CH 21

After Chu Qi and Yan Jiuge left the apothecary, they planned to return to Menghua Inn.

Still holding some worry in his heart, even if he sold the medicine and made a lot of money, Chu Qi wasn’t very happy.

Yan Jiuge was by Chu Qi’s side. Seeing his concerned appearance, he said, “Nothing will happen. Don’t worry.”

The manager of the apothecary had already sworn an oath, so he wouldn’t be able to take the initiative to speak out about this matter.

Unless someone were to infiltrate his mind, or threaten him with something worse than death, even if they relied on illusions, the subconscious mind of the manager would keep the secret.

Chu Qi frowned, “It was my own lack of vigilance that almost caused disaster.”

If Yan Jiuge hadn’t accompanied him there today, he would have probably sold off all of the medicines.

The main thing was that Chu Qi didn’t expect that his pills would be so valuable. In Tianxuan Sect, there were only two kinds of pills that were used by the sword cultivators: Spiritual Rejuvenation pills and Blood Congealing pills. The rest weren’t very popular.

In his last life, Chu Qi also used Spiritual Rejuvenation and Blood Congealing pills most often… After all, the medical needs of sword cultivators were almost exactly the same.

“That’s why you’re going out to gain experience now. Otherwise, wouldn’t you be born with wisdom roots, be invulnerable to all poisons, and ascend in a day?”

Yan Jiuge followed Chu Qi’s words and comforted, “All mistakes that can be made up aren’t terrible.”

“But what if they can’t be made up…”

After these words started, ChuQi paused.

What was irreparable in his last life had become his regrets in the end.

“If you can’t make up for it, you should still do your best. The rest is up to fate.”

An unhurried voice came from Chu Qi’s side, and Yan Jiuge’s expression was calm, as if he was unbothered by the topic just now.”

“Alright.”

Fate was hard to know. They could only depend on human effort.

Naturally, he had to do his best to make up for the shortcomings in his previous life.

Chu Qi suddenly showed a smile.

The brilliant light of sunset fell on him, gently outlining his features. He was born with good looks, and now that he had a smile on his face, the passersby around him couldn’t help but look twice.

Yan Jiuge looked around, “Let’s go back quickly.”

Even if he didn’t make medicine, just based on Ah-Qi’s appearance, he would always attract outsiders.

—

However, just when the two were about to return to Menghua Inn, an accident happened.

A ball of white fluff flew out from the gate of the inn, launching itself in an arc in Chu Qi’s direction at an extremely fast speed.

“…”

Yan Jiuge didn’t have time to say anything, making a move first. He raised his hand to shield Chu Qi’s body and drew Long Yin a few inches out of its sheath in an instant.

Boom!

The white fluffy thing fell to the ground.

It bumped its head against Long Yin and was blown three chi away by the sword energy. It fell dizzily and saw stars.

“Tuantuan!” An anxious voice came from the entrance of Menghua Inn.

A familiar scene, with a familiar white fluffball.

It made Chu Qi immediately recall that time many years ago when he and Yan Jiuge were still in Yicheng—

A spiritual pet with white fluff also rushed over like this.

“Fellow cultivators, I’m really sorry. My spiritual pet is rarely so reckless, it must be an accident…” Picking up the dazed spiritual pet, the young man dressed in a thin gauze outer robe skillfully walked up to the two of them and apologized for the spiritual pet that was causing trouble.

“It’s not that it’s rarely reckless.” Yan Jiuge said coldly, “It’s always.”

He still didn’t forget that when he was in Yicheng eight years ago, it was this stupid thing that clung to his family’s Ah-Qi and desperately refused to let go.

“Ah?” Yun Jiangmiao was taken aback for a moment, unable to recover from Yan Jiuge’s words for a while.

“Fellow Daoist Yun, long time no see. Your spiritual pet is still as lively and active as always.” Chu Qi, who was standing half a step behind Yan Jiuge, greeted him first.

“Ah! It’s you! I didn’t recognize you just now.” Hearing Chu Qi’s words, Yun Jiangmiao also remembered the scene from back then, “No wonder why my family’s Tuantuan suddenly rushed out like that, without even looking at its favorite food. It turns out that it was Fellow Daoist Chu.”

