"Those two, honestly!" Xuan Yang grumbled to himself as he walked.
He was truly annoyed!
This certainly wasn't the first time he had seen Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong being affectionate in front of him, but the difference was that recently, Xuan Yang’s own body had begun to undergo some changes.
To put it simply, he was maturing.
According to the inheritance of the Phoenix Clan, this was an indispensable step in growth. However, Xuan Yang was only in his early twenties; it shouldn't have happened this early. Such an early physical change indicated that his natural talent was exceptional, and he was growing faster than others of his kind in every aspect.
Xuan Yang, who used to dream only of grand feasts, had experienced his first vague erotic dream. Waking up the next day to the mess on his quilt and undergarments had naturally left him in a state of extreme agitation.
For the sake of his pride, he had quietly gone to the stream halfway up the mountain to try and wash away the evidence. However, he had fumbled during the drying process—an old habit—and accidentally incinerated the fabric into ash with a single breath. He had no choice but to slink back and pretend nothing had happened, secretly finding replacement bedding. After finishing, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he had moved into his own house away from Nie Shiyun over ten years ago; otherwise, he would have died of embarrassment.
Furthermore, the person in his erotic dream seemed to be male!
After experiencing this a few more times intermittently, Xuan Yang discovered that he truly couldn't fantasize about anything with females. Whether it was female beasts or human women, nothing seemed to work...
Xuan Yang wanted to cry, but no tears came. While it was good that he hadn't inherited the personality of that deadbeat father of his from the Upper Realm—who left his seed everywhere—it was a bit much to be headed straight toward ending his lineage at such a young age!
It must be Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong's influence. Xuan Yang huffily blamed the two of them, deciding that he must watch them be affectionate less often in the future. Perhaps then, the situation would gradually change.
"Oh, Immortal, you've returned! Shall I show you to a private room again?"
The waiter at the restaurant greeted Xuan Yang with a beaming smile the moment he stepped through the door. After yesterday's events, he had a very deep impression of Xuan Yang and his companions, but he hadn't expected Xuan Yang to actually return the very next day.
"Why are you calling me that?" Xuan Yang felt awkward being called an "Immortal." Only the Upper Realm had so-called Immortals and Fairies; he was currently just a cultivator.
The waiter said in trepidation, "To us mortals, aren't you exactly like an Immortal? If you don't like it, then... then how should this lowly one address you?"
"Just like yesterday is fine," Xuan Yang said nonchalantly.
"Then, Young Master, please follow me upstairs." The waiter was quick to adapt. He had a sharp eye; although he knew cultivators were ageless, he could tell from Xuan Yang's behavior and his interactions with the other two yesterday that this one's age likely matched his appearance. He treated him with the attitude one would use for a young noble.
"Immortal? You... are you a cultivator!"
Suddenly, a voice interrupted the two. Startled, Xuan Yang turned his head and saw a plainly dressed middle-aged man shouting.
The waiter's heart skipped a beat. This fellow had just come in earlier trying to ask the counter for a job, saying something about how "all his money was gone and he didn't have the travel expenses to return to his village." The restaurant's runners were all strong, young men, and the kitchen wasn't lacking people for washing and prepping vegetables for the time being. The worker at the counter had rejected him outright without even consulting the boss.
"Young Master, please pay him no mind. There are always mortals like this who haven't seen the world..."
"I am not a mortal! I am different! This cultivator, could we speak in private? I beg of you!"
"Hey, how can this person be like this? Someone, quickly pull him out..." Seeing the man trying to approach, the waiter feared he would anger the young master and hurriedly called for help.
"Wait," Xuan Yang suddenly interrupted.
No way? Xuan Yang stared at the person before him, dumbfounded.
This... isn't this Duan Mingyu!
It was truly difficult to connect this haggard, middle-aged man—whose hair was half-white and whose face was covered in wrinkles—with the beautiful youth of the past. If it were Nie Shiyun or Zhai Bairong, they might not even have dared to recognize him. But Xuan Yang didn't rely on his eyes to recognize people; he relied more on his nose. He would never mistake someone's unique scent.
In the past, this person was always hovering around Nie Shiyun and the others. Ever since the encounter with the Vermilion Bird's Deviant Flame on the island, there had been no news of him.
To think he was actually in the mortal world!
After being looked down upon and mocked by the servants and onlookers at the prominent family's estate that afternoon, Duan Mingyu had originally given up hope. But now, this young cultivator who was called an "Immortal" actually showed a willingness to listen to him. He suddenly felt a surge of hope.
"You are willing to listen to me? That's wonderful!"
From Duan Mingyu's reaction, Xuan Yang knew the man hadn't recognized him. It made sense; humans didn't have his ability to identify scents, and based on appearance alone, Duan Mingyu's impression of him should still be that of a five-year-old child.
If Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong were here, they would definitely be pestered. Xuan Yang looked at Duan Mingyu with suspicion and hesitation. As he grew older, Nie Shiyun and the others had told him many things. He had gradually come to understand the things he only partially grasped in his childhood, including the fact that the Yingyue Sect had once wanted to refine Duan Mingyu.
