Ch26.2 - A Censored Dream

Editor: Sahloknir

Jiang Yinghe really did feel some discomfort.

The things that he dreamt about were…just too shameless to put into words! Jiang Yinghe has always thought of himself as a good teacher and a righteous cultivator, but who would’ve thought that his mind would wander to such strange places when asleep?

In his dream, a very good looking man was on top of him unbuttoning his shirt while asking him in a low voice, “How many people would you like? Do you like men?” There were two other men whose hands also travelled over his sensitive body.

How—how many? Even now he couldn’t wrap his head around it, not to mention inside the dream.

What do you mean by ‘how many do you like’? This kind of thing was only supposed to happen when two people have feelings for each other, right? Let’s not even talk about how the genders were off, even the number of participants was wrong in the end!

He knew that he was dreaming, but strangely, he couldn’t wake up. The remnants of the Seven Days of Joy in his body began to smoulder.

Then what seemed like a cool hand brushed against his forehead, bringing with it a refreshing wave of energy that allowed him to startle awake and reflect on what his life has come to.

There was nobody around, as if the hand that woke him up was just another part of his dream. Jiang Yinghe pinched the bridge of his nose. The number of people at the end of his dream and the things they were… All he did was take one look at that book before bed! Wasn’t this progression way too quick?!

He was unable to calm down for quite a while. He reflected on why he suddenly dreamt about that sort of thing. Then his thoughts shifted to his never-tested preferences,

Although his head had cooled, his body had not.

Jiang Yinghe silently shifted his gaze that held a trace of sorrow. The remnants of the Seven Days of Joy seemed to be fanning the flames that were cooking his body from within.

His mind was about to spin itself out of his head. He could only give up and reluctantly untie his snow white sleeping robe.

It seems that every pure virgin had to rely on their five-fingered friend in the end.

But Jiang Yinghe was completely inexperienced and unable to complete his task even after quite a while. Eventually he just flopped into bed and ignored it, hoping the problem would go away.

He finally realized how fearsome He Huan sect could be.

Jiang Yinghe’s mind was muddled like he was half-dreaming. He wanted to circulate energy to speed up the process when he remembered that his foundation was strained.

He was hurt because he forcefully used his foundation to suppress the side effects. He might have managed to cut his opponent into pieces, but the mouthful of blood he coughed up afterwards hurt like hell.

Just as Jiang Yinghe hesitated, the scene from his dreams seemed to reappear. A slightly cold hand landed on his shoulder and a voice quietly said something.

Jiang Yinghe thought to himself, was he watching a drama series in his dreams? Were all of his dreams going to be full of censored content now?

At least there was only one person this time. To be more precise, there was one hand.

The other seemed to hesitate for some reason, but its movements downwards were precise and relieved the hot urgency that Jiang Yinghe felt.

Jiang Yinghe lowered his head and curled up slightly, his breathing becoming erratic. The effects of the poison and the hand’s ministrations built up until the crisis point.

All his stress melted away. The strange feelings that he felt bound together before dispersing.

Moonlight spilled into the manor, shining on his misty eyes and the way his long fingers unconsciously gripped the bedding.

Jiang Yinghe’s mess of thoughts began to slowly organize themselves until he emerged from the sea of pleasure to sense the presence of someone in the darkness.

But he drifted back to sleep before discovering who it was.

__

The next day, Jiang Yinghe immediately destroyed that little yellow book.

Who knew he would react like that! Whether it was because he was inexperienced or because of the poison in his body, it was best to discard such things.

Due to this, Jiang Yinghe even took the initiative to write Tong Guiyu a letter, something he hadn’t done the entire time they’d known each other. He sent one of the cranes to deliver it to He Huan sect.

The light form of Hollowed Cave cultivators was very fast. After enough time to finish two pots of tea, the cries of the cranes could be heard from the entrance. Jiang Yinghe eased the restriction on the doors to see the flamboyantly dressed Tong Guiyu waltz in with a smile on his face.

…He was about to burst with laughter upon finding out that the frigid Jiang Yinghe was faced with such a problem. It was like he came to watch a good show.

Jiang Yinghe was wearing a white, long-sleeved outfit with faint gold embroidering on the trim. His cold fragrance was present and everything seemed normal, so it was impossible to tell that he was troubled by that matter.

There was a pot of tea and a chess set arranged on the jade table. Jiang Yinghe had been playing against himself for a while. He motioned for Tong Guiyu to sit across from him before pouring him a lukewarm cup of tea.

“You implied that we wouldn’t meet for quite some time the last time we saw each other, so why call for me so soon?” Tong Guiyu was wearing a pink robe that was the shade of sakura blossoms in March. He blinked at him with his fox-like eyes. “I can’t wait to hear how our Xuan Wei Xianjun ended up like this.”

Jiang Yinghe gave him a look. “This master helped clean up after you, yet you still have the heart to laugh at me.”

“Hahahaha, I really didn’t want to laugh.” Tong Guiyu rubbed his cheek while laughing. “But whenever I think about the fact that you called me over for this kind of thing I can’t help it. Hahahaha.”