Yun Jiangmiao sighed deeply in his heart. Every time he met Chu Qi, Tuantuan was so enthusiastic that it left him, its master, a little embarrassed.

According to what his shijie said, this was because Fellow Daoist Chu possessed extremely pure wood spiritual roots, and was deeply loved by spiritual pets. It was a pity that a talent like that didn’t come to Yushou Sect to learn beast control, but went to Tianxuan Sect instead.

“What a coincidence. Why is Fellow Daoist Yun in Huacheng?” Chu Qi asked curiously.

As far as he knew, Yushou Sect was very close to the Yunxi Secret Realm, so their disciples could just go there directly without needing to come to Huacheng to find a place to stay.

Yun Jiangmiao scratched his head and explained, “It’s like this, Menghua Inn has contracts with our Yushou Sect. This month, it’s my turn to come to Huacheng to check in on the sect’s property.”

“I see.” It seems that the other immortal sects engage in their own businesses!

Chu Qi thought secretly to himself, When he returned to Tianxuan Sect, why not give the Sect Head a suggestion?

After briefly understanding the current situation, Yun Jiangmiao extended an invitation to them again, “Since I happened to bump into the two cultivators and owe you an apology for Tuantuan, why don’t I treat you two to dinner?”

They could reminisce about the past a little and learn more about the current situation.

“No.”

Yan Jiuge, who had been watching silently for some time, refused at this moment.

Right now, Yan Jiuge just wanted to take Chu Qi back to rest. He didn’t want to give that white dumpling another chance to stick to him.

But just as Yan Jiuge refused Yun Jiangmiao’s invitation, a strange, yet familiar voice came from behind them.

“I didn’t expect that when I went out, I would bump into these two cultivators from Tianxuan Sect. This must be fate.”

Chu Qi recognized the person who spoke as Ling Wu, the head disciple of the Qingling Sect that they had spoken with in the afternoon.

Looking up, they saw a pale golden figure standing behind him. This was the xiao-shidi of the Qingling Sect who spent money lavishly.

“Oh? Fellow Daoist Ling, did your Qingling Sect arrive in Huacheng already?”

On the side, Yun Jiangmiao couldn’t help being surprised when he saw Ling Wu. He knew him well since Yushou Sect and Qingling Sect interacted fairly frequently.

“Yes, after all, the Yunxi Secret Realm only opens once in a hundred years. Our Qingling Sect Elders have attached great importance to it. As early as half a month ago, we set off for Huacheng.”

After Ling Wu answered Yun Jiangmiao’s question, he took the initiative to talk to the other two, “I don’t know when the Fellow Cultivators from Tianxuan Sect left?”

Chu Qi: “We set off seven days ago.”

This wasn’t exactly a secret. There was no reason to leave it unsaid.

“En? So fast? Could it be that you’ve been flying on your swords for these seven days?” Ling Wu’s voice was full of shock.

He was an artistic cultivator, and didn’t know much about sword cultivators, but they flew for seven days without rest… did all sword cultivators have such strong physiques?

Golden Core stage cultivators also needed to rest and recover their spiritual power, right?

“Yes.” Chu Qi nodded.

“The sword cultivators of Tianxuan Sect really live up to their name.” Ling Wu sighed to himself. He had to travel with his shidi and shimei on flying spiritual tools.

Their xiao-shidi, Luo Xin, happened to be from the area around Huacheng, so he was asked to help them book an inn in the city. As a result, this xiao-shidi was careless and didn’t book anything until they had arrived in Huacheng, even clashing with the Tianxuan Sect sword cultivators.

Thinking of this, Ling Wu felt that he should apologize for his shidi’s behavior. It just so happened that Yun Jiangmiao from Yushou Sect was also here.

“Why don’t we go have dinner together? My shidi was careless today, so I’ll treat the cultivators from Tianxuan Sect on his behalf.”

Chu Qi: “…”

What was going on today? One after another wanted to invite them out to dinner to apologize.

It really wasn’t necessary. The matter was over, and they didn’t suffer any loss.

“Besides, it’s rare for people from three of the Great Immortal Sects to get together like this. Why don’t we exchange some news before the Yunxi Secret Realm opens?”

