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Jiang Chao Ge patted his back and changed the subject, “Oh well, you used several idioms again. You’re really smart.”
Zhi Xuan snorted, knowing that he was doing it on purpose, and didn’t want to argue with him. Zhi Xuan opened his mouth and bit into Jiang Chao Ge’s collar, grinding his teeth. When he was unhappy before, he would bite his neck, but now he bites his collar. He only has a few decent clothes, and none of the collars are intact, they’re all uneven like they’ve been gnawed on by a dog.
The young Tuozu tribe member led them into the village. Everyone, young and old, in the village who were busy with their work, stopped and stared at them. Most of the people here probably had never seen anyone from beyond the Kunlun Mountains in their entire lives. The village stirred, with all kinds of eyes gathering on them, some curious, and some filled with hostility.
Out of the treehouse in the largest and thickest tree, came an old man with white hair who was leaning on a cane.
The young guide pointed to Jiang Chao Ge and the others and spoke in their language to the old man.
The old man’s face was covered in wrinkles. The entire face seemed to be melting and his eye sockets were deep, with sagging eyelids that made it impossible to see his eyes. He was probably over a hundred years old. He extended a finger and pointed to Jiang Chao Ge and the others, then trembled back into the house.
The young guide said, “The great shaman wants two of you to go up, the others can wait here.”
Jiang Chao Ge, along with Zhi Xuan and Yu Ran Shu, climbed up the treehouse using the wooden ladder. Jiang Chao Ge quietly asked Yu Ran Shu, “Is the great shaman someone like the GrandMaster?”
Yu Ran Shu replied, “Yes, those who become great shamans are born with certain spiritual qualities. They are said to be descendants of the ancient witch ancestors, and it’s a one in a million chance to be born with those qualities.”
Jiang Chao Ge thought to himself, does this great shaman know how he could go back to his own world?
They climbed the crude wooden ladder, which was only half a meter wide and had no protection on the side. One misstep and they could fall off the tree, resulting in a fatal accident. The seven treehouses on this large tree were the most spectacular treehouses that Jiang Chao Ge had ever seen. They had a hint of elven settlement and were built and secured with the most primitive materials. They didn’t look safe, but standing inside one of them, they unexpectedly felt sturdy.
The shaman of the Touzu tribe was sitting cross-legged in the largest treehouse. Sunlight coming through the gaps in the trees shone on his wrinkled face, making him look like a wax statue that had been weathered by the wind.
After they entered, the great shaman suddenly lifted his eyes. His eyes were covered with a layer of white mist, and his pupils were so cloudy that even if he wasn’t blind, he was probably partially blind. He raised his hand, which was like a withered branch, and pointed at the grass mat in front of him.
Jiang Chao Ge and Yu Ran Shu sat down, while Zhi Xuan sat on Jiang Chao Ge’s lap and gave the shaman a rude stare before turning his head away.
The great shaman spoke in an old voice, “Are you descendants of the La Yi tribe?” Surprisingly, he spoke English fluently.
Jiang Chao Ge felt a bit tired of lying so much, but he could only grit his teeth and say, “Yes.”
“Do you have any proof?”
Yu Ran Shu’s  brow trembled slightly, feeling nervous for them, but also curious about how Jiang Chao Ge intended to continue the charade.
Jiang Chao Ge’s mind raced, and he quickly came up with an idea. This shaman seemed very shrewd, but the only thing that didn’t work for him was his eyes. Jiang Chao Ge looked around and said, “We have a precious ancestral treasure of our tribe. We only wish to show it to the great shaman alone.”
The shaman hesitated for a moment before waving his hand. The young guide who had led them here said a few hesitant words, but he was dismissed by the shaman. He led them and some other guards outside, lowered the grass curtains, and left them alone.
Jiang Chao Ge took off his gloves and removed the black diamond ring. Even a child could tell it was a new item, and he was betting that the great shaman couldn’t see clearly.
The shaman reached out to take it, but Jiang Chao Ge pulled his hand back, holding the ring but not giving it to him.
The shaman squinted his cloudy eyes, struggling to see clearly, but he couldn’t quite make out the black ring with an aged color.
