The moment Zhi Yue disappeared, Xi Yu closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he met Lu Zhixing’s worried gaze.
Xi Yu’s heart softened. He slowly stepped down from the Heart-Probing Stone and said gently to Lu Zhixing, “I’m back.”
Yue’er.
Your husband is back.
Xi Yu had never considered himself a god who followed all the rules.
Hundreds of thousands of years ago, he was born inside a snow lotus in the Jade Pool, witnessed by all the gods. From the moment of his birth, it seemed as though he had been labeled as someone pure-hearted and free of worldly desires.
Xi Yu had never thought that way before. When he returned to the Ninth Heaven, he carried resentment, coldness, and murderous intent with him.
Later, after he slaughtered the demon clan, he thought he would never have another chance to live. The only thing he couldn’t bear to part with was his obedient, well-behaved disciple.
After being reborn, he still had something he sought. He wanted to return to the Ninth Heaven, restore Zhi Yue’s memories, stay by his disciple’s side, make it up to him, and protect him.
But now, Xi Yu felt that this was no longer enough.
He had never been a person without desires. On the contrary, whenever he wanted to accomplish something, he would definitely see it through.
In the past, exterminating the demon clan had been his lifelong wish. No matter the cost, he had to accomplish it.
But now…
Xi Yu’s gaze slowly settled on Lu Zhixing.
Now… he wanted Zhi Yue.
Now that he had seen his own heart clearly, he would obtain him at any cost and by any means necessary.
Of course, he wasn’t completely unreasonable. If Zhi Yue was willing, that would be best. If he wasn’t willing, Xi Yu had plenty of ways to make him willing.
He didn’t want to force him into it.
What he wanted was mutual love.
Once the demonic energy was eliminated, he would take Zhi Yue back to Lanxing Hall. The gods had long lifespans, and Zhi Yue was innocent and inexperienced when it came to matters of love. Xi Yu had plenty of time to coax him into the palm of his hand.
Before he had realized his own feelings, Xi Yu had still clung to those rules, thinking that there were proper boundaries between master and disciple and that they shouldn’t be overly intimate.
But now that he had seen his own heart clearly, Xi Yu could only think that Zhi Yue had belonged to him since before he had even become a little snake.
He should be his.
Xi Yu’s gaze fell on Lu Zhixing’s face, slowly sweeping over him inch by inch. His eyes were pitch-black, while the curve of his lips carried a casual, almost carefree pleasure.
Being stared at by him made Lu Zhixing’s chest tighten, and he was somewhat confused.
Luo Cheng’an took the opportunity to squeeze Lu Zhixing aside and stood in front of Xi Yu, checking him from left to right to see whether he was injured. Only after confirming that he was fine did he breathe a sigh of relief.
“Bro, you scared me to death. It’s been more than half an hour. What did you see inside the Heart-Probing Stone? I was so anxious that I was about to go pull you out.”
What did he see…
“I saw a…” Xi Yu paused, then spoke happily. “A priceless treasure.”
“Bro, seriously. The Heart-Probing Stone must have discovered that your greatest love is money, so that’s why it dragged you in!”
Although Luo Cheng’an complained, he still asked curiously, “What does this priceless treasure that managed to trap you look like?”
……………………..
“I can’t tell you that,” Xi Yu said leisurely. “That’s my treasure alone.”
Lu Zhixing blinked, his eyes gradually darkening.
Luo Cheng’an was about to ask more when he suddenly felt a gust of wind sweep toward them.
A fierce wind rose from all directions, lifting countless flower petals into the air. They intertwined and swirled together, forming a gigantic flower bud resembling a silkworm cocoon.
Luo Cheng’an was blown back two steps. Xi Yu quickly grabbed him, while Lu Zhixing wrapped an arm around Xi Yu’s waist and shielded him against his chest, using his back to block the howling wind.
The fragrance of peach blossoms scattered in all directions with the wind.
Xi Yu looked up at Lu Zhixing, paused, then leaned a little closer into his chest. As he spoke, his eyes glimmered with moisture.
“Thank you, Brother Lu.”
Xi Yu enunciated the words clearly, placing a slight emphasis on “Brother Lu,” as though he had repeatedly toyed with the two words between his lips and teeth before finally letting them out. The slightly raised ending seemed to carry a tiny hook, scraping against Lu Zhixing’s heart and making it pound wildly.
The tips of Lu Zhixing’s ears turned red, and even his breathing grew heavier. Only after the wind stopped did he answer,
“You’re welcome.”
Seeing Lu Zhixing’s reddened earlobes, Xi Yu raised an eyebrow, the corners of his lips curling into a teasing smile.
If the circumstances had been different, he really would have wanted to tease him for a while, until this good disciple of his was reduced to teary, misty eyes before he would be satisfied.
“Holy shit… what is this?”
Luo Cheng’an interrupted the suggestive scene in Xi Yu’s mind. His heated gaze immediately became calm again.
Xi Yu released his arm and followed Luo Cheng’an’s line of sight.
Lu Zhixing stepped aside so Xi Yu could see clearly, then turned around as well.
Countless petals covering the flower bud slowly fell away. Petal after petal withered and shriveled, turning brown and dry.
Once all the petals had fallen, two boys who looked about five or six years old appeared.
They had identical faces.
One wore red, his hair tied high with a little braid curled around his forehead. A silver collar encircled his neck, and his bright smile was dazzlingly cheerful and mischievous.
The other was dressed entirely in black. The only hint of brightness came from the silver ornament holding up his hair. His pupils were pitch-black, and his expression was cold and solemn.
“Honored guests, please forgive us for not welcoming you from afar.”
The boy in red cupped his hands and bowed toward Xi Yu.
“We hope the three of you will forgive us.”
