The millet boat landed smoothly. Before Fang Zhiyuan had time to savor Lin Fuqing’s words about forming a Taoist couple and retiring, he was surrounded by his fellow disciples.
Just as the two of them boarded the millet boat, they ran into Shentu Linchun sitting high on the bow, smiling and showing his snow-white fangs and waving at Lin Fuqing.
Lin Fuqing was helpless. “What are you doing here?”
Shentu Linchun laughed jokingly. “The Western Regions are desolate. It’s a rare chance to get out. I want to have more fun before going back.”
“Why? Lin Shixiong won’t welcome a friend from afar?” The little demon child blinked his eyes, still smiling. “Hey, it’s okay, I’ll be good and won’t disturb you.”
Xun Mingsi cleared his throat and said awkwardly, “Da shixiong, Chun’er wanted to ask for some of Mingsi’s music scores, but I left those miscellaneous items in Xuyun, so Chun’er insisted on going to get them in person.”
Lin Fuqing and Fang Zhiyuan looked at each other and understood.
Indeed, it had only been a few days since they’d met, and he was already calling him Chun’er.
The friendship of music cultivators, regular mortals would never be able to understand.
The boat turned in the direction of Taiqing Island. Lin Fuqing leaned against the side of the boat to facilitate his enjoyment of the breeze and asked his fellow disciples, “Did you have fun?”
Several people answered one after another.
Ye Huaguo said, “Fighting… is-is-is a bit scary! But Liuhua Continent is very lively! The G-Golden Osmanthus Palace is very beautiful!”
Song Youdu added, “It’s very refreshing.”
Xun Mingsi said, “I saw a lot of new things and benefited a lot.”
What Shen Xiaojiang wanted to say was interrupted by his third shixiong, so he could only follow behind and nod with a red face.
To be honest, this kid was the one who had changed the most since this trip. After all this training, he had become more mature and stable.
They all chatted casually, while Fang Zhiyuan remained silent. He played with the little bird in his hand, and occasionally looked up at Lin Fuqing.
Ye Huaguo was the first to notice the little guy and exclaimed in surprise: “Wow, what…what is this! So…cute!”
Ziwei trembled. “Chijijijiji.”
Ye Huaguo was even more surprised. “It ch-chirps!”
Ziwei fluttered his wings angrily. “Chiji, chiji, chiji!!”
Ye Huaguo happily imitated its call, “Chiji? Chijiji?”
Ziwei was desperate.
Unable to communicate, and being teased as a fool, Saint Ziwei felt pained and humiliated. He fell back into Fang Zhiyuan’s hands with a thud, wilting like dead ash.
As the others chatted, Lin Fuqing stood up to go back to his room, leaving behind a light excuse. “I didn’t sleep last night. I’m going to catch up on some sleep.”
A look of understanding appeared on everyone’s face.
It was hard to believe that a cultivator in the Golden Core stage would still need to catch up on sleep.
But for Lin Shixiong, who was born in the secular world and adhered to all kinds of mortal life habits, it was an extremely normal thing.
With an uncertain expression, Fang Zhiyuan watched as Lin Fuqing entered his room.
After a while, he stood up and explained, “…I didn’t sleep either.”
A look of horror appeared on everyone’s face.
That kind of…uniform gaze, as if watching red rain falling from the sky, formed too sharp a contrast with the way they treated their da shixiong.
Ye Huaguo trembled and said, “Fang, Fang Shixiong, are-are you feeling unwell? If y-you-you… you’re sick, you can’t keep it to yourself!”
Fang Zhiyuan: “…….”
He threw the chirping bird on her head, cursed “Get lost”, and turned away.
When he pushed the door open and entered the room, Lin Fuqing was indeed lying on the bed.
Fang Zhiyuan quietly walked over to take a closer look.
Lin Fuqing’s eyes were closed, and he was breathing steadily, as if he’d really fallen asleep. He was curled up on his side with his face half-buried in the pillow.
Fang Zhiyuan’s expression darkened, and his hands slowly clenched into fists.
He lowered his head, anger swirling in his cold and dark eyes, but the anger was suppressed by another sadder emotion.
In their previous lives, when he was fleeing with Lin Fuqing, he’d noticed that whenever Lin Fuqing felt deeply uncomfortable or in pain, he would sleep in this position. It seemed that, in this way, he could hide his pale, painful face, so that others would not know and worry.
Lin Fuqing himself may not even be aware of this subconscious little habit.
Fang Zhiyuan walked to Lin Fuqing’s bedside, his expression as cold as ice. “I told you that there’s no such thing as a third time, Shige.”
He was willing to pretend to be blind, deaf and dumb and let Lin Fuqing do whatever he wanted.
But this person went there and did things that hurted himself.
He was willing to conceal all his edges and wait for Lin Fuqing to come back.
This man did come back, but he was wounded and bleeding.
Fang Zhiyuan reached out to the bed. He suppressed his disordered breathing and said, “Lin Fuqing, you forced me to do this…”
The room was quiet, without any other sounds.
