Dried tear tracks still stained the corners of Xuan Yang’s eyes. Usually, he acted as if he feared nothing in heaven or on earth; it was only at times like this that he revealed a fragile side that actually matched his youthful appearance.
Shen Yan had originally intended to set Xuan Yang down and go to the cultivation room to meditate. However, perhaps because recounting his past had uncharacteristically thrown him off balance, he found himself unable to settle his mind despite several attempts. Eventually, he gave up and lay down on the other side of the bed.
Although Xuan Yang’s cultivation was not inferior to his own, the boy’s alertness was remarkably low. During this period of looking after Xuan Yang, Shen Yan had to constantly divide his attention to monitor their surroundings, and he hadn't been resting well. Having gone through so much today, he had intended only to take a short nap, but he fell into a deep sleep shortly after lying down.
Completely unaware of this, Xuan Yang smacked his lips in his sleep, rolled over, and began to snore with his mouth half-open, facing the ceiling.
In his dream, he seemed to have returned to his eggshell, drifting lonely in the icy river water, knowing nothing of what lay ahead.
"It would have been better if I never gave birth to you!"
The interior of the eggshell was pitch black. A voice full of loathing pierced through from all directions, its source unknown.
"Brother Xuan Yang! Why aren't you coming over?"
In a daze, a small figure appeared beside the woman whose eyes held only cold disgust. The child pulled at her hand, his innocent face blooming with the same naive smile as before.
The woman held a swaddled infant in her arms, cradling the baby with the same tenderness as any mother in the world. Xuan Yang stood rooted to the spot, watching her. She gripped Wuyi’s hand tightly and turned away to vanish without a single look back.
"..."
Xuan Yang returned to the darkness of the eggshell.
After a long time, a piercing light suddenly appeared before his eyes.
"Hey, are you alright?"
Xuan Yang opened his mouth, finally seeing the person in front of him clearly.
"Are you okay, little Coal Ball?"
Nie Shiyun hefted the ball of feathers in his hand.
Within Nie Shiyun’s spatial dimension, the Nine-Dragon Divine Fire Cover—which Xuan Yang had once used as a space heater—sat nearby. Soon after, he was muddledly swindled over a matter of 1.5 million spirit stones and entered into a contract with Nie Shiyun.
This was the first scene Xuan Yang had witnessed after opening his eyes to this world.
He froze for a moment, then suddenly flapped his wings and shouted in anger, "What do you mean 'Coal Ball'?! That’s so embarrassing! Couldn't you have just called me Xuan Yang from the start?!"
Bolting upright in a fit of rage, Xuan Yang sat up abruptly on the bed.
"It was a dream..."
Realizing he had dreamed of that fellow Nie Shiyun immediately after dreaming of Hui Niang, Xuan Yang clicked his tongue in annoyance. In any case, he would never admit Nie Shiyun was his guardian! And he had absolutely no intention of going home!
After a brief internal struggle, Xuan Yang rubbed his sleep-mussed hair, slowly recalling the events of yesterday. How did he fall asleep? It seemed... he had a crying fit in Shen Yan’s arms and just drifted off like that...
Thinking back, Xuan Yang felt he had lost enough face to last eight lifetimes. How could he destroy his own image in front of the person he admired by acting so pathetically?
However, as he reminisced, although Shen Yan’s embrace had been cold, it was very soft. The palm patting his back had been incredibly reassuring.
"It seems you've recovered your spirits. You have the energy to talk to yourself so early in the morning..."
Xuan Yang jumped. Having just woken from such a vivid dream, he hadn't checked his surroundings in time. Hearing Shen Yan’s familiar voice coming from far too close, Xuan Yang slowly turned his head and lowered his gaze—
"You—you, you? Me? Why... are we... sleeping... huh?"
Shen Yan had likely been woken by Xuan Yang sitting up. He let out a tired yawn. One look at the paper window told him he had slept for quite a while. He had only intended to rest for a moment, which showed just how mentally exhausted he had been lately. Shen Yan thought to himself that raising a child was truly exhausting work; it was a miracle Senior Nie Shiyun had managed to raise Xuan Yang from a little sprout to this size. He would return this trouble to him in a few days and never involve himself in such a mess again.
