CH 63

Caught within the illusion Ying Qianqiu followed behind the red clothed youth, whilst Fu Qinghan and Ji Ning watched the phantom scene.

“It seems that his wish involves you.” Fu Qinghan gave Ji Ning a deep look then said, “Since it is like this, I won’t interfere with your private affairs. I trust you can find where your fates cross by yourself.” 

Ji Ning felt a surge of gratitude for Fu Qinghan’s thoughtfulness and at the same time heaved a sigh of relief. He’d felt extremely awkward watching his own figure in the illusion, worried there would be scenes that would upset Fu Qinghan.

Fu Qinghan handed Ji Ning a jade slip, so he could record what happened inside the phantom array and rewatch it later, in order to study Ying Qianqiu’s wish. At the same time, he gave partial control of the phantom array to Ji Ning, so he could guide Ying Qianqiu to reveal his wish.

Ji Ning thanked him and Fu Qinghan withdrew from the illusion. By this time, his younger version had already dragged Ying Qianqiu through the large courtyard and towards the gate.

After watching the scene for a while, Ji Ning recognised where they were in the plot. It was shortly after he’d first entered the Xuanhuan world. In that world, he was a child of the prestigious Ji family, with both a high social status and incomparable talent in cultivation. Although he had an arranged marriage to Ying Qianqiu, the two of them had only met for the first time a few days previously. 

In the past, the Ji and Ying families shared the same high status and it was common for the heads of the two families to arrange marriages for children of the same age. But the world is fickle and ten years ago the head of the Ying family passed away and the family fell into decline. Soon, only the name of the once aristocratic clan remained.

Although his good friend had already passed away, the head of the Ji family still honoured his promise that their two children would wed. Once Ji Ning and Ying Qianqiu reached marriageable age, he brought Ying Qianqiu into the Ji family so the two could get to know each other before their future marriage.

In the original book, the child of the Ji family was actually a stubborn and arrogant young lady. She despised Ying Qianqiu, who came from a declining family, and set out to torture and humiliate him using any means possible to force him to break off their marriage. Ji Ning, on the other hand, naturally didn’t want to waste any opportunity and from the very beginning he did his best to win Ying Qianqiu’s favour.

At their first meeting, he told Ying Qianqiu not to be restrained and to act intimately with him.

However, although Ying Qianqiu entered the Ji family, he knew his identity wasn’t suitable for Ji Ning, so he always kept a slight distance from him. This caused Ji Ning a lot of headaches at the time.

Thinking of these past events, Ji Ning suddenly felt a slight ache in his heart. He followed Ying Qianqiu and his own illusion towards the gates of the Ji family mansion. The closer they got, the louder they could hear the sound of beasts.

A faint scent of blood hung in the air as a group of warriors employed by the Ji family used a combination of qi and large whips to subdue dozens of ferocious beasts. Blood dripped down the beast’s bodies, wounded by the vicious actions.

The beasts had only recently been captured and although they’d been bridled, they were still fierce and unruly. The warriors held the reins firmly to prevent them from stampeding the house. 

The warriors slowly directed the animals to the beast training area. Other idlers and passersby only dared to secretly watch from a safe distance, but the youth pulled Ying Qianqiu closer and closer to the thrashing creatures, a relaxed smile on his face.

“Young master Ning, it’s dangerous here. You and master Ying have precious bodies, so don’t get too close.”

Seeing that the two of them didn’t even flinch, the leader of the warriors stepped forward to tactfully send them away. The boy was half smiling, but he raised his eyebrow and said, “Why not, are you looking down on me? With my cultivation, do you think these beasts could hurt me?”

“I wouldn’t dare to.” The warrior said, “I just…” 

“Then don’t talk nonsense. I came here to tame that Tianlin myself.”

The young man’s eyes were bright as he pointed out a gorgeous, blood red beast. He said with great interest, “Father said if I tame it, he’ll give it to me. How could I miss such an opportunity?”

He pulled out his personal whip and let the warriors lead the other beasts away. The Tianlin was a naturally vicious creature. Seeing the slender young man facing him alone, its eyes flashed fiercely and wicked sparks spat from its mouth before it rushed towards the boy.

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The boy looked so relaxed and confident that Ji Ning was the only one who knew he’d been scared out of his mind. To give himself the courage to even attempt this, he’d had to hypnotise himself over and over again. The young lady from the original novel managed to do it, so as a person from the modern age, there was no reason why he should be inferior. Since this was part of the original novel, he had to do it.

Back then, he had to focus all of his attention on the Tianlin and didn’t have a thought to spare for others. Watching the scene now, Ji Ning was able to take his time and glanced towards the young Ying Qianqiu.

