Chapter 22 : Can I wear your size?
The room was silent.
Yan Jingyu sat down in the hot spring pool, took off his soaked clothes and placed them on a nearby rock. He wiped his face with his back to the crack, then submerged himself deeper into the pool, leaving only his head floating outside.
His dark hair spread out on the water like seaweed, floating beside him, each strand distinct.
Beneath the water, his body was a pristine white.
Liao Chen closed his eyes, focusing his divine sense on himself, and concentrated on healing.
Yan Jingyu played with the warm water in the pool. After a long while, he spoke. “Do you have a soap pearl?”
Liao Chen did not answer, but a set of neatly folded clothes floated out of the Qiankun Pouch, along with two white jade bottles.
Yan Jingyu walked out of the water to the stone platform at the edge and found that one of the bottles contained scented oil. He looked out through the crack. The man’s expression was still calm, his posture proper.
“What are you giving me this for?”
“This one smells better.”
He opened it and sniffed. The fragrance of lotus rushed to his nostrils, refreshing and invigorating. It was indeed a few degrees more fragrant than the flower dew from his mouth.
Just because I breathed on him a few times, he can hold a grudge over this…
There were clothes from inside to out. Yan Jingyu opened them and looked. He found them somewhat familiar. “Did you also buy clothes at the clothing store that day?”
The clothes were moon-white. Yan Jingyu was a little curious. “I’ve never seen you wear any other color… Can I wear your size?”
Liao Chen was silent. Yan Jingyu muttered to himself as he put on the clothes one by one, from the inner clothes to the underpants, and then the moon-white quilted outer garment. They all fit him perfectly.
“Eh?” Yan Jingyu’s eyes lit up. It seemed his previous impression that Liao Chen was broader in the shoulders and taller than him was an illusion! He ran towards the crack, but found that no matter which direction he ran, the crack was always at the same distance, so he had to stop.
The crack was not a teleportation array, but a passage forcefully torn open by a high-level cultivator, a middle state folded between two regions, not something a mortal body could easily cross.
“Liao Chen.” He said obediently, “I can’t get out.”
Liao Chen ignored him, but a force soon gently lifted him from under his feet. Yan Jingyu took the opportunity to step forward, his bare feet landing lightly on the slightly cool floor of the room.
He hadn’t felt it in the hot spring, but now back in the room, he found the floor so cold that he immediately jumped. “Shoes, shoes, shoes!” he shouted.
The soles of the shoes were also soft and quilted. Yan Jingyu slipped them on his feet, and they were a perfect fit.
He couldn’t help but sigh and turned his face to look at Liao Chen.
Liao Chen still had his eyes closed, looking very focused. But the moment his gaze fell on him, he had already opened his divine sense and began to be on guard.
I knew this thing was up to no good…
He watched as Yan Jingyu approached him slowly with a straight face, then suddenly squatted down in front of him and picked up his… shoe.
“?”
Yan Jingyu took his shoe, took off his own shoe, and put the two soles together, comparing them from toe to heel—
“Hmph.” Liao Chen let out a merciless sneer.
Yan Jingyu threw down the shoe that was a size bigger than his, slipped on his own, and said coldly, “I’m starving.”
“There’s food in the outer hall. Go get it yourself.”
Yan Jingyu’s eyes suddenly curved. “Did you buy these clothes specifically for me?”
“You’ve been bought over by a few pieces of clothing?”
“The food was also specially ordered for me, wasn’t it?”
“A few meals have made you completely devoted?”
“Do you have some ulterior motives towards me?”
“…” Liao Chen’s lips twitched, and his eyes stared straight at him. “If you want, I can satisfy you.”
“…” Yan Jingyu turned his face and walked towards the outer hall. As he was about to go out, a thick, heavy black robe suddenly pressed down on him. “This Lord won’t catch a cold, but you will.”
Yan Jingyu was almost pressed to the ground. He stood up, holding onto the door frame, and said in a slightly annoyed tone, “Can’t you be a little gentler!”
He walked out of the barrier. The water vapor on his wet hair evaporated bit by bit. Yan Jingyu stopped. The long hair hanging down his chest had become dry and smooth. He gently stroked it with his hand before starting to walk again.