"Now that you're up, don't just sit there in a daze. The Calamity Beast is dealt with, and Wuyi has been sent back. I reckon it's time you returned to Yunqing Pavilion. Those alchemy materials—the sooner you get them to Senior Zhai Bairong, the fresher they'll be..."
For a moment, Xuan Yang’s brain ceased to function.
Shen Yan—and him—had slept together!
Having a massive misunderstanding of the phrase "slept together," Xuan Yang stammered for a long time without being able to speak, his cheeks turning a brilliant crimson.
By now, Shen Yan had already nimbly climbed off the bed and was tidying his clothes. He hadn't undressed before sleeping, so it only took a few seconds. When he turned back, he saw Xuan Yang was still staring blankly.
"Hey, did you hear me?"
Shen Yan was initially a bit impatient, but remembering Xuan Yang’s pitiful appearance yesterday, he couldn't help but soften his usually strict and forceful tone. "Are you still not fully awake? Do you want me to bring some water for you to wash your face?"
*Something is wrong with him!* Xuan Yang’s mind was racing like ten thousand stampeding horses.
Shen Yan was actually speaking so gently. Xuan Yang swallowed nervously. Since they had slept in the same bed, that meant he should take responsibility, right?!
"No need, no need, I'll do it myself. You—you can just act like you usually do!" Xuan Yang climbed out of bed with a look of suspicion and trepidation, so nervous that his limbs moved awkwardly in sync.
"Oh." Shen Yan immediately reverted to his usual attitude. This kid Xuan Yang really did have stronger mental resilience than he thought. Whether he was just putting on a brave face or not, at least he seemed mostly recovered after a night's sleep.
"Ah, what did you say just now? Going back to Yunqing Pavilion?"
"Yes."
Shen Yan had expected Xuan Yang to be a hundred times reluctant; even if he was homesick, he would usually need several "outs" offered to him before agreeing. To his surprise, the other party agreed immediately.
"Fine, it is about time I went back."
Shen Yan blinked, thinking this saved him a lot of trouble. However, rather than parting ways here, he preferred to take this opportunity to visit together, primarily to collect his commission before leaving.
"Then, it just so happens that I—"
"You're coming back with me, right?" Xuan Yang’s eyes were fixed on Shen Yan, filled with anticipation.
"Hmm? Oh, yeah, that was my plan."
What Xuan Yang was thinking was that he had originally been somewhat hesitant about his feelings for Shen Yan, but who would have thought the other party was so passionate! Since they had already "slept together," he had to take responsibility to the end. He had to bring Shen Yan back and formally introduce him to Nie Shiyun and the others.
And of all people, it had to be someone Nie Shiyun and the others already knew. Ugh, he was a bit nervous.
Xuan Yang clenched his fists.
"Then let's head out quickly!"
Looking at the suddenly proactive Xuan Yang, Shen Yan felt something wasn't quite right. But he attributed it to the events of yesterday—perhaps Xuan Yang truly missed Senior Nie Shiyun—so he didn't think much of it.
The two of them, each with their own thoughts, left the inn. They planned to make a final purchase of some Spirit-Restoring Pills in town before setting off. Although the journey was long enough to justify taking a Celestial Ship from the harbor, for reasons they couldn't quite explain, neither wanted to waste time and both coincidentally chose to rush back on flying swords.
As they stepped out of the apothecary, Xuan Yang heard a voice calling him from behind.
"Brother—Xuan Yang—!"
Xuan Yang startled and hurriedly turned around.
"Wuyi!"
"Ha... hah... Great, I actually found you!" Wuyi came running on his short legs. This was a human town, so he didn't dare transform into his true form and fly around.
"You... how did you find me?" Xuan Yang was shocked. He looked behind Wuyi. "Did you come alone? Are you crazy?!"