Jiang Yinghe: “…Can you speak like a human?”

Tong Guiyu only wanted to laugh more. He emptied the cup and said, “Fine then. Tell me, how does it feel like to be affected by the Seven Days of Joy?”

Jiang Yinghe expressionessly stared at him. “It’s nothing.”

“Really?” Tong Guiyu had great confidence in the goods that came out of his sect. “Then I guess Xuan Wei Xianjun doesn’t need my help after all.”

Jiang Yinghe gritted his teeth before spitting out, “I do. I have an ice spiritual root, this thing is going to give me heat stroke.”

Tong Guiyu suppressed the urge to burst into laughter again by drinking more tea. “Originally, there was no antidote for this medicine in my sect, plus the formula you were dosed with has been altered by a demonic cultivator…”

He changed the subject once he noticed the frown on Jiang Yinghe’s face. “But I can teach you a method to deal with it.”

Jiang Yinghe nodded. “Tell me.”

“You need to wear this and have a high-level cultivator watch over you during the night.” Tong Guiyu took out a bracelet made of icy blue pearls from his personal dimension and placed it on Jiang Yinghe’s wrist. “This is the only artifact able to disperse arousal in our sect. But there’s a side effect. Once you wear it, you will be unable to circulate your energy and become akin to a mortal.”

“When you wear it, you need to have someone you trust support you and purge the residual fragments from your system.” Tong Guiyu said. “Your disciples all seem to be up to the task. You should be cured after about a month.”

Tong Guiyu was still smiling, and there was an implied meaning in his eyes.

Jiang Yinghe didn’t catch it and paused before saying, “This morning Huanhan said that he was going to enter seclusion to prepare for his tribulation. I don’t know where he went, so only Jun-er and Chang Ye are left on Qing Jing Peak.

Tong Guiyu asked, “I heard that your second disciple was forced into becoming a Primordial God Zhenren. Are there any lasting effects?”

Jiang Yinghe shook his head. “None, other than his hand.”

Tong Guiyu blinked his fox-like eyes at that. “Isn’t two people enough? I doubt you can even take one.”

Jiang Yinghe didn’t really understand what he was talking about. His missing passion root caused him to be a bit obtuse when it came to matters like this. He looked up with a dazed expression to see the person in front of him finish his tea and stand.

“I’ll be heading back to He Huan sect then.” He said, “I am the deputy sect master after all. I can’t be slacking off while the sect master’s not there.”

Jiang Yinghe nodded. “Thank you for coming.”

“No need.” Tong Guiyu smiled as he half-jokingly and half-seriously waved his hand. “I should be thanking Xuan Wei Xianjun for getting rid of a big thorn in He Huan’s side.”

Before Jiang Yinghe could reply, the other person bowed deeply to him.

He slightly raised his hand and wanted to stop him, but he ultimately remained silent. Instead, he watched Tong Guiyu stand up and leave. As his figure became indistinct, his last words seemed to still be an outrageous joke—

“We were sect siblings for three hundred years, but it took only one season for him to fall to the temptation of demons. It seems that only the two of us treasure the friendship between cultivators. Is it inevitable that desire must always come before love in our world?”

Jiang Yinghe watched him leave from the open doors and sighed. “All this talk about what came first and what is treasured, doesn’t it all depend on his mood?”

Jiang Yinghe only took a closer look at the pearl bracelet after Tong Guiyu had left.

There were very few artifacts that decreased arousal in He Huan sect. Their cultivators could be divided into two types: ones who practised dual cultivation with anyone to raise their own level and tended to use more underhanded methods, while the other only did it with their lovers which they took multiples of.

The discussion of whether love or desire came first has been a long-standing debate in He Huan sect, because it was related to the tests of mentality they would experience at the higher levels, and the meaning of the Dao.

Tong Guiyu belonged to the latter group. The Hongyan sword in his hands was very hungry for beauties and love, which is why Hun Yuan Xianjun was able to wield it.

Jiang Yinghe recalled the scene that played out here this morning when Li Huanhan requested leave.

His eldest disciple’s black outfit was slightly wrinkled. His mental state didn’t seem quite right, as if he hadn’t slept a wink last night. Even his voice was strange.

Jiang Yinghe has just woken up from that surreal dream of his. Not only did his head hurt, his temper was also short. When he heard that Li Huanhan wanted to leave to undergo his tribulation in a suitable location, he was just the tiniest bit upset.

Because this didn’t seem like the only reason the other person wanted to leave.

If it was just this, why would he pace outside the entrance instead of just coming in? He must be hiding something from me.

Jiang Yinghe was nursing a headache as he wrote that letter to Tong Guiyu inside the manor. He lightly asked, “Have you found a good location?”

“Yes.”

Huanhan’s voice was somewhat hoarse. For some reason, his words were suffused with deep and concealed emotion.

“What kind of place is it?”

The incense burner to the side was burning the book that caused the situation last night. A cold wind blew in from the rest of Qing Jing Peak, bringing the cool morning dew to the corners of his black clothes.

