CH 57

Editor: noot

Proofreader: XavierForest

—

Su Tang couldn’t even remember the taste of the medicine. The kiss was… much too intense—who would have time to think about how the medicine tasted? His attention had long been fixed on the kiss.

He couldn’t help but admit that the kiss had felt different from all the other ones he’d had before. It was like comparing a drizzle to a torrential downpour. He felt like a shallow little lake; no matter how few raindrops there were, it would be washed away by the wave that was Qian Zhu.

The rain had stopped but the lake’s surface had yet to calm itself. It wasn’t clear as it usually was, the water instead housing a few ripples.

Su Tang leaned against Qian Zhu’s body to catch his breath, the usual spark in his eyes gone. In fact, his irises were misted over—he was like a dazed little deer, innocent and lost.

Qian Zhu looked at him and couldn’t help recalling the spring dream he’d had a while ago. Su Tang’s gaze was reminiscent of the one he’d had in that dream; he was wide-eyed, flustered, and even looked a little pitiful. His eyes welled with unshed tears and his lips were red, inviting Qian Zhu to kiss them again. The little fool had no idea about the way he made him feel.

Qian Zhu glanced down and Su Tang was immediately on alert, like a little rabbit that sensed danger, except a little different. He wasn’t afraid that the big wolf would eat him, but rather that the wolf would continue to kiss him; he was apprehensive and nervous, yet also oddly anticipative. 

However, it was better not to be hopeful. That was too shameful. Su Tang quietly pondered in his heart and couldn’t resist glancing in Qian Zhu’s direction.

“What’s wrong?” Qian Zhu was the first person to ever kiss Su Tang like that. With affection still lingering in the air, his body was filled with warmth. He’d only read of the many love stories written by mortals in books before; the appeal they told of used to seem unfamiliar, yet now he fully understood it.

Though the Immortal Realm was the place mortals yearned to be, it was desolate and cold. No one really understood feelings here. The people here even had disdain for love, and before meeting Su Tang, Qian Zhu was just like them.

He was cold and solitary, someone who was coolly unconcerned about worldly matters. From the flowers blooming in the courtyard to the birds flying through the trees, Qian Zhu never spared them a passing glance. Even when the alchemist immortal placed a burden on him, he wasn’t interested to go investigate further, nor was he interested in what others thought of him.

Until he met Su Tang.

That was the first time he’d felt his heart race. It was the first time he’d opened his mouth to chat with someone. It was the first time he’d interacted with someone who was similar to him, and the first time he’d rashly won someone over.

When Qian Zhu passed his own jade pendant to Su Tang, it was almost like the wolf king passing its own milk teeth to someone. In fact, it was more like marking the other. Monopolising him.

Then when he’d met Su Tang again, Qian Zhu finally understood the proverbs about the red string of fate. Maybe they were destined to be together. No matter how many times it’d been, they’d definitely meet.

They’d never part.

“What’re you thinking about?” Su Tang asked, craning his neck to look up at Qian Zhu.

“Thinking of you.” Qian Zhu smiled and cradled Su Tang. He brushed the petals from Su Tang’s body before getting ready to enter the house.

“I’m also thinking of you.” Su Tang refused to let Qian Zhu go. With a grin etched on his face, he moved closer to kiss the other’s mouth.

——

Ten years was neither long nor short. Perhaps for immortals who cultivated all the time, it was fleeting. Upon arriving in the bustling human realm, those ten years were an important period.

When they first came to the human realm, Su Tang hadn’t fully realised the gravity of the situation. Qian Zhu had him revert back to a small peach tree and placed him in a flower pot. Every day, he’d take Su Tang shopping in the streets to purchase little trinkets for him to play with.

Two days passed like this. Su Tang refused to let Qian Zhu leave anymore.

First of all, he was a sapling planted in a little pot and was about as tall as a cabbage. Qian Zhu carried him wherever he went, garnering multiple stares from strangers.

A handsome youth wandering around holding a sapling in a pot would inevitably pique people’s curiosity. Several young girls would timidly approach him holding potted plants, and they’d give many different flowers to Qian Zhu, even telling him that these were nicer to plant and look after.

Su Tang grew so furious that he was on the verge of crying flowers of anguish. Although Qian Zhu didn’t accept them, Su Tang was still unhappy. Since spiritual energy was stronger at night, Su Tang would turn into a human to sleep next to Qian Zhu, however, for the time being, he stayed in his flower pot and basked in the moonlight.

“Baby, why are you angry again?” Qian Zhu had yet to fall asleep. He sat down next to Su Tang, asking helplessly.

“…” Su Tang didn’t want to talk.

“Why aren’t you talking?’ Qian Zhu asked, poking Su Tang’s little leaf.

“I’m a withering bean sprout. If I speak, I’ll frighten those young ladies that made you happy.” Su Tang realised his tone was rather sour and grew a little upset. He knew he’d probably be teased by Qian Zhu, but at the same time, he knew he wouldn’t be this sour had Qian Zhu not attracted so many ladies.