The cruelty in Fang Zhiyuan’s eyes was too sharp. Coupled with his whispered words, if outsiders saw or heard it, ten out of ten people would think that he was reaching out to strangle the person on the bed.
But in the end, the pair of hands simply landed lightly on the side of Lin Fuqing’s face, stroking it slowly and sliding down.
Fang Zhiyuan picked up a few strands of spiritual energy with his fingers, drew a small light silver array in the air, and injected it into Lin Fuqing’s heart.
He said hoarsely, “From now on, I won’t indulge you so much.”
Lin Fuqing was sleeping soundly. Seeming to subconsciously recognize Fang Zhiyuan’s presence, he leaned over with his eyes still closed.
The veins on Fang Zhiyuan’s forehead jumped and he froze for a long time. Yet, he continued to endure and reached out his hand to pull the person over.
Lin Fuqing was obviously more honest when he was asleep than when he was awake. He unceremoniously found a comfortable position, buried his face in Fang Zhiyuan’s chest, and continued to sleep curled up.
Fang Zhiyuan was so angry that his temples throbbed painfully. He wanted to kick the white thing in his arms awake. But he held it in, until some time later,he finally accepted his fate and tightened his arms to hold him firmly.
……..
It was already late at night when Lin Fuqing woke up. The millet boat was sailing among the clouds, and the golden moon by the window seemed to be hanging right in front of him.
The moment he opened his eyes, he found himself in Fang Zhiyuan’s arms. He struggled to sit up, almost breaking out in a cold sweat.
Fang Zhiyuan wasn’t asleep. He sat on the bed with a cold expression, holding him and watching the clouds slowly drift past outside the window.
As soon as Lin Fuqing saw the look on his face, he knew that it was going to be bad, and he couldn’t help but secretly groan.
As expected, Fang Zhiyuan didn’t even look at him, and asked, “What were you doing at Ziwei Pavilion?”
Trembling, Lin Fuqing moved out of his shidi’s arms.
He said with a guilty conscience, “Can I… not tell you?”
Fang Zhiyuan said, “Are you in a state of confusion again?”
Lin Fuqing’s voice became even lower, “Just for a moment.”
Fang Zhiyuan was silent for a moment, looking at the moon above the clouds, and suddenly said coldly, “Do you remember that I chained you up back then?”
Lin Fuqing: “…….”
He remembered, of course he remembered.
At that time, his mind was eroded by yin qi. He lacked conscious awareness and was in danger of uncontrollably attacking other cultivators at any time.
The immortal world wanted to kill all contaminated people, but Fang Zhiyuan ignored it. Instead, he locked Fang Zhiyuan’s wrist with a chain and led him away.
Fang Zhiyuan said nonchalantly, “I think my shige at that time was the best. Although he was a little fierce and stupid, at least I could still keep an eye on him.”
Lin Fuqing was in the wrong, so he could only try his best to beg for mercy. “I know I was wrong… I know I was wrong, I was really wrong, please just forgive me once more.”
Fang Zhiyuan was indifferent. “When you were sleeping, I cast a small magic array on you.”
Lin Fuqing hesitated for a moment, and smiled calmly, “It’s no use trying to trick me. With our spiritual perception, how can we not be alarmed when someone tampered with our bodies? Immortal Sovereign Fang underestimates me—“
Then he saw a small silver magic array emerging from his chest. But before he could see its structure clearly, it flashed and disappeared.
Lin Fuqing: “…….”
He covered his face in despair and shrank back into the quilt.
What was this?…His own soul had already instinctively become defenseless against Zhiyuan’s aura…
Fang Zhiyuan sneered and glanced at him. “Don’t worry. It’s not a spell that would harm people. Maybe it’s an eavesdropping spell, maybe it’s a blockade formation, but next time the Demon Lord does something, I’m afraid you’ll have to be a little more cautious.”
Lin Fuqing had been proficient in talisman formations for two lifetimes, but he never expected that he would fall into trouble today and be tricked by his little troublemaker.
He was both angry and amused. “What can I do? I have done my job! Ah’Yuan, we agreed to retire together and become Taoist couple once we return to the island. I will pledge my body to you to make amends for my sins. You can do whatever you want to me…Remove the array.”
Fang Zhiyuan was not willing to listen to him, and the two of them argued for a long time, neither of them feeling sleepy anymore.
Until the familiar outlines of four mountains appeared faintly beyond the window.
Lin Fuqing looked up and was stunned for a moment. “We’ve arrived already?”
Indeed, they had arrived. Looking down from the millet boat, the waves on the sea were lapping softly, and the peaceful Taiqing Island was before their eyes.
Above the sky, a shadow passed over the sea in the night.
The clear cry of a crane spread out.
Where the sea and sky met, there was a white-winged crane with red crowns, flying straight through the clouds with graceful postures.
When it got closer, they realized that the crane’s body was more than twice as big as those in the mortal world, and there was a graceful red figure on its back.
