Chapter 71 Part 2: Don’t you just want this Lord to be a little gentler to you?
Ming Zelin and Qi Mufang walked out of the small courtyard together, their expressions both a little hesitant and worried. Ming Zelin was worried that Liao Chen would soon come and snatch ‘this thing of his’ back from Yan Jingyu. Qi Mufang, on the other hand, was worried if Yan Jingyu had been bullied, but he did not dare to go and find trouble with Liao Chen…
Just then, a voice suddenly came to their ears. “What is he doing?”
Qi Mufang’s face changed. He said straightforwardly, “Master said he never wants to see you again!”
Ming Zelin had already quickly said, “He’s sleeping, he’s sleeping. Master, the Immortal Lord seems to be not very happy. Do you see if there’s anything I can help with…?”
Both of them responded in their spiritual platforms and did not know what the other had said to Liao Chen. They just looked at each other silently.
Liao Chen fell silent. Qi Mufang’s confidence grew a little. He thought to himself: This demon lord is indeed in the wrong! Master should sever ties with him as soon as possible!
Ming Zelin, on the other hand, was thinking, Since Liao Chen did not directly refute him and let the Immortal Lord die, it means that he still wants to salvage this relationship in his heart. Great, I am still a thing of the two of them, and not Liao Chen’s exclusive property…
Yan Jingyu, in a daze, felt as if there was something wet and hot in front of him, constantly licking his cheek. He slowly opened one eye and immediately saw the slightly ugly scales, and also the round, crocodile-like eyes.
He immediately came back to his senses, pleasantly surprised for a moment. “Xiao Guai…”
He gently stroked its head. Xiao Guai immediately wagged its tail and climbed onto his bed. Yan Jingyu had to move inside, and with a laugh, he made a place for the dog-sized blood beast, saying softly, “How did you get here?”
Xiao Guai rubbed its face against his and made “mm, mm” sounds, more and more like a coquettish puppy.
Clearly, it was such a ferocious fellow… without it having to open its mouth, Yan Jingyu already had the answer in his heart. At that time, when he and Liao Chen had entered the mortal world, they had not brought Xiao Guai, but had left it with Mo Xia to be raised. Now that the other had suddenly come to Yaoguang Valley, it could clearly only be because of that person.
But even so, he still felt a faint joy simply because of Xiao Guai’s arrival. He picked up the other’s front limbs and lifted them. He found that after this period of feeding, the other’s front limbs had become much stronger and were no longer in the fish-like form where they could only lie limply on the ground.
“It seems Mo Xia has raised you well… did you let her win when you were competing?”
Xiao Guai let out a puppy-like whimper again, which did not match its ugly appearance at all. But its head was pressed against Yan Jingyu’s body again. It had no hands, but it did not forget to constantly pull at the quilt with its front limbs, as if it wanted to stay in the same bed with Yan Jingyu for a while longer.
Yan Jingyu patiently patted it. Thinking of how well-behaved the other was now, he felt a wave of relief. Anyway, he could see that in the entire demonic race, everyone was not as much of a scoundrel as that Demon Lord… even the blood beast could become so well-behaved and sensible, only he had been annoying for ten years like a day.
In the end, Yan Jingyu still climbed up. Xiao Guai was a little disappointed, but still followed him and got off the bed, patting its already somewhat firm front limbs as it followed behind Yan Jingyu.
Yan Jingyu rummaged around but couldn’t find anything to eat. He had no choice but to put on an outer garment and prepare to go out.
Just as he had fastened his belt, he heard a tender “jiu jiu” sound from the window, accompanied by a “thud, thud” sound of pecking at the window frame. Yan Jingyu’s divine sense swept over and saw the little phoenix that had just hatched a few days ago, flapping its small wings outside the window, constantly hitting the window frame, and from time to time, even trying to lift the window with its own beak. This little thing was not even the size of a palm now, its whole body covered in fluffy little red feathers. This action was clearly like a mayfly trying to shake a tree, not knowing its own limits…
From time to time, it would look back helplessly, as if it were praying for and waiting for someone’s help. But soon, it would work hard without complaint, chirping as it jumped around on the window frame, panting as it looked for an angle.