Luo Cheng’an looked at the two boys with fascination.
“What handsome twins.”
The boy in red smiled even more brightly at that, the dimples on his cheeks sweet and adorable.
“My name is Xiaoyu. This is my older brother, Xiaohua.”
Xiaoyu ran over to Luo Cheng’an, tugging on his clothes and acting coquettishly.
“Even though we look the same, I’m still much better-looking than my brother, right?”
Luo Cheng’an was put on the spot.
How was he supposed to answer that?
But Xiaoyu gazed at him expectantly, his pair of soft little hands continuously tugging at his clothes.
It really was… hard to refuse him.
Luo Cheng’an hesitated, just about to speak, when Xiaohua, who had remained silent until now, frowned and coldly said to Luo Cheng’an,
“Answer him. Say he’s handsome.”
Luo Cheng’an was startled by the sharp command and hurriedly said to Xiaoyu,
“You’re handsome. You’re handsome.”
Upon hearing this, Xiaoyu giggled and ran over to Lu Zhixing, taking his hand.
“Big brother, am I handsome, or is my brother handsome?”
This time, Xiaohua said nothing. He simply looked at Lu Zhixing, the meaning in his eyes already perfectly clear.
Xi Yu remained silent, looking at the two children surrounded by spiritual power. Most of his attention fell on the solemn-faced Xiaohua.
Xiaohua seemed to be accustomed to Xiaoyu doing things like this. There was some impatience between his brows, but he continued waiting, allowing his younger brother to waste time on such meaningless questions.
Having learned from Luo Cheng’an’s experience, Lu Zhixing answered concisely,
“You’re handsome.”
As expected, after Lu Zhixing answered, Xiaoyu came over to tug at Xi Yu.
This time, he even skipped the question, simply staring up at Xi Yu with a pair of beautiful, expectant eyes.
Xi Yu lowered his gaze and laughed.
“Your brother is handsome.”
The smile on Xiaoyu’s lips froze.
Xi Yu mercilessly pulled the hem of his robe out of Xiaoyu’s hands.
The clothes these two boys wore, their hairstyles, even the way they bowed—all of it was completely unlike the mannerisms of people from the present day.
Two people who had lived for at least several hundred years, yet still looked like children.
They possessed spiritual power and knew magic.
They seemed like gods, yet not quite gods.
They seemed like demons, yet not quite demons.
Even their entrance had to be so grand and dramatic.
Xi Yu watched as Xiaoyu’s bright, sparkling eyes filled with tears. His lips puckered, looking as though he would burst into loud sobs the next second.
Xi Yu poked the dimple on his cheek.
Xiaoyu pouted, thinking that this person with terrible taste was finally about to admit his mistake.
But Xi Yu merely glanced at him and clicked his tongue.
“This makes you look even uglier.”
“Waaah!”
Xiaoyu wiped his tears and ran toward Xiaohua with quick little steps. Wrapping his arms around his brother’s neck, he sobbed,
“Brother, he’s a bad guy. He said I’m ugly. Waaaaah~”
Xiaoyu was crying so hard he could barely catch his breath.
Xiaohua glanced at the carefree Xi Yu, a trace of confusion seeming to flash through his eyes, but he had no time to worry about it. He continuously stroked Xiaoyu’s back.
“He has no taste. You’re the cutest child in Wutong Village.”
The corner of Luo Cheng’an’s mouth twitched.
He bumped Xi Yu with his shoulder.
“Bro, lick your lips.”
Xi Yu licked his lips and asked,
“Why?”
“Oh, I just wanted to see if you’d poisoned yourself to death.”
Lu Zhixing had been watching Xi Yu the entire time and had not missed the sight of that bright red tongue gliding across his lips and teeth.
As though he had been burned, he shifted his gaze away and fixed it on the still-sobbing Xiaoyu instead, his eyes gradually darkening.
Xi Yu didn’t notice Lu Zhixing’s reaction. He merely shot Luo Cheng’an a cold look.
Luo Cheng’an chuckled. After letting his gaze travel over Xi Yu once, he suddenly looked puzzled.
“Huh? Where’s your ball?”
“It ran away,” Xi Yu said casually.
Inside the Heart-Probing Stone, he had forcibly broken through the illusion with his spiritual power. His spiritual energy had become turbulent, and Chenyu had taken the opportunity to escape.
It was within his expectations.
He had never expected to be able to trap Chenyu’s sword soul forever. Now that they were in Wutong Village, where Chenyu’s true body was located, it didn’t matter whether that strand of sword soul was there or not.
Its true body was here.
It couldn’t escape.
The only thing he needed to worry about was whether Chenyu’s true body would affect Lu Zhixing.
Chenyu had been sealed for so many years that the seal had already loosened. The sword could not be destroyed, so Xi Yu only needed to reinforce the seal and prevent it from clinging to Lu Zhixing.
“Done crying?” Xi Yu asked. “If you’re done, can we go inside?”
Xiaoyu’s sobbing stopped for a moment.
Then he cried even louder.
Xiaohua hurriedly wiped his tears, but when that didn’t work, he leaned close to his ear and whispered something.
Xiaoyu immediately broke into a smile. He shook his brother’s arm and said softly,
“Thank you, Brother.”
Seeing that he had successfully comforted his brother, Xiaohua breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at the three of them, his voice indifferent.
“The Holy Son has already prepared rooms for you. Follow me.”
Hearing the words “Holy Son,” Xi Yu finally became somewhat interested.
He really couldn’t wait to meet this famous Holy Son who had already known they were coming.
“Xiaoyu, they just got some new rose hair flowers today. Uncle will give you one.”
Inside Wutong Village, after entering through the entrance and crossing an arched bridge over the river about ten minutes later, they arrived at a place separated from the silent flower path as though it were an entirely different world.