Ling Wu had other plans.

If it was just an apology dinner, Chu Qi and Yan Jiuge probably wouldn’t go, but Ling Wu brought up the Yunxi Secret Realm.

“What do you think, Ah-Yan?” Chu Qi handed over the decision to Yan Jiuge.

“Alright.” Yan Jiuge finally softened his attitude.

Regarding the Yunxi Secret Realm that only opened once every hundred years, Tianxuan Sect didn’t have that much information. If they could exchange news with Qingling Sect and Yushou Sect, they could reduce the chance of coming across hidden dangers, which was beneficial to them all.

Like so, the group of people walked towards the restaurant.

After several delays, the sky outside had darkened, twilight giving way to evening. Lanterns were hung from the eaves in advance, waiting for night to fall.

—

The largest restaurant in Huacheng was called Rumeng Pavilion.

Rumen Pavilion not only inherited the characteristic exquisite and luxurious features of Huacheng, but it also brought its own, unique design.

The restaurant had four floors. A stage was set in the middle, and the upper floors had open-air corridors overlooking it, making it convenient for guests to watch from above.

“Is there a private room available?” Ling Wu asked the waiter.

“All of our private rooms have been booked by a wealthy man who was entertaining some friends. Right now, only viewing seats around the upper corridors remain.”

“En? If you’re entertaining a large group like that, shouldn’t you reserve the main hall or banquet room? Having all your relatives and friends scattered through different private rooms would make it inconvenient to meet each other, right?” Yun Jiangmiao was a little surprised.

“However, if it’s an aristocratic family hosting the event and they couldn’t reserve the whole venue, reserving private rooms like this is the next-best option.”

A small voice suddenly sounded.

Luo Xin, who was standing behind Ling Wu, saw that everyone was looking at him because of his words, so he explained further, “It’s still better to sit in a private room.”

“…”

Maybe this was the burden of the rich.

“Then let’s sit in the corridor.” Ling Wu turned his head and asked the others for their opinions, “What do you guys think?”

“Anything is fine.” Chu Qi and Yan Jiuge had no objections. It didn’t matter where they sat as long as they could exchange information.

“Don’t worry, honored guests. Our seats in the corridors are not ordinary. Not to mention being able to see the performers dancing, there are a few extra little surprises. It is a major feature of our Rumeng Pavilion, so you must not miss it.” The waiter skillfully solicited business for his restaurant.

The group of people sat down at the table recommended by the waiter.

The menu was handed over to Yan Jiuge and Chu Qi by Ling Wu.

In addition to talking about the Yunxi Secret Realm, they were also owed an apology. Naturally, they would order based on Chu Qi’s wishes.

Yan Jiuge was not polite at all. He ordered according to Chu Qi’s preferences and passed the menu back to the waiter.

Since the two of them had built their foundation, they were able to practice inedia, but Chu Qi’s tastes hadn’t changed much over the years.

After the waiter left, Ling Wu skillfully set up a soundproofing barrier around them.

“Then, let me tell you what our Qingling Sect knows first.” Ling Wu went straight to the point. He saw that Yan Jiuge was not the kind of person who liked superfluous small talk. Excessive chatting may only annoy the two Tianxuan Sect sword cultivators.

“The Yunxi Secret Realm is opened once every hundred years, and stays open for three months at a time. There is a restriction that only allows cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage and above the Foundation Establishment stage to enter. The seniors of the Qingling Sect have put together a small map which can be used as a reference from the last time it was opened. However, the environment inside may have changed over the years.”

“As far as I know, there are many spiritual beasts in the Yunxi Secret Realm and there may even be some… ferocious monsters? My shijie once told me that if I came across a monster, I should escape as soon as possible or risk being eaten by it.” Yun Jiangmiao added.

“Monsters?” This was the first time Chu Qi had heard of such a creature.

In Yunhua Realm, spiritual beasts were the limit of what cultivators understood. The term “monster” sounded a bit new.

Yun Jiangmioa nodded, “Yes, I’ve never come across anything stronger than a Grade Four spiritual beast. But my shijie said that we will know it when we see it, and that it’s best if we never come across one.”