Sometimes it would limply let its wings droop, its bird’s throat pressed against the window frame, but soon it would seem to be driven by something and stand up with a “jiu jiu jiu,” like a pitiful laborer who had been given a task. Yan Jingyu spread his divine sense and did not find the figure of the culprit. He frowned and walked over.
In order to avoid pushing the young bird down when he pushed the window, he first used his spiritual energy to lift the little thing outside, and only then did he push open the window and reach out his hand.
The young bird tilted its head. Yan Jingyu saw that two imperceptible crest feathers had already grown on its head, a little bit big, contrasting with its round little head, and also its dark, round eyes that were faintly covered with a layer of crimson. His heart softened for a moment.
He curled his four fingers together. The little one chirped twice. Its two small wings opened at its sides, as if it were confirming if he was the person it was looking for.
Yan Jingyu had no choice but to hold it up. “Did a big bad guy send you?”
The little bird stood up straight in his palm, its round eyes suddenly becoming even rounder. It immediately jumped excitedly in his palm, its small wings spread out, its soft down all fluffed up, a look of a bullied ox or horse.
Although it could not yet speak human language, it was born with a spiritual consciousness and was much smarter than a human cub.
Yan Jingyu gestured, and the little bird immediately hopped onto his wrist. Yan Jingyu’s eyes curved, and as he flipped his arm with its movements, the little one quickly rushed along his arm with all its might, and then fell on its butt on his shoulder.
“Roar—” Xiao Guai below made a sound. The sound waves vibrated, and the little bird was immediately shaken so hard that its butt left Yan Jingyu’s shoulder. It quickly turned around and immediately jumped up on Yan Jingyu’s shoulder. “Jiu jiu jiu, jiu jiu jiu!!”
Its voice was tender yet fierce, a look of being afraid of nothing.
Yan Jingyu patted the blood beast’s head. “You have to get along well.”
The blood beast lowered its head. The little bird was still arrogant. “Jiu! Jiu jiu jiu!!!”
It was even a little sharp.
Are you of the phoenix clan all so brave… Yan Jingyu slowly and forcefully pressed its head with his finger. Only then did it settle down, but it still sat on Yan Jingyu’s shoulder, glaring at Xiao Guai with both curiosity and fierceness.
Yan Jingyu took them out together. Before he had even left the courtyard, he saw a black shadow step out from behind the octagonal archway. He bent down with his hands behind his back, pretending to be looking for something, but his acting was not very convincing. He soon stopped at the archway and cast his gaze at Yan Jingyu, first glancing at the Xiao Guai behind him, then at the young bird on his shoulder with its butt facing this way, and raised an eyebrow. “I was just wondering where they had run off to. So they’re with you.”
Yan Jingyu walked straight over. Just as he was about to bump into the other’s shoulder, Liao Chen suddenly, for a rare moment, was tactful and moved to the side, at the same time revealing a smile. “These two things are quite fond of you. They came all the way here on their own. I couldn’t even stop them.”
Not to mention the distance between the Demonic Domain and Yaoguang Valley, after all, Xiao Guai was a blood beast. Ignoring its slow movements, it was not impossible for it to come to Yaoguang Valley. But this little phoenix had only been born a few days ago. To be able to run from Jiuyi Mountain to Yaoguang Valley on its own… it would probably have been swallowed by other ferocious beasts before it even left the mountain.
Yan Jingyu did not bother with his equally unconvincing lie. Liao Chen also did not get angry with him and just continued to smile. “Going out to eat?”
As he spoke, he glanced at the young bird sitting on his shoulder. The young bird soon began to chirp, constantly jumping on Yan Jingyu’s shoulder and chirping at his ear.
Yan Jingyu had to slow down his steps to prevent it from falling to the ground when it jumped up as he took a step. He said softly, “Be quiet.”
The young bird stopped and looked at Liao Chen.
Liao Chen smiled. “It hatched from your spiritual abode. You can be considered its half-father. We of the phoenix clan usually think of a name for our cubs before they are born. Have you thought of what to call it?”