Jiang Chao Ge spoke, “Great shaman, this ring is very old. My ancestors have experienced many hardships and persecutions, and were once on the brink of extinction. During those tumultuous times, many treasures taken from Xuan Yuan Hill were either lost or sold, but only this ring has been passed down to this day.”
Yu Ran Shu looked at him with a sideways glance, and Jiang Chao Ge confidently shrugged him off.
The shaman snorted twice, “Lies.”
Jiang Chao Ge raised an eyebrow, quickly thinking about what might happen next and how to respond.
The shaman raised his withered finger and pointed at him, “You still have the map…the treasure of the La Yi tribe. You have come back for the treasure.”
Jiang Chao Ge’s eyes lit up. Treasure? He immediately thought of golden treasures, sparkling jewels, and priceless jades. If he had those things, he wouldn’t need to find broken animal bones to exchange for money anymore! He hesitated for a moment before replying, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, great shaman.”
The shaman leaned in towards him with his almost melting face, and a smell of decay filled Jiang Chao Ge’s nostrils. He spoke in a deep voice, “You know.”
Jiang Chao Ge took a step back and stood up suddenly, pulling up Yu Ran Shu too, “Let’s go.”
Yu Ran Shu stared at him, with an expression that said, “You’re acting, so keep acting.”
The shaman coldly snorted, “Even if you can leave this village, you will never find Xuan Yuan Hill.”
Jiang Chao Ge stopped in his tracks, clenched and unclenched his fists, struggling internally.
The shaman said, “My people can take you to Xuan Yuan Hill, and if you find the treasure, you can take it all with you. We only want 20%. If you can’t take it away, then the rest will be ours. What do you say?”
Jiang Chao Ge spun around suddenly and said, “Okay, if you can take us to Xuan Yuan Hill, we will give you a generous reward.”
“What about the treasure map?”
“I will show it to your people when we get to Xuan Yuan Hill.”
The shaman tapped his cane and a young boy appeared behind the curtain. He said, “Arrange for the guests to rest and find your brother.”
The boy nodded and his attitude towards the three of them greatly improved.
The three of them walked down the wooden ladder, and the boy said, “You can invite your friends to the village.”
Jiang Chao Ge asked, “Who is your brother?”
The boy blinked his eyes and said, “My brother is my brother. He is the best archer in the Tuozu tribe, no, in the entire Kunlun Mountains.” The boy’s eyes were full of admiration, but then he quickly became downcast, “But where can we find him?” He muttered to himself and walked away.
The boy arranged for someone to take them back to where they came from, and they were joined by others and returned to the village. They were given a few treehouses to rest in, and for dinner, they were treated to hot food, although it was not very tasty.
At night, a group of people gathered in Jiang Chao Ge’s room for a meeting.
Yun Xi looked at Jiang Chao Ge in admiration and said, “Big Brother, how did you win them over?”
Jiang Chao Ge made a “shush” sound and said, “I’ll tell you when we’re in a safe place. Anyway, the shaman will arrange for someone to take us to Xuan Yuan Hill.”
Yu Ran Shu said uneasily, “Is it okay for us to do this?”
“It’s too late to second-guess now. Or do you want to go and tell the shaman the truth, and then we can have a fight and wipe out the Touzu tribe?”
Yu Ran Shu frowned, full of worries.
Jiang Chao Ge leaned his elbow on his shoulder and sighed, “Brother, don’t be too stubborn in life, learn to be flexible.”
“What do you mean…Ah, forget it.”
“I know you sometimes can’t let go of your dignity, but you have to remember that you are just you now, you are no longer…” Jiang Chao Ge lowered his voice, “the third prince.”
Yu Ran Shu nodded, his eyes showing a hint of indifference, “It’s been so long since we left, I wonder how Tian Ao City is doing.”
“You’re still worried about Prince Kui, don’t think about it. We’re so far away from Tian Ao City, even if something really happened, we can’t help it. Don’t bother yourself with unnecessary worries.” Jiang Chao Ge patted his back, “Rest well, regain your strength, we still have a long way to go.”
Zhi Xuan hugged Jiang Chao Ge’s neck and shook him hard, “Accompany me to drink and tell me stories. Accompany me to drink and tell me stories!”
“Okay, okay.” Jiang Chao Ge found a barrel of wine from the village. The wine was spicy to the taste, but it had a sweet aftertaste. It was a kind of spirited wine they had never tasted before. He couldn’t help but get a few more barrels, put them on the fire, and roasted a large leg of lamb. A group of people gathered together to eat and drink happily.
