/
Chapter 44 – They Were FaHai And The Queen Mother Of The West!
(unedited)In their shock, the two Calamity Crossing stage cultivators revealed their presence. They had clearly been there for a while, and one wouldn’t know how much of the previous conversation they had heard. The plot had long since diverged from He Huan’s expectations, his rational mind told him to remedy this immediately. However, his emotions were absolutely incapable of responding to reason. His gaze was unable to leave the white-robed youth in his arms.
This was the face that he was most familiar with in this world, it was also the appearance that he missed the most in the past century. It’s said that the high point of life is during one’s youth and He Ku was exactly this 18 year-old best version of himself. At that time, he had not yet experienced the schemes and betrayals of the Jianghu, all of the trials and hardships had not befallen him. He was still a starry-eyed youth, carrying unrealistic dreams in his heart, valiant and heroic, setting out into the world.
He Huan was already a Calamity Crossing stage cultivator, but no matter how strong the cultivation one could only keep a youthful face and not a youthful heart. These past few years, he watched his reflection in the Inquiry Mirror gradually become covered in frost and dust. He watched as vicissitudes and fatigue masked all the youthful spirit of the past, and he had personally destroyed his past self to give the world eighty years of peace and quiet. The lifespan of Calamity Crossing stage cultivators was long, to him a hundred years was only a beginning, but he was exhausted even before it started.
The moment that he learned that his mindscape was shattered and that he would be unable to ascend, He Huan thought that he would be crushed, yet what rose up inside him was relief. Since he had no future, he had to completely make use of his present self. That was why he chose to split his soul, using one half he would have Xuanmen claim credit for slaying the great demonic cultivator, and with the remaining half would die in battle for Xuanmen as Bu QingYun. This was his real plan, he plotted against everyone around him, not to return to the past, but to give himself a fitting end.
He Ku was the only miscalculation in his plan, but he was also the most beautiful miscalculation. In the hundred years that He Huan had been in this world, he had already seen countless beauties. He himself was handsome, and after experiencing great hardship he no longer lost his temper at small things which was one of the reasons why many men and women in the demonic faction liked to stick by him. Pretenders didn’t deserve to obtain anyone’s real feelings of love. He Huan believed that he would never give his heart to anyone besides himself ever again in this lifetime, so whenever he went to brothels, he would never go to court any of the youths from good families who easily fell in love. He would only talk of romance and never of emotions. He’d always thought that his own feelings would continue to be so muddied and buried under the scent of perfumes and powders. Although he wouldn’t be destined to love someone truly, at least he got a reputation for being a flirt. That was until he put He Ku by his side.
In the eighty years since he had become a demonic cultivator, he did hold any expectations for anyone. Although he was alone, after opening up his mindset, he found that it wasn’t too terrible either. He thought, the path of cultivation was supposed to be a lonely one, so only those who could bear the loneliness could truly become one with the natural world. However, when the past version of himself appeared before him, when he finally had someone inseparable to him, someone he could confide in, he finally realized how hard it was to go back to his previous way of living.
He Huan, as someone who practiced the Technique of Bliss, was attuned to his heart’s desires. He couldn’t remember from when it had started, he would always pretend to absentmindedly hug He Ku. At the time he thought, it was his own body anyway, so what if he wanted to hug it for warmth? In fact, it was very clear in his heart that he wasn’t just doing it for warmth, rather, he wanted to keep this person by his side forever. Compared to his previous lifestyle of having no life outside of cultivation, he finally found an air of life return to his body after spending his days thinking for He Ku.
He was originally the Xuanmen Successor, his nature was to protect the world, to love the people of the world, to be able to wholeheartedly give himself up was by itself a joy. Even after he joined the demonic side, this didn’t change much. Bu QingYun could love the world without any hesitation, but the demonic cultivator He Huan could not. He repressed his emotions for many years, and in the end, when He Ku appeared—the only trustworthy person in his life—those intense and ardent feelings were then all directed towards him.
