Chapter 52
Although Si Lan lacked practical experience, he understood what was happening now. The two of them had intertwined their souls in the sea of consciousness. He had only heard others mention before that after reaching a certain level of cultivation, one could engage in dual cultivation in the sea of consciousness, greatly enhancing efficiency. But he never expected that he would have such a day himself.
He felt it must have been the ambiguous and affectionate atmosphere at that time that made him lose his senses momentarily, his consciousness controlled by Hao Wei, leading to such an act!
Blushing, he glared at Hao Wei for a while, suddenly realizing that he was still maintaining a human form. No, to be precise, his cultivation had recovered to the seventh or eighth level, allowing him to freely transform his appearance.
His heart was stirred, but this excitement was quickly replaced by embarrassment when he lowered his gaze and saw the marks on his neck, chest, abdomen, and other parts. His expression stiffened involuntarily.
Wasn’t it just in the sea of consciousness?
Why were there marks in the real world too?
Fortunately, the other parts didn’t feel much, which eased his mind slightly.
He guessed that the old lecherous white dragon took advantage of him while he was asleep, leaving marks all over him in the real world as well.
Thinking of this, Si Lan clenched his fists. This person pretended to help him recover his cultivation, but actually used him like a tool.
Tsk tsk, what a cunning plan.
He couldn’t help but glare fiercely at the person beside him. Perhaps his gaze was too resentful, because before long, Hao Wei’s long lashes fluttered, indicating he was waking up.
Seeing this, Si Lan instinctively closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep.
He didn’t know why he did this, but even with his eyes closed, he could feel the other person’s gaze landing squarely on his face once he woke up, filled with possessiveness that seemed to consume him bit by bit.
His heart pounded like a drum as two hands gently gripped him under the covers. He tried to maintain the appearance of deep sleep, but his ears, already turning slightly red, had already betrayed him.
Hao Wei chuckled softly, reaching around his waist and pulling him closer. Si Lan’s ears turned even redder, his breathing momentarily thrown into disarray.
Hao Wei lowered his head, lips brushing against Si Lan’s ear, his voice husky yet tinged with a hint of tenderness, “You’re sleeping so deeply, we could go again.”
Si Lan abruptly opened his eyes, pushing Hao Wei away with a flushed face. “You… you…”
He wanted to scold him, but couldn’t find the right words.
Hao Wei smiled in his eyes. At this moment, he was completely opposite to Si Lan. Despite transferring two or three layers of his cultivation to him during their soul intertwining, he didn’t feel tired at all. Instead, he felt refreshed and clear-headed. He reached out to explore Si Lan’s forehead, checking his spiritual state. “Do you feel uncomfortable?”
“No.” Si Lan replied somewhat awkwardly, pushing away Hao Wei’s arm and glancing out the window. “These days… has anyone come looking for me?”
“No one in particular, just your two disciples, two guardians, the four peak masters, and some prospective concubines wanting to see you.”
Si Lan…
Normally, not even a female bird dared to land on his Peak, so why were so many people coming these days?
He awkwardly asked, “They didn’t see anything, did they?”
Hao Wei smirked, “What is there that they shouldn’t see?”
As he spoke, he sat up, the sheet slipping down to his waist and revealing his smoothly toned chest.
Caught off guard, Si Lan glanced briefly before quickly looking away, intentionally wearing a stern expression. “There are many things that naturally shouldn’t be seen. You may not care, but I do.”
Hao Wei chuckled again, calmly adjusting his clothes as he replied, “I’ve set up a barrier. No one has entered in the past three days.”
Si Lan felt a slight relief upon hearing this. Both of them had unique identities; if they were seen together by Quze or the guardians, it wouldn’t matter much since they wouldn’t gossip. However, if anyone else saw them, it could lead to unnecessary rumors.
After all, on the surface, the relationship between the Heavenly Demon and the Demon Realm is tense, like fire and water. However, behind the scenes, the Heavenly Emperor and the Demon Ancestor are actually colluding, which is outrageous. Moreover, once the public knows about it, it won’t be conducive to uniting the people’s hearts.
Si Lan saw Haowei standing up, and after he had dressed himself, he came down as well. As soon as one foot touched the ground, he felt dizzy. In the end, he plunged into Haowei’s arms, and Haowei naturally embraced him.