They haven’t had such a relaxed moment for a long time. The last time they could eat and sleep peacefully seemed to be in the large courtyard on the outskirts of Da Liang City. However, that place had turned into a permanent scar in everyone’s heart, with the flames of revenge burning on the scar, urging them to keep moving forward.
Jiang Chao Ge grabbed a big bowl and handed it to Yun Xi, laughing, “Yun Xi, why don’t you drink?”
Yun Xi shook his head, “I don’t know how to.”
“What’s there to know about drinking? If you can drink water, you can drink alcohol. Drink!” Jiang Chao Ge forcefully shoved the bowl into his hand.
Yun Xi held the wine bowl, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and reluctantly tasted it. The spiciness made his face twist.
Jiang Chao Ge and Yu Ran Shu burst into laughter, and Long Xiang couldn’t help but chuckle. Ruan Qiansu said helplessly, “Okay, stop teasing him.” She took Yun Xi’s wine bowl and drank it in big gulps.
Everyone cheered, “Cheers! Bottoms up!”
Yun Xi stared foolishly at Ruan Qiansu, who was chugging from a large bowl without taking a breath. Her slender neck tilted high like a swan’s neck, elegant and beautiful. After she finished drinking the wine, she put the empty bowl on the ground and lightly wiped a drop of wine from the corner of her lips, smiling and saying, “Want to drink with me?”
Zui Yu filled her bowl again, pinched her chin, and smiled flirtatiously, “Come on, let’s have a drink together.”
Yun Xi’s eyes sparkled with emotion as he said, “Sister Qiansu…”
Ruan Qiansu patted his head, picked up the wine jar, and filled everyone’s bowls, saying, “Let’s see who will be the first to fall down tonight.”
“Let’s see who will be the first to fall down!” Jiang Chao Ge held up the large bowl and drank heavily.
Zhi Xuan was so happy that he jumped around. He wanted to bury his face in the bowl and drink to his heart’s content.
The group of people made merry until midnight. Jiang Chao Ge was being led by someone, half-conscious, and was taken into the room. As he lay on the soft bed, he breathed a comfortable sigh, feeling as though his body was floating in the clouds.
Zhi Xuan touched his forehead, which was covered in sweat. “Are you feeling hot?”
Jiang Chao Ge shook his head, then nodded, grinning foolishly. “Long Xiang can’t do it, Shu also can’t do it, Qiansu can do it, I…I can do it too, hahaha.”
Zhi Xuan smiled and removed his thin jacket. The room still had charcoal fire burning, so it was warm. He quickly helped Jiang Chao Ge take off his coat.
Jiang Chao Ge rolled over and pressed his head against Zhi Xuan’s hair. Zhi Xuan pulled his hair back, but he found that the end of it was caught in Jiang Chao Ge’s grip who was still giggling and yanking it, as if teasing him. Zhi Xuan had never seen Jiang Chao Ge act so childish, and found it very interesting. He smiled and asked, leaning over, “Do you like my hair?”
Jiang Chao Ge nodded. “It’s pretty.”
“And where else do you like?”
“Um, pretty.”
“Where exactly?”
Jiang Chao Ge yawned, his eyes becoming dazed.
Zhi Xuan pinched his chin and lightly kissed his lips. Jiang Chao Ge didn’t react at all so Zhi Xuan became a bit dissatisfied. He leaned forward, deepening the kiss and even tried to probe his tongue into Jiang Chao Ge’s mouth following the teachings of the “Zui Yu Sect”.
Jiang Chao Ge had never been drunk since coming to the Tianleng Continent. This drunkenness was a complete mess, as if he was in a dream and could not even distinguish between reality and imagination. There were a pair of soft lips kissing him, so soft with a good taste. He subconsciously thought it was one of his mistresses and cooperatively responded.
Zhi Xuan widened his eyes, feeling Jiang Chao Ge’s tongue was as agile as a snake. He had never thought that two humans could do this and create an intimacy that was beyond his imagination. Jiang Chao Ge seemed to still not be satisfied. He hugged Zhi Xuan’s waist, flipped him over, and pressed him down. His hot lips took over, sucking on Zhi Xuan’s lips, teasing him endlessly.
