NEBM Chapter 44: Yangzhou

Shen Zhixian couldn’t remember when they finally fell asleep. He only remembered that Yan Jin embraced him for a long time, until the wine that had been temporarily suppressed surged back up.

“Let’s sleep.” He patted Yan Jin’s back.

Yan Jin let go of him and stuffed him into the bed. Then he paused and stuffed himself in also.

Shen Zhixian wanted to say something, but after thinking about it, he still didn’t say it. He just moved aside to give him some space, dividing the bed into half for each of them.

The bed wasn’t small, and the comforter was quite large. They ended up lying on their backs, with more than half a person in between.

Neither of them spoke, leaving only the sound of faint breathing.

After a long while, the comforter moved slightly. Yan Jin stretched his hand out, and accurately placed it over Shen Zhixian’s hand.

Carefully and tentatively, he gently rested his hand on Shen Zhixian’s hand. And, it was only after seeing that there was no response did his fingers curled in slightly.

Shen Zhixian kept his eyes closed, thinking that Yan Jin wasn’t being too excessive. He pretended not to know, allowing Yan Jin to hold his hand, even as he sighed in his heart.

As a result, when he woke up the next day, Shen Zhixian found that their postures were not good.

He thought about a lot of things last night, about Yan Jin, Qingyun Sect, the original book, and himself. After thinking about it for a long time, he fell asleep. Therefore, he didn’t know how it’d morphed from holding hands to…

Anyway, when he woke up, Shen Zhixian looked at the chest right in front of his face. He froze mid-yawned, dumbfounded.

Yan Jin was already awake, watching him. Shen Zhixian immediately knew why he’d felt like he was being warmed by a torch while in his sleep.

Shen Zhixian silently tried to extricate himself, only to discover that he’d turned Yan Jin’s arm into a pillow. Meanwhile, Yan Jin’s other hand rested intimately and comfortably on his waist.

He carefully removed his hand, which happened to also be resting on Yan Jin’s waist. It was no wonder that this sleep was so comfortable and warm. It turned out that he was wrapped in Yan Jin’s embrace.

“Good morning,” Shen Zhixian said, his voice slightly hoarse from sleep. He pulled back, motioning for Yan Jin to take his hand off his waist. “What time is it?”

Yan Jin reported that it was not too early, nor too late. “Does Sui Xian want to sleep in for a while?”

Shen Zhixian shook his head slightly, with a hint of drunkenness and tiredness in his eyes. “I want to bathe.”

Even if most of the wine he’d drank the night before had dissipated by a lot, he still felt uncomfortable.

Yan Jin half-embraced and half-carried him as he helped him to his feet. When Shen Zhixian thought he was going to let go, Yan Jin tilted his head and brushed his lips over Shen Zhixian’s mouth, leaving behind a quick, hot kiss. “Sui Xian, good morning. ”

At first, Shen Zhixian instinctively moved his head to avoid him. But he paused at the last moment, allowing their lips to meet and brushed. Then, he frowned at him. “Why are you doing this so early in the morning?”

Yan Jin said innocently. “The book says…this is the way to say hello to Sui Xian. ”

Shen Zhixian: ” … ”

He patted the back of Yan Jin’s hand neither too lightly nor too heavily and said, “It’s okay to read these books less. All right. Take the book out and give it back.”

Yan Jin hesitated, feeling reluctant. But, he saw Shen Zhixian’s slightly narrowed eyes. He obediently dug through his storage bag and pulled out the book.

Once the book was in his hand, Shen Zhixian casually glanced at the book and suddenly became stunned. When he’d bought the book, it was still very brand new. But now, the cover was dog-eared and the pages looked as if they’d been read many times. Who knew how many times Yan Jin had sneakily read the book.

Yan Jin asked in a low voice, “There should be several other volumes. Can I read them?”

He still kept thinking about the book.

Shen Zhixian shot him an unhappy glance and resolutely refused. “You may not. Can you fetch some water for me? I want to take a bath.”

After Yan Jin obediently left to fetch water for him, Shen Zhixian leaned against the side of the bed and looked at the book for a long time. He showed a helpless smile before finally putting it into his storage bag.

Fortunately, this book was only the first volume, and the content of the first volume wasn’t too… full of things that might be a bad influence.

After bathing, Shen Zhixian left the room, feeling lively and refreshed. He saw Duan Yuan humming in the yard and cleaning up last night’s mess. When Duan Yuan saw him, he looked at him carefully, a little dazed, before finally greeting, “Good morning, Big Brother Sui.”

This morning, when Duan Yuan woke up sober, he realized how stupid he was last night. He wanted to confess his identity to Shen Zhixian, but he didn’t want to confess like that! And, he remembered that he’d done something offensive to the big brother.

“Big Brother Sui, I’m sorry about last night…” He apologized and scratched his head. “I did a bad thing last night…”

Duan Yuan was still dressed as a young man, without any intentional disguise. He was so full of youth and vigor that, when Shen Shixian heard the words “bad thing,” he thought of Yan Jin. He couldn’t help remembering the things that Yan Jin said last night and immediately interrupted Duan Yuan. “It doesn’t matter. You…”

As he was speaking, Yan Jin came through the door. As he entered, a fragrant smell drifted over, immediately attracting the attention of the two hungover and hungry people.