“Be careful.”
Si Lan pushed Haowei away, stiffly saying, “Mm.”
Knowing he would be hungry when he woke up, Quze had long been guarding outside the barrier. As soon as Haowei dispelled the barrier, Quze’s voice immediately sounded from outside.
“My Lord, would you like to eat?”
“Yes.”
Si Lan checked his attire and complexion several times to make sure everything was in order. When Quze came in, he pretended to be calm, not looking at him. Only when Quze approached did he sneak a glance at him, wanting to see if Quze had noticed anything.
Fortunately, Quze’s expression remained as composed and calm as ever, which made Si Lan secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
It’s good that he didn’t notice anything suspicious.
Quze placed immortal wine and elixir fruits on the table, bowed, and then obediently withdrew.
Si Lan picked up one of the elixir fruits and found several strange things next to it—pale and unfamiliar objects he had never seen before. Unable to resist, he picked them up to examine them.
They felt a bit soft and slippery, with a certain elasticity.
He couldn’t help but furrow his brow, pulling at this thing curiously. “What is this…”
Normally, Quze wouldn’t bring strange food without his permission.
He muttered to himself, “It’s a bit like the balloons I played with before…” As soon as he finished speaking, he instantly realized something, hastily throwing the thing away as if it were something dirty.
Across from him, Haowei spoke up, “That’s a wishful pouch made from fish maw.”
Si Lan’s mouth twitched awkwardly, not expecting Quze, at such a young age, to know so much.
He really underestimated him!
Seeing the rich expression on Si Lan’s face, Haowei’s lips curved slightly. “However, we don’t need such things right now.” They were only spiritually connected; their relationship hadn’t progressed physically to that point.
Si Lan felt uncomfortable all over, lost his appetite, and didn’t know how to face Haowei. Tentatively, he asked, “Aren’t you busy?” As the ruler of the Five Realms, he should be handling state affairs, so how did he have time every day to accompany him and leisurely waste three days engaging in spiritual exchange?
“Not busy. The affairs of the Heavenly Realm can be handled by my ministers.” He said so, but in reality, every time he returned to the Jade Clear Palace, he had to deal with a pile of documents.
“Sigh, you’re not busy, I am. I… I’ll go to the study to handle affairs first.” Si Lan finished speaking and walked out the door, with a feeling of fleeing.
His head was still a little dizzy, so he walked crookedly.
Fortunately, Haowei did not follow him.
After arriving at the study, he closed the door tightly and sighed heavily.
His mind was in turmoil now. He stared at the documents in front of him for a long time without moving. Finally, he slapped his head to force himself to calm down.
“Si Lan, you’ve lived for over a thousand years. Why is your mind filled with thoughts of men now?”
Si Lan couldn’t help but scorn himself in his heart, reminding himself not to sink into indulgence just because of past illusory intimacy. His goal was the vast universe.
He stayed in the study until evening, when the Song brothers came to find him.
Presumably, the two had already learned from Quze that he had refused to select a consort, so when they came, they were apologetic.
Song Ye used to have a stubborn temperament. Even if he did something wrong and was punished, he would still look indifferent. But because Si Lan had saved him last time, losing half his blood in the process, Song Ye now felt deeply guilty when he saw Si Lan.
This time, he took the initiative to apologize.
“My Lord, about the selection of a consort, I acted without discussing it with you first. Please punish me.”
Song Cheng, standing beside him, added, “Your Majesty, I acted rashly in this matter too.”
Si Lan rubbed his weary forehead, helpless. “Why would you even think of selecting a consort for me?”
Outside the main hall, Quze, who had been silently guarding, heard this and also came forward to apologize.
“My Lord, it was actually me… who instructed the guardians to select a consort.”
“…” Si Lan
Si Lan had a look of disbelief on his face, as if saying, “Quze, have you been possessed?” He looked at Quze incredulously. “When did you become so meddlesome?” Earlier, Quze silently offering the wishful pouch was already pushing it!
Quze naturally didn’t dare to say that it was because he heard Si Lan complaining and felt that Si Lan was lonely and cold, which made him think of selecting a consort for Si Lan.
He just lowered his head, remaining silent.