Zhi Xuan’s golden eyes were about to burn. He had never experienced such feelings before. It was as if his blood was boiling and every inch of his skin was screaming for some kind of desire towards Jiang Chao Ge. But he could not describe exactly what it was. All he knew was that he wanted to kiss Jiang Chao Ge and hold him like this forever. But it was not enough. It was completely insufficient and far from enough!
As Jiang Chao Ge continued to kiss and caress Zhi Xuan, he noticed something was off. The shoulders were too wide, and the back was too firm. He couldn’t understand what was happening, but he knew something was wrong. He climbed up and with a thump landed beside Zhi Xuan, falling into a drowsy state.
Zhi Xuan was overheated and couldn’t let Jiang Chao Ge sleep. He thought kissing was the first step, and taking off their clothes was the second. Decisively, he undressed both of them. Zhi Xuan stared blankly at Jiang Chao Ge’s naked body, his face flushing hot. This wasn’t the first time he had seen Jiang Chao Ge naked. But for some reason, ever since he considered Jiang Chao Ge his female beast, strange fantasies kept arising in his mind. The combination of his fantasies with Jiang Chao Ge’s current state made his heart race, and he didn’t know what to do.
Since they met in Kunlun City, they had been rushing nonstop on their journey. Zhi Xuan didn’t have time to ask Zui Yu what to do after they undressed.
Instinctively, Zhi Xuan crawled onto Jiang Chao Ge and rubbed against him gently. Their warm skin pressed together, producing an even hotter sensation. Zhi Xuan felt a primal desire welling up inside him, but he didn’t know how to relieve it. In desperation, he slapped Jiang Chao Ge on the face: “Hey, wake up!”
Jiang Chao Ge suddenly opened his eyes and looked at him blankly. His eyes didn’t focus, and he just made a sound of agreement before drifting back to sleep.
Zhi Xuan was anxious: “I… I want to mate with you.”
Jiang Chao Ge paused for a moment, as if he had heard a joke, and burst out laughing. He laughed so hard his head wavered, and he was about to fall asleep again.
Zhi Xuan tilted Jiang Chao Ge’s head to the side and shook him vigorously. He grabbed Jiang Chao Ge’s hand and pressed it against him, below: “I hurt here.”
In his blurry state, Jiang Chao Ge grabbed onto something he felt familiar with. Subconsciously, he felt it was his own, and so he “serviced” it patiently.
This service opened a door for Zhi Xuan, completely unlocking a path to pleasure. His body went from tense to slightly curled up, then unabashedly and extremely comfortable. Only a few short minutes had passed, but those minutes made him truly believe Zui Yu’s words: that it was a pleasant thing.
Jiang Chao Ge woke up from his slumber in the middle of the day. The exhaustion and pain of the past few days made him sleep especially soundly. Thankfully, there were a few beasts around that never got drunk, guarding them from any danger. Otherwise, they wouldn’t dare to sleep so deeply no matter where they were.
He opened his groggy eyes and felt something pressing against him. He lowered his head and saw a black fuzzy head, and patted it: “Zhi Xuan, you want to crush me? The bed is so small, you don’t have to be bigger…” He suddenly realized that something was wrong and took a careful look. He and Zhi Xuan… were both naked!
As soon as Jiang Chao Ge moved, Zhi Xuan woke up, propping his chin up and staring at him with intense, frighteningly hot eyes.
Jiang Chao Ge took a deep breath. “W-what’s wrong?”
Zhi Xuan’s cheeks turned a thin shade of pink. “I know what the third step is.”
“What?” Jiang Chao Ge looked at him, feeling fuller and more satisfied than ever. If he didn’t have a slight sense of soreness in his body, he would have thought that they had just slept together last night. He shook his head, piecing together fragmented memories and combining them with their current situation and the inexplicable things under the covers. Finally, the realization hit him – they had done something last night! At that moment, he wanted to slap himself twice. What had he done!
Zhi Xuan pounced on him, nuzzling his cheek affectionately. “At first, I thought we had mated and bonded, but I realized we actually didn’t. So…” Zhi Xuan’s eyes sparkled as he looked at him. “What’s the fourth step?”
