Chapter 15: Clutching this Lord’s sleeve, calling another’s name.
Yan Jingyu was drowsy again after eating his fill, but his hair wasn’t dry, so he had to return to the stove.
He was still sulking, so from time to time, he would deliberately smack the hollowed-out bronze cover of the stove with his hand warmer. After a few times, Liao Chen finally noticed. “Come here, I’ll help you dry it.”
“Why is it always me who has to go over?”
Although he said that, Yan Jingyu was just taking a verbal advantage. After all, he was the one who wanted his hair dried, so of course, he had to go over himself.
Yan Jingyu was just about to get up reluctantly when a shadow suddenly fell over him. For a rare moment, Liao Chen didn’t argue with him and came directly to the stove, his long, slender palm gently stroking his long hair.
With his help, his hair indeed became dry and fresh very quickly. Yan Jingyu cast an appreciative glance at him, but saw that his gaze was fixed on the side of his own neck.
Yan Jingyu subconsciously reached up to touch it. His fingers touched something that wasn’t skin, a bit dry, a bit scratchy, about the size of a fingernail, like dried bark.
He withdrew his hand. “After my soul-lamp is extinguished, my body will turn back into the divine wood of the phoenix clan. I don’t know if there are any remnants of the divine wood left on Jiuyi Mountain. Otherwise, you could plant me there. Maybe I could even be brought back to life.”
That small patch of hard skin on his jade-like neck now only had some withered wood grain and hadn’t completely turned back to its original color, but it still looked particularly out of place.
Liao Chen said, “You know that sooner or later, you will turn back into deadwood.”
“Of course I know.” Yan Jingyu didn’t deliberately try to hide the withered patch. “I used the remnants of the divine wood to recast my body. The divine wood is also feeding on my soul. We are mutually dependent, which is why I can be so lively. But the energy of my soul-lamp is getting weaker and weaker. It will have to return to its original form sooner or later.”
“Burning the spirit to drive the wood.” Liao Chen’s voice was heavy. “This is an ancient evil art. The damage to the soul is almost irreversible. How could you do such a foolish thing?”
“Young and fearless, I guess. Always thinking of taking a gamble, that man can conquer heaven.” Yan Jingyu smiled. The smile was not mocking, but one of a detached acceptance. “Liao Chen, you should understand, it’s not that I haven’t tried. I used an evil art to recast my broken body because I thought I could break through the shackles and set foot on the immortal path again… But I failed…”
Perhaps it was because the stove was warm that he gradually relaxed his mind, or perhaps it was because this was his enemy, Liao Chen. No matter what he had been through, he would not worry about him or be affected by him. Yan Jingyu said frankly, “For the past hundred years, I have been trying to draw in spiritual energy. I have tried Soul-Flushing Pills, and also Meridian-Slicing Knives… I have scoured ancient texts and used all sorts of evil methods, but this body has always been a piece of deadwood.”
He wasn’t completely calm either. He let out a soft sigh, as if with regret, but without obsession.
But Liao Chen knew that the so-called Soul-Flushing Pills and Meridian-Slicing Knives were all heaven-defying medicines. Although their effects were the same as the two pills for cleansing the marrow and marrow, they were much more ferocious. The words “flush” and “slice” meant to forcefully carve out a non-existent meridian in the body. The ancient texts recorded that no one could endure such intense pain. Many people who wanted to defy fate and change their destiny had ultimately died by these evil methods.
Some said that if you succeeded, the immortal path would be smooth; if you failed, you would die. But Yan Jingyu had no immortal path, and he did not die. He had neither lost nor won the gamble. He had survived, but… nothing had changed.
Some people were not afraid of pain, not afraid of difficulty, and not afraid of hardship. They were only afraid of being busy but still treading water. Even a step back could arouse a person’s rebellious spirit. Not moving forward or backward, on the other hand, made people hesitate and feel lost, not knowing what to do.
“Why did you use the divine wood to cast your body?” Liao Chen gazed at him. “What happened to your body?”
“The person who gouged out my Heavenly Mandate Eyes poured bone-dissolving water on me.”
A storm suddenly brewed in Liao Chen’s eyes. After a long moment, he said, “Who was it?”
“He was wearing a mask. I couldn’t tell.” Yan Jingyu hadn’t expected to bring this topic up again. He thought for a moment, then turned his head to look at Liao Chen and revealed, “But I know that between the middle and ring fingers of his right hand, there is a mole, a red one, on the side of the middle finger.”
He held out his white fingers to show Liao Chen the position, his eyes serious. “I’ve thought about it for many years. At first, I thought he might be someone who hated me very much, perhaps I had accidentally offended him before. But after the news of my body not being found spread, I felt that he used the bone-dissolving water, perhaps to cover up the fact that my Heavenly Mandate Eyes had been gouged out… That thing is unique to me. Now the world says that the Heavenly Mandate Eyes have disappeared with my death. I think that was his purpose.”