Yan Jingyu rolled his eyes at him and snorted coldly.
They walked all the way out of the Yan estate and came to the floating long corridor on the cliff. Yan Jingyu took a step up and heard him sigh lightly. “That day, when this Lord was hidden, it seemed to be here that I saw you again. You didn’t even remember me at that time…”
Yan Jingyu just closed his mouth tightly. Liao Chen was not a talkative person to begin with. The awkward chat along the way had already emptied his stomach of what little he had. He restrained his breathing, and a hint of impatience flashed in his eyes. But Yan Jingyu suddenly looked at him.
He subconsciously raised a smile again.
Yan Jingyu pursed his lips and withdrew his gaze.
Liao Chen’s face turned cold again. He put his hands behind his back slightly, his brow furrowed, lost in thought.
He finally couldn’t resist and came to pull him. Yan Jingyu, as if he had eyes on his hands, dodged his hand.
Liao Chen continued to follow him, briefly withdrawing his hand. “There are a lot of people crowded outside Yaoguang Valley now, all wanting to enter the valley with you to cultivate. Are you considering rebuilding Yaoguang Valley?”
Yan Jingyu’s steps paused slightly, but he still ignored him.
Liao Chen said, “If you are interested in restoring the glory of the Yan Clan, I can lend you a hand… help you screen disciples, how about it?”
The corners of Yan Jingyu’s lips lifted imperceptibly. Fearing that he would see it, he pretended to look at the scenery on the side.
“…I, a dignified lord of a realm, am willing to come here to do odd jobs for you. Yan Qi, don’t you dare… ahem.” In Yan Jingyu’s fierce glare, he changed his words. “I mean, you can think about it carefully.”
“No need.” Yan Jingyu finally spoke, his voice ruthless. “My own family’s affairs, I will figure them out myself.”
“…” Liao Chen smiled again, and said good-naturedly, “If I want to help, I’m afraid you won’t be able to stop me.”
His tone carried a hint of provocation. “Yan Qi, do you believe that I can protect your reputation in your later years, and also make you notorious…”
“Are you here to find fault today?!”
Yan Jingyu stopped his steps. The young bird on his shoulder made a gesture of covering its ears.
Liao Chen suddenly reached out his hand and directly put both the young bird and the blood beast into his sleeve. In an instant, only the two of them were left on the long corridor. He looked at Yan Jingyu and said slowly, “I came to apologize.”
Yan Jingyu raised an eyebrow, directly leaned against the railing on the side of the long corridor, and crossed his arms over his chest. “You speak. I am all ears.”
“…” Liao Chen was clearly very unhappy with his attitude. This was not being all ears, this was clearly a retaliatory provocation. He immediately also lost interest, and also leaned against the railing on the opposite side, also crossing his arms.
Below the cliff, the clouds and mist were lingering. On both sides of the floating corridor, parts of the towering floating islands could be vaguely seen, and also the mountain trees that soared into the clouds, magnificent yet not lacking in immortal energy.
The wind blew, making the hems of their clothes rustle. Their four eyes met. At a glance, it was as if they were still arch-nemesis.
The only difference was that one’s indifference contained a hint of pique, and the other’s restlessness revealed a hint of having fallen into a disadvantage.
In the end, it was the restless one who spoke first. “To put it bluntly, don’t you just want this Lord to be a little gentler to you, a little more considerate, and not always treat you as an enemy? Such a small thought, is it that hard to say?”
Yan Jingyu bit his lip. In his mocking gaze, which seemed to have seen through him completely, he suddenly turned around, facing the gentle breeze, wanting to use it to take away the heat on his face.
Liao Chen let out a light laugh. “Yan Qi, this Lord can be gentle to you, but the prerequisite is…”
Yan Jingyu’s gaze turned cold. He turned his head to look at him.
His eyes were filled with stuffiness, anger, and more so, disappointment and heartbreak.
Yes, he didn’t like Liao Chen always treating him like this. Just like that time after they were intimate, he had suddenly been taken to the wilderness. If the two of them were still arch-nemesis, it would have been fine for him to do that. But at that time, Yan Jingyu had trusted him with all his heart… some jokes, he couldn’t afford to play.