"No, no, an uncle from the village brought me. But he's at the city gate, exhausted..." Wuyi spoke with an apologetic tone. Xuan Yang guessed they had rushed through the night, coming to this town closest to the demon race's territory on a whim, and they had actually managed to run into him.
"You didn't tell your family and snuck out, didn't you? You just finally got home; your family will be worried sick!" Xuan Yang crouched down to look Wuyi in the eye.
"Mother said you had urgent business and left. But Mother’s expression was so terrible. I kept thinking... did Mother have a fight with you?" Wuyi asked anxiously. "Brother Xuan Yang promised me. I told her Brother Xuan Yang promised me he wouldn't leave without saying goodbye. But Mother wouldn't tell me anything!"
"Wuyi..."
"Mother has a bad temper sometimes. I don't know why you fought, but I'm sorry..." Wuyi pouted, tears welling in his eyes.
"..."
Xuan Yang had originally felt complicated toward Wuyi, but seeing that tender little face, he quickly pushed his bitter feelings to the back of his mind.
"It was just a small disagreement! But I really do have things to do. I'm sorry for leaving without telling you."
"Where is Brother Xuan Yang going?" Wuyi asked, tugging at his sleeve.
Xuan Yang didn't hesitate, answering softly, "You've gone home. Now, I'm going home too."
Looking at Xuan Yang’s face, Wuyi vaguely realized that after this parting, he would likely never see him again.
Even though they shared the same bloodline, someone like Brother Xuan Yang and demon-folk like them living in a small village were inhabitants of two completely different worlds. Their brief and pleasant journey had come to an end.
"For you!" Wuyi finally caught his breath and fished a small stone out of his pocket, handing it to Xuan Yang. "This is my treasure! I found it in the forest near my house when I was very little. Lots of people in the village wanted it. I'm giving it to you now."
Xuan Yang took it. It was a fragment of high-grade Lapis Lazuli, shimmering brilliantly in the sunlight.
Stones like this could be found by the hundreds in Nie Shiyun’s forging room. Yet, Xuan Yang still accepted it very carefully and tucked it into his robes.
"Thank you," Xuan Yang patted Wuyi’s head. "Go home quickly. Your parents must be worried."
"Mhm!" Wuyi watched Xuan Yang stand up, offering a tired but happy smile.
Xuan Yang watched Wuyi return to the city gate. The clansman panting for breath was indeed the young man who had led them to the village. He probably didn't understand what was going on, but he still nodded to Xuan Yang and Shen Yan from a distance. Wuyi said something to him, then waved his arms vigorously at the two of them from afar before being reluctantly pulled away by the young man to start the journey back.
Shen Yan, who had been silent the whole time, finally let out a sigh. "You really are a good person. He's that woman's child, you know."
"...He doesn't know that," Xuan Yang said sullenly.
"If it were me, I'd have kidnapped him directly to make that woman suffer for the rest of her life. Or I'd just tell him the truth and let him go home and confront her," Shen Yan said coolly.
*I'm not as twisted as you!* Xuan Yang protested in his heart. Normally, he would have said it without hesitation, but remembering the past Shen Yan had shared yesterday—a past others could never imagine—Xuan Yang swallowed his words.
Twisted or not, whatever. Since he's my Dao companion now, I'll just have to bear with it.
"Anyway, it's all over! Let's go, let's go," Xuan Yang changed the subject, urging him on.
Shen Yan was only talking. If Xuan Yang were the type to do such a thing, he wouldn't be Xuan Yang.
Xuan Yang strode away, leaving that brief interlude behind. After leaving the city, the two mounted their flying swords one after the other and sped off toward the north. Xuan Yang knew perfectly well that although he was a pure-blooded demon, his home was not in a place like that.
***
One month later.
"Shen Yan hasn't sent any messages lately."
Zhai Bairong had just come out of the alchemy room a few days ago. After asking Nie Shiyun, he learned there had been no news from Shen Yan and Xuan Yang for quite some time, which naturally caused some concern.