The teenager’s eyes were filled with worry, obviously concerned about the safety of the boy. Seeing this made a warm feeling bloom in Ji Ning’s heart. 

Two hours passed before the Tianlin finally let out a long whine and fell to his knees. The boy jumped down from its back as the beast lowered its head, surrendering to him to show that it would recognise the boy as its master from then on.

The young man panted, sweat dripping down his flushed face as he smiled wide. His clothes were messy and his hair ornament had fallen off, leaving his long, inky black hair scattered across his back. He seemed a little embarrassed by his appearance but the strange energy around him was enthralling.

Pleased with himself, he touched the Tianlin’s long horn. After tidying his clothes, he jumped back on the Tianlin, stretching his hand out towards Ying Qianqiu.

“Come on Qianqiu, ride with me. We can go to the beast training area and pick one for you to ride.” 

When Ying Qianqiu remained motionless, the teenager glared at him with a face that said he would make a fuss if Ying Qianqiu didn’t get on the beast. Ying Qianqiu sighed slightly before finally walking over. When the Tianlin saw that someone else wanted to ride, it hissed and snarled at Ying Qianqiu.

Facing the ferocious Tianlin, Ying Qianqiu remained calm. He placed his palm in front of its forehead and gently stroked the beast. The Tianlin froze, shocked, but gradually calmed down under his careful comfort. He even took the initiative to rub against Ying Qianqiu’s hand with affectionate eyes.

The youth looked at Ying Qianqiu in disbelief, “It’s so happy to get close to you?”

“I’ve easily attracted beasts since I was a child.” Ying Qianqiu said. 

“Interesting.” Said the boy, “But I prefer to tame them myself.”

The Tianlin lay down, allowing Ying Qianqiu to sit behind the boy and the two of them rode the creature to the beast training area. Along the way, they attracted countless amazed eyes, putting the teenager in high spirits as he waved to them with a smile.

The beast training area was built on the east side of the mansion, occupying most of the mountain’s peaks. As they approached the area, they were overwhelmed by the cries of various creatures, creating an orchestra of noise. However, once the beasts caught the scent of the Tianlin, they turned silent and tried to make themselves look invisible.

“Just tell me what kind of beast you want.” The youth said, “As long as it isn’t a rare beast like the Tianlin, I can give it to you.” 

“Thank you, young master Ning.” Ying Qianqiu said.

“What did you call me?”

The teenager turned his head to glare at Ying Qianqiu. Unfortunately, his delicate appearance had the opposite effect then he intended. Even when he was angry, people would feel soothed just by seeing his pretty face.

“I told you to call me Xiaoxiao, why don’t you listen to me?” 

“Sorry, it’s my mistake.” Ying Qianqiu lowered his head, his expression unchanging.

The youth pouted and Ji Ning, who stood behind them, unconsciously made the same expression.

Ying Qianqiu would always say it was his mistake, but the next time he would still call him ‘Young master Ning’. He clearly still hadn’t accepted Ji Ning, so avoided his nickname to prevent being criticised in the future.

Although he was still sulking, the youth didn’t say anything. The two rode the Tianlin all the way up the mountain in order to speak with the owner. Many beasts had been adopted from this place by the children of the Ji family but their courtyards weren’t large enough to house the creatures, so they left them on the mountain, only taking them away when they wanted to travel. 

Therefore, the young Ji Ning wanted to find out which beasts already had owners. The mountain owner handed him a roster that outlined the different species of beasts and whether they had owners.

There were many majestic beasts, but the teenager was picky and thought that none of them were suitable for Ying Qianqiu. In the blink of an eye he had flicked his way through the thick roster without approving of a single beast.

At that moment, they heard a faint, milky noise from the corner of the barn. Ying Qianqiu turned his head to see a cage covered by a black cloth. He pointed to it and asked the mountain owner, “What kind of beast is that?”

“This is a cloud beast cub. Its mother had a difficult labour and died giving birth to it. This humble one has been feeding it temporarily.” Said the mountain owner. 

Ying Qianqiu stepped forward and gently lifted a corner of the black cloth. Glancing inside, he asked, “Does it have an owner?”

“It’s never had an owner.” Replied the mountain owner, “The ladies think it looks weak and are unwilling to take it in case it dies early.”

“If it’s like that.” Said Ying Qianqiu, “Then I’ll have it.”

“Have another look around, are you sure you want it?” 

The young Ji Ning closed the roster with a snap, turning to face the two of them. The mountain owner was surprised by the boy’s decision. The cloud beast had a cute appearance, but aside from looking sweet, it had no use at all. There were very few people who would choose to keep one as a beast.

