The crude cave dwelling lacked even a single window. With the main door shut, it was impossible to tell whether it was day or night outside.
When Xuan Yang woke up, he estimated it was likely already afternoon. Tossing over only to find the space beside him empty, he sat up in a panic.
"Shen Yan?" Xuan Yang called out loudly, scrambling to pull on his clothes.
He circled the cramped dwelling but found no sign of the other man, so he hurried outside.
He happened to catch Shen Yan just as he was returning. Shen Yan looked startled to see Xuan Yang lunging toward him with such frantic energy.
"Where did you go? I didn't see you when I woke up, and I was just wondering if you didn't want to take responsibility for me..." Xuan Yang complained loudly, clinging to him and refusing to let go.
"Hey, what nonsense are you spouting in broad daylight?" Shen Yan tried unsuccessfully to push Xuan Yang off. He glanced around and felt relieved when he saw no one else was nearby. At times like this, he was incredibly grateful he had chosen such a secluded spot to live.
"It’s because you’re always disappearing in the blink of an eye. I was worried."
Shen Yan explained with feigned composure, "I only came back because I ran into you yesterday. This morning, I remembered I was supposed to go to town to sell spirit herbs. Once these things are harvested, their price drops every day they sit."
Xuan Yang grumbled under his breath, dissatisfied. "After doing *that* sort of thing, shouldn't we be all sweet and inseparable the next morning, clinging to each other for half the day...?"
Upon hearing the phrase "that sort of thing," Shen Yan averted his gaze. He was much more clear-headed now that he was awake. Recalling how he had been tossed about this way and that by Xuan Yang the previous night—losing every bit of the composure expected of an elder—he felt utterly mortified. That was precisely why he had run out to find work to do, hoping to calm his mind.
"Who taught you such nonsense?" Shen Yan asked awkwardly. Truthfully, he didn't understand these matters much himself.
"Nie Shiyun and the other guy were always stuck together like that when they were young. Though it’s still pretty much the same now..." Xuan Yang guaranteed with absolute certainty.
Shen Yan clicked his tongue. "Senior Nie and his partner don't avoid you? Do they... have any common sense?" He tried his best to control his words so as not to sound too disrespectful toward the two.
Xuan Yang pursed his lips. Every time it happened, he was actually kicked out. But since that was a bit embarrassing to admit, he decided to keep his mouth shut. In any case, if the label of "lacking common sense" was pinned on those two, it didn't bother Xuan Yang one bit.
"Let's not talk about that for now... You mentioning them reminded me that Senior Zhai left me a communication stone before he departed. Since you've finished your seclusion, I should report in to him." Remembering this, Shen Yan pushed Xuan Yang aside and walked into the house alone.
Xuan Yang immediately followed. "He’s reunited with Nie Shiyun, right? Where are they now? Do you know?"
"The last contact was a long time ago. They said they’ve settled in the Lower Realm and won't be leaving for a while," Shen Yan recalled as he drank some water, having just run back and forth from town. "The duration of communication via the stone is limited, so they didn't describe things too clearly. I later scouted around for news and heard that Senior Nie apparently offended someone from the Dragon Clan. Anyway, the two of them are currently lying low."
Xuan Yang wasn't particularly shocked after hearing this. Instead, he said with a hint of regret, "Oh, that sounds like him. It’s so frustrating to think he’s involved in some exciting mess while I missed it all because I was stuck in seclusion."
Shen Yan sighed. "You make it sound so simple. Senior Zhai specifically warned me not to mention the name 'Nie Shiyun' anywhere. The situation is likely quite serious."
"He’s always like that when it involves Nie Shiyun," Xuan Yang waved his hand dismissively, though his expression turned a bit lonely. Since Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong had put it that way, it wouldn't be convenient for him to go looking for them with great fanfare.
Shen Yan poured a cup of water for Xuan Yang, observing his expression. "You think of him as a father, after all. You must miss them after being apart for so long, right?"
Xuan Yang choked on his water, nearly coughing his lungs out. He tried to cover it up, saying, "I don't miss them at all! Besides, I never thought of him as a father or anything. Don't talk nonsense. At most... right, he's just a high-level meal ticket!"
Shen Yan remained noncommittal. Xuan Yang had always been stubborn and awkward whenever Nie Shiyun was involved; that hadn't changed since he was a child. But anyone with eyes could see that Nie Shiyun was the person he was closest to.
"Anyway, I'll report to them first. What we do next will depend on them. You should think about our next move."
Shen Yan walked to the side to send a message to Zhai Bairong, leaving Xuan Yang to ponder. Xuan Yang had always lived one step at a time. From the beginning, he had thought that as long as he could wander the world freely with Shen Yan, it didn't matter where they went. However, now that he was thinking clearly, Xuan Yang felt a bit uneasy—he had run away after beating up several of that "cheap father's" sons. How was it that after all this time, not a single member of the Phoenix Clan had come to settle the score?
He glanced at Shen Yan’s back nearby. The Phoenix Clan might not dare to touch him, but there was no guarantee they wouldn't strike at the human Shen Yan. Xuan Yang felt anxious; if only he could suddenly become an Integration Stage cultivator.
