Outside the White Crane Jade Manorâs gate, a spirit crane sleepily raised its eyes to see a few youngsters in green disciple uniforms standing outside.
Most of the new disciples in Peng Lai were from cultivation families. Their prior education made them more well-learned than their peers. Naturally, they heard about Xuan Wei Xianjun, who had disappeared without a trace nearly 400 years ago.
It seemed like he was in seclusion for 400 years and only emerged now. Sect Master Zhouâs decision to have the new disciples greet their elder was unprecedented in history.
Although Xuan Wei Xianjun has been in seclusion for many years, his disciples remained well known in the cultivation world. When the elders of the Peng Lai Immortal Sect went into closed door cultivation one after the other, Ying Zhou sect came over once to stir up trouble. However, one of Xianjunâs disciples, Li Huanhan, suppressed them with only his sword.
In recent years, the rumours surrounding Xianjunâs disciples have become more and more outrageous. Many people say that with Li Huanhan and Qin Jun around, Peng Lai would be able to maintain its position even if Jiang Xianjun never came out of seclusion. In addition, Jiang Xianjunâs last disciple has also finally made his presence known in recent years.
The young boys, dressed in cultivator robes with swords strapped to their backs, looked at each other. They were all somewhat nervous. One of the more daring and mischievous of them stepped forward first to ask the crane spirit some questions.
âCrane Fairy,â said the young man casually, âif you inform the people here of our arrival, Iâll feed you this spirit fruit, okay?â
The crane spirit looked at him nonchalantly for a few moments, then called out twice. The heavy door opened. There was a long screen depicting five sunrises separating the inside from the outside.
A lingering, soft, faint fragrance wafted outside.
The juniors were hesitant to step forward, but their curiosity got the best of them. The leader of the group was about to open his mouth when he suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of imminent danger.
Cold sweat immediately covered his back as his hair stood on end. He subconsciously searched for the source of danger, only to discover that it seemed to come fromâŠa cat.
At the edge of the long screen of five sunrises, there was a cat with black eyes and a snow-white body covered in long, soft, fluffy fur. Its tail waved slightly a few times like a large broom.
The moment that man and cat locked eyes, all the pressure seemed to disappear, as if it were an illusion.
The screen was then pushed aside by a hand, revealing pastel cultivator robes and the faint chill of cool detachment. Several people looked towards the edge of the screen. They were all dumbfounded by what they saw.
Jiang Yinghe did not expect these children to arrive so quickly, presumably on the orders of Zhangmen-shixiong. He did not have time to carefully dress himself, so he was only wearing a simple jade crown and regular clothes at the moment.
There were no decorations adorning his plain white robes, only a dark pattern of flowing clouds that appeared from time to time. There was a small jade whisk that was rarely used casually resting on his arm.
The juniors seemed to wake from their trance. When they had collected themselves enough to greet their elder, another sudden burst of hostility sent tingles up their spine.
The dark door moved slightly as Qin Jun entered the inner room, slightly surprised to see the group in Peng Lai disciple uniforms here. He casually returned to Jiang Yingheâs side and placed several books on the table.
For some reason, the disciples felt like their lives were almost lost several times despite only being here a few moments.
Their leader swallowed dryly and barely managed to get through the formalities. He saw Xuan Wei Xianjun nod lightly and say, âThis master has heard that all of you are skilled in sword formations.â
This was what Zhou-shixiong had told him. Jiang Yinghe naturally wouldnât make things difficult for such young juniors, so he wanted to instruct and test them on their strengths.
Several of them nodded their heads like chickens pecking at rice, looking at him with a slightly complicated and indescribable gaze.
Although Jiang Yinghe felt the way they looked at him was a little strange, he didnât say anything. While glancing at the few books that Jun-er had brought over, he casually asked them to give a demonstration.
After reading the titles of the books, he raised his eyes to look at the group in front of him, ready to concentrate on carrying out his duty as a teacher. After all, his dignity as an educator was pretty much wrecked by those three unfilial sinners. It was rare to have this kind of opportunity.
Qin Jun sat next to him without saying a word, a smile playing on his lips. He didnât seem to mind at all. The little, white cat on the side also jumped onto Jiang Yingheâs knees and buried itself in his arms, as if he found it beneath him to intimidate these small fries.
Only when the demonstrations had concluded and Jiang Yinghe had given brief critiques did he hear a few of the juniors whisper as quietly as a mosquito.
âJiang, Jiang XianjunâŠâ
Jiang Yinghe looked up at a blushing child who gathered his courage. âAre you still accepting disciples?â
The white cat acting spoiled in his arms stopped meowing.
Beside him, Qin Jun paused briefly from drinking his tea.