He couldn’t be blamed for that. The feeling of bone-dissolving water on his body was something he would never forget in his life. His first reaction was who hated him so much… But thinking about it now, in the cultivation world where the weak were prey to the strong, even for the sake of cleaning up, one would definitely destroy the corpse. Otherwise, leaving behind a corpse with its eyes gouged out, wouldn’t that be handing someone a handle?
“There aren’t many artifacts that can spy on fate, but there are quite a few techniques. But for so many years, I haven’t heard of any new divination items appearing out of nowhere.” Liao Chen also pondered. “If I had to say, that husband of Ling Dannan seems to be quite skilled in divination, and he’s also blind, his eyes always wrapped in white gauze…”
“I don’t think so,” Yan Jingyu said. “If I had the Heavenly Mandate Eyes, I would definitely refine them into another artifact. I wouldn’t use them on my eyes again.”
“We’ll know when we find some time to investigate.”
Yan Jingyu had also deliberately revealed this. If Liao Chen wanted the Heavenly Mandate Eyes, he would surely personally find the culprit. He guessed that the person who had gouged out his Heavenly Mandate Eyes must have some connection with the person who had annihilated his clan. Otherwise, how could they have so coincidentally ambushed him on his escape route? Of course, he couldn’t rule out the possibility that someone had passed by and picked up the loot, but since they were going to slaughter the Yan Clan, Yan Jingyu didn’t believe those people would be willing to give up the Heavenly Mandate Eyes. This possibility was too low and could only be temporarily considered as a reference.
“Eat this.” Liao Chen suddenly took out another bottle of pills. Yan Jingyu held out his hand and saw him pour a Longevity Pill into his palm. In the cultivation world, things that could increase one’s lifespan were all rare and precious items. After all, for cultivators, lifespan was a consumable. Not everyone could ascend to immortality or become a demon in a mere hundred years and live as long as the heavens and earth.
Not to mention that this thing was hard to come by, even its raw materials were extremely precious. Even in the alchemy room of Hutian, these were all collectibles. What’s more, the one in his hand could be called top-grade… one pill could increase one’s lifespan by fifty years! An extra fifty years, for a cultivator, breaking through a realm was just around the corner!
Yan Jingyu was stunned. He immediately put it back in his hand. “My lifespan is nearing its end because of my soul-lamp. This thing is a waste on me.”
He couldn’t figure out what Liao Chen was thinking. The Cuiwei Pill was one thing; after all, Liao Chen had dealt that blow, so he deserved to bleed a little. The other Blood-Replenishing Pills and Mind-Clearing Pills were only important in the eyes of low-level cultivators and were optional after entering the Huiyang Realm. But this thing was different. Even for those at the Qianyun Realm who could move mountains and seas, it was still considered precious.
He could fight back and forth with Liao Chen, but he absolutely did not want to owe him a favor. Of course, the most important thing was that this thing was of little use to him.
If used on someone else, it might even defy fate and change their destiny.
Liao Chen couldn’t be bothered to waste words with him. He directly pinched his chin open and forcefully stuffed it in.
Yan Jingyu’s brow furrowed. “You…”
Liao Chen pressed a palm on his chest, and a powerful spiritual energy immediately poured in. Yan Jingyu’s brow furrowed even tighter. Not until the other slowed down his movements and the tidal wave of spiritual energy was transformed into a gentle stream did Yan Jingyu relax. He heard him say, “You really are delicate now. You even have a case of spirit-drowning.”
The so-called spirit-drowning was a rebellious effect produced when the body could not withstand spiritual energy. Some people with severe spirit-drowning could not even draw spiritual energy into their bodies on their own, otherwise, they would immediately feel the suffocation of drowning. Such people were also destined to have no fate with the Great Dao. Yan Jingyu’s case was not that serious. It was just that after his body was recast, it was difficult for him to withstand excessively vast spiritual energy. The person transferring it had to be patient… although the main reason was that Liao Chen was too powerful, and Yan Jingyu was now too much of a waste.
Yan Jingyu didn’t argue with him. “Your spiritual energy seems to be quite compatible with this divine wood.”
The benefactor from Cangmu Mountain had always had a hard time transferring spiritual energy to him. Even after he had exhausted himself, Yan Jingyu might not even feel anything. He figured it was because Liao Chen’s original form was a phoenix, and the Wutong wood grew in his old home.
Liao Chen didn’t say much. When he withdrew his hand, he glanced at the side of his neck, his brow furrowed. “Eat another one.”