“…” That made sense.

Chu Qi thought for a while, and repeated what Bai Xuan had told him, “In the Yunxi Secret Realm, there are many medicinal herbs and spiritual plants that grow there, some of which are very strange. Some will have no effect on medical cultivators, but other cultivators may be poisoned or have hallucinations if they encounter them.”

“There are such strange things? Then your Tianxuan Sect will be in danger…”

After blurting out this sentence, Luo Xin once again received everyone’s attention. He was a little embarrassed to be stared at like this, and his voice subconsciously lowered, “I mean, Tianxuan Sect doesn’t have any medical cultivators. If you accidentally fall into a trap like that, it’ll be troublesome for you to get out.”

Yun Jiangmiao opened his mouth when he heard these words. He knew about Chu Qi’s talent, but he couldn’t figure out whether Chu Qi was a healer or a swordsman.

In addition, Chu Qi also wore a spiritual sword around his waist… It was really hard to tell whether he used his extreme wood spiritual root to learn swordsmanship.

“Don’t worry about it, Fellow Daoist. We will be careful.” Yan Jiuge’s voice was light.

“Ah, yes.” Luo Xin responded.

Ling Wu, who had watched the whole process from the sidelines, sighed inwardly. This xiao-shidi was from a good background, and had been treasured by his family since he was a child. His life until now had been smooth, and he had yet to be baptized by the real world. He said whatever came to mind and had a pure personality. Sometimes he would offend people without knowing it.

This time, apart from gaining experience from the Yunxi Secret Realm, part of his goal was to temper the character of his shidi.

It was also thanks to Tianxuan Sect’s sword cultivators for not caring too deeply. If it was another immortal sect, the results may have been much worse.

“I see that the waiter is bringing food over, it should be our table. Why don’t we eat first?” Ling Wu said to ease the awkwardness.

“Okay.”

No one had any opinions.

Because of the sound-proofing barrier set up by Ling Wu, the waiter had stopped five chi away. His voice could not come through, so he had been waiting for some time.

Seeing this, Ling Wu removed the barrier.

Almost at the exact moment that the sound-proofing barrier disappeared, the extremely lively noise from the outside world poured into their ears like a tide.

It turned out that on the stage in the center of Rumeng Pavilion, the dancer had already come out.

Half of the glazed lamps in Rumeng Pavilion were extinguished, making the light much dimmer than before.

The figure on the stage was highlighted by six exquisite lotus lanterns. Shining brightly, they outlined her graceful and elegant form.

The sound of a guqin played slowly, making the excited onlookers gradually quiet down.

Afterwards, the tone of the guqin became more intense and high-pitched.

Zheng—!

After the last note of the melody fell, the dancer on the stage began her performance.

Like flowing water, her sleeves spread out over half the stage. Her light gauze dress was like a cloud of red mist. As she danced, it made her look lingering and gorgeous, like a flower in full bloom.

The surrounding audience watched intently.

Only at Chu Qi’s table did everyone pick up their chopsticks and focus on eating after experiencing the initial surprise.

Ling Wu and Yun Jiangmiao had been to this restaurant in Huacheng before, so they were not surprised by this kind of dance.

As for Chu Qi and Yan Jiuge, the former thought that although the dance was beautiful, his bowl was already overflowing with food from Ah-Yan, and he couldn’t just let it go to waste. The latter wasn’t interested in watching it at all. He felt that it was a waste of time to watch something so blatantly sensationalist.

After a while, the sound of the guqin died down, and the dance finished.

The atmosphere in Rumeng Pavilion however, didn’t dissipate, but rather became much stronger. Although the cultivators watching from the corridors did not make any noise, they all stood up and walked towards the railing to look at the dancer on stage.

Luo Xin was a frequent visitor of Rumeng Pavilion, and his interest was piqued. However, the head disciples and the fellow cultivators from the other immortal sects didn’t share his inclination. It didn’t seem appropriate for him to leave the table to join in on the fun, so he gave up.

It was a pity that Rumeng Pavilion only drew lots once a month.

Just as Luo Xin was feeling sorry for himself, an exquisite lotus lantern flew over the heads of the onlookers and headed in his direction.

!!!

