64. Scattering dog food

afflinghaze

A few days later, the ghosts had all been dealt with.

When Sun Fuyu and the others returned to the sect, Lin Yijun led them to the Missions Hall to distribute the rewards. That Lin Yijun seemed to be in a hurry was perfect for Sun Fuyu. The moment Sun Fuyu received his reward, he farewelled the seniors and raced to Wen-ge’s room.

Standing outside the door, Sun Fuyu patted down his robes, fixed his hair, and took a deep breath. He knocked on the door.

The door opened, revealing a Wen Zhihao blinking away sleepiness.

“I’m not late, am I, Wen-ge?” Sun Fuyu asked.

Wen Zhihao reached out and rubbed Sun Fuyu’s head. “Not at all. You must have worked hard on your mission.”

“Yes, I’m now Mid-Stage Golden Core!”

“Very good,” Wen Zhihao praised, his head-rubbing becoming more vigorous. “Why don’t you take a rest first?”

“Mmm, I want to spend time with Wen-ge,” Sun Fuyu said, shyly pulling at Wen-ge’s sleeve. “Go for dinner with Wen-ge.”

“If Xiao Yu wants to, then let’s go. It’s a nice clear night, shall we go to one of the towns by the sea?”

“Listen to ge.”

Wen Zhihao couldn’t help but reach out and hug Sun Fuyu, and kiss him on both cheeks. Who made Sun Fuyu so cute, hm? Who???

Sun Fuyu’s cheeks reddened. He pressed the side of his face against Wen-ge’s shoulder. When Wen-ge let go, Sun Fuyu darted forward and kissed him lightly on the lips.

“Let’s go then,” Wen Zhihao said, grinning. He held Sun Fuyu’s hand, locked the door behind him, and led Sun Fuyu out of the building.

It had been a little tricky at first, but now Wen Zhihao and Sun Fuyu had figured out how to fly with their swords side by side, close enough to hold hands.

Any single cultivators with the misfortune to look up to see them flying were forcefully fed dog food.

Lin Yijun exhaled heavily. Once the last of the mission rewards were distributed, he flew to the area where the animal tamer cultivators stayed.

The animal tamer cultivator Tan Yang was waiting for him in one of the courtyards. Tan Yang was a tall and broad man, making the demonic wolf at his feet look like an ordinary dog.

There was no one else in the courtyard.

“Greetings, Cultivator Tan,” Lin Yijun said once he landed.

Tan Yang replied, “Cultivator Lin, greetings.”

Lin Yijun glanced at the wolf. “Forgive my hurry. Was it successful?”

Tan Yang bowed his head slightly. “Forgive me, Cultivator Lin. My beast was able to find the person you were looking for. However, she was distracted by another cultivator with a particularly peaceful aura and traces of the same scent, and so did not catch the person you wanted.”

Lin Yijun's stomach rolled with anxiety. “Who? Was it…” A sudden thought struck him. “Was it a cultivator named Wen Zhihao?”

Tan Yang glanced at the demonic wolf, who was moping at his feet. “My beast mentioned that the human had been called ‘Wen’ by others.”

“Thank you for your hard work. Here is the rest of the payment.” Lin Yijun handed the 50 high-grade spiritual stones over like they were nothing. After bland well-wishes and farewells, Lin Yijun turned away and stalked out, his eyes darkening.

That Wen Zhihao! He had the scent of Zhou Sheng...that meant Wen Zhihao had met with Zhou Sheng. Wen Zhihao had lied to him! Curse him!

Lin Yijun spread his qi out across the entire sect, but he was only able to find lingering traces of Wen Zhihao around his frequented spots. Wen Zhihao was no longer in the sect.

At this time? When that will soon happen?

Time was tight. Lin Yijun returned to his room, gathered up multiple magical treasures, and left the sect.

Not long after Lin Yijun left the sect, Senior Cultivator Cheng Yahui finally arrived at the accommodation for Liu Zhongmin’s direct disciples. They had originally gone to the accommodation for Elder Liu’s direct disciples, only to be told that Disciple Wen was not staying there.

“Oh, hello again, Senior Cheng,” Hu Jingyan said.

“Cultivator Hu,” Cheng Yahui greeted. “I’m looking for Disciple Wen.”

Hu Jingyan smiled apologetically. “Both he and disciple Sun have left already. As I understand it, today is their weekly dinner date.”

—And thus Cheng Yahui unexpectedly ate dog food on top of their disappointment caused by missing Wen Zhihao. They wanted to cry in frustration. They wanted to buy a heart-soothing stone from Wen Zhihao as soon as possible!! Oh, why hadn’t they asked Sun Fuyu earlier about Wen Zhihao’s location?

Hu Jingyan tactfully ignored Cheng Yahui’s crestfallen expression and went off to train.

With the warm mild night, clear night sky, the mortal town by the sea that Wen Zhihao and Sun Fuyu chose was bustling with people.

Wen Zhihao decided to buy various street food dishes first, and then he and Sun Fuyu headed to the beach for a more quiet, private place to eat.

Sun Fuyu swung their hands back and forth as they walked, his heart warm. So the stones that his ge had been giving him were all heart-soothing treasures? They were even more precious than Sun Fuyu had realised! His Wen-ge had given him so many stones over the last year. His Wen-ge must have also liked him for a long time too. Thinking about it made Sun Fuyu even happier!

An uncontrollable smile grew on his lips. Sun Fuyu peeked at his Wen-ge and then looked away again. Like! So much!

“That looks like a good spot,” Wen Zhihao said, pointing to a dark green cliff jutting out from the land. While he liked sand, he didn’t want to eat sitting on the sand.

“En!”

The two of them strolled over. As they came closer, the wind changed direction.

Wen Zhihao and Sun Fuyu both frowned. They could hear...crying? They looked at each other.

“There’s more than one child crying,” Sun Fuyu said carefully.

Suddenly, there were multiple low reprimands and the crying was stifled and muffled, as though someone was stuffed in the mouth of the crying children.

“Go?” Sun Fuyu asked.

“Go.”

The two of them both took out their swords and flew towards the sounds—a dark cave under the cliff.

Before they could reach the cave though, an angry aura choked the air. A dark-robed person appeared at the mouth of the cave.

The men in the caves gasped, crumpling to the ground as something heavy seemed to push down on them.

“You fucking bastard scum! For your crimes, only death awaits—” A metal blade appeared in the darkness.

“Zhou Sheng?”

Oh yes, finally gave Senior Cheng a given name, Yahui. Cheng Yahui takes they/them pronouns. At least they’re named, unlike that nameless genderless/agender Elder XD

Now, why is there a cliffhanger here? Because I’ve been a bit busy lately so it’s easier for me to write 1k chapters like this ??