NEBM Chapter 66: Undressing

When Shen Zhixian woke up, it was already bright.

The sun was scattered through the leaves, the lights shattering over his body. Shen Zhixian opened his eyes lazily and found that he was lying on the warm jade bed. There was no moon or flower in front of him, let alone the person who’d embrace him last night.

He laid still for a while, until a ray of sunlight fell into his eyes. He blinked uncomfortably and gathered his thoughts.

…Where did that person go?

Shen Zhixian turned and sat up. The peach tree Xiao Caoya had spawned was gone. He didn’t know if he was imagining it, but he could still smell a faint scent of peach.

“A’jin?” he called. He got off the bed and, not caring about his messy clothes, hurriedly pushed open the door into the house. He searched around, backed out, and looked around outside.

However, there was only a breeze on the edge of the cliff, and no one responded.

Shen Zhixian’s footsteps gradually slowed down. He leaned on a tree and looked at the coldness in front of him. He suddenly laughed and shook his head with a sigh.

It turned out…to be a fantastical dream?

So that kiss that felt so real and so warm was but a fantasy in his dream?

There was no trace of Yan Jin anywhere here.

Shen Zhixian rubbed his eyebrows, cleared his mind, and used the sect’s communication method to call the junior disciple that he hadn’t seen in a long time.

Ming Yi’s morning class had just ended. He went back to his room for a meal and was preparing to practice his swordplay when he received a message. He choked, froze for a long time, and suddenly jumped up, causing his head to slam into his bed frame. He shouted in pain, startling the disciple next to him.

“Senior Brother Ming Yi? What’s going on?”

Ming Yi rubbed his head and scrambled to fix his crooked hairband. Then, he hurriedly opened the door and rushed out. “Elder Shen’s seclusion is over.”

Just like that, he was gone.

The disciple stared at the still-moving door with a stunned expression. After a short while, he responded. “Elder Shen’s out from his seclusion?!” Not even bothering to grab his sword, he ran out in a hurry.

When Ming Yi hurriedly reached the peak, Shen Zhixian had just finished smoothing down the folds of his robe. Unable to hide the joy on his face, Ming Yi respectfully saluted.

Shen Zhixian inclined his head, signaled that he need not be polite, and asked a few questions about the situation in the sect.

Ming Yi deliberately spoke the truth about the situation regarding Song Ming and Yan Jin. “Since you’ve gone into closed door seclusion, Senior Brother Yan went out to travel and hadn’t returned yet. Earlier, there were some bad rumors outside, saying Senior Brother Yan…has hurt many people, causing several small sects to come several times to make trouble.”

When the rumors had just started, Ming Yi was stunned. He didn’t believe that Senior Brother Yan would do such things. But the opponents were very fierce and even pulled out an illusion stone. All the evidence pointed steadily to Yan Jin, making it difficult to refute.

“Sect Leader Song visited Fifth Peak several times, but since you haven’t come out yet…”

Since Yan Jin had caused such a big problem and Shen Zhixian, who was his master, was in seclusion, Song Ming had no choice but to issue a warrant for Yan Jin’s quick return. At the same time, he also had to sooth the other sect’s anger, convince them to wait patiently, and promised to gather facts and give everyone an explanation.

Shen Zhixian listened for a while and said, “Have the smaller sects been causing troubles lately?”

He shook his head. “No. Demons and fiends have been causing troubles in recent days. Most people went back to their sects, and Senior Brother Yan’s problem wasn’t mentioned as much.”

Shen Zhixian murmured in acknowledgement, certain that it was partly because Yan Shen was dead.

Without Yan Shen, Song Ming couldn’t leave Qingyun Sect nor could he extend his hands so far outside to cause trouble. Without new victims, those few small sects wouldn’t dare provoke Qingyun Sect too much. Therefore, they wouldn’t continue to make so much noise.

Song Ming was probably annoyed to death. He’d wanted to use Yan Jin to force Shen Zhixian to appear. But, he’d made too many mistakes. At this moment, it was probably impossible for him to be content with stopping halfway. Based on Song Ming’s nature, as long as Shen Zhixian and Yan Jin were still hidden behind him, he wouldn’t dare act rashly.

If things hadn’t changed so much, Shen Zhixian might make secret plans to slowly and clearly resolve Song Ming. But now, Shen Zhixian was overflowing with anger; he had no patience to stretch matters too long. He just wanted to use the shortest time possible to make Song Ming pay the price.

Shen Zhixian’s expression became indifferent and he no longer asked any more questions. He merely permitted Ming Yi to clean up while he turned to go down the mountain.