Luo Xin’s eyes widened immediately, and his heart skipped a few beats.

No way, no way! Was he finally going to be lucky enough to win the lottery?!

While the surprise in Luo Xin’s eyes was still brewing, the lotus lantern quietly floated past his head and continued to move forward, heading towards Chu Qi.

“…”

Suddenly coming across such a change, Chu Qi, who was still eating, put down his chopsticks.

He didn’t know what the lotus lantern meant, but it seemed like it attracted the attention of plenty of people in Rumeng Pavilion.

It was a little strange.

“Oh my! The dancer actually chose a male cultivator this time! It had been female cultivators the past few times. I thought I would be able to get a sachet from her.”

“Yeah, I didn’t expect it either. But all the selected cultivators are really good-looking.”

“He’s so lucky. He’s still sitting at the table and the lotus lantern came to him all on its own.”

“It’s the person chosen by the dancer’s heart, of course you wouldn’t understand.”

“…”

Discussions sounded from around them one after another.

But just as the lotus lantern was about to settle in front of Chu Qi, a wave of spiritual power surrounded him and stopped the lantern half a chi away, making it unable to move any closer.

“…”

After seeing this scene, the surrounding discussions quieted down as they looked at each other. Did they not want the lotus lantern?

“Fellow Cultivator, seeing how excited you were, I gave you the lotus lantern. Can I take a moment to speak?”

Breaking the silence, the dancer spoke in Chu Qi’s direction. She wore a red veil that covered most of her face, showing only a pair of gentle eyes that looked at Chu Qi with tenderness.

At this moment, Chu Qi could clearly sense the low air pressure emanating from Yan Jiuge’s body. Like a blade that was about to be drawn from its scabbard, he was in a state of high alert.

Chu Qi’s face was serious as he said, “No. You and I have never met and do not know each other’s names. This lotus lantern, I ask the Fellow Cultivator to please take it back.”

This matter was a bit strange. If the lotus lantern randomly selected cultivators, it would be fine if it chose Chu Qi. However, based on the dancer’s words, it seems that this move was very deliberate.

Chu Qi was sitting on the inside of the table, with Yan Jiuge between him and the stage. No matter how you looked at it, the dancers below should have seen Yan Jiuge first.

“Some people fall in love at first sight, Fellow Cultivator, are you really unwilling?” The dancer’s voice was faint, full of melancholy.

With her words, the lotus lantern floating in front of Chu Qi was activated by spiritual power and stubbornly tried to approach.

Boom!!

A loud noise sounded in the quiet restaurant, and the lotus lantern was blown dozens of chi away by the spiritual pressure before it exploded in mid-air from being unable to withstand the force.

The black-clothed cultivator sitting beside the handsome and elegant one had indifferent eyes and a sneering smile on his lips, “My shidi has already rejected you, but you still insist on sending this lotus lantern. What exactly is your intention?”

The dancer’s eyes flickered, “I am just a little unwilling to give up. It is me who brought shame upon myself.”

“That’s right. This dancer was only acting out of love. Seeing how talented your shidi is, she was moved.”

“It is not a sin to like someone. You should be a little more forgiving.”

“Yes, yes. If it were me, I’d be happy for the favor.”

“…”

Many cultivators persuaded from the sidelines.

“You all are so strange. Just because you like the dancers doesn’t mean that others will. What’s the matter with you?”

Luo Xin couldn’t listen anymore. He had always had a straightforward personality, so he just said it directly.

Originally, he had some expectations for the lottery, but he felt a little unhappy being faced with such a farce.

“In the end, a restaurant is a place to eat. It’s nice to see the dancer’s performance, but it’s not appropriate for her to disturb a guest’s meal, right?”

Luo Xin’s voice was so loud and clear that it echoed both upstairs and downstairs. There were no other voices for a while.

Everyone seemed to come back to their senses as if they had just woken from a dream. They really just came to the restaurant to eat.

???

Ling Wu looked at Luo Xin with some amazement. He didn’t expect that his xiao-shidi would say something so smart at this time.

