Chapter 82: Mate Imprint Part 1

The situation was too bizarre. Yan Xinfeng’s entire body tensed up instantly. After retreating two steps, he was bumped against the door.

The body that crashed into his embrace was scorching hot, carrying an irresistible brute force. It wrapped around him tightly like vines.

Yan Xinfeng instinctively reached out. His palm naturally gripped the other’s waist, trying to steady or push him away.

He could tell that Wei Tingxia’s current state was off, so his attempt to push back hesitated for a moment. However, this instant of hesitation gave the other an opening.

A wet, hot kiss landed on his chin. Yan Xinfeng shuddered all over. While leaning his neck back, he called out.

“Xiao Xia? Yan Xia! What’s wrong with you?”

No one responded. Seeing his move succeed, Wei Tingxia burrowed into him relentlessly, seeking more. His mind was unclear, so he acted without restraint. Even rejections and blocks went unheard as he kissed even more fervently.

Yan Xinfeng knew something was wrong and didn’t dare act rashly. He could only dodge. With so many concerns, he naturally fell at a disadvantage and haphazardly let the other kiss his mouth, face, and neck several times.

“I really…”

He had just sworn at Profound Subtle Peak that he would kill himself if his heart stirred again, yet now he was kissed into this sorry state. Yan Xinfeng briefly gave up struggling. Leaning against the door, he let out a long sigh before raising his hand to grip Wei Tingxia’s neck.

“Don’t move!”

He warned gruffly, “If you kiss me one more time, I’ll really hit you!”

He was lying, but no one knew. Yan Xinfeng watched as Wei Tingxia uncomfortably stopped his actions, his gaze still flicking toward his neck.

“…”

In his fluster, Yan Xinfeng reached to touch Wei Tingxia’s forehead. It was another wave of feverish heat. Wei Tingxia’s eyes were dazed, his pupils dilated and unfocused, completely lacking his usual clarity or cunning.

His entire face flushed with an unnatural tide of red. His breathing was rapid and scorching, the exhaled breath carrying a cloyingly sweet fragrance.

Even with his neck gripped, he struggled unconsciously, trying to press close again. His body was soft like it had no bones, yet carried a stubborn brute force.

Seeing this, Yan Xinfeng exclaimed, “Good heavens…”

Wei Tingxia’s state was clearly wrong, but what was going on?

“Xiao Xia, stay still first. I’ll find something for you—”

Before he finished speaking, Wei Tingxia struggled again, even more recklessly than before. Afraid of really choking him, Yan Xinfeng released his hand and used his arm to block between them.

Though Wei Tingxia had strength, it couldn’t compare to Yan Xinfeng’s. He could only watch as a distance remained between them. His body grew increasingly uncomfortable, tears welling up in his eyes involuntarily.

“Yan Xinfeng…”

He called out, his voice low and sad.

Seeing no response or movement from Yan Xinfeng, more tears gathered in his eyes, on the verge of falling. He called again, “Yan Xinfeng…”

“No,” Yan Xinfeng said softly. “I have a dao companion, remember? You’re still young. Don’t do something wrong on a momentary impulse.”

His spiritual power was extremely yang and fierce. Forcing it into Wei Tingxia would only make the drug’s effects backlash harder. While blocking him, Yan Xinfeng panicked and racked his brain. He remembered Shen Yanbai had given him something…

A drop of water splashed onto the back of his hand.

Yan Xinfeng looked up, his mind buzzing.

Wei Tingxia was really crying.

It could only be said he hadn’t seen enough of the world. At the sight of a few tears, Yan Xinfeng felt like the sky was collapsing. He wanted to cry too.

Good heavens, I haven’t even cried. What’s he crying for?

“Why are you crying?” He panicked and used his other hand to wipe away the tears about to fall. “I haven’t cried. What’s there for you to cry about?”

Wei Tingxia’s mind was still unclear, but he sobbed out an answer, “You won’t let me kiss you…”

Wow, the first time seeing someone cry just because they weren’t allowed to kiss. What a little rogue.