However, he was no longer the selfless Bu QingYun, all of his feelings needed to be returned. And a demon’s desires is an abyss that can never be filled, even if it consumed him.
He Huan knew, this kind of love that had been twisted by years of loneliness should not be associated with He Ku. His He Ku should be like everyone else his age, he should have a pure and sincere period of love. Whether the other was a man or a woman didn’t matter, as long as they didn’t possess any ill intentions other than love, then even if they don’t end up together, the memories would still be something beautiful to look back on. Such beautiful affections, as beautiful as the capital of Liaoning, Bu QingYun didn’t have it, He Huan also didn’t have it, that was why, He Ku had to have it.
You old thing, you can’t drag He Ku into the sludge and darkness just to warm yourself, are you intending to destroy Bu QingYun again?
Every time those little buds began to bloom again, he would admonish himself like so. Fiercely crushing that rapidly sprouting bud. To this day, He Huan has already forgotten how many times he’s had to crush those buds. However, every time, when He Ku would lay unguardedly by his side and smile gently, those horrible intentions would come alive again.
Perhaps these buds were too gorgeous and before he knew it, he was already enchanted. Suddenly, he threw away his carefully maintained self-control and rationality, lowered his head to the youth’s ear and spoke softly, “He Ku, I just realized that I’ve always been asking you if you liked me or not, but never seemed to say if I liked you or not. Do you want to know?”
A spirit body usually didn’t have breath, but in the moment that he moved closer, He Ku only felt a indescribable heat brush by his ear. Immediately after, he felt He Huan’s lips softly touch his earlobe, it was but a fleeting kiss. His heart, in this moment, seemed to have forgotten how to function, and his head was empty as if starved of oxygen and unable to think. He could only subconsciously clutch at He Huan’s clothes, relying on his remaining reason to squeeze out some heartfelt words, “Tell me first — are you still dying or not?”
“It doesn’t matter when I die, but you can’t die here.”
He Huan clearly knew how much of an impact employing his long-suppressed flirtatious means towards the young man would cause, but he never thought that He Ku would still be hung up on this right now. His heart suddenly became filled with warmth. In this world, only this person would be so concerned for his well being. It had taken all of his willpower to abandon him once, and now, he simply wanted to be as reckless and shellfish as the demonic cultivator he was.
“Actually, I——”
Since his gentle and adoring voice was so close to his ear, He Ku only felt that his own heart began suddenly beating out of his chest, and he was full of expectation for what was to come. However, as if god had some grudge against him, right at this key moment, a shiny bald head came into his line of sight.
When he saw the radiance of this third wheel, He Ku’s face blackened. Sure enough, that grand monk immediately put his hand on He Huan’s shoulder and coughed, interrupting this hard-won conversation. “Benefactor1, this poor monk doesn’t mean to bother, but I cannot help but warn you that cultivator Qing XuZi is about to draw his sword.”
“Even if you don’t mean it, you’re still a bother! Can’t you wait until he finishes speaking before you appear out of nowhere?!”
Although he had shouted this in anger, He Ku could only watch He Huan slowly straighten up in despair. His mask of breezy calmness returned to his face and one could no longer read his true emotions, indicating that this person’s rationality had completely returned to him.
No one knew better than him how difficult it was to deal with this old man, He Huan. Today, it was only through all the repeated shocks that he had lowered his defenses and said what he really felt. And yet! Such a precious moment was so cleanly interrupted! This damn monk had definitely done it on purpose, he did this to discourage He Huan’s thoughts and go with him to seek enlightenment!
When he thought of He Huan’s warped personality—this might actually be the only chance he had to be confessed to in this lifetime. He Ku couldn’t help but glower at the old monk who was beating the lovebirds apart. In fact, if he weren’t wounded, he would simply want to go up and stab him!
However, he didn’t get the chance. In the next second, the two people embracing each other were forced apart by the other old cultivator. One of the left, one on the right, separated! The old cultivator seemed to be the Queen Mother of the West, marking the Milky Way right between them. His old face was composed even in his anger, and he said to He Ku, “Bu QingYun! What are you doing?!”