Seeing that things had gotten to this point, the manager of Rumeng Pavilion had to come forward and apologize for the dancer girl. He compensated Chu Qi and the others for their meal, and asked the back kitchen to re-make some dishes for them,

The dancer quietly retreated from the stage and Rumeng Pavilion regained its tranquility.

After being interrupted like this, even if they were delicacies from over the mountains and across the seas, Chu Qi and the others had lost their appetite. After taking a few hasty bites, they decided to head back.

—

It was getting late out, and the bright moon was hanging in the sky. Huacheng was full of lights, and even at night, it was very lively and prosperous.

A woman dressed in the clothes of a dancer stood on the roof of Rumeng Pavilion, quietly looking in the direction that Chu Qi and the others left.

The next moment, “her” figure changed back into its original appearance.

The crimson robes were bright, and fox fire lingered in the air around him.

“That heir of the Yan family is really too much. He doesn’t know how to share. He shouldn’t be able to do it in the Yunxi Secret Realm, ba? I just don’t know if the avatar of this tail can last until then.”

He sighed, his tone a bit sad. Looking at the hustle and bustle of Yunhua Realm, he couldn’t help but feel a bit sad.

“If it wasn’t for that incident back then that put Yunyin Realm in danger, it would look the same as this Yunhua Realm, ba?”

“Forget it. Finding a pure body may not even be successful. Wait and see what that person from Yunyin Realm has in mind.”

He murmured to himself, and finally disappeared into the night.

—

Chu Qi and the others returned to Menghua Inn.

Chu Qi said goodbye to Yun Jiangmiao and the others at the door before returning to his room to rest.

Chu Qi and Yan Jiuge stayed in the same room.

On the way back, Yan Jiuge was silent the whole way, and his mood was unclear. Now that there were only the two of them left, Chu Qi wanted to coax him, but he struggled to find a suitable way to bring it up.

Mentioning that dancer girl again may make Ah-Yan even more upset.

“I’m going to meditate for a while.”

Before Chu Qi had the chance to think of anything, Yan Jiuge suddenly spoke up first.

Chu Qi was taken aback for a moment, then nodded, “Ah, okay. I’ll go and refine medicine too, then.”

The atmosphere in the room was quiet.

Chu Qi was a little absent-minded when handling the medicinal materials. He was very skilled doing these things, so even if he was distracted, he could still do it well. It’s just that he was concerned about Yan Jiuge and what happened today.

Ai–

Sighing slightly in his heart, Chu Qi thought regretfully, Maybe he shouldn’t have gone out to sell medicine from the beginning. If he didn’t, none of this would have happened.

Refining medicine would cause fluctuations in spiritual energy. Thinking about how Yan Jiuge was still meditating, Chu Qi stopped after processing the medicinal materials.

In fact, he didn’t really want to refine medicine. He was just looking for something to pass the time.

After stopping his movements, Chu Qi glanced in Yan Jiuge’s direction out of the corner of his eyes.

Yan Jiuge had his eyes closed as he sat on the spiritual jade mat, with wisps of spiritual energy gathering in his direction.

This scene overlapped with the memory from many years ago. The only thing that had changed was their age and appearance. Obviously, they also stopped quarreling, and since the accident in the stone forest, the relationship between the two of them got even closer.

But the current atmosphere was too stiff, making Chu Qi wonder what he could do to alleviate the sense of distance between them.

He would have to wait for Ah-Yan to finish meditating before asking.

—

Yan Jiuge originally wanted to use the excuse of meditation to calm down the inexplicable anger in his heart.

At first, he thought that it was the evil qi taking the opportunity to attack, but he didn’t expect that after sitting on the spiritual jade he would find that the evil qi in his body was very stable.

“…”

Then why was it that when he was in Rumeng Pavilion just now, he almost lost control of his temper and drew Long Yin out of its sheath?

—Especially when that dancer insisted on sending lotus lanterns to Ah-Qi.

Yan Jiuge’s thoughts became more and more chaotic, but spiritual power continued to circulate through his meridians, before returning to the source to warm and nourish the lingtai.

He was born with immortal bones, so while it was extremely difficult for ordinary people to cultivate, he found it very easy.

