He felt like he came out of the frying pan only to go straight into the fire.
Chang Ye led him straight out of the Nether Realm into devil territory without looking back. After fleeing into a sea of sparsely populated forests and trees, they arrived at a city brimming with devil cultivators.
But since there were so many devils in and around the border city of Wanyao, Chang Ye told him that they needed to disguise themselves to avoid detection.
Jiang Yinghe wholeheartedly agreed. A less heavy-handed approach would serve them well. If he headed back to Peng Lai right now, the sect could be wiped out because of him. It was better to hide in the outskirts of this town to avoid bringing trouble to others.
He didnât know how long Qin Junâs interest would last, so it was better to wait a little before deciding on a course of action.
He was able to calmly consider all of this until Chang Ye brought out the disguise he would be using. His previous attitude was in complete upheaval. He felt like his pride as a man, no, as a member of the human race was in complete tatters.
There wasâŚa pair of bunny ears in Chang Yeâs hands.
Jiang Yinghe stared blankly at them, and his head was filled with a variety of strange thoughts. He saw his little discipleâs smiling face.
âShizun, when you mingle with crowds of devils, you must have this kind of unique disguise.â Chang Ye lied with a straight face. âUsing concealment arrays is too dangerous, and might cause unneeded conflicts⌠What if there was a Devil Baron currently patrolling the city? Itâs best to be low-key right now.â
Jiang Yinghe didnât know if he should be proud that his little disciple seemed to finally have grown up or adamantly reject the soft and white rabbit ears in front of him. He was silent for a moment. âThis, how do you wear this thing?â
âYou need to run your spiritual energy through it.â Chang Ye smiled slightly. âMaybe Ye-er should help Shizun put them on.â
Jiang Yinghe: ââŚOkay.â
He controlled his rampant thoughts and convinced himself that this was just a necessary method of avoiding danger.
Jiang Yingheâs black hair was soft to the touch and sleek as well. It felt better than the silky fur of a small animal against the hand. Chang Ye pressed down on his shoulders and guided Shizun to take a seat before gathering up his hair.
There was a fragrance on his little discipleâs body as well, but it was different from Jiang Yingheâs cold and distant aroma. Chang Yeâs scent was subtle and rich. This, combined with his exquisite appearance, gave others the feeling of an androgynous youth of unparalleled grace and talent.
His hands were very white and slender as well. When they were combing back the hair by Jiang Yingheâs temples, they were almost the same shade of colour as the skin on Shizunâs peerless face.
Chang Ye silently swallowed back his saliva as he arranged Shizunâs hair into an appropriate position. He then slowly passed spiritual energy through the rabbit ears.
Stimulated, the rabbit ears twitched and bore a close resemblance to the real deal. Chang Ye placed the snow white ears into the parted portion of Jiang Yingheâs hair. He lightly touched the tips of the ears.
Jiang Yinghe felt that gentle touch, as if the ears were really a part of him.
âŚThis is just too tragic.
Jiang Yinghe took in a deep breath. He then felt Chang Ye knead the ears repeatedly.
His entire body tense up, and he asked with surprise: ââŚWhat are you doing?â
Chang Ye reluctantly withdrew his hands and smiled. âItâs such a rare opportunity. Let Ye-er have a bit of fun.â
At the moment, Jiang Yinghe wasnât sure if he was talking about the rarity of the artifact or the rarity of him having a pair of rabbit, ahem, devil ears.
People really couldnât overcome their circumstances.
Chang Ye stepped back to admire his handiwork. As Shizun lowered his head, a pair of long ears drooped down as well. He just intended to take a look before, but he felt his thoughts veer towards a very inappropriate direction.
He was almost afraid to look more as he took out the final part of the disguise.
âA fluffy and round tail.
Jiang Yinghe: ââŚIs there really a need to be so strict?â
Chang Yeâs expression was stern. âShizun taught me to carefully consider my options and act accordingly. How can little things like this stop us?â
Jiang Yinghe: ââŚâ
He had a sudden urge to go back and strangle his past self.