Nie Shiyun tapped his chest lightly. "The contract bond is perfectly fine. If something happened, I'd be the first to know... Hmm?"
"What is it?" Seeing Nie Shiyun stop mid-sentence with a puzzled frown, Zhai Bairong immediately followed up.
"It seems Xuan Yang is back," Nie Shiyun chuckled.
Zhai Bairong was surprised. "That is unexpected. I thought with the temper he threw this time, he'd stay out causing trouble for at least two years before coming back."
"Maybe he ran into some big trouble and wants us to clean up his mess. Or maybe the food outside was so bad he couldn't take it anymore." Nie Shiyun never had a good word to say about Xuan Yang. Zhai Bairong was long used to the two of them being snarky whenever they were face-to-face, so he didn't expose the fact that Nie Shiyun had been showing signs of missing the boy from time to time.
In the eyes of outsiders, Xuan Yang was supposed to be in closed-door cultivation in the grotto-heaven, so he naturally couldn't walk in through the front mountain gates. However, the back mountain had a barrier; Xuan Yang could enter on his own, but Shen Yan would be blocked. After a moment, Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong heard Xuan Yang shouting at the top of his lungs from outside: "Nie Shiyun! Let Shen Yan in!"
Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong exchanged a look. "Oh? It seems they've come together. I heard from Shen Yan that their relationship was abysmal at the start; I didn't expect them to be on such good terms now."
"Xuan Yang has grown quite a bit," Zhai Bairong said with relief.
The two went outside the grotto-heaven. With a wave of his hand, Nie Shiyun temporarily lifted the barrier's restrictions. Soon, two figures flew in on swords, one after the other—it was indeed Xuan Yang and Shen Yan.
"Long time no see," Nie Shiyun said leisurely.
Xuan Yang still remembered how he had turned the grotto-heaven upside down before running away from home. He felt a bit awkward now and muttered softly, "Oh... I'm back."
"Greetings, Seniors," Shen Yan nodded in greeting.
Zhai Bairong waved his hand, indicating there was no need for formalities.
"You don't have to be so polite! Come on, let's go inside and rest." Xuan Yang’s awkwardness didn't even last thirty seconds before he regained the comfort of being in his old home.
"This is Senior Nie’s grotto-heaven, not yours," Shen Yan sighed.
"It's fine, everyone come in," Nie Shiyun invited.
It had been a while since Shen Yan’s last visit to Yunqing Pavilion. He looked around and felt that Nie Shiyun’s mountain peak had become even more pleasant and livable. There was a large peach forest outside the grotto-heaven and several plots of soil for planting spiritual herbs. A stream diverted from afar gurgled nearby, kept at a distance where it wouldn't be noisy. In any case, Shen Yan had rarely seen a cultivator who knew how to enjoy life more than Nie Shiyun.
The four of them entered the grotto-heaven together. Having not been here for a few years, many new pieces of furniture had been added. When Nie Shiyun was bored, he would pick some materials from his forging warehouse and casually make furniture or decorations. He heard from Xuan Yang that Nie Shiyun had taken an interest in pottery a few years back and made many teacups and teapots for personal use. One should know that the line of people outside begging him to forge weapons could stretch to the foot of the mountain. If those people knew this man spent his days at home being "unproductive," they would probably all be fuming with rage.
Xuan Yang was already thirsty from the journey and drank a whole cup of the familiar fruit-flavored spiritual beverage in one go.
"Hah... Did you get the letter I sent a while back?"
"Mhm. I heard you dealt with quite a few Calamity Beasts on your own. You've really done well for yourself," Nie Shiyun nodded in affirmation.
"Hmph, as I should!" Xuan Yang couldn't help but show a proud smile. "I even brought back trophies for you!"
"Oh... these are truly good items." Taking the items Xuan Yang pulled out of his storage ring one by one, even Nie Shiyun’s eyes lit up. Calamity Beasts weren't exceptionally high-grade spirit beasts, but they were rare. Rarity made things valuable; something seen once in a century would be highly sought after even if its quality was average. As a master crafter, he was naturally fascinated by such rare materials.