Ever since entering Tianxuan Sect, he had to make an effort to hide his cultivation. The restrictions on his body were enough to hide it from the Heavenly Dao of Yunhua Realm. On the surface, he was in the late stage of Golden Core, but in fact he had already reached the late stage of Immortal Transformation. The true tribulations were passed in Yunyin Realm.

Things that were hard for ordinary people to get, Yan Jiuge could get easily. Things that ordinary people usually had, he was unable to have since he was a child.

If there was anything that Yan Jiuge actively wanted, it was to stay by Ah-Qi’s side.

Meeting Ah-Qi for the first time, Yan Jiuge felt an inexplicable sense of peace.

From that point on, he couldn’t help but try to get closer to that peace. Even if it didn’t go well at first and Ah-Qi would constantly quarrel with him, at least they were always together.

Later, Ah-Qi stopped picking fights, and his temperament became extraordinarily good. When he was with such an Ah-Qi, Yan Jiuge could sometimes forget what kind of person he was.

The entire Yan family feared him for his violent tendencies and unpredictable moods, but they needed his immortal bones to suppress the evil qi. They guarded him from a distance, wrapping him in hundreds of restrictions, lest he go crazy for no reason.

No one taught him love or hate.

He was born to suppress the evil qi and after experiencing the backlash from it, he learned how to get angry.

The feeling of being out of control wasn’t pleasant. His mind wasn’t clear, and felt like he was trapped in purgatory.

If he hadn’t met Ah-Qi, he may have simply accepted this fate— one where he suppressed the evil qi until he collapsed.

His Ah-Qi must not be snatched away by others.

A dark golden light flashed in Yan Jiuge’s eyes, and he suddenly looked a little fierce.

It seemed that the evil qi noticed this fluctuation, and a dark streak of energy penetrated into his sea of consciousness.

—

If a cultivator found themselves inside their own sea of consciousness, it means that they had a heart demon.

Yan Jiuge was cold-eyes. He had nothing to fear from his heart demons. After suppressing the evil qi for so many years, his sword intent had condensed into a killing weapon. The more murderous something was, the more it could boost his momentum.

It’s just that the scene here was more peaceful than what he expected.

White clouds lingered in the light breeze, and the sun was shining.

Yan Jiuge lowered his eyes and found that he was still wearing the robes of a Tianxuan Sect sword cultivator.

If the heart demon wasn’t the black abyss under the altar, what was it?

Yan Jiuge frowned. For so many years, the thing that sent him out of control was the backlash from the evil qi.

With doubts in his heart, Yan Jiuge slowly took a step forward, ready to find out.

However, before he could get too far, an anxious figure flew over on a sword. As the blurred face became clear, Yan Jiuge recognized him as Liu Weiming.

“Shixiong, have you seen Chu-shidi?” Liu Weiming asked Yan Jiuge as he stepped off his spiritual sword.

“Ah-Qi?” Yan Jiuge was taken aback for a moment, before calming his mind, “What’s wrong with him? I haven’t seen him yet.”

“The Sect Head told me that Chu-shidi’s natal card was broken early this morning! If you ask me the reason, I don’t know either. The disciples guarding the mountain gate were interrogated, but they said that they never saw Chu-shidi go out. I got on my sword and flew over to Zaohua Peak as soon as I could.”

“What did you say?!”

Yan Jiuge couldn’t hear the rest of Liu Weiming’s words. His mind was full of the sentence, “Chu-shidi’s natal card was broken”.

If a cultivator’s natal card was broken, it could only mean that they had passed.

His Ah-Qi, his Ah-Qi…

Severe pain exploded from his heart, and Yan Jiuge uncontrollably revealed a pair of dark golden eyes. The seal on his forehead that suppressed his true appearance was visible due to his drastically changing mood. He could no longer suppress it.

Liu Weiming was taken aback by the appearance of the shixiong in front of him, and he subconsciously repeated what he said just now.

Yan Jiuge couldn’t care about other things anymore. He relied entirely on his intuition and instinct to go to Chu Qi.

Hearing the news, he even forgot that this place was an illusion constructed by his heart demons. It was the thing that he feared the most.

With white walls and black tiles, the old locust tree was bathed in sunlight and the mottled shadows covered the courtyard.