No matter if Liao Chen had that intention or not, he would have a feeling of suddenly falling into a void, as if everything had been taken away, including the little bit of insignificant self-esteem he had left.
Liao Chen subtly sensed the change in his emotions. He stood up slightly straight, walked over, and leaned against Yan Jingyu on one side. “I’m sorry…?”
The end of his voice was a little raised, as if he were not sure, and also as if he were observing Yan Jingyu’s attitude.
He was also unwilling to show weakness easily. He had indeed reacted a little slower than Yan Jingyu. He was still vaguely observing the transition from enemy to lover… He could be hidden for the sake of saving Yan Jingyu, and he could also be injured with him. He could reluctantly let go of the past grudges… no longer face him with weapons. He could also treat it as a surrender he had made for his demonic nature.
But he and Yan Jingyu had always been like fire and water… who knew what his display of goodwill looked like in Yan Jingyu’s eyes…
He had always been accustomed to using extreme means to seize everything, but he had never thought of using other ways to move the other, especially since that person was Yan Jingyu…
He was no longer the waste who needed his care back then. He had once again become the Immortal Lord Dufang, who had the ability to oppose him, and also the ability to get rid of him…
Yan Jingyu did not mock, nor did he show a hostile expression, but was just a little unhappy. “What do you mean?”
“…I’m sorry.” He spoke again, his gaze still on Yan Jingyu, with a hint of vigilance, and also a hint of sincerity. Yan Jingyu’s eyes seemed to soften a little. He snorted. “Is that all?”
Liao Chen’s eyelashes twitched slightly.
He had to admit that compared to Yan Jingyu holding a knife and hacking at him, this kind of dependent posture, as if he were facing a family member, was more likable. He paused for a moment. “In the future, I will be good to you… I will treat you as a real Daoist companion… is that okay?”
The last sentence, he had revealed his true colors again.
He was also unhappy, because the current Yan Jingyu no longer needed his protection. His power plus his own power could resist the outside world, but his own power plus his power could also destroy himself.
Yan Jingyu saw his unhappiness. His expression was still deliberately difficult, but his eyes were already overflowing with fine light, his mood clearly rising rapidly.
He grunted in acknowledgement and said slowly, “Alright, I’ll reluctantly forgive you.”
Liao Chen turned his gaze, glanced at him, and said, “Reluctantly? Just this little thing, is it worth you making such a scene with me? And even locking yourself in the room and sleeping for so long? I never noticed before that you were actually a crybaby…”
Yan Jingyu suddenly glared at him.
If he and Liao Chen were still enemies, even if the other had stabbed him a hundred times, it would not have made him so wretched. But the fact was that he and Liao Chen had gotten together. They were clearly already lovers, and they had already done the most intimate things… these things would make him briefly let down all his defenses, but Liao Chen could always, at his most at ease and softest moments, suddenly stab him.
Yan Jingyu also didn’t want to hold it against him… of course he knew what kind of person Liao Chen was. No one in this world knew Liao Chen better than him. But… his emotions would still be affected by those words. This was not something he could easily get over just by trying to understand.
“Alright, alright.” Liao Chen was glared at until he felt guilty and could only speak again. “Didn’t I already promise to be good to you? Stop being unreasonable here…”
The end of his voice was soft, as if he were worried that he would get angry again.
Yan Jingyu pursed his lips. In the end, he still snorted and walked forward with big steps. “You’re also being good to me for a purpose, because you’ve already said it outside and can’t take it back. You’re worried I won’t agree to you.”
Hearing the arrogance in his tone, Liao Chen relaxed a little and chased after him. “What’s wrong with having a purpose? If I have a purpose, can’t I be good to you?”
“Stop reversing the order.” Yan Jingyu said, “I said you’re being good to me for a purpose!”
“Then if you can let me have a purpose for a lifetime, isn’t that also your ability?”
“You… who taught you to talk like this?”
“Do you want to form a marriage contract with me or not?”
“…” Yan Jingyu glanced at him, then turned his gaze to the surroundings, his steps light, slow and methodical.
“I’ll think about it.”