Having acted mature for only a brief moment, Xuan Yang immediately lost his composure after being praised, his face full of joy.
"Ah, right, it wasn't just my credit. This guy... Shen Yan, he also helped me a lot... Actually, it's not just that. He's been very good to me during this time..."
Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong exchanged a look of shock. Xuan Yang was actually taking the initiative to praise someone else!
Even Shen Yan was surprised. In his view, he really hadn't helped much with the Calamity Beast matter. He hadn't expected Xuan Yang to put in a good word for him in front of the two seniors.
Ignoring the expressions of the others, Xuan Yang made a silent decision. He took a deep breath as if finally mentally prepared, slapped the table, stood up, and announced loudly: "Actually, I have something to tell you! You might be very surprised when you hear it... but, but I'm serious!"
"...Oh, okay. What's this about, so suddenly?" Nie Shiyun gave a dry laugh, truly unable to guess what Xuan Yang was being so solemn about.
Xuan Yang’s face turned beet red as he cleared his throat. He thought to himself: *This is the moment to show my mature, manly spirit!*
"He and I..."
Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong followed Xuan Yang’s trembling finger. Their gazes landed on a bewildered Shen Yan.
"He and I are going to become Dao companions! No... we've already become Dao companions!"
Nie Shiyun: "..."
Zhai Bairong: "..."
The person in question followed the direction of Xuan Yang’s finger, looking left and right to confirm there was no one else around. Xuan Yang was indeed pointing at him, Shen Yan.
Shen Yan: "...Huh?"
"Eh?" Seeing Shen Yan’s look of utter disbelief, Xuan Yang asked in confusion, "What are you so surprised for?!"
"Me?" Shen Yan pointed at himself. "Me, and you?"
"Who—who else!?"
Silence fell over the grotto-heaven for several seconds.
Shen Yan couldn't fathom what kind of joke this was. "What kind of sleep-talk are you spouting?"
Xuan Yang never expected that after he had openly declared his willingness to accept the other party in front of Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong, Shen Yan would suddenly play hard to get!
"You were clearly the one showing interest in me! And we've already slept together; are you going to back out now?!"
Nie Shiyun was dumbfounded. "...Ah? Slept... slept together?"
Zhai Bairong looked at Shen Yan. "This..."
"Wha—what?" This was likely the first time in history Shen Yan had been so shocked he couldn't speak clearly. "Seniors, wait a moment, don't misunderstand. It's really not what you think! I couldn't possibly do anything to such a young child... No, it has nothing to do with age; I never had that intention in the first place!"
Hearing Shen Yan say this, Xuan Yang’s face twisted into an indignant expression of "How dare you."
Seeing the incredulous looks from Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong, Shen Yan felt an unprecedented sense of crisis.
He should never have taken on this hot potato in the first place!
...
After a bout of chaos in the grotto-heaven, the truth finally came to light after Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong questioned both parties.
"You all teamed up to trick me?!"
Upon learning that Shen Yan’s initial kindness was only because he was ordered to look after him, Xuan Yang screamed in rage.
"Cough, you stole so many pills and spirit stones. Originally, you were supposed to pay me back with a fifty percent annual interest rate, but let's forget it now. We're even." Nie Shiyun shamelessly threw out his logic.
"Fifty percent annual interest! Why don't you just become a highwayman instead?!" Xuan Yang cursed.
Zhai Bairong suddenly thought of something and whispered to Nie Shiyun, "Back where you came from, this is called usury."
"Exactly," Nie Shiyun admitted readily.
Xuan Yang couldn't be bothered with the two of them using terms only they understood. He turned back to Shen Yan, refusing to give up. "Then what about later when you patted my head! They didn't order you to do that, did they?"
"Senior Nie and the others pat your head too, don't they? It's just a gesture of goodwill toward a junior."
"You—after we killed the Calamity Beast, you told me I wasn't allowed to show my true form to anyone else, only to you! If that isn't blatant possessiveness, what is?!"
