CH 64

Although Ji Ning couldn’t be seen by the figures in the illusion, when he saw himself caressing Ying Qianqiu’s face he had to look away. To keep his dignity, he concentrated on Yun Dao who was cheerfully scurrying around the room.

At the time, he’d felt no shame in acting so provocatively in order to seduce Ying Qianqiu, but seeing the scene as a bystander, it was simply too disgraceful! He wished he could go blind. 

The younger him inside the illusion was unaware of his emotional struggle, his fingertips stroking Ying Qianqiu’s jaw as he tilted the older boy’s face towards him. The shameless youth moved his pretty face closer to Ying Qianqiu, the water which clung to his body creating a heavy humidity as he looked up with large, dark eyes.

He asked Ying Qianqiu, “We are both men and already betrothed, so why do you still avoid me?”

Ying Qianqiu gently brushed his hand away, without giving him an answer. The sound of Yun Dao’s bell ringing suddenly interrupted them, as the cloud beast jumped on top of the desk, nibbling at the open books. She swept her furry tail across the desk and knocked over the ink stand.

“You little punk!” 

The teenager scolded, his attention diverted as he moved to catch the naughty little beast. While the youth was distracted, Ying Qianqiu abruptly left, the tips of his ears dyed a deep red.

Back then, Ji Ning really hadn’t seen this reaction, too occupied with trying to catch Yun Dao. In fact, he’d only realised that Ying Qianiqu had left after he’d finally caught the little brat. This time, however, Ji Ning had clearly seen Ying Qianqiu’s reaction.

This was really…

Complicated emotions shone in Ji Ning’s eyes.

After all, he’d stolen Ying Qianqiu’s heart, then one-sidedly ended their relationship with his own death. Even though these were actions he’d taken in order to return home, it didn’t mean that he didn’t feel guilty for them. Reliving the memories of these past events left a bitter taste in his heart.

The illusion continued to evolve on its own and the scene suddenly changed. The fragrance of food and wine filled the air and the huge mansion sprung into life, luxuriously decorated as endless guests streamed through its halls. The young Ji Ning wore formal attire as he followed behind his father, smiling and accepting the congratulations of the guests.

This was the day of the boy’s sixteenth birthday and the day he became an adult.

He was the son of the head of the Ji family and a cultivation genius that hadn’t been seen in the family for decades, so the celebration was extremely grand. Even members from other aristocratic clans had travelled over for the celebrations, and the treasure bags used to distribute gifts filled several tables. 

But the elders of various clans hadn’t really come to give birthday wishes to a young junior. Distinguished members of the clans had already taken their seats for the banquet and exchanged cups, whilst the teenagers were sent to another mountain for a different feast.

These teenagers were close friends of the young Ji Ning and were actually there to celebrate his birthday. Without the clan elders to discipline them, they weren’t held back by any rules and could play as wildly as they wanted. They sat in small groups across the mountainside, drinking and making a lot of noise.

Ying Qianqiu sat by himself, as there was no one within the group of teenagers he was close to. Although the others recognised who he was, they also knew he belonged to a fallen family. Even though no one said anything cruel, they wouldn’t take the initiative to speak with him and it was obvious how out of place he looked within the group.

When the youth saw Ying Qianqiu sitting alone, he called for him several times, but he was pulled by the sleeves by other teenagers, girls laughing as they tried to hand him drinks. Unable to escape them, he was half drunk before long. 

Ying Qianqiu watched all this happen with a calm expression, but his eyes grew darker as an unidentifiable emotion grew in his heart.

After a few rounds of drinking, everyone started a game of finding hidden objects.

Ktf affcjufg kjr yilcvobivfv jr atf batfgr tlv rfnfgji pjvf oibkfgr lc njglber qijmfr, jaajmtlcu j rwjii jwbeca bo atflg dl ab atfw. Dilcvfv, atf affcjufg mbeiv bcis ugbqf jgbecv ribkis, rfjgmtlcu obg atf oibkfgr ys rfcrlcu atf dl jaajmtfv ab atfw.

Lf kbeiv bcis klc lo tf obecv jii bo atf pjvf oibkfgr, batfgklrf tf kbeiv yf qeclrtfv ys vglcxlcu j ktbif qba bo klcf. 

“Who’s birthday is it?”

The youth complained. The other teenagers laughed and teased him that he was afraid. The boy had always been arrogant and couldn’t stand being provoked, so he accepted their game.

He was worthy of the title ‘genius’. Even though he was only relying on sensing qi, he found most of the jade flowers in the blink of an eye. Before long, there was only one flower missing, but it was taking him a long time to find.

“I don’t think you can find the last one.” 

His friend grinned, walking up to him and circling the blindfolded boy. He said gleefully, “I’ll give you half an incense stick and if you can’t find it, then…”

“Do you have the jade flower?”

Ji Ning suddenly raised his hand and rushed towards his friend. The friend’s eyes widened in surprise, but before he could quietly retreat, the teenager had grabbed his arm and pulled him up, “Hurry up and hand it over!”

The friend’s plan had been seen through, but he refused to give in. With one blindfolded and one attempting to escape, the teenager slammed into his friend’s arms. Although there was no romance, their actions were extremely intimate. 

The teenagers around them burst into laughter. A thoughtful person glanced towards Ying Qianqiu’s seat, but was surprised to find he had disappeared without a trace.

Ying Qianqiu had left the banquet when he’d seen the boy fall into the arms of another.

He went all the way down the mountain, walking towards the lake that pooled at the mountain’s foot. He sat down and silently watched the sparkling lake. Under the moonlight, his cold expression revealed the faintest trace of loneliness.