However, after taking just a few steps, Ming Yi  hesitantly called out to him.

Shen Zhixian turned his head back, Ming Yi hemmed and hawed and, even after some hesitation, he didn’t say anything in the end. Instead, he pointedly touched his temple and ran way like a rabbit.

Shen Zhixian froze and raised his hand subconsciously. His fingers brushed past the hair on his temple, grazing against what felt like a tender….

Peach blossom flower.

Shen Zhixian pinched the half-blooming peach flower between his fingertips. There was a single dewdrop still sitting on the stamen. He lightly shook the flower and the dewdrop slid down along his white fingertips, leaving a gleaming, winding trail of water.

It was the peach blossom from last night.

Maybe, last night wasn’t a dream he’d imagined after all.

Shen Zhixian’s eyebrows rose, his mood suddenly brightening. An inexplicable smile stretched across his lips. He held this peach blossom flower tenderly in the palm of his hand, as if holding a ray of warmth that belonged to Yan Jin alone.

……

Recently, demons and devils were running rampant. As one of the most important sect in the cultivation realm, Qingyun Sect naturally must also send out people to take care of them.

Demons and devil were no small matter. As a result, many sects took this opportunity to send a lot of disciples out to gain experience. Qingyun Sect was no different, which resulted in more things that needed to be discussed. As a result, today’s meeting was dissolved late.

When Shen Zhixian entered, the steward was still discussing the numbers of disciples that had been sent out. He quietly sat down in his seat under the eyes of everyone and gave a slight nod, indicating that the steward could continue.

The steward hesitated for a moment, and finally retreated under Song Ming’s instructions.

Song Ming looked at Shen Zhixian’s expressionless face and slowly said, “Junior Brother is finally out.”

Shen Zhixian smiled, looked at him meaningfully, and didn’t answer his words. He merely said, “Sect Leader Song, you can first let the steward finish his speech. Afterward, I have something to say.”

Song Ming saw the smile on his face and his heart jumped. The half-devil hiding in his body felt Shen Zhixian’s breath and became a little restless, but Song Ming forcibly suppressed it.

As the sect leader, he wasn’t even aware of Shen Zhixian’s silent return, much like how he wasn’t aware when Shen Zhixian had first left.

Qingyun Sect’s restrictions couldn’t stop Shen Zhixian.

Song Ming gritted his teeth, his hands tightening under the cover of his sleeves as he held back his anger and hatred. Sect Leader Wen really valued Shen Zhixian too much. If things hadn’t happened the way it did back then, Song Ming wouldn’t even be able to touch even a little bit of the sect leader’s position.

When Shen Zhixian returned with a serious heart injury and it became apparent that it would be difficult to heal, Sect Leader Wen quietly found Song Ming and proposed that he take over the sect leader position. He’d never been so happy.

But then, Sect Leader Wen’s next sentence pushed him into a cold abyss.

Sect Leader Wen told him that he would only be a temporary leader and that, when Shen Zhixian’s heart was cured, he must return the position back to Shen Zhixian.

Sing Ming’s heart was conflicted, filled with warmth and coldness, joy and hatred. These opposing emotions entangled each other, making his heart feel as if it would explode.

He pretended to calmly agree to Sect Leader Wen’s requirements, expressed his determination to care for Shen Zhixian, and finally tricked Sect Leader Wen into announcing him as the new sect leader.

In the beginning, Song Ming didn’t have many bad thoughts. He’d schemed against Shen Zhixian once and won this temporary position. He thought that if Sect Leader Wen saw how hard he’d worked and how diligent he was, he would change his mind.

But, Sect Leader Wen had set his mind on Shen Zhixian and, no matter how well Song Ming did, he wouldn’t change his mind.

Malice accumulated at the bottom of his heart. The more Song Ming watched Sect Leader Wen’s care for Shen Zhixian, which only got better day by day, the deeper his malice became.

He’d became used to the feeling of being respected by everyone. Thus, he would never allow this youth to return. Once Sect Leader Wen was dead, Shen Zhixian’s heart ailment would be near impossible to recover and he would never be able to rob Song Ming of his sect leader position.

As long as Sect Leader Wen was gone, no one would ever know that promise he’d made that year.

After the steward finished reporting the numbers, Shen Zhixian slowly said, “Master entrusted the sect to me. However, because of my heart ailment, I’ve long bothered Senior Brother with this heavy task. After I came out of seclusion, I realized that my heart was no longer so troublesome. It’s not good to continue to allow Senior Brother to exhaust himself. In recent days, things have been very busy. I’ll take over, so that Senior Brother won’t have to work hard day and night until his hair turns gray.”