Yan Xinfeng felt both angry and amused. “Crying because you can’t kiss? Where does that logic come from?”

That was Wei Tingxia’s own logic.

It was also at this moment that Yan Xinfeng finally realized what was wrong—the floral scent in the hall was too intense.

It was spring, with all things burgeoning. The flower tree in the rear hall had an aphrodisiac effect in its fragrance, but it was extremely mild and had basically no impact on people. Perhaps because Wei Tingxia was a demon fiend with a different constitution, it caused this problem after he smelled it.

Once he figured it out, Yan Xinfeng’s suspended heart finally settled.

“Don’t worry. For your condition, just take an antidote pill.”

With that, he took one out from his storage pouch and stuffed it into Wei Tingxia’s mouth, coaxing him, “Swallow it, and you won’t feel bad anymore.”

Wei Tingxia silently watched him. After a pause following the pill, his throat bobbed as he swallowed it.

Yan Xinfeng relaxed completely.

Confirming that he wasn’t as agitated as before, he slowly lowered his hand and fetched a handkerchief to hand over for wiping tears.

But before he could extend his hand, a sudden change occurred.

The formerly obedient demon fiend suddenly curled into a malicious smile the instant Yan Xinfeng relaxed.

Seeing that smile, alarm bells rang in Yan Xinfeng’s mind. At the same time, dark color surged in Wei Tingxia’s eyes, demonic energy roiling. Caught off guard, Yan Xinfeng’s back slammed into the door frame with a muffled grunt.

His movements were briefly bound. He could only watch as Wei Tingxia tilted his head and spat out the antidote pill that hadn’t actually been swallowed.

“I don’t want the antidote.”

Wei Tingxia smugly flipped him off. His sleeve slipped, revealing his left wrist.

This was an act of overconfidence. Yan Xinfeng was quite pissed, his gaze unconsciously sweeping over before abruptly freezing.

There was a character on Wei Tingxia’s wrist.

The moment he saw it clearly, Yan Xinfeng’s eyes bulged in shock. He stared fixedly at the wrist like he hadn’t seen one in eight hundred years. Only after Wei Tingxia noticed the anomaly did he ask softly, “Xiao Xia… what’s that on your wrist?”

His voice was too gentle, to the point of sending chills down the spine. Yet Wei Tingxia seemed oblivious. He tilted his head to look at the character on his wrist and said, “It’s you.”

“…”

Once the character was exposed, a strong sense of connection pierced through his mind. Yan Xinfeng took a deep breath, feeling dizzy.

Wei Tingxia didn’t know what he was thinking. After answering, he lowered his hand and sauntered over to Yan Xinfeng, planting a smiley kiss on his mouth.

“You have my name on your hand, and I have yours,” he said. “We can kiss.”

Yan Xinfeng said, “Let me go.”

“No,” Wei Tingxia shook his head in refusal. “You’ll run if I let go.”

His mind was nearly unclear, yet he still knew to guard against it. Yan Xinfeng’s mouth twitched, somewhat amused in anger.

“Don’t worry. I won’t run,” he coaxed patiently. “I won’t run anymore.”

Wei Tingxia was skeptical. “Really?”

“Really,” Yan Xinfeng nodded. In that instant, many things came to mind, and his mouth finally curved into a smile. “As long as you don’t run, I won’t run.”

…

…

Actually, many things had clues upon closer thought.

Why had the Heavenly Dao suddenly shown mercy, letting two demon fiends crawl out of the Demon Abyss over a few hundred years, both successively entangled with Yan Xinfeng.

Yan Xinfeng recalled the massacre at Xumi Palace and the days when it was wiped clean. He had been in the woods near the Demon Abyss, picking up the blood-soaked Wei Tingxia.

He said demonic cultivators were chasing him. Were those demonic cultivators chasing him surnamed Xu and named Feng, living in Xumi Palace?

Yan Xinfeng felt he truly had talent. All those flaws back then, yet he had been blind to them.

“Who are you?” he asked.