He turned through the long corridor and came to the front hall. As expected, there was another food box. But the person who had delivered the food was nowhere to be seen.
He walked back again. Before he even entered the door, Yan Jingyu said, “How on earth did you describe me to your subordinates? Now that little nine-tails won’t even show his face.”
He couldn’t possibly stay with Liao Chen for the entire polar night, could he? That would be so annoying.
“I told them about your glorious achievements in slaying demons and monsters back then.”
This was a glorious achievement in the immortal sects, but in the eyes of those demons, he was a great villain who did all kinds of evil. Yan Jingyu walked to the table and suddenly glanced at him again. An unfolded jade slip appeared in front of him. Liao Chen was intently browsing something on it.
“Is that the Vast Expanse Book?” Yan Jingyu was a little moved, and also a little sad. “So this thing really did fall into your hands.”
The Vast Expanse Book was one of the artifacts of the immortal sects. Its special feature was that it could accommodate all the books in the world. As long as it was fed, the book spirit could digest the knowledge in a very short time, and in the future, one only needed to search with their mind if needed. But its most useful feature was not its function, but the amount of knowledge it stored. Among them were many ancient texts that had been lost for thousands of years, all of which were supreme treasures of the world.
The Vast Expanse Book was also once one of the treasures of Hutian. When Yan Jingyu was a child, he often went to play with his father. As soon as his primordial spirit entered the Vast Expanse Book, he could wander for days and nights. But in his eighth year, the elder of the treasure pavilion rebelled, and this book disappeared from then on.
“Not very useful.” Liao Chen said faintly, “This thing doesn’t listen.”
Belatedly, Yan Jingyu noticed that a palm-sized, top-knotted child was tied to the jade slip, his mouth also tightly bound. He was closing his eyes tightly, as if he would rather die than submit.
If he didn’t open his eyes, many of the books in this Vast Expanse Book would be in a sealed state and could not be accessed.
Liao Chen flicked a cluster of flames at him. Under the scorching true fire, the little boy suddenly opened his eyes and began to struggle desperately, his expression becoming incomparably ferocious and painful. But because his mouth was gagged, he could only sob and cry wildly.
Liao Chen nonchalantly continued to probe with his mind, browsing the books that could be read inside.
Yan Jingyu subconsciously walked over. “Don’t be so fierce with him.”
“How is this fierce?” Liao Chen nonchalantly increased the fire. “This Lord just likes people with backbone. Those who soften their bones after being stepped on a few times, like you, are too boring to torture.”
The little boy had already seen Yan Jingyu. His eyes suddenly widened. While disbelieving, he began to struggle again.
“You, you, you, let him go first!” Yan Jingyu forcefully slapped Liao Chen’s hand. The latter snorted softly and curled his fingers. The little boy suddenly let out a wail and pounced on Yan Jingyu, as if he had suffered a great injustice, and said loudly, “Little A-Yu! You’ve finally come to save me!”
Although this book spirit looked young, he had already lived for thousands of years. He was now clutching the collar of Yan Jingyu’s clavicle like a small pendant. Yan Jingyu stroked his back with his fingers and could still feel a scorching heat. It seemed he had been burned quite badly.
“What book are you looking for?” Yan Jingyu asked. Before Liao Chen could answer, the little boy suddenly turned his face, one hand still hanging onto his collar, and pointed at Liao Chen with the other, saying with hatred, “Kill this little dog thief! From now on, I am yours!”
Liao Chen sneered contemptuously and curled his finger again. Yan Jingyu quickly intertwined his hands, protecting him in his palm, and whispered to the little boy, “I can’t beat him.”
The little boy poked his head out from the gap in his clasped hands, his expression dazed. Yan Jingyu added, “He who understands the times is a wise man. Let’s help him first.”
The little boy’s expression was tragic. “Since ancient times, who has not died? Let my loyal heart shine in the annals of history.”
Yan Jingyu consoled, “As long as the bright moon of the five lakes remains, there is no need to worry about not having a place to cast a golden hook.”
The little boy insisted, “I am not afraid of being crushed to pieces, I want to leave a clear name in the world.”