Si Lan shook his head helplessly, tapping his fingers on the tabletop intermittently. “Handle this matter yourselves this time,” he said, each word measured.
“Yes.”
After everyone left, Si Lan remained in the study for a while before reluctantly returning to his sleeping quarters. Throughout the afternoon, Haowei did not come to find him, nor did Si Lan seek out Haowei.
When he pushed open the door, he found not only Haowei in the main hall but also a black-robed immortal standing opposite him, engaged in conversation with Haowei.
Seeing him enter, the black-robed immortal immediately fell silent.
However, Haowei said, “Wu Dao, continue.”
Yu Wudao then spoke again, “Back then, among the four fox demons who mingled with Yu Wu Xia, three have already died, and one is imprisoned in the Demon Realm’s Linglong Mountain due to a transgression.”
Pausing, Yu Wudao added, “Oh, a few days ago, the Great Immortal of Gaheng was attacked after a sermon and sustained injuries, declaring retreat for cultivation without further sermons. According to disciples on duty that day, the attacker used a spell with the illusionary form of a fiery red lotus flower, a unique mark of Yu Wu Xia.”
Haowei frowned. “Yu Wu Xia attacked the Great Immortal of Gaheng?”
“Yes, that’s what I suspect,” Yu Wudao replied.
Haowei didn’t speak further, but Si Lan couldn’t help but ask Yu Wudao, “Immortal, do you know the exact time when the Great Immortal of Gaheng was attacked?”
“It was reported to have occurred after the sermon. Yu Wu Xia disguised himself as a disciple, and when the Great Immortal of Gaheng was inattentive, he attacked.”
A shadowy figure flickered in Si Lan’s mind. He recalled the day after the sermon when he and several disciples stood in line waiting to discuss doubts. Behind him was a black-robed disciple.
He had glanced back at that disciple, but now he couldn’t recall his face.
All he remembered was a glimpse of a jade-like white jaw under the black cloak.
Was he… Yu Wu Xia?
He hadn’t realized they had been so close!
Haowei seemed to have similar thoughts, his expression turning serious. After a moment of silence, he asked, “How serious are the Great Immortal of Gaheng’s injuries?”
“They are somewhat serious; otherwise, he wouldn’t have announced a halt to sermons,” Yu Wudao replied. After all, the Great Immortal of Gaheng was the only Immortal in the Thirty-three Heavens who had persisted in sermonizing for tens of thousands of years without interruption. Now, this was his first time canceling a sermon, causing a stir in the Thirty-three Heavens.
Haowei nodded gently. After Yu Wudao finished speaking, he bowed and respectfully withdrew. As his figure gradually disappeared into the starlight formation, he glanced thoughtfully at Si Lan.
Si Lan met his gaze awkwardly but was relieved when the other person smiled kindly, and he smiled back faintly.
After everyone left, the sleeping quarters regained its quietness, where one could hear a pin drop.
Si Lan had intended to ask why Haowei didn’t need to return to the Heavenly Court, but as he approached, he noticed that Haowei had moved the documents to the Demon Realm, and the table was piled with them.
“…”
Was Haowei planning to set up a temporary office in the Demon Realm?
Wasn’t that a bit too presumptuous?
Although they had breached that level of intimacy and engaged in spiritual exchange, it was still just a beginning. How could Haowei already consider the Demon Realm his home…
Si Lan coughed softly, interrupting Haowei’s thoughts, and sat down opposite him.
Haowei understood that Si Lan had been avoiding him before, probably feeling a bit shy. So he didn’t come looking for him, allowing Si Lan to digest things alone.
Si Lan asked, “Why did you bring all these documents here? Doesn’t the Heavenly Realm need you to personally oversee them?”
“There’s nothing major happening in the Heavenly Realm, and if anything comes up, Wu Dao can contact me anytime through spiritual communication.” Pausing, Haowei looked at Si Lan earnestly. “It’s actually more important for you here. Your cultivation has recovered, but you still need daily… spiritual exchanges to stabilize it. Otherwise, the cultivation I transferred to you might become unstable.”
“…” Si Lan
T/N: Hey there! There is plenty more where that came from, so stay tuned! And stay healthy! Straighten your posture, so some stretches and drink some water before continuing hehe~
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