Fang Zhiyuan and Lin Fuqing stopped arguing immediately. They fell silent and saw the same expression on each other’s faces—a guilty conscience.
They, the brothers and sisters, abandoned their little sister who was in seclusion and ran away. Now that Yu Hongtang was here, they would have to pay back the debt they owed.
The two hurried out of the room and walked quickly to the deck. They saw the red-crowned crane folding its wings under the moon and swooped in to land with a cry.
The girl in red couldn’t wait and jumped down in mid-air!
“Qing’er ge! Yuan ge!”
Yu Hongtang unreservedly stretched out her slender white arms, her smile as beautiful as spring peach blossoms. Lin Fuqing and Fang Zhiyuan simultaneously reached out their hands, one on each side, and held her firmly in their arms.
Yu Hongtang raised her face, her skin white as snow, her lips red as cinnabar. She puffed up her cheeks, her eyes like cats, bright and charming, “You bad guy! Where did the brothers go?”
Fang Zhiyuan made a prompt decision, pointed at Lin Fuqing and said solemnly, “Your Qing’er ge took everyone away, and Xuyun listened to him. I couldn’t do anything about it.”
Yu Hongtang immediately revealed an exaggerated expression of hurt.
Before Lin Fuqing could even say a word in defense, the red-dressed girl in his arms burst into tears and howled at the top of her voice, “Wu….”
At this time, Xun Mingsi and the other three also heard the cry of the crane and came out of the house. The six disciples gathered on the deck.
Yu Hongtang sniffed and said aggrievedly, “Xiao Hongtang had been practicing in seclusion, wanting to come out to find his brothers and sisters as soon as possible. But when I broke through the realm and came out, you all left! You left me! There was no one on Xuyun Peak…”
The great Demon Lord Lin was speechless again, and could only force a smile and talk about something else, “This…What do you mean, isn’t Master someone?”
Unexpectedly, just as he finished speaking, another crane was heard from the sea.
The Taoist in gray robe came down from the top of the mountain on a crane, holding a whisk in his hand. In the blink of an eye, he was already above the millet boat.
Yin Changxin had arrived.
Several of Xuyun’s disciples—except Yu Hongtang, who was still tearful and angry, and Lin Fuqing, who was in a state of panic—all bowed and greeted their master.
Yin Changxin’s face was as mysterious as usual, with no expression. His light-colored pupils moved slightly, and his eyes scanned around, first landing on top of Ye Huaguo’s head. He immediately said with disdain, “Why did you bring back a chicken?”
Ye Huaguo cried “Ah”, and hurriedly pinched the purple bird off her head. The girl seemed to have forgotten that there was a bird on her head. She quickly threw it back into Fang Zhiyuan’s hand like a hot potato. “No no no no, it’s not mine! It’s Fang Shixiong’s chicken!!”
Fang Zhiyuan said expressionlessly, “…It’s not a chicken, it’s a purple luan.”
Yin Changxin said, “It’s chicken.”
Fang Zhiyuan was silent for a moment, then said, “Shige gave it to me.”
Yin Changxin immediately raised his long eyebrows and pointed at Lin Fuqing angrily. “This child is spoiled! It’s not enough to raise a fish and a star, it’s not enough picking up so many brothers and sisters, now you also want to bring a chicken into Xuyun?”
Lin Fuqing was stunned and speechless. “I…..”
The demon lord was confused and thought, what’s going on? Why did it seem like everyone’s targeting him all of a sudden?
There were a few snorting sounds behind them, several fellow disciples unable to help but laugh secretly.
Fang Zhiyuan seemed to be thinking about something, frowned and whispered to himself, “So it really is a ‘chicken’.”
Lin Fuqing was already feeling very uncomfortable because of Yin Changxin’s direct gaze, and Fang Zhiyuan’s suspicious look beside him made him feel even more discomfitted.
He finally couldn’t stand it anymore and said, “Master! I… Qing’er even wants to raise chickens, so what? Is that not allowed?”
He snatched Ziwei from Fang Zhiyuan’s hand, raised it up calmly and said, “Look, isn’t this chicken cute?”
Yin Changxin: “……”
Ziwei: “……Ji?”
The sea breeze brought refreshing moisture.
Yin Changxin looked down at the Divine Purple Luan indifferently.
A pair of narrow light-colored eyes, and a pair of bean-sized black bird eyes…looked at each other.
The scene was extremely strange for a moment.
Lin Fuqing put his hand down awkwardly and glanced at Fang Zhiyuan for help, but the latter ignored him.
Only Ye Huaguo muttered quietly, “It’s very cute.”
But Xun Mingsi calmly covered her mouth from the side.
Just when the awkward silence solidified to a certain critical point, Yin Changxin finally nodded lazily. “Fine then. If you want to raise it, then keep it.”
The waves hit the rocks, suddenly breaking into a burst of gorgeous snowflakes.
Dawn was approaching, and a faint hint of paleness was rising in the distance over the sea.
Yin Changxin flicked his whisk and said to his disciples, “Let’s go home.”
——Volume 1.End.