Veins nearly popped on Shen Yan’s forehead as he said, word by word, "My original words were absolutely *not* like that."
"Then—then later, you held me tightly for a long time."
"There was no 'tightly.' That was because you were crying your eyes out..."
"Crying your eyes out..." Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong looked at the two in confusion. Xuan Yang realized he hadn't mentioned meeting his biological mother to them, but the situation was too complicated now; he decided to bring it up later.
"Don't—don't talk about that! Then why did you have to sleep with me? That definitely causes a misunderstanding! Does a normal person lie down in the same bed as someone else?"
"Generally, no. But it's precisely because I see you as a child that I didn't care," Shen Yan explained until his mouth was dry.
"Ugh...!"
At this point, being called a "child" caused Xuan Yang several times more damage than ever before.
"Liars! You're all liars!" Xuan Yang experienced his first heartbreak. And it was a heartbreak that came after mistakenly thinking the other person liked him, agonizing over it for a long time, and finally giving a response. The double blow to his pride and his feelings left his mind in a mess. After a round of shouting, he ran out of the grotto-heaven.
"..."
Shen Yan let out a deep sigh and said to Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong, "I really didn't expect it to be misunderstood to this extent..."
The two now knew the full story, but they really couldn't blame Shen Yan. It was indeed Xuan Yang’s thought process that was too abnormal, coupled with his overactive ego, that created such a ridiculous situation.
"Don't we need to go find him?"
Nie Shiyun waved his hand, signaling Shen Yan not to worry. "It's fine. Let him cool down on his own first."
Zhai Bairong frowned. "Speaking of which, we were the ones who asked you to follow Xuan Yang. If we have to be honest, this happened because we didn't consider things carefully enough."
"Not at all." In his heart, Shen Yan truly felt he had been innocently dragged into this. But facing the two before him, he wouldn't say that directly.
"It seems our education of him in this area was a bit lacking," Nie Shiyun sighed. "Forget it, forget it. It's just a misunderstanding anyway. I reckon he's just embarrassed; he won't actually hold a grudge against you for this. He'll be fine once he cools off."
Shen Yan let out a weary sigh. "I won't be appearing in front of him for several years. To be honest, Seniors, I'm exhausted after this period."
"I understand, I understand." Nie Shiyun wasn't the type to play around with empty words. He decisively gave Shen Yan a large sum of spirit stones as his due reward and threw in a free spiritual tool.
"Thank you, Senior." Feeling the spirit stones, Shen Yan finally felt a sense of "closure." However, thinking of Xuan Yang’s expression as he stormed out just now, he still felt a bit irritable.
It felt as if he had done something wrong.
"How is the Soul-Summoning Banner? Do you need me to take a look at it for you?" Nie Shiyun asked.
"No... I haven't used it much lately. Maybe another time. Thank you for the offer."
"Let me know if you need anything," Nie Shiyun shrugged. He could see that Shen Yan’s entire body was screaming "I need to run away."
From their first meeting, Shen Yan had been prickly, refusing too much contact with others. In Nie Shiyun’s view, he was the type where if you took a step forward, he took a step back; if you took a step back, he’d vanish. Because of that stroke of luck years ago, they could only be considered acquaintances after all this time. Now, having been saddled with a huge trouble like Xuan Yang—who was like an air-dropped bomb—Shen Yan was probably regretting it to death.
"..."
Shen Yan stood up, thinking of telling Nie Shiyun and the others about Xuan Yang meeting his biological mother. But the words hesitated at his lips for a moment. Shen Yan felt it was better to let Xuan Yang decide whether to speak of it or not.
He had already received his payment; there was no need to report every little thing.
Shen Yan told himself this in his heart and hurriedly bid his farewell.
"Where's Xuan Yang? Can you sense him?" Zhai Bairong asked, watching Shen Yan’s retreating back as if he were fleeing for his life.
Nie Shiyun replied, "He's probably back in his own grotto-heaven. Let's not disturb him for now. Who knows if he's behind closed doors crying his eyes out? If we go now, he'll feel even more embarrassed."