Li Huanhan remained silent for a while before replying, “A place that can allow this disciple to remain calm for the time being.”

Jiang Yinghe slowed down his writing to listen to his next words.

“To be kind and not cruel to ‘him’.” Li Huanhan said. “This disciple fears doing something that might…hurt him.”

Jiang Yinghe immediately realized why he came here.

Of his two disciples that liked to ‘eat the grass that grew near their burrow’, Qin Jun was less problematic since he liked girls. Li Huanhan on the other hand was as bent as mosquito incense. He was still young, so staying too long beside the one he liked might lead to unfortunate situations…plus the other person was straight.

He put down his pen and adjusted his clothes before heading outside to where his eldest disciple stood under the cover of dawn and morning dew. There was a new sword pendant on his blood-red sword, woven in the same fashion as the one on Wangchen.

Jiang Yinghe observed him from a distance and was able to discern a deep sense of restraint from him.

“Then go.”

Jiang Yinghe continued calmly, “But don’t go too far. Peng Lai will be waiting for you, Qing Jing Peak will be waiting for you…”

Li Huanhan stared at his lips as the other person continued warmly.

“…Shizun will also wait for you.”

That was all he needed.

Li Huanhan wanted to say something more, but nothing came out as he met Jiang Yinghe’s clear eyes.

Jiang Yinghe was worried from the bottom of his heart about the upcoming test of his disciple’s heart. His thoughts then shifted to the joys and sorrows of raising children. He returned to working on the letter before sending it off with one of the cranes.

He sighed. There was only one thing left to do.

…Chang Ye was still young and this was the first night. Should he ask Jun-er to come?

This man who had doubts about his orientation had no idea…how his words could be misconstrued.

__

Qin Jun knew immediately when Li Huanhan left.

He saw the heavenly demon make a few hidden hand signs around the White Crane Jade Manor, like he was setting down traps. Then he turned and glared at him before leaving.

Qin Jun licked his teeth. Something was off about that demon, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Did he discover his sense of kindness and decide to give up on making their Shizun a furnace?

Not just him, Chang Ye probably also knew right away. The three of them existed in a state of mutual distrust. Li Huanhan’s sudden departure, however, was outside of his calculations.

In Qin Jun’s eyes, he had to fight to the end for the things he liked. There was no way he was giving up halfway. Li Huanhan didn’t seem to be giving up—it’s more like he finally could afford to break through to the Primordial God stage. Was he planning to take Shizun back by force if he exposed himself?

That’s the thought that ran through his mind that night when he saw Jiang Yinghe.

He was only wearing a long, white robe, with an icy blue pearl bracelet on his narrow wrist that accentuated his pure white skin.

Qin Jun stared for quite a while as he approached Shizun to help him cleanse his body of the residual medications.

Although Jiang Yinghe explained the situation to him, he was still somewhat embarrassed to see Qin Jun so focused on him. He decided to break up the awkward atmosphere with some small talk. “Huanhan entered seclusion today.”

Qin Jun did not appear surprised. His right hand that was only bones squeezed Jiang Yinghe’s finger. “Chang Ye and I both know this.”

That makes sense. With how close they are, Huanhan must have bid them farewell. Jiang Yinghe nodded as if this was normal before thinking to ask something. “Jun-er, do you know where he went then?”

Even though he did not ask the person in question, he was still quite worried. Jiang Yinghe felt like he had become an old father.

Qin Jun did not reply. He tightened his grip on the finger and began to massage it. He said sourly, “Is Shizun only able to discuss Li-shixiong with this disciple?”

Jiang Yinghe was taken aback as his finger was tightly clenched.

“I only want to talk to Shizun about us.” Qin Jun said, “Shizun wouldn’t be safe wearing this bracelet. Chang Ye shidi is also too childish to help. Why don’t I do it for the entire month?”

“Not sleeping for a month is difficult, even for cultivators.” Jiang Yinghe said.

How can he be tired when he’s clearly in heaven?

Qin Jun remained silent as he started circulating his spiritual energy in the technique taught at Peng Lai to help cleanse the remaining fragments from Jiang Yinghe. The closer he got, the harder it was to resist.

The wraith was acting like he was circling his hoard of treasure. He caught a whiff of the other’s cold fragrance.

Jiang Yinghe couldn’t stay up all night to begin with, plus he felt safe with Jun-er guarding him. He fell asleep after midnight to the sound of the other person’s breathing.

This time, his dreams remained clear of the things that frustrated him before.

Just a hidden kiss that landed on his lips.

Author’s Corner:

I wish that I was a star, and you were the moon. May our lights intersect on every night – Fan Chengda’s poem ‘As the cart sways’

Tong Guiyu: HeHe ah, although the number of people was unusual, at least they were all pretty high quality!

Jiang Yinghe: Are you speaking human right now?!

Rain: 10k character chapters hurt my soul and my hands. At least Qin Jun is happy ヽ(；▽ ；)ノ

Sahl: Disciples are getting very, um, touchy-feely. I guess Chang Ye is next . . . hehe!