Yan Jingyu firmly believed, “Though a thousand siftings and a hundred thousand strainings are hard work, after blowing away all the sand, you will find the gold.”
The little boy hesitated, “There are many divergent paths, where am I now?”
Yan Jingyu rubbed his head. “There will be a time to ride the long wind and break the waves.”
The little boy was quiet for a while, then suddenly pounced on Liao Chen, hissing, “Kill him without leaving a single piece of armor!!!”
Liao Chen raised an eyebrow. Yan Jingyu quickly pulled him back again, saying repeatedly, “Heaven does not fail a person with a determined heart. Endure hardship and nurse a grievance, endure hardship and nurse a grievance… Wen Renying, calm down!”
After finally appeasing the little boy, Yan Jingyu asked Liao Chen again, “What are you looking for?”
“The few books you gave me, I need to check them against all the ancient texts to confirm that there are no other books that record any side effects.”
“…” You really are a dog.
Yan Jingyu carried the little boy to the table and began to prepare for breakfast. Wen Renying sat on a nearby brush holder, frowning. “How did you end up with this little dog thief?”
“Chi Yuan has been dead for a hundred years,” Yan Jingyu said. “Now, it’s no longer the same as it was back then.”
The little boy nodded. “I know he’s dead. It was this little dog thief behind him who killed him. But you…”
Yan Jingyu picked up a spoon, his tone gentle. “One hundred and thirty-three years ago, my father failed his immortal ascension. The legacy Heavenly Soul was snatched away, and my entire clan was annihilated. I am now a waste.”
The little boy stared at him blankly for a while. “Little A-Xuan… your father was the most cautious person of that generation. He had the rarest thunder-element spiritual root in the world, and it was even Heaven-tier! With his cultivation and aptitude, he could have ascended to immortality before you were even born! But he kept waiting, waiting until you were twenty. I heard that you had already reached the Great Perfection of the Taiqing Realm when you were nineteen… He cherished your mother so much. If he wasn’t completely sure, he wouldn’t have attempted immortal ascension! He actually failed his immortal ascension?!”
Perhaps because his emotions were fluctuating too much, Liao Chen also cast his gaze over.
Yan Jingyu smiled. “Father was indeed cautious. I heard that when Aunt Qin was attempting immortal ascension back then, he even told her to make more preparations. Unfortunately, Aunt Qin failed, and he, who had prepared for more than ten years, also failed.”
The little boy stood up from the brush holder. “Your Heavenly Mandate Eyes didn’t predict his failure?”
“The Heavenly Mandate Eyes can only spy on mortal affairs. Immortal ascension is already a law of the Heavenly Dao…”
“The laws of the Heavenly Dao…” Wen Renying let out a slow sigh. “Without ascending to immortality, it is difficult to spy… Then who was the one who harmed your entire clan? Was it this little dog thief behind him?!”
Yan Jingyu glanced over there. Liao Chen was completely engrossed in the Vast Expanse Book. He shook his head. “The world says it was the Demon Realm who acted to seize the Heavenly Soul. There were also some demonic weapons scattered at the scene. But I know it wasn’t him.”
The little boy shot up. “Did you see it with your Heavenly Mandate Eyes?”
“No…” Before Yan Jingyu could finish, the little boy immediately said, “Then it must be him! Back then, I personally heard him promise Chi Yuan that he would definitely take your head! In order to force you to fight him to the death, he promised to pass through a city, slaughter a city, pass a mountain, level a mountain… I was in Chi Yuan’s spiritual abode at that time, it’s absolutely impossible that I heard wrong! He is definitely the enemy who annihilated your entire clan!”
Yan Jingyu looked at Liao Chen again. The Demon Realm’s actions back then were too cruel. Now, almost any disturbance in the immortal sects was attributed to him, and he seemed to have no intention of denying it. If Yan Jingyu hadn’t experienced this matter personally, he would have also believed it was Liao Chen’s doing.
He shook his head again. “It wasn’t him.”