But if the Phoenix Emperor himself acted, forget the Integration Stage—even a Great Vehicle Stage cultivator wouldn't be a match...
Xuan Yang felt a bit dejected. He didn't know how to make money, so forget supporting Shen Yan—even supporting himself wasn't easy. His only strengths were that his cultivation was more efficient than others and his feathers were beautiful. If he couldn't protect his partner when the time came, he wouldn't have the face to keep living.
While he was lost in thought, Shen Yan had already finished communicating with Zhai Bairong. The other party happened to not be in seclusion, so the response was quick.
Hearing that Xuan Yang had caused a scene and fled the Phoenix Clan, both of them were inevitably worried. Shen Yan and Xuan Yang’s cultivation levels were not yet high enough to oppose the entire Phoenix Clan.
The two of them discussed whether they should come to the Upper Realm to meet up with Xuan Yang and Shen Yan. Although Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong had not yet reached the Great Vehicle Stage either, they were at least significantly stronger. Plus, after many years apart, they did miss each other. Of course, neither side explicitly said so.
"Are they coming?" When Xuan Yang heard Shen Yan’s report, a spark of joy he couldn't suppress flickered in his eyes.
"They said they’ll think about it. It’s just that the timing is bad..." Shen Yan relayed faithfully.
"The timing? What's wrong with the timing?"
Xuan Yang had just come out of seclusion and was completely ignorant of the current state of the Upper Heavens. Shen Yan, however, frequently traveled between towns and knew quite a bit of gossip. He finally remembered now—earlier this year, it was heard that the Dragon Clan had made a rare public appearance to host a banquet. However, a scandal broke out: the Dragon Sovereign's youngest son had spent years in the Middle Realm mingling with humans. Not only had his cultivation failed to progress, but he had even lost one of his scales.
The younger generation of the Dragon Clan, especially the Dragon Sovereign's sons, mostly had different mothers, making their relationships very delicate. It was said the scene at the banquet was extremely chaotic.
The Dragon Sovereign was quite displeased. If Ao Fan had reported the matter to him earlier, he simply wouldn't have let Ao Fan appear in public. But Ao Fan had kept his mouth shut and even tried to cover the gap with a crudely made ceramic imitation, utterly humiliating the Sovereign.
After being exposed, Ao Fan had shouted with a flushed face, claiming his opponent was a late-stage Great Vehicle cultivator, but that he had killed him on the spot despite the gap in their levels, so he was the ultimate winner. People were skeptical.
Regardless, the news leaked out. The Dragon Sovereign was furious and, upon returning to the clan, interrogated Ao Fan again to see if he was telling the truth. Although Ao Fan insisted he had killed the opponent, the Dragon Sovereign remained enraged. He forbade Ao Fan from returning to the Middle Realm for fun and sentenced him to a hundred years of solitary confinement.
"I had heard about this before, but I never imagined Senior Nie was the one behind it, so I didn't make the connection at all..."
It was the Dragon Clan, after all. Although Ao Fan had become a laughingstock among the humans in the Upper Realm, they only dared to laugh behind his back. Judging by the timing when Zhai Bairong warned Shen Yan not to mention Nie Shiyun, hadn't Nie Shiyun only just arrived in the Upper Heavens back then?
Shen Yan felt a headache coming on. Whenever Nie Shiyun was involved, nothing was ever a small matter.
Turning to look at Xuan Yang, he saw only a look of regret on his face, as if he were thinking, "Ah, I really wanted to join in." Shen Yan knew that since this guy had grown up with Nie Shiyun and was naturally thick-skinned, he couldn't be judged by the standards of a normal person.
Xuan Yang was only thinking about it. After some consideration, he said to Shen Yan, "Since that happened, it’s better if Nie Shiyun and the other guy don't come. Is the Dragon Clan like the Phoenix Clan, mostly clustered in the Upper Realm? Then the Lower Realm is much safer. I'll go find them when there's a chance later. What are they doing every day now?"
"Senior Zhai said they occasionally do some business, but most of the time they’re in seclusion or planting spirit herbs outside their cave," Shen Yan said.
"How boring," Xuan Yang commented succinctly.
But if it were him and Shen Yan, that kind of leisurely life seemed quite nice. Xuan Yang thought hypocritically.
After talking for so long, both of them felt a bit parched again. Shen Yan went to drink more water. Seeing his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, Xuan Yang couldn't help but feel his heart race again.
Just as Shen Yan put down the cup, Xuan Yang pressed close to him. Shen Yan quickly called for a halt. "Enough. Is there nothing else in your head?"
"Yesterday's was for yesterday, today's is for today... mmm." Xuan Yang spoke with mock seriousness, gently kissing Shen Yan’s lips. It was like a chick pecking at grain—light enough not to be annoying, but enough to make one feel restless.
Shen Yan narrowed his eyes, momentarily undecided. But today, he didn't want to be led by the nose by this brat again...
"The Nie Shiyun you mentioned... is he the human contracted to Xuan Yang?"
A chill ran down both their spines. Their intimate movements froze in place. That voice had not come from either of them...
"W-Wah! You... when did you appear!" Xuan Yang looked toward the doorway. Standing there was none other than his "cheap father."