Yan Jin silently pulled the food he bought, most of which were dishes Shen Zhixian liked to eat, and put them in front of him one by one. As for Duan Yuan…well, he wasn’t considered at all.

Shen Zhixian glanced at Duan Yuan quietly, put the food down, and invited him over to eat.

Seeing that Shen Zhixian’s attitude toward him was still the same, Duan Yuan’s heart finally felt at ease. The smile on his face reappeared, and he hurried over to join them for breakfast.

Chatting at the table was a Chinese traditional virtue. Shen Zhixian swallowed the bun in his mouth and asked, “Are you going to assume your male identity later? You haven’t reached the age of twenty…”

After last night’s unexpected incident, he’d thoroughly given up on playing matchmaker between Yan Jin and Duan Yuan. The original garbage of a book was so vague that it didn’t even mention that Duan Yuan was a boy! It was no wonder that, in the late stages of the book, the drama was so strange. Duan Yuan was obviously following Yan Jin, but there was no ambiguous drama at all.

After a moment of silence, Duan Yuan raised his lips in a smile. “Forget it! I’ve thought about it, and it’s a disaster anyway. It’s really sad to pretend to be a girl. I’ve decided to follow my heart and just be myself.”

After making this decision, it was as if a weight had been lifted off him. His expression was relieved as he said, “Master knows my situation and won’t force me to stay in the sect. I can travel around…My master is really good.”

Shen Zhixian saw that he was determined, and he nodded with a smile. “That’s good. But, it can be dangerous outside. You need to be careful…

He trailed off halfway when he suddenly looked down and saw that Yan Jin was in the middle of dropping a big, plump, stuffed steamed bun into his bowl.

He and Yan Jin were sitting close together so, when the bun fell into his bowl, he heard Yan Jin whisper to him, “My master is also very good.”

Yan Jin’s tone couldn’t hide his joy. In fact, Shen Zhixian felt that Yan Jin had been in a happy mood since this morning. Although he looked calm and silent on the surface, Shen Zhixian knew that he was happy.

Yan Jin was still so happy even though Shen Zhixian hadn’t promised anything yet?

Shen Zhixian brought the big steamed bun up to his mouth and bit into it. He chewed slowly, his mood complicated. But, before he’d even finished half of the bun, Yan Jin dropped another into his bowl again.

This was his favorite, but…

“I can’t eat this much. Stop giving me more!” Shen Zhixian whispered. “You eat your own. Don’t give me anymore…”

He discovered that Yan Jin liked to feed him very much. His bowl was stuffed full, and it was the same even before his identity was revealed. But, his appetite had always been small, and it was easy for him to become full every time.

Yan Jin whispered back to him, “Master is too thin. Fourth Elder said that you should eat more.”

For some reason, Shen Zhixian instinctively felt that the Fourth Elder was simply shouldering the pot for Yan Jin.

He moved his bowl away into a position that would prevent Yan Jin from putting anything else in it.

Duan Yuan ate and ate and began to feel wronged. After Shen Zhixian stopped speaking, Duan Yuan also stopped speaking and focused on obediently eating. But, he soon found that the two people on the opposite side of the table were speaking privately to each other, talking in low whispers. Continuously talking!

He looked on sadly. “Big Brother Sui, am I out of favor?…Big Brother Yan, you’ve changed. You haven’t been like this before and haven’t spoken so much before…”

Shen Zhixian turned back and saw that the youth looked lost. With a smile, he shoved a large steamed bun in front of him. “Big Brother Yan said that this bun is delicious so you should eat more!”

The youth looked at him suspiciously, but Shen Zhixian maintained an innocent expression. The depressed youth then looked at Yan Jin, who looked calm and perfectly unreadable. Finally, Duan Yuan’s chopsticks took the last large, stuffed steamed bun. He took a large bite, filling his cheeks like a hamster.

The happier you feeling when getting along with someone, the more sad you’ll feel when separation came.

Duan Yan reluctantly said goodbye to them, and turned back three times.

Shen Zhixian waved at him. “Don’t look back. Watch the road ahead and take good care. Take care.”

Duan Yuan cupped his hand in respect and finally strode forward, no longer looking back. The sun was shining on his back, making it look cool and heroic and revealing a youthful pride and vigor.

Shen Zhixian watched him leave with a smile, and when he couldn’t see his figure anymore, he sighed. “It’s good to be young.”

He’d been in such a spirited age. So had the original body.

It was an age of curiosity, of taking risks, and experiencing the world to gain experience and wisdom.

After separating from Duan Yuan, they went on the flying fish. The flying fish hadn’t been brought out in a long time. Every day, it stayed in the water ball and spit out bubbles in grievance. Finally, it couldn’t wait any longer. As soon as it was released, it immediately rushed to the sky with the two people on its back.

As usual, Yan Jin set up a transparent barrier, blocking out the scorching sun and the wind.

After flying for a while, Yan Jin suddenly asked about Shen Zhixian’s childhood experience.