What he had heard was that Rong Lü had fled with Duan Mingyu back then, and for the past twenty years, the Yingyue Sect had been unable to find them. If it weren't for the fact that Duan Mingyu's Soul Lamp had not gone out, most people would have suspected he had died somewhere.
Looking at the man before him, Xuan Yang naturally wanted to find out exactly what had happened. He cleared his throat and put on an air of importance. "Follow me upstairs."
The waiter looked between the two. Although he didn't know what the young master intended, he still followed instructions and led the man up.
Xuan Yang had the waiter take the man into the private room first while he found a corner to send a message to Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong using a transmission crystal. He told them not to come looking for him to avoid getting caught up in trouble they couldn't shake off.
As expected, there was no reply after a while. Xuan Yang could guess with his toes that those two were currently occupied and couldn't be bothered with him. He gave a disgruntled "Hmph" and entered the private room.
After ordering a few dishes, Xuan Yang dismissed the waiter and finally closed the door to speak.
"This fellow Daoist, don't look at me as a mortal now; I used to be a cultivator too!" Duan Mingyu said hurriedly.
"Since you're a mortal now, what right do you have to call me 'fellow Daoist'?" Xuan Yang wasn't polite at all. Duan Mingyu choked on his words, a flash of resentment appearing in his eyes before he finally lowered his head and changed his address.
"Senior, I know you must be a good person since you're willing to listen to me..."
Seeing Duan Mingyu in this state, still speaking with a tearful, pitiful expression, Xuan Yang felt a wave of revulsion.
"Senior, may I ask which sect you are from? Have you ever heard of a man named Rong Lü?" Duan Mingyu asked, wringing his sleeves.
Older cultivators would certainly know. However, Xuan Yang looked young, and Duan Mingyu didn't know if his true age matched his appearance. Xuan Yang picked up his teacup and took a sip, deciding to pretend to be a complete stranger. He glanced at Duan Mingyu and casually named a small sect that had traveled with them this time.
"Rong Lü? I have indeed heard of him."
"Really! Just in the last few years?" Hope instantly filled Duan Mingyu's dull eyes, and he was so excited he almost stood up.
"Just five years ago."
Seeing Duan Mingyu's impatient expression, Xuan Yang continued helplessly, "He is dead."
"..."
Duan Mingyu looked at Xuan Yang in disbelief, shaking his head blankly after a long silence.
"How can that be? It's impossible. It can't be..."
Xuan Yang never had a good impression of Duan Mingyu to begin with. Not to mention that the other party had now become a disheveled, fifty-year-old middle-aged man; his pitiful appearance was no longer as endearing as it once was.
"What, is he someone you know? Him... he once fled with a cultivator who was being hunted by a major sect and disappeared for a long time. When he was discovered by the major sect, he was attempting to advance to the Nascent Soul stage, but he seemed to have failed."
"Was he killed by the Yingyue Sect?" Duan Mingyu suddenly felt the world spinning, his last shred of hope burning out.
Xuan Yang glanced at him and asked knowingly, "Oh, so you know of the Yingyue Sect? Although the Yingyue Sect wanted to capture him for interrogation, I heard he said nothing. Seeing that he couldn't escape, he self-detonated his Golden Core on the spot. The Yingyue Sect lost quite a few disciples in that incident!"
Duan Mingyu stared blankly at Xuan Yang, unable to say a word for a long time.
It had already been twenty years since Rong Lü left. In the cultivation world, twenty years passed so quickly, yet the hard days in the human world felt like an eternity.
Duan Mingyu didn't want to remember. Back then, Rong Lü had left the mortal world as he had pleaded, returning to the cultivation world to find a solution. He thought he was prepared to wait alone for many years, but living life truly alone was even more agonizing than he had imagined.
During the first year after Rong Lü left, Duan Mingyu stayed peacefully at home while missing him. Starting from the second year, he would occasionally go out for a walk, and it was then that he met a man in the village.
The other man was even younger than him, only in his early twenties, strong and helpful, always carrying water and moving things for Duan Mingyu. Over time, the initially guarded Duan Mingyu finally let down his guard and grew closer to him. The man would occasionally praise how moving his looks were, saying he was even more beautiful than a woman. Since his appearance had changed to that of someone in their thirties, Duan Mingyu's lost confidence was restored, and he felt jubilant every time he heard those words of praise.
When the man proposed taking their relationship further, Duan Mingyu hesitated, but not out of consideration for Rong Lü. In his heart, he felt that Rong Lü hadn't minded him having relationships with others before, and Duan Mingyu subconsciously felt it wouldn't be a problem this time either. He only wondered what would happen to this man if Rong Lü brought back a way to heal him and they returned to the cultivation world.
With a blind confidence in his own future, Duan Mingyu actually worried about the other man's future first.
Enjoying the story? Rate this novel:
Transmigrated into a Total Shou Novel as a Cannon Fodder, but Ended Up 1v1-ing the Male Lead | Chapter 129 | Echoes of the Past | Novela.app | Novela.app