It was clear that the world was still in front of him, but Yan Jiuge felt as if he was in purgatory, terrified and uneasy.

Not long ago, Chu Qi had been walking side by side with him on the bustling long street, but now he was lying lifelessly on the bed. His fingers were cold, his lips were pale, and his beautiful brows were furrowed, as if he was caught in a nightmare from which he could not wake up.

Why is this happening?

Why did he lose his Ah-Qi?

Why can’t he keep his Ah-Qi?

He was born with immortal bones and possessed extraordinary strength. He used his body to suppress the evil qi of three realms. He ensured stability for the world, so why couldn’t he save his Ah-Qi?

His state of mind collapsed at this moment, and evil qi gushed out from Yan Jiuge’s body, the thick black aura engulfing him whole.

The seal on Yan Jiuge’s body was opened suddenly, and failed to suppress the evil qi on him.

There was a tearing pain in his body, but it was less than one ten-thousandth of the pain he felt in his heart.

—

“Ah-Yan!!”

“Ah-Yan! Wake up!!”

A familiar voice and gentle breath came from beside Yan Jiuge, pulling him back from the depths of despair with a trace of clarity.

Yan Jiuge woke up.

His dark golden eyes were a little dazed.

Chu Qi, dressed in his dark green medical cultivator robes, was looking at him worriedly with furrowed brows.

Unlike what he saw in the illusion, this Ah-Qi was alive. His warm eyes were filled with his reflection.

The pain from the illusion still made Yan Jiuge uneasy, and he subconsciously stretched out his hand to the person in front of him.

Yan Jiuge’s fingers felt a little cold, while Chu Qi’s forehead was smooth and warm.

His fingertips brushed the space between Chu Qi’s brows, smoothing out his frown. Yan Jiuge opened his mouth without really knowing what he wanted to say. His voice was extremely hoarse, “Ah-Qi…”

“I’m here.” Chu Qi answered him without thinking.

Yan Jiuge’s current state seemed similar to how it was in the stone forest eight years ago. Although Chu Qi discovered it in time, it still took some energy to wake Yan Jiuge up from his stupor.

The fingers against his forehead were very light, and Chu Qi did not resist. Most of his attention was focused on Yan Jiuge, afraid that he would have another episode.

“Ah-Yan, are you feeling better?” Chu Qi asked him slowly.

“Much better.”

Yan Jiuge calmed down. He could feel Chu Qi’s spiritual power flowing through his meridians. Wherever it went, it left a warmth that he didn’t want to give up.

The evil qi was sealed once again, and his dark golden eyes slowly changed back to black.

It was as if he had died and come back to life again.

“Ah-Qi, you can’t leave me in the future.”

Yan Jiuge’s tone was a little unreasonable, and a paranoid look appeared in his eyes at some point.

Chu Qi was surprised when he heard his words, but meeting Yan Jiuge’s eyes, he answered after a moment, “Okay, I won’t leave you.”

After he said this, Chu Qi could feel that Yan Jiuge’s emotions had relaxed, so he did too, “We’ve been together since we were young, I’ve never considered separation.”

“In the past, present, and in the future.”

“I want you to always be by my side.”

Yan Jiuge’s voice was very slow, and he spoke every word clearly, but his tone was indescribably gentle.

As these words fell into Chu Qi’s ears, he became very aware of the unusualness.

Having been together for so long, Chu Qi thought that he and Yan Jiuge had broken away from the misunderstanding of his last life and became close friends.

However, no matter how good the relationship was between friends, it was impossible for them to stay together forever.

Unless…

“Ah-Qi!” Yan Jiuge called him again.

Chu Qi held his breath slightly, feeling his heart shake as he heard himself answer— “Alright.”

But Chu Qi didn’t know how long his future was. There were only two years until he turned twenty. If he died again… what would happen to Ah-Yan?

Putting away those feelings for now, Chu Qi lowered his eyes.

If he solved the deadlock from his previous life and guaranteed that he and Ah-Yan could be together for a long time, only then would he be qualified to think about love.

Not to mention, at this moment, Ah-Yan was likely only feeling possessive towards him. His Ah-Yan had never been able to deal with things as complicated as love.

At the very least, he never saw him be interested in anyone in his last life.