Song Ming jumped to his feet, moving so quickly that he nearly knocked over the teacup in front of him.

Various shocked gazes swung between Song Ming and Shen Zhixian. Song Ming calmed his mind and barely managed to force out a smile. “Congratulations to Junior Brother for his good health. Junior Brother had just come out of seclusion and needs to rest for a while…”

His thoughts were in chaos. He thought he had a good understanding of Shen Zhixian’s heart ailment. That year, Sect Leader Wen couldn’t find a cure and thought that Shen Zhixian would become a useless person all his life. How did he suddenly–

Shen Zhixian’s news made him muddleheaded. He couldn’t think of a quick response and could only repeatedly say, “Junior Brother is really free. The sect currently has no major problems so Junior Brother also needn’t try to show off…”

Suddenly, Shen Zhixian waved his sleeves and a cold wind ruthlessly shot forward like a blade toward Yan Jin. This unyielding show of strength only displayed a tenth of Shen Zhixian’s power and position.

Song Ming’s conduct was smooth and sly, but his cultivation was weak. For many years, he’d been given such respect that he’d become complacent, causing him to neglect his cultivation. At this moment, he was only an eleventh rank cultivator, who hadn’t even reached the peak of his stage yet.

Shen Zhixian was so aggressive that Song Ming felt his whole body become as cold as ice. He shrank back subconsciously and tried his best to resist. However, the wind blade stopped right in front of him, narrowly paring his eyebrows. Then, suddenly, it disappeared altogether and instead became a ghostly figure.

“It’s an illusion stone!” cried an older steward. “It’s Sect Leader Wen!”

Sect Leader Wen’s illusion was so close that it nearly touched Song Ming as it stood face to face with him. For a moment, Song Ming thought that he was seeing a ghost and he stammered “Sect Leader Wen.” A chill traveled from his scalp down to the soles of his feet and he instinctively shot out spiritual power to break this face in front of him.

But his spiritual power unexpectedly bounced off a barrier and came hurtling back toward him, catching Song Ming off guard. The spiritual power slammed hard into him, throwing him onto his back with a loud noise.

Shen Zhixian raised his hand and the illusion stone in his hand floated in the air, carrying with it the image of Sect Leader Wen.

Song Ming’s entire body was trembling, his mind numbed. He didn’t hear a thing that Sect Leader Wen’s image was saying. Instead, he looked at it as if he was looking at an enemy, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly.

The illusion was short. In a moment, it was over, leaving only a dark illusion stone. Shen Zhixian generously asked everyone to check if this was indeed a message left by Sect Leader Wen. He tilted his head to look at Song Ming and smiled softly. He said, “All these years, you’ve worked hard.”

The illusion stone was passed from hand to hand, leaving in its wake various whispers.

“It is indeed a message left by Lord Wen.”

“So Sect Leader Song was only a temporary sect leader?”

“Looking at Elder Shen’s appearance, it seems that his heart ailment has gotten better. It’s time to return this position to Elder Shen …”

Sect Leader Wen’s prestige was very high. Even though he’d been gone for a long time, everyone still admired him. Thus, everyone instinctively wanted to follow his wishes.

After listening to all these murmured comments, hate flashed through Song Ming’s eyes. Deep inside, he felt an uncontrollable fear. Deeply aware that everyone was staring at him, he clenched his hands into fists. “What’s the meaning of this?”

“I’m just following Master’s intention.” Shen Zhixian smiled gently.

His goal today wasn’t to completely force Song Ming from his position. Although Song Ming wasn’t very good at cultivating, he was very capable at other things. He’d been a sect leader for several years and had many deep connections.

Although Shen Zhixian was confident that a few of the elders would help him, he hadn’t yet spoken frankly to all the elders. Naturally, he wouldn’t be able to completely uproot Song Ming’s power in such a short time. The only alternative was to catch him off guard. In his haste, he might reveal his true face.

Seeing that Song Ming was flustered, Shen Zhixian no longer pressed the issue. He took a step back and lightly said, “Senior Brother have worked hard these past few years. Now that I’m healthier, it wouldn’t be good for me to allow Senior Brother to continue working alone. Senior Brother is too busy. Tomorrow, you can hand over some of the duties to me.”

He no longer called Song Ming sect leader and instead only called him “Senior Brother.” Although senior brother sounded more intimated, it undoubtedly showed his attitude.

The Qingyun Sect Leader’s position, he intended to take it back.