“How could it not be him!” The little boy was so anxious he was spinning in circles. “If it was the Demon Realm’s doing, then it must be related to him! He is Chi Yuan’s head disciple. Every sect that has been annihilated in the cultivation world has his hand in it! Have you forgotten the tragedy of the Huanxing Hall? It was him, he alone, who killed thirteen thousand people in the blink of an eye! Human lives are like grass! He was only ten years old that year! Chi Yuan told the entire Demon Realm what he had done with a shadow-recording pearl! It’s impossible that you haven’t heard of it!”
How could Yan Jingyu not have heard of it? A sect with ten thousand people was already considered a third-tier sect in the cultivation world. Although the Huanxing Hall was far from comparable to Hutian, it was still a sect of its own. Its disciples were all over the world, and at its peak, it had more than forty thousand disciples.
The first time he saw Liao Chen kill someone was the shadow-recording pearl his mother had shown him before he went down the mountain.
It was also because of this that he had sworn to eradicate this demon before he even entered the world.
“The annihilation of the Yan Clan may have involved the Demonic Domain,” Yan Jingyu’s tone was calm, “but it was not Liao Chen’s doing.”
“You…” The little boy was still not convinced. “You, did you see it with your Heavenly Mandate Eyes?”
“I was just about to ask you,” Yan Jingyu said. “My Heavenly Mandate Eyes, although they couldn’t predict my father’s fall, the annihilation of the Yan Clan doesn’t involve the laws of the Heavenly Dao. Shouldn’t I be able to spy on it… or is it that because the matter involves the Heavenly Soul and myself… it is also hidden by the rules?”
The little boy scratched his head. “Well… your Heavenly Mandate Eyes are already difficult to define with ordinary artifacts. Logically speaking, you have the Heavenly Mandate Eyes, so even if you haven’t ascended to immortality, you already possess a certain immortal quality… but, what restrictions it has… this I cannot know. You can only ask someone who can access the laws… Do you have a Golden Immortal by your side?”
“You don’t know either…”
“Although I claim to have read widely, the matter of laws is usually information that can only be obtained after connecting with the Heavenly Dao after ascending to immortality. It’s impossible for it to be recorded in books.”
Yan Jingyu was very disappointed. “Aunt Qin failed, my father failed, and I have become a waste. The matter of laws, I will never be able to… in this life.”
He suddenly paused, because Wen Renying was vigorously winking at him in front of him, his eyeballs rolling wildly backwards.
Yan Jingyu’s eyes lit up.
That’s right. Although he had no Golden Immortal by his side, he had a Demon God. Liao Chen had already broken through to the demonic stage and could establish a connection with the Heavenly Dao. Regarding the matter of laws, he could ask Liao Chen!
Wen Renying’s figure suddenly disappeared from in front of him, and in the blink of an eye, he was swept back into the jade slip. A voice immediately came from inside the jade slip: “Little A-Yu, save me!! I don’t want to go back to the Qiankun Pouch anymore! That demonic sword is the king there, and it drills us every day in different ways! I’m just a little book boy with no strength to even truss a chicken!!!”
The jade slip was thrown back into the pouch, and his voice also disappeared.
Yan Jingyu: “…’Lian Feng’ is also a diligent sword.”
The Qiankun Pouch flashed twice, as if it were the other’s puffed-out chest.
“Speaking of which, why don’t you store these things in your spiritual abode? Why do you have to carry them on your person?”
All cultivators, after reaching the Huiyang Realm, no longer needed to store things outside their bodies, because a small space would appear in their own cultivation body. And Liao Chen was already a Demon God. His spiritual abode was probably infinitely large, capable of holding hundreds or even thousands of cultivation oases without any problem. Yet he still had to carry a Qiankun Pouch with him. It was really unnecessary.
“Because a spiritual abode can be pierced.” Liao Chen’s tone was chilly. Yan Jingyu immediately lowered his head and muttered after a while, “You also shattered my core…”
“If you hadn’t pierced this Lord’s spiritual abode, I wouldn’t have had to recall my demonic bones, and thus be targeted by Chi Yuan and almost be swallowed alive.”
“If you hadn’t shattered my core, I would have definitely been able to protect my entire family after my father fell. If we have to say, I’m also a victim, okay?”
“Mm.” Liao Chen wisely conceded. “You’re the miserable one.”
“…” Yan Jingyu felt a pang in his heart.