He sighed as his little disciple approached. He slowly untied the belt around his robes without much thought. âDid you knowâŚabout your Shixiongâs inclination?â
Chang Ye attentively loosened an especially stubborn knot and removed the outer layer. He replied naturally, âHow could I have known? But Qin-shixiong must have harbored deviant intentions towards Shizun for a long time. I remember that Shizun even protected his heart when he was forcefully undergoing his tribulation due to his constitution at Yun city.â
The red-clothed youth rambled on and on, digging up all the dirt from the past. Finally, he nodded self-righteously and insisted, âHe must have been covetous of Shizun since the beginning.â
Jiang Yinghe silently listened. He didnât know what to say.
He previously thought that Qin Jun just wanted to eat him, but now that he considered it with a calm mind, Qin Jun had plenty of opportunities to strike when guarding him at night. But he never did.
Jiang Yinghe continued to think about this until his little disciple peeled back the inner layer of his clothes. He grabbed Chang Yeâs wrist.
âIâll do it myself.â Jiang Yinghe took the soft rabbit tail from his hand and sighed, âWhy do I have to wear these things? I remember that Devil Baron Jiuying only had faint devil markings on his body.â
Chang Ye said, âDevil Barons are rare, so it would attract a lot of attention and defeat the entire purpose of hiding ourselves.â
His words held a lot of merit.
Jiang Yinghe pinched the rabbit tail before saying, âYou go out first.â
Chang Ye blinked and tried to dissuade him. âWhy doesnât this disciple do it? What if Shizun has trouble putting it on? It can be difficult to afixâŚâ
Jiang Yinghe hesitated for a moment. He heard his little discipleâs mouth run at full speed. âIf itâs worn incorrectly, the sensation of taking it off is like ripping the skin.â
Jiang Yingheâs doubts were defeated after he heard that it would hurt. He made one last struggle in his mind before his little discipleâs obedient and curious voice rang out.
âIs Shizun worried about this disciple doing something? But weâre both menâŚI thought Shizun preferred female cultivators?â
The last few words were soft and uninformed. They hit hard against Jiang Yingheâs heart. He strengthened his orientation and finally replied, ââŚOkay.â
Wanyao City was surrounded by ancient woods that reached up towards the sky. The city was in the midst of the forest. From the window, one could just catch a glimpse of the moonlight outside that was as cold as water.
Chang Ye did not look towards the moonlight.
He was focused on his own bright moon.
The thin, white inner shirt was removed by Jiang Yingheâs long and frosty fingers to reveal a pair of slender shoulders and narrow collarbones.
His back was illuminated by the moonlight from outside. It seemed to make his flawless skin even more tender and radiant. Chang Ye stared at the inky strands that drifted down, as well as the pair of rabbit ears that moved with him.
He suddenly thought that this wasnât what he always desired. This was just throwing fuel on the fire of his desire that burned day in and day out.
âIâm ready.â
Jiang Yinghe paused as he took in the beet-red ears of his little disciple who seemed even more uncomfortable than him.
Chang Ye quietly said, âYou donât need to take it all off⌠Just enough to connect this artifact.â
Jiang Yinghe stopped and nodded. He had a feeling like, âif heâs more embarrassed than me, then I donât need to feel so ashamedâ.
âShizun,â Chang Yeâs voice was always pleasant and demure, âcan you turn around?â
This kind of thing should be placed on the tailbone, right? Jiang Yinghe cooperatively turned around. He was thinking about what to do if Qin Jun insisted on pursuing him. An evil Half-step Golden Immortal cultivator reviving was likeâŚ
His mind went blank.
A cool finger touched his tailbone with only a thin layer of separation in between. The sensation sent a chill up his spine. Jiang Yinghe wasnât worried, but a strange wariness crept into his mindâŚwas he too trusting of his disciple?
There was already a precedent of him being caught off guard, and this situationâŚ
Just when alarm bells were blaring in his head, he heard Chang Yeâs soft voice.
âShizun, itâs done.â
Jiang Yinghe let out a sigh of relief and cleared the mess of thoughts from his head. He didnât inspect the new addition and slowly put his clothes back on. He brushed himself off as he said, âRetreating is not enough in the long term. Iâm worried that he will bring trouble to Peng Lai if he canât find me.â
Chang Ye looked at him. âWhat if it came down to that?â
âThen I can only,â Jiang Yinghe paused for a moment, âfight against him.â
Fight? Chang Yeâs heart skipped a beat and he followed up on Jiang Yingheâs statement. âThere is a clear difference in your abilities, so how can you two fight? Shizun, this isnât resisting him, this is seeking death.â
Jiang Yinghe lowered his gaze. âI would rather embrace the freedom of death than be held captive.â
Chang Ye was actually silent for once and he didnât know what to say for a long time. âIt will never come to that. I owe Shizun and Peng Lai sect a debt of gratitude for teaching me, so Ye-er will protect Peng Lai.â
Jiang Yinghe was comforted by those words. Although the cultivation of his little disciple was low, his heart was in the right place. This was an example of a socialist master-disciple relationship at its finest.