There was an uproar. The Third and Fourth Elders didn’t attend today’s meeting while the First and Second Elders showed no clear reaction. They simply stood on the sidelines and watched as Shen Zhixian ignored Song Ming’s face and dropped such a massive bomb.

Everyone was shocked and watched him walk away with curious and tentative eyes.

As he left, Shen Zhixian’s smile faded and his eyes grew thoughtful. Right now, the best way to deal with Song Ming was to speak to the elders as quickly as possible and win their support. This would lend him more credence and allow him to force Song Ming to reveal his true nature.

First Elder and Second Elder’s attitudes were still unknown. The most certainty lay with Fourth Elder, who’d treated him alongside Sect Leader Wen. He should have the best understanding of Shen Zhixian’s situation at the time and would easily believe him. Unfortunately, Fourth Elder was currently not on sect grounds at this moment.

Shen Zhixian returned to Fifth Peak, issued several commands in succession, and began to deal with various things in an orderly manner. In fact, after “transmigrating,” Shen Zhixian consciously understood the various situations in the sect, but because he’d always thought that he was an outsider shouldn’t get involved in the sect’s internal affairs, he’d maintained his distance.

Now, things were different. To deal with Song Ming, he must quickly settle various matters within the sect.

He was so busy that the day passed in a flash.

He didn’t call for dinner, and no disciple dared to come up and bother him. When he set down the last book, it was already dark outside.

Shen Zhixian pushed open the door, and the moonlight lazily burst in. He looked around outside but didn’t see the figure he hoped for.

Thinking of last night’s “dream,” Shen Zhixian walked to the jade couch, hesitated briefly, and lay down.

But, his mind was too occupied with thoughts of Yan Jin, making him unable to fall asleep. After twisting and turning for a long time, he finally became a little tired.

In the dim lights, someone seemed to be holding his hand.

It was a very familiar warmth.

Shen Zhixian relaxed and closed his eyes, trying to call “A’jin” but found that his throat wouldn’t move and no sound could escape.

Filled with a bad premonition, he tried to open his eyes but his eyes were so heavy that, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t pry them open.

The person pulled him up with both hands and held him in his arms, every movement full of gentleness and care.

Shen Zhixian saw only darkness, but he felt the person brush a loose strand of his hair back. Then, the person whispered by his ear, “Sui Xian…”

This person sounded like Yan Jin.

But, he seemed a bit different.

Shen Zhixian’s heart moved slightly, and he continued the battle to force his eyes open. He heard Yan Jin softly whisper, “…Wake up, okay?”

I’m trying… Shen Zhixian silently cried to Yan Jin, wanting to sooth the despair and remorse that laced under Yan Jin’s every word.

This despair and remorse was suppressed so tightly and deeply, like a needle hidden within a large mass of cotton. It could not be seen from a distance but could only be heard with careful attention.

Shen Zhixian thought this. Initially, he didn’t react much when he heard Yan Jin’s words. But, gradually, he began to sense that something was wrong.

What happened to Yan Jin? Why did this mood faintly show signs of collapse?

Last night, he was obviously fine … What had happened?

Shen Zhixian was puzzled, but his limbs didn’t seem to belong to him. No matter how hard he tried to move, he could only feel Yan Jin firmly clasped his waist with one hand, allowing him to lean on his warm chest. With his other hand, Yan Jin began to untie Shen Zhixian’s belt and, with a slight pull, he pulled open his collar.

Yan Jin no longer spoke and continued to silently remove Shen Zhixian’s clothes.

Warm fingertips brushed against slightly cool skin. Every touch evoked a burning sensation that rapidly spread throughout Shen Zhixian’s body. He didn’t know where he drew the strength from, but he suddenly opened his eyes—Finally, his eyes were open!

His vision blurred for a moment but quickly focused on a familiar hand, which was casually throwing his shirt aside.

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Vitya
Vitya
4 years ago

Thanks for the chapter(☆/>u</)Ψ(≧ω≦)Ψ

Anonymous
Anonymous
4 years ago

Uh oh. Is Yan Jin being influenced by devil qi again?
– XF

Anonymous 🌓
Anonymous 🌓
2 months ago
Reply to  Anonymous

Seems like he couldn’t hold in his desires

Kleep
Kleep
4 years ago

He needs you YJ. Don’t just hide and skulk. But probably still hide for now.

Thanks for the great translation ♥️

Soul
Soul
4 years ago

Thanks for the chapter

Carol
Carol
3 years ago

What you trying to do with a sleeping person Yan Jin??!!!

Illu
Illu
1 year ago

Oh no what is happening!?

Druduf
Druduf
2 months ago

Oh

Last edited 2 months ago by Druduf