Jiang Chao Ge almost wanted to dig a hole and hide. He tried to calmly push Zhi Xuan away, coughing softly. “This… this is… um…”
Zhi Xuan looked at him.
Jiang Chao Ge felt like his language abilities had suddenly deteriorated for the first time. He took a deep breath and timidly said, “I got drunk last night, I can’t remember.”
“It’s okay.” Zhi Xuan grabbed his hand, excitedly saying, “If you do it again, then…”
Jiang Chao Ge quickly pulled his hand back. He didn’t even feel like it was his own hand anymore, his hand was controlled by alcohol and lost its sanity! He struggled to say, “No need, no need, there is a fourth step.”
“Is it that complicated? How many steps are there to making love?”
“Uh… it can be many steps or it can be very few.”
“Then let’s use the fewest steps.”
“No, no, no, you can’t just decide that by saying it. It’s very complicated.”
Zhi Xuan frowned, “Why are human things always so complicated? It’s so troublesome. It’s simple for beasts – if they like you, they keep you. If they don’t, they eat you. That’s so much better.”
“Well, I also think it’s better to be simpler.” Jiang Chao Ge tugged at his clothes, wanting to leave this place quickly. If he continued to be alone with Zhi Xuan, he didn’t know where to put his face anymore, no matter how thick-skinned he was.
Zhi Xuan grabbed his arm and happily said, “This is more comfortable than kissing. What’s it called?”
Jiang Chao Ge reluctantly said, “It doesn’t have a name.”
“How can it not have a name?”
“It just doesn’t.”
“Okay, then it’s called the third step.”
Jiang Chao Ge put on his clothes and wanted to leave. Zhi Xuan grabbed him from behind, pulling him back onto the bed. His broad shoulders and strong chest covered Jiang Chao Ge’s body. Jiang Chao Ge was considered fairly sturdy among men, but compared to Zhi Xuan’s tall stature, he was a whole size smaller. These weird beasts in human form were all tall and towering except for Zui Yu. He had a graceful figure and swayed when he walked, even his hair strands exuded charm. Of course, the level of ferocity in Zui Yu’s beast form had nothing to do with his graceful appearance.
Zhi Xuan’s chin rested on Jiang Chao Ge’s shoulder and he said domineeringly, “Don’t leave. Stay with me tonight.”
“But there’s still so much to do.”
“What else?”
“I need to practice cultivation.”
“Then practice inside the room. I’ll watch you,” Zhi Xuan said seriously.
“I also need to go ask the great shaman when we’ll be heading to Xuanyuan Hill.”
“You asked that yesterday. The shaman said to wait for the guide to come back.”
Jiang Chao Ge forced out a chuckle, “You have such a good memory.”
Zhi Xuan’s lips softly touched Jiang Chao Ge’s cheek. “Before, you were only mine. Now you spend so much time talking with other people every day. If I had known this, we should’ve just stayed in Juan City.”
Juan City… Jiang Chao Ge thought back to the three months he spent there with Zhi Xuan and Elder Meng. Compared to now, it was peaceful and comfortable. Unfortunately, from the moment he picked up Zhi Xuan’s sword, he knew that he wouldn’t have any peaceful days in the Tianling Continent.
Hearing Zhi Xuan’s words, his heart softened a bit. He relaxed and sighed, “Do you remember what Elder Meng looked like?”
“I don’t remember.” Zhi Xuan tightened his arms. “Except for you, other humans all look the same to me.”
Jiang Chao Ge chuckled. “Do you mean to say that Shu and Qiansu also look the same to you?”
“After looking at them for a while, I can naturally tell the difference. If Meng Sheng were standing in front of me, I should be able to recognize him too.”
Jiang Chao Ge felt a pang in his heart. “He won’t be standing in front of us again.” Every time he thought about Elder Meng, he would grind his teeth in hatred towards Shen Yan Shuang. He will settle the score with this enemy sooner or later.
Zhi Xuan kissed his earlobe and neck. “Humans will all die, only I will never leave you.”
Jiang Chao Ge was moved and found himself unable to refute his words. He nodded, “Yes.”
“You cannot leave me either.”
Jiang Chao Ge laughed, “Unless I die, I will never leave you.”
Zhi Xuan turned his face and gently kissed his lips. He murmured, “Don’t die, never die…”