"He's already embarrassed enough..." Zhai Bairong said helplessly.
Fortunately, only the two of them had been there. If this had happened in front of the whole Yunqing Pavilion crowd, Xuan Yang probably wouldn't have been able to show his face for the rest of his life.
Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong were considerate enough not to go comfort Xuan Yang, giving him time to slowly digest the matter himself.
Xuan Yang didn't actually cry his eyes out. At first, he was just exploding with rage, wrapping himself in his quilt and punching the bed repeatedly. Then, he slept for three days straight in a huff.
Unfortunately, his troubles didn't vanish after a nap like they usually did.
"I misunderstood..." Xuan Yang muttered to himself, wrapped in the quilt. "How is it possible... I misunderstood..."
In Xuan Yang’s view, it was clearly Shen Yan who had suddenly appeared and stirred up his heart. In the end, he had pushed everything onto him and just walked away.
Unforgivable!
Xuan Yang pouted. Logic told him he should beat the guy up the next time they met. Then, he should find a gentle and beautiful partner during that time and tell Shen Yan triumphantly, "I don't care about you at all."
But when Xuan Yang tried to imagine this "partner," only Shen Yan’s decidedly un-gentle face appeared before his eyes.
During that accidental night in the same bed, Xuan Yang clearly hadn't seen anything clearly before Shen Yan had already gotten up fully dressed. But now, as he recalled it, the scene in his mind had changed. He clearly "saw" Shen Yan’s sleepy eyes—so different from his usual self—and his loose collar...
"Ugh..."
What should I do! I can't forget it!
Xuan Yang buried his head under the pillow to escape reality.
For seven whole days, there was no movement from Xuan Yang’s grotto-heaven.
Finally, Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong decided to visit the poor little bird who had suffered a setback in love at such a young age.
Approaching the grotto-heaven, Nie Shiyun frowned as if sensing something. "It seems..."
"It seems?"
"It seems he's gone again."
"..."
The barrier of Xuan Yang’s grotto-heaven was like nothing to the two of them. After calling out a few times with no response, Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong entered directly.
The interior was in a state of mess comparable to the last time Xuan Yang had ransacked the place. Pillows and bedding were strewn on the floor as if thrown in a tantrum; it was clear Xuan Yang had thrown quite a fit.
"This is..."
Zhai Bairong’s sharp eyes spotted a note by the head of the bed. With a flick of his finger, the rice paper flew over and was caught between his fingertips.
Nie Shiyun leaned his face in, resting it on Zhai Bairong’s shoulder.
"I've thought about it for a few days, and I still find it unacceptable!! Anyway, I'm going out for a while. Don't worry!"
The note was brief.
"Do you think he went to clear his head, or to find someone?" Zhai Bairong turned his head to look at Nie Shiyun.
"What do you think?"
Zhai Bairong said helplessly, "Should we notify Shen Yan?"
"I can't be bothered with the affairs of juniors. Let it be!" Nie Shiyun waved his hand, and the paper was burned to ash.
"...Fair enough."
Shen Yan, who had already been gone for several days, uncharacteristically felt a shiver run down his spine.
For so many years, he had always been the one paying Nie Shiyun. Having earned quite a bit this time, he was planning to find a remote place to live in seclusion for a while and focus on his cultivation.
Everything else was just an insignificant interlude; in this world, only one's cultivation level was the most important thing.
At this moment, Shen Yan did not yet know.
For likely the rest of his life, he would never be able to rid himself of this "interlude."
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 青金石 | Lapis Lazuli | A deep-blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone. |
| 回灵丹 | Spirit-Restoring Pill | A common medicinal pill used to recover spiritual energy. |
| 仙船 | Celestial Ship | A magical vessel used for long-distance travel in cultivation worlds. |
| 招魂幡 | Soul-Summoning Banner | A magical artifact used to control or summon souls. |
| 高利贷 | Usury | Lending money at unreasonably high interest rates. |