A little ball of fluff emerged from the bushes, slowly approaching him before it rubbed against his arm. 

Ying Qianqiu looked down at the little white beast and pulled it into his arms, stroking its fur. After a while, he heard footsteps coming from behind him. He almost moved until he recognised who was approaching.

He turned his head to find the boy had already walked to his side, a faint scent of wine coating his body. He sat down beside him and asked, “Why did you leave?”

Ying Qianqiu didn’t speak for a moment, then lifted the cloud beast in his arms and said, “…I saw her messing around.”

“You’re lying.” The teenager picked Yun Dao up by the scruff of his neck and threw her away carelessly, whispering, “You just wanted to leave…” 

Ying Qianqiu didn’t answer him. The youth was so drunk that his head spun. Holding his forehead, he muttered, “I’m dizzy, let me lie down for a while.”

He put his head in Ying Qianqiu’s lap, stretching out his fingers to tug at a strand of Ying Qianqiu’s black hair. He twirled the strand between his fingers and asked, “Where’s your birthday gift for me? Haven’t you prepared anything?”

He gazed at Ying Qianqiu, his eyes dyed with hazy drunkenness. The galaxy above them seemed to be reflected in his eyes, but he only looked at Ying Qianqiu.

Ying Qianqiu looked down at him, then suddenly clenched his hand around the boy’s fingers, replying to him in a low voice. 

“I have it. I’m just scared you won’t like it.”

“I won’t like it if you don’t give it to me.” The boy’s voice was soft and coquettish, “Hurry up and give it to me.”

Ying Qianqiu watched his face, before taking out a hairpin from his clothes. It seemed to be made from red jade, engraved with an intricate pattern. It was extremely beautiful and the youth was immediately enamoured.

The boy’s eyes brightened and he reached out to take it, but Ying Qianqiu held his wrist, preventing him from touching it. 

“Listen to me.” Ying Qianqiu said, “This is my family heirloom. Each generation, the head of the family will give it to their partner. Before I came to the Ji house, my mother gave it to me. Now…”

“Now you want to give it to me?” Finished the boy in surprise.

“I don’t know if you want it.”

Ying Qianqiu looked at him deeply and spoke slowly. 

“You should think carefully before you take this hairpin.”

“My family is declining, whilst you are the direct descendent of the main Ji family and talented in cultivation. In terms of background, I’m not a good match for you. If you want to refuse this marriage, I won’t complain. If you don’t want to bring it up with your father, I can be the one to propose annulment so you won’t be embarrassed.”

“If you take this hairpin, I will assume you are willing to marry me. No matter what happens in the future, I won’t give you a chance to back out unless I’m dead-”

“Don’t talk nonsense.” The youth’s eyes were filled with anger as he reached out to put a hand over Ying Qianqiu’s lips. 

Usually, Ying Qianqiu was calm and reserved, but today he showed an uncharacteristically dominant and overbearing attitude. He gripped the teenager’s wrists together to stop him from interrupting, his eyes dark.

“I’m not a tolerant person. Whether it’s today or in the future, I don’t like seeing you so intimate with others, even if they’re only friends. If we get married, forget an affair, even seeing someone touch the corner of your clothes would make me unhappy. I wouldn’t feel comfortable until I destroyed the fabric they dared to contaminate.”

“Even if I’m this unreasonable, would you accept this hairpin and marry me?”

“…” 

The teenager looked up at him for a while, then suddenly sat up. He pulled out his hair tie, letting his dark hair fall loose down his back. He glanced back at Ying Qianqiu, tilted his head, and said, “Will you put it on for me?”

Ying Qianqiu didn’t react for a moment, then carefully gathered up the boy’s long hair and inserted the jade hairpin.

Ying Qianqiu didn’t often braid his own hair and the movements felt a bit unfamiliar. The bun was loose and a few strands of black hair floated around the boy’s face, but the teenager still curved his eyes up happily and touched the hairpin, “This will be mine from now on.”

“I’ll ask you one last time.” Ying Qianqiu said, “Do you know who I am and what you have promised me?” 

“You are Ying Qianqiu.”

The young man’s eyes looked clearer than before, the alcohol dissipating as he spoke seriously, “I promised to marry you just now, but haven’t I clearly promised from the beginning—Nngh…”

His eyes widened as Ying Qianqiu caught him in a kiss. Caught off guard, his body leaned backwards but Ying Qianqiu held his waist tightly, preventing his retreat. Slowly, the teenager’s hand creeped towards Ying Qianqiu until his arms wrapped around the back of Ying Qianqiu’s neck.

Ji Ning, who had been quietly watching from the side, quickly turned his head away. He didn’t dare look back at them until he heard their voices again. 

“I am very grateful for your gift.” Held in Ying Qianqiu’s arms, the youth lost his usual arrogance. His eyes flicked downwards as he asked a little shyly, “It will be your birthday soon, is there anything you would like?”

“I have already accepted the gift you’ve given me.” Ying Qianqiu took the boy’s hand and placed a kiss to his knuckles.

Listening to their conversation, Ji Ning’s heart sped up slightly. Suddenly aware that this was an opportunity he controlled the illusion slightly, using the younger version of himself to ask Ying Qianqiu.

“Then, what other wishes do you have…what do you want most in the world?” 

“Wish…” Ying Qianqiu repeated softly. He answered slowly, “Naturally I want to restore my family clan.”

“What else? Do you have any other wishes?”

“Yes.”

Ying Qianqiu looked down at the teenager. 

“I want you to marry me…Xiaoxiao.”