The youth had promised Ying Qianqiu he could pick any precious beast to take away, but Ying Qianqiu had chosen to adopt a weak cloud beast cub, making the teenager’s face darken. Seeing his expression, Ying Qianqiu spoke quickly.

“It’s not that I’m acting modest, I just think it’s sad that such a young beast is here alone, so I want to raise it.” He said, “Didn’t you promise me I could choose this time, Xiaoxiao?”

“So now you remember what to call me…” 

The youth grumbled, but his mood seemed to improve a lot. He waved his hand and said indifferently, “It doesn’t matter, you can raise it if you want. My family isn’t poor, I’ll pick out another beast for you.”

Ying Qianqiu thanked him and the boy smiled, choosing a larger domesticated beast for him. Ying Qianqiu hugged the cloud beast’s cage close and rode his new beast back to the courtyard with the boy.

After that, the cloud beast made its home in the courtyard. The teenager named the Tianlin Liu Huo and the cloud beast child Yun Dao, because he insisted that as he was the one to buy it, he was its owner and should be the one to name it.

But despite saying that, he seldom took care of Yun Dao and most of the time it was Ying Qianqiu who took care of the beasts. 

When the little creature first arrived in the unfamiliar area, it was very cautious, but before long it was happily showing its true, stubborn nature. Usually, if Ying Qianqiu didn’t pay it enough attention, it would run away and cause trouble inside the yard.

After it bit the heads of every flower in the courtyard, the boy finally couldn’t bear it any longer and tied a bell around its neck. No matter where it went they could hear the bell ringing, giving it nowhere to hide, and every time it would be caught by the teenager or Ying Qianqiu and returned to the courtyard in despair.

One day, after Yun Dao had once again sneaked away, Ying Qianqiu followed the sound of the bell and found it had wriggled its way into the house where Ji Ning lived.

The doors and windows of the teenager’s room were usually closed. Although Yun Dao was often brought near the house, she’d never had the opportunity to cause trouble inside. Today however, the door of the house hadn’t been completely closed, allowing the mischievous beast to slip inside. Before he even entered the house, Ying Qianqiu could hear the sound of objects falling to the ground. 

Although it wasn’t right for him to enter when Ji Ning wasn’t inside, Ying Qianqiu was more worried that Yun Dao would destroy something important to the teenager and be made into dry fried beef. He pushed open the door and entered, walking down the hallway until he saw Yun Dao rolling around on the boy’s bed.

Ying Qianqiu stepped forward to grab her, but the little thing jumped around playfully. She was so happy that she fell off the bed, rolling over the floor. Ying Qianqiu bent down to grab at her tail, but he missed, accidentally catching onto a pale, slender hand.

He raised his eyes slightly to see the beautiful face of the young Ji Ning. It appeared that the boy had just taken a bath, the ends of his hair and face still misted with water vapour. The collar of his white shirt lay loose and open, revealing a large area of creamy skin. Ying Qianqiu glanced down, then immediately averted his eyes and tried to remove his hand, but was held tightly by the teenager.

The youth kept hold of his hand and the two slowly straightened up. Ying Qianqiu kept his eyes trained on the wall, not looking once towards the boy as the teenager stared unashamedly at him with heated eyes. His soft fingertips rubbed patterns across the back of Ying Qianqiu’s hand before he raised his other hand and stroked his cheek. He asked with a low, languid voice. 

“Why don’t you look at me? Or…”

His fingertips moved to caress Ying Qianqiu’s lips.

“Do you dare not look at me?”

The author has something to say: Regarding yesterday’s update, I read the comments from my darlings, so I would like to answer some questions. Firstly, we haven’t reached the end yet, this is just a plot twist and there are still many things which haven’t been explained. I guess this novel has at least 500,000 characters or more, so don’t even think about driving me away so early. Secondly, there is no abusive plot, of course this is going to be sweet, it is the wishes of the protagonist~ 

Thirdly, about how easy it is to break the string of fate, it’s impossible, so don’t worry about anyone leaving. Of course they will all come back =v=

All in all, don’t worry, I am a lover of sweet novels, I don’t want to be cruel…!! Besides, even if the novel is not sweet, I am sweet enough to make up for it!

*Thinking about the horror of Ji Ning and Gu Chen’s cannibal film* …a sweet novel from a sweet author!

I will say once again, if Ji Ning did any of this stuff to me I would be even more psycho than any of his protagonists. He should take responsibility for the people he seduces!! 

I didn’t think we would get a Yun Dao origin story, how cute!!