After Qian Zhu heard his words, he couldn’t help laughing out loud. Su Tang huffed and immediately turned into a human, wanting to bite Qian Zhu to death.

“Ai, baby, be good.” Qian Zhu took advantage of the situation and hugged Su Tang, rubbing his hair. When he looked down, he realised Su Tang’s large eyes were staring at him. His expression looked as offended as he was upset. He wanted to escape from Qian Zhu’s embrace but found his struggling to be of no use.

Su Tang finally stopped moving, and Qian Zhu thought the other had run out of energy. Out of the blue, this little baby bared his small, white teeth and bit into his shoulder with a ‘wuya’.

“You big, bad, unfaithful, promiscuous carrot, I’ll bite you, you…” Su Tang berated Qian Zhu until he ran out of derogatory phrases to use, at which point he shifted his focus to biting Qian Zhu.

Qian Zhu didn’t push him away, instead only using his hand to gently rub his head. He noticed Su Tang wasn’t very happy being unable to bite through his clothes, so he pulled his collar down to give Su Tang better access.

Su Tang refused to relent and continued to chomp down. He was different from earlier—not only did he bite his shoulder, he also gnawed at Qian Zhu’s collarbone, sometimes gently, and sometimes not. It made Qian Zhu grow restless.

When Su Tang nibbled Qian Zhu’s lower jaw, his breathing had already grown erratic. Yet, Su Tang continued to slowly inch his way up with his soft lips. Qian Zhu’s eyes flitted down to see Su Tang’s eyelashes flutter, and then he looked up to meet his gaze.

Qian Zhu’s heart was about to beat out of his chest. He so badly wanted to lean down to kiss Su Tang but silently resisted this urge and waited for the other to take the initiative to kiss him… 

“Baddie!” Su Tang abruptly yelled out, pushing Qian Zhu away before running off. Qian Zhu was stunned for a while before he got up to chase after him.

They stayed in the more affluent part of the capital. The days in the summer were long and many people loitered along the alleyways to keep cool. Many were also going to Wanyue Lake to watch the lanterns. Thus, the moment Su Tang ran out the door, the clamour of his exit garnered the attention of nearby crowds.

One would notice if they looked, and if they did, they’d only get a shock from seeing a figure dash out of Qian Zhu’s house; to their knowledge, the only one who lived there was an immortal-like youth, after all. He was usually aloof and they’d never seen anyone interact with him, but now…

“Baby, come back!” Qian Zhu wasn’t concerned with the strangers and caught up to Su Tang in a few strides. Su Tang struggled for a while, and Qian Zhu brought the other party into his embrace.

“Let go of me.” Su Tang ran until he was exhausted. Even his voice was softened by fatigue.

“If I let go, you’ll run away.” Qian Zhu sighed helplessly and pointed to the bustling crowd, saying, “So many people are watching. Let’s go home. Baby, I was wrong, I’ll admit that to you. When we go home, you can do whatever you want, alright?”

Qian Zhu’s proposition made Su Tang’s former anger seemingly vanish into thin air. Deep down, he knew he was being petty. He lifted his head to nod, but noticed that there seemed to be a pretty lady looking in their direction, bashfully fiddling with the hairpin in her hair.

His rage came rushing back.

Since Qian Zhu was his, why were there always young girls looking all coy at him? This feeling wasn’t pleasant. In the spur of the moment, Su Tang flung his arms around Qian Zhu’s neck and kissed his cheek.

Even after pecking Qian Zhu on the cheek, Su Tang was still worried—so he kissed Qian Zhu’s lips. For a while, Qian Zhu didn’t react; there was no telling if it was because he was stunned or something else. Su Tang wasn’t concerned with this, only feeling like a triumphant little tiger. This little tiger obviously hadn’t been weaned yet and was still a soft baby, yet it was insistent on acting tough. That didn’t stop him from wanting to leave his mark on his possessions and territory.

“You’re mine!” Su Tang said to Qian Zhu with his cheeks puffed out.

“Yes, yes, yes. I was always yours.” Qian Zhu lowered his head and placed a kiss on Su Tang’s small mouth. “You’re also mine.”

“So let’s go home ba.” Qian Zhu said.

“Why… ah?” Su Tang hadn’t even finished his question when he saw the shocked expressions on the faces of the people around them. They looked like they’d seen a ghost. Su Tang’s courage quickly faded and was replaced by shyness.

“Quick – Quickly go back…” Su Tang hurriedly lowered his head, his voice more hushed than that of a mosquito’s. He used his foot to kick Qian Zhu’s waist.

“Okay ah.” Qian Zhu just smiled and carried Su Tang home. While passing by the people in the alleyway, his expression didn’t change at all.

Su Tang shrunk in Qian Zhu’s arms, not daring to move even an inch. Qian Zhu patted his small butt and said, “Little troublemaker, when we get back, I’ll look after you well.”