This was regarding the original Shen Zhixian’s body. Even though the original Shen Zhixian in the book did a lot of bad things later, Shen Zhixian still didn’t want to intrude on every private things that the original Shen Zhixian had experienced. He vaguely said, “It’s been too long. I’d forgotten many things.”

Then, he asked Yan Jin in turn, saying casually, “What about the person who used to be good to you?”

Shen Zhixian wanted to gloss over his own affair while trying to sound Yan Jin out. After listening to him, Yan Jin smiled in understanding.

In fact, in the secret realm, he’d been stimulated by Yin Ci’s spirit pellet, which actually restored some of his memories. He knew that he wasn’t originally reborn after having his spirit root severed. After his spirit root was severed in the previous life, he still lived and then a lot of things happened…

Yan Jin had been thinking a lot, and he vaguely noticed that, for a period of time, Shen Zhixian was acting odd, but he still couldn’t figure out what was going on.

What happened to Shen Zhixuan from the previous life?

Was that oddness related to his heart ailment?

His heart ailment….What had caused it?

At that time, to Shen Zhixian….What exactly happened?

Even though numerous doubts lingered in his mind, Yan Jin’s eyebrows relaxed. He looked down at Shen Zhixian and quietly said, “He should be fine now.”

Shen Zhixian pursed his lips, wanting to ask more about what had happened. The original book only focused on the direct suffering that Yan Jin had received within Qingyun Sect and only vaguely referenced his past prior to entering the sect. The general idea was that he had a difficult time. But, regarding how difficult it was, the book did not mention in detail.

But, asking about this difficult past only seemed to make Yan Jin remember it, and Shen Zhixian couldn’t bear for him to relive those memories. He could only shut his mouth and endure the uncomfortable feeling in his heart as he tried with difficulties to ignore this opportunity.

Yan Jin noticed that Shen Zhixian no longer spoke and no longer mentioned it. After a moment, he shifted closer to Shen Zhixia’s side. “Sui Xian, can I…hug you?”

Yan Jin seemed to like hugging. When Shen Zhixian had been cold that night, Yan Jin had asked him if he wanted a hug. When he could no longer walk in the secret realm, Yan Jin had asked the same thing. Now, even while sitting on a flying fish, he asked again.

Shen Zhixian sat properly, looking straight ahead. He began to refuse, “Under broad daylight, it’s not good to hug so intimately. It’s not proper decorum…”

Before he’d even finished speaking, Yan Jin had already hugged him from behind. With his chin resting on Shen Zhixian’s shoulder, he smiled softly. His breath became puffs of warm air that brushed across Shen Zhixian’s cheeks, making them flush hotly.

“Ah-hem. But, since there is no one in the air…” He couldn’t speak anymore and let out another light cough to conceal his discomfort. But he continued to maintain his calm expression, as if nothing had happened.

But gradually, his straight back slowly relaxed.

Elation flashed across Yan Jin’s eyes, impossible to hide.

………

After getting the scale, the side-effects of the heart ailment had eased. For the time being, there was no risk of death, and Shen Zhixian was able to relax his vigilance.

During this time, they walked slowly along the way, inquiring about the location of the Undead City. They traveled quite leisurely, not as if they were trying to gain experience but more like they were sight-seeing.

The relationship between them was also constantly fermenting.

In the end, Shen Zhixian transmigrated into the book. His thinking was not as restrictive as the people in this world. At the same time, he also wasn’t exactly tenacious in maintaining his heterosexuality, and so he was very open to those things between men. He also didn’t feel too much angst regarding upending the ethical hierarchy between master and disciple.

Since Yan Jin had such thoughts about him, then…so be it.

Shen Zhixian’s thoughts were actually very simple. Yan Jin was good to him, and he also wanted to be good to Yan Jin. If, in the future…

If they both found that they don’t match well together, then they can harmoniously agree to separate. In this way, they can both be happy.

Recently, the flying fish had been flying over various prosperous towns and cities. On this day, it reached a city along the river and landed at the outskirts.

Shen Zhixian put the flying fish away and slowly walked through the city gate with Yan Jin. On the large wooden plaque were two words written in bold calligraphy.

Yangzhou.

This Yangzhou immediately reminded Shen Zhixian of the poem “March Fireworks Over Yangzhou.” This reminder moved him, and he decided to rest here.

This city was worthy of sharing the same name as the famous and prosperous city in history. This Yanzhou was also loud and flourishing. Along the river, there were many decorated pleasure boats, and all kinds of people came and went. It bustled with activities, very lively.

It was nearly dark by then. Shen Zhixian took Yan Jin walking along the river, and he suddenly turned back to smile at him. “A’jin is used to engaging in cultivation. It must be rare for you to see such a bustling scene. Tonight, Master will take you along to gain some first-hand experience.”

He pointed toward the river, at a brightly decorated and lively pleasure boat.

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Xixi: There may be some inconsistencies in vocabs and in maintaining some Chinese pinyin while translating others. I’ll probably go back to re-edit for consistency. While I quite enjoy reading Xianxia, my understanding of the genre isn’t very deep. Thank goodness this novel isn’t full of cultivation jargon or I probably wouldn’t be brave enough to pick it up.