It was also at this moment that He Ku belatedly realized, with the two of them being so lovey-dovey in front of their master, they were acting as if they were the only two people in the world. He couldn’t help but feel embarrassed, as if his homeroom teacher had stumbled across the scene of his confession. He stuttered as he replied, “I’m…just…in love?”
Right as he finished speaking, Qing XuZi‘s eyes widened. Bu YaoLian, who had just climbed out of the lake, fell right back in. Only He Huan smiled serenely, a hint of happiness at the corners of his mouth.
Having been interrupted halfway, He Huan was naturally dealt some internal injuries. Although he wanted to go hug and comfort his Nascent Soul right now, he couldn’t cross the Milky Way between them, and sighed bitterly, “Must you two interrupt us when we’re having a heart-to-heart?”
Seeing the state of these two, Qing XuZi was even more enraged. Although he hadn’t figured out exactly who was his disciple, no matter which one it was, a disciple was still being gay in front of him—just thinking about this point made him want to hit someone.
However, the one on the left had an injured shoulder. When he moved, the wound opened up again—of course he couldn’t hit him. The one on the right, although he’d made himself up into a sly and cunning demon, if what the monk said was true, then it was the Xuanmen Righteous Sect that owed him a whole 80 years—he definitely couldn’t hit him either. He couldn’t hit either one, although he was so angry that his liver hurt, he still kept up a tough facade and warned them, “You two will explain to me exactly what is going on! If I don’t get to the bottom of what happened back then, neither of you should think of leaving!”
Ever since Bu QingYun had entered the sect, Qing XuZi had assumed the face of a gentle pushover. Whether He Huan or He Ku, this was the first time they’d seen him angry, and were completely intimidated. Now that He Huan’s plan had been revealed, he was feeling particularly guiltly, and naturally didn’t dare to speak. He Ku thought for a moment—he hadn’t committed any crimes—he relaxed and immediately opened his mouth to beg for mercy, “Alright alright, I won’t go, so can you throw me back into his arms? My shoulder hurts.”
“No!”
His desire to pounce was all-too-obvious in his eyes. Qing XuZi took one glance before he flatly refused, in a fit of anger, even his second disciple in the lake was not spared from his gaze, and he shouted, “Bu YaoLian, are you preparing to become a lotus and make the lake your home? Get over here and tend to your shixiong!”
This one sentence successfully made the faces of the three disciples darken. Luckily, the monk promptly stepped out, holding back the old cultivator, “Wait a moment, everything has an order, since this poor monk came first Benefactor He Huan and I shall settle our karma, it won’t be too late for you two master and disciple to talk later.”
While his master’s gaze moved towards the great monk, He Huan immediately gave He Ku a meaningful look. Relying on their silent communication, he silently said, ‘leave the monk to me, you deal with shizun. After we cajole these two old fellows and when we’re alone, we’ll talk again.’
He only needed a glance to understand his thoughts. In a flash, He Ku returned him with a disdainful glare——You heartless bastard, just because you don’t have the guts to face shifu, you leave him to me! En…though I’m also afraid of that monk when he starts reciting sutras.
He Huan hadn’t seen him like this in a long time, and he wanted. He couldn’t help but laugh before immediately holding it back. Demonstrating that he truly did regain full control over his emotions, and said,
‘He Ku, listen more to shizun’s teachings and calm down, then carefully reflect on your thoughts towards me. Now that shizun clearly knows the truth, I won’t be able to sacrifice myself anyhow, and you don’t need to condemn yourself to keep me alive. ‘
End of Chapter 44
The author has something to say:
Qing XuZi: Who gave you the courage to flirt in front of your homeroom teacher?!
THISBRO: Chapter 45 will be up tmrw, thank you for your patience <3
My professors are on strike (indefinitely) so I’m simultaneously relieved and worried if this continues until finals, not that I don’t support what they’re trying to achieve, but also idk how this will affect my studies :(((
1
This is just how monks refer to others, He Huan or He Ku didn’t actually help/save his life or something like that