He reached out a hand to tenderly stroke Chang Yeâs hair. Chang Ye lowered his head to make it more accessible.
Jiang Yinghe asked, âIf we have to be disguised, then what about you?â
Something soft seemed to erupt from the hair beneath his fingers. A pair of fuzzy feline ears sprung out.
Jiang Yinghe was taken aback: ââŚTheyâre completely automated?â
Before the sound of his words finished, a thick and long tail wrapped strongly around his waist and pulled him in Chang Yeâs direction. Jiang Yinghe almost stumbled straight into his little discipleâs arms.
This tail was way too bigâŚJiang Yinghe braced against his shoulder as he regained his balance. He heard Chang Yeâs slightly lowered voice.
âWhat is âcompletely automatedâ?â His words were forced and held a hint of hurt. âAnyways, this tail doesnât listen to what I say. I clearly told the merchant that my cultivation was low and I couldnât use high-level artifacts, but that little devil cheated meâŚâ
Jiang Yinghe didnât think too much of it as he patted his little disciple to comfort him. âNo big deal, itâs just a tail.â
He hasnât realised yet how much trouble this tail would be for him later on.
Chang Ye obediently nodded. âShizun, the effects of the Seven Days of JoyâŚthere was only one day left, right? Would stopping treatment early cause problems?â
It was only with his reminder that Jiang Yinghe remembered that he wasnât able to receive treatment on the last day due to various factors. The little bit left canât cause that many problems, right?
It was not something to be too concerned with. After all, he still had the He Huan Sect artifact from Tong GuiyuâŚJiang Yinghe glanced at his wrist and froze.
âWhere did it go?
Chang Ye came to the same conclusion as he softly laughed before immediately sobering up. He asked carefully, âShizun, did you misplace it?â
Jiang Yinghe: ââŚTalk properly. Your tail is swishing around too happily.â
â-
Wanyao city had many inns for âdevilsâ like Jiang Yinghe and Chang Ye.
In the eyes of those around them, Jiang Yinghe and Chang Ye were an ideal devil race couple. Many liked rabbit devils that appeared outwardly cool like this, but had another side hidden within.
After all, rabbits were in heat year-round and had a large âappetiteâ. They were also inclined to be tender and submissive, so they made very good cultivation partners to raise oneâs cultivation with.
The youth wearing a mask and dressed in red, on the other hand, had the aura of a carnivorous animal about him. The bellhops couldnât help but bring the couple up while they were chatting.
âThe rabbit devil that went upstairs before,â An employee with dog ears said as he wiped down the tables, âwhy was his devilish scent so faint? Did he only successfully transform recently?â
âMost likely.â Another girl swept her fox tail around as she munched on sunflower seeds. âThe devil beast accompanying him is another story entirely. I canât tell precisely what he is, but judging from his aura, if the two of them were to dual cultivate then that rabbit would probably cry for a long time.â
The bellhop sighed, âHeâs way too good-looking. I want to get myself a rabbit devil like that too. Although he looks cold, I think his gaze when it sweeps over is warm and softâŚâ
âKeep dreaming.â The girl spat out the shells. âThat carnivorous beast will tear your throat out if you keep thinking about his partner. Only someone as handsome as him is worthy of such a beautiful rabbit.â
Their discussion started to turn in a more carnal direction when the front doors suddenly opened. A person who was clearly not a devil swept his gaze over the front desk. He politely asked, âIs your manager around?â
The balding head of a thousand year old ginseng devil popped out from behind the front desk. He observed the other while stroking his beard for a moment, sensing an immeasurable strength hidden in that personâs body. He solemnly replied, âI am the manager here. May I ask who you are?â
The other person laughed and continued in a pleasant tone, âThis one is called Qiu Chou, I am here on behalf of my master to inquire about two individuals.â
Authorâs Corner:
Li Huanhan and Qin Jun: We shouldâve killed off this Shidi of ours earlier! (Suddenly forming an alliance)