer and looked away.
He slowed down, slowly held Lin Fuqing’s face with one hand, then leaned over and put his forehead against his.
Lin Fuqing felt a trace of warmth invading his sea of consciousness.
Fang Zhiyuan closed his eyes, and his spirit carefully moved around inside. He said solemnly, “Okay, it should be fine after a few more days of rest… Don’t move your soul again in the next few months, got it?”
Lin Fuqing stared at him blankly. His pounding heart felt warm, making his spine numb.
“Zhiyuan…”
Fang Zhiyuan’s breath brushed against his face. For a moment, Lin Fuqing felt that he was overwhelmed. A wave of long-suppressed desire overwhelmed his head.
He felt so itchy that he couldn’t help it, so he raised his head and kissed Fang Zhiyuan’s chin.
He smiled and said softly. “Mmn, I’m fine.”
This person was sober, so he didn’t dare do anything rash for fear that kissing on the lips would scare this person, so he had to satisfy himself this way.
According to his silly thinking, as long as it didn’t go too far, no matter how much kissing, hugging, or sweet talk there was, Zhiyuan should accept it as normal interactions between fellow disciples.
Unexpectedly, this time Fang Zhiyuan suddenly pulled away with a serious look.
Lin Fuqing: “?”
Fang Zhiyuan said in a deep voice, “Shige, I want to ask you a question.”
Lin Fuqing was startled by his sudden solemn look, and wondered if he had provoked him again. He dared not be negligent and immediately sat up, with his long hair scattered on his white shoulders.
Fang Zhiyuan quickly pulled the fox fur robe from the side and wrapped it around his shoulders. Frowning hesitantly, he said, “…You don’t really like me, do you?”
Lin Fuqing was surprised. “What?”
“I mean,” Fang Zhiyuan thought that maybe his statement wasn’t clear enough, so he pointed at himself again. He raised his eyebrows and said frankly, “my appearance.”