Wei Tingxia lay on him laughing, kissing his chest sporadically with a sense of wish fulfilled. The faint, secret connection finally linked them at this moment. Yan Xinfeng could hear a part of his own heart beating not far away.

“I am me,” Wei Tingxia answered. “You are me too.”

He shook Yan Xinfeng’s wrist, his fingertip pressing on the “Xia” character, the meaning obvious.

Demon fiends were heartless, but possessiveness was innate. Things they liked had to belong to them.

He liked Yan Xinfeng, but Yan Xinfeng always rejected him, which made him sad. But now he understood—Yan Xinfeng was his too.

Wei Tingxia’s eyes curved in a smile.

The room was filled with floral fragrance. Yan Xinfeng gazed at the soft brows and eyes of his beloved amid the surging darkness, emotions welling up. Unconsciously, he reached out, his palm sliding from the neck to the face, fingertip lightly rubbing between the brows.

He didn’t know what had happened to make the once-famous Night Illuminating Lord undergo a complete transformation, reborn anew. But the connection between them had never been so profound. This let Yan Xinfeng know—he was him.

Yan Xia was Wei Tingxia.

His heart of guilt and regret finally found a moment of peace.

Yan Xinfeng curved his lips. “Yes, you didn’t get it wrong.”

The next day.

After dawn broke, a bird flapped its wings and landed on the tallest, densest branch of the flower tree in the rear hall.

It pecked two flower buds into its beak, hopped on the branch, looking very happy and excited.

Suddenly, odd noises came from the room—thud thud, like something falling to the ground. The bird was startled and flew away hastily, leaving only the shaking flower branches.

In the room, Wei Tingxia knelt obediently on the bed, eyes downcast. He occasionally sneaked a glance upward at the person pacing back and forth like an angry hedgehog.

Last night, in the heat of passion, he dared say and do anything. Once sober, propriety returned, changing everything.

Yan Xinfeng wore only inner robes, with an extra outer robe draped on. He paced the room, pointing at Wei Tingxia twice before turning his face away in anger, unwilling to look. His movements occasionally tugged the inner robe open, revealing the clearly marked neck from kisses and bites.

“You… you, you’re really!”

His words came out haltingly. Wei Tingxia knew he had gone too far last night and waited obediently for him to finish.

But his clothes weren’t as neatly worn as Yan Xinfeng’s. With a slight movement, the robe slipped off his shoulder—an utterly indecent sight.

Yan Xinfeng glanced once and looked away, his finger trembling. “Put your clothes on properly!”

“I’m wearing them fine!” Wei Tingxia retorted. “Besides, I plan to sleep more. I feel unwell.”

“Where do you feel unwell?” Yan Xinfeng asked. “I’m so angry my heart hurts.”

Wei Tingxia furrowed his brow, without a hint of shame. He said directly, “You were too forceful last night. I can’t take it.”

“…”

Yan Xinfeng took a deep breath and looked up at the beam, wondering if he could hang himself from it.

“How can you say that?” he asked. “It’s broad daylight, and last night I didn’t… it was you…”

He couldn’t continue. After glaring at Wei Tingxia for a bit, he strode over, shook out the rumpled bedding, and wrapped him up tightly, like wrapping a dumpling three times over.

“Lie still!”

Wei Tingxia obediently watched his actions. Seeing Yan Xinfeng’s robe open when he bent down, he couldn’t resist reaching out to touch.

Yan Xinfeng: “…”

“Were you always like this before?” he couldn’t help saying. “All that innocence and naturalness was fake. You’re just so, so…”

From opening his eyes until now, he hadn’t spoken a complete sentence. It showed how shocking facts could stun someone silly.

Wei Tingxia felt sorry for him and touched Yan Xinfeng’s chest again, then slid down to pat his lower abdomen.

“Don’t be afraid,” he said. “I’ll treat you well.”

“Is that so?” Yan Xinfeng gave a dry laugh. “How do you plan to treat me well?”

The question was sharp, giving a sense of crisis—like if the answer was wrong, Yan Xinfeng would pack up and head to the divorce office.