“I told you it’s no u—” Yan Jingyu was forcefully fed another Longevity Pill. This time, Liao Chen seemed a little unsure. After thinking for a moment, he stuffed two more into his mouth. With two hundred years of lifespan down his throat, Yan Jingyu already felt a little embarrassed. This was a huge debt for him now! But the problem was that this debt hadn’t brought him any actual benefits…
Liao Chen once again refined the pills in his body for him. When he finished, his pupils narrowed. “The wood grain has faded.”
Yan Jingyu was stunned. The next instant, his chin was pinched open again, and three more Longevity Pills went down his throat. Yan Jingyu: “Do you even understand pharmacology…”
“No. Shut up.” Liao Chen’s palm was pressed against his chest for the third time, the spiritual energy firmly attached to his chest. Yan Jingyu couldn’t pull away even if he wanted to. While he was refining the pills for him again, he said, “If you want to remove the wood grain for me, you can supplement it with Heavenly Rhinoceros Pills or pills containing purple ginseng flower root, Rejuvenation Grass, and the like. Those things are the best choice for nourishing the essence in the body and preventing the side effects of the divine wood casting!!!”
Liao Chen glanced at him, a hint of ignorant confusion in his eyes.
Not until he finished again did he say calmly, “It’s gone.”
Yan Jingyu touched his own neck. It was indeed smooth and delicate again, no longer dry and scratchy from the wood grain.
Just for this little bit of wood grain that couldn’t even be called a scar, and didn’t even affect his appearance… he had used up three hundred and fifty years of lifespan.
Although Yan Jingyu no longer needed those things, he still felt a pang of heartache instinctively. Back then, he didn’t need to put any effort into cultivation. His favorite thing was alchemy. Thinking of the rare spiritual herbs in this Longevity Pill, he felt a pain in his heart as if it were being twisted by a knife.
“How do you have so many good things?”
“Chi Yuan’s inheritance.”
“…”
“And maybe Chi Yuan’s master, and Chi Yuan’s master’s master.”
“…”
That’s right. You of the Demon Realm have always been habitual robbers. No wonder you’re so rich.
The noise outside the window had subsided. Yan Jingyu returned to the bed from the fire, huddled under the covers, and slept with his clothes on.
After eating so many good things, even if his body had only absorbed one percent, it was still quite nourishing, so he slept very soundly.
In a daze, he felt as if someone was sitting beside him. Perhaps it was because the other’s aura was too gentle, Yan Jingyu vaguely thought it was an acquaintance and murmured something, his fingers loosely hooking the corner of the black clothes by the bed.
When he woke up, the sky was already bright. Yan Jingyu’s expression was still a little dazed. He took a moment to recover, then slowly got out of bed, shuffled his feet out of the screen, and saw Liao Chen cultivating again.
“What all-day-and-night bitter cultivation? I think you’re quite enjoying yourself…”
The soft muttering was heard clearly by Liao Chen. The other opened his eyes. “You cooperate with me in conditioning your body. The matter of cultivation can be less urgent. We’ll talk about it after we get the Du Fang Sword back.”
“…” It was hard to imagine that such considerate words would actually come from Liao Chen’s mouth. It seemed that the heartfelt words he had said to him yesterday had had an effect. But Yan Jingyu didn’t feel happy, but rather a little strange. “What, do you feel sorry for me?”
He wanted to say, Are you pitying me? But Liao Chen was clearly really pitying him. To state the fact would be to accept his favor, so as soon as he opened his mouth, he deliberately twisted his meaning.
Liao Chen’s face indeed turned cold. “Are you worthy?”
Hearing his refutation, Yan Jingyu suddenly smiled. He was happy again. “You see, I’m quite handsome, unparalleled in heaven and on earth. Although I’m a waste now, my appearance has been restored. And my waist is very flexible…”
As he spoke, he moved closer to Liao Chen. Besides the stove, there was also a formation set up by Liao Chen in the room. It was warm, and he didn’t feel cold at all in just a single layer of clothing. His long hair was loose, his eyes full of peach blossoms. He reached out to Liao Chen in an extremely flirtatious manner. “Let’s not fight and kill anymore. Just keep me by your side, as a male pet to love and—ow, ow, ow, ow, ow…”
Yan Jingyu’s wrist was suddenly twisted by him, and he fell directly to the floor, his face contorted. “I was just joking with you!”
Liao Chen stared at him with ragged breath, looking down at him, his expression extremely grim. Yan Jingyu had never expected him to react so strongly. After a brief moment of shock, he had to soften his voice. “I know, I won’t do it again… You, you can let go a little…”
Liao Chen didn’t let go at all. Yan Jingyu only felt the pain in his wrist gradually start to burn. His expression was panicked, and the corners of his eyes were a little red.
“Yesterday, you were still clutching my sleeve, calling Qin Zhongyou’s name.”
Yan Jingyu was stunned again and said subconsciously, “Yesterday… I did dream of him…”
“And this morning, you have no backbone at all and want to throw yourself at me?!”
“…?”