A million messages flashed through Jiang Yingheâs mind at once. For the safety of others and himself, he immediately said, âThis master is no longer accepting disciples. All of you may leave.â
He had a premonition that something might happen otherwise.
Fortunately, thanks to his timely intervention, the brightest stars in Peng Laiâs younger generation were able to walk out Qing Jing Peak intact without bumping into any jars of vinegar. As for his personal safety, that too should beâŠ
His thoughts came to an abrupt end here. He saw the entrance gate open again and the departing children bow meekly to their Da-shixiong. Li Huanhan ignored them and glanced emotionlessly at Jiang Yinghe.
âŠWhy did he just look at me like he caught me cheating?
Jiang Yinghe silently watched Li Huanhan walk in and ask something in a normal tone. Then he asked about the progress of recasting Wangchen.
The calmer he acted, the more Jiang Yinghe felt like trouble was brewing. After he reiterated the process of recasting the sword, he suddenly felt the cat in his arms being yanked away mercilessly.
Chang Ye was backhandedly thrown to the ground by Li Huanhan. The cat turned incredulously to look at him, only to see this heavenly demon forcefully kissing Shizun and sweeping him into his arms.
Hey! Where are your manners?!
The same words ran through Jiang Yingheâs mind.
Did this guy feel jealous over everything? Couldnât he even tolerate Jiang Yinghe meeting those juniors for the first time?
Jiang Yinghe was forced to hug the other man back, tugging at his collar and pulling it away a little. He panted while saying, âWhy are you acting crazy again? âŠWuâŠ!â
The unification level seemed to be stuck at 12%. The system was dead silent, like it had seen this scene many times before. It even wanted to come out and applaud.
Jiang Yingheâs lips were bitten red by Li Huanhan before he had the chance to say anything, ââŠWhy are you like this even after being purified? Youâre so unreasonableâŠâ
If Li Huanhan represented the Innate True Nature, then that meant his cultivation partner in the past, the Dao Ancestor before his soul was split, wasnât right in the head to begin with. Especially when it came to matters involving him.
His lips were licked again before he heard the other man try to calm himself down by taking deep breaths. His voice was very quiet. âThey like you.â
âDo you think everyone is like you?â
Jiang Yinghe could barely speak. He couldnât even find the words to scold him if he wanted to, so he could only reach out to the side for help, ââŠJun-er.â
Qin Jun indeed took his hand, cold fingers interlocking with Jiang Yingheâs and skillfully taking him from Li Huanhanâs arms. He straightened the other manâs loose hair, and said calmly, âLi Huanhan is exaggerating too much.â
Jiang Yinghe nodded. He was just about to breathe a sigh of relief and praise Qin Jun when he heard the man say in a serious manner, âThere were only two like that at most.â
ââŠâ
âThe one who opened his mouth to ask,â Qin Jun came over and kissed the corner of his lips, âmust like you.â
ââŠâ
He really was surrounded by jars of vinegar.
Only at times like these that made his back ache in warning could Jiang Yinghe imagine how they were all one person. The system poured salt on the wound by popping up with another strange unification task.
âUnification Task 4: Engage in dual cultivation and exercise with multiple split souls. By searching for the great Dao together, the unification level will increase.â
Jiang Yinghe stopped shoving Qin Junâs hands away for a second. The part about âsearching for the great Dao togetherâ kept echoing in his mind, making him remember the yellow scenes they had been involved in, as well as the secret book of dual cultivation sent by Tong Guiyu.
âŠWhat kind of âgreat Daoâ is this??
His slight moment of hesitation was enough for Qin Jun to carry him behind the screen and onto the bed.
Jiang Yinghe learned his lesson last time. He said, âWangchen needs to be recastâŠâ
âThereâs no rush. Some time is needed to dispel Wuchenâs sharpness.â
The books that Qin Jun had brought over earlier were ancient tomes about casting weapons. It was not unusual for him to know the process.
Jiang Yinghe tried again after a moment of silence. âIt is unwise for a cultivator my age to overly depend on the advantages of dual cultivation. Haste makes wasteâŠâ
âWith Shizunâs accomplishments, it is indeed only a matter of time before you regain your cultivation. ButâŠâ
His voice quietly carried a soft breath into Jiang Yingheâs ears, that made them tingle.
âItâs been quite a while since last time.â
So naturally, it could not be considered overindulgence.
Jiang Yinghe was dumbfounded. He didnât know what to say as the other party casually removed his cultivator robes. To be honest, he was somewhat afraid of the feeling of being driven to the brink. He subconsciously held Qin Junâs hand. âIâŠâ
Before the words were out of his mouth, that pair of steel grey eyes stared steadily into his. Qin Jun whispered, âHas it ever occurred to you, Shizun, that our time with you is quickly running out?â
Jiang Yingheâs words trailed off. He stared at his disciple in a daze.
Qin Jun kissed him again as he continued, âAfter the fusion, there will neverâŠnever be another chance for me to hold you alone.â
Jiang Yingheâs heartstrings were touched. He sensed a touch of sadness in the other as he spoke about fusion.
Qin Jun lowered his head closer. The cold edge of his lips pressed against his ear, his voice close at hand.
âEven we are unsure of what we will be like after fusing, or how long the process will take.â
Jiang Yingheâs ears burned red, completely shaken by these words.
âJealousy is an excuse.â Qin Jun said, âI wanted to, well, have you look at me just a while longer.â
âŠWho could remain unmoved by that?
Jiang Yinghe was unable to say a single word of rebuke. He let the other undress him and press a kiss to his lips.
â-
But it turns out that Qin Jun was truly a schemer.
What breed of dog was he?
Jiang Yinghe cried for half the night without being able to figure out where he had gone wrong. Also, how was this guy able to so quickly take out all the junk Tong Guiyu had sent over?
When Jiang Yinghe got up from the bed, he would definitely go and butcher that guy surnamed Tong.
Jiang Yinghe tried to bury his face in the bed to muffle himself. His palms were sweaty and slick, unable to grasp anything. Even his pale knuckles trembled as he subconsciously gripped the sheets.
Then, his bite mark ridden hand was covered by another. It gathered his fingers together and pressed them against the pillow.
He couldnât take it anymore!
His teeth bit hard on his lip, but Li Huanhan coaxed him into letting go, saying that he would break the skin there if he used any more force.
But why couldnât he take his own advice??
It was only when a large tail cushioned his waist that he remembered how his youngest disciple had been the most restrained so far. Jiang Yinghe reached out to hug Chang Ye. He heard Chang Ye coax him by whispering good-naturedly and gently in his ear.
Jiang Yinghe rested his head on his shoulder and panted to catch his breath. Before he could speak, he heard a familiar teenage voice approaching Qing Jing Peak under the cover of night.
ââŠJiang Xianjun?â
It was possible to hear the sounds outside within the White Crane Jade Manor. The crane spirits were probably resting at this hour. Since the cultivation of the younger generations were unlikely to pose a threat, their presence didnât wake the spirit beasts guarding the door.
Jiang Yingheâs already drowsy mind instantly blanked out. He recovered some clarity.
ââŠThis disciple knows that you announced that Chang Ye-shixiong would be your last disciple.â The boy seemed to be leaning against the door with how close his voice seemed to be. He sounded very down.
âThis disciple didnât return due to resentment. I was just hoping that Xianjun could impart a few more words of advice to this junior. I have a brother whoâs better than me in every way. All these years, Iâve always feltâŠIâŠâ he paused, âBut Iâve heard that Xianjun doesnât only look for talent when accenting disciplesâŠâ
Not only did Jiang Yinghe come to his senses, even the people beside him paused. In the room filled with intertwining fragrances there was a brief moment of silence.
Then, Chang Ye nuzzled closer to him. There was a smile on his magnificently handsome face as he whispered, âThose are all excuses.â
ââŠEn?â
âHeâs up to no good.â
âŠThat sentence sounded a bit familiar.
Chang Yeâs inky eyes looked at him brightly and he kissed him gently, âShizun, quickly reject him.â
Chang Ye was clearly well-behaved now, but Jiang Yinghe suspectedâŠthat if he didnât immediately turn this disciple away, he would be tossed around in bed for days by this little beast.
With the benefit of hindsight, he realized that, although he felt exhausted every time he dual cultivated, Chang Ye hadnât even unleashed his true form or used devilish methods yet. It wasâŠprobablyâŠpossiblyâŠnot going to be fun.
At this moment, Qin Junâs fingers also clasped his hand, slowly sliding down towards his wrist. âPerhaps Shizun is not satisfied with you being his last disciple and wants to findâŠsomeone better.â
What kind of implicit vinegar spirit words were those?
The words did not provoke Chang Ye. Instead, it was Li Huanhan who caused Jiang Yingheâs back to ache. He frowned stoically, clutching Chang Yeâs shirt so he could lift a leg to kick Li Huanhan. Unfortunately, the other party held his ankle and negated the blow.
âCalculate your energy.â Li Huanhan looked unconcerned, âDual cultivation is meant to merge our spirits into one. Donât hold backâŠâ
ââŠFucking behave like a human and go slowerâŠâ
Authorâs Corner
The softer your heart is, the more likely you are to be dragged to bed ah, HeHe!
You should be glad that Mommy only knows how to ride a bike, otherwise you would have been beeped, then beeped, then beeeeped again, if you know what I mean? (whispering)
Sahl
Awww everyone give Qin Jun a hug! Also, author, I think weâd all be happier with more beeping.